The Mariners sent a scout to watch David Phelps' recent Spring Training outing, George A. King III of the New York Post reports, while the White Sox and Brewers also had scouts on hand to watch the Yankees' catchers. King previously reported last week that the White Sox had their eyes on the Yankees' catching surplus and that the Yankees were scouting Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks.
With the Yankees known to be looking for infielders, King speculates that Nick Franklin could be a target for the club, especially since Seattle is known to be exploring trades for the young second baseman. The M's are looknig to upgrade their pitching depth thanks to injuries to Hisashi Iwakuma and Taijuan Walker, though as King notes, it would take more than just Phelps to acquire Franklin.
It would be somewhat surprising to see the Yankees move Phelps given the club's lack of starting pitching depth. Phelps is competing with Michael Pineda and Adam Warren to be New York's fifth starter, and since Pineda hasn't pitched in a Major League game since 2011 and Warren has only three career starts over his two MLB seasons, the Yankees would have to be confident in both pitchers' development to send Phelps elsewhere. Phelps' advanced metrics (3.81 FIP, 4.03 xFIP, 3.91 SIERA) indicate that he pitched much better last season than his 4.98 ERA over 86 2/3 IP would indicate.
The Yankees have Francisco Cervelli, J.R. Murphy and Austin Romine competing to be Brian McCann's backup, and all could fit into reserve roles in Chicago or Milwaukee. The Sox could offer more regular time, as their catching mix of Josh Phegley, Tyler Flowers, Hector Gimenez and Rule 5 Draft pick Adrian Nieto isn't at all settled.
With Jonathan Lucroy firmly locked into the starting job in Milwaukee, the Brewers are only looking for a backup. If Weeks is a target, it's only a matter of how much of his $11MM salary the Crew will agree to absorb (King also suggests Aramis Ramirez as a trade possibility, but I doubt the Brewers would think to trade him unless they struggle during the season and fall out of the race).
Can the yankees get rickey weeks for cervelli or could that be a bust for the bombers
Weeks would make the Yankee infield even worse than it already is.
What’s that saying about not being able to spell Rickey Weeks without 2 K’s and 3 E’s?
Could that be the post of the week…..
Rickie*
I think they want to keep cervelli considering he’s the one working with tanaka. I guess it depends on how much money the Brewers eat. Drew could probably play a decent second and isn’t asking for that much more than weeks is getting paid. The cost of drew is a second round draft pick which is a pretty poor prospect.
Why would you do that?
Cervelli is much better, 2 more years of team control, and cheaper.
Weeks is due $11M, at that price just go get Drew.
Yep, and you get a more consistent player and a lot less strikeouts in the bargain. Having watched Weeks over the years, I just have always felt that he could be so much better than he is, if he was willing to refine his game more. Maybe I’m wrong.
Considering that Cervelli is a Pittsburgh Pirate, I doubt we can trade someone we no longer have.
Is he suggesting Franklin for Phelps? That’s an awful trade for the M’s.
Based on the actual article he isn’t . “Nick Franklin, although it would likely take more than Phelps to pry Franklin away.”
We don’t need a questionable #5 SP with a 5.0 era. And just because the Yankees have a ton of catchers in their system, doesn’t mean any of these are going to be MLB catchers someday.
Then tell your team to stop scouting him.
I’ll get right on that! lol
His xDZoZ was around 3.50 last year, so he’s theoretically a #3. Never mind what the actual results were.
We are stocked with Phelp type SPs in our system. Z stay FAR away from the Yankees, they don’t have anything worth trading for. Phelps?! I would honestly prefer Joe Saunders, and NO WAY do I want Saunders back in our rotation either. Stick with the Mets SP/Franklin trade.
Franklin was a #1 round pick, and is a better option for the Yankees than anything out there, with many years of club control!
Yankees can only dream. Seattle has made incredible moves all offseason, and moving Franklin to the Yankees would be a Horrible trade unless Gardner was involved! No way it happens!
Richie Weeks for Phelps is more like it. Besides CC and Tanaka, the Yankees rotation is horrible, and Phelps will probably be the odd man out come April
No way that trade makes sense. Weeks is owed $11M, he has NO trade value.
The yankees rotation finished 11th in fip last yr…
I suppose Hiroki Kuroda is horrible, right
I suppose Ivan Nova with a 3.10 ERA last season is horrible
So do tell us what is horrible about a rotation of
Sabathia
Kuroda
Tanaka
Nova
Pineda / Phelps / Warren / Nuno
Phelps only made 12 starts last season because of an injury, his ERA was not a full season of work unlike Phil Hughes who did pitch a full season with dreadful numbers.
Sometimes I think folks just say things wildly without examining in-depth.
Even in the midst of a mediocre season last year, with a dreadful Phil Hughes and the worst season for Sabathia it was the Yankees offense that was a bigger culprit with guys like Vernon Wells, Lyle Overbay, Travis Haffner, Chris Stewart, Jayson Nix, Alberto Gonzalez, Ben Francisco and the list goes on and on, all of whom were summarily dismissed from the roster once the season ended.
It is true, and the funny thing is, GD is a Mariners fan and despite having 2 Cy Young candidates last year, the M’s pitchers did Worse last season than the Yankees pitchers. Yet he says the Yankees rotation is horrible (all they did was lose their Worst pitcher) whereas the M’s lost one of their Cy Young candidates at least a month and in all likelihood won’t get much out of Walker this year.
Pettitte was a bit of a loss. My thinking though is that Tanaka and the 5th starter should more than replace Andy and Hughes.
Agreed, plus even with the FB decline, I can’t expect another bad year from CC.
Based on how his era has related to his xFIP/FIP over his career it suggests he wasn’t as bad as his stats were last year. Suggest he should be more into the high 3’s era, which is still respectable. Not where he has been, but better than he was.
Nova…kuroda….its not that bad
Rickie weeks was also a #1 round pick… Owings is probably just as good or on nearly as good as Franklin.
Owings for Dbacks? Well do you see them trying to shop Owings for Phelps? I didn’t think so.
LOL Gardner for Franklin? I don’t think so. Of course it will take more than Phelps though from the Yankees. He’s a back end starter at best though I think he’s a solid long reliever.
Perhaps an upcoming trade soon. Mariners surely can use rotation and OF help.
Yankees just signed Gardner to an extension. They’re not moving him.
I know that
“Incredible moves”? The Cano move IS going to bite them in the butt, Logan Morrison and Corey Hart are not very good and/or coming off injuries…I still see a fourth place team (thank you, Astros).
The problem with Franklin is that the Mariners are negotiating from a position of weakness. They have Cano for a long time. Where is Franklin going to play on opening day? They have to deal him for less than market value now.
Or they can stash him in AAA and deal him later when a better offer presents itself. There are still things he needs to work on anyways so its not like starting him in AAA would be a waste. Personally I’d like to see him start getting reps in the OF but it sounds like that isn’t on the table at the moment.
They could give him reps in left field. He played outfield in high school. I don’t know who the starter in left field is as of now though.
Moving Franklin to the outfield would hurt his value as he has solid power for a middle infielder. And as of now, the M’s starter in left is Dustin Ackley. Michael Saunders appears to be the front-runner in CF with Corey Hart in RF (as long as his knees survive). But Abe Almonte is also in the mix
Yeah, I just read about Ackley written down as the starting left fielder but he did get a start in CF not too long ago. I suggested moving Franklin to the outfield with no intention of trading him. He’s most likely going to be a super utility player if he does not win the starting shortstop job so getting starts in the outfield shouldn’t hurt his value much. If he performs well, his value is only going to get higher. I’d rather see Ackley traded while he still has some value which includes team control.
while this is true, when you sign cano, a guy like franklin becomes an afterthought. the mariners have a logjam of outfielders already and miller is a better prospect than franklin. I’d rather trade him and get a need than have him in AAA or a reserve role.
Yes, but stashing Franklin in AAA is not the end of the world. Injuries could always occur and he still has aspects of his game to work on which could only increase his trade value. Zduriencik should not get desperate and sell low simply to fill a “need”
while this is true, when you sign cano, a guy like franklin becomes an afterthought. the mariners have a logjam of outfielders already and miller is a better prospect than franklin. I’d rather trade him and get a need than have him in AAA or a reserve role.
They don’t “have” to deal him. He has options.
Negotiating from a position of weakness? No. Stop. Demand drives his value more than anything else. After that, supply. Not on the list: whether or not the Ms have a place for him to play. That literally has nothing to do with Franklin’s market value.
I wish I could like this 25 times so the six people who liked his comment would notice it.
I wish I could like this 25 times so the six people who liked his comment would notice it.
I like Phelp’s versatility. Just about every Yankee fan is hoping Micheal Pineda’s brutal shoulder surgery has been a success and that he is the number 5 pitcher when they break camp. The Yanks have more starting depth than given credit for. Manny Banuelous may be ready, Vidal Nuno could be a near .500 pitcher on this team (or 8-11 or so, the point being he has some ability). I think Phelps is a candidate for a set-up man. Like David Robertson, he pitches himself into trouble but usually can get out of jams, though certainly not as well as Robertson. Phelps would start in Seattle, throw in JR Murphy and get Franklin to New York.
The Yankees need young middle-infielders. If not Franklin than Didi Gregarious from Arizona. The Diamondbacks need catchers and as long as their names are not McCann or Sanchez the Yanks have some available (Murphy, Cervelli, Romine).
As a Yankee fan just thinking about Ritchie Weeks is scary.
I doubt very seriously the Yankees will give up both Phelps and J.R. Murphy for Franklin. Besides the Yankees I think are going to make a trade that solidifies the SS position for 2015 which to my minds thinking means a trade with the Diamondbacks.
The Yankees can move Johnson over to 2nd base in 2015 much more his natural position, then SS becomes the must need position not 2nd base. The Diamondbacks have a need for a catcher and the Yankees have a need for a SS.
Banuelos isn’t ready. He wasn’t ready before his shoulder surgery and he lost a year and a half. But he is an exciting player to watch and with Phelps, Pineda, Warren and Nuno on board, they can afford to let him work on his development at AAA. Heck, considering his shoulder surgery, I would consider letting him start the season in Tampa in extended spring training or A ball, until the weather heats up.
IMO, if the M’s are looking at Phelps, its for a much smaller deal, maybe a guy like Stephen Romero. Franklin needs to fetch a legit return, not a cluster of riffraff. I know fans get excited over something for nothing, but to suggest it is possible is quite silly.
Are you forgetting Z is at the helm? I wouldn’t be surprised if he trades Franklin for Alfonso Soriano.
Are you forgetting Z is at the helm? I wouldn’t be surprised if he trades Franklin for Alfonso Soriano.
The Yankees are definitely going to make some big moves. It seems highly unlikely they’ll go into the regular season with the infield they have now.
I don’t think it’s a matter of if the Yankees make a trade but rather when. I also don’t see the Yankees taking on some other teams expensive player (Weeks) without that players current team picking up a decent amount of what that player is owed. It’s much more likely that the Yankees make a trade for a young “cost controlled” player.like Owings or one of the other players previously mentioned. Overall I think Yankees fans are going to be pleasantly surprised by the Yankees starting rotation this season as well as the play of their starting 9 position players.
Why would the Yankees care about the money? Other teams don’t owe the Yankees either.
It’s not a matter of other teams “owing” the Yankees anything. It’s about the Yankees only paying the player what he’s worth. Just because the Yankees have a little more money than the average team doesn’t mean they’re obligated to bail other teams out of their bad contracts. The Angels picked up most of Vernon Wells bad contract and the Cubs are paying most of Alfonso Soriano’s contract for 2014.
That’s not the impression I get.
“Why would the Yankees care about the money?” Because quite simply Weeks doesn’t bring enough to the table to justify what he is still owed plus giving up a player for.
It’s amazing to see non Yankees fans talk about the Yankees starting rotation. It really does show a complete lack of knowledge and understanding of the differences between the 2013 and this years Yankees starting 5. First off to bring up their 2013 performance as some indication of how they will perform this year is a complete mistake. The biggest problem with last years rotation was Phil Hughes. He’s no longer with the team. Any of the potential #5 candidates this year is head and shoulders a better option than Hughes was. Secondly CC played virtually the entire 2013 season injured that isn’t the case this season. Third Nova started to come into his own in the 2nd half of 2013 and is and will be a much better pitcher this year. Fourth, Tanaka is the real deal from all indications. Does he still have to perform? Of course but like I said all indications are that isn’t going to be a problem.
I understand the natural tendency is for non Yankee fans to criticize everything about the Yankees but please try and make that criticism intelligently and comparing the 2014 rotation to the 2013 is not the way to do that.
A 3 way Trade Yankees get Franklin,M’s get Phelps and some of Dodgers surplus of Pitchers,OF,Seager and Didgers get one Yankees Catchers/OF and so on?
“and so on”
I had hopes for Martin Maldonado as a backup C but last year was brutal, it wouldn’t be hard to replace or improve on his numbers in the Yankees want to trade.
Cervelli for Jeff Keppinger.
That would be a bad trade for the Yankees PHELPS is going to be a Star !!!! It would be Doug Draback Jay Bruner mess all over again
I think phelps is an average pitcher, not an all star. But if I’m the yankees I’m not looking to trade him.
I just don’t see the fit. I would rather trade a chip like Franklin for a bat, if they trade him at all.
M’s SP situation is interesting, as they have a rough schedule to start the year. Is starting strong out of the gate worth trading top farm pieces or signing E Santana? I don’t know. I have my doubts they can really piece things together internally until Iwakuma and Walker return, but it’s not like *this is the year* and they can’t risk anything. Interesting to see what Jack Z does.
I just don’t see the fit. I would rather trade a chip like Franklin for a bat, if they trade him at all.
M’s SP situation is interesting, as they have a rough schedule to start the year. Is starting strong out of the gate worth trading top farm pieces or signing E Santana? I don’t know. I have my doubts they can really piece things together internally until Iwakuma and Walker return, but it’s not like *this is the year* and they can’t risk anything. Interesting to see what Jack Z does.
why in the world would the yankee trade phelps for frankin? franklin had 6 hot weeks until pitchers caught up to him and then he hit .171 with a 40% strike out rate over the final 2 months
The mark of a good hitter is one who can adjust, franklin hasnt. Phelps is way more proven than franklin. Seattle is Desparately shopping franklin for pitching but finding no takers, because hes not a SS and has a questionable bat
The mets reportedly were looking at him but they turned the M’s down because they wanted too much
Franklin’s only 23, and he had a monster year at Tacoma.
No way to a trade for Weeks! It would be a disaster. Signing Stephen Drew would be a much better move if he was agreeable to playing second base in 2014.
Weeks? Unless the Brew crew eats at least $9 mil, no.
Do you think Phelps and Romine could net Franklin? I don’t think so, but both Phelps and Murphy for Franklin is too much.
that’s cool of the A’s to let us borrow Phegley back like that.