Here's the latest from Ken Rosenthal, via two videos for FOX Sports.
- Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers and manager Kirk Gibson are both vulnerable if the team doesn't improve, Rosenthal says. Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick says he wants the team to rely more on data, and that isn't Towers' forte. (Kendrick says, in fact, that one reason the Diamondbacks haven't employed as many defensive shifts as other teams is that they haven't studied them as much.) Still, Kendrick is backing both Towers and Gibson right now, despite the D-Backs' 5-14 start.
- When the Braves lost Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy to Tommy John surgery, they acted decisively, Rosenthal says. They quickly signed Ervin Santana, and their scouting team identified Aaron Harang, who was released by the Indians, as another good target. Both pitchers have been terrific so far in the young season.
- Stephen Drew is still the most logical choice at shortstop for the Tigers, Rosenthal says. Drew, of course, remains in qualifying-offer limbo, and the Tigers will need to wait until June if they want to avoid giving up a draft pick to sign him.
I’ll bet Drew already has a verbal agreement with someone. Announced the day after the draft.
That doesn’t make a lot of sense. What if that team’s SS suddenly became good or a big spending team’s SS got hurt?
If I’m not mistaken, had Drew taken Boston’s qualifying offer, he would have already made $1,554,000.
And he’ll get a contract worth much more than $14m (although for more than one year) in about two months.
I think he gets a deal just for this year.
I do to understand why Kirk Gibson would be blamed for having a bad pitching staff. It’s not like changing manager suddenly makes the pitchers throw quality pitches. I mean, if anything, wouldn’t you fire the pitching coach? The person who should really be blamed is the GM.
Agreed.
Managers can only do so much with the hand they are dealt, and to say Gibby has been given a less than favourable hand by Towers is putting it mildly. Im no D’backs fan but it seems pretty clear to me there have been some more than questionable moves and trades in that organisation recently.
Gibby has a team that seems unmotivated. There have been easy errors this year and a lack of situational hitting since 2012. Gibby seems unfit to motivate this group any further and should be fired (in addition to the bigger problem in KT).
Oh and Gibby’s lineup creations are awful. If someone seems like they’re about to break out of a slump, he sits them for a day and impedes their progress.
It is pretty hard to be motivated when your pitching is giving up seven runs per game. They would need a historically good offense just to play .500 ball.
The Tigers should sign Drew after the draft to a 3/33 million dollar contract and then trade him or Iggy after the seasons done.
Could it be that the Tigers, after years of dealings with Boras finally got a bad taste in their collective mouths after the failed Max Scherzer extension thus the hesitation with Drew? Mr. I and DD have always paid asking the price when dealing with Boras (like the Prince Fielder deal) and I wonder if it’s possible that this last go around has dampened things. Much of the baseball world expected an extension to be reached with Max because of the supposedly great relationship with Boras but we all know that didn’t happen.
You may have something there. The Boras deals have worked for the Tigers in the past (Pudge, Ordonez, Porcello). The last few negotiations have been stinkers.
Realistically, though, they are firmly committed to Jose Iglesias as their shortstop and have organizational depth there in the minors. They are only looking for a stopgap.
They gave up first round picks three years in a row for Valverde, Victor Martinez and Prince. It was worth it, but they aren’t going to part with another for a marginal guy like Drew.
Drew is worth $8MM to the Tigers. That is a bottom line. If they wait long enough, that draft pick albatross goes away AND the proration is large enough so that number will work.
The Drew saga is certainly getting a lot of digital ink. If the draft is done June 7, a team signing him now would be paying a draft pick for six extra weeks of Drew–if he was really in close to game shape and ready to play in a week. If he was expected to switch positions, there would be a longer learning curve. Is he worth it? That’s part of Drew’s problem. If he was worth what Boras was asking, he would have been signed already. I don’t buy the idea that Drew (or Morales) can’t get a deal. It’s more likely they can’t get a deal on terms that they want right now. And, six weeks for 3.2 WAR player is worth one win, if they are lucky. So, an interested team needs to decide whether that one win will actually mean something to them.
I think the Tigers are pretty much set at shortstop, unless Romine falls flat on his face. I think he can play 75% of the time. Giving Worth the other 25%. And Iglesias should be back by the end of July. They don’t need to sign Drew.
Where did you hear Iglesias will be back by the end of July? It was my understanding that he was likely out for the season.
Where did you hear Iglesias will be back by the end of July? It was my understanding that he was likely out for the season.
I think the Tigers are pretty much set at shortstop, unless Romine falls flat on his face. I think he can play 75% of the time. Giving Worth the other 25%. And Iglesias should be back by the end of July. They don’t need to sign Drew.
Why are people so high on Drew? He’s an average glove, average (and declining) bat, injury prone, and seems to have a horrible attitude. People want to drop $11-12mm on him like he’s the one piece the Tigers need to win it all this year. No thanks. Would much rather spend that money on bullpen upgrades.
1st and 2nd in the league in ERA.