Links for Thursday, as we await a particularly light schedule of games…
- Melky Cabrera and the Giants haven’t made progress toward a long-term deal, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports wonders if the Blue Jays could trade Yunel Escobar when prospect Adeiny Hechavarria gets the call to the Major Leagues. The A’s, Mariners and Pirates could be positioned to trade pitching for Escobar, Morosi writes. Personally, I doubt the Blue Jays trade Escobar in the near future.
- Houston GM Jeff Luhnow told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that it'll take more than one draft to add talent throughout the Astros organization. "I feel like there's a lot of pressure to do it in one draft," Luhnow said. "That's not going to happen." The Astros have the first overall selection on Monday.
- Any bonus that exceeds $100K counts against a team’s bonus limit, even if it goes to a non-drafted free agent, Jim Callis of Baseball America tweets.
Right. Because the Blue Jays want to ship out a top ten defensive shortstop so they can play a marginally better fielder that’s a much worse hitter.
Isn’t Yunel a problem in the clubhouse? Maybe they feel it’s addition for subtraction if they can bring back some value.
thats fluff
Obviously you have not been watching many jays games. Escobar is already slowing down and has no heart…just a great arm which has made up for his decreasing range. If its possible to get another arm or even package him to get a 1st basemen go for it.
I’d like to see his heart stats for this year compared to the last couple years and his career numbers. I bet his heart beats per game this year are even higher than his years with the Braves!
Im sure his heart beats are way up since he keeps gaining weight.
all i see are above average defense and baserunning again this year… and a pretty safe bet the bat will come around as well
Decreasing range? Have you seen his defensive metrics over the last couple years?
The A’s make a move that moves Pennington from the starting spot?? They would never!
Sigh….sad but possibly true….It’s not a contending year for them so I don’t see them going after Yunel, they’d probably rather get some prospects for pitching.
ya, i know haha. They love penny at short. He can’t hit at all.
He’s actually hit at a league average clip for a SS over the last 2 years, almost exactly those numbers.
This year… however… is just absolutely terrible.
Strange thing is, he’s hitting the ball just as hard (LD% is about the same as career averages) and has a significantly depressed BABIP (.243, he hovers around .300 for his career).
he’s due for a lot of forward regression.
(But I’m all in favor of an Escobar trade if the price is right).
What do the Blue Jays need? I’d be willing to trade Charlie Morton and a prospect for Escobar.
They need either a legit LF or a middle of the rotation pitcher. I don’t think they can get either for just Escobar of course.
Charlie Morton has no value to the Jays though. A back-end-of-the-rotation guy in the NL central would get eaten alive in the AL East, and they’d be better off going with someone like Villanueva or Laffey, or even Brett Cecil.
Good point, I was just sort of spitballing, but I think that Escobar is a good match for the Pirates. I wonder if the Pirates are actually interested in him or if this is just speculation by the writer. If the Pirates didn’t have to give up too much, I wouldn’t mind seeing them going after him.
Tigers could be a player for Yunel if he was made available. Hechavarria is almost ready and the tigers need middle infield help. Maybe Oliver or Crosby for Escobar?
Jays need middle infield help, too! Hech and Escobar are great, but Johnson’s a free agent at the end of the year and the Jays have no depth at 2B. Escobar is only traded if he refuses to move to the other side, in which case, the Jays are looking for more MI.
Don’t see the M’s trading for Escobar. Ryan, although anemic offensively, is still a top rated SS defensively and the management likes his enthusiasm and passion. Plus I wouldn’t agree with getting rid of one of our minor league pitchers for him.
So who on the M’s would be traded for him? The only pitcher I would consider is Millwood. He’s playing well and isn’t considered a long-term investment. Getting rid of League right now would be a good idea…. that is if he still has any value left.
I like the way you think.
This is fluff… D’arnaud is the much better prospect in comparison to Hech.. So if anyone is being dangled its going to be JPA…
with KJ a free agent, why would the jays trade one of only 2 players who can (not yet proven with hech) play up the middle .
So yes lets trade escobar, then kj leaves and we’ll start mike mccoy at second.!
please.
I would have to assume if Escobar is traded KJ already has an extension in hand. In that case I’d be all for trading Escobar. His lack of production and shitty attitude on the field is becoming very irritating. And no that’s not fluff. Escobar is not the same guy he has been the last couple of years in Toronto.
“Haven’t made progress” is kind of bad wording…They haven’t started talking yet.
Canadian born LF Jason Bay for Escobar!
given his status as one of the game’s best all round SS’s (5th in WAR since ’09), and his criminally affordable contract, if escobar does get traded it better be for a boatload.
that’s a tough asset to give up if you’re the jays, especially with johnson up for FA at the end of the season.