Here's the latest pair of video news updates from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…
- Even once their new ownership group takes over, the Dodgers "might not be as active at the trade deadline as a lot of people think." While the team will now have the financial resources to absorb a big contract, the Dodgers' minor league system isn't very deep and they want to keep their few quality prospects.
- Peter O'Malley is "making a strong push" to buy the Padres and wants to have a deal arranged by the All-Star break.
- The Nationals would've preferred to give Bryce Harper more minor league seasoning but their hand was forced due to their lack of production in left field, plus Ryan Zimmerman and Michael Morse going on the DL.
- The Red Sox "aren't optimistic" they can convince Aaron Cook to stay put, as Cook is eager to pitch in the majors again. The veteran right-hander can opt out of his contract on May 1 if he isn't called up to the Red Sox Major League roster before that date. With Daniel Bard and Felix Doubront pitching well, Boston doesn't have a spot in the rotation for Cook unless, as Rosenthal notes, the club "does something" with Clay Buchholz.
- Bobby Abreu is only the latest high-priced member of the Angels to have his contract eaten by the team under Arte Moreno's ownership. The Halos have also let go of Kevin Appier, Scott Kazmir, Gary Matthews Jr. and Justin Speier in recent years, and those four plus Abreu amounted to around $60MM in dead money. This doesn't mean that the Angels will release Vernon Wells, however, as Wells' contract alone would cost the team more than those five players combined; counting this year, Wells is set to earn $63MM through the 2014 season.
Who would have figured that Bard and Doubrant have been the 2 most consistent starters early in the season for Boston? Sure it’s early and they only have had 4 starts each, plus Doubrant throws so many pitches per inning he is worn out by the 5th, but it’s going to be interesting to see what happens really soon, not only with Cook in 2 days, but Matsuzaka in another 3 weeks or so also..
There goes the shortage of SP and yeah.. Bucholz is having issues big time with his change and getting the ball down, though sending him down yet probably isn’t the answer, his last start wasn’t as bad as the 1st 3. Give him another 2-3 before contemplating that thought at all.
I still think Cook is a non issue. He has had four good starts in AAA, and years of mediocrity (or worse) in the majors, so I don’t expect him to be a great addition to the ML rotation. If Bard of Doubront were struggling then maybe, but Buchholz is the worst of the bunch so far and there’s no way they take him out of the rotation (not for more than a short DL stint anyway).
To me, the first they really have to think about what to do in the rotation is when Daisuke comes back.
Think you may be right with letting Cook ponder his choice come 5/1 if Valentine doesn’t move bard back to the pen and given the last 2 starts he has had? Seemingly unlikely.
They could call up Cook as a long man and thereby try and hang onto him a bit longer, move him in a trade for some minor piece, but doubtful the effort would yield much. They still would have Miller to find a spot for shortly.
They could call him up as a long man, but they already have Padilla, Aceves, Atchison, and Tazawa who are all capable of going multiple innings. They also don’t have very good defense on the left side of their infield, so an extreme ground ball pitcher wouldn’t be a very good fit (in relief or as a starter).
To me, you try to convince him to stay until his second opt out (6/1), and if he doesn’t stay it’s not that big of a deal anyway.
Convincing him to stick around for another month would obviously be the best case scenario.
Definitely, but if he wont the next best scenario might just be letting him leave.
That might be the next best scenario RIGHT NOW (and perhaps even for the next month or so) but, when you look at the full season in context..I still think we’re gonna regret it later on if Cook leaves on May 1st. Plus, out of all our starting pitching depth I still think Cook is one of (if not) the best options – one reason being just that he represents a different kind of pitcher (being a groundball guy) than the rest of our starters. It also seems like once half-Japanese Bobby V came aboard that everyone has jumped back on the Dice-K bandwagon and almost automatcally expects him to begin contributing quality starts to the big league team in a few weeks. I’ll admit his progress has been impressive but how quickly it seems everyone has forgotten his maddening inconsistency. I remember when it was first reported last year that he would need TJ most people assumed he would never start another game for the Sox. Now, people are practically assuming that he will really bolster the rotation in the 2nd half. Def not a sure thing IMO. Miller? Ohlendorf? No thanks. Aceves and Padilla? They’re needed in the pen.
While Daisuke was a disappointment he was still a better pitcher than Cook from 2007 (when he came to the states) through 2011. Think about that, Daisuke performed better in the AL East than Aaron Cook did in the NL West. Now we want Cook in our rotation? No thanks.
Just because a guy is a “different kind of pitcher” doesn’t mean he better than other options, or even mean that he’s good at all. An extreme sinkerball pitcher is the absolute last thing this team wants/needs with Youkilis and Aviles on the left side of the infield.
Aceves and Padilla might be needed in the bullpen, but if there becomes a need in the rotation they would (and should) use them there anyway; the rotation is more important than the ‘pen and relievers are easier to find anyway.
Alfonso Soriano doesn’t think Vernon Wells is tradable
If Buchholz has another sub-par start on Monday he should be phantom 15day-DLed so Cook can come up and at least get a chance to show what he can do against a Major League lineup. Buchholz could use a few “rehab” starts to get himself straightened out anyways. If Buchholz pitches well though, and Cook won’t extend his stay on AAA, I wonder if they would consider moving Doubront back to the pen for a start or 2 rather than risk Cook leaving? Not really “fair” to Doubront given how well he’s been pitching but it could make sense for at least one time through the rotation.
Doubront is a better pitcher than Cook, so it wouldn’t really make sense to move Doubront to the ‘pen just so you can keep a lesser pitcher. If Cook wont stay until his second opt out, let him walk.
I really don’t understand the fascination with Cook, he’s had four good starts in AAA – that doesn’t erase his multiple years of suckitude in the majors. He’s not going to be anywhere near as good in the majors as he has been in AAA; not only because the competition is a lot better, but because the left side of the infield defense is 100x better on the AAA team and he’s an extreme ground ball pitcher.
P.S. that wasn’t directed at you, but at the overall concern with what happens with Cook, and the desire to have him in Boston’s rotation.
“but because the left side of the infield defense is 100x better on the AAA team and he’s an extreme ground ball pitcher.”
Middlebrooks and Iglesias are better than Aviles and Youk? We should explain that to many more Sox fans how Avilles has been below average every season as a SS except for his rookie season and Youk is average (at best) as a 3b, while both Iglesias and Middlebrooks will both be possible GG material when they get to the bigs some day.
Yeah, Aviles and Youkilis are serviceable defensively (though both below average), while Middlebrooks and Iglesias are both plus to plus-plus defenders. The reason they are both in AAA though, is that neither of them are really ready for the majors (and in Middlebrooks’ case, Youkilis isn’t going anywhere at this point).
Wasn’t implying to call them up at all, just explain also there about the defense and Ciriaco isn’t any slouch either.
No matter how many years go by, every time I see that Wells contract I involuntarily go, “…Wow.”
Nationals hand was forced? Yeah, ok.
You might as well not have him come up at all if you’re only going to give him one start to show that he’s good. Even if he pitches well in his first start you have no idea how he is going to pitch for the rest of the season. If you call Cook up to pitch out of the rotation you’ve got to give him at least a month to show if he can handle it or not, and then Daisuke comes back, so if you move someone to the ‘pen for Cook it’s essentially permanent. And Doubront having better value in the ‘pen isn’t a good reason to take him out of the rotation (where he also has more value), quality starting pitching is way more important than quality relief pitching.
Again, you don’t make your rotation worse simply so you can keep a depth pitcher. It just doesn’t make sense. If he wont stay in the minors (or maybe pitch in relief), let him walk.
I hear your points about Doubront. I guess I’m just trying to think creatively here because it just seems silly to me to let Cook walk given how well he has pitched the last month..even if he IS just a “depth pitcher”. I guess I’m rooting for a Buchholz phantom DL move..
I don’t get how 4 starts in AAA makes everyone forget about how bad he has been for years in the majors. With a good infield defense behind him he could be a useable pitcher in the majors, but even then he wouldn’t be better (or even as good as) the other options currently in the rotation, and Boston doesn’t have a good infield defense (not on the left side anyway).
Also, Cook represents 1/7 of our starting pitching depth, not 1/3 (Aceves, Padilla, Cook, Ohlendorf, Wilson, Daisuke, and Miller), and will probably be something like 7th or 8th on the depth chart once Daisuke comes back in 3 weeks (5 current starters and Daisuke will definitely be ahead of him, and Padilla and Aceves would possibly/probably be ahead of him).
Teams that should be interested in bringing in Abreu, at the pro-rated league minimum, are the Rays, Tigers, Braves, Red Sox, White Sox, Reds, Dodgers, Phillies, Giants, Blue Jays, and Nationals.
He would be a starterplatoon playerroster upgrade on every one of these teams, and at the league minimum would be a bargain.
Who is he going to replace in Boston? He’s limited to LF defensively (at best), and he’s not as good as Ross or Sweeney (he’s hardly any better than McDonald at this point; he’s actually worse defensively).
I didn’t see here anyone mentioning that Cook may just be a better option than Padilla, 8.31 ERA and certainly Thomas can be sent down
Thomas was sent down to make room for Hill on Friday.
Little Behind on the Transaction Wire, I saw that after I posted. Thanks