The Phillies want Xander Bogaerts from the Red Sox in a Cliff Lee deal

By Craig CalcaterraJul 30, 2013, 1:00 PM EST
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I remain skeptical that the Phillies will actually trade Cliff Lee, but it could happen. If it does, it’s gonna take a lot. One report from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe is that it will take top infield prospect Xander Bogaerts:

 

Rosenthal and Heyman both have columns up about Lee. Heyman mentions that the Red Sox are interested. Rosenthal makes the argument that the Sox should trade Bogaerts if it meant getting Lee.

Bogaerts is hitting .298./396/.495 across Double-A and Triple-A this season. And he’s only 20. It would be a big, big price to pay, but Cliff Lee is by far the biggest starting pitcher who could even conceivably be traded.

Mariners claim Kaleb Cowart off waivers from Angels

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By Bill BaerDec 10, 2018, 3:24 PM EST
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The Mariners announced that the club claimed Kaleb Cowart off waivers from the Angels. Interestingly, the Mariners list Cowart as both an outfielder and a right-handed pitcher. Cowart has never pitched professionally, but the Mariners will try him as a two-way player next season, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports. Cowart was a highly regarded pitcher in high school.

Cowart, 26, has played all over the field, spending most of his time at third base and second base, but also logging a handful of innings at first base, shortstop, and left field.  He hasn’t hit much at all, owning a career .177/.241/.293 triple-slash line across 380 plate appearances in the big leagues. It makes sense to try another angle.

Shohei Ohtani, of course, is helping to popularize the rebirth of the two-way player. In his first year in the majors after having played in Japan for five years, Ohtani won the AL Rookie of the Year Award by posting a .925 OPS in 367 plate appearances along with a 3.31 ERA over 10 starts. Don’t expect Cowart to hit those lofty numbers, but additional versatility could prolong his life in the majors.