The Nationals would like to add a left-handed bat that can play second base, and Kelly Johnson is one possibility for them, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Per Rosenthal, the Nats plan to open next season with Danny Espinosa at shortstop while Trea Turner continues to develop. Once Turner is ready, Johnson (or another lefty batter) could slide over to second base and platoon with Espinosa, who is a stronger batter from the right side of the dish.
A few more notes from the division…
- The Mets haven’t ruled out bringing back Tyler Clippard, tweets ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, though the Twins, Blue Jays and Dodgers are among the clubs also in the market for setup help, he notes. Crasnick wonders if Clippard’s high workload is causing clubs to shy away, though one exec said of the durable right-hander (Twitter link): “Considering the terrible contracts being given to relievers, he’ll get his money. He’s too good not to.”
- Crasnick also notes that the Braves have received steady interest in Ender Inciarte since acquiring him (links to Twitter). Atlanta is willing to listen on anyone but Freddie Freeman, but the club’s plan is to keep Inciarte in the organization and use him as a leadoff hitter and center fielder for the foreseeable future.
- The Mets are expected to show interest in free-agent right-hander Matt Albers as they look to upgrade the bullpen, reports ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin. Albers, 32, missed half of last season with a broken finger in his hand but didn’t allow a run across the final two months of the season. He’s been a Mets target in the past, Rubin notes.
- Phillies GM Matt Klentak told reporters, including MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, that the Ken Giles trade was an opportunity that was “too good to pass up.” Klentak maintains that he never wanted to trade Giles, but adding a slew of starting pitching candidates, headlined by Mark Appel and Vincent Velasquez, improves the club’s outlook in both the short and long term. Klentak also discussed the importance of the depth that veterans Charlie Morton and Jeremy Hellickson give to the club and called Brett Oberholtzer (also acquired in the Giles deal) a “stabilizer.” As Zolecki notes, Oberholtzer is out of minor league options, so he’s well-positioned to make the rotation in 2016.
Ender is gonna be fun to watch in Atlanta
I really hope the Cubs put something together for him and maybe even Tehran
I wouldn’t be surprised to see that happen. Surely the Cubs would rather have Heyward in RF instead of CF. Sending Soler to Atlanta would allow Jason to play RF and Inciarte to play CF. But, if Soler was dealt in a package to Atlanta, it would leave Atlanta with two RFs in Soler and Markakis.
That will be fine later in the year. We will see how things pan out, but next offseason the matchup is perfect for the Braves. LF- Markakis CF- Smith RF- Soler 3B- Olivera after he fixes his swing and we trade/demote Garcia
I’d rather have Inciarte honestly. Soler probably has a higher ceiling, but Inciarte has a higher floor.
Since I’m a Braves fan, I would like to see that to because the Braves are going to want a pretty outrageous package for him which is why I don’t think it will happen.
Inciarte reminds me a lot of Markakis.
Hopefully they find a suitor for Teheran.
He does? They seem like almost opposite players to me.
Really? and how so?
I mean toolsy players with good contact and low power. Markakis is much more patient at the plate while inciarte is not but his defense and gb percentage make up for it
Inciarte is the type of player the Braves should be looking to get and keep.
Unless they are blown away….no reason to trade away an above average positional player who is under cheap control for 5 years.
Depends on whether or not they are trying to contend in the next few years.
Defense and legs deteriorate a lot over the years.
We’ve seen in it in the likes of Bourn right?
Yes they don’t need to trade him but why not trade him when his value is high.
I think it’s commendable what Andy MacPhail and Klentak have been able to do to upgrade the club while it matures the youngsters and gets them MLB-ready. Excellent strategy and, at least now, looks like a good haul of prospects on paper. Should be much more tolerable watching the Phillies this season.
And even though no one likes to do it (myself included), Amaro deserves some credit for getting what appears to be a really solid return for Hamels. I will say after seeing what Shelby Miller, Ken Giles, and Kimbrel pulled this offseason and what the SPs have signed for, I wonder if the Phillies could have done even better for Hamels if they waited til now considering how little money Hamels is costing Texas when taking into account the Phillies eating Harrison’s contract. I felt like it was the smart move moving him at the deadline since they got a good return and not wanting to risk an injury like Cliff Lee. But man, the market is crazy right now.
Amaro does deserve credit, all of it, and also any future blame if the trade bottoms out. So far, it looks darn solid, but its still a bit early. As a Phillies Phan, I am bullish on their two significant trades. Prospects are a gamble, but I’ll take the risk, that 25% or more of these players are going to be solid additions to what they already have in Nola, Franco, and Herrera. Crawford is a big piece that has to develop. A lot of things haven’t gone the Phils way over the last few years, but it looks like they have turned a corner. Very excited to see how the all prospects shake out, who else they add via the draft, and finally capped with FA signings to make an eventual playoff push.
On Hamels, I feel they could have gotten more from HOU at the deadline, but Hamels vetoed the trade. The Dodgers look dumb as hell on not pulling the trigger for him now, they way their season ended/offseason is going. Very likely Urias as the headline gets the deal done, but …. those precious prospects…. Anyways, I’m happy with the return, or I should say potential of the return VS the risk of holding him – Injury/FA lowering trade value. Many thought the FA would lower his valve via trade, doesn’t look that way now, but I think they did the right thing. Some GM would get his panties in a bunch if they had to pay hamels 100mil plus give up 5 prospects… Easier to overpay and plug in those cheap prospects to average out the salary hit. ….. of course the prospects gotta give top notch stats at a cheap cost for that idea to work out. its a gamble for both sides of the equation, but .. I think the Phils maximized their position vs the risk.
Dodgers should sign Clippard to setup for Jansen.