SP Trade targets?
by gocards62 on May 31, 2010 2:51 PM EDT
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Listening to WWL Radio yesterday, three starting pitchers (Ben Sheets, Cliff Lee, and Roy Oswalt) were discussed as potential trade targets. Would any of these be on the Cardinals radar? Who else might Mo pursue? Should the Cards even look to add to the starting rotation?
First the half-year rentals. Cliff Lee ($9M) currently has a WHIP of 0.985, 3.12 FIP, and 0.6 WAR. Seattle has Casey Kotchman listed at 1B batting a robust .193/.282./.320. Is there a package (Mark Hamilton; Skip? Boog? Tyler Greene?) to buy the Cards insurance against the failed return of Brad Penny and/or Kyle Lohse?
Why would first place Oakland deal Ben Sheets ($10M)? He has FIP of 4.25, WHIP 1.43, 0.4 WAR. MLB TradeRumors explored his availability. Given the injuries to Coco Crisp and Eric Chavez, do we have IF/OF package to entice Oakland? Given our history with Billy Beane, do we want to?
VEB has discussed Roy Oswalt extensively. Currently he has a FIP 3.56, 1.01 WHIP, 1.6 WAR. His contract (two years, $29M; full NTC), age (33), creaky back (two cortisone injections), as well as division rivalry make it unlikely that Roy will be moving to St. Louis, notwithstanding his stated wish to do so.
Or is Dontrelle Willis a possibility? Granted he would immediately become our second best hitting pitcher, but does he have anything else left to offer the Redbirds? How about Pedro Martinez? Are there any other names to consider?
Finally should the Cards stand pat with P.J. Walters, Adam Ottavino, and hope for a quick recovery from one of its two injured starters?
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Oswalt
Willis scares me. Martinez may or may not have anything left. The other three are better talents as of right now but all three carry injury baggage. I think Oswalt has the best chance of the three of staying healthy and producing so that’s who I would target.
You forgot to mention Jarrod Washburn
who for me is probably the best possible target.
That said, as long as Penny is going to be on target for a return in the next month or so, I’d stand pat. I don’t see many of these guys being huge upgrades, and the ones that are will cost too much.
As far as trade partners go, I like the look of Pittsburgh and Baltimore, both of whom are out of it. Kevin Millwood, who’s thrown up a solid xFIP this year, is probably about average if not slightly above, and who wouldn’t cost much in prospects (he’s owed $9m this year, pro-rata, as long as Baltimore eat the $3m they got from Texas in the trade for Millwood).
That said, I think PJ is probably a 1-win guy over the rest of the year, which isn’t too bad for a 5th starter. Just depends if Penny gets healthy again.
Still bitching to contact.
I voted for Lee..
.. because he could have the greatest impact obviously but I get an eerie feeling that the cards are taking a good look at Willis. Tony and Dontrelle have a history of a bit of a love fest when Willis was having his Cy type season. Willis stated that Tony should start Carp in the All-star game and then the gushing compliments began flowing between the two. I watched him pitch twice this year and, although I am far from an official pitching evaluator, it looks like he has little to nothing left in the tank. He was successful with his unconventional delivery in the first part of his career but now that everyone has seen it and has learned how to pick up the ball he just doesn’t seem to have the stuff to get major league hitters out. I guess it would be worth a flyer for league minimum if they believe Duncan can help him out but if that move blocks another that involves Lee, Oswalt, or Sheets then I say it is definitely not worth it.
DW is so intriguing because of his relative youth and ever-green hopes. Still the Cards flamed out with their last anxiety riddled player. And Greene's only injuries were self-inflicted.
DonotDependontheDtrain
An optimist is a man who upon discovering that a rose smells better than a cabbage concludes it will make better soup.
HL Mencken
Honestly, I agree
he doesn’t even have the funky delivery going for him anymore – the Tigers apparently “fixed” that (although I must admit I don’t think I’ve seen him pitch for about 3 years). I think he’s done. I’d rather just give Ottavino the starts – I think he’s just as likely as Willis to turn into something useful this year (if not more so), so I’d rather he was the guy given the innings.
Still bitching to contact.
by Felonius_Monk on Jun 2, 2010 3:56 AM EDT up reply actions
Cliff Lee is going to take a lot more than that unfortunately,
and our farm system (or lack thereof) is in a horrible state. Just wait for Penny to get back and see what you have in Ottavino. If Ottavino or Penny can’t stay in the rotation due to performance or injury, then I think that we can revisit this, but for the moment, just go with what we have.
If you really need somebody right now, I think that perhaps Jeremy Guthrie, Kevin Millwood, Mark Buehrle, Ben Sheets, maybe even Javier Vazquez would be realistic options.
In football, the object is for the quarterback, otherwise known as the field general, to be on target with his aerial assault, riddling the defense by hitting his recievers with deadly accuracy in spite of the blitz, even if he has to use the shotgun. With short bullet passes and long bombs, he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing this aerial assault with a sustained ground attack that punches holes in the forward wall of the enemy's defensive line.
In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! "I hope I'll be safe at home!"
-George Carlin (RIP)
by Taskmaster on May 31, 2010 4:26 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Guthrie I suppose would be vaguely intriguing
again, if the Os would deal him for a pretty small return.
Buehrle seems to be the best-fit for both parties but I think Williams is still vaguely trying to contend this year, and will also be trying to win next year, so I’m not 100% convinced they’ll be selling on one of their best pitchers, at least not for anything less than, say, Shelby Miller.
Vazquez is tied up to too many dollars for too many years. I think he’s totally unobtainable.
Sheets, however, is intriguing. Perhaps a nice buy-low option. However, given the last two times we’ve dealt with the Athletics, I’d be luke warm about entering negotiations with them. Also, they’re in actual contention this year (they were winning the West last time I checked, and there’s no one outstanding team in that league), so I’d have thought Beane would want to take advantage of one of the few windows to win he gets these days and keep all his best players. If anything, I’d say they’re more likely buyers than sellers, even with their SP depth.
Still bitching to contact.
by Felonius_Monk on Jun 2, 2010 4:01 AM EDT up reply actions
You are correct, there are not enough sellers at this point.
Pretty much any O not named Jones, Markakis, Wieters, and Simon is available to some extent. They are one of the few sellers at this point.
Buehrle would be a great fit (Born in Missouri), and it’s probably more a pipedream, but his bad performance this season may open the door, they already pay Peavy tons of cash, and Danks will command good money, perhaps even Gavin Floyd if he stays consistent. At the least, we can give them salary relief and some semi-interesting prospects.
Vazquez pitched well in the NL, and I am assume that if the Yanks want to put Joba or some other trade target into the rotation, then they can eat some cash and deal him. I don’t know where you are getting the years predicament from. He’s a FA after the season, and is a rental essentially.
The problem is, it’s too early, and that’s why it’s hard to throw in names like Sheets right now. I expect the A’s to fall out of contention, but you never know I guess.
In football, the object is for the quarterback, otherwise known as the field general, to be on target with his aerial assault, riddling the defense by hitting his recievers with deadly accuracy in spite of the blitz, even if he has to use the shotgun. With short bullet passes and long bombs, he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing this aerial assault with a sustained ground attack that punches holes in the forward wall of the enemy's defensive line.
In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! "I hope I'll be safe at home!"
-George Carlin (RIP)
We have no farm system so we can't get anyone
I would just wait and see how far up we are in the division by the trade deadline. No need to make a trade if we are already going to win the division, we need to save our prospects for the cold dry years of Pujols and Holliday mkaing 50 million a year.
by vivaelpujols on May 31, 2010 5:20 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Don't need a farm system to get someone like Pedro though
But I doubt he’d want to come here and be in the bullpen for the playoffs, assuming Penny, Garcia, WW, and Carp are healthy.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
And I doubt Pedro is any better than Peej/Ottavino
by vivaelpujols on Jun 1, 2010 12:16 PM EDT up reply actions
I dunno about THAT
He had a 4.11 xFIP and 4.63 K/BB for the Phillies in 9 starts down the stretch last year. That’s pretty damn good and a lot better than I would ever expect from Walters or Ottavino in their first taste of a regular rotation.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
Pretty small sample size
And he throws even softer than Peej, I wouldn’t be suprsied if xFIP was a little bit sketchy for him.
What's your take on Washburn?
I was going to do a fanpost on him actually. I think it’s quite possible his sustained out-performance of his FIP is actually just a huge, lucky, outlier, so I would not be keen to give him anything significant. However, if he wants to pitch for a contender, and has got the idea of making $10m pro-rate in 2010 out of his head, I’d maybe dangle him a $3m offer or so, if the money is available. I have no faith in Lohse ever being an adequate pitcher again, and I’m always a bit concerned about back injuries (Penny) as they can take months or even years to get right, and the Cards have a habit of rushing people back.
Still bitching to contact.
by Felonius_Monk on Jun 2, 2010 4:03 AM EDT up reply actions
I think he's an average pitcher who will suck to watch
by vivaelpujols on Jun 2, 2010 3:02 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
enlightening ;-)
Still bitching to contact.
by Felonius_Monk on Jun 3, 2010 6:47 AM EDT up reply actions
I wouldn't have a problem with taking a flyer on Willis
We’d only have to pay him 400k if he clears waivers, and isn’t traded correct? Also I wouldn’t be shocked to see Rich Hill at some point this season. Probably after the all star break. He could fill a puppy kicker type role neh?
The player I would like least at #9 would be my sister’s cat, Captain Creamsicle. She does have a great work ethic and agility, but I’m really concerned that at 9 lbs., she’s too small to play safety in the NFL. She also bites way too often on play action and is easily distracted by someone waving string in the crowd. Lastly, her wonderlic score was pretty awful, answering "meow meow meow" for most of the questions- Dr. Brackish Okun
I think everyone touting for Hill has not been keeping an eye on the minor leagues this year
He LOST HIS JOB IN THE AAA ROTATION after sucking something fierce for the first month. He’s currently pitching as a barely adequate lefty specialist from the pen (although the recent promotions of Walters and Ottavino might give him another shot).
Rich Hill is D-U-N done. I want him nowhere near the major league team, in any capacity.
Still bitching to contact.
by Felonius_Monk on Jun 2, 2010 4:05 AM EDT up reply actions
FWIW
Hill is walking over 6 batters per 9 innings in AAA…
Still bitching to contact.
by Felonius_Monk on Jun 2, 2010 4:07 AM EDT up reply actions
I voted "no one"
I don’t think we have enough prospects to entice a trade that would be worth more than Ottavino/Walters. I am pretty sure Penny will be back pretty soon. if not, they will probably make a trade I’d think… not sure that they would roll with both Ottavino and Walters.
I'll leave this to Lao Tzu
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jun 1, 2010 12:59 AM EDT reply actions
but even then it would be for a Duncan reclamation project
I'll leave this to Lao Tzu
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jun 1, 2010 12:59 AM EDT up reply actions
this would be a cubs move (not that they have done this already....)
trading away prospects you can’t afford to trade because of future contracts for pitchers the Cards are getting a little positive uptick in but for greater salary (and by far)
in the long run we deplete our farm system and raise our payroll
Rasmus can hit lefties
cardinalred
St. Louis Sports blog
give me an example of such a cubs move
or is your subject line just a dig at the cubs?
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
just a dig
hence the “not that they have done this already”
i’ll just do that whenever i feel like it
Rasmus can hit lefties
cardinalred
St. Louis Sports blog
ok, just the dots afterward made me ponder...
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
I'll give you one example
before 2009 they traded a good, young reliever with 6 cheap years still on the clock (Jose Ceda) for a guy who was no more than an adequate MLB set-up man with HR issues (Kevin Gregg).
They also traded three B/C level prospects for marginal upgrades to the Pirates last year (John Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny, although I admit that Gorzelanny has actually been pretty good so overall I guess they won this trade).
Still bitching to contact.
by Felonius_Monk on Jun 2, 2010 4:11 AM EDT up reply actions
gregg is a good example
i was thinking really only about starters though.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
Handicapping the 5th starter situation with the assumption that Penny returns soon -
Walters/Ottavino/Lynn – 75% probability
Dontrelle Willis – 15%
Kevin Millwood – 6%
Jarrod Washburn – 4%
Cliff Lee – 0%
Ben Sheets – 0%
Roy Oswalt – 0%
Pedro Martinez – 0%
John Smoltz – 0%
Sorry folks – but if Penny is healthy we won’t be adding an all-star pitcher to the roster.
Now if Penny turns out to have a long-term problem – then maybe we can start dreaming about Sheets, but not Lee or Oswalt.
by The Ghost of Todd Burns on Jun 1, 2010 2:42 AM EDT reply actions
if penny is healthy
i think the chances are closer to 0% unless there is just a giveaway by somebody. i think the org feels they can make the playoffs anyway, and at that point a 5th starter is superfluous.
if penny goes down again before the trade deadline and neither of otto or walters has stepped up by that point to instill confidence, then they would absolutely make a move for a guy like millwood. i don’t see dontrelle ever on the horizon for this org, but do hope he winds up in florida again.
"Some days I feel like the hypotenuse in a love triangle; others as if my lucky number is pi."
make that...
dontrelle willis – 0%
by The Ghost of Todd Burns on Jun 2, 2010 2:30 AM EDT up reply actions
I still don't see why the competing Oakland A's would trade away Ben Sheets
When his value is about as low as it’s ever been, they’re only paying him about $5m this year, AND they’re in first place in their division.
Still bitching to contact.
by Felonius_Monk on Jun 2, 2010 4:11 AM EDT up reply actions
well...
he’s being paid about 10 million this year + another 2 million if he reaches 195 innings and I don’t think they would trade him unless they fall out of the race which is why i put him at 0%. If the A’s fall out of contention he’s a lock to be traded since he has no draft pick compensation value – it just wouln’t be to the cardinals.
by The Ghost of Todd Burns on Jun 2, 2010 11:43 AM EDT up reply actions
yeah, wasn't a reply to you, specifically
I think if they fall out of contention he WOULD actually be a decent target, but Beane will likely want too much and it’s arguable as to whether he’d be worth it. I agree with you he’ll likely either end up elsewhere or will stay on the A’s all year. I see no real reason why they can’t be competitive the rest of the way, especially if they pick up another bat.
Still bitching to contact.
by Felonius_Monk on Jun 3, 2010 6:49 AM EDT up reply actions
Lee, Sheets, and Oswalt are out
We simply don’t have enough to get them in our farm system.
Signing Pedro would be interesting, but as he’d be the fifth starter on this team (when healthy), I’m pretty sure he’ll be going elsewhere.
Just say no to Dontrelle Willis, our internal options are better than he is. Same goes for Washburn, although he’s more enticing to me than Willis because he would fit in with Duncan better.
One guy not mentioned is Jon Garland, who I expect will be available at the deadline as the Padres fall out of it. My guess is that he’ll also be cheap, because the Pads will be getting some kind of haul from Heath Bell and Adrian Gonzalez should they try to trade him. Garland fits in well with Duncan’s philosophy, but is he all that much better than P.J. Walters?
Braden Looper is also available, but I can’t see the Cards picking him up either.
The best approach is “wait and see” at this point. If Penny doesn’t come back before the break, Lohse is determined to be done for the year, and neither Ottavino or Walters (or MacLane or Lynn or Hill) seem to be able to plug the hole in the rotation effectively, THEN we might be looking at being a buyer at the deadline. Considering that I don’t see any names in the organization that anyone else would want is another story.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
Again re: competing teams
I think the Padres will still be in it at the deadline. Even if they’re 5 or 6 games back, it’s hard to see them being sellers when they won’t get much back for Garland and he’s been pretty competent (and is cheap).
We should’ve signed a Garland, a Contreras or a Pavano or someone over the off-season. We wouldn’t be having the problems we’ve got now and those sort of guys were going for $3-5m.
Still bitching to contact.
by Felonius_Monk on Jun 2, 2010 4:14 AM EDT up reply actions
There's other factors involved though...
We should’ve signed a Garland, a Contreras or a Pavano or someone over the off-season. We wouldn’t be having the problems we’ve got now and those sort of guys were going for $3-5m.
- Jaime Garcia would be lighting up AAA batters instead of MLB hitters as there would have been no place for him in the rotation.
- We probably don’t sign Felipe Lopez if we sign any of those guys.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
sounds like we had the money to get Contreras and Lopez done; as far as I recall, we had at least $5m to spend at the end of the winter (unless our general impression of the finances was very wrong)
if not even $10m to bring us up to $100m-odd.
I realised about Jaime as I was making that point, and you’re right. Who’s to say that having, I dunno, Contreras and his so far lights-out performance (admittedly from the pen) for the WHOLE season instead of PJ or Ottavino would be better than getting an extra 5 or 6 starts from Jaime?
Still bitching to contact.
by Felonius_Monk on Jun 2, 2010 11:07 AM EDT up reply actions
I think if we had signed Contreras he would have been in the pen anyway
But who does he replace? Probably Boggs, which is a net gain, but he’s probably also taking away innings from Motte and K-Mac, who’ve been effective in their roles. In a pinch, I’d rather have him.
I like the club as currently constructed, I’m not sure there’s a valid reason to trade away farm guys for anybody at this point.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
I think if we had signed Contreras he would have been in the pen anyway
Why? He’s been a starter all his career and was good in 2009 as a starter. The only reason the Phillies put him in the pen was that they’re paying Moyer eleventy million dollars to suck ass and Contreras has good stuff. He’s then been awesome in the pen and they couldn’t really move him back to the rotation due to injuries in the pen. I’d have just used him as the 5th starter going into the year. If he struggles, move him into the pen. I’d have happily let Boggs go back to Memphis to work on being a starter again or let Hawksworth go, and there’s always likely to be an injury or two. I think we had room.
Still bitching to contact.
by Felonius_Monk on Jun 3, 2010 6:54 AM EDT up reply actions
Longshot
I don’t see any of these as a real possibility. They’re all either too pricey or too unpredictable. Why are we only considering former/current aces? Isn’t there some cheap innings-eater out there? We are only replacing lohse, afterall.
by YepYouGuessedIt...CardinalRed on Jun 1, 2010 10:33 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
How is Dontrelle Willis or Jarrod Washburn in that category?
Why would we trade for a cheap innings eater when he can get that type of production from Walters/Ottavino/Lynn/MacLane?
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
FWIW
If we’re trading for a starter, which we shouldn’t be doing right now anyway, might as well go get the best one you can get rather than freely available talent.
I’d rather be looking at possible middle infield help (RE: Uggla, Christian Guzman, Kelly Johnson) than starting pitching at this point. If we could swing a deal for Christian Guzman (who should cost next to nothing) or Kelly Johnson/Dan Uggla (who would cost a bit more), I think that’s a much bigger help than any starting pitcher would be.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
+1
I like your thinking fourstick. We definitely need help at MIF.
The Nats will be moving Guzman. I don’t know about the D-Backs and Johnson. What do you think we have to make a deal for one of these three?
"They're so stunned they didn't even boo!"
John Rooney 5/3/10 referring to Philly fans on Cards 5-run 7th inning
Hamilton seems like a guy that could be swapped for Guzman straight up.
The Nats would have to pick up some of his salary, and since he isn’t playing every day that shouldn’t be an issue.
For Johnson we’d have to give up a lot more. Probably a B grade prospect (Daryl Jones? Bryan Anderson?) and another PTBNL. Still probably worth it, but the D-Backs might ask for more too. Also, not sure he’d hit well at Busch III, it plays a lot like Turner Field where he didn’t hit well the last few years. He’s built for the BOB.
I was wrong though, all our middle infield issues have been solved: We just promoted Aaron Miles. Totally forgot he was down there.
/sarcasm
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
FWIW
I really like the Guzman idea. I suspect he might add a win or so over giving Miles and Ryan extended playing time, although I should also point out he looks a bit lucky with his BABIPs in the last few seasons (given his relative lack of power and speed these days). Another switch-hitter would be really good news; I’d say he’s a slightly less-good version of Lopez in that he bats both sides, plays 2B competently and SS relatively poorly (although he might be a better bet than Lopez at SS).
My only concern would be whether demoting Ryan to effectively a defensive substitute and 1-or-2-games-a-week-at-SS guy is going to hurt him going forwards, as his bat’s shown some signs of life lately. The same can kinda be said of Schumaker – if Guzman is more or less everyday SS with Ryan starting when he doesn’t, I don’t see any role for Skip other than as a bat off the bench (which isn’t an ideal role for him given his huge platoon split) and occasional defensive switch in the OF. Floppy needs to be playing every day at 2B.
Given how ropey we’ve looked down the middle this year, would you consider trying to talk to Lopez’s agent about an extension? I sort of felt at the time we signed that deal that something like 2 years, $4-5m might end up being better value than the bargain deal he ended up signing for one year. Now he’s basically looked like an above-average second baseman for two months, on top of his excellent 2009 and good end to 2008, do we consider extending him for another 2 years (through his age 32 season) for, say, $8m (if he’d take that)? Or does the imminent arrival of Descalso, the fact Skip’s back next year, and the more pressing issues in the rotation, possibly RF, and the fact Lopez can’t realistically play SS make that slightly redundant?
Still bitching to contact.
by Felonius_Monk on Jun 2, 2010 4:26 AM EDT up reply actions
I think it's redundant
And that it’s also a waste of resources. Lopez really isn’t a long term solution at SS, and Descalso is showing that he’ll be ready to take a job next spring in AAA, and Schumaker is already under contract for next year. Where’s he going to play?
The way I look at it, if you can get Guzman for nothing (something like Hamilton, who has no business in the org, imo) and you let him play every day for the rest of the season at SS (minus the occasional day off) then he might play his way into a type B (not out of the question considering his position), Lopez would also be a type B at the very least, and you could reap the draft picks on the backside of the deal while helping this club in 2010.
I don’t know that RF is a huge concern right now. Ludwick will be back next season, and Jay seems to be coming into his own. Mather and Craig should get some opportunities to play there as well. All those guys are at least competent defensively and they all have fairly decent upsides with the bat. There’s also Henley and DJ to think about, although neither is lighting the world on fire right now.
My concern is mainly the rotation: We need all the dollars we can get going foward because we only have two semi-known quantities in our rotation for 2011: Wainwright and Garcia. We don’t know if Carp can stay healthy, we don’t know if Penny will return, we don’t know if Lohse will come back from injury, etc. It’s a huge concern, because if we’re filling out the back end of our rotation with Lynn, Walters, and Ottavino, that’s not an advantageous position to be in, considering we’d be paying and injured Carp and Lohse ~$28M to do nothing. Even Garcia is a bit of a risk.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
And that it’s also a waste of resources. Lopez really isn’t a long term solution at SS, and Descalso is showing that he’ll be ready to take a job next spring in AAA, and Schumaker is already under contract for next year. Where’s he going to play?
I guess the counter-argument is that Descalso really hasn’t yet started knocking down the door at major league level (.762 OPS so far in AAA this year is fine but nothing earth shattering; Hoffpauir and Greene have put up better middle infield numbers in recent seasons) and Schumaker seems a stretch to be anything like average at 2B, especially if he has to face any lefties. Also, Lopez would be the only potential 2B in the big league roster who can hit right-handed, which may be useful given Schu’s bad platoon split and the possibility that Descalso might struggle against good lefties (despite a reasonable split in the minors).
I suppose Schu becomes a bench bat, lefty 2B and occasional OFer. If we let Ludwick walk, which some have suggested, we might need him as a lefty platoon in RF, especially if Jay’s hot start tails off. I think there’ll still be plenty of at-bats for a flexible lefty who OBPs .390-odd against right-handed pitching, and, if not, we can probably trade away his contract for a C-grade prospect.
I’m not necessarily sure I like this idea, but I do like Lopez a lot (certainly, much of his value to us has been rendered somewhat moot due to Freese’s competence at 3B) and a good switch-hitter (especially one who can play a number of defensive positions) has advantages which I believe aren’t just seen in the box scores and WAR.
Still bitching to contact.
by Felonius_Monk on Jun 2, 2010 11:15 AM EDT up reply actions
Descalso
I guess the counter-argument is that Descalso really hasn’t yet started knocking down the door at major league level (.762 OPS so far in AAA this year is fine but nothing earth shattering; Hoffpauir and Greene have put up better middle infield numbers in recent seasons)
Someone can correct me if I’m wrong, but I think he’s peeled off a pretty good streak the last two weeks, which would tell me that maybe he’s adjusting to AAA pitching after his first couple full months there and is ready to hit.
I don’t put a ton of stock in OPS at the AAA level, I like to look at rate stats more, and his walk rate is sitting at 10.2% right now and his K/BB is actually less than one right now, which is a very good sign. To me, he’s a carbon copy of Schumaker with better defense and some pop, and he’s also going to be cheap as hell for the next 3+ seasons. I don’t see why we would want three of those guys on the roster when 2 of them would suffice, especially when the 3rd one would cost us O-Dog type dollars to keep in the roster (which is about what I would expect teams to offer Lopez if he hits the market after a good season this year).
I’m not sure I’d want him to be Type A, honestly. If he’s type B we get a sandwich pick, and the signing club doesn’t lose anything. If he’s type A, we’d probably end up with a 2nd rounder anyway, since the top 15 are protected, and it’s going to entice a lot of teams to shy away from signing him that would lose their first rounder.
Can Colby round out our new MV3?
he had a two-homer game recently and has been doing quite well.
"We were men - flesh and blood - and we played baseball in the sunshine. We hit doubles off the wall, slid hard into second base. We had fights, and we made love. We sang songs and prayed on Sundays. . . . We felt pain. And we felt joy. There was a lot wrong with the world. But we weren't sad, man. We had the times of our lives." Buck O'Neil, from "The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America."
I’m not sure I’d want him to be Type A, honestly. If he’s type B we get a sandwich pick, and the signing club doesn’t lose anything. If he’s type A, we’d probably end up with a 2nd rounder anyway, since the top 15 are protected, and it’s going to entice a lot of teams to shy away from signing him that would lose their first rounder.
We get a sandwich pick as well as the protected team’s 2nd rounder. The only person he’d hurt by being a type A is himself (as fewer teams would be interested in him) – we get one more pick still.
Still bitching to contact.
by Felonius_Monk on Jun 3, 2010 6:55 AM EDT up reply actions
and FWIW
I think you raise a VERY salient point about Lopez and type B status. It’s also not beyond the realms of possibility he becomes a type A. Either way, offering arby seems an excellent bet. Overall, I’d lean towards your option, but I also wouldn’t be at all perturbed if we locked him up for another year or two at less than his price. A switch hitter who’s average or slightly above average overall at 3 premium positions is pretty valuable.
Still bitching to contact.
by Felonius_Monk on Jun 2, 2010 11:17 AM EDT up reply actions
I'd really like to see MacLane given a run, tbh
he’s exactly the sort of pitcher who’s given us problems over the years (lefty soft-tossing control specialist) and I actually think his skillset probably has more of a chance of being competitive at MLB level than Walters (although OTOH there is an advantage in seeing what Walters can do and whether he could hold down the SP5 spot next year, given Lohse may be done).
Still bitching to contact.
by Felonius_Monk on Jun 2, 2010 4:15 AM EDT up reply actions
Westbrook
Personally I don’t see us doing anything in the next 4+ weeks to see what happens with our youngsters and the health of Penny. I think they are not counting on Lohse and if he comes back that is a bonus (which is debatable!). The Cards have a number of MLB ready or close to ready SP’s that could fill the void for a few weeks and I think they would like to see them succeed. If we get to the end of June or beyond and feel we need a starter then the guy that comes to mind as a typical Cardinal type pitcher that won’t cost a ton would be Jake Westbrook from the Indians. Obviously the Indians won’t be contending so he will definitely be available. Any high priced #1/#2 type starter is not an option…we don’t have the high upside prospects that teams like to get in a deal for a big name.
SIGN JOHN SMOLTZ!!!1
"Franklin has no patience for bloggers who believe because he pitches to contact, his start last season was something of a fluke."
SHEETS
I'll leave this to Lao Tzu
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jun 2, 2010 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions
Millwood would be awesome
if we can get some money back from Baltimore. I think Washburn would make a good fit for this team, he’s a good candidate for league average performance and likely for cheap.
babip giveth... and babip taketh away
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