It was on this day in 1945 that Jackie Robinson (along with fellow Negro League players Marvin Williams and Sam Jethroe) participated in a tryout for the Red Sox at Fenway Park. None of the trio were signed and Robinson signed his ground-breaking contract with the Dodgers later in the year. The Red Sox ended up being the last team to integrate its roster — Pumpsie Green appeared in a game as a pinch-runner on July 21, 1959, over 12 years after Robinson's Major League debut.
Here's the latest from the AL East…
- If Adam Jones hasn't signed a contract extension with the Orioles by July, the team should consider a trade, opines Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com. Jones and the O's discussed a multiyear deal over the winter but talks were tabled. The 26-year-old has only helped his case for a big contract with a hot start to the season (a 1.052 OPS though Sunday's action) and has one more year of arbitration eligibility before potentially hitting the free agent market after the 2013 season. A Jones trade would be an unpopular move in Baltimore but the Orioles would undoubtedly receive a good haul of prospects in return for the center fielder.
- With Edwin Encarnacion and Adam Lind filling the Blue Jays' DH and first base spots, minor league first baseman David Cooper could become trade bait later this year, writes MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm. Cooper posted a .974 OPS at Triple-A last season and led the Pacific Coast League with a .364 average but hit just nine homers, leading to doubts about whether he has the power to contribute at the Major League level.
- The Red Sox have enough hitting to weather the loss of Jacoby Ellsbury, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, but the team's key problem is still its lack of rotation depth. In the same piece, Morosi notes that the Giants also have the bullpen arms to survive Brian Wilson's season-ending elbow injury but could have an unexpected starting pitching problem of their own if Tim Lincecum continues to struggle.
Wonder what kind of package Jones could command…
Something like Gio maybe?!?!
Let’s see how he’s doing by the time July gets here. I’m pretty sure a team is not going to trade multiple top prospects for a guy with a career .320 OBP and 103 OPS+
If he has MVP caliber numbers by the trade deadline, could be a different story.
The Orioles need to step up and make a fair market value offer for Jones, something on the order of 5 years and $75MM. If he doesn’t want to stay, then he doesn’t want to stay and then the O’s need to trade him. However, if he wants to stay (or, to be honest, “is willing” to stay) then the team needs to do the right thing and pony up.
Do you really think Adam Jones is worth $15 mil a year?
Looking at his comparables on FanGraphs (article from 2/16/12), perhaps the right figure is 5 years and $60MM or 6 years and $72MM. Still, my desire to see the team make a decision one way or the other sooner rather than later, especially given his dynamic start to the season, is still there.
Train Larvanway to play RF/LF in Pawtucket. Platoon him next season in Fenway. Crawford can be CF, we don’t need Ellsbury for that kind of money to be an injury risk.
Ellsbury is not an injury risk…
Yeah, a person who was out for an entire season isn’t an injury risk. Also a person that has to be handled delicately isn’t an injury risk. LOL
He’s not look at his injury history…all his injuries are simply bad luck. Prior to 2010 he has never had an injury. Handled delicately? Ellsbury is a fast guy and running into Beltre at that speed would injure anyone…same thing with Brignac who is a huge guy compared to Ellsbury. No one is handling him delicately. “LOL”
It’s not like he pulled him hamstring, or has a balky knee/shoulder; he took a knee to the ribs and had a 200lb SS fall square on his shoulder.
There really is a huge difference there.
Thought of Lavarnway playing FL is scary, much less RF at Fenway. Sure he played OF when he 1st started at Yale, but they quickly figured out it wasn’t in the cards and tried to find another position.. He just is not very mobile.
1b is out with AGone, it looks like he is going to DH next year and catch P/T is about it to get his bat into the lineup. Sure is a shame he isn’t able to play an even adequate LF though so they could at least move CC to RF and let him play left.
They are having Lars Anderson play LF at Pawtucket this year, though think that is more to try and get some trade value more than anything from him with versatility.
Marlins on the mind, John?
LF-FL.. Never know what’s going on with me when it comes to typing sometimes huh…
Boston does recycle enough Fish OF, shame they never could get Hammer Willingham after Hermida and now Ross. That way would have had the entire OF from the mid 2000’s at one time which was pretty good for several years.
I agree. It seems to me that we missed out on the best of the bunch. Ross has done well so far, though. Of course, Hermida did during April as well.
Trade Adam Jones? Wasn’t the whole point of trading our best pitcher to Seattle (Bedard) to get a young piece that we could build with? Now we should trade that piece? When does it end? When do we actually keep our stars and begin to SIGN real free agents?
I agree, however if AJ is not going to sign AND we are looking at another losing season this July (Probably because of pitching) We can get a nice arm or 2 to rebuild with a AJ trade. If he keeps playing like he is now he will get a good haul.
No insult here to O’s fans, but you watch Jones long enough and you come away with the impression he’s a BJ Upton that just doesn’t steal bases.. Both are good defenders who are prone to extreme mental lapses in the field. Have power, yet K at horrible amounts and are going to be shortly making more than they are probably worth for their output on the field.
If was Angelos? See what Upton gets via FA this offseason and not even consider offering Jones 1c more LT if even as much is my 2c.
David Cooper is Casey Kotchman clone.
Many teams will take a very good defensive 1B with excellent eye and high obp.
Just ask Kotchman about all the offers he got this offseason.
He’s not a good defensive 1B, let alone a very good one. I don’t even think he is average.
Maybe he could be something similar to Loney but he is probably an organization filler.
except he is not a good defensive 1b
David Cooper.
Best Case Scenario:
– He has a John Olerud type of evolution.
– great BB%, great BB/K, high BA, and OBP
– defense improves with experience
Worst Case Scenario:
– he becomes the next Matt LaPorta
It’s likely that David Cooper will either be traded or becomes another
James Loney (just a backup player). Unfortunately, the Blue Jays are
lacking any star 1B prospects; Mike McDade is okay, but not a star.
If Cooper is moved, it will likely be at the trade deadline, probably
along with Cordero and/or Oliver. The question is, to whom?
Except Cooper is a pretty bad fielder and has even less power then Kotchman. How many teams will take a poor fielding 1b with no power?