Jason Lane’s improbable comeback story will add another chapter today when the outfielder-turned-pitcher will receive his first Major League start, getting a spot appearance in place of Padres ace Ian Kennedy (who’s battling a sore oblique). Lane began making regular mound appearances in 2012 in the minors in an attempt to revive his career, and the decision paid off earlier this season when he was called up by San Diego and threw 4 1/3 scoreless relief innings. That cup of coffee marked Lane’s first big league action since playing as an outfielder with the Astros and Padres from 2002-07. At age 37, Lane will be the oldest first-time starter since 38-year-old Troy Percival started a game for St. Louis in 2007.
Here’s some hot stove buzz from around the NL West…
- Despite already trading two of their better prospects in the Jake Peavy deal, the Giants have maintained an interest in Ben Zobrist and had two scouts watching the Rays this weekend, FOX Sports’ Jon Paul Morosi reports (Twitter links). San Francisco is one of “multiple teams” who are “ready to act” if Tampa indeed makes Zobrist available, sources tell Morosi and Ken Rosenthal.
- Multiple teams have shown interest in Diamondbacks right-hander Brad Ziegler, MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert reports, though the Snakes aren’t likely to move him. Earlier this month, we heard the Tigers were known to be one of the clubs who asked about Ziegler. Gilbert’s piece also summarizes some of the trade rumors circulating about what Arizona may do at the deadline.
- Troy Tulowitzki would welcome a trade to the Red Sox, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe hears from a source (Twitter link). Given Tulowitzki’s controversial appearance in the stands at Sunday’s Blue Jays/Yankees game, expect more trade buzz than ever about the Rockies’ star shortstop both over the next several weeks and through the offseason.
- Dodgers GM Ned Colletti said over the weekend that his club “may not do anything” at the trade deadline, and Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles thinks this might not necessarily be a concern given how the current roster performed in sweeping the Giants.
So this Boston Globe character “heard it from a source” that Tulo would also like to play for the Red Sox. Hey, this could conceivably not be 100% fantasy. But even if it’s legit, Tulowitzki does not enjoy a no-trade clause. And he’s under contract until 2020. So, even if he holds his breath until he turns blue and jumps up-and-down hollering for a trade, Tulo stays until the Rockies opt to trade him. And they only do that to the club that offers the highest return. Texas? The Mets? Who knows?
It’s just a hypothetical. It’s not that he wants to play for the Red Sox more than any other team (“BOSTON OR BUST!”), just that he would welcome a trade to them. Kind of the opposite how David Price didn’t want to be traded to the Mariners (at least last year). Tulo might also welcome a trade to the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Angels and any other number of teams.
Wouldn’t matter, though. If Tulo wanted absolutely no part of the Red Sox but theirs was the best offer – AND Colorado wanted to trade him in the first place, he’d be off to Fenway.
So, even if this “source” is genuine…
I’m not sure anyone was disputing that. Its like your generating an argument where there was none to be had.
I don’t know who this Peter Abraham is – he may very well have an actual source close to Tulowitzki. To me that seems sketchy but even if it’s true…
My argument was that Abraham’s point is moot. The Rockies have made no indication they want to trade Tulo – they’ve said the opposite, in fact. Tulo hasn’t asked for a trade and even if he does sometime, he won’t get a say in where he might go.
If you’re not disputing either point then, great, there’s no argument.
Red Sox don’t simply trade top prospects away like Yanks or Tigers because more times than not the Sox have something unlike Tigers or Yanks
So wait, are you saying Boston won’t just ship us Mookie Betts for LaTroy Hawkins or Brandon Barnes? Gah, the world is soooo unfair!
you said the Mets hahaha. Why would the Mets want Tulo ? he cost money they don’t have on top of prospects they don’t want to part with because of financial reasons. Unless the Rockies take 75% of the tab for Wheeler Flores and couple of other prospects(which Rockies would be out of their minds to do) I don’t see that. The guy went to a Yankee game and stated I am a Jeter fan which no self respected Met fan would accept. I feel bad for Rockies fans
I was just throwing names about to indicate that just about any team could make an offer and Tulo wouldn’t get his pick. The fact that you laughed was sort of what I was trying to elicit. Would you rather see the Royals and Seattle? Miami? The Reds? The Homestead Grays?
Tulowitzki is not a player, if shopped, any team should rightly believe the Rockies should chip in money on unless they trade him to a lower market team like KC, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, or _____ and THEN they add on top of that extra prospects to compensate for the cash. He is legitimately the best SS in MLB and his contract although not cheap is also not terribly expensive given the current going rate for wins. This is all assuming he gets injured yearly too. In addition, Sandy Alderson would be foolish to not want Tulowitzki because of his childhood hero.
This might sound far fetched to some, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Giants deal Kyle Crick in a deal for Zobrist. Crick does have a lot of potential, but he hasn’t done too well in harnessing his command. He has 51 walks in 81 innings in AA, making him a bit of a long ways towards being ready for the big leagues.
Sabean is not afraid to deal even top prospects for a solid role player who can help the big league club now. Given that Zobrist is only owed 7.5 million next season, he’s gonna have a heavy price tag in a market that has lacked quality middle infielders.
Hehe, if I’m Andrew Friedman, you didn’t really sell me on Crick just now.
Crick is their top prospect, and there’s no question he has electric stuff. Not to mention he is only 21 pitching in AA. There’s a lot to like about Crick, but his control is not one of them. He was mentioned at the beginning of the off-season as someone who could be the centerpiece for a guy like Price, but with his control not really improving, who knows what his value really is.
I get it, I was just struck funny by your (honest) evaluation of Crick as an offer in a proposed trade. Usually fans build up their own prospects as the next Kershaw or Trout.
Haha, maybe in the off-season I overvalue Crick. But given his control hasn’t improved too much, who knows what his future is. Especially ever since the Shark/Hammel-Russell/McKinney/Straily deal, I’ve started to believe that clubs do overvalue prospects nowadays.
Agreed. He isn’t going to crack any rotation in 2015 so he’s likely maxed out on trade value right now. He fills a next season need and is going to be cheap. I could see Crick, a b level prospect and a PTBNL for Zobrist if the Rays sell.
Why would Zobrist fetch significantly less than Peavy?
You really would rather have Escobar + Hembree instead of Crick? Crick has a much higher ceiling than Escobar, with Crick being the Giants’ top prospect and having the potential to be a front of the line starter while Escobar’s best case scenario would be ending up as a good middle of the rotation pitcher. Add to the fact that Escobar’s control isn’t much better than Crick and that Hembree hasn’t done all too great at AAA for the past couple of seasons, I would chose Crick.
I probably shouldn’t have said significantly, I just happen to like Hembree more than most.
I am not a big Crick fan though. The jump to AA is a big telling point to how ready they are, and he had been awful. Maybe I’m playing too much into this year, but any good vibes I had with him before this year are going out the door.
I think that Hembree and Escobar is more than Crick tho.
Even if it’s not (give me that it’s close), shouldn’t Zobrist being netting a much bigger return? Peavy has been mediocre this year, not to mention there is no control past this year. Zobrist has a very reasonable team option next year and plays a position with a limited market (plus he can play like everywhere).
As I said in a different post, I’d ask for Susac and then try and get like Blackbun
I liked Hembree because he throws hard. But org. wanted him to stick in SF during 2013 not 2015. He got passed up by others, (Kontos, Machi, Gutierrez) and my guess is they saw a plateau they didn’t like ( a la Alderson). Crick is still young for AA and he’s going to get stronger but the command thing is troubling. The jump from the CAL league to AA is huge and the question the Rays will have to answer is will he shake off the growing pains or have to repeat AA next year. I’d hate to lose Susac but Rays would be wise to ask about him.
Well put, definitely agree.
Crick is the better prospect than the two dealt to BOS. Sabes bought earlier in the market so he paid a higher price for less. If the Rays show their cards at the 11th hour and decide to sell they COULD go for a deal involving Giants top prospect, another prospect and another player thrown in. Doesn’t mean the Rays will bite but they do like young power arms. Remember Pence was acquired at the deadline for a FA to be, a B prospect in Joseph and Seth Rosin as a throw in. I admit though that Friedman is a way better GM then Amaro.
Technically, Schierholtz had another year of control like Pence, but he was non-tendered allowing him to become a free agent after 2012.
Honestly, that trade didn’t make all that much sense to me then or now. I saw that trade as more of a salary dump, as they knew Pence would be expensive in 2013. That and given he was struggling the last month he was a Phillie, they might have had doubts about Pence and figured he could be in for a regression.
This is a bit of a different scenario though. Unlike Pence then, Zobrist is cost controlled at a very good price that has already been settled upon for 2014; giving Friedman a bit more leverage in trade talks.
I’d start with Susac if I was the Rays, and it would still take a bit more on top of that (maybe Blackburn?)
Seriously? Zobrist is pretty valuable even at 33 years old. He has put up >4.5bWAR seasons since 2009 and this year he is on pace for 4.8 fWAR. It’s crazy how little people think of him and yet he does practically everything right and so damn well.
A top catcher prospect and another solid arm? How little am I thinking of him?
It’s not just a surprise, we absolutely will have to part with Crick if we want Zobrist. And the horrifying thing is our top prospect isn’t enough by himself to get him for a year and two months. Maybe Panik too?
Wouldn’t surprise me. Crick + Panik + PTBNL/Cash would have to be a serious proposal for Tampa to consider.
Crick is an interesting piece to start with, I would like to say that Zobrist is super valuable and one of the most underrated players of our time, up there with Chase Utley. Based on his contract though I would ask for more because Tampa Bay is a team that could contend this year (not very likely) but definitely will contend next season.
So it says that the tulo discussion will continue over the next few weeks and into the off-season… do we really expect him to clear waivers? I know many teams probably couldn’t afford him, but when he’s healthy he’s the best SS of this generation. Teams like SF and LA would certainly find a way to claim him.
With Hanley in his walk year the Dodgers would love to have Tulo. He’s from the Bay Area but went to school in So Cal. The dodgers got the money and the Giants have so many holes to plug (2B, 3B, LF, SP, Bench)
Exactly. I’m curious if it was just a mistake or if they are thinking he can somehow clear waivers.
I think they meant he gets traded by the deadline or during the off season.
No possible way he clears waivers.
Why not give up Ziegler? If we could package him with Hill or any other players on the block we could get a really decent haul. Sure he’s good when needed but he’s getting older. Plus he only has one year left on his contract and if we could get a good controlable player in return than why not?
1. Perhaps I am mistaken, Mark… but I thought the phrase “Hot Stove” was reserved for after the playoffs… when you would actually need a hot stove to keep warm. The entire winter was the “hot stove season”, No?
2. Tulo cannot leave until his give away jersey situation is corrected.
As a Red Sox fan I would absolutely love to have Tulowitzki. I’d be happy to part with the pieces necessary to bring him in as well.
You should be he is a premier hitter and defender, his career away OPS would be tenth all time for SS with 2500PA his overall OPS is second only to ARod for SS, he doesn’t strike out much walks a lot, has power, hits for average and is a great defender. The Red Sox may have to empty the farm a bit, maybe use players who are blocked or already in MLB.
As a Rockies Fan I would want Bogaerts, Betts and Swihart plus a second tier arm(I would like Owens but if Boston wont do it maybe Webster) that is a lot of talent but Boston gets a guy who can rest at DH, hit in the middle of the order and maybe eventually slide to 3B but in the meantime he provide 4-7 WAR and you don’t have to pay him into his 40s
I think you’ll find yourself disappointed if you expect Bogart to be included in any deal for any player. I could see the conversation starting with Betts and Webster though. Expecting three or four of that type of prospect would be contrary to every move the Sox have been making.
Bogaerts would have to be in the conversation or I wouldn’t even call Cherrington back. (I wouldn’t be a jerk, I’d send a polite email.)
Given that the Rockies do not have any impetus to deal, they really would have to drive a hard bargain.
No Bogaerts, no chance. Tulo is signed to a very reasonable deal for a middle of the order bat at a premium defensive position, if they don’t get what they want, then they keep him…
I assume Jason Lane is expected to last longer than the 1 inning Percival threw in that “start.” If we discount Percival-type starts I wonder who the oldest starting pitcher debut is before Lane…
From 2004 – 2014, there have been 10 Red Sox SS who played 100 or more games (1 fell just short at 98 (Jose Igelasias) and another fell just short at 96 (Pokey Reese))
In the last 10 years, the Red Sox overall have had 23 players at SS. The most games played by any Red Sox SS in that span is Alex Cora at 301 games which is not even 2 full seasons.
And the sad news is, not a single one of those Red Sox SS has even reached a 5 WAR in that span. And I don’t mean in 1 season, I mean in all of those seasons combined.
I think Tulo could be the one to break those 2 records (301 games and a 5+ WAR), but man, ever since Nomar left, this team has gone through SS after SS.
I agree. Ever since I left, it’s been a revolving door at shortstop. Alex Cora played the most games? I would’ve thought it’d be Marco Scutaro. I guess Alex Cora had less at-bats though, right? I don’t recall Alex Cora ever playing regularly.
Marco Scutaro was one of Theo’s better signings. He was no superstar, but he did what he was expected to do.
Yes I should have made note of that that games played of course includes games in as a defensive replacement.
Scutaro played 263 games with 1140 PA. Cora played 301 games but only 791 PA.
That’s some source–Tulo wants to go to the Red Sox. I may be in the minority on this one, but you don’t throw around dynamite like that without being really sure your “source” knows what he’s talking about.
Tulo to the Red Sox has always been the obvious rumor to start. They have the need, the money to pay him, the motivation for a major move, and very much the farm to get him. I’m not sure there’s anything more to this than Abraham suddenly realizing this and getting it into print as fast as he can. Source Schmource, unless he was in NYC and chatted with Tulo (not).
Want nothing to do with Tulo with his latest dl stint he will have missed over 300 games.
Not a problem, the Rockies aren’t shopping him. The rumours are all coming the other way.
What does everyone think it would take to get a Red Sox – Rockies trade for Tulo?
Three top young players, and a fourth farther down the pecking order (maybe more if the Rockies include someone else). Something like Bogaerts-Swihart-Owens plus a useful major league relief pitcher.
Something like this, yeah.
Yea, I thought Bogaerts would for sure have to be in there. No way they get a deal with out him involved
Well, you could sub in Betts, but Bogaerts is a SS by trade so it makes sense.
That’s a pretty impressive haul there, I wouldn’t pull the trigger on that one especially since all of them are so close to the majors. Tulowitzki is very valuable though, so maybe Owens-Swihart-Vazquez/Margot (maybe both?) would be my line. Hard to tell on them, I would need to do a little more research.