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Sean Newcomb

Braves Place Arodys Vizcaino On IL, Option Sean Newcomb

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The Braves have placed closer Arodys Vizcaino on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to April 11, and optioned left-hander Sean Newcomb to Triple-A Gwinnett, Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. In corresponding moves, the team recalled righties Jacob Webb and Dan Winkler from Gwinnett.

Vizcaino has been battling shoulder inflammation, which is part of the reason why he hasn’t pitched since April 7. This is the second straight year in which Vizcaino has dealt with shoulder problems. He did open the season in decent fashion, though, with four innings of one-run, three-hit ball and six strikeouts against three walks. His absence should lead to more save opportunities for co-closer A.J. Minter, who converted his lone chance on April 8.

Newcomb, 25, emerged as a capable starter for the Braves from 2017-18, when he combined for a 4.06 ERA/4.16 FIP and 9.14 K/9 over 264 innings. However, Newcomb walked 4.7 batters per nine during that span and has continued to fight control problems this year. Prior to his demotion, Newcomb posted more walks (eight) than strikeouts (five) across his first three starts, during which he yielded a combined six earned runs. There’s no indication how long Newcomb will stay in the minors, but for now, his rotation spot is likely to go to fellow promising youngster Touki Toussaint. The just-recalled righty impressed during six innings of relief in a win over the Mets on Saturday.

Quick Hits: Mesa Brothers, Giants, Rays, Braves

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Cuban prospect Victor Victor Mesa, the consensus top prospect on the International circuit, held a showcase for all 30 teams yesterday at Marlins Park with his brother Victor Mesa, Jr., and made a strong impression, reports Jesse Sanchez of mlb.com. Victor Victor, the older of the two by five years, posted top marks in the 60-yard dash, flashed plus arm strength, and hit “with authority” during a live batting practice session against current Marlins minor leaguers.  One top-level American League scout left unimpressed with the eldest’s power projection and noted that Mesa, Jr. could have higher upside, though the prevailing notion, according to Yahoo’s Jeff Passan, is that Victor Victor is the superior prospect and may only need “a year” in the minor leagues.  The Orioles, who boast the most international bonus pool money for the upcoming signing period at $6.7MM, are considered the “likely” favorite to sign the 22-year-old Victor Victor, according to the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo, though the market remains nebulous.

In other news from around the league . . .

  • The Giants haven’t yet been bit by the returns for offseason acquisitions Andrew McCutchen and Evan Longoria, writes Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area.  The McCutchen trade was dually headlined by reliever Kyle Crick, whose substantially improved command still falls short of the threshold for sustained success, and outfield prospect Bryan Reynolds, who turned in a solid, if unspectacular season as an old-for-the-level 23-year-old for Double-A Altoona.  Reynolds, who dealt with hamate issues at the beginning of the season, still faces questions about his ability to stay in center field and whether or not he’ll possess enough thump should he be confined to a corner.  For Longoria, the Rays’ lot was headlined by the 23-year-old Christian Arroyo, who again struggled this season after a disastrous MLB debut in 2017.  Arroyo’s strikeout rate ballooned to a career-high 27.1% at Triple-A Durham, and his coveted versatility won’t much matter if he continues to be inept at the plate.
  • The Rays are preparing for an about-face this offseason, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.  Tampa’s startling turnaround, headlined by an embarrassment of pre-arbitration riches and unanticipated minor league breakouts, has left the team with a litany of options as they enter the winter.  “The expectations are up,” GM Erik Neander said. “We go into next year off the season we had, we want to improve. And to improve on the number of wins we had this year should put us in the territory where we’re expecting playoffs.” Neander did add that the club isn’t necessarily expecting an “active winter,” but with only $32MM in payroll commitments for the upcoming season, the Rays figure to be a team to watch as we enter the Hot Stove.
  • Sean Newcomb will start tomorrow’s game three for Atlanta, reports Mark Bowman of mlb.com.  The club had originally tabbed righty Kevin Gausman for the outing, but abruptly changed plans after dropping the first two games in Los Angeles. Newcomb, who was shaky at best for the Braves in the season’s final weeks, perhaps will get the nod merely for his status as a left-handed arm: the Dodgers, after all, destroyed right-handers to the tune of a 117 wRC+ this season, the top mark in the league.

NL East Notes: Braves, Newcomb, Mets, Montero, Vargas

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Left-hander Sean Newcomb will open the year in the Braves’ rotation, Gabriel Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. He’ll be part of a quintet that should also include Julio Teheran, Brandon McCarthy and Mike Foltynewicz, though it’s not yet clear who will occupy the fifth spot. The 24-year-old Newcomb debuted in the majors last season and recorded a 4.32 ERA/4.19 FIP across 100 innings, also posting a promising K/9 (9.72) but a troubling BB/9 (5.13). Braves manager Brian Snitker is impressed with the progress Newcomb has made since last year, saying: “Amazing where he’s at to me right now from where he was a year ago. How much improvement that guy’s made. The confidence, his mound presence, the competitiveness, the whole thing from a year ago today. It’s so much better.”

Now for the latest on one of Atlanta’s division rivals…

  • The Mets are considering trading out-of-options right-hander Rafael Montero, who’s drawing some interest from other teams, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports. A deal is not imminent, though, according to Ehalt. The 27-year-old struggled in the majors last season during his first extensive action in the bigs, with a 5.52 ERA and a 5.07 BB/9 over 119 innings (34 appearances, 18 starts). He did strike out 8.62 batters per nine and log a 4.37 FIP, though, to go with a 48.1 groundball percentage.
  • Mets southpaw Jason Vargas took a line drive off the right hand Friday, and now his status for the start of the season is in question, per Tim Healey of Newsday. X-rays came back negative, but Vargas noted that “it’s sore,” and he’s set to see a hand specialist (though he seems largely unconcerned). Manager Mickey Callaway added that he’s “not quite sure” whether the Mets will be able to open the year with Vargas, who’s currently in line to start their third game of the season. The Mets added Vargas on a two-year, $16MM deal in the offseason, hoping he’d provide a competent innings eater to a rotation that lacked those during an injury-plagued 2017.
  • More on the Mets, who utilized infielder Wilmer Flores in left field on Saturday. If the Mets are serious about Flores as an outfield option, it could benefit the rest of their roster, Tim Britton of The Athletic observes (subscription required). Flores as a fifth outfielder would give the Mets the ability to assemble a 13-man pitching staff, including eight in the bullpen, Britton notes. Regardless, Callaway is intent on finding at-bats for Flores, who was an above-average hitter from 2016-17. “You saw why he needs to be playing multiple positions, because the kid can hit,” Callaway said. “We need to get him as many at-bats as we can this season.”

Coppolella On Snitker, Acuna, Dickey, Flowers, 2018 Plans

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Here’s the latest from out of Atlanta, via a highly informative column from Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

  • The Braves are “believed to be leaning toward” keeping Brian Snitker to manage in 2018, Bradley writes. Snitker met with Braves brass yesterday. While the team hasn’t made a final decision, and while it seems likely the team will make coaching changes even if it doesn’t dismiss its manager, GM John Coppolella characterizes the meeting as a “productive” one. Snitker’s status has been a subject of speculation over the last week, as it has looked at various points like the Braves could aim to replace Snitker with special assistant Bo Porter or third base coach Ron Washington, both of whom have MLB managerial experience. The Braves have an option on Snitker’s services for 2018.
  • Looking forward to 2018, Coppolella believes the Braves will get younger. “We’ve got arguably the best prospect in the game (Ronald Acuna) pushing his way up to Atlanta. He’s going to be given every opportunity in Spring Training,” Coppolella says. “When he’s ready, nobody’s going to stand in his way. I said the same thing about Ozzie Albies this spring, and it’s the same way.” Elsewhere, Coppolella notes that it’s possible the team could trade Matt Kemp or Nick Markakis to clear space, although that acknowledgement seems to have come in response to a direct question from Bradley.
  • Coppolella says the team “needs to make a decision” on R.A. Dickey’s club option for 2018. Other than that, the team “won’t be playing in big free-agent pitching waters,” preferring instead to give opportunities to younger pitchers. Dickey’s option is worth $8MM or a $500K buyout. He’s posted a 4.32 ERA, 6.5 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 while eating 183 1/3 innings this season and would seem to be an asset at that price, although he’ll turn 43 next month. Dickey’s option is a team option, although Coppolella notes that Dickey too “needs to make a decision on whether he’s coming back,” perhaps referring to the possibility Dickey could retire. (About 70% of MLBTR readers believe the Braves should exercise Dickey’s option, via a recent poll by Jeff Todd.)
  • The Braves’ biggest priority this winter will be relief pitching Coppolella says. The team will look for one reliever or “preferably two.” The Braves’ bullpen’s 4.62 ERA this season has ranked fourth worst in the Majors.
  • The Braves have already extended Kurt Suzuki, and Coppolella repeats they’re likely to exercise fellow catcher Tyler Flowers’ $4MM option as well (rather than paying him a $300K buyout). That the Braves would plan to exercise such a cheap option comes as little surprise after Flowers’ strong .286/.378/.445 season. Also unsurprisingly, Coppolella indicates that he’s happy about the Braves’ catcher position for 2018.
  • The Braves, of course, haven’t contended in 2017, although with 70 wins, they’re already topped their 2016 total. “We’re going from 67 wins to 68 wins to 70-something wins,” says Coppolella, who emphasizes the contributions of young players (including, one assumes, rookies like Albies, Johan Camargo and Sean Newcomb, along with even newer arrivals like September callup Luiz Gohara). “We’re seeing us do it with young players. A big point for me is that you’re not seeing starts go to Joel De La Cruz. You’re not seeing innings go to Jake Brigham or Ryan Kelly. We’re doing it with kids.”

Braves To Promote Sean Newcomb This Weekend

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The Braves will promote top left-handed pitching prospect Sean Newcomb to start one of Saturday’s doubleheader games, reports Mark Bowman of MLB.com (on Twitter). Whether it’s a spot start or a potential audition for a long-term spot in the rotation — Bartolo Colon has struggled all season and was placed on the disabled list yesterday — Newcomb will be making his MLB debut this weekend. The lefty isn’t on Atlanta’s 40-man roster, though the Braves have an open spot for him.

Newcomb, 24 next week, was the Angels’ first-round pick (No. 15 overall) out of the University of Hartford back in 2014 and was traded to the Braves roughly 18 months later as the key piece in the Andrelton Simmons swap. He’s emerged as a consensus Top 100 prospect throughout the game, though his stock took somewhat of a hit with a so-so 2016 campaign in Double-A. After ranking among baseball’s top 25 or so prospects in the eyes of Baseball America and MLB.com, he entered the 2017 campaign ranked 78th and 80th on their respective lists. ESPN’s Keith Law ranked him 81st, while Baseball Prospectus remained a bit more bullish and ranked him 44th.

Through his first 57 innings with Triple-A Gwinnett this season, Newcomb has pitched to a strong 2.97 ERA with an outstanding 11.5 K/9 rate. However, he’s also averaged 5.2 walks per nine, continuing a troubling trend of control problems that has followed him throughout his professional career. Newcomb has averaged 4.8 walks per nine since being drafted, and in addition to walking 104 men through 197 2/3 frames across the past two seasons, he’s also hit eight batters and tossed nine wild pitches.

Scouting reports on Newcomb praise his considerable upside but are also wary of his control problems. Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com note that he sat 93-97 mph with his fastball last season and has at times touched 99-100 mph in the past — also praising his curveball as a plus offering and writing that his changeup is at least an average pitch. BA agreed with MLB.com’s assessment of Newcomb’s secondary offerings but pegged his fastball a couple miles per hour slower and also suggested that he needs to be more aggressive when he’s ahead in the count. Law, meanwhile, notes that Newcomb has durability but has yet to improve his command to the point where he can be considered likely to reach his ceiling as a No. 2 starter.

Control issues aside, the Braves are counting on Newcomb to serve as a long-term cog in their rotation following the departures of this offseason’s one-year stopgap acquisitions (Colon, R.A. Dickey and Jaime Garcia). Newcomb, along with Lucas Sims, Kolby Allard, Mike Soroka, Max Fried and Luiz Gohara, gives the Braves an enviable crop of well-regarded pitching prospects that currently sit in Double-A or higher. The hope, it seems, is that three of that bunch can slot into the rotation behind controllable right-handers Julio Teheran and Mike Foltynewicz to give Atlanta a rotation that is both sustainable and affordable for the next several years in the newly opened Sun Trust Park.

If Newcomb is brought to the Majors for good, he’ll accrue 114 days of big league service this season, which should put him just shy of Super Two eligibility moving forward. Assuming he misses out on Super Two status, he’d be arbitration-eligible following the 2020 season and would qualify for free agency following the 2023 campaign. Of course, it’s also certainly possible that this is merely a brief promotion to get his feet wet and that the Braves won’t fully commit a Major League rotation spot to Newcomb until later this season or even 2018.

NL East Notes: Giolito, Henderson, Appel, Toussaint, Newcomb

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If Lucas Giolito isn’t in the majors by June then something has gone wrong, a scout tells Jayson Stark of ESPN, Giolito is the number three prospect in the game per ESPN, Baseball Prospectus, and MLB.com. Giolito features a 98 mph fastball, plus-plus curve, and an above average changeup. Stark and those he’s talked to can’t offer enough praise, throwing around terms like future “superstar” without reservation. The Nationals will hope Giolito can provide the same midseason boost their division rivals enjoyed from Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz last season.

Here’s more from the NL East:

  • Mets non-roster invitee Jim Henderson is battling for one of the final bullpen jobs, writes Glenn Sattell of MLB.com. The former closer has missed most of the last two seasons with a shoulder injury. He’s finally healthy, throwing in the 90s, and turning in solid results. With only a couple spots open to competition, Henderson will face stiff competition. The good news for him is this: if he’s really healthy, somebody will have a job for him.
  • Former first overall pick Mark Appel may be well served by his recent change of scenery, writes Jim Salisbury of Baseball America. Appel, 25, joined the Phillies organization over the offseason as a part of the Ken Giles trade. Despite well-regarded stuff, a straight fastball and command issues have limited his performance to date. The command has continued to be an issue this spring, but perhaps a new coaching staff can help to add a new perspective. My own two cents – the comparison between Appel and former first overall pick Luke Hochevar is an easy one. Hochevar didn’t unlock his talent until he transitioned to relief. Appel may also benefit from such a move, and he could have the necessary stuff to switch back to starting like Carlos Carrasco.
  • A couple Braves trade acquisitions are turning heads, writes J.J. Cooper of Baseball America. Touki Toussaint joined Atlanta as compensation for taking on Bronson Arroyo’s salary. While his stuff continues to impress, command and control issues plague him. He’s described as possessing a quality fastball, curve, and change. Meanwhile, Sean Newcomb has shown better strikeout stuff throughout his minor league career. Acquired in the Andrelton Simmons trade, Newcomb also has a history of shaky command.

Moreno: “It Has Never Been About” Luxury Tax

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The Angels have taken quite a bit of flak for a seeming unwillingness to exceed the luxury tax threshold, but owner Arte Moreno strongly denied to MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez that he is firmly against exceeding that $189MM threshold. “It has never been about that,” Moreno told Gonzalez. “It has never been with the threshold. …We have a budget, and every year, I’ve overspent our budget.” Moreno says that his operating budget has typically been in the $140-150MM range, but he’s consistently exceeded that mark to the point where he suggested to Gonzalez that the team is barely avoiding debt. Moreno, though, seemingly conceded to the fact that the possibility of exceeding the tax barrier played some role in the club’s offseason, as Gonzalez goes on to mention that the owner “wasn’t confident that the Angels would be able to comfortably get back under the threshold given their potential holes,” which prompted them to pass on high-profile free agents. It would seem, then, that his assertion is that while he wasn’t entirely resistant to the notion of exceeding, the proper situation didn’t present itself this winter. The Angels do have a record payroll for the 2016 season, Gonzalez points out, even with a Craig Gentry/Daniel Nava platoon in left field and Johnny Giavotella/Cliff Pennington in line for most of the second base at-bats. Just as importantly, though, he adds that the Angels are about $2MM shy of the luxury tax threshold at present. Notably, Moreno denied an interview to the Los Angeles Times, as Pedro Moura writes.

A bit more from Gonzalez’s column and several more Angels notes on an evening with plenty of news coming out of Anaheim…

  • Regarding the possibility of eventually looking to trade Mike Trout — a notion that stemmed from a fairly innocuous comment in Keith Law’s farm system rankings at ESPN — Moreno shot down the possibility in definitive fashion. “One hundred percent we are not trading Mike Trout,” Moreno told Gonzalez. “…It’s not even in the thought process.” Honestly, it’s fairly surprising to me that this even reached the point where the owner felt the need to comment, but Moreno’s firm denial merits a brief mention.
  • While the Angels didn’t make the big deadline splash that many fans were hoping for this past July, it wasn’t for lack of trying, Gonzalez tweets. According to Gonzalez, the Halos “tried hard” to pry Yoenis Cespedes from the Tigers, but Detroit wouldn’t budge on its asking price of Sean Newcomb. Eventually, the two sides scrapped the talks and, of course, Cespedes was traded to the Mets for right-handers Michael Fulmer and Luis Cessa. Newcomb was later traded alongside right-hander Chris Ellis and shortstop Erick Aybar to bring Andrelton Simmons to the Halos. For those wondering why the Angels didn’t make a run at Cespedes this winter, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register got the sense that Cespedes preferred the East Coast and didn’t want to sign with the Angels, who would’ve had to drastically overpay in order to sign him (links to Twitter).
  • Another interesting note from Fletcher, who writes in a full column that left-hander Hector Santiago said his agent called him in November to inform him that he was on the verge of being traded to the Orioles. A deal (clearly) never came to fruition. The Orioles are known to have been seeking rotation help all winter, and Santiago was an oft-speculated trade candidate when the Angels were seeking ways in which to bolster their outfield situation. Specific parameters of the apparent near-deal aren’t known, though  if the agent and player are being informed that something is close, that would signify rather advanced discussions.
  • Also within that piece, Fletcher writes that setup man Joe Smith would like to remain with the Halos beyond the expiration of his contract at season’s end, although there have been no extension talks between the two sides. “I would love to (re-sign) but there were a few more important things this winter to be keeping our eye on,” said Smith.
  • Former Angels GM and current Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto discussed his relationship with Moreno and manager Mike Scioscia candidly in an appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (audio link). Dipoto praised Moreno’s willingness to spend and called Scioscia a likely Hall of Famer, but he admitted that there were challenges. “There were times where it was very difficult to the job that I was asked to do, but that was because I was caught in between, perhaps, two different dynamics,” said Dipoto. “And I would say the same of them. I had some different ideas that maybe they weren’t as comfortable with…” Dipoto went on to say that Mariners ownership has been more receptive to his ideas. “…And, as importantly, I have a manager now in Scott Servais who I do see eye-to-eye with,” Dipoto continued. “We have discussed every move, we have disagreed on many ideas as we’ve gone through this offseason, but in a really productive way. And, fair or unfair, that was not always the case with Mike. … Healthy disagreement is a good thing, and sometimes in Anaheim as you saw played out nationally multiple times over the four years, it wasn’t quite as healthy.”
  • Scioscia was made aware of Dipoto’s comments, Moura notes in his aforementioned column, though the longtime Halos skipper didn’t seem to take much umbrage with anything that was said. “I think there were certainly times that you are not going to agree on everything,” Scioscia explained. “I think there were times when the communication was there, maybe times where it wasn’t what it could have been. But I’m not looking back.” Scioscia said he operated similarly under former GMs Bill Stoneman and Tony Reagins. “I think you have to have that free-flowing of ideas,” he continued. “I think at times, we did.”

NL East Notes: Prospects, Phillies, Giles, Mets

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Here’s the latest from around the NL East…

  • The top three prospects involved in trades this offseason were all acquired by the Braves, Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper writes.  Dansby Swanson, Sean Newcomb and Aaron Blair sit atop Cooper’s ranking of the top 25 prospects who were dealt this winter.  Swanson and Blair came to Atlanta as part of the Shelby Miller trade with Arizona while Newcomb was part of the package that came to the Braves in the Andrelton Simmons deal with the Angels.
  • With the Phillies embarking on a full-fledged rebuild, it wouldn’t have made sense for the club to sign a major free agent simply in the name of boosting attendance, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki writes as part of a reader mailbag.  The organization has shown that it will spend heavily to support a contender, so Zolecki doesn’t doubt that the big signings will follow once a young core of talent is again in place.
  • Zolecki also gives his take on the Ken Giles trade, opining that the Phillies did well in landing five young starting pitchers given the cost of pitching in today’s game.  Developing even one mid-range arm out of the quintet will provide the Phils with more value than having a star closer would in a rebuilding season.  When the Phillies are ready to contend again, Zolecki notes, it will also be much easier (and cheaper) to find another closer than it would be to add rotation help.
  • The Mets haven’t yet decided on which internal candidates will receive Spring Training invitations to their big league camp, ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin reports (via Twitter).  In a follow-up tweet, Rubin gives his take on which players will be invited.
  • In NL East news from earlier today, the Braves are trying to trade at least one of Michael Bourn or Nick Swisher.

Reactions To And Effects Of The Andrelton Simmons Trade

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Here are a few notes on the Braves’ trade of Andrelton Simmons and Jose Briceno to the Angels for Erick Aybar, Sean Newcomb and Chris Ellis.

  • Simmons’ departure is a tough pill for Braves fans, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution writes. Simmons was a regular and was signed for several more seasons, and there was a good possibility he would make a brilliant defensive play in any given game. Simmons is the best defensive shortstop since Ozzie Smith, O’Brien says, and there’s a parallel between the Simmons deal and the Padres’ regrettable decision to trade Smith in December 1981 after four years in San Diego as a light-hitting infielder. O’Brien also notes that the Simmons deal is likely to make the Braves less competitive as they open their new ballpark in 2017.
  • The Braves’ rebuild will likely be painful in the short term, but is more likely to reap rewards in the long term than a more cautious approach, ESPN’s Buster Olney writes (Insider only). The Braves’ series of trades leaves them not only with a big collection of prospects, but also with the third overall draft choice next year and likely another top pick in 2017. The Braves are now at a low point in their rebuilding efforts (although perhaps not the lowest point, as Olney notes). The Cubs’ and Astros’ 2015 seasons, though, demonstrate the potential rewards of completing the task ahead.
  • Braves GM John Coppolella says the team made the deal reluctantly, writes MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. “We didn’t want to trade Andrelton Simmons,” Coppolella says. “But we felt this was too good for us to pass up. We felt like we were getting so much talent back in this deal, that if we didn’t make this trade, it would be very tough for us to keep going forward with our plans.” Interestingly, Bowman implies that the Yankees pursued Simmons last offseason and offered a package that included top prospect Luis Severino.
  • The Braves’ return for Simmons was merely a decent one, ESPN’s Keith Law writes (also for subscribers). The Angels did give up their top two prospects in Newcomb and Ellis, but they got a player in return who’s so good defensively that he’s valuable even if he doesn’t hit much. Simmons can also help the Angels win now, which is good, because their remaining farm system isn’t much to speak of.
  • With the departures of Simmons and Jason Heyward, the Braves seem to be betting against their elite defenders aging well, FanGraphs’ Dave Cameron writes. Cameron finds, however, that great young defenders do tend to lose some defensive value from ages 26 to 30 (the age through which the Braves would have controlled Simmons), but that they compensate for that with stronger offensive performances (much as Smith did after moving from San Diego to St. Louis).

Angels Open To Adding Rental Hitters, Righty Bats

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The Angels prefer to acquire a bat that is controlled beyond the 2015 season, but they’re warming to the idea of acquiring a rental, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com tweets. That includes Yoenis Cespedes, though the cost of acquisition will obviously be key to any deal. At the very least, he adds, they’d like to add a bench piece they’re comfortable starting a couple of times per week.

Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register also hears that the Angels are opening up to not only the idea of rental players, but also to the idea of adding a right-handed bat. (Previously, the Angels have been said to prefer left-handed bats due to the heavily right-handed nature of their lineup.) According to Fletcher, the only player that seems off limits in the Angels’ minor league system is Sean Newcomb. Pitchers Chris Ellis and Nate Smith — two of the club’s top-ranked prospects — could potentially be had. Fletcher adds (via Twitter) that Andrew Heaney is probably not available either.

Gonzalez wrote yesterday that the Angels are seeking both a leadoff hitter and a power bat to slot in fifth behind Mike Trout and Albert Pujols in the batting order, though they may not be able to acquire both. In a followup tweet to the article, Gonzalez says he’s getting the sense that the Angels would prefer the power bat. David Freese has spent the bulk of the time hitting fifth in Anaheim this season but has batted a fairly pedestrian .240/.308/.409.

As for the leadoff role, Johnny Giavotella has assumed that spot lately but struggled there, and his .261/.315/.349 batting line is below the league average. The Angels, according to Gonzalez, are monitoring Chase Utley’s rehab as a possible alternative. However, they’d only have true interest were the cost “minimal” and should Utley begin to show his old form at the plate. (Utley, of course, is a potential August trade candidate, as one would think his contract, injury troubles and lack of production make him a lock to clear trade waivers.)

Ben Revere has been oft-connected to the Angels in the past, as has Cincinnati’s Jay Bruce. Gonzalez speculates (on Twitter), too, that Gerardo Parra of the Brewers might be a nice rental piece for the Angels.

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