Source: D-backs open to moving vets at Deadline
In recent days, Major League club executives said that the trade market would finally pick up once bubble teams separated themselves into buying and selling categories.
That is happening now.
The D-backs are focusing intently on “selling” conversations, one source told MLB.com on Saturday, and they will listen to offers on virtually all of their veteran players.
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That group includes starting pitchers Zack Greinke and Robbie Ray; relievers Andrew Chafin, Archie Bradley and Greg Holland; and outfielders David Peralta and Jarrod Dyson.
Ray, 27, is eligible for salary arbitration next year, after which he will become a free agent. Greinke, 35, is in the midst of a six-year, $206.5 million deal that goes through the 2021 season. However, there is $62.5 million in deferred money that will be paid in annual installments of $12.5 million from 2022 through 2026. So even though his “salary” for this season is $31.5 million, roughly a third of that is deferred, and he’s actually taking home $21 million for 2019. Therefore, Greinke is owed the prorated portion of his $21 million salary for 2019, as well as what’s left of the final two years of the deal, which comes out to $112.5 million (including deferred payments) when you also include two $3 million bonus payments he is still owed, as well as a $2 million trade bonus.
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Ray is drawing interest from the Yankees, Astros, Brewers, Phillies and Twins, sources say. Greinke, meanwhile, fits best with teams that have the financial resources to assume most (or all) of his remaining salary but may lack the prospect depth to ultimately win the bidding for Ray or the Blue Jays' Marcus Stroman, whose contracts are more manageable. Thus, the Astros and Phillies are among the best fits for Greinke.
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Chafin’s market will be aided by the fact that relatively few impact left-handed relievers are available, and one of them -- Jake Diekman -- was dealt Saturday to Oakland. The Nationals, Phillies, Twins, Dodgers and Cardinals are among the teams known to be seeking a left-handed reliever.
The Braves are a possible suitor for Peralta and Dyson, especially in the wake of the news that lineup mainstay Nick Markakis is heading to the injured list with a fractured left wrist. The Cubs are also interested in Peralta, as first reported by MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal.