In today’s column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wonders if the Dodgers’ outfield surplus could net them a solution to their shortstop situation. Los Angeles isn’t expected to re-sign Hanley Ramirez and with underwhelming options on the open market, it stands to reason that the Dodgers could explore trading from their strongest area to find a replacement. Earlier this week, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman acknowledged that “the best course of action” would probably be to trade one of Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, or Carl Crawford. More from today’s column..
- While Jon Lester is reportedly receiving “legitimate interest” from six interested clubs, some are skeptical about his market. “Really? Six teams are going to be six years at $150 million for Jon Lester?” said one NL executive. “Sounds like agent enhancement of his client to me.”
- The Red Sox have already shot down a couple of proposals from the Phillies involving Cole Hamels. Cafardo expects the Phillies to reopen talks with Boston.
- The Mariners have fielded inquiries from a few teams on Hisashi Iwakuma and the Red Sox have had at least internal conversations about the 33-year-old right-hander. The Mariners, meanwhile, would want an impact hitter like Yoenis Cespedes in return.
- It’s expected that the Red Sox would want to offer Pablo Sandoval a contract with bonuses that would reward him for staying within a certain range. A Giants official told Cafardo that Sanoval lost almost 30 pounds in the offseason only to gain 20 of them back during the season. The CBA forbids teams from taking money away from players for gaining weight, but they can incentivize staying trim.
- Mark Mulder continues to work toward a comeback but he indicated to Cafardo that he’s not 100% sure it will happen. Mulder was making a run at it last offseason when during one of his workouts he tore his Achilles. Afterwards, the hurler returned to ESPN as an analyst.
- Rival scouts have worked hard to cut through the hype in their evaluations of the Red Sox’s pitching prospects. The biggest debate concerns Henry Owens and how his 92-mile-per-hour fastball and slow curve would play in the big leagues. Meanwhile, some believe that left-hander Brian Johnson might be the best pitcher in Boston’s system.
- Cafardo reported last week that the Tigers are listening to trade proposals on Alex Avila and mentioned the Braves and Red Sox as possible suitors for his left-handed bat. Today, Cafardo added the Cardinals as a team that could see him as a solid backup option.
I like how Owens has become a pitcher in the minors (moves quick, mixes pitches, appears to be finally figuring it out) rather than another power arm. Why scouts still fall in love with arms rather than pitchers is beyond me.
The general idea is that you can teach a power arm how to pitch but you can’t teach velocity.
How did that work out for Daniel Bard?
That is the definition of a freak case. You can name Steve Blass Disease victims on one hand.
That was on him, he and his agent kept petioning the Sox to let him be a starter. Even though, his stats as a starter in the minors showed nothing to be excited about. It’s all mental, of how he just lost the ability to even throw strikes
Thank you a million times for not saying the Red Sox ruined him.
I never said it was a 100% perfect solution. I’m just answering your question as to why scouts prefer big arms over “pitchers”. And Daniel Bard was pretty good for three years until the Red Sox decided to try and make him a starter.
Every system has its success and fail stories.
When an organization gets a rep as having a good farm system, they can live on that for years after it goes downhill. Have seen this dozens of times.
It seems to me that the Red Sox farm system has slowly been deteriorating since Epstein left. There surely hasn’t been an impact player developed, but from the constant discussion of their prospects, one would think they were churning out future HOF’ers on an assembly line. Meanwhile, a quality farm such as the Twins is pretty much ignored other than Buxton, while a Danny Santana can come up and hit .300 while playing out of position and a Kennys Vargas looks for all the world like a quintessential run producer at a time when there are so few.
It all comes out in the wash once play begins again.
Hey Ben,
How will Betts do? Rizzo was traded but has been pretty promising. Also, the RS have not had top picks, though they will do better this year.
Sifting through the hype of Red Sox (and Cubs) prospects is no easy feat.
Many of the Cubs prospects are really good, a lot of flopping from the Sox prospects.
Two failures isn’t a lot. The Cubs have a couple guys that haven’t looked great either.
At that rate it’s too soon to really call anyone but Middlebrooks a failure. And even he could bounce back it he had a healthy season. Power sometimes takes a while to mature. I’m not quite ready to call anyone a failure yet.
Sox have had more than 2 failures this year. They really took a step back this year. Aside from Mookie wasn’t a ton of bright spots. People certainly aren’t going to be ranking it a top 3 like they did for this year. They don’t have the top talent of some of the other farms now.
I still think they’re a top 5 farm system, maybe top 3. The pitching they have is plentiful.
Definitely don’t think top 3.
No way I see them better than the Cubs, Astros, Twins, Pirates. And still think I would put the Royals, Mets, and Rockies ahead.
Yeah, I probably over-valued them a little bit. I’d definitely put the Cubs, Astros, Twins, and Mets ahead of them. Don’t know much about the Royals’ farm (I thought they didn’t have many promising prospects left…) or the Rockies’. I’d probably say the Pirates and Red Sox are pretty close in-line. Pirates got a few promising hitters and Taillon, while the Red Sox have a lot of promising pitchers plus the best catching prospect, as of right now.
All those teams have been recent cellar dwellars. They should have better farm systems. Red Sox have been over .500 for better part of ten years minus the one (2013).
That’s how farm systems and life in general works……..You find your quality through quantity of qualified prospects…….which the Red Sox have in abundance. Strasburg/ Harper scenarios are extremely rare.
Yeah… cause having the 2014 Eastern League pitcher of the year and international league pitcher of the year means they took a step back. How does one take a step forward?
2 awards doesn’t really tell you about the ceiling of these players. They really don’t have some of the elite talent anymore some of the other farms do.
Who said anything about ceiling? You said their system took a step back? How could it if they had the best pitchers in the leagues they competed in?
Because farm systems are all about projections. 25 year old pitching in AAA that has never been to the MLB, the top talent he is facing is guys 4 years younger than him.
Incredibly off base here. There is only one player in the Red Sox top 20 who is 25, and that’s Anthony Ranaudo. Owens is 22, Rodriguez is 21, and Johnson is 23. There is plenty of young pitching still in the pipeline. And the average age in AAA last season was about 27. Tough to say the top talent there is 21.
And their adding a #6 draft pick in June
Hopefully the last good pick for a while. I’d just as soon never seen another top ten. Let them get all their premiere talent from international free agents or high risk high upside bottom of the first round guys. Just so long as we don’t have to play so badly to pick it up.
Pawtucket (AAA) went to the championship game, Portland (AA) made it to the 2nd round in the playoffs. The Leaderboards for both International and Eastern League are littered with Red Sox prospects. You seem to be throwing out random anti-Red Sox comments, without verifying, hoping they stick.
It’s anti-RS to say their farm took a step back this year from what many people had in the top 3? Ok then…
Owens is generally thought of around baseball as a guy likely to take a huge step back once he hits MLB. Doesn’t really have great stuff for beating MLB hitters. Not guaranteeing that’s the case, but that’s the scuttlebutt.
Brian Johnson had a fantastic year. E-Rod was outstanding after being acquired. Swihart is regarded as the best catching prospect in the minors by several evaluators. Margot was great, as was Devers. Owens was very good once again. No, this doesn’t mean they will all be impact big leaguers, or be successful their first year in the show, but that’s the risk with prospects in general.
This system is not the best in baseball, but it’s certainly solid and I don’t really see too many players who took a “step back” this season. Bradley was disappointing, and Ranaudo and Webster are probably relievers. Xander’s season was a mixed bag, but to call him a failure after one year in the majors at the age of 22 is silly.
Bogerts looks really promising he hit above .300 for half the season then hit a roadblock we he hit .150 for the other half, but he endedthe seasosn on the high note. Im expecting a big year from him next year.
Its quite childish to expect Mike trout numbers from a 21 year old rookie. Rookies need time to develope
The Sox have one of the best farms. # of prospects of theirs are in Baseball America’s top 100
Yes, but unfortunately for them other baseball teams don’t blindly follow BA. BA’s business model requires a lot of click-bait, and nothing gets click-throughs like stories about Red Sox prospects. I suspect if you developed a top 100 list based on honest assessments by the 29 other scouting departments the Red Sox would still look OK, but almost entirely because of the position players, especially of course Betts, who is legit.
Hyperbole……..have you paid attention to Baez or Alcantara?
Trading Avila makes no sense for the Tigers if the acquiring team will only value him as a backup. The Tigers have two young top Catching prospects. Why not just keep Avila as a backup/mentor, if it came to that?
Maybe they’re shopping him to show him and his agent that other teams value him only as a back up.
Maybe he wants to get away from the pressure of playing in front of his dad every day. He has been a model employee and they are the type of management/ ownership that would try to accomodaqe him if they could.
Maybe contract negotiations are getting awkward for everybody with his dad being assistant GM, and a very good one at that.
Maybe some other team values him as a left handed Gold Glove finalist All Star catcher with some pop in his bat. That would bring back some young talent in an position not as well stocked with minor league talent as catcher in the Detroit system. They could also spend the over $5 million elsewhere.
Maybe with 2015 being a contract year they don’t think they can/will resign him and prefer to get something in return. If they don’t trade him he would platoon with McCann and cutting his innings in a contract year would be out of character for the Tigers.
Who knows what is really going on.
Maybe the only area of depth in their system is at catcher, and to clear salary, Alex is the odd man out. Last year, Smyly was ready for the rotation, and Fister was the odd man out to clear salary. This year, McCann should be ready. Just hope the 5MM saved goes toward a lefty hitting outfielder to replace Torii.
There’s also the concussions. He really needs to be thinking about his long term health at this point. I doubt he has a problem playing in front of his dad after all these years.
I have no evidence the working relationship with his dad is/will be a concern. It was a maybe, only because having your dad, who knows what he is doing, looking over your shoulder every day can be a lot of extra pressure.
They should just keep him. He is a pretty good hitter and calls a good game plus, he is pretty cheap. The Tigers should value him more than any other team. Their aren’t any immediate options to fill his void either, and they shouldn’t waste most of their budget on Martin.
My guess is the Tigers are looking forward with Alex being a FA in 2015. I agree that they should keep him if only to help the rookies learn about working with the pitchers. All the WAR people should note that for all the complaining about his low BA and strikeouts, he still registered a 2.0 WAR in 2014 for his .327 OBP. If the Tigers could just teach him how to bunt and concentrate on hitting the ball up the middle, he could hit .260-.280 without much effort. He had a lot of hits when hitting to left-center. St Louis can “say” they are looking at him as a backup but DD needs to get a return that is for a starter. Very weak market for catchers now so maybe this is the right time to deal. John Jay or Peter Bourjos would be perfect to round out our outfield. Detroit could also restock the minors with some excellent prospects.
“Agent enhancement” for Lester? Certainly possible, since agents do things like that. But, I’m a little confused. I checked the old MLBTR story, and the link to Rob Bradford, and I don’t see “six teams at 6/150”. Perhaps Cafardo is conflating the 6/150 with “legitimate interest” teams, but those aren’t the same thing. And perhaps Cafardo is trying to do his bit for the Bosox, by jawboning Lester’s offer down. Remember, he doesn’t need six teams at 150. Just one. I have no idea what he will ultimately get, but MLBTR predicted he would get at least Grienke money (6/147)
I assume Cafardo figures Lester is going to get 6/150 from someone, and he can’t believe that six teams would even have the ability to offer such a deal.
Carl Crawford makes a lot of sense for the jays if some cash is thrown in. Left handed bat, solid on D, hits well when healthy.
Too big of a question mark IMO, think they’d rather have Either. Not gonna happen though I wouldn’t say, unless the Dodgers pay half their salaries.
I love Kuma, but we need right handed power and I would pull the trigger on a Iwakuma for Cespedes deal. I would think that Seattle would probably need to include one of their young relievers and/or a second tier position (i.e. Austin Wilson or Patrick Kivlehan) prospect to make this happen. Seattle is in win now mode with Cano and Felix in their primes……I want to see moves like this happen…..even at the expense of a starter like Kuma as I see Paxton as Seattle’s #2 and Walker is going to be there the whole season and Seattle could hit the free agent market to find one or two other starters to fill out the middle to bottom of the rotation with Elias in the mix and possibly Hultzen.
Then the Mariners can sign Lester to be their #2. They are built the win now.
Why they need to include prospect for kuma, I mean did you evaluate the differences of salary
You are overvaluing Cespedes, which as a Red Sox fan, I love. Think a trade for Iwakuma could be do-able by both sides, but I’d say it’ll be Iwakuma for Cespedes + Some Smaller Pieces on the Sox side. Iwakuma is a good pitcher and had a breakout year a couple years ago, Cespedes still hasn’t broken out, yet.
Cespedes was good his first year, since then we have figured out that he really isn’t that good. I don’t see a breakout coming, he is already 29. I think the Sox would have to throw in someone pretty good to get Iwakuma. Cespedes will fill the spot, but he really isn’t that good a player.
My thoughts exactly. Don’t know what piece would have to be included though for one year of Iwakuma. Maybe De La Rosa or Webster….
I could see something like that making sense.
The Sox’s offensive output changed once Cespedes became the #4 hitter. He wasn’t exactly Jackie Bradley Jr with the bat this past season. The players they have under control beyond the 2015 season are Vazquez, Pedroia, Middlebrooks, Betts, Holt, Bogaerts, Bradley Jr, and Castillo. Bogaerts is the only player that I could definitely see post more than 20 HRs in a season
Hes in a contract year. Expect him to put up his 2012 numbers
Throw in a piece to make up for the fact that Cespedes can’t be QOed, and he makes 3.5 million more. 3.4 fWAR for Cespedes last season, 3.2 for Iwakuma. They’re both on the last year of their contract, they’re both of similar value.
Seems fair to me.
The last thing that Mariners need is another sub-.300 OBP hitter. Hisashi Iwakuma is more valuable to the Mariners, Red Sox and most teams than Yoenis Cespedes.
I would not include any extras, if I was Seattle. Seems like an even deal without any. If Kuma is being put to market, I would think his value is higher than Cespedes, because he has not caused any conflict with management, Shop him around, bet someone would give up someone with more than one year of control.
Why Sox fans so consistently overvalue Cespedes? He really isn’t that good, I keep hear them want this player that already better than Cespedes, and then want a prospect thrown in. No way should they be giving up Iwakuma for Cespedes, they can do better.
This. Cespedes at this point is a 300 OBP power guy who plays a decent corner outfield. There are dozens and dozens of those kinds of guys around baseball.
fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=of&stats=bat&#…
Céspedes was in the Top-30 of baseball OFs.
Because OBP is the only stat you look at for power hitters.
A three-win player has considerable value. Not saying he’s worth more than Iwakuma, but he is definitely a useful player a lot of teams would like to have.
Don’t think its Sox fans overvalueing him nearly as much as non-sox fans tells us he has very little value. For example your comment was completely unprovoked, but said as if in response to some ridiculous over-statement.
I think Iwakuma is worth more than Cespedes, easily. I don’t really care for Cespedes that much. If they are looking for an outfielder, which they need to, I would rather see them send one of their Shortstops to LA to try Kemp, or trade some pitching prospects to Atlanta and try to pry away Upton (and maybe even Heyward). If you’re going to trade Iwakuma though, you need to then sign Lester. Ideally, I’d say sign Lester and pry the two away from Atlanta and you’d be set. Upton would have to extend though as part of it.
You guys need a bat first, pitching second. Overpaying for Lester doesn’t make sense, when you have plenty of options already. If you sign Lester, then you’d have to trade pitching prospects to pry someone from Atlanta, therefore erasing depth, and getting a guy for one year. You’re better off just signing an OFer or Hanley. That way, you keep your depth, have the bat you desperately need, and have a good balance of offence and pitching.
I agree that we need a bat first, but that is pretty much Cruz or Tomas if we’re talking free agents. Signing Hanley doesn’t make sense though when we already have two shortstops in Miller and Taylor, and it would still leave us massive holes in the outfield.
And for the one year part, that’s why I said Upton would have to agree to extend as part of it. We can keep prospects all we want, but we’re built to compete now. Trading away something like Walker + to pry away Upton and Heyward would be worth it in my mind. Adding Upton and Lester gives you someone to protect Cano for a few years, and then a rotation of Hernandez, Lester, and Iwakuma, Paxton. Same thing with Kemp instead (and he’d cost less in terms of prospects)
Hanley says he is willing to play a different position, which may include the OF. While I don’t necessarily see a perfect fit here, I think it’s possible if the M’s offer enough cash. I think Walker could get you one of Upton or Heyward, but not both. I’m under the impression that the Braves are willing to trade one, and try to extend the other.
Walker, Peterson, and Saunders for Upton and Heyward?
No way would the M’s include either Walker or Petesen in any deal for Upton and Heyward, who are both FA after 2015. Besides Gattis would be a better fit than Heyward and that is still too much talent ( DJ is Seattle’s # 1 prospect and better than anything in Altanta’s system).The best the Braves could get from Seattle for JU is Elias and a reliever like Leone.
The Braves are rebuilding and the Mariners have to compete right now, though. Maybe you’re right that Gattis would make more sense than Heyward in their lefty-heavy lineup though, plus he’s under control for four years and would make a nice DH/backup catcher. DJ’s good, but the Braves need him more.
Well, there is no deal to be had here. It is going to take atleast one of Walker or Petesen to get the Braves even considering to deal BOTH of them. Besides that, I’m under the impression that the Braves’ trade one OFer, and try to extend the other. I’d say one of Walker or Petesen could get you Upton OR Heyward. Remember, Walker and Petesen are still only prospects, albeit good ones. Doesn’t mean they’re worth a ~3-4 WAR player, they are just too unproven,
DJ is Seattle’s best position prospect since Adam Jones, and you can’t trade a player like that for one year of Upton, M’s are close but not one player away close. Also JU has already turned down Seattle once, making resigning him a huge question mark. Atlanta would be better served holding on to Upton until the trade deadline, a team in serious contention may be willing to overpay. If the M’s are able to sign either Hanley or Tomas, I think Butler would be a nice addition and they could continue to build depth in case they do need that one player to put them over the top.
I agree with the other comments saying that they shouldn’t give up Peterson, but I don’t think the rest of that is half bad. IF we could extend them as part of the deal and sign Lester, I’d actually be okay sending something like Walker, Elias, Saunders, Pike. Their time to contend is now.
“I think Iwakuma is worth more than Cespedes”
Debatable. But right now SEA needs a RH power bat to hit between Cano and Seager and theres nothing on the FA market (unless the want to give Cruz 5 years…ouch). Kemp is signed to a petty bad contract, with Cano on the team I can’t see SEA going after another horrid contract. Upton is a possibility but he would cost more. I see Cespedes as SEA main target
BOS needs pitching. Iwakuma makes sense and they are both 1 year rentals so its a fair swap. Although persoanlly, I can’t see BOS trading Cespedes, they plan on centeding next year and its pretty hard to replace a 100rbi 25hr hitter. The market is flush with pitching not so much with hitting.
Maybe debatable, but Iwakuma has been one of the best righties in the game the last two years. I agree that there isn’t much left on the market and they need a big bat, but there are definitely better options than giving up your #2 pitcher.
Kemp, yes it’s a bad contract, but the Dodgers would eat a lot of that if they got a couple of prospects, maybe starting with either Taylor or Miller. That’s easier to swallow than Kuma. Same thing with Upton. It’ll take young pitching, which again is easier to swallow since they are contending now, not later.
And really, they could avoid it all and take a chance on Tomas and avoid dealing prospects altogether.
Was it the Mariners or Angels who said they were very happy to see Cespedes leave the AL West?
I wonder why that is?
Because he was the A’s clean-up hitter. Can’t imagine it was the Mariners. He hit an intimidating .100 at Safeco Field, good for last among all other AL West teams by well over 100 points. If anyone it should have been Texas. He hit almost .400 against them.
To your point though, anyone would happy if their division rivals’ clean-up hitter is traded away mid-season. That’s the move that probably brought down the A’s. I’m sure everyone in the West would say the same if Iwakuma was traded. Just how it works, but it doesn’t make him more valuable than Iwakuma because someone said that.
It wasn’t the Rangers. While I wouldn’t trade Iwakuma straight up for Cespedes I don’t understand all of the Yoenis bashing. The M’s are potentially a big bat away from progressing into the playoffs and if Cespedes is available, well, it’s not like they’re going to go out and get a Stanton…
Kivlehan is by no means a 2nd tier prospect and should not be considered for one year of Cespedes. Cespedes defense is also suspect and would weaken our outfield, not sure if he would be willing to DH. I don’t believe the M’s are in play for any of the premier FA pitchers and having to rely on Pax, Walker, and Elias none have come close to logging 200 innings is somewhat frightening. Hanley may bea nice fit at 1st, DH, amd spot SS, his price and injury history bring up some flags. Cruz is a DH only and he’s played in hitters ballparks his entire career. IMHO the M’s should go all in for Tomas (likely under $ 80 million) and bring in a 2nd tier picher such as Kuda or Masterson.
Cespedes was terrible last year. Kuma is a top their starter when healthy. We need a RH bat, but we need a GOOD RH bat. I would hate to see our rotation compromised for a mediocre hitter.
A mediocre hitter? Besides the ability to have 30/100 seasons… This past season he hit .296 with runners on, .309 with RISP, .338 with RISP/2 outs, and was 5 for 11 (.545) with the bases loaded.
I’m not a big fan of cherry picking super small sample sizes. I’m just looking at a guy that posted a 103 and 110 OPS+ they last two seasons. Since the 2012 rookie season his Ks have jumped up and walks ticked down. His HR high is 26.
He’s pretty replaceable unless he shows he can return to his 2012 form. Michael Saunders when healthy has put up better numbers and runs a reverse split.
So yeah, I’d hate to give up one of the best righties in the league for a replaceable hitter.
In spirit of small samples, I will report that Yoenis Cespedes has posted a .138/.176/.338/.514 line in 85 career plate appearances at Safeco Field (despite five homeruns).
I question whether Cespedes’ skillset would translate well in Seattle.
The Mariners should not swap Kuma for Cespedes!…iwakuma is a proven consistent front-of-the-rotation starter and cespedes is good but not consistent as Kuma. Im sure Iwakuma would be a stud wherever he goes, but i could see cespedes being yet another good-but-not-elite hitter to fail in seattle. Id like to think the M’s could get a better hitter than cespedes for iwakuma!
When Johnny comes marching home (to Boston)
Hurrah! Hurrah!
We’ll give him a hearty welcome (in Boston)
Hurrah! Hurrah!
The men will cheer and the boys will shout,
The ladies they will all turn out,
And we’ll all feel gay
When Johnny comes marching home (to Boston).
I would love to see Lester come home (real home)! #Tacoma#PacificNW#GoM’s!
Trading Hamels has to be a big win for Phillies to even consider at this point. If it doesn’t include Betts at this point, I don’t see a point of trading him to be honest.
Hamels is a great pitcher, sure, but he serves no use to the Phillies as they continue to rebuild and develop their prospects, maybe to fill seats, that’s about it. Point is, the Phillies don’t have much bargaining room when it comes to Hamels, and to demand one of the best upcoming players in the game is too much. I could see Owens or Swihart included in the deal, but Betts? No, he is too valuable, I’d hang up immediately.
He serves more than that. He is a great mentor to young pitchers, the leader of the staff, and could still be on the team when they are ready to compete in a couple years (2017).
I just don’t understand why they would settle. I get that Boston may say no to Betts, but that’s where I would stay if I’m Ruben/Gillick. I’d be fine with Phillies including money as well if it makes the deal better.
The problem there, is there is no rebuild if they don’t move Hamels. If he isn’t traded for solid pieces they won’t be ready to compete in 2017. The Phillies aren’t in the driver’s seat here. They can not trade him or hold out for a better offer, but if one never comes they fail at the rebuild.
I agree to an extent here. Phillies will have a clean slate essentially in 2017 as far as contracts go. They do have some (not many) nice players in their system.
If they do hold on to him and he has another great year this year, the value will only go up. (I know it’s a risk) But If they do trade him for a couple decent prospects, it will set the franchise back even further.
His value will not go up though. There will be one less year of control on his contract and he will be one year older. If they are serious about moving him, they need to take bids now and pick the best one. More time going by does not increase his value.
I understand he will be older, but the money will be less and contract will be shorter, and with another good year (fully healthy), his value should increase despite the age…
Maybe not, but even if it doesn’t go up, it’s not gonna plummet unless he has a Cliff Lee esq injury year or a Halladay retirement….
He is regarded as an ace right now, most teams won’t consider him that as he gets older. While his value probably will never plummet, the time to cash in is now. He is on a 4 year deal, with a couple “prime” years left, which is what many teams, like the Red Sox, value. If the Phillies wait another year, they’ll risk not getting a can’t-miss prospect like Swihart or Owens.
Moving players at the trade deadline sometimes brings back radically higher returns.
Very true. Although they Phillies had last years trade deadline, and he stayed put. Let Lester sign, let Scherzer sign, and then open up the bidding. If you don’t get an offer you want then trade him at the deadline. Although people are going to stop returning RAJ’s calls if the price doesn’t go down some.
That mentor thing is probably overrated. They need more young pitchers more than they need the mentor at this point.
I will tell you right now there is no way the Red Sox trade Betts. This talk comes up every year but never happens unless it’s at the Sox price and I don’t think the Phillies will give in to the Sox price. I don’t see a deal happening.
“In today’s column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wonders if the Dodgers‘ outfield surplus could net them a solution to their outfield situation. ”
Guessing that’s a typo.
Well, it is Boston….
Who does Raj want that he would trade Hamel’s Phillies best trade chip to the red Sox?
Betts, which ain’t happening.
I just checked Betts is ranked as the Red Sox 16 best prospect if he is an untouchable player then maybe Raj should not be wasting time trying to trade Hamel’s to the Red Sox.
was #1 not a prospect anymore. He’s not getting moved though.
I don’t know where you read that to, it must have been prior to the start of the 2014 season. Prior to the 2014 season, Betts was viewed as more of a Ben Zobrist type player, one who could have the ability to learn multiple positions and possibly hit well. The question at the time was whether or not he would ever become a good hitter, as the rest of his tools were good; the ability to steal bases, play multiple positions averagely,etc. Well, let’s just say, he proved to do that, by putting up monster numbers at AA and AAA. Quickly, Mr.Betts became regarded as one of the best hitting prospects in baseball. And while I don’t believe he is eligible to be on any prospect list next year due to his MLB experience, you can bet that he would’ve been in the top 5, and I’d say top 3.
EDIT: Double Post
Why would are they be limited to trading Hamels only to the Red Sox? The Cubs and Dodgers need front line pitching and they have top prospects to trade.
The Dodgers need front-line pitching?!
No doubt the trade proposals the Phillies gave to the Sox, included Henry Owens
No, they were about Mookie Betts. Seems (as referenced in the post) that baseball doesn’t buy the hype on the Red Sox prospects. Betts, Cecchini and the catcher whose name I forgot are the ones worth talking about. The pitchers are VASTLY overrated. And I think the Sox know it (which is why they’re heavily into the SP market).
You forgot the name of catcher (Swihart) and yet you have the insight to know how their pitchers are perceived within the industry? K.
Just a momentary brainfart. I’ve read a lot about the Red Sox pitchers (I’m a long-time Sox fan). And it’s pretty ho-hum. Not a whole lot of the types who tend to make it big in MLB. And of course there’s the odd thing that they’re talking about acquiring 2 maybe 3 new SP’s. Why would they do that if they all that pitching depth weren’t primarily of the back end variety.
The guys that are MLB ready are of the back-end variety, as of right now. That includes De La Rosa, Webster, and Ranaudo. These guys all have ceilings of a no.3 starter. The problem is, they haven’t shown anything to believe they’ll hit that ceiling and, they have to show improvement first. So, you gotta treat them as back-end guys. The Sox however, do have some other guys who look promising, like Owens, who is projected as a excellent no.3 starter on a first place team (I would consider this a no.2 starter) however, they’re aren’t ready yet. The Sox are trying to get a few good pitchers because the stars of the team are entering their final peak years, such as Pedroia (and Ortiz, in a sense, he isn’t going to be ageless forever). The time for them to be competitive is now, and they have a ton of payroll flexibility to do that.
The Sox are heavily into the SP market because, even if Henry Owens or Eduardo Rodriguez were going to be studs, they might be 2-3 years away from showing that at the MLB level. In the meantime, they’ve still got to replace Lester and Lackey…
The Bosox talking to the Phillies about Hamels is just Lester posturing.
Hamel’s is a great pitcher why worry about paying big for Lester if a trade for Hamel’s is a posibilty.
Check out Hamel’s long term contract if you think you would not be “paying big.” Not to mention the substantial package of prospects going to Philly to get him. Get real.
Hamels has the red sox on his no trade clause not to block but to make sure they pick up his fifth year. He would be 5/115~ plus 2-3 top prospects. Lester at 6-150 and keeping your prospects is a much better deal.
Crawford+Money to Tigers? He’d fit well in left and at the top of the order. A good bit of money would need to be thrown in and i don’t know what the Dodgers would want in return. Ideas/Thoughts?
SO many better options for a left fielder for the Tigers. Not worth it. They need to focus on power bullpen arms, and lots of them.
He is a plus defender still and Comerica is huge in LF.
His fWAR has been 5.7 over the past 3 years. A two war player FA would not be cheap… I think it would work.
Suarez would be the logical guy to trade for. An Average SS defensively. Below average offensively, but young with reasonable upside and with a full year of MLB experience. Tigers already have Iglesias, Perez and Romine, so it would be fine by them.
Agreed. I think the Dodgers may want more though. Aoki and Markakis are other fits for the Tigers Outfield, but honestly, I believe Aoki will be overpaid. He fits many teams needs(Top of the order, solid defensively) and a bidding war may drive his price up. I don’t know how much the dodgers would be willing to pay though.
Aoki should come pretty cheaply IMO, I’d say 3/24 million would get it done. Not bad for the Tigers if they’d want him, he’s a decent bat, and would fit well in their no.2-hole.
I think it’s hilarious when supposedly respectable sports journalists put out the notions like anyone would trade anytihing of value for overpriced albatrosses like Ethier and Crawford. Ether is best described as a bat first old corner outfielder with a replacement level bat and Crawford is a speed player who can’t play CF and at 33 has little speed left. Who wants either at half of their contracts. sub .700 OPS Ethier is owed at least $56Million dollars over the next three years, Crawford is more. Even Kemp, who is a solid bat owed over $100 over the next 5yrs is not worth a utility infielder unless the Dodgers kick in half his contract. 90% for the other two. These contracts will be the death of the Dodgers.
I agree with you right up to the last sentence. The Dodgers couldn’t care less financially. They’ve got essentially infinite money. The reason they want to trade one of those guys is to clear a spot for Pederson and also to improve clubhouse morale. To do that, they’ll gladly pay 90% of someone’s salary. But you’re absolutely right, only Kemp could conceivably net them a useful third baseman or SS.
I think there is way too much focus on Sandoval’s weight. He has been seen as overweight his whole career, yet he has been productive at the highest level. Maybe there is a misconception because his body shape is not aesthetic pleasing. Missed some time in ’11 and ’12, but has averaged 140 games played since becoming a fulltime starter. I think there is a reason some guys stay a little bit heavier, and I think Pablo knows his own body. Why is no one bashing on Matt Adams? These guys need to keep some weight on their frame to generate more power. They need the solid frame to maintain the core muscles needed to hit for power and stay on the field the whole year. Why is everyone so obsessed with Pablo’s belly?
Adams actually lost a lot of weight last offseason, as far as I know (it showed too). And power doesn’t necessarily come from weight, it has more so to do with muscle, explosive hip rotation, and solid mechanics. People that are overweight usually don’t have significantly more muscles than average people, it’s more fat….. Plus, Pablo isn’t even a power hitter. Sure, he can be a bigger guy, but being severely overweight doesn’t sit well when it comes to him staying healthy, and performing at his best of capabilities during his older years.
Pablo looks huge to me. Fielder would never miss games either and he seemed a whole lot more fit than Sandoval.
Fielder is more “thick” to me, while I consider Sandoval more “fat”. In other words, Fielder is a big guy with a whole lotta muscle. Sandoval, not so much…..
Finally Johnson getting some love. Kid’s a Pitcher, not a thrower. Good head, thinking Pitcher, for young kid.
If Sandoval gained 20 of the 30 back through the season, given his atrocious start, has anyone considered that he may have started the season UNDERWEIGHT (for a Panda)?
I’d be surprised if anyone thought he was underweight to start the season. How about you?
Can’t underweight for him and underweight for most players be different things? He lost 30 pounds over the winter, that’s a lot and could maybe have created some physiological stress for him, causing that terrible month and a half long slump to start the season. He ended up being what we expect him to be as he gained most of it back. I don’t see why it would be an unreasonable hypothesis that he lost too much too soon, and it caused problems for him.
Can a person be very overweight and be “underweight for him”? It seems like a semantic rabbit hole. He had plenty of body fat to start the season. I think rather than some unique theory of how he is normally an extremely fat person or how losing weight was hard on his physiology, the far more likely answer is something else.
I’d be fine with Cespedes for Iwakuma. I love the idea of the future possibility of having Cespedes and Bradley with their cannons in the same outfield but I, like the Sox FO don’t really favor guys who post low OBP. Iwakuma and resigning Lester would make me very happy this offseason. Betts, Castillo, Victorino in the outfield with Craig as another option depending on how he plays in Spring is fine with me. Victorino was really good in 2013, 2014 was just injury plagued for him. If he can stay healthy I believe he can return to 2013 form or at least close to it. Id hope Iwakuma can be more like 2013 as well but after the Sox pitching last season Id take even his 2014 numbers.
I’d like that too, as well as the signing of Headley and Moncada (as long as the price isn’t too steep for a prospect). The starting rotation could be Lester, Iwakuma, Bucholz, Kelly, and one of De La Rosa/Webster/Ranaudo. Then the starting line-up could be Betts LF, Castillo CF, Pedroia 2B, Ortiz DH,
Napoli 1B, Headley 3B, Victorino RF, Bogaerts SS, and Vazquez C. Of course, you could switch this around a tad. And after Headley’s contract is up, Moncada would be a great replacement.
Iwakuma for Cespedes? Not now. If they signed another top pitcher to go along with the up and comers like Paxton and Walker then such a trade might work. As it currently stands they would deal a consistent ace caliber pitcher (at least two steps back) for a right handed power bat (a step forwards) who is a sub .300 OBP (low team OBP has been a constant through all the years of losing) which would be another step back in area they are woefully dismal in and have been for a decade now.
Can we please, just please get rid of Avila? I can’t stand him/.
And replace him with who? That’s the only problem with that move.
James Mcann! 😀
re: Iwakuma.
If the Mariners want a power bat in return, the Angels could be a fit with Cron. He’s young, cost controlled and would add pop to their lineup. Meanwhile, Iwakuma fits the bill of a cheap and extremely effective pitcher (Angels would get two years of him). Obviously trades within the division seldom happen, but it works for both sides.
Would you be willing to trade away Walker from Seattle for Hamels? Just curious anyone?
Philly would have to eat some money in his contract. Otherwise, they might as well go pay for Lester and keep Walker, which I would still prefer them to do.
“The CBA forbids teams from taking money away from players for gaining weight, but they can incentivize staying trim.”
Isn’t that the same thing, just worded differently:
A) CBA Violation: 20mil, but if you gain 15lbs (to 260), then you lose 5 mil, and only make 15mil.
B) CBA Allowed: 15mil, but if you stay under 260lbs, then you make a 5mil bonus, totaling 20mil.
Don’t get hung up on any of the numbers, I’m just trying to make a point. But, Isn’t it just semantics?
I get where you’re coming from, but they are two different deals, one $15M and one for $20M. If you’re going to compare, you would have to keep the same starting point to understand it.
With that, take two $15M deals as the base. Then, one one if you gain 15 lbs you lose $5M taking you to $10M. The other, if you maintain the weight, you get a $5M bonus taking you to $20M. You can’t start it higher to potentially take it away, only start it lower and add more.
Not following you. My two deals are the exact same to the player financially in the end. In your scenarios your starting number is the same, but the end result to the player is financially completely different.
Muffubcjb makes a valid point.
Yes, the CBA requires these kinds of clauses to be structured like your option (B), and prohibits them from being structured like your option (A). The difference is one of principle: the guaranteed money as a baseline can’t be affected by factors which may or may not be in the players control. Only bonus money is at risk if the player is unable to meet the stated goals. It keeps the principle inviolate that players contracts are guaranteed, which is very important to the players union. If they started allowing “penalties” against the base salary, there would be a quick erosion to the point where many contracts would become entirely conditional on performance. (Yes, it’s a “slippery slope,” argument, but in this context it would be a legit concern).
I’m not sure Hamels will agree to a trade to the Red Sox. I live in PA & there has been reports that he added them to the list of teams he can block a trade to because he doesn’t really want to go there. The reports also said that if Hamels leaves, he would prefer to go to St. Louis
Cespedes for Iwakuma would make a lot of sense for both sides. It feeds into the depth the other team lacks. The only problem is the Red Sox not wanting to sign Iwakuma in the offseason due to him being a pitcher in his mid-30s. LOL.
Anyone wonder if the weight thing with Sandoval is a big nothing? Is it a coincidence that he started hitting again when his weight started going up during the season? Maybe just leave well enough alone. Like the Bambino who loved his drink and his women, if he is hitting and playing D who cares what he eats?
I don’t see Seattle getting Cespedes if their looking at Nelson Cruz it won’t happen just typical of how Seattle is