In today’s column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe looks at Jake Peavy’s effect on the Giants this season. “He brings a lot of intensity, he brings a lot of energy, he brings a lot of veteran leadership, he brings a lot of guts,” Hunter Pence said last week. “He’s been a big charge to this run we’ve made. That energy is exciting to be around. It’s a different dugout when he’s in it.” More from today’s column..
- John Boggs, the agent for Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels, told Cafardo he will sit down with his client and put together a new 20-team no-trade list by November 1. Boggs says the Red Sox were on Hamels’s 2014 no-trade list and the Phillies would have to have asked permission to deal him to Boston. “It doesn’t mean he wouldn’t have accepted it,” Boggs said. “We are still deliberating on what teams will be on that list for 2015.”
- After a one-year pillow offer, Nelson Cruz appears to have riches awaiting for him this winter. The Orioles will make him the $15MM+ qualifying offer, but he’ll be in demand as one of the few right-handed power hitters out there. The Yankees can be expected to have interest and the Rangers could look to bring him back.
- Manager Buck Showalter has talked with J.J. Hardy about how much the Orioles want him to re-sign, but they may not offer the most money. Showalter said the team would make him a fair offer, but he tried to appeal to how much Hardy has enjoyed playing in Baltimore.
- Showalter is a realist when it comes to the Orioles’ financial limitations, but he feels he can still come up with good players going the minor league free agent route. The Orioles did it with journeyman first baseman/outfielder Steve Pearce, who has had an excellent season. Showalter feels that he can do it again with 28-32 year old hitters that are just starting to figure it out.
- One team’s international scout tells Cafardo that Yasmani Tomas could command as much as $100MM. The scout said Tomas has gotten himself in shape and if he performs well at his showcase later in the month, the money will get “really high.”
- One American League evaluator thinks it’s possible for the Phillies to move Ryan Howard to the American League, where he could be a full-time DH. “He’s not a lost cause,” said the evaluator. “He’s knocked in 92 runs for a bad team, so there’s obviously something still there. He could help an American League team as a DH.” However, that would require the Phillies to eat a good portion of the $60MM left on his contract.
Hardy isnt going anywhere
That’s very debatable. The Yankees are need of a SS. I think even if he gets a QO the Yankees will give up a pick for him.
Depends on the asking price. Hardy’s on the wrong side of 30 and his only 9 homers this season is troubling. Is it just an off year or is it the start of a downward slide?
There are 2, maybe 3 SS that I could see the Yankees going after in FA this year. Hardy, Han Ram, or resigning Drew. If they want power from the position you are signing Hanley for 7 years 140MM at least (on the money end). Drew can’t hit lefties and he going to want a multiyear deal with an AAV over 10. I think Hardy is the logical choice there for the Yankees.
Hanley is not a SS, I don’t see any team giving him more time as SS
Which starts to raise questions about his effort once he’s signed a big deal and moves to a position that he pouted at last time he was moved their. I wouldn’t touch Hanley period regardless of where my team was in contention status.
I don’t see any team giving Drew $10 million annually after this season. They weren’t willing to do it after 2013 and this year, he just looks completely lost at the plate. Is the “He didn’t have a Spring Training” excuse supposed to be valid for the entire season? If a team’s feeling generous and their hitting coach thinks he sees something he can fix in Drew’s swing, I can see them offering $8 million. Otherwise, I think we’re talking the $4-6 million range.
He was tied to a QO last offseason, which definitely impacted his earning potential.
Probably not as much as hitting .156/.237/.294 has
Honestly wouldn’t be surprised to see Drew get nothing but MiLB offers with incentives for making the team, x number of ABs, starts at SS, etc… but almost nothing guaranteed.
He did hit .253/.333/.443 as recently as 2013 and he has shown he can handle at least decently second, short and third. I think some one will gamble at least 2, 2.5 million on him. Maybe a National League team who can take advantage of his versatility when putting him in late in a game, in a double switch move.
He’s an excellent defender but any GM willing to pay Drew $10 M a year should be fired unless it’s $10 M total for 2 or 3 years. Can’t hit lefties and has difficulty hitting the long ball.
He is over 30 so he qualifies. Wish the Mets would spend money like the Yanks just like I am sure you wish the Yanks would be patient with prospects. Jeter, Bernie,Andy,Jorge,Mo would not of happen if not for Fay Vincent. Ken Phelps
Gotta give credit to Gene “Stick” Michael too. Not just for drafting/signing those guys but for giving Buck Showalter his first managerial job. Buck played a big part in installing a sense of order and a way of going about business the right way with those early 90’s Yankee teams, after what had been a constantly revolving door of managers and GMs in the 80s.
Why would Hardy want to go to a bad baseball team
I find it sad that there is still an employed “evaluator” using RBI as a method to measure value of a hitter.
It makes sense here since it’s just about the only think Howard has going for him.
In the context of the Phillies being bad it holds a little more weight than it would otherwise, at least.
I blame the Phillies. I don’t think they have anyone working with Howard, trying to help him improve. Howard is an excellent athlete although slowed by injuries. I can’t believe his skills can’t be improved with better coaching. And I think this is pervasive in the Phillies system. Players just don’t seem to get a whole lot better. I think if Howard went to a team that had better coaching we would be surprised how much gas is still in the tank. It will never happen with the Phillies though.
He’s had the most RBI opportunity of any player in baseball. There’s no skill to that, just luck. Howard is slugging below .400 this season, that’s not a DH-worthy skill set anymore.
I think the Sox would part with Betts in a Hamels trade, but hopefully Amaro’s poor negotiating skills will stop that from happening.
It’d make a lot of sense for both, with the Red Sox crowded outfield and the Phillies thinking of shifting Utley to 1st, which allows Betts back at 2nd.
I would hate to lose Betts. He has 155 PA and with a fair .310 BABIP is batting 283/357/442 with a 125 WRC+. And hes only 21. I would rather give up Bogerts.
Can Betts actually play SS or is that not realistic?
Hard to say but the fact he hasn’t been tried there and has played min if any time in the minors at SS points to him not being a long term fit there.
he is the Juan Lagares of the AL
Betts is the Juan Lagares of the AL? I don’t see the comparison as Betts is the much superior offensive player but no where near the defensive value of Lagares. Maybe you meant JBJ but Lagares is a much better hitter then JBJ,
I can see Cruz leaving while Hardy and Markakis get resigned especially with Angelos absolute love for Markakis
I don’t know about that. Duquette seems to be in charge.
Actually, I think Angelos is going to leave it up to him.
I just want the O’s to get it done this year and forget about everything else until the season is ended!
I would/could see the Red Sox dealing for Hamels. There are 3 guys I won’t/can’t see them giving. Those are Bogaerts, Owens and Swihart. Anybody else in my mind is available for trade. But those 3 guys are untouchables in mind. It’s hard to good left handed pitching nowadays, same thing with power hitting SS, and I don’t think that they want to give Swihart.
I can see Amaro asking for Betts, Owens, Vasquez, and another pitching prospect plus no money eaten. He’s rather unreasonable. I wouldn’t be surprised if he asked for Swihart instead of Vasquez.
It wouldn’t surprise me either. And I think Amaro in his right mind should ask for that trade. Hamels has pitched well this year. He just hasn’t won a lot of games. And wins are an overrated stat. I also think they should sell high on Brian Johnson. He has pitched great between A and AA. So maybe he could be in the deal. I think a deal that could get it done is Vazquez, Johnson, Betts and maybe a couple more pitching prospects.
I think in a cole Hamels deal, betts and one of swihart or Owens would probably be a starting block, there’s no way something would be accepted that would be less for a top 10 pitcher with an affordable contract in MLB.
One of the other pitching prospects could be either Eduardo Rodriguez or Edwin Escobar. both are top 10 Red Sox prospects. they are 7 & 8 respectively. And also Brian Johnson is the number 9 prospect.
Betts is our new lead off guy .. Finally someone to replace Jacoby’s absence at the top of the order .. Holt stepped up but Mookie is the answer .. On my do not trade list !!
I could see Castillo filling that role. That is why I see Betts as expendable. And my lineup with everyone being healthy for next year would be this.
CF: Castillo
2B: Pedroia
RF: Cespedes
DH: Ortiz
1B: Napoli
SS: Bogaerts
LF: Craig
3B: Middlebrooks
C: Vazquez
So right now for me Betts is coming off the bench. And obviously I am only using the guys on the roster and in the system
Castillo doesn’t necessarily have the OBP potential to be a leadoff guy and he doesn’t really get out of the box very quickly. Most scouts see him more as a bottom third of the lineup guy. And how long will you start Craig in LF if he hits under .200?
Have heard this, but that makes that contract a bit scary if true.
Not really that scary if he hits sixth and plays good defense. We don’t need him to be a leadoff hitter. Betts can handle it. There’s a conservative write up on Fangraphs that I believe puts him as a 2-3 WAR player. That’s worth 12 million a season.
That’s still pretty steep if he is getting most of his value from defense.
He’s not getting most of his value from defense. Just because he not the prototypical leadoff hitter doesn’t mean he can’t hit. He’s not going to be an on base machine though. Probably about a .270 hitter with double digit hrs. Ideally he’ll be a Shane Victorino type without the injuries.
After the AAA championship last night, between Omaha and the PawSox. I am sticking by Castillo leading off. He did it last night until I see otherwise I see him leading off.
Middlebrooks shouldn’t be in any lineup where we have a warm body who can play third and actually make contact now and then
I haven’t seen enough from Cecchini to name him a starter right now and as you saw I have Bogy playing SS. And I think Holt has had a fluke year. So I’m playing Midbrooks on a short leash and either calling up Cecchini or giving it to Holt. And if it goes to holt. He would lead off and castillo would move to down to the 6 slot and Craig to the 7th.
Would you really start Craig over Betts right now?
Right now no. But if everyone is healthy, like I had stated yes I would. I think Craig is still injured from his ankle injury. And he couldn’t produce through the injury. But if you want me to give you my team at the beginning of ST.
3B: Holt
2B: Pedroia
RF: Cespedes
DH: Ortiz
1B: Napoli
SS: Bogaerts
CF: Castillo
LF: Craig
C: Ross
Bench: Swihart, Victorino, JBJ, Midbrooks.
Rotation:
Hamels
Shields
Kelly
De La Rosa/ Workman
Buchholz
It seems to me you are picking Craig over Bettts because you really want Hamels and Betts will need to be included for that to happen.
I love Craig’s upside as a hitter but with his negative defensive value and poor baserunning I see him as around 2 WAR player while Betts could become a star. Betts adds speed, OBP, and even a little pop to the top of the order and could play OF better then Craig. Also, if Craig shows he is healthy the ideal thing to do would be to trade Nap to a power hungry team and have Craig take over 1B.
Where would betts play?
They got Cespedes/Craig/Castillo/Victorino for the outfield. And Pedroia is at 2B. He doesn’t play ss, and Xander seems to be future 3b, and betts doesn’t have the arm does he?
In my opinion Craig and Victorino are long shots to be on the team.. I would try to trade both of them .. Victorino is not the same ball player he was and gets hurt way too much and Craig has shown nothing since coming here .. Cespedes in left , Castillo in right and Mookie oin center
I would agree otherwise except both Craig and Victorino are at their lowest value so I bet Ben does hold onto both of them at least til mid year, if not to build value then because one or both are likely to land on the dl and therefore wont be tradeable. Every time I try to solve the “logjam” in my head I keep reminding myself how unlikely it is that Papi, Napoli, Pedroia, Victorino, Craig, Middlebrooks, and Holt are all going to be healthy and producing at the end of spring. Some obviously are surer bets than others but there are a lot of questions without even considering Castillo has never played one game in majors. I believe the offense will be damn good next year if you hang onto everyone and let injuries and performance sort the roster out for you
Clearly someone needs to be moved. That is likely to be Victorino if he can get healthy and reestablish some semblance of value. Craig has not proved himself as a reliable hitter. Until he does I can see him in the rotation a few games a week (hopefully mostly at first base, he’s not a very good outfielder). Farrell plays a different lineup every day. There are guys who are going to play 150 games a year like Cespedes, Pedroia and Ortiz, but by and large the rest are rotated out on a regular basis. There is plently of opportunity for Betts to get playing time. And if it’s not next year it will be the year after. Victorino, Napoli and Cespedes’ contracts are up then.
I could see the Sox taking on Hamels and Howard and not giving up a ton of talent or give up more talent for substantial financial consideration like $25 M. I would trade Owens, Buchholz, Cespedes or Castillo and Vazquez or Swihart.
The Sox should move Nap ASAP. Howard and Craig platoon at 1 B. Howard becomes DH when Ortiz retires. Hamels through possibly ’19 and Howard through ’17.
Please look at Howard’s number and what he is making and tell me you are not serious. And that is way too much to give up. If you’re taking on Howard the deal would actually have to include less talent than just Hamels alone.
That would never happen.
Actually Betts was a shortstop moved off to second because he doesn’t really have the arm to play it well full time. So he can play short, second, and anywhere in the outfield in a pinch-if only for one season. Unless he gets you someone you really want in a trade I think you pull a Brock Holt strategy and pencil him in in leadoff as a starter and play him where you can defensively each day. This team needs a good leadoff hitter to score runs and Napoli and Victorino could both be gone in 2016 if not sooner so there really isn’t much as much of a logjam on the roster as many are making it out to be. BTW Danny Murphy from the Mets would be a great one year fit for third base if not looking for a big name third baseman. He is much better at third than second, bats lefty, and should see his power numbers improve away from Citi Field. The Mets obviously have many any areas of need so maybe he could be had for spare parts like Marrero or Brentz.
Do you know how many players are drafted as a shortstop, especially out of hs. All the best hs players are typically ss/c/cf. He has played 14 games there his entire minor league career, that says that he can’t play it in a pinch.
Betts>> Craig and Vic because of the latter two injury issues and poor performance this year. I would trade Vic for what you can get, play Betts in RF most days with some 2B/CF starts, and have Nava/Craig as the backup 1B/OF. Holt or FA as everyday 3B until Cechini is ready and have him get rest days as well.
Well the Red Sox have options outside of Hamels. If the package takes Betts, Rubby, Vazques, and another prospect or 2 I think that’s a no go.
First they should try to sign Lester or Shields. Lester requires nothing but cash and keeping young players mean you can even out the big contract in later years with min salaries. Shields requires just draft pick compensation and their first is protected.
2nd they should try trading for SP with 1 year left on deal like Iwakuma, Jordan Zimmerman, Cueto, Latos, Leake, and maybe Kazmir/Shark.
If you read down I gave what a possible scenario could be. It included Betts, Escobar or Rodriguez, Vazquez and Johnson. And now that I think about it, that is actually a good trade for the Phils. They get a guy that can take for Ruiz. Betts is a top prospect and can take over a 2nd if they can get rid of Howard (with Utley going to 1st), and then 2 young quality arms. With at least one being right handed. And according to the MLB top 20 prospects for the sox, they would be giving up 2 of their top 10 prospects in Johnson and either Escobar or Rodriguez. And if they choose Escobar that 2 young left handed pitchers.
Betts, Vazques, and 2 SP not named Henry Owens prospects would be easier to swallow but still would hate to see Betts become a star elsewhere. Hamels is an exceptional pitcher though.
Brian Johnson and Esocbar seem like good trade bait. I wonder what players packaged with them could land Cueto or Latos.
At least if the Rangers go after Cruz, they won’t give up their top pick to do it. I still wonder if they would sign Cruz to do anything but DH at this point and if he’d be too pricey for that.
The Rangers have the worst record in baseball. They’re going to have the top pick next year and that’s protected. They would give up their second round pick which, being the first in the second round, is still a high pick.
I hope the talent evaluator who thinks Howard has value works for the Yankees.
Oh yea, because the Yankees really have room for another dh?
Considering the Yankees already have four potential 1B/DH types already on the roster, I don’t think they’d be in on Howard unless the price dropped to almost nothing. Between Teixiera, McCann, Rodriguez and possibly Beltran they’ve got less than zero need for Howard.
Unfortunately, the Yankees will not make Hardy a “fair” offer. Putting him in a position to choose money over environment, as much as I respect Hardy, I don’t see him turning down the 4 year, $65MM offer I expect the Yankees to make to him.
I very highly doubt that. That would be significantly more than Peralta got last year.
Hardy is a better defender and has no PED stink attached to him, and the Yankees will be desperate to replace Jeter with someone who can play at a high caliber.
That is really optimistic to say the least that Cruz has riches waiting for him. People trying to talk how he suddenly is this insane hitter. He hit .266/.327/.506 last year, and .263/.332/.526 this year. That is better, but very minimally, hard to now offset that the team that would be giving him the contract has one fewer years of his prime. He is a 34 year old DH/Sometime outfielder, and that will only diminish. Where does that fit with the Yankees? They have Beltran and Arod for DH next year.
Cafardo is doing his thing, which is, in part, stirring the pot. Part of his stock in trade is to go to former Red Sox about to be free agents and say “wouldn’t you love to come back here?” and another part is to suggest over-the-top signings by the Yankees. He can still do decent reporting/commenting when he tries, but he doesn’t always try.
The Globe has him do a special column every Sunday, so it’s reasonable he’s a bit strapped for material this time of year.
Gammons did that very piece beautifully………for years, even when the Sox were sinking in September. Admittedly Sunday notes have become much more difficult to do well since the Internet, 24 hour news cycles, Baseball Reference etc. Their was a time when the Globe’s Sunday Stats page was the real deal.
He could help an AL team at DH? He has a 92 wrc+, how many teams would actually want him?
When the only stat you mention for a player is “how many runs they’ve knocked in” you’re probably in the wrong line of business as a talent evaluator.
I can’t help but think that Cruz he will be at the top of Mariners list, then Rangers, Orioles, White Sox and I wouldn’t count out the Tigers. Whoever looses out on V-Mart would be after him. He’s going to be over paid.
Thanks to Jon Daniels, I think the Rangers have blown any chance at getting Nelson Cruz.
Let’s break down Cruz’s production since May shall we?
June: .215/.282/.364
July: .211/.292/.379
Aug: .216/.274/.451
So for 3 months of the season he couldn’t hit above .216 and he couldn’t post an OBP north of .292. So for the first 53 games of the season he was a superstar, then for the next 80 he was barley replacement level. Yes he’s posted some nice numbers for 13 games in Sept but I hardly see how a 34 year old, with no defensive value, who was basically an automatic out for 3 months, has “riches waiting for him”.
I’m not sure how much sense Cruz makes for the Yankees. Yeah, he hits for a lot of power but A-Rod and Beltran have the DH spot occupied next year and for the foreseeable future. The Yankees need players who can actually play defensive positions AND hit.