Some rumblings from around the AL West…
- Veteran righty Kevin Jepsen has allowed only one run over 9 1/3 Spring Training innings, making him a strong bet to win a spot on the Rangers’ Opening Day roster, MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan writes. Jepsen didn’t pitch in the majors in 2017 after a terrible spring camp with the Diamondbacks that led to a temporary absence from the game, as Jepsen took a couple of months to rehab a dead arm. Once he felt healthy, he caught on with the Nationals on a minor league deal, though the biggest step in his turn-around came after a tip from catcher Spencer Kieboom allowed Jepsen to regain some of his old velocity. Jepsen was a very effective reliever as recently as 2015, so Texas may have found a much-needed bullpen reinforcement for the cost of a minor league contract.
- The Mariners thought so highly of Emilio Pagan as both a player and a person that GM Jerry Dipoto described the swap that sent Pagan and minor leaguer Alexander Campos to the Athletics for Ryon Healy as “probably the most painful trade we’ve made,” Dipoto tells Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. “In a group that’s not unused to changing bodies, a lot of guys were crushed we traded Emilio. He’s an unbelievable guy, a tremendous human being, he does all the right things,” Dipoto said. Pagan made his MLB debut in 2017 and immediately became a key cog in Seattle’s bullpen, posting a 3.22 ERA over 50 1/3 innings and recording 56 strikeouts against just eight walks. Pagan has continued to hone his game this spring, telling Slusser that he has increased usage of his changeup and also been throwing more inside fastballs to hitters.
- Contrary to some reports out of Mexico, MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart reports (Twitter link) that the Astros aren’t signing Jose Bautista. Given the Astros’ loaded roster, there wouldn’t have seemed to be much of a spot for the veteran slugger, particularly since he is coming off a sub-replacement level season in 2017. There hasn’t been much in the way of concrete news about Bautista this winter, though the former Blue Jays slugger recently said he was still trying to find the best fit for he and his family amidst multiple Major League offers.
Bautista is so full of it. Surely no MLB offers.
So true.
Does he actually have major league offers? No way, José.
Best (probably worst) quote in the history of baseball:
“I don’t think there should be any negotiations. I think I’ve proved myself, and the question has been asked — what will it take — and I’ve given them an answer, I’m not going to sit here and try to bargain for a couple dollars.”
– Jose Bautista, Feb 2016
Too bad no Bautista to Astros–Odor would have liked to use him as a punching bag on a more regular basis.
Neither player hits like he belongs in the majors at this point. The feud would be a nice minor league sideshow I guess though.
Like the Astros do to the Rangers?
You guys were destroyed for a decade by the Rangers and every other team for that matter
World champs now bud. suck it. and it was 5 years.
…and yet the Rangers have nothing to show for it. Rangers have a silver boot. woohoo.
Suck it Arlington suck it long and suck it hard
still butt hurt from that 7th inning hu?
He must be! Haha. Plus, throwing a sucker punch takes a really special kinda man. I never really cared for Joey Bats ‘ antics — tho I loved all the drama he brought in Orioles and Rangers games, but Odor is quite obviously one of the cheapest, dirtiest players in the league – proven time and time again. That 7th inning was karma…. and the sweep the next time around was great too!
Bautista’s hands were up when he approached Odor after initiating the confrontation with a reckless slide. Odor demonstrated a lack of control, granted, but that was no sucker punch. Bautista was lucky Beltre held him up.
Odor through his hardest and Bautista wasn’t going down.
Threw
I don’t think you know what a sucker punch is. Good try tho
Sucker punch would be if Bautista routinely slid into second and, out of nowhere, Odor punched him. That was no sucker punch. Bautista provoked Odor, pretended to be a tough guy as if he was going to punch Odor, but he picked on the wrong guy. But, I appreciate your encouragement, redbeard. Bautista got what he deserved, just as he’s getting his rewards now with his “multiple” major league deals.
Young punk gets his best shot in on an old guy. Old guy takes it like it was paper bag in a windstorm.
Why would you want him on Houston? Bautista is the legal owner of the Texas Rangers man. He’s literally your guys daddy
Yeah, guys who get knocked out totally own the guys who kicked their @ss.
He knocked the whole team out with that hr, got punched by the little butthurt rat, then proceeded to sweep their asses again a few months later. He owns them alright,
Jose can take a punch. I would bet Jose over Odor no problem. Jose is one of the most popular players ever in Toronto. On the right team he could be a big help. A right handed power bat. Don’t laugh but the Rangers could be a good fit.
It’s clear to Dipoto now that he jumped the gun on the Healy trade and gave up a nice asset in Pagan that he didn’t need to given the market dynamics that played out. He could have had Morrison for 1/$7M, or even 2/$10M, or a host of other serviceable + cheap options for this year. Dipoto needs to learn more patience or he won’t be on the GM circuit for long.
Hind sight is always 20/20…
You could say the same with Sox resigning moreland. Same about phillies and Santana
Right now the trade looks bad, but it’s spring and still too early to tell. Give it until August.
That should be the Mariners slogan.
Mariners Baseball: Right Now The Trade Looks Bad.
There were a ton of 1B/DH options on the free agent market, it was always silly to give up a good asset in a trade for one
Jose Bautista and I got the same number of major league offers this offseason – zero.
The Healy trade for Pagan and Campos was excellent for the A’s.
Bautista needs to just go away and never return never. Maybe some low level independent team will feel sorry for him and make him there bat boy or water boy
Why? He’s had one bad season. Some team hoping he can bounce back would be intelligent to bring him in
Bonds was not hired at the end of his career because he was intensely disliked. Joey Bats is not just disliked, he no longer can play. Hope he saved his money.
Does Bautista know Japanese as I expect those are going to be the only offers he would be getting.
He can go to Korea and hit 60 HRS.