As usual, the market for relievers is developing late. One name to watch, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) is Padres right-hander Luke Gregerson. The 28-year-old could appeal to clubs as he has a 3.05 ERA with 9.5 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 on the year. While Gregerson could be a valuable trade chip for San Diego, the Mets reportedly turned down a proposal that would have sent Gregerson to Queens for Daniel Murphy. Here's a look around baseball as we burn the midnight oil on MLBTR..
- One AL scout told Joel Sherman of the New York Post that if he were a betting man, he'd put his money on the Rangers landing Zack Greinke. Meanwhile, if the Rangers or Angels land Greinke, the Rays could get the other club to overpay for James Shields.
- After talking with Indians GM Chris Antonetti, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com (via Twitter) believes that the Tribe is looking to add or stand relatively pat at the deadline rather than sell.
- Yunel Escobar's clubhouse reputation has been a red flag for some teams and is hurting his market value, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com. The A's have been linked to the shortstop but are lukewarm on him as they are wary of disrupting their locker room atmosphere.
SHOCKING to hear about Yunel Escobar…..
Wouldn’t mind the Braves going after Gregerson. Though that LOB% scares me a bit. Still solid though.
He is due a bit regression but can help with bullpen depth, shouldn’t really be a high leverage reliever for a contender.
knowing the Padres front office, they’re gonna ask for something along the lines of what they got from texas for adams.
3.05 era in Petco. No thanks!
No my guess would be something along the lines ofwhat they got for Freiri. The Padres held onto Luke to long to get an adams like return.
im saying they’re gonna “ask” for a adams like return not what they’re gonna get. They just asked for Daniel Murphy! Nothings more evident than that in what they’re looking to get. However, they could very well end up with a Frieri like return we’ll see by Tuesday.
I’d like to know where these reports about Escobar’s ‘attitude’ are coming from. I understand he had that label coming over from Atlanta, but from my point of view he’s been fun to watch and mostly productive. These sort of generalities are annoying because nobody will man up and say what’s going on. It’s always unnamed sources, MLB executives, and rival scouts. It makes me think it’s a ploy to drive down the cost or scare away rivals from getting into a bidding war.
It seems mostly media driven, Buster was on Esco when he was in Atlanta too so consider the source. Also, I know of no reports out of Toronto of such so Buster must be speaking of his rep in Atlanta. Though the way he stated it implies more.
I’ve been searching for Toronto based reports too and coming up empty (other than parroting Olney et al.). It’s a shame that a person’s reputation in the media is given more weight than his abilities on the field.
Agreed.
Or maybe baseball players talk to each other (rather than the media) about these issues and it’s pretty widely known around the league what can be expected from him in the clubhouse.
-C
See “Ryan Braun”
No offense, but do you follow the Braves much? Or I should say, did you in ’10? He had the incident with the official scorer for giving him an error that he disagreed with, he was often lazy in the field, and gave away at-bats. He was maddening, especially considering how good he played in ’09.
He constantly drew the ire of Bobby and the veterans. Many Braves fans were happy to be rid of him for Alex Gonzalez! Yes, Alex Gonzalez! I have to think you don’t follow the Braves too much or have a really bad memory…
I have to think you are the exact type of reason the Jays picked up Yunel for filler. You have bought into the media hyperbole hard, and its a difficult trek out.
such a perfect comment..
you think braves fans would appreciate what they lost, especially since their SS position has been a disaster since.
In their defense, I guess they had to try Pastornicky….. to salvage something from the deal.
first time pastornicky and ‘defense’ has been used in a sentence.
booya 🙂
Without some negative adjective between the two words, for sure.
ZINGG
So he had problems with the Braves in 2010. That’s the past.
He completed season 2011 and is still in the 2012 season with the Jays. ZERO problems have surfaced with Yunel in Toronto. They even signed him to a contract before they actually had to. I just don’t see them doing that if he’s this huge problem everyone says he is.
So he made Bobby and the veterans mad-and the fans didn’t like him. Escobar is in a much better environment for him right now. He HAS NOT made John, the veterans, or the fans mad at him in Toronto.
There are plenty of rumors that have been passed around but not attributed to anyone, because you don’t say those types of things publicly about a teammate.
One I can remember from his Atlanta days is Yunel grabbing a bucket of Coronas and drinking them in the hotel lobby while his teammates had a few at the actual bar. Not sure if it was because he didn’t want to be around them, or vice versa, but this is one of many stories that had come out prior to his departure.
As for the lollygagging/laziness, that’s not a tough one to point out. Not running out grounders, a lackadaisical throw that nearly got Glaus hurt during 2010, and so forth. Even with Toronto, he had a run-in with former Braves teammate Matt Diaz on a double play ball when the Jays and Pirates had an interleague series.
-C
Or because these rumours are hearsay and there is a small army of people paid to drum up contentious issues over and over in an effort to steal page views for advertising dollars? Seems like a more likely reason to rumour monger to me, rather than the “you dont say these types of things about teammates” reason.
There have been so many stories like the “Corona” story that you mention. Did you ever stop to think that Yunel is maybe different than other people and doesn’t want to have a bro fest after every game? Or maybe he wanted to drink a couple cold ones as he thought to himself in the middle of a 180 day non stop schedule? Pretty much every “Good Riddance” reason Braves fans cite are about as nebulous as the next, and there is simply no justification for the harsh feelings against him.
As for the lollygagging/laziness, that is really tough to point out. It is difficult being a 4+ WAR shortstop while doing either of those things. And here we go again, citing the one error that Glaus had his feelings hurt on….
Even with Toronto, I’m glad he had a run-in with Matt Diaz, though you would have to link me to the example in video form. I’m glad he was being competitive with an opponent, and I hope he did something like slide hard into second on a double play ball. Hell, the jays give out a t-shirt to the person who slides the hardest in their games this year.
Escobar in Atlanta was Escobar in Atlanta. Rasmus in St. Louis was Rasmus in St. Louis, any number of players in former cities are never the same player in new cities, unless your name is associated with trouble whereever they go and teams want them cast adrift. I’m sure fans here can name many cancers in the clubhouse. Boston mentioned Beckett all the time, That doesn’t mean every player with a problem in one city brings it with him to a new city. Reporters write stories to get gullible sports fans reading and then blogging about it. That is their job and journalistic integrity is thrown out the window many times. GM’s in sports love it when journalists bash a players as being a bad influence, because it justifies them lowering their offer for a player, so fans don’t expect a Kershaw for Escobar trade, but are happy to see a Lilly for Escobar trade. Expectations are lowered dramatically for the fans that lose the player, but the new teams’s fans become ecstatic that they obtained a good player for basically filler for garbage. Example: Hanley Ramirez to the Dodgers for a 5th starter in Eovaldi, which was robbery on the part of the Dodgers if Ramirez plays to his skills or talent again. If he becomes the player he was, Miami fans will never let him forget how he created problems in Miami, even though he isn’t that player any longer.
Are there any specific examples of Yunel being a clubhouse cancer. I’ve seen this reputation follow him from team to team, but I haven’t heard of any specific rifts going on. I’ve seen him kind of being lazy out in the field a couple times, but nothing that would shatter a clubhouse’s chemistry. I know that I would be the last to know about the happenings of an MLB clubhouse, but all of this has to be coming from somewhere.
When you’re as smooth as he is on the field, he may look lazy because he executes plays effortlessly.
It could be that, or maybe he’s just lazy.
People in St Louis used to say Rasmus was lazy as well. Other’s argued he runs so well, it looks like he’s not really trying. This is the same with Esco. He’s so smooth with the glove and has great range, sometimes it looks like he’s lazy (not trying). Answer this question, does he make the plays at short? The answer is Yes. So how can he be lazy if he makes 99.9 % of the plays.
There is no possible way you can say he is lazy. He is adjusting his batting stance with Dwayne Murphy this year due to his offensive struggles, and he has been putting in extra hours with Brian Butterfield on defence. He is one of the most smooth defensive SS out there. While his range is bested by others, few have the throwing arm he does. You can’t fault him for not being “as fast” as others.
If you were a Braves fan, you would know. We were happy to trade him for freakin’ Alex Gonzalez! Granted, Gonzo was having a career year in ’10, but Yunel had several instances of just being a bad teammate. He’s selfish and it becomes a distraction.
Off the top of my head, he freaked out on an official scorer once for giving him an error as he gestured a couple of times up at the pressbox. He pouted, would give away at-bats, and slack off and be lazy in the field. I remember him lazily throwing a ball to first offline that almost got Troy Glaus’ arm ripped off.
A great talent, but if his head isn’t in it, he’s not nearly worth the headache. In his defense, he seems to behave for a season or a little longer before acting up. His first season with the Braves was great, and he had a solid year in Toronto last year and I didn’t hear of any issues then.
If you are a Jays Fan, you would know that Braves fans blew Yunel’s character out of proportion because of perceived issues with Bobby Cox, and then got fleeced in a trade as a result. Nobody was glad to replace Yunel with Gonzalez, and less glad today having to rely on two rookies to fill the spot.
Off the top of my head, I remember reading through Braves game day threads when the Blue Jays first picked him up. The usual remarks are still coming through: Something about “being selfish” mixed in with “pouting” mixed in with “not hustling down the line” topped off with “taking at-bats off” and miscellaneous “gestures”. This was in between remarks about his race and possible sexual orientation, his goofy “gestures” leaving a sour taste in many mouths. Overall, a bunch of hearsay. The Troy Glaus incident has been brought up many times before as well, yet Escobar has one of the best arms in the league and rarely makes throwing mistakes. I’m sure Escobar was trying to get Glaus injured in that instance….
A great talent indeed, and totally worth the non-existant headache. In Yunel’s defense, he had a great 2011 campaign, and despite his struggles in 2012 he has been working hard with Dwayne Murphy and Brian Butterfield to improve his mechanics on both sides of the ball. He loves playing in Toronto, and signed a team friendly contract to remain here after being glad to no longer have to put up with what he went through in Atlanta.
Basically, there are no issues, unless you want to take issue with his occasional flare when playing the game.
the things you don’t like him for in atlanta are bogus, it’s all perception. Its the same reason you’ll cheer for a player one day and boo him the second he plays for another team. The mind picks up on bad traits of players we don’t like, or the media tells us are “bad” guys, meanwhile our favourite players can do no wrong.
There are no specific examples since coming over to the blue jays. Recently, amidst all the trade rumours, the Jays television broadcast crew commented how the Jays have been just fine with Yunel’s all around performance and attitude, and that it was unlikely that the Jays would part with him lightly. This is paraphrasing Buck Martinez.
Could be a little “tradesmanship” going on with other teams in relationship to Escobar. Maybe the thinking is that if you mention something casually publicly about his attitude…real or otherwise…his trade value will come down. Kind of like walking around a used car in the lot and looking for scratches. There wouldn’t be the current trade interest if his attitude were a considerable issue. Could also be a round-a-bout way of getting the message across to Escobar that other teams don’t expect problems from him coming in.
No, it just seems like pure rumour mongering from the likes of Morosi, Olney, Rosenthal, et al. These guys do not cover any one particular team or player in depth enough, and need to recycle material from years past.
I do agree thoguh, I don’t think any legitimate talent evaluators would read into the perceived “lollygagging” or “at-bats off” or “insert nebulous negative characterization here” and assume that it will take away from his well established value at this point in his career. The Jays will not trade him for filler like Atlanta did.
If Escobar is dealt…it’ll be a good deal for whoever gets him. He’s a top flight SS.
He won’t be dealt for anything less than a top of the rotation starter.
i doubt that . his value is good but not great
In terms of WAR his value is comparable to that of Mat Latos. Seems like top notch material to me. Then again, we are arguing within the span of 140 characters here.
I’d like to know who is saying he’s got an attitude problem and clubhouse problems-it keeps showing up without attribution. Hurting his market value? Um, is he even ON the market?
When a player goes into a slump, takes some bad at bats on occasion, or makes physical and mental mistakes, well, it doesn’t mean he’s lazy, or has a bad attitude, or is a problem in the clubhouse. It means he’s like most other major leaguers-not perfect at all times.
So, he had problems with Atlanta. He has had ZERO problems in Toronto. Anyone ever consider the folks in Atlanta were part of the problem?
He is only on the trade market in the sense that there is a market for him. The jays would rather move Davis or Johnson before him, and it will take an arm and a leg to get Yunel off of Toronto. This is all just shotty reporting and continued rumour mongering by some of the national media, who have no new material to fill their tweets with.
whatever team doesnt get grienke (angels or rangers) will get johnson IMO
Somebody’s gonna overpay for Shields, Friedman is simply a genius and can downplay a guy’s actual value. If the Halo’s get Greinke, the Rangers might have to send Mike Olt to Tampa Bay to acquire Shields, even though that might downplay what Shields is really worth.
I agree, I just it isn’t the Braves. I don’t want him
if Olt is on the table, Greinke is in Texas.
Shields has the ability to be an ace, and Texas knows that. Plus with the added options on his contract, that increases their appetite for him. The Marlins are more inclined to keep JJ than trade him
I’m unsure where these rumors about Escobar are coming from but they are not true. I follow the Jays closely and have never read anything negitive about him or his attitude.
I figured it was just Buster bringing up old stuff from Atlanta again.
I follow the Braves religiously, and he was a problem in the clubhouse. To say he was a distraction is to put it lightly. Read my comment above for more insight, if you’re interested. I had heard a few whispers that Yunel was somewhat wearing out his welcome this year in Toronto, but don’t have a source/article to provide. Maybe it was Olney, but I’ve heard it a few times this year…
Well i’ve got to see him now for almost 2 yrs and I have never heard any issues raised about Esco. What happened in Atlanta according to you is in the past and has no baring on the present. Therefore this buster guys twitter comment is off base and does not hold water in my opinion.
The only place you heard these whispers were from the same pundits who were repeating the same material when Cox and Yunel were having issues. These issues do not exist in Toronto, but thanks anyways. Your comment above is filled with holes, see my response to it.
You’re full of crap, no probelms with him in Toronto. What whispers are you imagining?
People, Buster is not saying Yunel is a problem in Toronto, he’s saying that there is a perception around the game that he is a problem. Face it, if a player gets labeled as a problem, he will always have that label. Baseball is a label game. Yunel Escobar could act like Mother Teresa in Toronto, but it doesn’t matter. Whatever problems he had in Atlanta will over shadow the good things he’s done in Canada.
Buster is always talking to baseball people, and if one of them says, “Well, we’re leery of Escobar because he might be trouble,” Buster’s job is to report that. Don’t blame Buster or anyone else for reporting what they’ve learned, they’re only the messengers.
Fair enough. Except perhaps when Buster is told that some exec is leery of Escobar, that he actually ask the question, how come? If the answer is because what happened in Atlanta, I’d say that exec is pretty dumb.
It’s unfair to keep saying Yunel is a horrible person when it no longer appears to be the case. It also shows that baseball execs may not be all that bright if they keep looking at the past and ignore the here and now.
Fair enough. How about the next time an exec says they are leery of Escobar, Olney simply asks, “How come?” Because if the exec is going on what happened in Atlanta and not considering that the same things HAVEN’T happened in Toronto, they are doing him and possibly their own team a disservice by not looking into acquiring him.
Should a player ever even try to change if no one will ever look at him with fresh eyes or a clean slate or whatever you want to call it?
And yes, that’s a double post. My first one didn’t show up because I used a flag word, so I posted again.
Should have been more patient. Apologize to all…..
Please. Buster also reported that the Jays bid competitively on Darvish. Took him a while to straighten that out. He has no idea of what is going on North of the Mason-Dixon line…
with how tight-lippped the blue jays front office is, nothing of that nature would have come from them so all of this yunel is a cancer and we will trade him for anything is all bogus
Really shotty reporting by Olney, he’s just after hype and traffic without a lick of integrity.
Especially when the reporters closest to the team just came out with a story about how AA has been so impressed with Yunel, how he’s a clubhouse mainstay who stays late nights with EE and AA himself talking strategy, performance and etc.
They laid it out perfectly that ya hey he might be traded, but it would be to address other needs not because of his clubhouse presence. I seriously find it so unfair to him personally because he actually hasn’t had one incident in Toronto. He gets a long great with his teammates and is a pretty underrated player. Braves fans can say what they want, maybe he just wasnt a good fit in that clubhouse, that doesn’t make him a bad person, it wasn’t exactly a clubhouse that was all that welcoming to a flashy player that didn’t speak english. He has gotten along great with his new teammates, and no one can provide ONE piece of evidence to suggest otherwise.
Yes he makes the game look effortless defensively, but that doesn’t mean there is a lack of hustle on his part. Its really shotty reporting.
ESPN seems to have a thing against the Jays with regards to shoddy reporting. Maybe it’s not just the Jays, maybe it’s all reporting — I haven’t read any articles except those about the Jays. But I’ve lost ALL confidence with regards to their stories. It’s clear they’re going for sensationalist stories unsupported with actual investigation.
I mean, “Man in white?” Really? I wouldn’t be surprised if we start hearing rumors of Colby fighting with LaRussa — I mean Farrell…
I want Angels to get Greinke so Rangers can overpay for Shields.
This isn’t 2006, Jon Daniels doesn’t overpay. The Rangers are looking for a #1 pitcher, and outside of last year, Shields has never been an Ace, and his performance this year suggests that he may have had a career year in 2011. He is a #2 or #3, and the Rangers don’t need that.
If Oakland doesn’t want Escobar, I’m fine with him staying in T.O
hopefully this is all a show and swap….
get a package for yunel, send hechavarria
Reporters like Olney, should do more reporting and less supposing. How would he know what is going on in the clubhouse. He never comes near the Jays. He is repeating the same old pap that came out of Atlanta. Well Atlanta got rid of a terrific SS and while they were busy giving Gonzo a standing ovation, they still don’t have a reputable player to take his place.
There is nothing like fans that purport to know what goes on in a clubhouse. Atlanta fans didn’t know then, and they still don’t know now, so you should give it a rest.
Jays fans can only tell you what they see on a daily basis for the past two years. Esco is a terrific defensive SS. He is struggling a bit with the bat this year. He is always smiling and laughing, and the team appears to be a tight knit group, that he is definitely a part of.
I can only hope that we find some pitching that is a “cancer in the clubhouse” like Esco.
I’d love to see the Cardinals get Gregerson back. It still stings that the Padres basically stole him from us for worthless Khalil Greene, although I guess it was payback for the Jim Edmonds for David Freese deal the previous year.
Luke Gregerson for David Freese it is!
Perfect
A trade for Luke Gregerson would be awesome for the Cardinals. He would really help out the bullpen in the 6th-7th inning and i don’t think they’d have to sell much to get him.
Maybe a B-level prospect? Padres can always use depth up the middle, OF, and of course, pitching.