Here’s this week’s look around the baseball blogosphere:
- Bleeding Royal Blue focuses on controversial Royals right-hander Yordano Ventura’s future.
- The First Out At Third looks at what’s behind Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun’s offensive resurgence.
- A’s Farm interviews Cal right-hander Daulton Jefferies, Oakland’s second-round pick.
- Pinstriped Prospects chats with Louisville second baseman and Yankees second-rounder Nick Solak.
- Cover Those Bases talks with Indians right-handed pitching prospect Ben Heller.
- Baseball Hot Corner would like the Red Sox to target Tigers righty Justin Verlander.
- BP Toronto analyzes the Blue Jays’ depth.
- Now On Deck (links: 1, 2) breaks down why Giants ace Madison Bumgarner should and should not participate in the Home Run Derby, and looks at some more traditional candidates who could partake in the event.
- AV Blogs: MLB 2016 sees Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy as an ideal fit for the White Sox.
- Infield Shift points out the differences in the Braves’ current rebuild and the one the Cubs underwent before they became World Series contenders.
- The Point Of Pittsburgh contends that this is the time for the Pirates to make win-now moves.
- Big Three Sports regards the draft as all 30 major league teams’ most important event.
- Call To The Pen wonders if teams are valuing pro readiness over potential in the draft.
- Outside Pitch MLB isn’t convinced that the Giants should go after Yankees reliever Andrew Miller on the trade market.
- Think Blue Planning Committee reports on the status of the Dodgers’ second-best pitching prospect, Jose De Leon.
- Super Two Sports redrafts this year’s top 10, but with a unique twist.
- Jays From The Couch opines that the Blue Jays should cut ties with first baseman/outfielder Chris Colabello, who’s serving an 80-game PED suspension.
- Minor League Ball scouts Giants first base prospect Chris Shaw.
- Sports Of Boston is encouraged by the approach the Red Sox took during the draft.
- Pirates Breakdown names the five best prospect debuts in Pirates history.
- Shutdown Inning writes that Rangers center fielder Ian Desmond could still become a $100MM player, which the ex-shortstop missed out on a couple years ago when the Nationals offered him a $107MM extension that he turned down.
- Chin Music Baseball believes the Giants should be aggressive at this year’s trade deadline.
- Sports Heaven offers ways for the Pirates to fix their rotation.
- The Runner Sports profiles the Astros’ first-round pick, right-hander Forrest Whitley.
- Chris Zantow takes a trip back to 1981, a year that featured a players’ strike, to revisit the Brewers’ season.
- Rascals Of The Ravine asks if the Dodgers–Giants rivalry has gone flat and expresses pessimism toward LA’s chances this year.
- Rotisserie Duck runs down some former and current players’ ugly offensive numbers.
- BronxBomberBlogger suggests the Yankees should be sellers at this year’s trade deadline and lists some players they could move.
- Wayniac Nation isn’t a fan of using wins and losses to judge pitchers.
- Jays Journal goes back to June 5, 1989, opening night at the stadium formerly known as the SkyDome.
Verlander to the Red Sox is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. The sox don’t need a 33 year old pitcher who’s best years are clearly behind him, he is a #3 on most teams maybe a #2 on bad team and is making 30 mil a year there is no sense in that.
The whole scenario is stupid and the article is barely anything anyways
I know it won’t happen, but kc should try doing what the Dodgers did with that arruebuena. Suspend him without pay for a month, maybe that’ll settle his bloated ego down a bit. What he does now hurts his team more then it helps, so they likely won’t miss him
That would involve a lengthy appeals process from the union. It would never happen. Arruebena was a minor-leaguer, and those guys aren’t part of the union.
Can the Giants please trade for Rich Hill and take on Billy Buttler’s contract as a means to limiting the value of prospects to be given to Oakland?
Butler hits southpaws extremely well and the NL West rival Dodgers have a very left-handed heavy starting rotation. Also, Hill would obviously be an absolute stud as a #4 starter.
This deal makes a lot of sense for both teams, how realistic does this kinda trade look?
The concensus seems to be that Hill goes to the Giants or back to the Red Sox. That would be a pretty formidable starting four for the Giants, although they could probably use a bat more, since Panik and Duffy aren’t hitting and Pence is hurt. But acquiring Hill would allow them to move Peavy or Cain to the bullpen (or off the roster). As constructed, though, this Giants team only runs a few above-average hitters out there regularly in Posey, Belt and Crawford. Span hasn’t been terrible either. But they could use a bigger bat. Braun would be a perfect fit for them but I doubt SF has the prospects for that kind of move.
Braun does make a lot of sense especially with the departure of Pagan next year. If the Giants covered most of Braun’s contract do you still see the prospect haul as being that significant on the Giants end? I feel like Milwaukee needs to eat a pretty substantial portion of the $80 mil still owed to the aging slugger. Despite his hot bat of late, there’s no way he sustains his current rate of production making his contract barely a bargain
I can’t imagine the giants going for braun just because of the PED thing – the FO hasn’t wanted to go anywhere near anyone with a PED issue since bonds and is still licking it’s wounds after melky turned out to be jucing.
Really? If anything I feel like the front office has a penchant for not caring about previous PED suspensions (ex. Signing Guillermo Mota after 2 suspensions, Bonds and even after getting burned by Melky in 2012, they still had a well-documented rumored interest in signing him during the 2014 offseason)
I still say they trade for Braun and cover a large portion of the contract thus enabling them to send lower tier prospects in return to Milwaukee. Pagan and Peavy will be off the books next year and Cain, Pence and most likely will be gone after 2017. They have money to spare and they will need Beede, Stratton, Blackburn in the near future
Most likely Cueto*
they were nowhere near resigning melky – it would have caused way too much confllict in the clubhouse – you forget that when the suspension ended they just let him go even though he could have come back for the post season. Bonds is the reason they stay away- and mota well, don’t ask me there. The FO and the clubhouse is really big on a general no drama atmosphere – PEDs are the first thing people think of with the giants …. although you don’t think of it with the red sox, yankees, cubs, As, reds etc etc and those guys all did it too, the FO knows that and tries to be cautious about it.
Just reported: the Giants and Brewers have had preliminary talks about a Ryan Braun trade…..
A closer is a must for the Giants….. A starter wouldn’t hurt either
I agree but historically the Giants usually promote their minor league pitchers to hold down the closer role (ex. Romo, Casilla, Wilson) so I would expect Strickland or Guerrin to get a shot before resorting to external options such as Miller. Albeit, the Giants usually are not towards the bottom of the league in bullpen ERA which unfortunately is the case this year.
Adding a reliable #4 pitcher and a complimentary position player at this years trade deadline would be more in line with what they’ve done in the past. I’m trying to stay optimistic that Bochy can eventually figure out stable roles with his current staff of relievers, a task he’s consistently accomplished for as long as I can remember
actually historically they tend to pick up relievers at the waiver wire or in minor contracts and turn them around or use them properly – of the guys in the “core 4” the only one from the system is romo and all kinds of other guys through the years who have come and gone like mota, penny, mijares, etc,
Sean Dolittle Rich Hill and Billy Buttler for San José and Aramis Garcia
Not enough on the Giants end, might have to part with Blackburn or Fox to land Doolittle and Hill, even if the take on Butler’s awful contract
honestly I don’t think the giants need hill, there are a lot of starting options in AAA if cain and peavy backslide (they have been a lot better as of late) but dolittle would be a huge boost to the bullpen and I think he fits in the clubhouse nicely
Doolittle is injury prone and Hill would only be in the rotation for the end of this season. I still think they call up someone like Ray Black to help out in the pen before they resort to trading for a dominant reliever like Wilson
I would love to see ray black come up – if he can get his command together he would do great – I also think that blackburn should get a go in the rotation if it is needed rather than a trade for a starter. If romo doesn’t come back though there really needs to be a presence that pulls the bullpen together and that is why a trade would be a good thing. right now it is casilla who is shaky lopez who is close to retirement and a lot of young guys.
The deal for San Jose would before hundreds of millions of dollars not for 2 ok players and a bad contract
Interesting read comparing CHC/ATL rebuilds. Never really mentioned but I believe a major factor is the ownership differences in that CHC has a willing and active single owner, while ATL has a silent, inactive corporate owner with a pledge for continued financial price, but only in line with attendance, thus the need to find a new home with additional revenue streams. With pitching being the most expensive position, I believe they are trying to become self-reliant as a means of saving. It just so happens to come at a time when there are few bats available. I hope passing up Kyle Lewis and Corey Ray was the way to go, but it makes me very uncomfortable to think that all of the strategy still hasn’t acquired any bats. And if their plan is to load up in the draft with arms, then bats in the international draft, I think our fans better become more patient with their timelines if we are seriously relying on 16-year old millionaires rounding into form. Coppy hates fan support.