A few more links, on the night of Johnny Damon's 2,500th career hit….
- Shaun Marcum would like to remain a Blue Jay, but says if he gets traded, "hopefully it's [to] someone that's obviously going to be in the playoffs." MLB.com's James Hall has the full story.
- With Edinson Volquez set to rejoin Cincinnati soon, Brandon Phillips tells CBS Sports' Danny Knobler that he doesn't think the Reds need to trade for a pitcher.
- Marlins' players are battling to stay in the playoff hunt, in hopes of convincing the front office not to break up the team, writes the Palm Beach Post's Joe Capozzi. Florida's brass should decide soon whether or not they'll become sellers.
- The Indians signed a pitcher whose pre-draft arm surgery dropped him from a potential top-50 pick to the seventh round, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
- The Padres released former third overall pick Eric Munson, tweets MLB.com's Corey Brock.
- Frank Wren is biding his time when it comes to making trades, writes Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Wren reiterated what we heard a couple weeks ago: the Braves likely won't need to acquire any pitching.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link) hears that the White Sox aren't currently "heavily involved" in trade talk, but concedes that with Chicago, that could change at any moment.
- The Orioles are scouting the Phillies tonight, according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter). Gelb notes that Ty Wigginton, Miguel Tejada, and Jeremy Guthrie could all be potential targets for the Phils.
- AOL FanHouse's Frankie Piliere lists ten baseball people that ought to be considered for future general manager openings.
I do like the Braves pitching right where they are. Just keep everyone healthy and hit a little bit better w/ risp. Starting pitching is amazing now that JJ is back.
I guess Wren wants to see how the Braves do when Heyward returns. He wont be 100% ’til the end of the year, but it’ll still be better than how he was playing. I think the team needs a big right-handed bat to really put them over the edge. Mets are nipping and the Phils do great in the 2nd half.
Man i am a huge marlins fan, but im also a realist. the team hasnt gone on a win streak since the 03 team to catapult in to the playoffs. this team should sell, we wont have uggla or ross next year for sure…and with Sean West not in the bigs for some reason get rid of robertson (or keep him and demote volstad). They should try to load up on some decent talent, and by next year put Morrison on the field and other players will be closer to ready. but to keep these guys together is kind of ridiculous right now. how many games are left? 90 maybe (too lazy to check now) which means they need to win 65 of them realistically to make the playoffs. i dont see it….
Nice Eric Munson update. Wonder what Todd Van Poppel is up to?
Matt Gelb’s tweet says that O’s were scouting Philly (reverse of your update), but does mention Tejada, Wiggington, and Guthrie as targets. Not sure why the O’s would be in Philly and not Lehigh or Reading, et al…
JAYS ARE NOT TRADING MARCUM! They have no reason to trade Marcum. He is young, under control and is a great leader and ace to the Jays young pitching staff.
The Marlins players are fighting for a playoff run to keep the team from being broken up. Because obviously, the Marlins have never sold off key players after a successful season…
If they were in contention they wouldnt be traded during the season, which the players dont want….it has nothing to do with after the season. but since they are terrible this season it doesnt matter. bad old joke there…
Hey, the Marlins may be a bad joke, but they’re not old.
The Cubs would like Shaun Marcum! We have Ted Lilly, money, and pocket lint.
Cubs would like Marcum? Start with Josh Vitters and we’ll listen.
I wouldn’t be opposed to that.
Then you’re nuts. And I’m not even a huge Vitters fan.
The kid can’t field and can’t take a walk. He would have to hit .330 to have a respectable OBP at his current pace.
His walk rates haven’t been that bad this year. They haven’t been great, but if his BA is where it should be, his walk rates will keep his OBP just fine. And he’s been playing against much older competition. I don’t love him for the same reason you don’t like him, but walks aren’t everything, especially when you have some of the best plate coverage in baseball.
Beyond that, he’s still esteemed enough that if you’re going to trade him, it shouldn’t be for a guy with a severe injury history who’s about to get expensive.
His walk rates haven’t been that bad this year. They haven’t been great, but if his BA is where it should be, his walk rates will keep his OBP just fine. And he’s been playing against much older competition. I don’t love him for the same reason you don’t like him, but walks aren’t everything, especially when you have some of the best plate coverage in baseball.
Beyond that, he’s still esteemed enough that if you’re going to trade him, it shouldn’t be for a guy with a severe injury history who’s about to get expensive.
lol, the cubs are selling.
lol, the cubs are selling.
I’d hate to see Marcum go.
And I certainly believe he was doing more than just issuing a standard response. The guy flat-out said that he doesn’t want to leave, and that he’ll stay loyal if it is reciprocated.
To have a pitcher who is still reasonably young, performing extremely well, under team control, a leader to a core group of youngsters, and dedicated to the cause…well, I’d rather just play Bautista at 3B, or see if a free agent can be picked up, and tie Marcum down for the long-term.
I think everything has validity except for the ‘future #4’ part. Look at Tampa– they don’t really have an ace on their staff, but they have 4 really solid #2-type guys in their rotation, and it’s worked out to having the best rotation in baseball numbers-wise. They’re on to something perhaps? Just because Marcum doesn’t project as the ace of the staff two years from now doesn’t increase/decrease his value.
HaHA, braves could get Andruw Jones back, lol. It would definately be interesting, a step up from mclouth on offense, and a huge upgrade on defense. Plus it will save me 200 dollars from not having to sell my AJ jersey from 7 years ago.
Trade Mclouth and diaz for him, and you have a deal.
To be fair, Marcum isn’t insinuating that the move is inevitable and that J.P. Ricciardi is stupid for not moving him sooner and that I JUST WANT TO PLAY FOR A CONTENDER AGH STUPID TORONTO WHY DIDN’T WIN THE WILDCARD IN 2006?
If it were like that, then I’d be suspicious of re-using last years articles. This? I can live with it.
I think I’d actually be more upset if Marcum goes. I had a lot of time to ready myself for the Halladay deal and it was so obviously the right move at the time, so it was clearly what was best for the organization. Right now, we’re under the impression that the Jays are serious contenders for 2012 and 13. Can we really be certain that any prospect we get for Marcum is going to be developed and ready by then? He’s under team control for quite a while and he’s been putting up ace numbers so far this season after missing a year to injury; Not sure about you guys, but I sort of fell for the guy given how far he’s exceeded expectations this year, and having him moved would be at least modestly surprising. Enough to make it hurt more than losing Leroy? Maybe, maybe not. I mean deep down, we all knew Halladay was leaving and that he wanted to get out of Toronto. Marcum wants to be here, and wants to lead this team/rotation to the playoffs. Given all that, I think the asking price should be fairly outrageous.
Exactly, the way Marcum has pitched this season, he looks like our future ace. Drabek is good but you never know if he can be an ace in the bigs, not to mention other guys in the rotation are wayyy too young. Stewart and Drabek are still in AA so I doubt they will get called up unless Romero, Cecil pitch 200+ innings this year and Marcum is a guy that can be relied upon. He is a leader for the young guys and he is only 29, you don`t trade your best pitcher especially when he is 29, you build around him.
Unless a team puts out an outrageous offer where they are offering a great 3B prospect or OF prospect, then its not worth it.
And also to be fair, his name has come up in trade rumors, and it sounds like someone just asked him about it, not like he’s the one who brought it up. Standard issue response he gave there, too.
Steady on.
Marcum has been a model of consistency in his three full seasons in the majors. He is a proven contributor in the AL East, along with intangibles such as veteran leadership, and a cool head. We’ve been absolutely relying on Marcum to stop the rot when our young guns are giving it up. And he’s still only 28 years old.
It is impossible to say that they will *all* be better pitchers than Marcum. Drabek supposedly projects as a no.2, which is a position Marcum comfortably inhabits (if not better). Morrow is still a work in a progress and, despite that golden arm, brings no guarantee, only potential. Cecil pretty much falls into the same category.
I think Marcum has gone a long way to cushioning the Halladay departure, and he’s done it without fanfare.
Well, actually the last few games I’ve gone to I have noticed quite a few Marcum jerseys scattered amongst the plethora of Snider uniforms.
If a Marcum trade doesn’t bring in a stud 3B prospect, I’d think Downs would. Find the article ‘Downs Trade Value’ via FEEDS BY TEAM: Blue Jays.
Out of that group of untouchables, I’d say the only true untouchable would be Snider, and perhaps Romero.
Snider has to be untouchable because the Jays are sorely lacking the bats. Snider projects to be a stud masher, and his all-round game was coming on great guns before he got injured.
But Drabek, Arencibia, Wallace?
Wallace is a first baseman. He is very good, no mistake, but fairly replaceable I’d have thought. Arencibia is just one of a wealth of outstanding catching prospects the Jays have (Jiminez, D’Arnaud, Jeroloman). And Drabek? He projects to be another Marcum, except he isn’t proven.
This is really my whole point with Marcum. He is still only 28, and it is highly likely that he’d be prepared to sign a team-friendly contract. He loves the Jays, he has the right kind of disposition, and he is a proven rock in the AL East. I just don’t see why we should be eager to trade him away in return for a guy who *could* be a good 3B.
I’d far rather make Drabek, Arencibia, Buck, Bautista, and Downs available in any trade for a 3B blue chipper.
I don’t really see Drabek as a “centrepiece” in the Doc deal, and I’m not sure why anybody else should, either. Maybe if he was a blue chip ace like David Price, but he projects to be a no.2.
We also received Michael Taylor in the Doc deal, but we flipped him for Wallace. If we traded Drabek, you can bet we’d be getting a heck of a player in return. To me, it’s the same difference.
As for Arencibia, there’d be nothing absurd about moving him. Jeroloman isn’t far behind, and you have D’Arnaud and Jiminez getting raves. We’d still have the likes of Molina/Chavez for next season, too.
I have no wish to see Arencibia go, but I just don’t understand why we are so keen to protect prospects (who we have in surplus) and shift out young, performing MLBers instead.
Drabek or Stewart aren’t tearing it up in AA so it’s tough to say they are ready right now.
I think Marcum does have the potential to be a future ace, he’s a work horse and he just came back from Tommy John surgery so isn’t it possible he can get even better as seasons progress? His ERA is around 3.39 which is pretty good for a comeback year and Marcum was like this before he had the surgery. He won’t be a Halladay type ace putting up ERA below 3, but he can be right around there and be a stud.
As for Morrow being our ace… uhh… he has a LONG way to go before that even happens. I won’t suggest his ERA because he has been VERY good after those early terrible performances but I’m not sure if he can be an ace. He definitely has the stuff but still has inconsistency issues and doesn’t eat up a whole lot of innings either. However, I think he can be a very good #2 or #3 starter. Cecil and Romero are better than him right now, especially Romero who has been pitching like an cy young but he still needs to work on his emotions which was very evident in the Yankees series.
Assuming Drabek reaches his potential:
Drabek
Romero
Marcum
Cecil
Morrow
Quite a pitching staff, no? Zep, Mills can be trade baits and a lot of scouts say Stewart would be much more effective as a reliever, perhaps our future closer which we badly need?
But as I said in my last post, if someone puts out an outrageous offer and gives us a great 3B or OF prospect for Marcum, then I think I would do it.
Drabek or Stewart aren’t tearing it up in AA so it’s tough to say they are ready right now.
I think Marcum does have the potential to be a future ace, he’s a work horse and he just came back from Tommy John surgery so isn’t it possible he can get even better as seasons progress? His ERA is around 3.39 which is pretty good for a comeback year and Marcum was like this before he had the surgery. He won’t be a Halladay type ace putting up ERA below 3, but he can be right around there and be a stud.
As for Morrow being our ace… uhh… he has a LONG way to go before that even happens. I won’t suggest his ERA because he has been VERY good after those early terrible performances but I’m not sure if he can be an ace. He definitely has the stuff but still has inconsistency issues and doesn’t eat up a whole lot of innings either. However, I think he can be a very good #2 or #3 starter. Cecil and Romero are better than him right now, especially Romero who has been pitching like an cy young but he still needs to work on his emotions which was very evident in the Yankees series.
Assuming Drabek reaches his potential:
Drabek
Romero
Marcum
Cecil
Morrow
Quite a pitching staff, no? Zep, Mills can be trade baits and a lot of scouts say Stewart would be much more effective as a reliever, perhaps our future closer which we badly need?
But as I said in my last post, if someone puts out an outrageous offer and gives us a great 3B or OF prospect for Marcum, then I think I would do it.
Yeah Wallace is a better prospect than Drabek, I am so glad we flipped him because Taylor isn’t really doing that good but I would have preferred to have Brown over Drabek but the scouting reports aren’t always right. Drabek is still recovering and has shown he can be a future ace but needs to get it together.
I remember when Romero was a C level prospect and jumps in to bigs and becomes a #2 starter, same with Zep.
And with the way Arencibia is playing right now, I have to assume he is considered an untouchable because he is TEARING it up and he’s improved in every category. Maybe that eye surgery or whatever he did in the off-season to repair his vision has worked because he is playing tremendous.
OUR FARM IS STOCKED!
I’m not saying that the Jays should trade Arencibia.
I am saying that catching is a position where we have really impressive prospect depth. The likes of Jeroloman, or even a new free agent, could assume the no.1 role if it came to that (which it won’t).
The point I am trying to make is that it seems peculiar to trade away a proven MLB player (comfortably assuming the no.1 position in the rotation) without much thought, yet be jealously guarding players who have yet to prove themselves AND are one of a number we possess in the same position.
We have a guy in Marcum who is ready now, and will be ready for the next 6+ years of his career. How much better than Marcum can Drabek really be? If he was a David Price type prospect, then fine, but he’s not.
And incidentally, I’m not suggesting we go out of our way to trade Drabek or Arencibia, which seems to be the impression you are under. I like them both and would like to see them grow up as Jays. I’d just think extremely carefully about trading a Marcum, who checks all the right boxes (loyal, cheap, leader, proven, young etc)
I’m not saying that the Jays should trade Arencibia.
I am saying that catching is a position where we have really impressive prospect depth. The likes of Jeroloman, or even a new free agent, could assume the no.1 role if it came to that (which it won’t).
The point I am trying to make is that it seems peculiar to trade away a proven MLB player (comfortably assuming the no.1 position in the rotation) without much thought, yet be jealously guarding players who have yet to prove themselves AND are one of a number we possess in the same position.
We have a guy in Marcum who is ready now, and will be ready for the next 6+ years of his career. How much better than Marcum can Drabek really be? If he was a David Price type prospect, then fine, but he’s not.
And incidentally, I’m not suggesting we go out of our way to trade Drabek or Arencibia, which seems to be the impression you are under. I like them both and would like to see them grow up as Jays. I’d just think extremely carefully about trading a Marcum, who checks all the right boxes (loyal, cheap, leader, proven, young etc)