Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Trade Deadline

So will the Cards surrender Colby Rasmus for Fuentes? I mean the Rockies wanted Buchholz from the Sox, Niese from the Mets and now they might not lower their demands?

What the hell...

"River Ave. Blues says the recent success of Ian Kennedy in Triple A has given the Yankees a very big chip in the trade market."

No it hasn't. We saw this same thing last year.

Unless by big you mean valuable enough to land Washburn.

Some one find Sherrill's monthly stats.
IIRC he was trending downward for sometime. Posting a near 800 ops against righties and on the wrong side of 30.

Not to mention he's never saved this many games before, on pace to pitch more innings than he did anytime recently and a reliever, which obviously comes with it's own problems.

Teams aren't biting because you'd have to suffer from brain damage to offer top prospects for a LOOGY having a career year.

I grow tired at hearing that the prices are too high for these players teams are chasing. What is a run at the championship worth? Most of the rumors I hear are for prospects and every fan makes it seem like their prospects are future HOF's. Maybe they will be, then again, maybe they won't. I fail to see how you can value an unproven prospect over a proven commodity. If you don't want to trade away a quality "prospect" for a quality vet, more power to ya. Quit your whining just cause you can't get what you want at the price you want.

I agree that the Rockies should not lower their price on Fuentes. Any return they get for him has to be greater than the two picks they will get when he leaves during the off season plus the two months of service he will give them. Also remember they are only 6 games out of the division lead, and they know all too well that anything can happen in the playoffs.

"I grow tired at hearing that the prices are too high for these players teams are chasing. What is a run at the championship worth? Most of the rumors I hear are for prospects and every fan makes it seem like their prospects are future HOF's. Maybe they will be, then again, maybe they won't. I fail to see how you can value an unproven prospect over a proven commodity. If you don't want to trade away a quality "prospect" for a quality vet, more power to ya. Quit your whining just cause you can't get what you want at the price you want."

That's funny, because I grow tired of people mashing the keyboard without thinking.

Do you understand the value of young cost-controlled talent, especially talent with high upside? You don't dump it for high-priced fickle relievers or outfielders having career years. It doesn't benefit your club in the long run, and people seem to forget that baseball is a business first.

Additionally, we're seeing impact arms like CC go for one top prospect, Harden didn't even bring back a "blue chipper" and yet the Rockies want a Buchholz type arm for Fuentes? That's laughable even if you're a Rockies fan.

I think if anything you're a fan of one of these teams and are understandably tired of seeing them suck.

I think the Pirates end up blinking, and dealing Nady for a solid package of B-list talent. They are not served well keeping McCutchen in AAA, blocked by... Nady?

What are you talking about? Who is CONSTANTLY complaining about the Orioles' demands?

The fact is, like every decent reliever, Sherril's price is exorbitantly high and simply not worth it. If the O's want to trade him you'd assume the price would have to come down.

Also, I'm not going after Sherrill. I don't work for any baseball teams...

Meoveryouok- No s@$*! You DON'T work for any baseball team. The fact that those who DO, seem to value Sherrill might tell you something.

You can pick apart just about ANY player's stats and make him out to be worse than he is. To call Sherrill a LOOGY is simply ignorant. The fact remains that Sherrill WAS terrific for two season with the Mariners in a specialist role, then became a closer...a role in which he's flourished.

Regardless of what you think of the All Star selection process, only a moron would denigrate the performance of those few who make the team. Furthermore, Sherrill's stats are largely skewed by a rough patch toward the end of the first half...a rough patch he appears to have gotten through. If you need evidence of what he's capable of doing, take a look at the gutty performance he gave in the mid-season classic.

Does that make him worth X amount? Depends who you ask; what a team's needs are; how realistic said team's chances at a post-season berth are. So much of baseball comes down to timing. If you don't strike while the iron is hot, there's no guarantee you'll have that shot again any time soon.

Most of the major leaguers who DID NOT make the All Star team came up as top prospects. The bulk of them don't pan out. And, while youth is a prime commodity in today's baseball landscape, it cannot and will not, ever eclipse winning.

a) Sherrill is more than a LOOGY. Raise your hand if you have actually WATCHED him pitch?

b) Sherrill is probably miscast as a closer. Better suited as a setup man. As he was used in Seattle. But the Orioles have nobody else to close, thus he was promoted.

c) 6th best pitcher in the Yankee pen? You are not just nuts, but funny in how crazy that statement is.

d) as per a trade. Do I think asking for Rasmus is too much to ask for? Yes. Is it wrong to ask? No. Do I think Pie and Cedeno is far too little? Yes. I'd probably laugh and hangup. Or hangup then laugh.

IF the Orioles trade Sherrill, it will be for pitching, a SS, a 3B, or a 1B.
I like Jess Todd from the Cardinals, but would need something more. Lowrie from the Red Sox is nice, but again, I'd need something more.

Hello? The Orioles keeping George Sherrill is not the end of the world. As it turns out, he isn't half bad.

One more thing. Perhaps you were alluding to Fuentes, but to call Sherrill a 'high-priced, fickle reliever' ignores both his past successes and his price tag, which is quite cheap and will likely remain reasonable as a consequence of long-term team control.

You speak of the long term...now THAT is fickle. Today's top prospect is tomorrow's bum while a Cy Young centerpiece like Chris Carpenter can dominate one year and fall prey to injury the next. THAT is why GMs justify taking a risk on 'exorbitantly' priced relievers or OF'ers having career years.

There are exceptions, of course, and I'd be the first to acknowledge that Sherrill is not worth, say, Colby Rasmus or David Price or some such star. However, what's unreasonable to you may ultimately prove palatable for a team taking its shot.

BTW- doesn't a player under a team's control for 4 or 5 years fit the concept of 'long term' planning? Just curious. After all, relievers aren't exactly old at 31. Just look at Todd Jones! (on second thought...don't; maybe 41 is pushing it)

"You will be the one whining when the Pirates hold on to Nady and he falls back down to a .270/330/450 hitter and you couldn't get anything for him"

+1

"Obviously it is a better outfield then the Mets have. Their 2 opening day corner OF's are hurt."

So you're saying the Mets would have an outfield on par with the Pirates if Alou and Church were healthy, which is pretty ridiculous. Offensively: Bay > Alou. McLouth > Beltran. Church is a little better than Nady for his career, but Nady is a monster this year. Beltran's glove is the best, but Alou is a cripple in the field.

"Sherrill is probably miscast as a closer. Better suited as a setup man. As he was used in Seattle. But the Orioles have nobody else to close, thus he was promoted."

Agree. Setup man might be too high, but he's a solid reliever. I thought part of the reason they made him a closer was to try raise his value through a stupid stat that some people think is a measure of success.

"Do I think asking for Rasmus is too much to ask for? Yes. Is it wrong to ask? No."

It's not wrong to ask, but it's going to kill trade talks. It's like a car dealer asking for $40k on a used Carolla. Sure, it's a nice, reliable car, but why are you starting with a price that no one would ever pay? It's just bad negotiating.

"Do I think Pie and Cedeno is far too little? Yes. I'd probably laugh and hangup."

That's worth more than what Rauch got, right? Rauch is under control for the same number of years, younger, and is better than Sherrill. Guess the Rauch trade brings things back down to earth.

That's your arguement? If he was healthy? Puh-leeeze, spare me that BS. There is no way in hell a washed up, ancient Alou is better than Bay at this point in their respective careers. No more kool-aid for you sir.

I'm sick of all this Baldelli crap. The Rays always think he'll be back next season, next season. And they never go out to get someone to replace him.

They did a good job this year by getting Floyd and Hinkse, but they are starting to slup.

They need a right fielder and they need one right now.

Joelcards-

For starter, no...I am not a Rockies fan. The nickname is an allusion to my last name (which I will not be revealing).

As far as the Sherrill/Cardinals talk...a couple of ideas.

In the 'Almost Certainly Not Going to Happen' department, I was thinking that a Sherrill/BRob pairing might make sense for St. Louis and might be workable from Baltimore's side if, for instance, Rasmus, Todd, and Kozma were included and St. Louis threw in some low minors talent with some promise as filler. That would be a pretty big step up from Adam Kennedy, I would think and adds a whole new dimension to the offense. Just a thought.

For Sherrill alone, I think the O's would ask for Todd; just a feeling. Other than Rasmus, he and Garcia look like the team's best bets prospect-wise.

Something in between, however, would be what I mentioned in my post above... I actually got myself pretty excited until I remembered that I'm not Andy McPhail nor have anything to do with the Orioles organization whatsoever. Still, it's fun to think about so... The Cardinals get Sherrill and either Daniel Cabrera or Reimold and Penn. Penn's been inconsistent, but the stuff is still there. Reimold gives you a Top 100 OF'er with big time power to replace Rasmus and you get Sherrill for this year's 'pen...and beyond. The Cards might have to include a low minors prospect or two in order to satisfy McPhail's lust for numbers, but hey- no one really special.

Any number of variations could work too. I'm sure McPhail might try to get Kozma in there too, since we're so obviously bereft of any shortstops...anywhere in the organization. Still, something along those lines might work, don't you think?

I don't understand the fuss over Brian Fuentes at this point. I know he has been an all-star a few times in his career, but he has been somewhat inconsistent, especially after the meltdowns in Houston last year and losing a once-believed bulletproof closer role to Manny Corpas. Hell, the guy got chosen to the all-star team and lost his job in the same week! I think of Jon Rauch as an equal reliever, if not better, than Fuentes, and I don't think he is worth Colby Rasmus, Clay Buchholz, Jon Niese, Chris Volstad, or any of these other prospects that he's being associated with.

With that being said, I think the Rockies are playing serious hardball with Fuentes because they don't think they are out of it. Garrett Atkins would be on the trade block if they thought they were out of it, but after last year's run and the fact that Arizona and Los Angeles don't want to take over the division, Colorado shouldn't break up this team. In fact, I think they will win the NL West as soon as Jeff Francis gets back healthy, but that's just me. I think they feel like the ball is in their court because they could make a run with Fuentes if he stays, and I feel like it's within reason.