The injury bug continues to bite notable AL East players. The Yankees put closer David Robertson on the 15-day DL with a strained left oblique, while Rays starter Jeff Niemann will miss the next 4-6 weeks after suffering a broken fibula during last night's game in Toronto. Rafael Soriano will take over as New York's new closer while the Rays will call up either Alex Cobb or Chris Archer to take Niemann's spot in the rotation.
Here's some other news from around the division…
- The Orioles haven't put Brad Bergesen on waivers since they're still trying to trade the right-hander, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. The O's designated Bergesen for assignment on Saturday.
- "The fire to compete is still there," Tim Wakefield tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link), but while retirement is "difficult," the knuckleballer said he's enjoying spending time with his family. The Red Sox honored Wakefield with a pregame ceremony before their 5-0 win over the Mariners this afternoon at Fenway Park.
- David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News speculates about a Kevin Youkilis-for-Joe Blanton trade between the Red Sox and Phillies. I don't see the Red Sox making that deal, as I'm not sure Blanton could replicate his current good form in the AL East, nor is he necessarily even a clear upgrade over any of Boston's current rotation.
It’s that good of a trade for the Phillies either
Youk for Blanton? Blanton? Wait for it….wait…..Blanton?
Well they both are in their final year and Blanton is having a good year so far. Highly unlikely, but not impossible.
Does this move have any legs? I’m hoping not. Everyone thinks their guy is better than the other but to me Youk’s value is greater than Blanton’s. I don’t know whether JB could break the Sox starting 5 and they have Dice K ready to come off TJ surgery within two weeks. I don’t think this is going anywhere.
No, none whatsoever. It’s not really a trade “rumor” anyway, it’s a make believe trade scenario made up by a sports writer.
i think it was jim bowden who suggested dominic brown & antonio bastardo for youkilis
the phillies should hire him
The Phillies should hire him? To do what? Lead the blind, when he’s blind himself.
Seriously, though Bergesen for DeWitt. Similar contracts and similar frustrations.
Also, Blanton for Youk would be a good idea if the Red Sox played in the Oakland Coliseum. Since they don’t it would be a bad idea.
While the Red Sox need pitching improvement, I dont think they need just another pitcher in the form of Blanton. Daisuke and Cook are due back soon. Theyre already carrying extra relievers (of varying talent) on the 25 man roster. Melancon will be back up soon. And Bailey is due later in the year.
The outfield has the spottiest talent right now and it’s still unclear when we see the return of Ellsbury and Crawford.
Nava has sparked the offense and played solid defense in LF during this most recent home stand. Sweeney seems to be playing a reliable CF/RF and Ross has contributed some power to the offense and play solid “D” in RF. With Ellsbury due back in June, if the team develops some winning ways, against the better teams, the club may stand pat in the OF, with Byrd acting as the 4th hand.
The jury is still out on the need for starting pitching, as, over the past 5 games the starters, to a man, have been awesome. The guys in the bullpen have been excelling too. So, pitching, with Dice-K, Melancon, Cook and Bailey in the wings, seems to be improving and, at the same time, moving into a rotational pattern. Time will tell.
It also looks like Salty is beginning to pick up his offense too…. The biggest question marks, IMHO, are what has happened to Gonzalez’s home run swing and can Youkilis still play regularly and contribute?
ps…if the Sawx get blown out down in Tampa and Philly…this message will likewise self destruct.
The Red Sox have been reported by the sports media as having an interest in Joe Blanton on at least two other occasions but nothing happened. It won’t happen again this time either. The Red Sox will give Kevin the opportunity to lose his 3rd baseman’s job when he is healthy. If he comes back healthy and strong for the remainder of the season, and plays to form, he is going nowhere. If, he continues to be in and out of the lineup because of nagging injuries, they will put him on the 60-day DL for the remainder of the season and re-install Middlebrooks at 3B. The club has an option on Youk for 2013 season, so they may negotiate a much smaller contract with performance incentives over the winter months, or simply let him go.
2012 is the last we’ll see of Youkilis in a Sox uniform. Middlebrooks is almost a lock for next year. If Youk doesnt get traded at the deadline, I think he becomes a free agent.
Agreed.
They’re going to put him on the 60 day DL for “nagging injuries”? I’m not so sure that’s going to fly…..
Wake is said to indicate he wants to stay in the Boston area during the warm weather months, ostensibly, to do charity work. However, the Sox front office may find a coaching gig for him for future employment with the club, if he is interested and an opening surfaces. Another option is for Tim is to become a community ambassador for the team. He is widely known throughout New England, has an engaging way about him and seems to enjoy being around youth groups.
The A’s need to pick up Bergesen. If anyone can make him a winner again its Curt Young. The guy could pitch in AAA since he has a option left and find his pitch again.
I’d like to see him latch on somewhere and the O’s get something out of it. When he is on, the man is on. Sadly Bergesen hasn’t been on his game of late. At the least someone will pick him up off waivers.
How about Lackey for Blanton. Much more realistic rumor IMO!
Lackey?? I think the sox are stuck with that bad contract for a long time.
How in the world is that realistic? I’d take Blanton over Lackey even if the money was similar.
Blanton + for Youk is somewhat realistic. It won’t happen but it’s not out of the question.
Something like Youkilis + for Hamels is also realistic… doesn’t mean it’ll happen.
Never said it was realistic, just that it made more sense than Youk for Blanton who’s junk IMO! The Sox need their current starters to perform up to standards as theyll have plenty of SP depth when Dice K comes back in a week. Youk should be traded with Shoppach for prospects and bullpen help IMO! Btw, I, like many Sox fans, hate this current edition of self-entitled Prima Donnas! Just saying!
Youk for Blanton is actually pretty reasonable. Boston has excess
offense once Youkilis comes back and a serious need for pitching and
Philly is basically vice-a-versa. Would Boston rather send Middlebrooks
back down? And, seriously, do you really prefer Cook and Dice-K to
Blanton? To me, Philly hangs up first on this deal unless Boston sends
some dough to even out the money.
Finally some love for JB. When healthy Joe is a solid inning eater who normally will give you a chance to win. I like Joe with the Phillies in that role for the rest of the season. Plus I recently found out, he is like my third or fourth cousin on my Grandma’s side of the family down in rural Kentucky – Go Joe!
There is no such thing as excess offense. Notice how the Sox do well against bad teams like the Mariners and Twins. Not knowing if Youk will come back, the Sox have to make that deal. The Phillies already have 4 quality starters. If Youk bounced back, he could be the bat they need.The gamble would be for the Phillies.
Just curious if you ever bother to check statistics before posting some of this nonsense you post here..
Boston is currently 3rd in the league in Average (total MLB for this and everything following)
1st in doubles, 4th in OPS, 2nd in Runs, 4th in OBP.. This is without CC all season, Ells much of the season, Youk out.. I guess according you your whiz-bang theory they piled it all up due to defeating the Mariners and Twins?
Get over the dislike of Boston some there.
People keep thinking Boston needs starters for some reason.. They don’t and have Matsuzaka in 2 more weeks coming back to make 6, all better than Blanton and the Nationals Lannan that keep getting tossed around for people who can help teams like Youk for Philly and Salty for Washington out of positional jams and rotation over logs that Boston definitely doesn’t need..
Boston moves Youk or Salty? They get back prospects, not over the hill veterans that do nothing for the present team.. The current rotation has Lester, Beckett, Bucholz, Bard and Doubrant with Matsuzaka coming back. They are not looking for NL starters in Blanton and Lannan, much less over paid ones.
youk (as has been brought up here before) has been one of the most productive hitters in either league the last 5 years and won’t be given away and salty is a league average catcher.
Keep the discards and start thinking of decent prospects to give up please people.
Prior to Worley’s injury, Philly had (a little)extra SP depth at the major league level with Kyle Kendrick in the pen. Now I’m not a big KK fan at all but we already (foolishly)decided to give him a two year deal that pays him as a 5th starter, the only spot he seems to be somewhat decent at. Pitching hasn’t been Philly’s problem this year, obviously. And we really don’t have much depth at any other position to trade to improve our ailing offense. So that is why Philly considers moving the FA to be Blanton.
They already have Salty’s replacement at Pawtucket is the problem with a far better bat in Lavarnway and as rough to find as catching is now, plus Salty a FA after 2013, the time to move him probably is approaching is my thinking.
Hagedone, when he was with Boston was the *1* guy didn’t like see going to Cleveland in the VMart deal back then.. Even over Masterson at the time. He (at least then, not sure now) threw up to as high as 96-98 as a lefty starter, but since then they have converted him to relief.
With my always liking “Hags” would be thrilled to get him back again if he still has that major gas and could get a little more back also.. It would also bail out Cleveland on a sticky 1b issue as well.. Seems Kotchman has gone back to his carer norm as glove only was noticing when they recently came to fenway several days ago…
Lavarnway is at Pawtucket, but not because of his bat, it’s getting the finishing touches on his glove. He is catching 5-6 games a week this year for a change. He came up his 1st 3 years parallel with Tim Federowicz (traded last July to LAD) and had to share time behind the dish with him in the minors and now it changes, it really hurt Lavarnway, who was the one who needed the time to properly learn blocking balls and calling a game, where Fed-X was a much better defensive catcher.
Someone who really hasn’t gotten much “print” here of late and I mentioned a few weeks ago, though not of late is Matsuzaka.. I think he will switch to the NL next season and everyone will see the Matsuzaka of ’08 on a long term basis..
Not crushed this season, while catching 5-6 days a week. He crushed the competition his 1st 3 seasons and led the Sox farm system in HR each and every season so far, but as you said.. This year he has been catching a lot more and I have mentioned that on this site multiple times. It’s good in the L/T, getting him ready for his future job as Boston’s catcher and as sure as night follows day.. he WILL hit..
I see your point as well. The biggest thing, is that Boston has a replacement coming up through the system at an affordable pricetag who has a far better bat, takes pitches, knows the strike zone better etc..
Salty is going to be making.. Lets say 4.5m next year, Then set for FA and looking for? How much will a solid, league average catcher be looking for at the (then) age of 29 and why would Boston even want to spend.. Say 3/24-26m on a position that they could very easily fill internally with a superior product?
There is not 1 part of Salty’s offensive game that Lavarnway is not better at and who knows it these “rumors” about the pitching staff not even liking to throw to him are true added to it..
Not saying that is a reason to let him walk, get traded etc.. Just that can see no reason to hang onto a player when they have developed someone who excels at everything someone they currently have on the roster.
The defense we here is getting much better, if not ready as it is.. It’s time to make a move and move the guy (Salty) when some team gets desperate.
Boston is in the perfect position with him, just like with Middlebrooks and Youkilis.. They have 2 perfect people fully developed and ready, maybe even moreso in Lavarnway’s case as he has no issues taking a walk.
Is he going to be healthy is the question. He has been battling a lot of nagging injuries over the past few years and it may be starting to take its toll, if you believe Bobby V’s earlier assessment.
I doubt he is the .900 OPS machine he had been in the past. So unless you really think Middlebrooks is going to hit under a .700 OPS for the rest of the year, Youk really isn’t going to provide that much more offense to justify sending him back down. And considering he is a FA after the year and Boston surplus at that position they are best served trading him for prospects or a piece that would help them immediately with the outfield and pitching being their biggest needs.(Sorry, I’m just not convinced that Dice-K is a reliable arm, pre or post surgery. And Cook doesn’t excite me either.) As far as getting prospects, well that is nice but Boston needs to win this year AND next year. Trading for straight prospects with the team as banged up as it is would be a mistake, IMHO.
None the less, with Worley on the DL, a Blanton-for-Youk deal is definitely off the table for now. But, if I were Boston, I’d be all ears on any deals involving Youk for a player to improve the team now.