Not only does new D’Backs GM Dave Stewart have Kevin Towers’ previous job, but the executive tells Jon Heyman of CBS Sports that he’s actually living in Towers’ old house (Twitter link). That anecdote has little to do with the Diamondbacks’ future, however, so here are some more pertinent links…
- The Diamondbacks will definitely tender Cliff Pennington a contract, reports Jack Magruder of FOX Sports Arizona (Twitter link). Stewart considers Pennington to be a valuable piece and won’t let him go to save salary. Pennington projects to earn $3.3MM in 2015 and is coming off a .254/.340/.350 batting line with his typically solid defense.
- The Diamondbacks remain interested in Chad Billingsley, Magruder tweets. Billingsley didn’t pitch in 2014 due to a torn flexor tendon that he suffered while rehabbing from 2013 Tommy John surgery. The interest is hardly surprising, as Billingsley is a former client of Stewart’s from his agency days. Billingsley has since signed on with Octagon’s Steve Hilliard, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweeted last week.
- Stewart went on-record with Andy Martino of the New York Daily News to say that if the D’Backs are to move either Didi Gregorius or Chris Owings, it would be to acquire controllable, young pitching (All Twitter links). The Diamondbacks don’t have any interest in names like Jon Niese, Dillon Gee or Bartolo Colon, Stewart stated.
Owings sure, but I don’t think Didi brings back any quality pitching. Maybe a reliever, teams don’t usually pay through the nose for an all glove no hit type player, even if he is young.
Noris and Nolin for Owings? …. Who blinks first, Jays or D’Backs?
Surely you’re not suggesting Daniel Norris, right?
Owings has shown the ability to hit at the major league level. That coupled with his position and youth and he’s got more value than Norris.
I don’t want to give up Norris either… (sry for spelling) but the jays need a young cheap second baseman/ someone that can fill in for Reyes at short when injured… Seems to be a good swap with both teams dealing from areas of strength.
Trading a lefty with #1 or #2 upside for a backup 2B/SS with a bad shoulder isn’t wise.
Owings, while immensely talented defensively, hasn’t shown anything to say he’d be a top of the order bat yet. Trading away someone who could be a #1/#2 that provides 200SO+ a year isn’t something smart to do.
Like I alluded to, starting pitchers that Norris could develop into don’t hit Free Agency in the game anymore. If they do they’re usually in their early-mid 30’s looking for an 8 year deal that will no doubt handicap most organizations in the long run.
Norris is probably a top 50 prospect in all of baseball right now, the man had a ridiculous strikeout rate in the minors and is only 21. Pitching prospects like him need to have the dice rolled on them as he’s got ace potential and Toronto isn’t a great destination for pitchers.
Who would be fair then in your opinion? Have to give up something to get something, and we need a middle infielder. Trading from our immense depth of young pitching for a guy who we can slot into our starting 9 right now seems pretty appealing to me.
I wouldn’t call it immense depth. You’ve got Stroman, Buehrle, and Dickey among “proven” starters. Hutchison and Norris look promising but neither has shown much in the Majors yet. Sánchez hasn’t started in the big leagues. There are a too many question marks to call it “immense depth”. Let the team sign a guy like Asdrubal if they want a 2B without giving up young talent.
I’m talking about our young starting pitching aka: Hutch, stroman, norris, nolin, graveman, Hoffman, Osuna etc etc…. Because it would be a young player for a young player. I didn’t realize that he had shoulder problems, and most opinions I have read do not label him as a backup.
Ya all indications are that he will be ready for spring training… and he was still developing so I don’t think it’s fair to assume he won’t progress from what he did last year, and he still provided a large amount of value in war for so few games.
There’s talent but the Jays do not have “immense depth” yet.
Do Cliff Pennington and Chad Billingsley have the two most British upper-crust names in the MLB?
Sean Doolittle should figure in there.
Yes, but Josh Willingham deserves to be in the conversation.