First Call: Phil Kessel's 'leadership' role with Coyotes; another team in on Felipe Vazquez

In “First Call” Friday, Phil Kessel is taking on some added responsibility in Arizona. Another team in the mix for Felipe Vazquez. The worst Pirates trade of all time.

Role change for Phil

Phil Kessel: Leader!

Yeah, I couldn’t type it with a straight face either. But that’s the picture of Kessel they are trying to paint in Arizona.

We witnessed a lot of Kessel’s positive traits over his four years in Pittsburgh. His shot, his vision, his skating, his clutch scoring.

But, Phil as a blood-and-guts leader? Eh, not so much.

Yet, that’s what Kessel tells NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman he can be with the Coyotes.

“I haven’t really got to have that in my career. I think it’s going to be great. I’m going to do whatever I can to help these guys win and help them improve. (If) the young guys have questions or anything they want to talk about, I’m there to talk about it. Try to get our team better and them better.”

Kessel’s coach, Rick Tocchet, is singing that same song.

“He’s going to accept the role of trying to help young guys, take the young guys out for dinner,” Tocchet said. “It’s a wider range of leadership for Phil coming here because it’s a different dynamic, a different team (than the Penguins).”

Maybe he can invite everybody over for a movie night. I assume his new pad in Arizona has a sweet theater man cave like the one he had in Pittsburgh.

Thanks for the memory

ESPN’s David Schoenfield compiled a list of the worst trade-deadline deals in the history of each MLB club.

For the Pirates, it’s the infamous July 23, 2003, trade with the Cubs. Dave Littlefield dealt Aramis Ramirez and Kenny Lofton to the Cubs for Jose Hernandez, Bobby Hill and Matt Bruback.

I’ll give you a moment to calm your churning stomach.

As Schoenfield points out, the net WAR as a result of that trade was a minus-40.3 for the Pirates.

Lofton went on to hit .327 that year for the Cubs as they went to the playoffs.

Ramirez went on to hit 239 homers in Chicago and 65 more with Milwaukee. That’s along with 1,068 RBIs in the two cities.

Hill hit two homers in 185 games in Pittsburgh. Jose Hernandez hit .223 after the trade. Matt Bruback never made the big leagues.

Yet I still worry that the Chris Archer trade may go down as even worse someday.

Maybe Minnesota?

For weeks, it sounded like Los Angeles or bust for Felipe Vazquez.

The Dodgers appeared to be the team most interested in acquiring the Pirates closer.

But as we pointed out Wednesday, the Astros and Nationals popped up on MLB.com as options this week.

Now, add the Twins to the list. MLB.com also threw their name onto the list of clubs that may be willing to acquire the flame-throwing lefty.

Anthony Castrovince posted, “…26 earned runs allowed in a 31-inning span of relief work entering Thursday made it clear where the upgrade needs to come for Minnesota.”

He also noted how the Twins have essentially been a .500 club since June 1, and the Indians are barking up their tree in the AL Central. Cleveland stands just two back entering the weekend.

Castrovince also pointed to San Diego’s Kirby Yates as another relief pitcher they may try to acquire.

The issue may be that the Dodgers have at least four top-flight prospects that may interest the Pirates.

It’s unclear if the top of the minor league systems of any of these other teams are as intriguing.

Meet the Mets

The last-place Pirates visit Queens for a weekend series against the Mets. The Pirates have a five-game losing streak, the longest such active streak in MLB.

The Mets also are limping along at 47-55. That’s just one win more than the 46-56 Pirates.

The Pirates won’t face Noah Syndergaard. And the former All-Star may be shipped out soon by the Mets, anyway.

ESPN’s Buster Olney says the Mets are trying to trade Syndergaard. He lists the Padres and Astros as potential destinations.

Olney also suggests that the Dodgers may be curious about New York closer Edwin Diaz.

Record-setting Sox

As well all know, the Red Sox and Yankees play 500 times per season.

And all of the games are on ESPN.

Of all the billions of times those two American League East rivals have played one another, last night marked the largest margin of victory for the Red Sox in the 117-year history against the Bronx Bombers.

Boston won 19-3.

Masahiro Tanaka allowed 12 runs on 12 hits and three walks in 3⅓ innings. It was the second-most earned runs ever allowed by a Yankees pitcher. Carl Mays gave up 13 in a complete game against Cleveland in 1923.

Xander Bogaerts had four hits and two home runs for the Red Sox.