A Rangers scout is in town for Zack Greinke's start against the Reds this afternoon, and that's no accident, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Morosi speculated yesterday that Texas could be in on the right-hander as they were also interested in him before Kansas City traded him to the Brewers. As we know, Milwaukee is prepared to move Greinke before the deadline if they can't sign him to a new deal. More news out of the Central divisions..
- Twins left-hander Francisco Liriano could draw serious interest as the deadline approaches, but he scares a lot of evaluators around baseball, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider sub. req'd). Three evaluators that Olney spoke with were skittish about the 28-year-old and two said that they preferred Matt Garza even though he's the more expensive option.
- The Yankees also have a scout on hand for Greinke's start today, but that appears to be just be regular coverage and Morosi (via Twitter) would be surprised if they make a play for him.
- The Cubs won't recoup any of the $6.5MM released outfielder Marlon Byrd is being paid this year despite his unpaid 50-game suspension, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Jared Barrows
Good for Texas
Rezonator
If the Twins can get anything more than a bag of balls (like two bags and a bat) for Liriano, I hope they trade him.
frozeninbemidji
I’m with ya, he’s just now bringing his value up to tradeable. It’s funny to read comments from some of the people on TD thinking that this is him finally getting back to where he should be. The guys proven to have a fragile grape and these guys want to give him a 3 year contract after 4 or 5 good starts. YIKES
JRC
yanks for Garza sounds good.
BWillie
“A Rangers scout is in town for Zack Greinke’s start against the Reds this afternoon, and that’s no accident”
So that means he got on the right plane, going to the right town, and got off at the right place. Awesome scout.
rundmc1981
Cincy’s airport is quite confusing.
BWillie
It apparently is quite an accomplishment to successfully navigate your way through.
davbee
It is confusing–Cincy’s airport is located in Kentucky.
Scottage Cheese
Rangers send Profar (SS) & Olt (3B) OR Buckel (RHP) for Greinke, no?
p_phelps09
NO CHANCE
p_phelps09
no chance
p_phelps09
Rangers wont move profar or olt for greinki..maybe martin perez
Brv Rocks
You are living in dreamland if you think the Rangers won’t pay a heavy, heavy price for Greinke. Maybe not Profar but multiple other top prospects. Probably something like Perez and Olt or Martin and Olt PLUS a couple of lesser prospects.
Scottage Cheese
As a comparison, Milwaukee sent Matt LaPorta (#1 prospect) and Michael Brantly (#4 I think) and a PTBNL for CC Sabathia. And that was before 2012 WC revamp. P_Phelps09, you’ll be def trading 2-3 top 10, 1 if not 2 will be in the top 5. Sorry dude.
Scottage Cheese
*That was in 2008
And that’s what the Brewers will be thinking of when Melvin deals Greinke.
Mike Simala
Ok so because they paid alot for CC, who by the way was at the time a much much better pitcher then Grienke, that means Texas should give up their top 2 postion prospects. At most its something like Martin Perez, Leyons Martin and maybe Mitch Moreland. Olt and Profar are not gonna move for Grienke or Garza no matter how much Id love to see the Cubs get either of the 2.
KyleB
I think that Olt could be had by the Brewers, but certainly not Profar or Leonys.
Perez, Buckel, Villanueva, Sardinas, Odor will all be on the table.
Scottage Cheese
Yes. Especially now that there are 2 WC spots up for grabs. Your argument is on-point, if we were still under the old format. But now more teams have a shot and that means there will be more teams buying rather than selling. It’s science bro.
BDLugz
You can’t simply use #1 prospect in their system as comparison. Profar is likely the #1 prospect in BASEBALL this year. LaPorta topped out around the mid 30’s, and that was only because he had great raw power. To compare LaPorta to Profar is laughable and shows your complete lack of knowledge on this matter.
KyleB
Thank You!
Scottage Cheese
Just Perez? That’s it? No one else heh?
Ben Gonzalez
Perez, Olt and a couple young guys. Martin stays put (Hamilton will be gone next year) and Profar is untouchable.
p_phelps09
no perez as the prize prospect..he just got called up and theres been specualtion that its a show case.. and you are talking about profar being 19..thats what makes him sooooo intriguing.. look at his numbers at AA.. then look at them after the 1st month where he was getting adjusted to AA..Look at what texas traded for Cliff Lee..Smoak and then bevean (who was around the 8th best spec in rangers system) and lukie. A comparable trade would be M.perez, Borboun/beltre, and a relief pitching prospect maybe matt west
davbee
Then the Rangers won’t be ending up with Greinke. I can’t see the Rangers giving up Profar under any circumstances, but Olt would almost assuredly have to be a part of a deal for Greinke.
p_phelps09
I think the rangers could diffidently pull a deal without using profar or olt..you have to remember that grienki is a FA after this year
Sage
Highly doubtful. Why? Because the Brewers will move on to the next offer, which will probably include a top prospect. There are plenty of teams out there that need a SP and would probably be willing to include a top prospect. If the Rangers refuse to part with either Profar or Olt, they won’t get Greinke.
Chris
yankees are deff. gonna need a SP now that both CC (misses two starts) and Pettitte (6 weeks) are out until after the all star game and pettitte longer. and with Hughes inconsistentcy he could be put in the bullpen.
Betances, nunez, Cervelli and another mid level to low level prospect for greinke. maybe david adams (2B)? maybe not all of those guys but betances or banuelos will be the starting point
AaronAngst
Don’t need a catcher, Nunez is not a guy they’ll look at as everyday SS material, and they have pitchers close to ready to step in for Greinke, Marcum, and Wolf… so I doubt Betances is somebody they’d really be after.
KyleB
No one should be denying that Olt will probably be the top prospect included, but sorry, the Brewers are not getting a top 2 MLB prospect for a guy that’s a FA after this season.
Chris
being a FA means nothing. would you really want the rangers to give up alot and then him walking away? luckily for the rangers the prospects they sent to seattle have not panned out because lee was an expensive rental if they had played to their potential
KyleB
There’s still plenty of time for Smoak. I feel like he’ll pan out. Beaven has been decent.
Scottage Cheese
Well, sirs, that’s the asking price. An ACE will surely cost a team 2, possibly 3 top 10 prospects in the system in 2012 (with 2 wild card spots up for grabs). Furthermore, Profar is what–19?. There’s some risk on both sides here. Rangers have a good shot of extending Greinke too.
The Braves will also be targeting him with Beachy out.
Brv Rocks
I could see the Braves sneaking in and making a push for him. They could offer something like Teheran, Gilmartin, and Pastornicky (that’s 3 of the Braves top 10 prospects). However, they would need a window to negotiate the extension. I don’t see them giving up Teheran unless they signed Greinke to an extension first.
Sage
I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I can almost guarantee that if the Braves opened with an offer of Simmons +, it would pique the Brewers’ interest. I get the feeling, though, the Braves wouldn’t want to move Simmons, or Teheran.
Lefty
If the Rangers trade for Greinke, they better not only get to the World Series, they better win it. I am kind of tired of hearing about them. :p
p_phelps09
The ranger system is soooo deep… and profar is as close as there is to untouchable..the rangers will include someone who is in the rotation right now..they have to because theres not a spot open..i would think holland/harrison and someone like buckle and odor..(odor would be top 3 spec in most systems)
d_Texas
Will Feliz, Perez and Borbon get it done?
p_phelps09
feliz is on the 60 day DL..
AaronAngst
I could be wrong, but I’d be surprised if Milwaukee is looking for pitching, and they definitely aren’t looking for light hitting outfielders.
KyleB
I’m not sure the Rangers would part with Feliz. It would probably have to be Harrison, which I don’t think i’d be willing to do.
Scottage Cheese
Borbon has been a bust. Perez would be the 3rd prospect.
braveboy3
the Braves will certainly be interested in Greinke along with Garza, Dempster, Liriano and whoever else is on the block since Beachy went down and Minor and Delegado have both been inconsistent. I say the Braves would offer something like Minor, Delgado, Pastornicky and maybe another Pitching prospect. I mean they would still have Teheran, Spruill, Graham and Gilmartin along with young guys like Jurrjens, Hanson, Medlen and Beachy when he comes back plus new draftee Lucas Sims down in the minors
AaronAngst
There’s got to be a SS in whatever deal is ultimately done. I think teams that are willing to part with their best SS prospect will be the ones with the best shot. As their best trade chip, it would be ultimately irresponsible if Milwaukee didn’t use Greinke to net them what they see to be their SS of the future. Whether Profar is “untouchable” in the eyes of the fans means little to nothing. I’m not saying he’s dealt, but I highly doubt he’s off the table being that he’s at Double A, and Andrus is a Ranger through at least 2014.
Sage
That’s what I’ve been saying all along. If the Brewers make a deal without a SS involved, there has to be a myriad of talent in the players they DO acquire. But, I really think there needs to be a top SS in any Greinke deal. There’s a lot of teams out there in need of SP with top prospect SS’s (Red Sox with Iglesias, Blue Jays with Hechavarria, Braves with Simmons, Rangers with Profar, among others), and at least one of them will likely be willing to part with that SS to get Greinke.
AaronAngst
You can’t dislike Olt’s production, however, what would they do with Aramis for the next two years then? Tell him he’s now a first baseman? That’s why they should go Profar or bust with Texas. Otherwise, somebody else will have a SS with potential that they can get for less.
sdsuphilip
I’d say a fair deal for Grienke is Olt, Perez, and a high upside high risk guy like Jorge Alfaro, Luis Sardinas, Jacob Skole, or Luke Jackson. Perez is still a decent prospect but not the elite prospect he was thought of 2 years ago, has been very poor against advanced competition and stuff especially breaking stuff is down, he is most likely a middle to backend starter but is still valuable. Olt’s a good 3B with power, fairly athletic too (can play him in OF some if you want), the only thing that keeps him from being an elite guy is he has a lot swing and miss.
p_phelps09
Wow you should check on olts defensive skills..from what ove heard he is verygood glove at 3rd
sdsuphilip
i know he is good defensivly, not sure what i wrote originally but i had a different though in mind and edited it hours ago.
KyleB
They’ve compared Olt’s 3B glove to Adrian Beltre’s. He’s meant to play 3B, and the Rangers just don’t have a spot for him. He’d pretty much be wasted if we stuck him at 1B.
Chris
with the yankees losing CC and Pettitte until after the all star break and pettitte could be gone until first or second week of august. and thats to say sabathia doesnt have a set back in rehab. i wouldnt be surprised to see the yankees make a move on Greinke.
Betances or banuelos, romine or cervelli, Cito culver or Nunez (ss), and Adams (2B) almost the same players offered for Lee before Adams broke his ankle that year and the mariners backed out of it. but i have a feeling the brewers will ask for Mason Williams or Tyler Austin both of whom is hitting over .300 and Austin has power.
Sage
This is me responding to this comment and your reply to an earlier comment of mine. Just felt like saying that haha
Neither of those pitchers are particularly attractive to me (Betances has been having issues this year and Banuelos has some injury concerns), but I’d take the younger (Banuelos) of the two. Romine over Cervelli, but we don’t need any catchers. When Jonathan Lucroy comes back, we’ll have three good starting-quality catchers on our 25-man roster. So, no to a catcher. Culver over Nunez because he’s younger and Nunez is an awful defender. No to Adams, since we have Rickie Weeks for the next 3-4 years, and Scooter Gennett ready to replace him. I can honestly say I don’t know much about Williams or Austin.
For me, that doesn’t sound like a very attractive package. But, I’m not the Brewers, so I’ve got no clue what we do. I think, if we’re smart, we’ll be looking for a top flight SS prospect as a centerpiece, and probably some corner infielders. We’re covered at 2B, C, and LF, with some nice prospects in both RF and CF (though CF is a little thinner). Our pitching is looking nice, but we could probably use a good Major League ready SP.
Anti-NBA
Grienke will make some team a World Series contender. The guys is top 5 SP in the game. If the Rangers get him, say goodnight everyone. Baltimore should go after him. This is their chance to make the playoffs.
KyleB
I would barely put Greinke top 10 (at this moment), and i’m not knocking him by saying that.
Verlander, Kershaw, Hernandez, Cain, Weaver, Hamels, Strasburg, Maybe Sabathia, and much to my chagrin, CJ Wilson, are all better than Greinke as of right now.
Scottage Cheese
Obviously Rangers fans are missing the point here. The Brewers will simply move on to the next trade offer if they don’t see a #1 prospect as part of the deal. Profar would (with out a god d*mn doubt) have to be apart of the trade package along with either Olt or Perez.
Greinke is single handidly, the best trade option out there right now for a contender that needs a SP. In return, they’ll need to cut the cord on Profar.
p_phelps09
or they could look at cole hamels.. you ask many baseball writers and they day profar is the best spec in baseball…when has the best prospect in baseball been traded? And if profar is inclueded there is NO WAY IN HELL olt is included. olt is the #2 prospect in the system. you dont give the best spec in all of baseball and your #2 and then some..you are really over valuing greinki imo. With the new CBA the rangers would not get comp if greinki left so its a true rental only. I can promise you the rangers will not trade profar for greinki! maybe someone else like if king felix were on the block or someone who was young and controllable for several years