The AL East champion Orioles are looking for their first playoff sweep since they eliminated the A’s in the 1971 ALCS as they face the Tigers in Game Three of their ALDS. The NL East champion Nationals, meanwhile, will look to avoid being swept by the Giants tomorrow in their NLDS.
Here’s the latest from baseball’s East divisions:
- Pablo Sandoval, with his personality and left-handed bat, would be a good fit for the Red Sox, opines the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo. Despite Sandoval’s weight issues and a declining OPS over the past four seasons, Cafardo hears the third baseman will command a five-year, $100MM pact with the Yankees and Dodgers joining Boston in the bidding.
- A.J. Burnett’s decision whether to exercise his $12.75MM player option will dictate how the Phillies’ offseason unfolds, according to CSNPhilly.com’s Corey Seidman. If Burnett declines the option, the Phillies will have the financial flexibility required to make impactful free agent signings and begin the necessary roster overhaul, Seidman writes.
- The James Shields–Wil Myers trade between the Rays and Royals is still under evaluation, notes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. At this point, who “won” the trade depends on whom you ask.
- The Mets don’t need a spending spree to improve for 2015, posits Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Of course, it would be nice if they could spend the necessary money to sign free agent catcher Russell Martin, but there are cheaper ways they can upgrade their offense. One idea Sherman has is calling the Red Sox to inquire on a Bartolo Colon for Shane Victorino deal.
The idea that the Mets should even consider signing Russell Martin is so laughable that I don’t even know how to respond to it.
Agreed. I love Russel but he is being highly overrated right now due to an overachieving season.
Plus Mets have that D’Arnaud dude.
I know MLBTR doesn’t like commenters to disparage writers, but it continues to baffle me that they will seriously post any of Joel Sherman’s ‘speculative’ columns. He gets some good inside info from time to time, but his proposals, especially as they pertain to the Mets, are almost always laughable.
This one in particular very silly. Not only do they have d’Arnaud, who hit great in the second half, but they also have Plawecki, who is almost a top 50 prospect in all of baseball. Catcher is one of the few positions that they should not be focusing on. They need an OF and a SS. They don’t need to sign a catcher to a huge deal. If they’re going to spend that much this offseason (which they won’t), they should go after Tomas.
I would like Tomas or Melky Cabrera. Everyone looks at me funny when they say that, but they need more contact hitters in that lineup, particularly if they trade away Murphy
Sherman good at starting conversations. He only really relevant because he gets’ really good insider scoop.
I seriously doubt the Royals would be where they are without Shields. Even if Shields leaves KC in the offseason I’d be hard pressed to say the Royals “lost” the trade.
Was a bad trade at the time, and that was all that we knew. Is looking a little better for KC making the playoffs, and Myers struggling though.
If KC reaches the WS, that trade is at least a win for them, time will tell on the TB end of things
Throw in the QO pick and I think KC is probably very happy with the trade. Myers just looks like a future average DH.
It’s not just his pitching……
As I said last night, he bucked that entire young team up. To start with – Duffy, Ventura, Holland, Herrera, Hosmer, Perez and others developed to a large degree by his professionalism, encouragement, and the sharing of his knowledge.
Doesn’t matter what the other guys do with the Rays. Shields taught them how to win. That is invaluable.
I don’t disagree…but that’s also an assumption. They win on his talent. If he’s 3-16 with a 4.70 era on the season.. doesn’t matter what a gamer clubhouse teacher he is.
Huh?
First off, those players have publicly thanked him for helping them. The GM and Manager have thanked him for helping those players to learn to win. Next, he hasn’t gone 3-16 with a 4.70 ERA.
That is no assumption. Might I suggest you read some of the KC sports outlets, or listen to their radio broadcasts on the Internet.
Might I suggest that I actually AM sitting in the middle of the Kansas City market and read their media, listened to Denny Matthews since 1977, and also watched their games on TV. I said I didn’t disagree with you… I’m just saying that even a player stating an influence can be pulled by emotion.
Sorry. I wasn’t trying to stir anything…its just odd to see so much lovey dove talk about the Royals. The fan base lambasted Dayton Moore for that trade, and I thought it was a good move.
Every trade in the end comes down to “did the team get what they wanted.” The idea of getting Shields was to bring in a proven big game pitcher and leader who could bring them into the playoffs. Done and done.
Yes, we all agreed it looked bad at the time but even if the Royals lose the next 3 games and Shields to FA, they’re a franchise that’s no longer a joke.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to have Sandoval on the team. At the same time, I’d much rather the Red Sox either use Betts at third or, if Betts can get a spot in the outfield, sign Headley or promote Cecchini.
Betts has never played 3B, he is not an option
He had never played the OF either, until he did.
More likely though would be Betts at SS and Bogaerts to 3B (Betts’ tools make more sense for SS than 3B, and Bogey’s tools would play up at 3B).
But Betts was given time to work in the OF in the minors, and it’s not like he is JBJ out there defensively, SS might be doable, but I would still prefer to trade an OF and have 3B filled externally
He didn’t have much time to work in the OF before he was called up, but point taken. And it really would come down to how much sense the contracts the free agent 3B option end up getting make; if one of them can be signed on a contract that makes sense it would be ideal to do it that way, but if the market pushes them too high, Betts at SS would be a perfectly reasonable option.
His arm is not really weak. I watched him play quite a bit earlier this year at Portland and he made quite a few strong throws from behind second base. Supposedly he was erratic with his arm his first summer in pro ball, at least that was what some of the scouts behind home plate were saying. They say that was what forced the move to second. I’m of the mind he was behind Bogaerts and Marrero on the organizational depth chart and that was at least part of the move before he broke out in his second season. He certainly has the range to play short, it would be neat to see if he could fill that hole cause Bogaerts is definitely a third baseman. Marrero is definitely the best defender of any of them but I’m not holding my breath on his bat coming around at the big league level.
I’m actually pretty high on Marrero (have been since his draft year), but I agree that Betts could handle SS. I think the main reason he was moved off of SS was because he was on the same team as Marrero (and Marrero was by far the better prospect at the time), and he stuck at 2B because his bat happened to take off at the same time as the move.
I just get the feeling Marrero is going to be the second coming of jose Iglesias
Marrero has a lot better plate discipline and makes more (and better) contact. I could see Marrero being a Elvis Andrus type player (league averagish offense with well above average defense making him a solidly above average overall player).
He has some batting practice pop as well. Whether or not he can carry it over to games in the majors. You are definitely correct in not lumping him in with Iglesias as his bat has much more upside than Iglesias.
Yeah, I think he can approach average power as he matures (say 10-12 HR power).
I’m not positive he could handle short but I believe the team has been reluctant to even try it in part because he’s moved up the ladder in lock step with Marrero and in part because they seem so bullish on keeping Bogaerts bat their. The best case scenario would definitely be Marrero taking the spot I’m a little worried how these young egos would take things with to much shifting amongst them but still the Sox have to make the best baseball decisions and not worry about coddling these guys attitudes to much. I think they have been somewhat guilty of some of that in the past with young prospects but who knows what happens behind closed doors I guess.Ultimately I don’t care where Betts plays in the field as long as he is in the leadoff spot daily……….for the Red Sox not some other team.
The good thing is, all of these young guys seems to be legitimately good (and humble enough) people. I think any one of them would deal with a position change perfectly well.
And remember they are all still very young, this year was a perfect example of how young players falter at the big league level. I still have high hopes for Bogaertz, but not nearly as high as I did before 2014
The problem will probably work itself out
I don’t think 2014 should do much to change our expectations of him. It’s one season from a 21 year old SS, and it was essentially his first season.
Maybe not him specifically, but no notable red sox prospects have really made it since the last wave of Ells/Pedroia/Lester and co.
Sure they have, they’ve just been traded away before they made it. And right now is the first time we’ve really had a ‘wave’ comparable to that one anyway.
Who? The only one that comes to mind right away is Rizzo
Masterson, Lowrie, Reddick, and (as you mentioned) Rizzo all made their debut after them and have had what can be considered success, and Kelly who has promise but has been injured.
Really, what you’re seeing is a combination of weaker drafts in 2006-2008, and a tendency to draft more high school guys in those years (Middlebrooks and Rizzo were drafted in 2007, and Vazquez and Kelly were drafted in 2008). The Lester, Pedroia, Ellsbury group all made it to the majors ridiculously fast.
I’d be okay with Sandoval, but not at that price. I’d prefer Headley even at equal money, and at that contract I’d definitely roll with Cecchini before signing Panda. I don’t know how likely he would be to go for it, but the Red Sox have a ton of payroll space, and can clear up a ton more by moving a few moveable players, so I wouldn’t mind seeing them take a run at Hanley for 3B.
Hanley is a new name to the mix, would you want to pay him a nine figure contract to only play 2/3 the contract though?
I’m not sure you’re giving him quite enough credit, but with that kind of talent I’d be willing to overpay him, sure.
I may not be, but he is injury prone and that will only get worse in years 4-6 of any deal he signs
He’s been injured a bit in recent years, but his track record is still one of a guy who plays most of the time (really only two injury shortened seasons – this one he missed some games but still played ~130).
That’s true, and with Holt/Betts serving as super utility players I guess it would work out
Well, I think you would have Betts as an every day outfielder. Holt would still be a super utility guy, and unless/until he’s traded you’d have Cecchini to fill in too (probably only the first year – two at most I would think), and you’d potentially have Devers ready to make his debut in the last couple years of a Hanley contract.
I would see Betts as a super-utility as well in the scenario that Ramirez comes to Boston. Between Hanley and Pedroia in the infield, and 1 open slot in the OF (assuming it goes to Betts/Victorino, pending trade), there could be times when both are needed to slot in around the infield. Betts has the versatility to play all 3 OF spots and 2b, I would use him and Holt in Ben Zobrist esque roles, as long as the defense isn’t suffering because of it
In the event that both have long-term injuries at the same time you could pull Betts in from the OF, but I don’t think that happens very often. If it’s going to be a relatively short period of time that you’re missing both, I would rather play a regular utility guy at one of the positions than pull Betts in from his every day position.
I guess, but what do you do with Craig/Nava/Victorino/JBJ? or whichever one(s) don’t get dealt
JBJ could go back to AAA for now (probably should), Victorino should be traded (for payroll flexibility and roster space), and you could trade one of Nava/Craig and keep the other on the bench. Really, even keeping both of Nava and Craig on the bench wouldn’t kill the team.
Don’t discount the White Sox. They also have plenty of payroll space and only the potential of Mark Davidson at 3B
A deal centered around Daniel Murphy and Cespedes would solve needs on both teams at 3B and corner OF
Cespedes is not going anywhere, and Murphy is not a fit with the Sox
How do you fit Catillo, Cespedes, victorino, Craig, betts, Bradley, nava into an OF.
Bradley in AAA, and Castillo/Betts/Cespedes patrolling the OF, Victorino is overpaid, but movable, Nava and Craig on the bench. This conversation was held in a different place in the thread
What is the market for victorino? You pay his salary and the mets will take him for mlb minimum
Or we could look at the market, throw in $3-4mil and go to a team like the M’s and get a B- prospect back. His value is low but it isn’t negative
Age, back surgery and $13
Million salary.
Not a big market for that
Trade Murphy and Colon to free up money to sign Tomas for left-field. Leave Dilson at 2nd and Flores at SS. It really is that simple…
Here we go with the Murphy thing again, there is no fit with the Red Sox because that would be the biggest defensive mess in baseball on the left side of the infield.
I never said trade him to the Red Sox. I just want him gone as a salary dump/get a respectable prospect. There are many teams that need 2nd/3rd help that Murphy could provide.
I thought you were hinting at the Red Sox cause that is what it alludes to in the article, my bad.
Not a problem! I could see the confusion, I probably should have clarified.
Murphy can handle 3rd
Can he? It’s a small sample size, but advanced metrics haven’t had him as very good there, and they hate him at 2B.
You guys would love Murph. He would be a perfect Boston crowd favorite.
He very well may be, but 2B and 1B are filled, and defensive metric say he is not very good at 3B, I would prefer a FA option
He’s pretty much the antithesis of a typical Red Sox player; a poor defensive player and a hacker.
We would hate him after we saw his 3rd base defense…
He could get a lot of hits off the monster, though.
The Sox are not going to have Murphy play 3rd base so that doesn’t matter unless he’s playing for the other team.
Spending 100 million on Sandoval would be an absolute mistake. Good player, but not worth paying 20 mill a season for 5 years. That’s just insane.
Colon for Victorino is an interesting idea, although I think the Sox may need to add more to it.
As for the Sandoval note, he would be a great acquisition for 3B, and i’m not so worried about his weight because the DH spot will open up in 2 years if he needs it, but the $100 mil he is said to be looking for is kind of frightening to me. I would be comfortable with a 4/80 deal, and would absolutely max out at 5/90
I’d be more comfortable at 4/60 TBH. I see his offense declining and his body just isn’t going to last.
I agree with that, but this is FA and there are 2 big market teams (NY and LAD) that will look at him also, realistic prices would be higher than $15mil AAV, although I get your point
Agree.
But then again there are teams that give Ricky Nolasco 50+ million so I wouldn’t be surprised if Pablo gets his 5/100 O_o
Uh. Nolasco got 49 MM over a 4 year term, and Nolasco was coming off the first season where his runs allowed matched his peripherals. An entirely different situation.
There is no uneqivocal “NEVER” however Colon in Boston is just about a guaranteed NEVER. He left the Sox a few years ago before the season ended. The Ownership will NEVER take him back.
Ahh yes I forgot about that. Although if there wasn’t a history, he would slot in as a nice number 4 or 5 to help out the young guys while unclogging our OF, the thought was there
Oh man, I really don’t want to have to look at Colon that often…
Why in the world would the Mets need Russel Martin? Any one who saw d’Arnaud play are the demotion knows his numbers will be insane next year.
I wouldn’t necessarily go that far, but with D’arnaud finally learning how to hit and with Plawecki waiting in the wings, dropping $50-70mil on Martin would be a waste
One of the biggest mistakes people make is when they take a half season’s worth of numbers, and leading to a conclusion that the player will be able to translate that into a full season. Just let d’Arnaud be who he is, and you won’t likely be disappointed. If you expect Buster Posey, you will be disappointed.
Nobody is expecting buster posey. But i think a 260 BA with 20 homers is reasonable.
I don’t really think Panda is a great fit for NY. I mean he is, but he also isn’t. Maybe if they were in a spot were they simply had no 3B at all, then I’d say sure. I think Headley on a cheaper deal is much more realistic.
If AJ doesn’t pick up the option, I’d be interested to see if the Phillies could swing a deal with San Fran along the lines of Byrd+Bastardo for Lincecum, (two of) Blach/Blackburn/Stratton, and Gary Brown. It would free up about $7 M for the Giants (money that could go toward bringing back Pablo – along with the money coming off the books from Morse) and they get a productive bat in Byrd plus a set-up/match-up late reliever in Bastardo. It would give the Phillies a starter to plug into the rotation (which isn’t going to be good), get 2 AA pitchers who project to be mid-rotation guys (from a system that typically produces good pitchers), and have a flyer in Brown (a once top prospect who still has great speed, and is – at least – an average fielder).
The Giants build their team with the farm system. They will need Blackburn and Brown.
Zach Wheeler, Edwin Escobar, and Tommy Joseph all disagree. And that’s just in the past 3 years
They have done it before (like Uncontrite listed). And I think it will depend on what happens this post-season. If they come up short in the playoffs (especially if they lose to the Dodgers), I think they’re going to need to find a way to bring back Pablo while upgrading the OF. If they win it all, I think they’ll have a “free pass” year where the fans won’t care if they’re not too aggressive over the winter.
Is the pitching market really that bad that the Red Sox would consider trading for a guy going into his age 42 season? There are other better ways to clear the log jam in the outfield.
Is it really that bad of an option? If Colon can still be respectable as a number 4, then you actually get production for the money spent, Victorino is a sunk cost at this point with all the depth we currently have in the OF, and the Sox won’t get much for Vic at present, and it’s him out of the logjam that i would prefer to deal. If Colon finally flames out, then you get the same sunk cost you had with Victorino
The problem is it’s a very big if. It’s frankly miraculous that a guy with his body type has lasted this wrong in the first place. He’s too old to take a risk like that. Not when you can give someone like Masterson a one year deal at the same rate. Why not trade Victorino for someone who may actually have a good season left in him? There’s no way to know that with Colon.
When he’s lasted this long, one more year isn’t a big deal. It’s the immediate future; it isn’t as if it’s even two years out. I would bet on Colon being able to give you 180 healthy innings next season, since he hasn’t really appeared to break down at all. Beyond that? We’ll see. They’re both expiring contracts after ’15, and the Red Sox aren’t going to get much more value via trade than Colon for Victorino & his salary.
Colon hasn’t broken down because of that great “training regimen” he’s been on
I would trade Victorino for just about anything to free up the spot in the outfield. A huge return isn’t necessary. Asking a 42 year old with a bad body type to be a useful member of your staff is just asking for trouble. There’s no reason for the Red Sox to make that trade. Not when there are younger options on the free agent market that would sign for the same amount of money.
Why would the Mets buy a catcher who will want a multi year deal when they have both d’Arnaud and Plawecki.
As he stated in his article, Sherman’s idea is to trade d’Arnaud and sign Martin.
If the Mets were to trade a catcher, it would almost certainly be to clear the logjam they have back there with Plawecki/d’Arnaud, not to spend money they don’t have on something they have a plethora of.
Oh I didn’t think it was a good idea. But that’s what Sherman’s idea is.
There’s a bit of context missing from the Mets/Russell Martin bit. Sherman doesn’t want the Mets to sign Martin to their roster as it currently states, he wants them to trade d’Arnaud for help at other positions. Definitely an important distinction, as Martin is obviously not a sensible signing for the Mets otherwise.
Personally, I don’t favor Sherman’s scenario, although I don’t see it as something that Alderson would do anyway
No there is nothing missing from the context, because even if you subscribe to the idea that you can trade D’Arnaud to improve elsewhere, you would replace him with Plawecki and not by signing Russell Martin to a long term contract at too high a price.
All I was saying is that Sherman’s thinking was presented incompletely, not that it was actually an idea I supported.
Really pass on Sandoval at that price. He is a fine player, but $100MM to me is still at least someone you want to build your team around, or should be. Sandoval plays ok defense, but doesn’t hit for a ton of power, and he doesn’t walk very much. He isn’t a centerpiece.
really hope the yankees dont get Sandoval. Keep Headley instead!
Why would the Mets sign Martin if they have TDA?
Would burnett’s $12.75M really make such a profound difference in the Phillies’ ability to make “impactful” free agent signings and a roster overhaul? That seems like an awful lot for $12.75M.
You really think that Pablo Sandoval can get a 5 year 100MM contract!!! I think that there is no way that hes getting anywhere close to that.
The Rays got excellent value for Shields in 2012; Myers and Odorizzi were both Majors League Ready and Top 50 prospects. If the Royals win a pennant, I think the trade looks pretty nice (thought he didn’t pitch that we’ll in the Wild Card Game).
Why would the Dodgers want Sandoval? A guy with his body type is not someone I would trust with that kind of contract, first of all. Plus they already have Uribe for the short term and Corey Seager for the future. They could even start Turner at third. Or just resign Hanley and have him play there.
You never know what can happen in free agency, but it would not be wise to give Sandoval a big contract given that he out shape and swings at pitches out of strike zone more than any other player in baseball. 48%.
Re: Pablo Sandoval – seriously doubt the interest by the Dodgers except by somebody (agent) just trying to seek a bidding war. Dodgers still have an effective Juan Uribe at 3B signed for another year, Hanley Ramirez may be brought back at 3B, Cory Seager is due up from the minors in a year or so and likely to be at 3B and Justin Turner has just had a big year mostly subbing at 3B. The Dodgers have needs, but 3B is not likely a focus especially for an overpaid free agent with dwindling skills
As much as I’d love to see Panda back in a Giants uniform he’s not worth more than 100mil. Give him the same deal as Pence. 5yrs 90mil? and call it a day. If he leaves the Giants would only have Arias to replace him and thats a huge downgrade. Whatever happens though he better not sign with the Doyers. Once A Giant Always A Giant, Unless You Join The Blue Team. He won 2 rings and has the chance to be a Giants Icon. He’d only throw that away and be boo’d the rest of his life and hated by Giants fans *cough* Brian Wilson *cough*
Re: Red Sox…..Sandoval? Yes, but not at 20 Mil per year. Colon? Uh, no. He’s on the brink of 42, requires too much money and is, at best, a 4 or 5 starter.
I guess Joel Sherman doesnt pay too much attention to the Mets. Must be unaware that they have a pretty solid young catcher. Having said that, Melky seems like the perfect fit for the mets at citi field. Nice line drive stroke, doubles power. Would really solidify and lengthen the lineup
the mets need no one they have a great team and are they crazy to trade murphy he is consistent he hits in the range of one of the top baseball second baseman. idk why everyone wants home runs and most players don’t even get 30 but they have like more than 700 at bats they need murph. and if terry Collins would select everyday players he would develop the talent he already has instead of swaping players on a daily basis. example lucas duda
The trade the Mets need to make is one with the Cubs. It’s so obvious that the GMs of both teams should be fired if no deal is made. I would like to get Addison Russell in exchange for Syndergaard. The Cubs seem to really want him . If they are willing to part only with Starlin Castro, they don’t get him. Only Gee and Montero. Either way the trade needs to be made. We need a ss they need pitching.I also would trade Murphy but don’t see us getting much value back. Maybe best to start the season with him, hope someone on a contender gets hurt and go from there. We don’t need Martin. d’Arnaud will be fine.