FRIDAY: The surgery revealed a complete tear of the quad muscle, tweets Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com, which will likely extend his recovery time to over four months.
While the news does not shift the timeline too significantly, it already seemed there was a fairly slim chance that Adams would return for the regular season or even postseason. Now, that seems all but impossible unless Adams can beat expectations.
WEDNESDAY, 11:04pm: Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets that Adams will undergo surgery to repair the tear on Friday.
8:01pm: GM John Mozeliak just discussed the injury in an appearance on KMOX radio, stating: “We anticipated this being a DL, but now we have to look at how we look at this club long-term,” (Twitter link via KMOX’s Benjamin Boyd).
7:43pm: The Cardinals announced tonight that Adams will miss an estimated three to four months with the injury. Given that timeline, it’s fair to suggest that there’s a chance he could miss the remainder of the regular season. MLB.com’s Jen Langosch hears that the team is still deciding whether or not Adams will undergo surgery (Twitter link).
A recovery timeline of that significance would seem to increase the chances that the Cardinals will look outside the organization eventually in order to address the need. Reynolds has plenty of power and could serve as a stopgap, but he batted just .209/.297/.394 from 2013-14 with the Indians, Yankees and Brewers in fairly regular duty, making him a questionable long-term solution.
4:05pm: Cardinals first baseman Matt Adams will miss significant time with a torn quadriceps, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports on Twitter. Surgery is a possibility for the 26-year-old.
The injury is said to be worse than that of fellow St. Louis outfielder Tommy Pham, who is on the 60-day DL with his own quad injury. The Cardinals had already decided to rely on Mark Reynolds at first for the immediate future, but the severity of the injury could potentially contribute to additional roster planning over the summer.
Of course, Adams has been off to a rough start, hitting just .243/.281/.375 over his first 153 plate appearances on the year. But the team certainly had good reason to expect better the rest of the way: after all, Adams averaged a .287/.327/.474 line over the prior two seasons.
Reynolds could ultimately be paired with Dan Johnson, who is in the fold at Triple-A, or a similarly available left-handed bat such as Travis Ishikawa. The team could in theory consider sliding an outfielder like Matt Holliday, Randal Grichuk or Stephen Piscotty in at first, but none of them have played the position before (at least professionally).
But if Adams will miss much of the rest of the season, it certainly seems at least plausible that the Cards will dabble in the summer trade market. Adam Lind, Justin Morneau, and Ryan Howard are among the players that could be marketed at the deadline.
Mark Reynolds.
Yeah I’m running on fumes here and, apparently, just making things up. Edited.
Cards will try and scrape by with him , but after everything ,I think they will at least broach the Phillies on a deal for Howard! One caveat Howard has 10/5 rights kicking in very soon. He could nix Cardinal deal to get closer to his home in Florida with the Rays.
I don’t think Ryan Howard can assume Tampa wants him if they haven’t expressed interest. I’d have to think St. Louis would be a close 2nd choice of any team.
I don’t think the Rays are interested in Howard unless he’s coming at steep discount contract wise.
Keep in mind Howard is from Missouri and has a history of raking in STL (not that it’s relevant in terms of predicting his hitting today, but still interesting that he does seem to enjoy hitting there). So I don’t see him using his 10/5 rights to block a deal there.
Winning team – check.
Hometown team – check.
History of hitting well at Busch – check.
Main question to me is whether STL would have interest in him because I definitely think Howard would have interest in them.
While some Cardinal fans might not want them to deal for Howard I’d assume that if they did get Howard he’d be treated like a returning hero. That’s a better treatment than he’s now getting from Phillies fans who’ve seen him play poorly. I’d guess that St. Louis is 1a on his list of places to play.
I definitely think St. Louis would be at the top of his places to play as well. He would only cost the Cardinals a small fraction of what he’s owed and would come at a low price in terms of prospects as well. At that price, he wouldn’t have to do much to be worth it for St. Louis.
He would definitely fit better on an AL squad so he could DH, but the Cardinals could make some sense.
Not only is Howard from Missouri, but he grew up in the St. Louis area as a Cards fan. Have a feeling the Phillies are going to ask for the moon though, esp. if he is part of a deal that includes Hamels.
What happens to Howard when Adams is back? Can Adams shift over to another position? I would assume Howard would just be relegated to the bench since they wouldn’t owe him that much (assuming Phillies eat a big portion of the contract, which we all know will happen). I like Howard to St Louis. Wish Adams a speedy recovery
That was my thought as well when I read the news last night. Assuming Howard’s salary is eaten by the Phils, the Cardinals would have 2 options when Adams returns healthy..move one to the bench or move one (presumably Howard) to an AL team. And in that scenario, I think Howard could easily be moved to the AL because he would be owed so little and finally in the last year of his contract.
Definitely a good call. He could easily be flipped to an AL team for the last year of his contract since he will be owed so little after what the Phillies will have to inevitably pay to trade him
The only way the Phils would ask for the moon is if Hamels is involved and the moon would be the compensation for Hamels being included. I think the Phillies (believe it or not) are realistic in their expectations of a Howard deal. They’ll eat most of his salary and ask for a low-prospect or 2 in return at most. If they ask for more, well, then I’ll join most of MLBTR in ripping the Phils’ trade expectations (which I think get overblown on these boards).
Thats a big blow for the Cards. Much respect to Matt Adams and I hope for the best for him.
Wouldn’t a short rental of Ryan Howard seem fun? He seems to crush in St. Louis
The Cards have been one of the best run franchises in all of baseball for many years. It does not fit their mindset of signing an aging player (who is off to a nice start for 2015, but is the same guy coming off an horrendous 2014 season) at $25 million per season, nor give up a prospect package to have the Phils pay for that ridiculous salary.
The Phillies would pick up most, if not all of the money, and at very most he’d cost a B level prospect, and even that would be pushing it a bit. The Cardinals have brought on productive veterans that they felt can help their club in the past. Beltran, Axford, Lackey, Masterson and Jake Westbrook, just to name a few.
Howard can contribute has much if not more than Lance Berkman did , The Big Piece would be rejuvenated playing for a contending team in his Hometown, 30 HRS in the Warm Heat of Bush Stadium this June, July , and August .
It seems to exactly fit the same mindset when they brought in aging Lance Berkman and Carlos Beltran. I have no idea how much the Phillies are willing to pay but if they paid $45 million of the $53 million left and accepted two guys at the back of the Cardinals top 20 the Cardinals would have to be interested.
If Phillies pay that much of the Big Pieces Salary they will want more and rightly so asking for much more from Redbirds . Howard even in down years is a legate Power Bat that the Power staved Cardinals already have a Great need for !
Yeah, because St Louis is such a hitters park.
Most teams would be wise to wait another month and see if Ryan Howard is legitimately back or not. His price isn’t going to go up with guys similar to him like Adam Lind and Justin Morneau on the market.
Heck even Edwin Encarnacion should be on the block if the Jays are out of it.
William, the market for Howard has been limited to nonexistent. We don’t know if anyone has made an offer. Since they haven’t traded him they might never have gotten an offer. I don’t know what the Phillies will do, but if that’s true they’ll take the best deal they can get from St. Louis in regards to prospects and money.
Jaysfan1994, if the point is to fill Adams’ spot you don’t want to wait a month to find out whether 1) a guy you like better will be available 2) if you can get him. If they like Howard and he’s available now they should jump on it. If they don’t like anyone available now then they should wait.
If anyone liked Howard he would’ve been traded by now.
Mark Reynolds is actually an average 1B defensively, which is something the Cardinals covet. Good defense, it’s highly unlikely they acquire Howard when he’s likely to regress to previous seasons totals and provide horrible defense to go along with that.
Which is why you wait a month to see if he’s actually back since Howard’s market is likely not going to sweeten with Lind, Morneau and likely Encarnacion on the market in a month.
Circumstances have changed. Howard is hitting better than more than half of the DHs and 1Bs and the Cardinals need someone now. There’s not a lot of supply. As the season wears on other teams may need someone.
I don’t know what Reynolds is like at 1B but his defensive BWAR has always been heavily negative even in seasons where he’s mostly played first.
Mark Reynolds has been let go by 4 teams in the last 3 years but he’s going to retain his value while Howard won’t? Howard had a good season in 2013, especially against righties. If you’ve watched him there’s no reason to think he can’t hit.
Adams is out now. If you can wait a month then you don’t need a first baseman and you’re happy with current options. I get that you think Howard is going to be awful the rest of the year and wouldn’t trade for him. The Cardinals trading for him is predicated on them thinking he will play well the rest of the year.
One month of solid production over the last 4 years of mediocre hitting mixed in with poor defense and horrendous base running isn’t exactly going to inspire a lot of people to take a chance on him.
Howard’s provided -1.5WAR since 2012. Despite him being “back” he’s provided 0.1WAR this year. I guess hitting a few homers despite striking out like crazy with poor defense and base running makes people forgot how bad a guy really is?
WAR doesn’t treat Ryan Howard well and if you’re looking to decide he stinks look at his WAR. His defense is poor but WAR seems to take that very heavily into account. First baseman don’t make a lot of fielding plays.
I don’t know where you get the idea Howard is a poor baserunner. He doesn’t take a lot of extra bases, which is typical for a first baseman. He doesn’t get thrown out either.
Howard was recovering from a torn achilles in 2012 and had a poor year. In 2013 he had a .784 OPS, which was an OPS+ of 115. He had an OPS of .878 against right hand pitching. I don’t see how that’s a bad year.
He had a bad year in 2014. Maybe it was decline and maybe it had something to do with his off field family issues. Right now he has an OPS+ of 122, which is valuable. It’s 16th out of 33 1B. That’s not a few homers. That’s hitting and an OPS .161 ahead of Matt Adams. So if Howard is worthless Matt Adams must be far below that.
Defensively, he was really good with the Brewers. I think the hitting was about what was expected and he’s hitting better with the Cards. I wouldn’t describe him as being “let go” by the Brewers either.
Let me get this straight- Phillies owe Howard the almost $50 million left on his contract. He has already hit 10 HR’s, 23RBI, and batting .261 this season. In your scenario, Amaro will give him to the Cardinals and pay his salary for a “B” prospect. If that is anywhere near a true scenario, there will be 28 other teams hoping to fleece the Phils first.
The talk on the Internet for the last year is that the Phillies couldn’t give Howard away for a “C” prospect to any team even if they paid 95% of Howard’s contract. I doubt one good month is going to make the demand go up that much. And if it does, the Phillies will still have to pay most of Howard’s deal. Teams are at their budgets.
While his value certainly hasn’t been hurt by his good year so far, I agree for sure that his value, in reality, couldn’t be all that much higher because of it, due to how small of a stretch it’s been as opposed to the stretch of struggles he’s had. He should fetch a low level prospect or two, but certainly not any list topping names or anything close to that. All of that money is going be be really, really hard to figure out in any deal.
Howard’s K:BB ratio this season – 48:7 – would suggest he’s not going to be able to keep this up. He’s striking out in 30% of his plate appearances.
Howard is striking out in 28.5% of his plate appearances. His lifetime rate is 28.1%. He was 30.7% in 2007 and 28.4% in 2008. He’s never had a problem putting up big numbers while striking out.
Phillies will eat most of that salary and wont get much in return unless they want to make it. Hamels/Howard package. I really don’t think St. Louis goes there. Justin Morneau makes sense. Adam Lind even more sense.
Except Morneau is injured and nobody seems to have any clear idea of when he’s coming back.
I think Lind makes more sense. Of course, the Cards might move Holiday in…that would make some sense if he can make the move.
It seems like a risky move to move a player to a position he’s never played before mid-season. I can’t think, off the top of my head, of a situation like that. I wonder if Ike Davis or Billy Butler is available?
That’s too bad. Hope he comes back soon.
ryan howard for three prospects.
How is Xavier Scruggs doing? Any chance he gets a chance? Haven’t seen much of him outside of spring training the past few years and though he had a nice bat, but doesn’t he have a high strikeout rate or something?
Ryan Howard is a Lifetime 350 hitter in his Hometown of St Louis, he can and would Immensely help the Cardinals .
Were on his no trade list, probably because he hates his family after all that stuff
Torn quadriceps, that sounds incredibly painful.
It’s not, actually. It’s not a severed muscle, just a muscle tear, which is like severe sprain.
Hello Mr. Ryan Howard from Phillie.
Bring him home to Missouri….would have to deal him over the winter, presumably after the Phillies eat most of the salary and ship Cole Hamels with him.
Ready to give up the Farm and House too ! Cards don’t have the Bullets in the farms system for Hamles.
Depends on where the market for Hamel’s goes over the summer. Cueto ends up having more trouble and Hamels value will shoot.
I say Justin Moreau to the cardinals for prospects and money
I think he out too, questionably value for Cardinals.
He’s better than Adams, especially on D. But yeah, he’s currently hurt. If he comes back OK, he’d be a great get for the pennant run. In fact, an Adams for Morneau swap isn’t such an awful idea. Rox don’t need anyone right now given how their season’s going.
Morneau is a good option but he’s been out the last two weeks with a concussion. Isn’t the point to trade for someone who’ll play now?
He’s due back any day. DL is over.
It sounds like he’s not ready to play yet though; no real idea of when he’s coming back.
Cue the Allen Craig rumors from the desperate Boston media.
Desperate for what? To trade a AAA player? Can’t really see the desperation there.
Desperate to unload that albatross contract. They were giving teams the hard sell on Craig all throughout spring training but nobody bit.
He’s not even at the bad part of the contract yet. I don’t think they’re really that desperate. I don’t even think they think Craig is done. And I’m not even sure what that has to do with the media or why they would be desperate. They’re not paying for him.
Do you have any sense whether the RS will be buyers at the deadline?
The planted stories of him looking good and everyone projecting a bounce back really didn’t pan-out did they?
She’s also being sarcastic by the way. Nobody wants Allen Craig.
The Red Sox planted stories? Do you have proof of this; that’s a relatively serious allegation.
You don’t think they wanted to boost his value in a potiential trade before the season? During Spring Training The Globe was talking about how great Allen Craig looked and Farrell specifically made it seem like there was something to get excited about him. Considering he looked the exact same this season, that was simply not true.
“Stronger base to his stance. His bat speed is better,” manager John Farrell said. “Despite what he went through last year, he’s been a productive hitter. His timing is better, the foot issue is behind him. “We expect him to regain his levels of hitting previously. He’s in a better place physically and mentally right now.”
That’s what every team does in Spring though; what are they going to do? Trash their own player? Look at all the “best shape of his life” stories every year. Most of those players don’t play any better. That’s a huge difference than what you suggsted, which is that the Red SOx “planted” stories in the news media.
Matter of different opinions. Doesn’t make my theory true or not considering they were very actively trying to trade him. You wouldn’t pump his tires before sending him out?
Garrett Jones to Cardinals for Alex Reyes or Rob Kaminsky……
Garrett Jones is a potential release candidate.
Yea but Ray’s or Card’s would love too have him at this point…..
He’s making $5MM and the Yankees probably aren’t going to let him go until the deadline to make sure Teixeira’s health is in check. Remember Teixeira hasn’t played more than 123 games since 2011.
They’d be wise to hold onto needed depth and hope he picks it up enough to either trade him or if he doesn’t just release him before the deadline.
For a top 25 prospect? That’s a clown trade, bro.
Any interest in Allen Craig? Nah probably not. I’ll let myself out.
Long Island Ducks are interested.
Trade for Eddie Encarnation.Jays have many holes to be filled,but,have plenty of right handed power,plus,Smoak ready to take over at 1st.Makes sense.
For Maness,Chuck Stilson,& 1 other.
Yeah better throw in Jose Bautista and Josh Donaldson too. Jays need more middle relievers who are struggling.
Who’s Chuck Stilson?
Could they trade for Hamels and have Howard come along with him?
Matt Adams is nothing but a platoon player, but still a big blow to St. Louis.
When you’re 80% of a platoon, it matters. Adams wasn’t playing well for sure, but Reynolds at 1B every day is a scary thought.
Can confirm: watched him all last year with the Brewers. Seriously, you best upgrade while you can, because Reynolds everyday is not a recipe for success. He’ll hit his homers, but he’s pretty pathetic outside of that.
Adams wasn’t actually tearing the cover off the Ball, With only Four Homes and 20 RBIs, Third season and Pitchers already learning hoe to Pitch to him !
That’s putting it mildly. He’s a replacement level player this year. Who’s playing 1B for the AAA Cardinals? Probably as good as Adams.
I think Lind makes some sense. He’s fairly inexpensive (especially compared to Howard) for the remainder of this season, with a reasonable option for next season. He’s performed well in his first NL go-round (although admittedly slumping a little bit at the moment), and he’s also not currently on DL (like Morneau is). If the Cardinals go the trade route (and do it soon), I think Lind is their best bet. Don’t have to deal with Morneau’s potentially long-lasting concussion issues, don’t have to be locked into Howard for next year.
Adam Lind’s no clean bill of health himself as he’s missed a few games with this season with something that’s been bother him for 4-5 years. That issue is has usually been his back.
Having watched this terrible Brewers team all season, I can confirm that he has not missed any games this season due to injury. He missed some time in spring, but that’s been it. Every game we’ve sat him this season has been against tough left-handed pitching. But you’re right, he does have the recurring back issues. Thing is, he’s currently healthy, whereas Morneau is currently on the DL. They both have a track record of missing time, though, so it’s mostly a wash. I’m mostly pointing out that, if St. Louis wants to make a move soon, Lind is probably the best option.
St Louis is Smart, the Management will pull the trigger on Howard with the Phillies paying Half his salary , For that Kid Right fielder Grichuk and maybe another Type B player. Both teams win ,Cardinals in the short Term and Phillies hopefully longer.
I think I found RAJ’s account.
Grichuk is a young Jim Edmonds. The cards love him, I don’t see him being moved with the way the organization feels about him.
Howard isn’t a good fit any way.
They’ll call up Piscotty and have him hit before trading for Howard
Inner division trades never easy, I’m sure the Brewers would not just give Lind up.
Certainly not. He honestly may be one of our most valuable assets at this point. I wouldn’t expect a big star or anything, but I guarantee we’d be asking for some of that young pitching St. Louis seems to have troves upon troves of.
If Milwaukee would take someone like Marco Gonzalez or Jamie Garcia, when healthy, for him I think it could get done.
I imagine Gonzales would definitely get our attention. Young arm, lefty starter (which we have virtually none of in our system). I would personally do that deal straight up, Lind for Gonzales. And if the Cardinals want Lohse (which wouldn’t be too terrible surprising, they’d probably bet on fixing him), maybe throw in a guy like a Ty Kelly, or a reliever type pitcher. But yeah, without Lohse involved, I think Lind for Gonzales straight up would be fair.
Garcia is teetering on having his career over. It’d be interesting how much Cards have paid medical professionals over the years to treat him. Marco has turned into a question mark as well. Yes, Cards management says no worries, but that’s their MO.
Having said that, I’d guess they could come up with a deal. I think Melvin would take guys in the lower minors. They recently did the Axford for Blazek deal.
I don’t know if they’re still willing to eat enough contract to make Howard $5m a year for trade suitors considering how well he’s playing, but if so he is cheaper than Lind and hitting better this season.
I’m guessing the Phillies are willing to eat a significant portion, but even then, Howard at $5MM isn’t much cheaper than Lind’s $7.5MM this season, part of which has obviously been paid already thus far into the season. As for hitting better, it depends on what you value more: a few more homers, or more opportunities on base.
Howard: .256/.298/.519 (.817 OPS) w/ 10 HRs, 24 RBIs, 8 BBs, 49 Ks
Lind: .261/.349/.471 (.819 OPS) w/ 7 Hrs, 19 RBIs, 21 BBs, 40 Ks
Plus, Lind has a fair $8MM option for next season with a $500K buyout, whereas they’d be stuck with Howard next year when Adams is back healthy.
I take back what I said about Howard hitting better, I was going by OPS and I could have swore I looked at his just the other day and it was in the .850s
Cardinals have to make a choice now. That choice is which do they feel they need more, first base help or another starter? Do they go for a Cole Hamels type still, or now turn their attention to the first base market? Maybe go get both, but that would mean quantity over quality. Curious to see how it shakes out. I can guarantee you that as the summer progresses, the Cards will not stand pat at both 1B and SP.
Lets remember , the Phillies don’t have to do anything but wait ! Pressure is on Cardinals and others Teams that covet their Veterans All-Stars Pitchers.
And I’d argue all the pressure is on the Phils to move these guys for the best return possible before their value really starts to drop. See Chase Utley.
In his last 12 games Utley is slashing .455/.564/1.019. He got off to a horrible start, partially due to a BABIP below .100. He’s doing a lot to restore value.
If they go after Lind, I guarantee we’d throw in Lohse for not much more in return. And, knowing the Cardinals, he’d turn it around and pitch exactly the way he did when he was with them the first time.
Ryan Howard makes most sense here for an outside move. The Phillies will kick in a lot of money and at most it will require a prospect in the 20-30 range more likely 25-30, but if hot streak continues then a push could be made for a higher up prospect in the 20-25 range in St.Louis system. Gives them insurance for Adams and a deadly pinch hitter next year as well for when Reynolds walks.
It shouldn’t take a prospect even close to that range to get Howard honestly. He’s had a surprising year, but I have a hard time seeing his value jump THAT much in such a small sample size after the amount he’s struggled the past few years. The prospect return would be minimal, it’d just be a matter of money to navigate. He’s not a bad fit all things considered, though he’d still probably be better off on an AL team for an extended period of time because his defense leaves something to be desired.
Mike Napoli. …. problem solved
Napoli isn’t gonna be traded. At least not yet.
There are 2 ways the sox go, blow up the big league team and build a perennial contender, or blow up the farm for an ace. I don’t know how long you can wait. If you get something good for nap, I would do it. I wouldn’t trade him for nothing but if a guy like Reyes could be had for picking up salary, I would only hope Cherington pulls the trigger.
Ryan Howard is from the St. Louis area and has always performed well at Busch Stadium. He has started hitting well again and playing solid defense. He would make a lot of sense for the Cards who may also be looking to the Phils for pitching upgrades. A multi-player trade between the Phils and the Cards before the trade deadline is not out of the question.
Yes, that (freebee) 2015 #39 competitive balance pick would be very enticing to the Phillies as part of some multi-player package.
Assuming a trade is completed prior to the draft, of course.
In all fairness Howard only raked at Busch 2010 and prior. Since then he has only played 13 games there (none in 2012-13) and hit .260 with 1 HR each in 2011, 14 and 15.
How does a random injury to a replacement level dude (this year, at least) with a sub 80 OPS+, who’s never been better than league average, merit its own post, let alone a three-update one? Injuries like this happen literally every day. Cards won’t lose a thing with Reynolds. In fact, he might be an upgrade.
Never been better than league average? Considering you’re well educated in regards to OPS+, you would have noticed his 129 and 114 marks in 2013 & 14.
So far this year, yes. Reynolds is an upgrade.
I’d call a Matt Adams post here about mid range. Its not quite Joe Blanton goes out for steak in Omaha. They do have page hits to justify to advertisers.
They’ve got a link for tips. He’s the starting 1B for a fairly certain playoff team. But I’m sure if there are better stories, MLBTR will post them.
If you want a power hitting poor defensive first baseman trade for dan vogelbach. We wont tax you that much cards;)
Hmmm….Can’t decide what the Cards will do. They only have prospects, but none have had the time to prove themselves MLB Regular’s. No idea if they trade for a big name, or rental. We already have 1 rental in Mark Reynolds. Almost seems like a Big Name trade could occur, but what happens after this season, and Adams comes back healthy? Thank God, I’m just a fan. Decisions…Decisions…Oh well! Trust in Mo!
I wouldn’t consider Mark Reynolds much of a rental…more like freely available talent
The only thing Reynolds will consistently provide over the course of a season is a nice breeze as he twists himself into the ground trying to crush un-hittable pitches.
I was in St. Louis the afternoon Reynolds broke the single season K record while he was with the D-Backs. You have to whiff at an exceptional rate to minimize 40 HR
Someday he will K on an intentional walk…lol. He had the potential to be something special in the box but, IMO, he guesses on every pitch and guesses poorly.
He was one,of those guys that if a team could platoon him right they’d get amazing 1B production. Eats roster space….but a creative team like Oakland could have gone crazy on that.
I can only partially agree. It’s, much like Howard, his plate discipline. His HR’s were wonderful but OMG the K’s. He would come up with 2 men on….everyone in the world could see that the pitcher was pitching around him and he would swing at absolutely un-hittable pitches. That’s the problem I have with so many of today’s players, especially so called sluggers….they have it in their minds that only they can win the game and instead of getting on base anyway possible they MUST win it themselves no matter what. It’s a team sport but some don’t get that.
OK, I’m done venting and have to do some stuff…have a good one….later.
Low batting average is one thing, but Reynolds downfall was his true lack of contact skills. Even putting the ball in play is valuable with runners on base in most circumstances. Its what Adam Dunn regressed to….just a pure rally killer. I suppose a team could feast or famine pinch hitting Reynolds late. Its like the guys who put up a hollow .300….except Reynolds was like a hollow .250
You must’ve been typing this about the same time I was typing my rant below. I completely agree with you it is all about “contact”. At times it almost seems to be a forgotten art.
There’s a place for the Dave Kingman type…but you have to put up prodigious power totals to make it worth it. A guy like Reynolds or a latter day Adam Dunn lose value when they can’t hold a regular job. They are I’ll equipt for late inning pinch hit duty when contact is primary. They’ll blast one late on occasion… Just not worth it.
Cards won’t trade him. He has been a big pickup for them. He has been a situational hitter, whether getting on base, or getting a big base hit. Doesn’t matter how many times a playe4 does it. Just matters if he does it WHEN you NEED them to. So far he has done pretty decent. Also Cards will not trade him, because who will play first? Rest are prospects, none of them will play first for the Cards MLB Reg.
Cards won’t trade him…they need him…but he’s overexposed in an everyday role. He’ll never be a great pinch hitter because his otherworldly K rates offset the power. But yeah…he’s serviceable… But if he’s your 1B you are either a second division club or in trouble at 1B
Do you really think that Ryan Howard goes to st louis now
These are the choices,Lind, Morneau, or stay with Reyonds /PLT Option or Howard.Cardinal will try and cheap it out until they losing games that they could have won with the Big Piece at 1st base, They are really in a Must Win mode this year, because their core pieces of Molina , Holliday, Wainwright ( Injured )are getting long in the tooth! Win Now !
The Phillies do not need to dump any salary. There is no rush to move Howard for salary relief. They will eat money on the contract to facilitate a trade for prospects, nothing more nothing less.
Chris Johnson? Could even platoon with Adams next year.
Even though Howard has been hitting pretty well of late, I don’t see STL getting Howard unless the Phils eat a substantial amount of the $55M they owe him. And I just don’t believe the Birds will give up top prospects for Hamels. They have a very good starting four and Garcia has pitched well in his first two starts coming back from the DL.
Agreed–at this stage, the difference between Reynolds and Howard isn’t eight figures worth.
I’m still not seeing more than a C-level prospect for Ryan + a bunch of money. $50m and 2+ years of junk batting does not get forgotten because of a month of better hitting.
Try seeing him Hit 30 Homers in St. Louis , and the Power Bat that the Cardinals need behind Holliday.
Have you SEEN his previous 3+ years in the league? He’s been an albatross when you consider his contract:
2012: Games: 71, OPS: .718, IsoP: .204 WAR: -1.2…$20m
2013: Games: 80, OPS: .784, IsoP: .199 WAR: 0.6….$20m
2014: Games: 153, OPS: .690, IsoP: .156 WAR: -1.1..$25m
2015: Games 45, OPS: .797, IsoP: 256 WAR: 0.0…..$25m
And he is owned 48m over the next two years. Sure…his IsoP thus far in ’15 looks better, but I’m not sold on that. It ranks 53rd over that time period for all qualified hitters and 19th for 1B. So uhm…yeah.
There’s always the possibility they could get a 3B and move Carpenter to 1B or also even a SS and move Peralta to 3B and Carpenter to 1B. Would give them many more trade partners and not limited to just looking for 1B.
Mark Reynolds has been playing very well, and while his defensive metrics don’t show much, he is a major upgrade defensively over Adams. While he does K a lot it’s not been much more than Adams with a lot more power.
Rizzo for Ernie Broglio.
Sign Allen Craig