Here’s the latest from around the American League East…
- David Price is tentatively scheduled to make his 2017 debut for the Red Sox on May 29 or 30, as per a rough timeline that manager John Farrell gave WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford and other reporters today. Price (who has been sidelined since early March with elbow problems) will throw a second simulated game on Tuesday, and then minor league rehab games on May 14, 19 and 24 according to the club’s current plans.
- The Blue Jays will start right-hander Joe Biagini against the Rays on Sunday, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith and others reported. Biagini will be making his first MLB start as the Jays continue to look for rotation help with J.A. Happ and Aaron Sanchez on the DL. Biagini has been excellent in 74 career relief outings for Toronto, and his importance to the bullpen was why the Jays ultimately decided against stretching him out as a starter in Spring Training.
- With the Yankees rolling, there are naturally several trade acquisition questions from fans in the latest reader mailbag piece from NJ Advance Media’s Brendan Kuty. It may still be a bit early to cement the Yankees as contenders, Kuty notes, or to guess whether GM Brian Cashman would be more comfortable giving up multiple top prospects for a front-of-the-rotation starter (i.e. Gerrit Cole or Jose Quintana). New York could explore being both buyers and sellers at the deadline, such as giving up prospects for pitching and then dealing a starting position player like Brett Gardner to recoup some minor leaguers, as long as the Yankees feel Aaron Hicks or another youngster is ready to fully step into an everyday role.
Still feel the Yankees are playing with fools gold. But only time will tell. Can’t see them being a 95 win team but hard to figure since they got off to such a great start.
The rotation will not hold up imo, but they do have the farm system to go out and make a trade.
Yes. Make no mistake about it, the Yankees will have to pay a premium in prospects for a front line starter like Gerrit Cole or Jose Quintana…just as they extracted the same from the Cubs and Indians last July when trading elite relievers Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller.
The only way they pay a premium for a front line starter is if that guy they want is pitching and has the stats like a front line starter.
That was the basis for their trades last year….Miller was invaluable as was Chapman performing right up to their potential, and their performance at the trade dates made the return for those prospects possible.
There’s a whole lot more that goes into the value of a pitcher than just their production as the trade deadline approaches. A pitcher can be dealt anytime and many are during the offseason.
Generally speaking, a front line starter carries more value than an elite reliever. The fact that Cole (26) and Quintana (28) are still relatively young and have proven track records in MLB only adds to their worth. Adding in their relatively cheap control also factors in. Cole still has 2 more years of arbitration eligibility beyond this season before he can become a free agent in 2020 while Quintana has 3 additional years of cheap contract control, including 2 team options, before he can become one in 2021. Unlike Cole, Quintana also has health and durability in his favor, not missing a start since entering the White Sox rotation in early 2012.
Btw-Miller had similar control to both Cole and “Q” but Chapman was a 3 month rental for the Cubs when each were traded last July.
Outside of the 1-4 start of the regular season, the Yankees have been playing extremely well since Spring Training. The have beat Baltimore, Boston and the World Champion Cubs soundly. They have come from behind, held leads and done all of this without contributions Sanchez and Bird. On top of this they have kids in the farm like Torres and Frazier knocking at the door. They also have a stable of young pitchers that can be shuttled up and down. It’s a long season but there is every reason to believe that this team is for real and will sustain a competitive pace.
Yah. I agree. Go Yanks Go.
I’ve predicted a Cole to the Yankees deal for a while.
And I’m intrigued by one of their prospects, but he’s shown some signs of being a suspect. If Mateo can get back to being a top 100 prospect, a guy with elite speed who could hit leadoff would change the entire lineup. Pirates haven’t had one in decades.
Frazier, Mateo and Severino?
Frazier gives them an option if Marte never gets back to his juiced version or if Polanco doesn’t rebound. They can give Severino the Nova treatment and make him a #2/3 starter.
Meanwhile, the Yankees get a top of the rotation arm to pair with Tanaka without trading Judge, Bird or Torres.
First off Mateo is a top 100 prospect,secondly the Bombers will not trade Frazier nor should they,and lastly Severino has shown signs of what they expected of him and probably won’t get traded.
Well, as my grandmother used to tell me, “No chuppah, no shtuppah!” lol
Mateo is not playing like a top 100 prospect at all. his stock is falling in my eyes
It’s been 27 games..give the guy a break. Oh an there’s plenty of top 100 prospects not playing that well. Right now Mateo is #41 on MLB.com until they reassess the list later this year,by then he could be playing way above this.
Solid comment. The Yankees couldn’t go wrong with either Gerrit Cole or Jose Quintana, ironically two pitchers they had a previous connection to.
Cole was a Yankee late first round pick (#28) back in the MLB June Draft in 2008 but he elected to attend UCLA instead. The Pirates made him the overall #1 selection in the 2011 June Draft.
Quintana was in the Yankee farm system from 2008 through 2011. He became a minor league free agent following the 2011 season and was signed by the White Sox. With the help of pitching coach Don Cooper, “Q” developed into a front line starter beginning in May of 2012 and hasn’t missed a single start since.
That wouldn’t do why give good pitching to get good pitching severino would not be in that deal maybe someone like chance adams who is dominant in every level with video game numbers
Maybe:
Adams
Mateo
Frazier
I wouldn’t do that either. Cole has not shown he is an ace in the weak NL central!
His era pitching in AL possibly would add a run or run and half
His era would be high 4 then?
Why would you give up that boatload for a guy with injury history and never shown consistency or ability to be ace?
Trades like that can backfire and set teams back.
Then how about Quintana? “Q” has put up some similar numbers to Cole, has pitched exclusively in the A.L, in a hitter-friendly home park and has had a much less competitive team supporting him over his MLB career. Quintana’s durability has helped him achieve a 20.6 WAR in 157 starts compared to Cole’s 9.6 metric in 100 starts. In addition, Quintana is a southpaw, something that would be welcome in the current Yankee rotation as well as historically in their stadium.
Lol
Dream
Severino pitching better then cole
And you want Frazier and Mateo on top
Lmao
I agree man…..day dreaming about how much the Yanks give up to get…..those days are gone.
Wait until you find out the asking price on Quintana…
I’m intrigued by Gregory polonco! I think the Yanks should deal Austin Romine and Mason Williams straight up for him.
Trading Romine would give the Yankees no option other than to go with a catcher that doesn’t even have a hit on the major league level after his call up.
And why would they want an outfielder when their system is full of outfielders?
Yea that’s gotta be one of the most one sided(Yankees favor) crazy trade ideas yet. The Pirates just extended him and why would the want Mason Williams!
I was being sarcastic
1st time in the bigs for Higashioka, he gets a pass for going 0-20ish on his first go around as a backup catcher. Don’t forget, Judge was awful in his 1st cup of tea, as was Sanchez when he was 1st up in the league.
Insane. Mateo, Frazier , Severino for Cole? Cashman is much smarter than that.
Wish Mr. Price well, RS not so much.
There is no way that the yanks rotation holds up all year. They have their own depth that can fill in. Cashman won’t be panicing and trading away a boatload of prospects to early, he’ll be waiting until the deadline and checking in with all teams. It may not be Cole or Quintana if the time comes. Aaron Hicks is having a great start but this hot start won’t last, he is a mediocre player and the Yankees won’t be trading Gardner, that would be foolish.
Hicks has played mediocre to lowly so far in his career but this could be a turnaround year. The guy was once considered a top prospect and he has all the tools to be very good..that’s why the Yanks wanted him!
If there’s a front office willing to give up top prospects for “ace” gerrit cole, it sure as hell isnt the yankees’
Why trade for someone with years left on their contract when they can get a rental and get into the over supplied free agent market this off season?
There is no “being both buyers and sellers.” Contenders don’t trade Major League contributors. Just ask the A’s how trading Yoenis Cespedes in the middle of a playoff race worked for them.
I really hope Cashman doesn’t trade away the farm for Cole or Quintana. I don’t think the rotation holds up and it already looks like CC is done, but if they’re going to give up major prospects, it has to be for an actual ace. Cole and Quintana are not aces.
Not all the prospects are going to pan out. If Cashmanhas a chance for a front line starter , it’s worth a couple of these guys. Any trade must include the dumping of Ellsburys contract. How does outfield of Frazier/Judge & Trout or Harper sound?
Don’t forget about Tyler Austin. He’s on the mend as well
The only guy the Yankees should trade for with those elite prospects is Mike Trout.
FYI, At the moment Trout is not available at any price. Many teams have asked already. If the Yankees are in contention at the trade deadline, they will be trading away prospects for what they need. Cashman is smart and will do it the right way. For example, there are going to be many starter rentals available at the deadline. To get Price, the Jays had to give up 1 elite prospect, and 2 good ones. The bottom line is to trade for premium talent, it costs prospect capital.