Athletics reliever Michael Wuertz is on Boston's wish list, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The 31-year-old righty has had an off-year while dealing with a shoulder injury, but he appears to be back to normal based on this Athletics Nation post by Dan Lependorf.
Wuertz comes with cost certainty, as he's signed at $2.8MM for 2011 and has a $3.25MM club option for '12. He's known to be on the radar of the Tigers and Yankees as well. However, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the A's won't trade Wuertz barring a knockout offer.
The Red Sox seem likely to acquire a reliever this month. They've also been linked to Scott Downs, Craig Breslow, and Leo Nunez so far.
I bet that Michael likes them too, but more as a friend.
Nunez would probably be the best option. They should look into gettng Sean Marshall of the cubs. our pen was so good last year bc we had multiply guys who could close. (saito,Wagner)
Do you really think that the Marlins or Cubs would trade those guys unless they were absolutely overwhelmed? I don’t.
Supposedly, the Marlins were actively shopping Nunez. And, to my knowledge, no one is ever “overwhelmed” for relievers.
Why would the Marlins trade their only reliable reliever?
It could make sense if they have decided they aren’t competing this year (which I don’t think they have). They have a new ballpark coming in a couple years and I think their main goal would be to be competitive by then, they have a good young core and a couple good young players in the minors, if they can trade a reliable reliever for a guy or two who could potentially plug holes and help the team be competitive in a year or two I think they would do it. Serviceable relievers are “relatively” easy to come by, and mediocre middle relief is easier to get by with than a mediocre catcher or center fielder (random examples). So I think if they decide they aren’t competing this year and know they are going to have holes to fill in 1-2 years I could see them doing it.
this will depend on the A’s/Rangers series going on right now. If the A’s sweep the Rangers they won’t be trading Wuertz, the the Rangers win 2 out of 3 or sweep the A’s, the A’s should unload him
The A’s are tied with the Angels for 2nd place and somehow the Angels are the contenders. I am tired of the A’s being labeled as sellers. The A’s have a better pythagorean record than the Angels.
I agree with Rene though. This could all change after the Texas series. Come on A’s. Pull through.
The A’s have deadly pitching for a short series, especially if Anderson comes back strong, and his last rehab start was fantastic.
A sweep of the Rangers could certainly turn the A’s into buyers, and the one thing they desperately need is a bat. Daric Barton and prospects for Adam Dunn?
Barton for Dunn is pretty lopsided in favor of the Nats by itself.
I guess you might be right, since Barton has what, three more years of team control after this?
But a few points:
– Barton is 24, so he probably isn’t going to get much better
– Considering recent deadline deals, I wouldn’t expect that a decent fielding first baseman with little power could net a 40 HR hitter, even if said 40 HR hitter is only a two month rental.
– Mike Rizzo said he’s not trading anyone unless he’s overwhelmed.
“Barton is 24, so he probably isn’t going to get much better”
I think you meant to write “is” instead of “isn’t” here.
Nah. A guy who didn’t hit for much power past A-ball and hasn’t hit for power in over 1000 MLB at bats probably is what he is.
Not to say that Barton is a bad player at all, he’s just not a top notch long term solution at first base on a team that’s already lacking big bats.
Barton can also double as a catcher where he would be much more attractive.
No, he’s only an emergency catcher at this point. 1B is his position, and his .353 wOBA says that he belongs there.
You say that like it’s a big compliment.
Barton’s 15th in wOBA among qualified MLB first basemen.
The MLB average wOBA at first base is .366.
Six first basemen have a wOBA north of .400. Five more are north of .380.
What’s so good about a .352 wOBA at first base?
Barton hasn’t caught a single inning in 2500+ big league innings and he hasn’t caught regularly since 2004.
Red Sox should make one move at the deadline and that’s to acquire Prince Fielder. Sets them up for a run this year and improves the club dramatically for the future. Money shouldn’t be an obstacle – Lowell is done after this year, and so is Varitek. Papi has an option the team could refuse, opening up around $13m for next season. The money is there, the chips are there to make the trade…they should just do it.
What does Fielder solve for the Sox this year?….Where do you play him and more importantly, WHY??
You have to be kidding me. Even without Lowell where is Prince going to play? They’re set at 1B and at DH, no where to put him. Not to mention that until the recent parade to the DL they were 1st in runs scored. Offense is not their problem, a consistent bullpen is.
So while they’re at it they should add Dunn, Bautista, Votto and Cabrera right??? Very well thought out!
should probably call up Lars Anderson while they’re at it, you can never have too many guys at 1B.
Who needs catchers, 2b,3b,ss and outfielders when you can have a bunch of first basemen and have a lineup like this:
C Vmart
1b Anderson
2b Votto
3b Youk
ss Fielder(Itd be funny to watch)
Lf Bautista
Cf Cabrera
Rf Dunn
dh ortiz
maybe get they can even get Swisher so he can pitch
A “Dislike” button would make responding to posts like this so much easier.
hell na the A’s aint gonna trade no relievers!
WUERTZ FOR BARD OR GTFO.
How high are you?
As high as the Red Sox are for thinking they can get Wuertz from Oakland.
Lol…Wuertz isn’t as good as Bard, is more expensive, has far less team controllable years, and is seven years older. If you wanted to say Wuertz won’t get traded fine, but don’t act like he’s on Bard’s value level or that he is this untouchable commodity…he’s a 31 year old non closer, not Evan Longoria.
Im just proposing what Beane would ask Theo here. Wuertz is not on the table unless you want to throw around names like Bard to keep him on the phone. Beane is not selling low on anyone here. Get real, Boston.
I think the only person in this thread who needs to get “real” is you. We get it, you are an A’s fan and think your team is a contender and Michael Wuertz has Joakim Soria trade value. The A’s have been playing very good baseball and are still 7 1/2 games out. They should listen to offers for Wuertz and only move him for good value, they aren’t forced to move him. No offense, but you come off as a delusional super fan with more than a few your comments…
“delusional superfan”? thats a little over the top.
Great, let’s add another overpaid reliever with an ERA on the wrong side of 4.
Great, let’s completely ignore Wuertz’s career stats and focus solely on 29 games in a year in which he’s rebounding from an injury.PS – Wuertz has a 2.70 ERA and 12 K’s in 13.1 innings since June 5th.
(Sorry about the double post: This one came up with an error, so I posted the next one instead)
Wuertz since June 5th: 2.70 ERA, 12 K’s in 13.1 innings
Wuertz since June 23rd: 0.86 ERA, 9 K’s in 10.1 innings
Wuertz career: 3.42 ERA, 390 K in 363 innings
But go ahead and doubt him because he put up a 7.27 ERA in his first ten games back from a shoulder injury.
Because we all know that ERA is the best metric for measuring the success of a reliever.
Cannot fathom why anyone would judge a reliever by his ERA when most of them only pitch 1 inning at a time.
Well as a former pitcher yourself what is the main objectives of a pitcher? Isn’t it to get a win and allow as few runs as possible. Certain players are of special cases if they are proven pitchers and are just having an off season or something hasn’t been quite right since as injury. Now don’t get me wrong I’d take Wuertz on the Red Sox in a heartbeat but IMO ERA is probably the most important metric because when a manager throws a pitcher out there during a game, the manager is looking for the reliever to not allow runs. Allowing walks and hits can be stressful but what matters the most is not allowing players of the other team to cross home plate.
I don’t see the A’s dealing any relievers… Breslow, Wuertz and Bailey is a deadline end of the bullpen combo. This A’s team is 1 legit power hitter away from contending next year. They need to keep this core intact including the bullpen.
They are 1 legit power hitting RF away from spoiling the Rangers party THIS year.
Whats a fair swap for Werth? He’d be perfect in RF hitting behind Cust.
I like your thinking! I have no idea… We can throw Cardenas back at the Phillies since he can’t hit about AAA aparently lol… I kid but I would love to see Werth wearing the green and gold. I just don’t see Beane making that kind of deal unless we sweep Texas this series.
Mazzero for werth?
Id do Braden for Werth in a heartbeat.
And I like Michael Wuertz too. However, I think that Boston feels it needs to unload one of their struggling relievers first, such as Ramirez or Delcarmen, and I agree with that. They need to make the room for another reliever without sending down some young talent that has the potential to blossom. Ramirez, Delcarmen, and Okie are all candidates for leaving I think. In the end, I think Epstein will be able to add at least one more quality arm to the bullpen, as well as trade one away. Hopefully some NL team will be interested in one of our strugglers, though, cause otherwise Epstein will basically have to give them away.
Looking at the bullpen right now, I see three strong relievers. Pap has not been dominant, but he is still a top-of-the-line closer. Bard, obviously, is one of the best relievers in the game. And my pick for the third reliever would be Scott Atchison. He gave up a home run yesterday, but he always keeps us in the game and doesn’t let things get out of control. After a horrible stint at first which ended up in him being sent down, he’s been really dependable. I was so impressed recently with his spot start for Dice-K, as well as his many multi-inning appearances. He’s really been a rock for the middle of the bullpen. If we can get one more strong arm to solidify the 7th inning, I can justify keeping a Delcarmen or an Okajima, in hopes that they figure themselves out, and leave them for the 5-run+ leads/deficit games.
Atchinson is a fringe middle reliever, the type that will always struggle to be on a MLB roster. Nothing dominant and a 89-90mph FB. Ramirez you get what you see, someone who seems to have lost his confidence and just can’t locate this year any of his pitches on a consistent basis and on top of that, is pretty much a 1 inning pitcher. MDC has lost 3-4MPH from his FB and now throws 93-94 and no longer 96-97, regardless of why, he seems to have lost his confidence on the mound this year when that lead runner reaches and it does all to often. Oki has just been a flat out crap shoot and basket case all year and forgot how to throw his splitter it seems and has been brought up here many times already.
This team needs to either give young Bowden a chance, or make a move on a smaller scale for a not over valued reliever on the market. Making a move for one like leo Nunez that has already been seriously over worked in Florida is a mistake, as is giving up a Blue chip prospect of Kelly/Kalish/Iglesias for Downs that nobody is going to do.
Got a feeling that Epstein is scouting around for mid level guys working way back from injuries and maybe even the Donkey could come back, or Wood as a salary dump in August.
The Red Sox can have Wuertz on their “wish list” all they want, but I can guarantee you the A’s won’t deal him unless they get a tremendous offer. He is a lights out 8th inning guy and he’s cheap. His stats are skewed from an elbow injury in the early season that prevented him from throwing his slider with his normal bite. Trust me, the A’s know his value.
I think it would take Mazzaro and maybe Henry Rodriguez to get Werth and a low-level prospect. Billy should start trading for major league bats since he gives away all the young ones we have in our system (Ethier, Carlos Gonzalez, Nelson Cruz, etc.).
You forgot about Carlos Pena.
So what is it with teams thinking they can ask the world for relievers nowadays?
Because traditionally, teams overpay for relievers at the deadline?
“The 31-year-old righty has had an off-year while dealing with a shoulder injury, but he appears to be back to normal based on this Athletics Nation post by Dan Lependorf.”
After the last two games, Dan may want to re-think his opinion.