MLB trade rumors and news: Hunter Pence hits an inside-the-park homer

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• There may be a misconception for some that 36-year-olds can’t run. Don’t tell that to the always-energetic Hunter Pence, who had a three-run inside-the-park homer in the Rangers’ 9-5 win over the Red Sox on Tuesday night. Full context: Pence just missed hitting the ball over Pesky’s Pole in right field and Brock Holt got stuck hanging over the wall while trying to make the catch, leaving the ball to sit unattended on the warning track in right field. But that was no problem anyway for Pence, who circled the bases quickly enough that he likely would have scored even if the ball had been fielded right away. What a comeback year it’s been for Pence, who has 14 years and looks like a strong All-Star candidate after signing a minor-league deal with the Rangers in February.
• David Ortiz is in stable condition and expected to make a full recovery after being shot in the lower back in the Dominican Republic.
• Dallas Keuchel had been a free agent for quite a while as he looked for a deal to his liking. With the draft out of the way and removing the added cost of a draft pick for his services, his market heated up in a big way and the Braves were able to snag him on a one year deal that will end up paying him around $13 million.
• Not ready to let the draft go just yet? Worry not. Our 2019 MLB Draft First-round pick Signing Tracker will keep you in the loop of what picks will be headed to their teams and who may just pass it up.
• Craig Kimbrel had been a free agent for far longer than most of us would have ever thought given his talent and track record. He finally has his new team, as he signed a three-year deal with the Chicago Cubs.
• Carlos Carrasco has had a rough road on his way to MLB stardom including heart surgery, Tommy John surgery, and a couple scary incidents involving line drives at him. Now, he has another hurdle to overcome, as he hit the injured list with an undisclosed blood condition.
• Phillies outfielder and former NL MVP Andrew McCutchen will miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn ACL while getting caught in a rundown. That’s awful news for a Philadelphia team that is trying to win its first NL East title since 2011, as well as for McCutchen, who is one of the most outwardly joyous and fan-friendly players in baseball.
• Luckily for the Phillies, they acquired Jay Bruce from the Mariners just a day before McCutchen’s injury. The 32-year-old will add some starting-caliber outfield depth while Philly deals with the absences of Cutch, Odubel Herrera, and Roman Quinn and the season-long struggles of Nick Williams.
• Jerry D. and the Mariners are more than prepared to conduct another total fire sale, because apparently that’s the look right now. Also...starting that fire sale with Jay Bruce seems a little anticlimactic, no? Maybe it’s a small-but-containable-by-bathtub fire sale.
• Need to catch up on what happened during the 2019 MLB Draft? Check out our draft tracker, and our five key takeaways from the festivities.
• Baseball has had a an issue with waning interest and participation from younger fans and athletes for some time now. Our own Andersen Pickard took at look at some ways that baseball could make itself more appealing to younger generations.
• Dustin Pedroia’s knee has given him all sorts of problems in recent years and he has tried numerous different procedures to get it fixed. Now, it is looking more and more likely that he will have to call it a career after he announced that he was going to take an indefinite leave of absence from baseball.
• The Braves and Mariners made a quirky little trade where both sides are hoping for the “change of scenery” good vibes, as the Braves received Anthony Swarzak in exchange for Jesse Biddle and the injured Arodys Vizcaíno. The Braves wanted to give a new arm a look and the Mariners have a GM in Jerry Dipoto that apparently is contractually obligated to make a trade at least every six weeks if not more. A match made in heaven.