Here’s the latest hot stove news from four pieces by Joel Sherman of the New York Post…
- Jonathan Papelbon has told the Phillies that he won’t waive his no-trade clause to go to a team that will use him as anything less than a full-time closer. Between the lack of teams looking for closing help and Papelbon’s large remaining salary, this is yet another obstacle that would hamper the Phils’ ability to trade their stopper, though they’re reportedly willing to eat at least some of Papelbon’s salary in a trade.
- The Rays were one of several teams who tried to obtain Lucas Duda from the Mets over the years, yet the Mets held onto the young slugger and are reaping the benefits of Duda’s breakout season. Playing largely against right-handed pitching, Duda has 18 homers and a .259/.356/.500 slash line over 365 PA.
- The Mets and Yankees both sorely need to add some power, Sherman opines.
- The Rays had talent evaluators specifically watching Mariners right-hander Taijuan Walker’s start against the Mets last week.
- The Mariners have been linked to David Price, though one scout doesn’t know why Seattle is looking to add pitching and not hitting. “Their rotation can do damage in the playoffs, but I don’t know if that offense can get to the playoffs,” the scout told Sherman. “If you are going to trade a prospect as good as Walker, don’t you have to get the bat you so desperately need?” Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik, however, says it’s all about the caliber of talent available to be added to a team. “If you consider David Price a [grade] A and the only thing available to you as a hitter is a C-plus hitter, you are better off with the A pitcher. It really all depends what opportunity presents itself. What are you giving up to what are you getting back?“, Zduriencik says.
- Speaking of Price, the Rays’ recent hot streak has convinced one rival executive that the club will hold onto its star left-hander though the deadline. Tampa can always re-open trade talks about Price in the offseason and in the meantime keep their ace and keep gunning for the top of the weakened AL East, the executive tells Sherman.
The Yankees should trade Manny Banuelos, Gary Sanchez, Jose Ramirez, and Ian Clarkin for Carlos Gonzalez.
Another injury prone veteran? Is that what the Yanks need?
Cargo is a vet on the favorable side of 30 though, doesn’t fit the usual criteria to be a yankee
Tex was on the favorable side of 30 when they signed him.. He had three good years.. and then…
He came into it with minor to no injury history..
Looking at the roster at the beginning of the season, that seems like it “exactly” fits the Yankees criteria, LOL!
For another guy who is never on the field cause he is always hurt and plays in COL so his numbers are inflated… No thank you
Do you honestly think Yankee Stadium would hurt his numbers? This guy is strong as hell. Every time he hits a line drive down the right field line it will probably be gone. I really think 3 1/2 years of cargo would be awesome. Make it happen!
They should not.
Somebody should alert Papelbon that begets can’t be choosers.
…or in this case, beggers can’t be closers.
I like begets…
vanilla covered begets
While I’m not his biggest fan or anything, how exactly is he a beggar? He wants to be traded – but at the end of the day, he’s got a WS ring and is making $18 M over the next year and two months (with a high possibility of making it $31 M by the end of 2016). He can demand whatever he wants from the Phillies (especially if it fits in his NTC). It’s up to the Phillies to either try and deliver that for him, or be stuck with him (or convince a team not on his NTC to take him).
It’ll be tough to deal him before the deadline with the closer jobs mostly filled. Probably will be tough to deal him over the winter as well because teams will look for more cost effective options.
Might just be me, but I see a simple solution. If someone wants him, whether they’re on his NTC or not, the Phillies should offer to cover his entire ’16 option ($13M) and the $4.5M remaining this year. That would put the acquiring team on the hook for just $13M next year, but they’d have him for 2+ seasons. The return would have to be pretty substantial. Something like a low top 100 or just on the outside, another good prospect and a mid-level guy, but the acquiring team wouldn’t have to worry about the ’16 option. If things didn’t work out, they could just release him or trade him. The hurdle would be finding him a guaranteed closer role, which seems to be a sticking point for Papelbon.
So let’s review Amaro’s awesomeness with Papelbon. Sign a closer to the most guaranteed money *EVER* for a closer and close to the highest yearly salary ever (I think the Yankese may have given Rivera near or more on a 1 or 2 year deal)… Then while we’re giving this guy the most money EVER for his potion let’s also give him a vesting option based on closing games and then let’s give him a no trade clause too.
Oh yea. Let’s do all this and sign him while MLB is reviewing the compensation rules for draft picks where if he had waited another 7-10 days the Phillies wouldn’t have lost their first round pick to the Red Sox and instead would have moved down 1 spot (because Type A free agents had relievers removed so for one off-season you had special rules put in place)
“you are better off with the A pitcher.” Jack, really? Whats the point of having arguably the best pitcher in baseball in Felix when he cant win a game because his team doesnt score? behind felix, you’ve got kuma, a bullpen ranking 2nd to the A’s and thinking about adding price to that list of pitching? last i checked, winning games came down to who put more runs on the board than the other team. this team can only squeak wins by based on the strength of the pitching for so long before they fall off the tracks.
I think he’s right in the sense that you look for the biggest improvement you can make regardless of position. But I’m not sure he’s properly evaluating which player will bring the most improvement. Right now the team has a few complete black holes offensively and a “C hitter” might actually represent an upgrade. And in today’s offensive environment those “C hitter” stats may represent something more like “B hitter” value. Price would undoubtedly be an improvement over the number 5 pitcher on the M’s. But right now that’s not a terrible pitcher, just a mediocre one.
I think a Price plus Zobrist trade could work for both sides, but the cost would be pretty huge and would be unlikely to take into account the salary the M’s would be taking on. The M’s would be giving up two top prospects plus about $30 million or more for Price’s arbitration salary and Zobrist’s option next year. There’s a fair amount of excess value there, but most likely the dollar value of the prospects would exceed it by a good margin. I’m thinking Walker, Franklin, Peterson and change would be the cost. No doubt this helps the M’s this year and next. Tough call.
I like Alex Rios and Colon. We would be giving up a lot less to acquire them with nearly the same result. Colons numers in Safeco are outstanding
Apparently Jack Z is forgetting that at least in Safeco the Mariners are lucky to scrape up more than 1 or 2 runs a game. Common sense says to go out and get the best bat you can.
they did that in the off season and it actually helped get them “here.” but everyone said they needed more and they didnt do anything more (hart and lomo?) what got them here, wont get them there… and there are a number of bats for sale; he’s just looking at the blue light specials.
Marlon Byrd + paying his $8M option for ’16 for Edwin Diaz, Gabby Guerrero and Carson Smith.
What the? That’s way too much.
Not going by what teams are paying for upgrades.
Maybe its going to be a package of Price and Zobrist. Walker may be the headliner and then maybe Franklin and a few other prospects. I don’t have much confidence in Jack Z, but hopefully he can come up with a miracle and not get gun shy or shalacked like Bavasi.
Kemp should be the Mariners’ top priority, not Price. Something just tells me as soon as he gets out of LA, he’s going to silence the haters. LA seems desperate to get rid of him and if they can get him for a low prospect price but are willing to eat most of his salary, he’s the exact bat they need to make some noise.
YES on Kemp to Seattle. Add Rios while we’re at it then we should have a playoff birth locked up.
Kemp & Rios isn’t going to cost us much in prospects, and allow us to keep out top prospects Walker, Paxton, Franklin, and Peterson!
THEN if Price is made avail by Thursday grab him for some top prospects and go after the WS
“If” Seattle lands the following:
1. Kemp
2. Price & Zobrist
That’s what it will take to get our top SP/RP & Defense to the WS!
Yankees need to add power and are looking for a starter? Danks and Dunn for whatever a fair deal would be
Dunn wouldn’t fit in NY since Beltran can’t throw yet and needs the DH.
Oh didn’t know that about Beltran
The Phillies should just make Papelbon the setup man here (letting Giles close) until they force him out. He needs to go.
.259/.356/.500 is reaping the benefits? Who knew.
Certainly not a lot of Met fans. Most of those felt that Duda was kept because he was cheaper, than Ike, and had no value. I wonder how those anti-duda fans feel now that the Rays ( and others) have been interested for years? The Duda has no value group has to finally eat crow for spreading, unsubstantiated rumors.
I am not normally a fan of 3 way trade proposals but here goes:
M’s get: Kemp+cash
Dodgers get: Price
Tampa gets: Walker+ other prospects from Seattle
Then Seattle gets the impact bat they need instead of Price, the Dodgers get Price without parting with their top prospects and Tampa Bay get the top level prospects they seek.
That basically means the M’s swap top talent for a soon-to-be DH. I wouldn’t make that move if I were in Jack’s shoes.
Soon to be DH or not Kemp would add a lot more to the M’s offense than a player like Byrd. Trades acquisitions are never cheap.
Matt wants to play CF still, Jones defense has been better than Matt’s at CF, he has been OK in LF…….so what we trade Ackley?
So you see no problem targeting a guy who offers no defense, has an injury-plagued history, would cost a lot in way of prospects or cash (possibly both), and has several years remaining on his contract?
Adding a bat is important, but adding a risky contract isn’t.
I don’t think Jack wants to be in “Jack’s” shoes right now considering his track record.
Tampa turned down a trade centered around Addison Russell… I think they’ll want much more than Walker and some fringe prospects.
Wasn’t Oakland looking to add Price and Zobrist in that deal?
Also I was thinking one of the other prospect would have to be someone like Paxton. It was more of a framework than an exact proposal as the prospects and the team they were coming from would vary greatly based on how much cash the Dodgers are including in the deal.
I haven’t heard that. Oakland was certainly looking at Zobrist, but I don’t think they were trying to include him in their Russell-Price trade.
In this trade proposal (despite the rarity of three team trades), I would do:
Rays get: Walker, Seager
M’s: Kemp
Dodgers: David Price
I could definitely see the Rays moving Price for that… but I doubt the Dodgers give up Seager, or Pederson, or really any top prospect.
So Dodgers pass off Kemp on someone else and get Price for a year and 2 months? I’m not even sure them paying the entire salary for Kemp is worth it. I’d have to imagine them trading away at least 1 of their top prospects in that deal.
A big “AMEN” to that scout talking about the Mariners. The team had no offense last year so Jack Z adds a single offensive upgrade (Cano), locks that guy in for 10 years, then hopes the rest of the team all plays way above career averages to get to the playoffs. This season’s offensive situation has been so predictable to everybody but the guy in charge. Now he’s saying he can’t get a legit bat even when offering his best MLB-ready prospect?
Talk about burying your lead. Man alive.
Seattle needs to make a big time move and quickly if they are serious about grabbing a wild card slot. There is no way they are catching Oakland or Anaheim in that division. Whichever one of those teams loses out on the Al West title will be the #1 wild card, and I can’t imagine one scenario where the 2nd WC doesn’t come from the AL East with the way the teams are currently aligned. With King Felix going in a 1-game WC playoff and combining with Iwakuma as the 1-2, with a resurgent Chris Young (what a great buy-low pickup he has been) as the #3, Seattle has the starting pitching to match up with any AL team in the ALDS should they get there. The Mariners should go all in on no less than 2 impact bats. I don’t even think Kemp is the answer. See if you can pry Zobrist away from Tampa, then work a deal with the Phillies for Ryan Howard, Anthony Bastardo, and Marlon Byrd. Slide Howard into the 1B slot, batting behind Cano. Bastardo becomes the #1 bullpen lefty. Byrd takes over in RF. Yes, Seattle would need to part with a few of their big time pitching gems, but man oh man would the AL West be a fun ride the rest of the way.
“Mariners don’t need pitching”
IDK who actually believes that. Yes the staff is one of the best right now (whole staff together including bullpen), but who is going to be the #4 starter in the playoffs? Paxton/Walker have had injury issues this year and I don’t know if I risk them if we make it. Elias is reaching his innings limit. You have Felix/Kuma/Young but you don’t have a 4th option right now. Erasmo is not it.
The Mariners need to get real, instead of kicking tires an trying to play one ups man ship start by offering talent to get talent,.. time is all but up.