With just one day to go before option decisions are due and only a few days remaining before free agents can sign with any team, here are the latest links from around MLB…
- The Yankees should consider pursuing players such as Carlos Beltran and Jeff Keppinger in the coming offseason, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes.
- Meanwhile, the Mets should check in on A.J. Pierzynski, Marco Scutaro and Randy Choate in the view of the Post’s Ken Davidoff.
- Brian Cashman of the Yankees and Chris Antonetti of the Indians have some of the toughest offseason assignments in baseball, former GM Jim Bowden writes at ESPN.com.
- It's not a foregone conclusion that David Ross will return to the Braves, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes (on Twitter). The Braves would like to re-sign the catcher, but he'll draw interest following a strong season. He's a possible fit for the Tigers in my view.
The yanks pursuing Carlos Beltran? Sure…. Only he’s still under contract with St. Louis for another year and was the Cardinal’s leading power producer. he isn’t going anywhere. I hate the whole new York attitude of “we can get whoever we want because we have money”… pffft… Try again.
Because trades don’t happen?
Teams don’t give up a Superstar type player after coming within one game of the world series. Especially when that team will remain virtually intact and have a better than decent shot of doing it again next year. Sure… We will trade him. For CC and Cano. Straight up.
Beltran isnt a superstar type player he didnt even have a better season than swisher.
I love how this is getting downvoted its not a knock on swish neither are superstars.
its probably swish him self
Not a Beltran fan, but he is #8 on list of active players WAR and he’s younger than all those above him, except Pujols.
baseball-reference.com/leaders/WAR_bat_active.shtm…
Doesnt mean he is a superstar now.
For CC and Cano. Straight up” clearly nyers are the one with the attitude problem…
Your sarcasm detector is broken.
Ok calm down. The article is basically saying the Yankees should check in. They are losing both RFs on their roster to FA. Beltran was very good last year, for the first half. He was not good in the second half and he had a hand in making the wild card so close. The Cards would be very incorrect to not listen. They have guys fighting for playing time and if they can get something decent back, they should consider it
“Teams don’t give up a Superstar type player after coming within one game of the world series”
Nomar Garciaparra? I’m aware they won the WS the next year, but I don’t buy the siliness that they would not have won it if he was still with the team
The Cardinals can’t trade him unless he waives his no-trade clause, and that won’t happen.
Why wont that happen?
Why not? Because fans don’t want it? He’s played in NY before and could do it again
He’s practically had Boras beg the Yankees to sign him the last 2 times he’s been a FA, so no doubt he’d waive it for the Yankees. But the Yankees could have had him twice for just money and declined, so going after him now seems unlikely.
exactly what i was thinking. of course if beltran was a free agent they should pursue him but there is no way the cardinals would give him up after coming one game shy of the world series for a second straigh year mostly because of his great year.
No way? Trades are made lots of times after fans have said “no way”. I’d say it’s a highly unlikely long shot, but no way is not true.
Let’s say the Yankees came calling on the Cards and offered up a prospect the Cards covet…say a very good ss. The Cards one major weakness in their minor league system is a blue chip ss. Whether the Yankees have one or not at the moment is somewhat irrelevant because they could easily trade for just such a prospect. Now let’s say that Carlos has a meeting with Mozeliak and says he’d be willing to waive his clause and go to the Yankees if they’ll tack on another year. All contracts with no trade clauses can be worked around.
Of course this is all just supposition and talk that happens every off season, but given the right circumstances, it could happen.
so every player is a possible trade target then. the yanks should target mike trout because if they came calling on the angels and offered all their pitching prospects because the angels need pitching. given the right circumstances it could happen. No and i know its just a reporter but he is paid to be a reasonal sports source and saying stuff like the yanks should try to get carlos beltran shows he is clearly not reliable or logical. you can come up with every scenario possible but unless the yanks are trading cano or CC then the cardinals are not trading them beltran just to help the yanks because that would be the case for every other trade. talk about prospects all you want but beltran for a prospect makes the cardinals worse next year and that is not what a team that came a game away from the world series does.
With Oscar Taveras very close to being ready, I’d look into a Beltran deal as the Cards GM.
And if OT isn’t quite ready by the start of the season, you call up Matt Adams, and Adams, Carpenter, and Craig do a three man rotation of RF and 1B.
Then when OT is ready you put Carp as super utility and Adams as some power of the bench.
Then as July rolls around, we deal the impressive Adams for a need.
The deal that Sherman proposed, however, was very weak. Cards are VERY deep in righty relief pitching, 4-5 of which throw 95-100. So no interest in Joba. Also with Kolten Wong getting very close, we presumably would be uninterested in David Adams.
I’m not overly knowledgable about the Yanks system, but it would take an MLB contributor and a solid B prospect.
Chill out, it’s just a reporter who comes up with these random ideas. The Cardinals are not trading Beltran.
Back off Keppinger. Hoping the Jays will sign him.
Keppinger would not be a starter on the Yankees unless they had Jeter or A-Rod alternate the DH spot for most games throughout the year and that’s not happening. He is good enough to be an everyday player and I just don’t see him signing to be a bench player.
He will do it if he gets enough money and a chance to play in the post season.
How much money should they pay a bench player, and how many years do bench players get? For the most part, a couple of million for one year. Many teams in the league could and would use him as a starter somewhere in the infield. I would be happy if the Yankees got him but I can’t expect him to sign with them unless he gets an everyday role which as I said, will not happen unless A-Rod/Jeter become the DH’s.
Well, he’d likely see a bunch of time with jeter and arod rotating at DH.
Right, but if A-Rod and Jeter both take the field on the same game, which probably will happen for many games next year if both are healthy, then no Keppinger unless he’s at DH or 2B.
I think the Yankees will go after 2 platoon players to DH, just like they had with Ibanez/Jones before Gardner went down
The Braves need Ross too badly to low-ball him. McCann’s health is a question mark, especially the first month of the season.
I like Ross, but with him being a back up he is easily replaceable. I would miss his defense most, but when you have guys like Boscan, Gettis in the minors who could serve as backup until bethancourt is ready, its hard to justify him as a “need”. Either of those guys could serve as a back up, would only cost 400k league minimum, and possibly perform equally on offense. when the team has a payroll limit of 94 mil – and the need to sign a power hitter – and potentially 2 outfielders – saving 2-3 million on a back up catcher would be huge.
Boscan was released and accepted free agency. He’s no longer with the Braves, which leads me to believe Ross will be back in ATL next year. Ross will be our starting catcher the first 45 days of the season most likely with BMac’s surgery being more invasive than expected.
wasn’t released at the time i posted. we still have Gettis, who is a catcher, but learning LF.
My question to Yanks fans: do you think your team should start looking to revamp the lineup like Boston did? Or do you want your management pursuing more old guys like these?
The Yankees finished with the best record in the AL, I don’t think they need to go in a re-building mode just yet.
True statement…but shouldn’t you consider starting to infuse some younger guys now instead having your entire lineup start drawing social security the same year?
I wouldn’t have a problem if they went that route at all, so long as they don’t replace the older players who are sitll productive (Jeter, Rivera, Kuroda, Pettitte) with young players who are still questionable. Despite them being an old team, they are still an overall good team.
I think it would be more key to replace the old players who are more of platoon players (Ibanez, Jones, Chavez) with younger guys. With the exception of Rivera, the Yankees bullpen is pretty young
It’s their lineup that’s pretty old, but teh old players are still for teh most part above average players, and their oldest player had the highest batting average on the team and the most hits in all of basebal