The Pirates know what it’s like to fall out of contention after playing well for four months and they hope to avoid a repeat of last year’s late-season struggles. “Our young players have been through it once,” Pirates GM Neal Huntington told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. “They don’t ever want to go through it again.” Here are the rest of Rosenthal’s notes from around MLB…
- The Yankees aren’t ruling out keeping Nick Swisher when he hits free agency after the season, but it seems more likely that he’ll sign elsewhere. It appears that Swisher will be tied to draft pick compensation this winter.
- The Blue Jays will likely discuss an extension with manager John Farrell this offseason so he doesn’t enter the 2013 season without long-term security. If Farrell isn’t ready to commit to an extension, the Blue Jays could look to work out a deal with the Red Sox, who previously employed Farrell as their pitching coach.
- Rosenthal points out that Marco Scutaro has provided the Giants with offense and versatility since San Francisco acquired him from Colorado last month.
- Though the Brewers’ season has generally been disappointing, the team has developed Mike Fiers into a promising starting pitcher, found a second catcher in Martin Maldonado and traded for shortstop Jean Segura. The Brewers are impressed by Aramis Ramirez’s leadership, according to Rosenthal.
- Rosenthal suggests we shouldn’t be surprised if the Dodgers make another waiver trade before the month of August ends. They already acquired Joe Blanton from the Phillies in one waiver deal.
- Could the Rays trade David Price to the Rangers for a package of players built around Elvis Andrus and Martin Perez this winter? Rosenthal speculates about the possibility, but there’s no indication the sides are discussing a deal.
I’m not so sure the Rays would want to pay Elvis…
He’ll certainly get more than Castro (as his agent is Boras, and he’ll be much closer to Free agency)
Elvis is signed through his arbitration years so they could have him for a few years before he gets expensive. Price is a Boras client also, so they can’t afford him either. Neither team will probably cough up what it will take to retain them, so it trades a few years of each player. That being said, I think the Rays need Price more than they need Elvis
only 2 more years of cheap Andrus, you’re not trading Price for that.
maybe Profar
not straight up, but for a “package built around andrus and perez”? they’d have to consider it. it’s not as if price’s three arb years are going to be cheap either
right, but Andrus would be the biggest prize returning.. I would just assume, them being the rays, they would acquire someone who’s a lot cheaper and has more years of control.
the odds of such a trade are low, no doubt about that. i’m just saying it wouldn’t necessarily be a foolish move if they did it
unlike the other premium shortstops who have cashed in big, andrus’ value is tied primarily to his defense. that may make an extension easier on the rays
definitely not foolish by any stretch, if it was any other team besides the rays it would make perfect sense.
i wish divisional trades were more common, because d’arnaud + escobar +++ makes a lot of sense.
I don’t see trading an elite SP w/ 3 years left of control for a non-middle order bat and prospects not named Profar or Olt (even though I’m not a huge fan of Olt) a good move. Move Shields, Upton and let Pena walk. Try to acquire some bats thru those two trades.
The Jays should make a deal with the Red Sox this offseason to move Farrell to Boston. Brian Butterfield would be a great, progressive manager in Toronto in the mold of John Maddon and Farrell just isn’t that guy. Farrell is a smart baseball mind and a great “players’ manager” but he has too many of the old school hangups that Cito Gaston had (playing veterans over rookies) and it’s holding the Jays back. Farrell would do well in Boston where the job is more about managing personalities.
it’s not obvious to me that farrell would want to go back
thats true. but if they want him and lets say the jays don’t want to extend him, there could be a match.
lots of ifs though
I think its Fasano time for the jays
Could have killed two birds with one stone…manager and back-up catcher. No Mathis needed.
Mathis to the bullpen, long relief
Why would the Rays want to trade Price, especially for a SS and a very unproven (and somewhat perplexedly over hyped) prospect, who IF he fills every single bit of his potential still might fall short of what Price has become?
This article makes me scratch my head and wonder wth? Price WILL become expensive but he’s the kind of pitcher the Rays need to find a way to keep. They can have one of the best pitchers in baseball for the next 3 years. If they DO decide to trade him, then it can and will be for a lot more than Andrus and Perez and while the article says “a package built around” that usually suggests that the main pieces would be the two mentioned.
I know he makes it clear that it’s his own speculation and probably won’t happen but even writing this is as unnecessary as suggesting that the Nationals should go ahead and trade Strasburg or the Angels should trade Trout. For all we say about what the Rays can and can’t afford, aside from Garza who wasn’t an elite level pitcher, the Rays have retained most of their pitchers but have traded or allowed some of their hitters to walk instead.
I agree that the trade proposed is a bit perplexing, only because Andrus isn’t too far away from getting around the same money Price will get, so swapping one for the other isn’t going to save you any money.
I do disagree that the Rays will keep him though, Rays management has done well to move players at the right time. I have a feeling Price will eventually be moved, and it will probably be for cheap, controllable stars.
the rays have retained their pitchers by signing them before they became elite. it’s too late with price
moreover, the rays don’t struggle to produce pitching. despite a rough season, matt moore is still poised to take over for david price in the next couple of years
when you have to be as cheap as the rays, coverting surpluses to fill needs is essential.elvis andrus is a very good player and a premium position from the rays have been unable to find production for years
is it a slam dunk? far from it. but the rays would have to consider a package built around andrus and martin. martin himself is a 21 y/o pitching in AAA. if another quality prospect or two fills out the package, the rays wouldn’t be wrong to pull the trigger
a) Hard to say whether or not they can resign Price and for how much. If they aren’t buying out FA years then buying out his arb years.
b) They do produce a lot of pitching but other than Moore, I don’t see any pitching near n elite level and that’s exactly what they need to have if they want to compete. Archer still walks too many. Hellickson is good but doesn’t miss enough bats and his FIP isn’t exactly elite. I’m not sure if he’s a FOR type or a good #3. Cobb is good but not elite. Smart thing to do is trade Shields, trade Upton and buyout his arb years and see if they can steal a FA year too.
c) And this is more of a personal thing. Tired of people who view Perez as an elite pitching prospect but then dump on Banuelos (not directed at you). At some point Perez has to show something to me beyond the 16 starts he had in AA in 2011. I know he’s 21 but at some point projection should equal results right? Not downing him but if he’s the best prospect that comes back to the Rays then that’s a problem. Also, Andrus is going to start getting expensive and only has 2 years left before FA as well. Don’t see those two being the centerpieces.
If anything, they need to move Price for some cheap elite bats if they are going to do it all, which as a Yankee fan would be great, but not a lick of sense to me since I think the Rays are a bat or two away from being serious contender.
I heard an interesting comment on the Brewers the other day. That was if their bullpen had managed to save games at the league average, they’d be 2 games out of the last wild card spot. Keep in mind that last year the bullpen was a strength of the team. No aspect of a team is less predictable than bullpen performance nor as critical to a teams success. The 2012 Brewers prove that. If that is turned around in 2013, they can be right back in the thick of things.
I know I’m drinking the Kool-Aid, but I also think the Brewers could make a run next year. Their everyday lineup is solid and settling out and they’ll have a bunch of guys wanting to prove something. Their pitching, both starting and relieving is a question of course. Big question.
Back in January, I would’ve expected Axford to be a source of the Brewers’ woes as much as I expect Bob Costas to host a Cultural Sensitivity Seminar.
Swisher to the Braves!
Unfortunately for the Dodgers, the kid they sent down to the minors (Stephen Fife, who started 3 games and pitched well in all of them) is better than Blanton. I don’t know how getting a pitcher with an ERA of nearly 5.00 is a valuable pickup. With Fife pitching at least I had hope we could score 3 or 4 runs and have a shot at winning. Blanton leads the league in home runs given up. He’s awful.
Blanton is worse than awful! He is a disgrace to MLB. What was Ned thinking?????????
They can option Tolleson and possibly DFA Wright. Lilly takes a spot and staff is down to 12, with Blanton now taking Wright’s mop up and long relief roll. Then they should call up Sands again and pray he stays hot and doesn’t replay the overmatched AAAA+ player that can’t handle MLB pitching so he can platoon with Rivera. They can DFA Kennedy or Uribe or both to open up Sands spot and use the second spot for Gordon (I’d prefer DFA’ing Uribe since Kennedy seems to have at least some life in his bat at the moment). They can also DFA Kennedy as well but more of a gamble to call up Ivan DeJesus or try to catch lightning in a bottle again with Herrera (more of a Hairston type versatility with OF since Hairston seems done by injury for the seasaon). What I believe should happen although wouldn’t be popular is give Kershaw a week or 2 rest to skip a couple of starts to allow that foot to heal all the way in time for possible playoffs since the startiing calvary has arrived.
I can see L.A. moving Blanton to the bullpen in long relief and giving starts to DeLaRosa if Blanton continues to be Blanton. Also buys time for Lilly to stretch out and regain arm strength. Blanton in the current context truly seems like a stop-gap until Lilly and or DeLaRosa return to form and show they can pitch down the stretch.
I could see that deal because Perez long-term is cheaper and has as high a ceiling as Price. Andrus is a proven SS talent, but yes, he could walk after his contract ends. I don’t see it as a terrible deal for either team. Profar will definitely remain a Ranger and he will supplant Andrus sooner or sooner (ie he will start at SS next April)–just as soon as Andrus gets traded this winter.
Profar isn’t going to be the one traded. People are off their meds if they think the Rangers would deal him and keep Andrus instead.
What has Perez shown you in the last 3 years to make you think he will realize that potential and match what Price has done?