Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse hears that Arizona’s payroll will sit between $50-60MM next year. The Diamondbacks started the season with a $75MM payroll, but shed considerable salary with a flurry of midseason trades. They now have just shy of $20MM committed to the 2011 team (not including potential free agents or arbitration-eligible players). Here’s the latest on the Diamondbacks:
- Krasovic hears that the D’Backs considered offering Mark Reynolds to the A’s for Kevin Kouzmanoff and Vin Mazzaro before Kevin Towers took over as the team’s GM.
- The club also talked to the Tigers about exchanging Rick Porcello for Stephen Drew earlier in the summer, but Detroit wasn’t interested.
- Krasovic wouldn’t be surprised to see the Diamondbacks sell high on Kelly Johnson, who is heading into his final season of arbitration.
I’ve never been much of a Kouzmanoff fan, can’t get on base or hit for much power, and Reynolds is very bad this year, but the A’s would get a pretty decent deal there. Reynolds can’t seem to get a hit that stays in the park, but I don’t believe he’s always going to be a .200 hitter. The A’s need power badly and Mazarro is probably their most expendable pitcher. That would be a risk they’d have to take.
Agreed. I also don’t understand why the D-backs would want Mazzaro, yet another fly-ball pitcher in their small ballpark.
I disagree. Reynolds has power but the avg. and K’s cancel out the Home Runs. He really is not a good player and if they are going to give up Vin Mazzaro, a pitcher who has a world of potential for Mark Reynolds, the answer is no.
That would have been a steal of a trade for the A’s. So, Reynolds’ BABIP tanked for a year, big whoop. He’s still a 2 WAR 3B this year, and was a 3.5 WAR 3B last year. He’ll end up somewhere in-between next year once his BABIP regresses – I’d guess about 3 WAR. Considering his salary, that’s a bargain. And Mazzaro has done nothing in the majors to suggest he’ll be very good.
Actually you are wrong about Mazzaro and this makes me know that you’ve
obviously not watched Mazzaro pitch this season and you just looked at his
stats. Reynolds is not a good player. “Steal of a trade”? come on.
Actually you are wrong about Mazzaro and this makes me know that you’ve
obviously not watched Mazzaro pitch this season and you just looked at his
stats. Reynolds is not a good player. “Steal of a trade”? come on.
Average and K’s mean nothing with Reynolds, just like they don’t with Adam Dunn. And while I realize that Reynolds strikes out more and walks less than Dunn, he’s got the same basic skill set: Draw walks and hit the ball a country mile. He’s good enough at drawing walks to where even in a year that he’s hitting under .200, his OBP is still at a semi-decent level.
you’re wrong. He’s pretty much wasted 2 whole seasons in his career. He is
not someone that can really help a team…Yes, he hits home runs…But a
Major League 3B should not be hitting under 200 regardless of his home runs
and obp. He is the first player to ever have a higher K than AVG.
Batting average is pointless. If he hits .100 but has a good OBP, so what? Most overrated offense stat is batting average, period.
That said, don’t think that offer was a “steal” for the A’s.
I think its a horrible trade for the A’s.
And although I see what you are saying, I want to say two things…I don’t consider a .321 OBP good, although if he can get back to where he was last year, he will he in better shape. Second of all, the K rate is really horrible. He doesn’t help his team at all with the K’s even if he hits 35 home runs. I just think that that trade is absurd. Take out Mazzaro’s stats against the Yankees and he had a good second season. He is young an has tremendous potential and upside.
Strikeouts are just another out. If you’re concerned about his contact issues, put it that way and your worry would be perfectly justified, but I’m not going to worry about someone who chooses to make outs via the K instead of a weak grounder to the SS.
Not really…Sac Fly, RBI ground out, squeeze, fielders choice, sac bunt, liner to RF with a runner on 2nd, those are all productive ways to make puts rather than a K.
Mazzaro does not have tremendous upside. He has a bad attitude, thinks he’s better than he is, and is content with mediocrity. He gives up 4 runs over five innings and thinks he did well and wonders why he was taken out, while guys like Andersen give up two runs over 8 innings and state that they should have done better. I’m tired of seeing Mazzaro’s quotes after his starts where he’s basically patting himself on the back after a mediocre performance. There’s a reason why he’d been sent down this season. All the other A’s starters expect more of themselves. Mazzaro should be packaged in a trade this offseason. Let Outman, Cramer, and Tyson Ross compete for the fifth spot.
Wasted two seasons? He’s been a clearly above-average offensive player in his career. That’s hardly wasting two seasons.
He has 790 K’s in 1978 career AB’s. Almost 2 seasons of just striking out.
Sounds like ownership wants a full-fledged rebuilding around Upton, Hudson, and Kennedy then. They’ve got a guy that can do the job, I’m excited to see what he can do.
I really, really wish Jerry DiPoto had stayed long enough to offer that deal, and the A’s make it…
why would detroit trade porcello for drew ??
Jerry DiPoto was unintelligent, that is all.
i can tell you what dipoto wanted for haren. miguel cabrera justin verlander rick porcello and 1 of our top prospects
Remember that one time he was sent to Triple-A?
We were trying to buy low on Porcello back when he was doing horribly and Drew plays shortstop, where the Tigers have nobody who understands how to reach base.
a #1 pick who is struggling in just his second season in the bigs isn’t that uncommon. Obviously The Tigers managements thought that sacrificing a young pitcher with huge upside wasn’t worth a shortstop with average power and slightly above average hitting
It’s amazing how much people underrate Drew. FanGraphs currently has him worth 4.6 WAR at SS! “Average power and slightly above average hitting” is hardly how I’d describe a shortstop with a .354 wOBA in 148 games with about a half-win above-average defense. Even if that defensive value is simply a matter of variance and he’s a merely average defender, that’s at SS and that’s a heck of a player under control for a couple of arb years.
DBacks fans should temper their excitement over Kevin Towers. As a Padres fan, I can tell you he has had absolutely no luck scouting and drafting position players. He has a decent eye for pitchers, particularly relievers, but he struggles to find offensive weapons. That team will have no offense inside of three years. He’s going to sell off one bat after another for young pitchers who, while they throw strikes, lack movement and velocity (upside).
As long as the team is considering moving Reynolds, maybe KT would trade him to San Diego for Headley and Wade LeBlanc. That should give DBacks fans a crystal clear look at what their roster will look like for the next several seasons.
Rick Porcello for Steven Drew? really? Wow, ummm maybe if they throw in Blanton and the tigers throw in Raburn or Sizemore.
Last time I checked Blanton was on the Phillies
Oh, crap, that who was that kid they got from the angels. Saunders. Yeah. Maybe throw in a pitcher like Saunders and it might get the Tigers to bite, at least that is what it would take for the Dbacks to get Porcello. If a team wants to get one of our young future aces, they better be willing to give up a darn good pitcher in return. Now if the hitter is one of the elite players, say Hannly Ramirez, then a Porcello for Ramirez trade would be fair.
Predictions:LaRoche will leave via FA and Reynolds, Johnson, and Young will be traded and in the cumulative return from those three Towers will look for at least one young MLB ready starter, a speedy defensive-minded CF and as much minor league pitching depth and pen arms as he can.New regulars on offense:2B: C. Guzman- veteran contact bat who will be cheaper thane KJ’s arb earnings3B: K. Kouzmanoff – aquired with prospects or after nontenderd1B: B. Allen – in house option with power/patienceCF: filled via tradeLF: G. Para – in house option but could be further upgraded
This makes no sense at all
Is it the content or the format that doesn’t make sense?
The dbacks are looking to contend next year, not shed payroll.
Getting rid of KJ to save a few bucks on Guzman hopefully won’t happen. I don’t think Parra will be starting in LF. Towers already said that LF is second priority behind bullpen. If he does find a Left fielder, you’re right LaRoche will be gone and Allen into 1B. Getting rid of Chris Young doesn’t make sense either.
Dbacks are looking to add pieces, not take them away.
In my opinion trading KJ and Reynolds for pitching is a win now and for the future move. KJ has only one year left of control and Reynolds doesn’t fit how Towers wants to build his lineup. If you can get a young starter and some young pen arms for that duo then I think Arizona improves in 2011 and in the long run.
I do agree with you and azdsnd that it might be a good idea to hold onto Chris Young but for the same reasons he would hold the most value in a trade if Towers does want to do a rebuild. And by rebuilding I don’t mean cutting payroll and trashing the season, I just mean changing the how the team plays and improving some areas that need improving like pitching.
Guzman is certainly not the power or perhaps OBP threat that KJ is but Guzman’s K rate of roughly 15% at this point in his career is better than any current Arizona regular. It would be a KJ for Guzman, some extra cash to spend elsewhere, and whatever young players Towers likes to add to the 2011 team and beyond.
No reason to trade Chris Young. That’s pointless, particularly since you think we should subsequently re-fill the hole via trade and CY’s defense is just fine.
But Reynolds and KJ I could see traded. Though I’d hate to see Reynolds dealt since he is going to re-build his stock as soon as his BABIP jumps back up.
That said, I could see us getting Guzman and going after Kouzmanoff if we deal Mark.
Please don’t tell me I’m going to have to suffer through another year of Gerardo Parra in left field though. Parra is the true definition of suck. He does nothing particularly well at the plate (mediocre contact skills, no patience, no power), and that’s supposed to a big-bat position. Yuck. I do like Allen, though.
I wonder if Reynolds could play 1B if traded to the Orioles for prospects.
I wonder if Reynolds would get owned by AL East pitching when he’s out of the friendly confines of Chase Field.
How many teams in the AL East play in pitchers parks?
Well Camden Yards is a hitters ball park and he is still young and can work on raising his AVG. If his D is so good then it should be easy for him to learn 1B. The Orioles should then bring back Wigginton to play 3B untill Bell is ready. Then we trade Wigginton away for pitching.
Mark Reynolds to the cards for David freese. Cards want power (tho I think freese will be great) and the d-backs get a cost-effective, promising player.
Just an idea for a foundation of a trade…
You may be actually onto something, although I was personally never a fan of David Freese in the first place, and don’t believe his season is indicative of what we should expect.
Also, Mark Reynolds apparently turns into Scott Rolen defensively when he plays the Cardinals, so I would like to get rid of that asap 🙂
The Orioles could offer Remiold,Egan and Tillman to the D Backs
Your’re right they could. But why on Earth would they? Plug Remold at 1st base and he will give you 25 HR’s and a 215 AVG wtih tons of K’s. Not much difference than this bum
Your’re right they could. But why on Earth would they? Plug Remold at 1st base and he will give you 25 HR’s and a 215 AVG wtih tons of K’s. Not much difference than this bum
The Orioles should also go strong after Pavano.
You know I came in the link read the deal of Kouzmanoff and Mazzaro for Mark Reynolds, I was expecting to read comments like, the D-backs are stupid thank god Towers is the GM now, stuff like that. How would you not like the deal if you’re an A’s fan??????
Mark Reynolds is having a bad year no doubt, now he isn’t exactly healthy, he has a bad thumb(that slowed Jason Heyward for about two months so it is a significant injury), + a bad wrist and a bad back…………..This guy is one year removed of 44 homers and 102 RBI’s, this year he has 32 homers and 84 RBI’s…..
If all it takes is Kouzmanoff and Mazzaro then I want the Braves to get in the bidding and plug him in left field. Because next year he’ll be healthy, and I want 44 homers in my Braves.
I will def trade Kouz and Mazarro for Reynolds. We need power in our lineup. We have great pitchers to replace Mazarro and Kouz is decent when it comes to bat. I think the A’s should proceed this deal.
The last thing we need in Oakland is a guy who struggles to hit .200. His power numbers would certainly go down in the coliseum, as everyones do. We need to hoard these young arms and hope that they are good enough bait to lure in bats. Not trade them for bats. Beanes trades of late have been total headscratchers to me. Our starting outfield this year very well could have been Carlos Gonzalez, Andre Ethier and Coco. Oh well.