Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun may be generating trade buzz with his huge offensive numbers, but he’s also now dealing with a new malady, as MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy reports. While back issues have limited early, with prior wrist and thumb problems also posing some long-term concern, Braun has most recently been limited by a stiff neck. He’s now missed the starting lineup in eight of fourteen games, though GM David Stearns says that the organization expects to manage the injury (and his lingering back trouble) without the need for a DL stint. The general manager acknowledged a “level of interest” in the slugger from other organizations, but also said that the team “fully anticipate[s] Ryan is going to be a Brewer for a very long time.”
Here’s more from the National League:
- The Mets are expected to activate just-acquired first baseman James Loney for action on Tuesday, manager Terry Collins told reporters including Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link). Acquired yesterday from the Padres, the veteran is expected to help fill in for injured first baseman Lucas Duda.
- Padres righty James Shields addressed the recent trade chatter surrounding him, as Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. The veteran hurler says that he’s used to the rumors. “I don’t really think about that kind of thing too much, to be honest with you,” said Shields. “I’ve been in the game long enough to where these things get thrown out there. I think my name gets thrown out there every single year. I don’t really put too much emphasis on it.”
- A prospective deal that would send Shields from the Padres to the White Sox would make sense for both organizations, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports opines. While Shields certainly doesn’t profile as an top-of-the-line starter any longer, Rosenthal says he’d unquestionably help the pitching-needy South Siders.
- Rosenthal notes that other Padres arms, including southpaw Drew Pomeranz, have drawn interest as well. Pomeranz had his worst outing of the season today, though he still managed to set down nine hitters via strikeout in just five innings of work. The 27-year-old is an interesting player to watch, as he comes with two more years of cheap control and has turned in the most promising work of his career thus far for the Pads.
- Meanwhile, the Padres learned that they will be without right-handed starter Cesar Vargas for a stretch, Lin also reports. Elbow soreness is the culprit, and it remains unknown how long he’ll miss. Vargas had been a nice surprise in the early going, though he was hit hard yesterday as his elbow flared up. The Friars are expected to bring back fellow righty Colin Rea to step into Vargas’s rotation spot. He had been optioned in order to limit his innings and maintain his availability for the rest of the season.
Time for Pads to blow it up and deal, deal, deal. Let’s get a look at Renfroe, Margot and one of our shortstops at the deadline. I know it’s early but this season has been toast for some time. Of the position players, the only one worth keeping is Myers and Solarte.
Not really anyone much to deal. Shields brings back a B prospect at best. I assume they don’t want to give up on Pomeranz, who is super cheap for two more years. Kemp is untradeable. Norris is statistically the 2nd worst hitter in baseball, to Erick Aybar, and hitting is supposedly his strength. Who else is available? Melvin Upton? Should have traded Ross before the season.
What about Cashner, Jay and Rodney? They have to trade all 3 of those guys unless they want to give them QO’s.
It makes the most sense to sell high on Pomeranz before he comes crashing down to Earth. He’ll be a free agent before the Padres are a contender.
Those guys aren’t bringing much of value. It’s an average pitcher with injury concerns, an average cf if you squint real hard, and a decent reliever that was traded for cash last year. Roughly average players don’t get much in trade because they are such marginal upgrades.
They don’t have to get much in trade for them. Just get SOMETHING for them before they leave.
Pomeranz only has 2 yrs of control left after this year and throws the most curves in baseball. With their window not being until after 2018 it makes sense to move him before he gets hurt.
Padres probably want to deal Pomeranz, but they could risk it and hope he stays healthy till the offseason, if he did he probably then would get an even bigger return. They need to trade Jay for whatever mediocre prospects they can get back as they have a lot of interesting OF options that are young.
They also need to (but I have doubts they will) eat the money necessary to make a Melvin Upton deal possible, since becoming a Padres Melvin has been a slightly above average hitter and given decent defensive value as well as good base running value. He’s not going to be a huge difference maker for anyone but can help. With Hedges hurt there is no rush to trade Norris, who contrary to popular belief is good at defense now. His FRAA is at 4.7 after being at 11.8 last year.
They should deal Rodney for whoever, and hey maybe someone buys into Buchter, Also hope Solarte can keep his start up (obviously won’t to this degree), so we can get ok prospects back.
Cashner’s value is obvious, you either think it’s more than QO value you are getting back or not, and if not you just keep him. There is absolutely no shot he takes a QO, and with how awful the SP is this offseason someone will take a shot on him.
If Cashier keeps pitching like he has he would have no reason not to take a QO and hope he bounces back. So then the choice the Padres have is to get what they can now, or hope he turns it around and ups his value.
Please, he will get more value than the QO in the offseason unless he suffers a season ending injury. Look at what Ian Kennedy got in a much better starting pitching market. It wouldn’t make sense for Cashner to take the QO when the top FA starter maybe a 36 year old who just started being good again.
Let’s just put it this way. With Cashner the Padres have two choices: trade him at the deadline to the highest bidder or give him the QO. Keeping him and just letting him walk for nothing is unacceptable.
I agree wth looking to see what Pomeranz could fetch at the deadline. I personally don’t think they should wait until the offseason, or else they might end up having another Tyson Ross-like outcome where they hold onto him too long.
As for everyone else, Preller should just see which teams are willing to work with him at the deadline. Guys like Cashner and Rodney could be sought after, and maybe, like Philip said, they could even get out from under the Upton contract.
I know that left field isn’t exactly the strongest offensive spot for the Red Sox but I don’t see why the Red Sox would be a team who would go after Braun. Yet he seems to be mentioned as a possible location every time Braun is mentioned in trade theories. The Sox offense is the best in the league and good enough to allow Swihart to attempt to claim the spot permanently. Any addition to the offense would have a diminishing return at this point.
Any big Red Sox trade has to be for pitching. Right now they’re a team that can easily get to the playoffs. But the pitching staff probably will not get them through even the ALCS let alone the WS. Hitting alone does not win it all.
Braun would be an immediate upgrade in left field this year and as a guy who’s getting older could occasionally move into the vacated DH spot left by the retirement of Ortiz next year while still playing in the field when needed. Most of the time he’s missed this year he was still avaliable to hit, just kept him out of the field for precautionary reasons. Would depend on how much the Sox would have to give up and if the Brewers would eat any of his salary.
I’m sure the Brewers would pay the rest of this years salary which would mean Braun would have 5.5 years at 76 mill left. Which is a steal for the way he is hitting. I’m sure the Brewers would want significant prospects for him and from the sounds of it today they don’t want to trade him. We will see I guess
I don’t know if, with Braun’s prior “allegations”, they would want to go that route. If Boston is thinking deal, they should probably just see what it would take to get Rich Hill back. He’s a native anyways and has had his best seasons with the Red Sox.
I don’t think teams are as concerned about PED history as fans are. Cruz, Peralta, Santana, Ruiz, Grandal, Bastardo, Colon, Volquez, Byrd, Cabrera, etc all have had no problem getting contracts. Locking in 5 years may be a concern with his history, but honestly the way contracts are going his “big contract” is actually fairly reasonable for his production.
Given how the Red Sox hypes up David Ortiz I highly doubt they care.
Agreed, Purple, well said.