Links for Monday, as Joe Blanton makes his 2010 debut…
- Washington GM Mike Rizzo scouted Bryce Harper in person for the first time, and he and scouting director Kris Kline came away confident in Harper's makeup, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
- Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com takes an in-depth look at the Pirates' arms throughout the organization.
- The Chicago Tribune's Mark Gonzales writes that GM Ken Williams is exercising patience when it comes to trading, despite the White Sox' slow start.
- Kelvim Escobar will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a torn capsule in the front of his right shoulder, tweets MLB.com's Anthony DiComo. Escobar signed a one-year deal with the Mets this winter for $1.25MM.
- Joe Pawlikowski of River Ave. Blues looks at the pitchers the Yankees were considering over Javier Vazquez, noting that they've all had concerns as well. The Yankees will delay Vazquez's sixth start until a week from today against the Tigers. John Harper of the New York Daily News wonders if the Yanks should ship Vazquez to the Mets.
- Joe Posnanski questions the Royals' decision to demote Alex Gordon. Gordon will play left field and first base in the minors, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out the Tigers' collection of young talent.
- Steve Dilbeck of the L.A. Times wonders what's happened to George Sherrill. The 33-year-old lefty has allowed 12 hits and 11 walks in nine innings so far. Given his $4.5MM salary this year, Sherrill is a prime candidate to be non-tendered after the season.
- RotoAuthority notes that while Vazquez and Ben Sheets have been brutal so far, they could still have fantasy value this year.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Yanks are exploring interest from both Arizona and Cincinnati… Harang might be able to handle the new york heat…
Harang? No thanks
Vazquez will finish with a higher ERA than Harang.
Well, given that more of Harang’s games are against NL Central opposition (and ditto Vasquez for AL East) it’s not really a relevant comparison.
No thanks to Harang. If I had my wish I would like Cashman to start sniffing around Houston for Oswalt.
I really didn’t get the Vazquez trade, people wanted to believe he’s a top of the line starter when the facts are he’s has NEVER pitched well under the spotlight.
2004 Yankees: 101 win team: 4.91 ERA
2005 D-Backs: In the playoff race: 4.42 ERA
2006 Sox: Playoff contenders 4.84 ERA
2007 Sox: Awful team 3.74 ERA
2008 Sox: ALC Champs 4.67 ERA
2009 Braves: Finished 7 games out 2.87 ERA
2010 Yankees: Class of the AL 9.78 ERA
There seems to be a trend here and while I get why the Yankees try to make that staff that much better any White Sox fan or even Yankees fan who saw him collapse in 04 should know how he performs under pressure. Pitching in front of 45,000 every night is a recipe for disaster.
That’s very interesting. I thought it was just New York…but there is a clear pattern. When the team is doing well, he struggles with the pressure.
Check that first half of 2004. People tend to forget about that, and the fact he pitched injured in the second half.
2 bad starts in a row for Sheets and that cancels out the previous 4? How does that make sense? He pitched extremely well vs. the Yankees, and if he gets DFA’ed I’d hope my team would be right there to sign him.
Agreed – homerun problems in two straight starts a month into his first season after a year off doesn’t make Sheets a failure.
It seems to me that he’s having some trouble locating his pitches and is falling behind in counts (his walks per nine is quite high at 4.75 vs. 2 or less typically). That’s a recipe for getting hit and giving up runs, but not a surprise after the time he’s missed.
I’ll admit to being a Sheets fanboi, but there is some objective basis for hope that he’ll rebound and be very good by mid-season. The k/rate is the only thing that worries me – 1/2 off 2008.
I think the Yankees really do need to think about trading Vazquez.
“And while Vazquez is a mess mentally trying to overcome his issues pitching with the Yankees, put him back in the National League and he’d likely go right back to being a dependable starter, if not the Cy Young contender he was last year.”
“Considering the Yankees would also be dumping Vazquez’s $11.5 million salary, it shouldn’t take more than a decent prospect to make it a fair swap.
So dump Javy for a “decent prospect”, watch him regain his form in the NL, and start Mitre or Aceves? Another amazing John Harper story.
new york sportswriters have about as much credibility as a 6year old stealing cookies from the cookie jar.
It’s not exactly dumping him for a “decent prospect”. I think we could really get something good for him if we pair him w/ others and trade him to and NL team.
See my trade proposal post below. I think it’s a pretty reasonable deal for all clubs.
He still has quite a bit of value to NL clubs and the way he’s pitching now, with his mental state, he doesn’t seem to be able to pitch in the AL East.
Maybe we could trade him to the Mets or Marlins: two teams that need pitching to stay in contention.
Maybe a three way trade makes sense here.
Yankees get:
Carl Crawford or BJ Upton from Rays
David Price from Rays
Mets get:
Austin Romine/Francisco Cervelli from Yanks
Javy Vazquez
Rays get:
Jenry Mejia from Mets
Brett Gardner from Yankees
Daniel Murphy from Mets
It makes sense as the Yankees get a great CF/LF to replace Granderson for the time being and then be a star in years to come. They also receive a young, talented starter to replace Javy. The Rays get some much needed bullpen help and a super-speedy replacement for Crawford or Upton in Gardner. The Rays also receive Murphy: a youngish first basemen to replace Pena in the future and one who has no place on the Mets (with Ike Davis now in the Majors.) Meanwhile, the Mets get their catcher of the future and a starter that could help them win a pennant this year. I think the deal is very fair for all the teams and it makes a lot of sense.
are you on crack?
I don’t know man, maybe the Rays need to throw in Longoria there too.
If you honestly believe this is a fair and even deal then please don’t ever post another trade proposal.
Do you guys actually think I was serious? I was trying to make up the most ridiculous trade proposal that I could, while still making it look like I was serious.
I guess I did a damn good job b/c all of u seem to be taking me seriously. Maybe I’m just really good at making stuff sound real. Thanks for all the references to my apparent crack addiction.
Do any of u have any sort of sense of humor??????
Lol, u guys are very, very funny. I was trying to see how many references to drug addiction that I could get with one post.
Either you are horrible at conveying humor, or you were serious with your proposal until everybody started ridiculing it. I’m going to lean towards the latter, but not counting out the prior…
Yea, he was serious… it’s not a big deal, but next time just realize that only the yankees would improve.
How could I have been serious? Even if I was the dumbest person in the world I think I could realize that there is no way the Rays would trade two of their best players, especially to the hated division rival Yankees. There’s also no way the Mets would trade and up and coming star in Mejia. The only person that should/would be considered for a trade is Vazquez.
There is absolutely no way I was serious. I am not an idiot, but even if I was I would not be able to post that trade proposal seriously. Maybe I am terrible with humor/sarcastm, but I was clearly not serious.
It’s not any different than 95% of the trades forum posters propose, so the fact you didn’t show any signs of joking makes it appear that you are of that 95%.
Apparently you haven’t been around here long enough to see the numerous trade proposals (90% of them from Mets fans) that appeared to be a joke, but were actually serious. Therefore, pardon our apparent lack of “getting” your humor.
No, I guess I have not seen ridiculous trade proposals that were actually serious on MLBTR. I should have been more conscious of the way that different comments can be taken different ways on the internet. It is very hard to portray humor or sarcasm when you are writing to random people who have no idea what your point of view is.
Being completely serious now, I think the Yankees do need to consider trading for either Crawford or Upton. The Rays have Desmond Jennings ready in AAA, so one of them is probably expendable. The Yankees also have some desirable pieces for the Rays, such as Romine, Brackman, etc. In all seriousness, I think if Nick Johnson’s struggles continue and Curtis Granderson doesn’t come back for a while, the Yankees need to consider a move for an outfielder, and one of the Rays’s makes sense.
Being completely serious, it doesn’t matter who the Yankees trade to Tampa, they will never go through with it simply because Tampa is in first place, the Yankees are in the same division. This makes no sense for the Rays, period.
The Rays would probably rather trade Crawford than Upton since Crawford is leaving after this year anyway, but who they’d rather trade doesn’t really matter if the Rays stay in contention all year because in that situation I could see the Rays being buyers, most likely in the form of bullpen help.
And yes you got me with your fake trade proposal, very good job at being seriously outlandish.
Thats not at all true. The Rays are a very wise orginazation and realize that they certainly will not sign Crawford next season. Wouldn’t it be wise to trade him while his value is the highest as apposed to losing him for nothing in the offseason (they probably won’t offer arb. for risk of him accepting?) As you said, the Rays need bullpen help. If they can get some help and not hurt the team seriously (b/c Jennings is ready), why not capitalize on maximum value for a player that you won’t be able t retain? Although they probably won’t trade Crawford to the Yanks, they should look into trading him for much-needed bullpen help.
Like you said the Rays are a wise organization and realize that there is no chance Crawford accepts arbitration as he would be accepting a 1 year contract for what he’d probably get annually for 5 years on the open market. Like I said the only way Crawford gets traded is if they are out of contention at the trade deadline, and Carl is more valuable than bullpen help so if he gets traded look for it to be a controllable C (not anything spectacular as it would only be a half-season rental) or someone to help the team for the next 3-4 years.
So all in all the Rays will keep him if they are in playoff contention and take draft picks after he walks, or if they fall out of contention they will trade Crawford for someone cheap at a position of need at the trade deadline.
Brackman is not a valuable chip. Romine is not valuable enough to talk about Crawford or Upton.
I think you have to give Vazquez a few more starts, maybe until the end of may, just so he can hopefully have some sort of average start and get his confidence back. Maybe that could also increase his trade value. By the end of may if he’s not performing, then i think it’s a good idea to trade him.
The problem is there aren’t many pitchers that are on the trade block that would be worth trading for. If you can package him with a prospect, then maybe you can get a better starter.
The thing is he has shown no signs of improvement and doesn’t seem to have the mental makeup to perform in NYC. I surely hope he proves me wrong, being a Yankee fan, but I don’t think his trade value will improve down the line.
“The problem is there aren’t many pitchers that are on the trade block that would be worth trading for.”
That’s pretty true, but I don’t know if the Yankees need a starter in return for Vazquez. With the way Hughes is throwing, we essentially have one ace (Sabathia), two #2’s (AJ and Hughes), and one good #3 (Pettite). If you stick in Mitre, who is pitching well in the ‘pen, thats still a very good 1-5.
Also, there are some big names available. For example, with the Mariner’s struggles and desperate need for some offense, they could be willing to part with Cliff Lee. Lee has also hinted that he is leaning toward free agency after the year, so he doesn’t really have that much value to the M’s. If they continue to struggle well into May, he could become available very quickly.
I realize he is a free agent, but he just got traded to the mariners and he just got off the DL, i’m pretty sure the mariners will hold onto him. I think the yankees would be better off trying to stretch out Joba again. Put him in the 5 spot if they were to trade vazquez that is. I think when you put Mitre back in the rotation he becomes much less effective than in the pen.
But yea that’s what i’m saying, there isn’t much to trade for. Right now i’m very happy with Gardner’s play and i’m not sure they need to get an outfielder this off season. Maybe they can just focus on pitching this offseason since after this season you’ll be looking at this.
1. CC
2. Aj
3. (Pettite is likely going to retire, and I dont see vazquez is next year)
4. Hughes
5. (hopefully joba)
That’s suppose to read I don’t see vazquez coming back next year.
As far as I can think of, Lee is the only decent pitcher that could possibly be available. I’m not saying the Yankees SHOULD trade for him, I’m just saying they COULD. As you just pointed out, the Yankees only have 3 definite starters for 2011, so if Javy continues to struggle, why not just get a starter at the deadline.
Right now, barring Javy’s terrible start, the rotation looks pretty good. But if Vazquez does continue to struggle, all I’m saying is that there is the option of Cliff Lee out there.
Why do all of your proposals include only the top tier players? Put down your XBox controller…
hahaaha love it!
I think Sherrill is guaranteed to be in a different uniform next year. Hell, if he rebounds, he could be gone by mid season. While he could close on most teams, for us, he is the 4th best reliever and making 4.5M… no need
You don’t think Cash would talk to the Reds about Vazquez? Salary wise, Harang is a fit – no he’s not the upgrade yankee fans would want but he’s a horse of a different colour. If NY swallowed another salary, they could probably get duran thrown in.
Harang has some heat; he could survive under the hot, nasty ny fan spotlight. I agree its too early to give up on Vaz but NY media and fans are very vocal and demanding. If he can’t right the ship in the next 10 days his stock is going to fall fast – you may then have to settle for arroyo. As to Oswalt, he’s not a NY kind of guy; he’d veto it. Haren, if you could pry him out of Arizona, would love it, tho…
“NY media and fans are very vocal and demanding”
Yeah, the same ones who were questioning if CC and Tex were busts this time last year. The NY media is filled with uninformed about baseball people that write knee-jerk reactions just to sell newspapers or get people to call their talk show.
Harper stated Yanks should trade Vazquez for a ‘decent prospect’ and let Mitre take the 5th spot. SERGIO MITRE. I wish these guys could be GM for a year or two, make their moves based on mentality/AVG/W-L/etc, fail, then have to shut up.
What no comments on the Gordon demotion? Poor Kansas City. Maybe it’s better for them that some of their moves go unnoticed. Not only are they demoting Gordon, they are moving him to LF. In a normal world, this wouldn’t seem like a bad idea considering KC has expiring OF contracts and a good 3b prospect in Mike Moustakas. But this is Kansas City. Gordon is a good defensive third baseman. He certainly has better tools there than Moustakas, who’s only real defensive tool is his arm. Looks like they are weakening two defensive positions with one move. Strange rationale too…the move was said to jump start his bat…not sure how learning a new position jump starts your bat, but it better jump start it beyond previous expectations if they’re going to carry him in a corner OF position.
You’re not kidding. D-Moore continues to bumble about and messing with his players’ heads. Gordon is the long-term 3rd baseman but now he’s an outfielder? Moustakas is a better fit for the outfield (but another bad Royal draft pick – ok not nearly as bad as hochevar over longeria, lincecom or kershaw, but not good) and has yet to show a big-league bat. Nevermind who badly they’ve screwed up their pitching prospects — its like 4 of their top-10 from last year have moved on/quit… What a mess.
You’re not kidding. D-Moore continues to bumble about and messing with his players’ heads. Gordon is the long-term 3rd baseman but now he’s an outfielder? Moustakas is a better fit for the outfield (but another bad Royal draft pick – ok not nearly as bad as hochevar over longeria, lincecom or kershaw, but not good) and has yet to show a big-league bat. Nevermind who badly they’ve screwed up their pitching prospects — its like 4 of their top-10 from last year have moved on/quit… What a mess.
A lot of Yankee fans have no patience at all. Everybody knows that Vazquez is better than this. He won’t be traded. Also Yanks didn’t get him for him to be a top of the rotation guy, he is not being ask to be the Yankees # 1 or 2 SP.
Cashman won’t be pressing no panic button. He was patience with Hughes and look at how he is pitching now. Besides, to trade him now, would mean they woulb be selling low.