Bryce Harper's positional change could dictate everything about how the Phillies approach the trade deadline in just under two weeks.
We're right in the thick of trade rumor season. Here's an afternoon look at everything to know in the MLB rumors world.
Jose Quintana could be off IL just to go right on the trade block
The New York Mets finally debuted Jose Quintana. After signing him this winter, he debuted to the tune of five innings and two earned runs on 77 pitches.
Right away, he's likely a piece considered to be going on the trade block, according to Andy Martino of SNY.tv.
Quintana joins a Mets team that is falling far behind expectations set by the massive payroll footed to try to win games this year, and scouts watching him believed his first start at the pro level was even better than his rehab starts at lower levels. With the Mets possibly entering a seller mode here quite soon, Quintana doesn't have the stink of losing on him just yet.
Cardinals cut a pitcher right after signing him
Ryan Tepera got two full innings to prove his worth to the St. Louis Cardinals. With a 9.0 ERA over those two innings, Tepera gets kudos on a job… done. The Cards cut ties with the pitcher who has struggled to get a foothold into 2023.
Tepera has had a transient flow over the last several weeks. After getting cut by the Los Angeles Angels, he had success on a minor league deal with the Rangers. Then, he wound up with the Cardinals.
St. Louis had space on the roster for him in part due to some injuries, but with Tyler O'Neill getting reinstated from the injured list, it was going to be tricky to keep Tepera around even if he were performing at a high level. His poor play, including giving up a home run on Wednesday, was the nail in the coffin.
The Cardinals might not keep O'Neill around for long but do need to roster him to try to up his trade value. O'Neill could fill a need for left-field power hitters if he can prove he still has what he displayed in 2021. As of late, his career has been almost entirely defined by injuries.
Bryce Harper's positional reinvention could change everything for Phillies
Bryce Harper's return from Tommy John surgery has been nothing short of incredible. After getting surgery in November, Harper made his return in early May, less than half a year after going under the knife. The surgery typically takes about a year to recover from, and sometimes more.
One of the ways Harper has been able to get back in the lineup so early on is by keeping his throwing arm on the shelf, participating just as the designated hitter. When you don't have to throw from the outfield, it's a lot easier to get back to the game.
Harper, though, is desperate to get back to the defensive side, but it's unlikely he'll be back in the outfield anytime soon. Instead, Harper has been learning the ins and outs of first base, hoping to make a mid-career reinvention to extend his defensive usefulness without having to overstress his arm.
The Phillies have been hinting at the possibility of Harper making a debut at first base for some time and the much-anticipated event, which has been pushed back multiple times, should now be coming this weekend. Those results dictate the needs for Philly at the trade deadline.
As Matt Gelb pointed out for The Athletic, Harper moving to first base would be a tremendous lift of pressure for the Phillies front office (subscription required), making their trade strategy far more clear-cut.
Philadelphia wants to get Kyle Schwarber out of left field and into the designated hitter slot. But when Harper is occupying that role, and for good reason given his UCL issue, it's darn near impossible to make that move.
If Harper works out as a first baseman, though, Schwarber can move to DH and the front office can pursue left fielders to replace Schwarber.
One option that might be a low-cost grab is Tyler O'Neill from the St. Louis Cardinals. O'Neill has suffered poor injury luck the last few years, but in 2021 proved to be a powerful bat in the lineup while also putting up a run value of 6 per Statcast in left field. He has not recaptured that success on either side of the game since, but much of that is chalked up to injuries. O'Neill returned from an injury on Thursday, so the Phillies will be taking note of not just Harper at first, but also O'Neill's performance in left over the weekend.
