The Tigers, Phillies, Mets, White Sox and Rays are among the most surprising teams in baseball so far this season, Jayson Stark writes at ESPN.com. Here are some details from Stark's latest Rumblings & Grumblings column…
- GM Josh Byrnes admits that "this season is probably unsalvageable" for the 19-39 Padres, but he isn’t looking to trade Carlos Quentin. "We need his home run production in the middle of the order,” Byrnes told Stark. “So we're not looking to trade him in mid-June. We're definitely open to keeping him around beyond this year." The Padres haven’t yet talked to Quentin or his agent about a deal for 2013 and beyond. I set out to determine the outfielder's trade value last week.
- Rival teams say the Dodgers are looking for a starter, a lefty reliever and a bat.
- There are no indications the Marlins will look to extend Giancarlo Stanton in the near future, Stark reports. One person says the Marlins would “never” consider giving anyone, Stanton included, a seven-year deal. Stanton probably won’t qualify for arbitration until after the 2013 season.
- Anibal Sanchez will hit free agency a few months from now, but rival executives don’t expect the Marlins to sign another starting pitcher for $10MM-plus per season.
- MLB execs believe Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is aiming to make his team younger. Phillies scouts are eyeing young third basemen and center fielders as Placido Polanco and Shane Victorino near free agency.
With some decent chips to trade, Phillies should be able to get a really good young third baseman and a CF by July.
Pence, Shane, Polly, Hamels, and Utley (if healthy) could all be on the block.
I’d rather trade Rollins and Shane and sign Cole and Pence long term but that is not going to happen. While the Rollins contract was a decent value in my opinion, it was unnecessary.
Byrnes is obviously grandstanding regarding Quentin, trying to let it be known that he does not intend to give him away. “Surprise!”.
Hopefully some other GM is desperate enough to offer a Wheeler like prospect to get Quentin like the Giants did last year to get Beltran. Pretty much the same circumstances, yet the acquiring club will have to pay alot less salary for Quentins’ services than did the Giants.
It’s not the same situation. Beltran was fully healthy and producing from the get-go last year. Hardly comparable to Quentin whose only sample size will be about 40 games
Pads would be morons to NOT trade him!
1. They aren’t going anywhere this year.
2. His value is sky high.
3. You don’t build around a “Carlos Quentin”
“We need his home run production in the middle of the order,” Byrnes told Stark. “So we’re not looking to trade him in mid-June. We’re definitely open to keeping him around beyond this year.”
AKA
It’ll cost whoever wants him a prospect with some pop.
I’m curious to see how Ruben would pull off getting a young third baseman and a young center fielder. The only way to really do that’s probably to make Pence and Hamels available. (I still think they keep Cole long term, especially since Doc’s only got 1 year left).
You see them keeping Cole Hammels? Are you lending the Phillies $180mm?
Phillies don’t have money?
Halladay is coming off the books after next year. They could give Hamels a backloaded contract and just keep next year at status quo. Guys like Hamels aren’t normally traded by teams like Phillies. He’s staying.
Cole HaMels… one M.
… and I don’t see him pitching for LA, he’s just going to use them as leverage against the Phillies. Ruben’ll pay the guy what he’s worth.
Halladay and Utley are off the books next year… That’s $35 million annually right there.
I’d go after Headley. Good under-appreciated young player with excellent OBP skills.
Watch Ned Colletti stand pat on the offense but deal a prospect for a lefty reliever (when he’s already got Elbert). Nothing Ned likes more than sticking a band-aid on a gaping wound.
Can we at least wait until Ned makes a move before criticizing him? I am no Colletti fan, but he has put together a pretty decent team this year and yet people are ready to bash him for moves he hasn’t even made.
he got VERY lucky with Capuano and somewhat lucky with Hairston & M. Ellis. most of the Dodgers success this year is owed to homegrown Dodgers that Colleti had little to do with.
It couldn’t be that he saw something in these players that you and other grouchy fans did not. No, that couldn’t possible be it.
I gave him credit on Hairston and Ellis but those could’ve easily gone either way. There’s a reason those two guys have played on a combined six different teams since 2010.
No, you said he was lucky, just not a “very” lucky. Funny to pick on Ellis as someone who’s been passed around like a bad check. You might look more closely (hint: 9 years with Oakland, one with Colorado). Hairston has always been a good ballplayer, now in the utility player phase of his career. Not selected because anyone expected him to hit .350, but for his versatility. Capuano was a bit of a gamble but he isn’t pitching crazy better than he did before he was hurt. But you must be right, Colletti can only be either wrong or lucky. It seems to be rule or something.
Capuano had only ever had an era below 4 twice. 3.99 in 2005 and 3.95 in 2010.
I’m aware of that. I’d be very surprised if he finished the season with a sub-3.5 ERA, but if you look at his peripheral stats this year they are not far out of line with his career numbers.
Really? Colletti was the GM when Gordon, Kershaw, Billingsley and most homegrown talent was drafted. He traded for Either giving up the great Milton Bradley. Some of the others were signed the year before he was GM (A.J. Ellis comes to mind). But lets give no credit for sticking with him through the likes of LoDuca, Martin, Barajas, etc.
And don’t tell me that this talent is solely due to good scouting. If he is to be lambasted for his bad moves (and he should be) he has to be credited with the positives. No one wants to do that.
Not that he is the greatest GM, but there have been, are and will be far worse. If he fails under new ownership, than I will reconsider my position. But he took over a bad team after 2005 and has had winning seasons in all but one of his years as GM.
You certainly risk confusing people with the facts. My memory is good enough to remember all the yip-yapping we heard around here a couple of years ago about trading Kemp because of his one season of regression. The trades that don’t get made are sometime the most important ones of all.
What the?
Coletti did not remotely stick with AJ Ellis, he regarded him as a backup, signed Barajas and traded for Federicowicz, and was basically pummeled into giving him a shot by his bloated contracts to +0 WAR guys.
He deserves no credit in any way for AJ Ellis.
You are also off at a number of facts. Billingsley and LoDuca were before Coletti.
Ned Colletti is responsible for everything bad, and nothing good. Remember that and you’ve got it all covered.
Seriously. It’s crazy how Colletti has done absolutely nothing while his team has staggered to the best record in baseball. When is he going to wake up?
Note that the Dodgers are not “one of the most surprising teams in baseball,” presumably because everybody had them pencilled in as racking up the best record in majors.
Dodgers were expected to contend for the division. Their record is not a shocker
By whom? When Colletti said last winter that he thought the team already looked pretty good and it didn’t need a lot of changes to contend, I don’t remember anyone around here agreeing. In fact what I heard sounded to me a lot more like a chorus of raspberries than amens. Our hometown LA Times predicted third place.
WOW The Coletti bashing here is insane. He did what he could as a GM under a crooked owner and managed to put together an above average team and some decent drafts. Even if having made a few questionable deals what GM hasn’t. It is part of the game. I actually as an Angels fan respect my cross town rival GM for being able to put a winner on the field despite the McCourt handicap he was under for so many years.
I don’t understand why it takes an Angels fan to say this. Dodger fans (around here at least) sure have turned sour. A first-place team hasn’t even improved their mood. Well, at least these aren’t the same people I meet at games. All the fans at Dodger Stadium are pretty stoked.
I am with you. It makes no sense. I have bashed Ned plenty, but I also give him credit when he has done a good job and he has been a net positive for LA.
“give credit where credit is due”
Wait!? You wouldn’t happen to be Uncle Ned himself?
Padres have no one to play even serviceable LF right now besides Quentin. Unless he’s getting offers for a top-60 prospect (I assume unlikely with his prolonged DL-vacation), Byrnes should stand pat.
The Rays have been good for a few years now, why is it still a shocker that they’re doing well?