A hearty congratulations goes out to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus who bid farewell to the internet today as he will be joining the Astros as a Pro Scouting Coordinator. Houston also announced that they will be bringing Oz Ocampo on board as Director of International Scouting. More from around baseball..
- Diamondbacks General Manager Kevin Towers spoke very highly of closer J.J. Putz, tweets Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. Arizona holds a $6MM option on Putz for 2013, but Towers (Twitter link) made it sound as though it's a price he's ready to pay. "$6MM for an experienced closer is probably not a bad number," said the GM.
- Alfonso Soriano made it clear this summer that he would not accept a trade to the Giants due to the climate there, but the outfielder brought some clarity to the situation this evening. Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com tweets that the outfielder explained that the weather in San Francisco would be detrimental to his knee. Earlier reports suggested that Soriano did not like the idea of hitting in colder weather.
- Scott Miller of CBSSports.com looks back at the dismissal of Angels scout Eddie Bane, the man responsible for landing Mike Trout, Jered Weaver, Mark Trumbo, and many other key Halos pieces. Bane admitted that he and then-General Manager Tony Reagins did not get along overall.
Does Soriano really think ANY team is dying to have him enough to take on the kind of $ that would make the Cubs let him walk for nothing? It ain’t like NY is all that warm in April, the entire rest of the series this weekend is in jeopardy with inches of rain expected in Chi town! He’s basically saying “Miami, LA, here i am, don’t you want me?” I don’t know how much of that is ego and how much is reality but he’d be better off realizing any contending team that’s willing to take him on at this point is doing him a favor instead of throwing a tantrum every time he gets asked about SF.
Lets not forget that Chicago is not the warmest city out there…its not called the windy city for its clear skies and 80 degree weather
It’s also not called the windy city for the wind. It’s actually a reflection on the politics. But that’s ok
I was in the middle of the thinking the exact thing you posted to myself when I read your comment. I no longer need to think about this.
Ok, I forgive you now Alfonso.
Even if he is owed tons of $$$, I believe the Giants do need his caliber of a player to have a deadly lineup. Also, in hopes of the Giants clearing a roster spot in the post season for Melky..
it doesn’t get cold in chicago…?
It does – which is why he is only servicable from June to August.
Chicago is warmer May – September. Since they don’t play into october he doesn’t worry about that. SF tops out in 60’s-70’s most days.
How is southern california colder than the windy city?
The Giants are in Northern California…
It gets cold at night in SF for sure….
It is chilly in San diego even during the summer in the early AM hours as i recall, tho it quickly warms up.
Maybe it was from being used to Florida warmth, but being in the 50’s sometimes in the AM hours in August was weird for a locale so far south to me when was stationed there for a period.
Yeah it does. Just because its California doesn’t mean San Francisco has perfect weather. Before AT&T Candlestick was a nightmare with its chilly winds and if you were a fan sitting in the seats…well good luck to you. Even now at AT&T it gets colder than what people expect.
Have you been to San Francisco or Chicago in the Summer? I’ve been to both. Chicago has hot summers.
Reagins: “So we should take Mike Trout”?
Bane: “Of Course!”
How dare Soriano have opinions on what is good for him! The very nerve of the man!
Can The SF Giants get Eddie Bane. You can see that Brian Sabean needs a good scout who can hunt for hitters.
They might have to promise him a shot at resurrecting his pitching career 1st, which was awful at best.
I know We’re banking our season on Xavier Nady. I can’t believe that Brian Sabean couldn’t find a right handed slugger. oh vey!!
Giants are in 1st place meaning anyone of value will likely fail to fall through waivers. And if it weren’t for the whole Melky controversy they wouldn’t have been in this predicament in the first place.
Very nice move by Luhnow……bringing Kevin Goldstein on board. That man is a great judge of talent.
Cue any Bane references?
Goldstein hired by Astros? Wow, just wow.
That team’s going to be scary good one day.
Well now we will see what its like to have Bloggers build a Baseball team?
Ha! But Goldstein is a very knowledgeable guy. I do think he is one blogger that just might be a great addition to a ML team. What do the Astros have to lose? What they did in the past hadn’t worked as far as building and maintaining a minor league pipeline. If there’s any team that needs a new paradigm it’s them.
Not to mention all the connections he has to scouts and other people by working for ESPN Baseball prospectus and Baseball america
Maybe, maybe not. We’ll see what he can do. It’s fine when you’re behind a computer but he’ll be joining an organization/corporation now. He’ll deal with in company politics, budget concerns when it comes to signing prospects, and pressure to perform.
A chance at a ring with the Giants…Hmmm. Last i checked Soriano is 36,I mean how much baseball does he really think he has left in his old bones?