Braves left-hander Mike Minor made it clear last week that he’d welcome a trade under certain circumstances. While he doesn’t have the power to demand a deal, his comments appear to have irked Braves decision makers. Should Atlanta decide to address other needs by parting with starting pitching depth, Minor could be traded.
At this point, Minor is competing for a rotation spot with prospects Julio Teheran and Randall Delgado, so trade talk is purely speculative. Plus, Minor has options remaining, so he can be sent to the minor leagues whether he likes it or not. Let’s look ahead to how he might be valued on the trade market and to which teams could have interest.
First, what kind of pitcher is Minor? He has a 4.74 ERA with 8.8 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and a 36.4% ground ball rate in 123 1/3 innings at the Major League level. The 24-year-old's peripheral stats (3.63 FIP, 3.63 SIERA, .359 opponents' BABIP) suggest his ERA is inflated by about a run and can be expected to drop given his skillset.
Teams covet controllable, MLB ready players and Minor fits that description perfectly. Minor, the Braves’ 2009 first round pick, has less than one year of MLB service time (138 days). His relative inexperience means he's not projected to hit free agency until after the 2017 season. He'll be making close to the MLB minimum through 2013, at which point he projects to qualify for arbitration as a super two player.
Minor’s arguably someone who could help a big league team win now by providing steady innings at the back of a rotation. Contenders such as the Red Sox, Tigers and Angels have competition in their rotations entering Spring Training and could have interest. Teams like the Blue Jays, Royals, Athletics, Astros and Pirates aren’t necessarily in win-now mode, but many would figure to have interest in a controllable left-hander who induces swings and misses.
Recent trades involving Michael Pineda, Gio Gonzalez, Trevor Cahill and Mat Latos showed that controllable, young starting pitching is a commodity for which teams are willing to surrender multiple top prospects. Though Minor’s accomplishments don’t compare to those of the pitchers above, he has shown enough as a professional that the Braves could demand one top young player or prospect plus a supplementary piece in a possible trade. There’s no reason to believe GM Frank Wren intends to part with Minor, but if the left-hander does become available, expect him to draw significant interest.
Almost every team is going to have interest.
…except the Braves (interest in Minor, that is).
I think, for once, the Braves should see this as a guy with something to prove instead of a bad apple.
My comment has nothing to do with his remark. Honestly, his comments were a non-story and I think ATL management will treat it as such. They have more to do with the fact that all of their other stars are non-drafted signees (Teheran, Delgado, Beachy) and all act like they have something to prove.
In that regard, it appears from Minor’s comments that he’s behind some of the others in terms of approach.
The whole story was based on his comments and what JonHeyman tweeted about the organization being ‘irked’. The Braves seem to have a history of wanting to unload a guy if he gripes, but I don’t think they should this time. He made a public statement about how he wants to be with the Braves in the Majors, showing he is getting impatient. I don’t really understand what you mean by “approach”. He has been bounced around and wants a steady job. He has shown he should be in the Majors because he has pitched very well at times. I think he will win the 5th starter job.
By “approach”, I mean that you don’t hear anything coming from Teheran/Delgado, Minor’s competition for the 5th spot. Now, I agree that Minor will win the job, but did he not hear Wren say before he made his statement that Minor had the advantage in terms of the race for the 5th spot? For a guy who competed for the 5th spot last year (and lost to Beachy), maybe he thinks he should go about things a little differently.
Agreed, Minor has pitched well at times. And he hasn’t had many consecutive starts to get the hang of pitching in the rotation. However, what happens if Delgado/Teheran pitch much better in spring training? That is a possibility.
Please elaborate on the Braves history of wanting to unload a guy if he gripes. Escobar never really griped as much as it was his work ethic and attitude. Maybe we’re talking semantics here, but I don’t see them as being the same thing.
…except the Braves (interest in Minor, that is).
Maybe, but judging by the amount of chances he’s gotten to prove himself, he hasn’t particularly preformed that well. Good, but not great. Okay even. He’s won’t get a whole lot of return in my opinion.
They won’t if he’s traded now, but I seriously doubt he is. He starts the season strong and lives up to his potential they’ll get a solid return if they move him.
No way he’s moved this spring.
Definitely. I would love to have him in the 5th spot.
who needs him when you can have clay mortensen
‘liking’ this comment didn’t seem like enough. So I wrote this comment too.
Why would a team give up a top prospect for him, when said prospect is more than likely a higher ceiling player than Minor?
Likely? Matt Dominguez is a top prospect, higher ceiling?
Nobody’s going to give up a top 10 prospect for Minor.
Minor is a top 5 prospect in every minor league system besides the Braves
He’s not a prospect anymore, and if he was, he would be top 5 in the braves too
He’s exceeded 50 IP, so he’s not a prospect anymore. But he’s mostly pitching as a spot starter and though he shouldn’t have the title of “prospect”, he should be treated as having the potential of one considering he hasn’t been given a full opportunity to excel.
What’s the cutoff? I haven’t seen him on a single prospects list this season, even Braves top 20 lists……which would be odd if he’s still considered a ‘prospect.’ Surely his stock hasn’t dropped that much after posting 1.4 fWAR in just 83 innings last season….
I was wrong. 50 IP is the cutoff…so he’s not a prospect or a rookie. His stock hasn’t really dropped that much considering the high K totals, high draft pick status, and never having been given a rotation spot to have any consistency to produce yet. Clubs understand the value of been given the job and don’t really expect a lot of success from a starter being thrown into spot starts.
what evees
Because he’s a young, controllable left handed SP that has proven to be effective at the ML level. The ceiling on Minor is not yet known, BTW. Has looked brilliant at times but bad, also. I’ve seen nearly every one of his starts.
Unknown ceiling and has shown signs of brilliance? Sounds like every pitching semi-prospect in baseball.
I suppose it would make sense if the trade was for a position player close to the majors.. A need for a need kind of swap. Otherwise I think the Braves would be selling low, before Minor proves himself a reliable middle of the order arm.
Agreed. A poor man’s Pineda-Montero deal?
Mike Minor for Brett Jackson sounds too perfect, no?
I am getting excited just thinking about it. And look, Jackson doesn’t hit above .275…he’s perfect for ATL.
It’s very unlikely the Braves will trade him. He’s the only lefty we have close to being Major League ready in our righty heavy rotation.
If Gillmartin has a strong first-half and the pitching staff is more or less healthy, I can see it. Not right now though.
“Very unlikely”? Those are strong words. He’s the most movable out of the 4 untouchables and that’s before his comments that have supposedly irked the Braves. Delgado is looking great and Teheran is rated higher, while Vizcaino is projected to be in the ‘pen for now. Braves don’t care about forcing a lefty in the rotation…and if they did, LHP Sean Gilmartin (last year’s top pick) is breezing through minors.
Abreu and Izzy for Minor….
Why would the Braves want to take on that salary?
To quote a football player from back in the day, For Who, For What?
who said anything about taking on salary?
“Abreu and Izzy for Minor”
who said anything about taking on salary?
or, how about Jack Wilson & Chipper Jones for Dan Haren????
I love dilusional fans with clouded judgement….
How is this clouded?
Because noone wants Abreu and he can’t play OF.
He can on a limited basis, and Izzy is a quality infielder. The Angels just happen to have too many of each, and if the Halos picked up Abreu’s salary it could be done.
Only outfielder the Angels have that the Braves would have serious interest in is Bourjos. Well, there’s that Trout guy but there’s no sense even mentioning that.
Only outfielder the Angels have that the Braves would have serious interest in is Bourjos. Well, there’s that Trout guy but there’s no sense even mentioning that.
(Sigh)…Yes, Trout. The player LAA picked up with the (compensatory) draft pick they got from NYY instead of us (ATL) when we mistakenly traded Teixeira to LAA for a bunch of nothing. Not a good way to begin your GM reign, Frank Wren.
I didn’t realize that. Well, heck even Gillick messed up when he started with the Phillies. Garcia for Gonzalez and Floyd. He made up for it though. How about Andino for Minor?
We’re too high on Simmons/Pastornicky to really think about a SS. Simmons looks special and already provides us with a defensive upgrade. If Simmons proves plate discipline like he did last year (winning the batting title), he could make us forget we traded away Elvis Andrus and wouldn’t be in this predicament.
Abreu has zero value in the national league. The Halo’s couldn’t give him away
I think you’ve been lightin something other than a halo.
Wait…wait…Isringhausen? You realize having the title: “best bullpen in baseball” is a good thing, right?
No
Maicer Izturis
The Braves have no infield depth.
the point is so many fans over value their own players in trades they suggest…you won’t get anything more than a burger for Abreu and Izturis may land you a middle reliever or run-of-the-mill middle infielder….nothing special like Minor…
And the price just went up on Minor considering Vizcaino missing the year and how good Minor has looked in ST.
The funny part is that you’re serious
I would rather Boston hold off and wait for Ranaudo/Barnes etc.. They will get Lackey back in 2013 and Matsuzaka, tazawa this season. no real reason to give up the few people they have close to the bigs and will need (Lavarnway, Middlebrooks) for a quick fix now.
Exactly, I don’t really see a reason for teams to give up top prospects for him. While his ceiling is decent his current production is at the end of the rotation and teams can easily plug those holes with veterans, like the yankees did last season with Garcia and Colon.
1.4 WAR in 15 starts is not back of rotation material. He pitched a half season and was half a win away from reaching league-average starter status. There’s no guarantee that he continues at that pace and puts up ~3 WAR in his first full season, but you’re dramatically mischaracterizing his production.
-C
And according to B-R it was 0.8 and -0.8 in 2010. Split the difference and you get ‘back of the rotation’.
Or you could realize that using ERA to evaluate WAR in 120 IP for a starter is probably not a smart move, look at SIERA, note the 0.08 difference between that and FIP, note the ridiculous BABIP, and go with the metrics that provide a more realistic picture.
-C
The problem is the Braves drafted Minor and they found Julio Teheran and Randall Delgado as amateur free agents so they would need something decent in return for Minor. The Royals do have the prosepcts and Moore and Wren are familiar with each other. So if a move is made, I vote the Royals to do it.
Or like I stated before last week trade Minor to the Orioles, but the O’s don’t really have any prospects to trade.
PS Teheran might be the best of the three.
Problem? I don’t see the problem.
Teheran has the most upside, but Delgado is the most ready now. David Ross has been quoted as saying that Delgado is the best pitcher he’s caught so far in this early spring. That’s not saying much, but I really have high hopes for Delgado/Teheran. Minor, I don’t mind seeing elsewhere.
Never belittle the power of David Ross.
Haha…I meant that he said that a couple days into the spring and I couldn’t imagine that he really caught that many people being so early in the spring. Even though he’s a Gator, I certainly value his praise or I wouldn’t have included his assessment.
I think the Cubs could be a fit, with Marlon Byrd and a prospect Theo sees as expendable going the other way. I only say this b/c of the Braves past interest in Byrd. I haven’t heard anything recently.
And I wouldn’t entirely rule out Brett Jackson in a deal. I think Minor is much more attractive. OF Matt Szczur and 3B Josh Vitters are other guys to consider.
I’d love to see Brett Jackson in a Braves uniform. I’d think we’d certainly be interested in that, if we could pull that off.
I’m pretty tuned into the Cubs scene, and there has never been much hype in Brett Jackson here, whether it was with the old regime or now with Theo. There are definitely fans who would hate to see Jackson go, but this deal would be a win for both teams, IMO.
I don’t know if it was you or someone else on the boards for this article, but it was interesting to see someone thinking that ATL wanted similar compensation in terms of a positional player that they could have had when they took Minor in the 1st rd. Jackson would be that player considering CHC took him later in the 1st rd of that same draft (2009).
I’d do a straight-up swap of Minor and Jackson, absolutely.
Agreed. But doesn’t he project to be a CF? I know you could move him to a corner OF spot (LF) and only had to a better defensive unit, but then you’re talking about re-signing Bourn and finding someplace for Prado (whom I’d walk over hot coals for).
Hope chipper hangs them up then stick prado at third?
I’d do a straight-up swap of Minor and Jackson, absolutely.
I’ll keep saying it, see if Oakland will bite for Colin Cowgill and a less talented pitcher. Their OF is beyond filled out and Cowgill is gonna be vying for a job with multiple other players for one spot pending Cespedes’ performance in ST. Minor represents a second lefty to complement Brett Anderson in that young Athletics rotation.
Minor would look really good as an Oakland A. Don’t really know why but i think he will
Pass on a 4th OF.
.299/.383/.490 career #s in the minors with 20 steal potential are 4th OF numbers? He’d look awful nice in that number 2 spot if you ask me.
Take away his PCL numbers (extreme hitters league) and it’s not nearly that pretty. Still solid, but nothing I’d trade a really good prospect for.
I’d take Brett Jackson over him. If we could wrangle him from CHC.
I’ll keep saying it, see if Oakland will bite for Colin Cowgill and a less talented pitcher. Their OF is beyond filled out and Cowgill is gonna be vying for a job with multiple other players for one spot pending Cespedes’ performance in ST. Minor represents a second lefty to complement Brett Anderson in that young Athletics rotation.
How about the Tigers? Imagining a Detroit rotation with Verlander, Turner and Minor sounds pretty cool.
Build it around Tyler Collins (as a PTBNL)?
I agree, I’d like the Tigers to make a move for him too.
No prospects, but they do have Adam Jones, in whom the Braves have shown interest. Not to spark another debate on Jones value v. the value of the Braves pitching prospects, but it seems as though a swap centered around Minor for Jones could work for both clubs.
*Meant as a reply to Lefty’s post
O’s value Jones too high. They were asking for Prado AND Jurrjens.
and rightfully so. Braves fans vallue Jurrjens and Prado too high.
If you take Prado’s staph infection ruined ’11 out he put up 3 straight years of .800+ ops out of a 2B. Aside from that I’m saying a Mike Minor package has no shot. Jones is average to me anyways.
Jurrjens should’ve started the all star game last year. Adam Jones is an average outfielder.
Take off the homer glasses bro.
I’m a Braves fan, and even I think Halladay was the rightful starter. JJ’s BABIP suggested the man sold his soul for a half a season.
Come on…Jurrjens the starter. I am a Braves fan and even I know better.
Jurrjens should’ve started the all star game last year. Adam Jones is an average outfielder.
Wrong…I am a Braves fan and think Jurrjens has been overrated. As for Prado I need to see if last year was due to the staph infection or not. I think his value is in his versatility.
Again, the point wasn’t made to spark a debt on Jones value, or the value of Prado and/or Jurrjens, on which many Braves fans and O’s fans clearly disagree. Rather, the point was that the O’s have an interest in acquiring young, cost-controlled pitching, and the Braves have an interest in Adam Jones. Seems like a match, no?
Except they asked for a better SP and an above average 2B already..
Well, what they asked for (and/or what the Braves offered) is still up for debate. In any event, for the O’s, Minor represents more value than the talented but often injured Jurrjens. Minor is a cheap, young arm with 6 years of team control left. While Jurrjens is currently the better pitcher of the two, he is also more expensive and only under team control for 2012 and 2013, years that the O’s don’t figure to be in contention. Thus, Minor is the “better” of the two, so to speak, from the O’s perspective.
But the reason Adam Jones is relevant in this case is proving that ATL/BAL aren’t good trade partners. If Jones is the only attractive piece they have that ATL would want, what common ground is there between the 2 teams? All their top prospects are untouchable, just like COL. Jones is only an attractive to us because we’re trying to force something.
Oh no, not this again……
and 2 top prospects…
don’t trade this guy! Wait until we see what Jurjjens, Hudson, and Hanson have this year.
Relax. He’s not going anywhere right now. He’ll compete for the job and most likely get it unless he looks absolutely horrible, which isn’t likely. He’s older than Teheran/Delgado and has the leg up on the competition for the 5th spot. Plus, he could boost his stock with some solid performances, which are bound to happen.
Considering he’s never really had that many starts in a row, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him flourish soon with a little bit more consistency.
Yeah, you can’t really get a solid read on a guy like Minor when he’s spot-starting and pitching down the stretch. It’ll be nice to see him start the season fresh in the rotation, assuming he doesn’t totally suck this spring.
pretty sure I read on here that cleveland offered drew pomeranz for minor last year before sending him to the rockies. maybe should have done that. drew probably would be ok with staying in the minors one more year
If they move any pitcher it’ll be for position players IMO
i agree.. i just remember reading that last year and thought it wasnt a horrible idea. would have made the log jam less than it is now. not by much but instead of tryin to get julio,randall,and mike starts above triple a. it would just be two of them . but what a great problem to have
I’m glad they passed on that one. If I received a call from a team that wanted to trade a southpaw SP for a southpaw SP, I’d wonder what was wrong with their pitcher, even if they say he’s the next Koufax.
cleveland was buyers at the time and needed somebody that was ready right then. i dont know if pomeranz has more upside but he is further away which would have been a good thing because that would let teheran and delgado to ease into the rotation then later ease drew into the rotation. i like mike and glad they didnt pull the trigger on that on. i just hope he doesnt become the jay cutler of baseball.
We have Sean Gilmartin, who we took 1st round in last year’s draft. He provides where you’re saying Pomeranz would. Plus, I think other clubs could give a better offer than Pomeranz.
gilmartin has back of the rotation stuff where minor and pomeranz are higher. gilmartin is another braves getting the cheaper player in the draft instead of the most skilled that is still available. i do trust the braves front office drafting pitchers though. trade didnt happen and wont happen. just saying if it did there would now be less of a log jam. i have been high on minor for a while and hope he is this years 5th starter and down the road a middle of a rotation guy. i agree that they should be able to get more than a drew if they do trade him. thats a good thing since drew is a top 30 prospect
I haven’t really followed Pomeranz. I zone out when it comes to anything Cleveland. Pomeranz seems to be constantly stopping and starting in development. He has nice stuff from the looks of it, but it seems like a situation similar to Minor’s. I’m big on Gilmartin. No, his stuff isn’t going to fill the seats with scouts, but he’s above-average control of his pitches, which are getting better from what I’m hearing. Looks at his walk rates. He’s had his highest strikeout totals in the highest minor league he’s been in – higher than Minor had in the minors at one period – and it wouldn’t surprise me if he carries and nice strikeout total once it’s all said and done.
Like you said, Gilmartin has the time while Minor doesn’t. Gilmartin represents the next crop of talent ATL has coming and Minor needs to pitch his best if he wants to represent right now.
He’s gonna have to add some velocity if he wants to maintain those K rates. From what I read he’s topping out at around 91-92. Then again, the Braves were criticized by scouts for taking the safe route and going with Minor, and he’s turned into more a power-pitcher than anyone expected.
If it’s there’s one thing I won’t criticize the Braves for, it’s acquiring pitching. Hopefully these young arms pan out and they can focus more on position players. Even their top SS prospect(Simmons) was drafted as a pitcher….
And goodness, what happened to Matt Lipka?
I don’t know if it’s just me personally, but I’d rather see a SP with control in the low minors, then build on that. And that’s just what Gilmartin has done. Take in mind he’s only thrown 50 IP altogether in pro ball, but early indications are that he has a lot of control and his K-rates are building as he advances. We’ll see how he does vs. AA competition and we should have a clearer idea of his ceiling, but so far so good. I love seeing that runner strand rate (88.6%). We need a few more Glavine-types in the rotation.
Bob is cool
I don’t think Braves need to part with Minor. Even if he does not make the rotation, he can’t do much about it but pitch at lower levels.
Pineda DID NOT command multiple top prospects.
Actually, Pineda came packaged WITH a Top Prospect.
I can’t believe this has become an article. Even Mark Bowman, the Braves beat writer noted that it’s not as big of a deal as it seems. The only reason it’s becoming an issue is because the media won’t let it go. He’s not going to be traded and he will start in the opening rotation this year. Can we all please just move on?
I agree that the media is going to far with Minor’s comments, but he’s been linked to trades since the Braves drafted him. Like many have said, he’s the most likely to go of their top starting pitchers. It won’t be this spring, but that’s not how I read this article I suppose….
this is all we get to talk about until Grapefruit & Cactus League games begin, oh our pitchers threw bullpens & the fielders took infield/outfield? Awesome!
this is all we get to talk about until Grapefruit & Cactus League games begin, oh our pitchers threw bullpens & the fielders took infield/outfield? Awesome!
Him appearing in Trade Candidates, a regular feature on the site doesn’t have to do so much with his recent comments as much as it has to do with the looming situation of having too much MLB-ready pitchers. They could have just as easily profiled Teheran/Delgado, but with Minor making recent comments and Wren saying that he’s the frontrunner for the 5th spot, what would happen if he doesn’t get the spot? What if ATL agrees to an extension with Jurrjens (not likely) and has even less of a need for Minor, if he didn’t get the 5th, for the second season in a row. Then, he’d become one of the most attractive trade candidates in MLB, especially after seeing what some good young pitching is fetching.
As a Braves fan, I’d rather see him go than Delgado/Teheran/Beachy, knowing that his pedigree could fetch more than almost anyone other than Teheran.
Delgado has actually shown himself better than both in his short stint in the majors. That being said, it would make more sense for the Braves to trade JJ and keep their only LH starter with lots of promise and team control on the team.
Easy to make assumptions on SSS and when pitchers have reached innings limits. Delgado is not any more ready than any of the Braves’ ML-ready arms, and needs work in the minors much more than Minor or Teheran.
-C
I’m not saying he’s more MLB ready. That distinction goes to Minor over the other two. Just stating, although SSS, Delgado has had more success and could prove to be a very valuable trade piece.
Totally agree. They just have nothing to talk about right now so they run with any hint of news.
Where is the story that states Braves decision makers are “irked?”
I might be missing something here, but nowhere in any story that I have seen has it been stated or even implied that Minor’s comments have “irked Braves decision makers.” ONly people who are “irked” are Braves fans and Blogs who think the rookie should keep his mouth shut and earn a rotation spot with performance on the field.
This link and the three others behind it appear to have irked Braves decision makers, only discuss the Manager F. Gonzalez and Pitching coach R. McDoowell. No comments from the GM Frank Wren or the President JS. Seems as though the Braves did with this as they do most other issues… nothing except positives stated in public and handle the issue in house in private.
Now when B. Cox was the manager you might bet that something like this would get a guy traded sort of quick… not so sure now.
Twitter over reaction by Jon Heyman
Jon Heyman reported that Braves brass were annoyed by the comment. But, that’s been the extent of it. No other columnist has reported anything as such as Heyman has always been known to exaggerate. I doubt Braves FO were anything but amused by the comments.
Minor’s not going anywhere.
8 pitcher deep rotations are the new 3 RBs strategy.
Must be a lite news day. Based on fact or fiction. I’d lean toward the latter.
Gerardo Parro
Gerardo Parro
One comment relax, Braves should keep him, trade Jurrjens instead
“Teams like the Blue Jays, Royals, Athletics, Astros and Pirates aren’t necessarily in win-now mode”. You can’t bring Jays to this group. Jays are about to break out. This season will set the bar and I strongly believe that Jays will surprise many people this year..There will be a three way battle for second and wild card between Jays, Red Sox and Rays.
A lot within the organization are very high on Delgado. Yes, he needs a little bit more time on the farm, but he’s not a strikeout pitcher or a high draft pick (was signed as an international free agent), which are 2 things that boost a players’ draft value. Both of which Minor has going for him.
That being said, ATL won’t be losing anything if Minor gets the 5th spot, starts the season to showcase some of his talents and then make a decision going into July. All we need are some consistent starts from here – something we lacked last year from Lowe. His success might give them the confidence to move Jurrjens.
A lot within the organization are very high on Delgado. Yes, he needs a little bit more time on the farm, but he’s not a strikeout pitcher or a high draft pick (was signed as an international free agent), which are 2 things that boost a players’ draft value. Both of which Minor has going for him.
That being said, ATL won’t be losing anything if Minor gets the 5th spot, starts the season to showcase some of his talents and then make a decision going into July. All we need are some consistent starts from here – something we lacked last year from Lowe. His success might give them the confidence to move Jurrjens.
Castellanos for Minor who hangs up first/what would be needed to add to either side to make it work?
Tigers hang up. Pitchers are more plentiful than projected all-star third basemen.
You also need 5 starting pitchers and only one starting 3B. You’re probably right, but for the wrong reason.
-C