While most have assumed that Anthony Rendon will return to third base upon his activation from the disabled list, with Yunel Escobar shifting to second base, but Jon Heyman of CBS Sports hears that may not be the case. Some close to the situation have told Heyman that Escobar may continue to play third base, with Rendon handling second base, though GM Mike Rizzo and manager Matt Williams would only comment by saying nothing definitive has been decided. “They can both play both very well,” said Rizzo. Escobar’s time at either position may only be temporary, as he figures to slide into the shortstop position next year if Ian Desmond departs as a free agent. As for timing, Rendon sat out a scheduled rehab start today for precautionary reasons with what the team described as fatigue. Washington will surely continue to exercise care, but needs him to return as soon as possible, as the club has struggled to produce runs while dropping six straight.
Here’s more from the National League:
- Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman says that he intends to fill in for injured starter Brandon McCarthy with internal options for the foreseeable future, as Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports. “We’ll wake up in June having scouted other organizations over the next four to six weeks, and we’ll see where we are,” said Friedman, who noted that deals are “pretty uncommon” in the season’s first two months.
- Meanwhile, Dodgers shortstop Jimmy Rollins acknowledges that this is the toughest start to a season that he has experienced, but says he is not worried, as Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register writes. Saying that he believes his “process is good” at the plate, Rollins expressed confidence that some minor tweaks will get him back on track. Los Angeles is paying Rollins $10MM this year, with the Phillies picking up an additional $1MM as part of the deal that brought the veteran out west.
- The Braves continue to line up major corporate partners for their new ballpark, with Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporting that Omni Hotels will participate in the mixed-use development that is set to accompany the stadium. The club is counting on a revenue boost from the controversial project to improve its financial standing going forward.
Braves need that money to help them compete with ticket sales and the TV deal below average
That TV deal hurts esp seeing what the other comps are…
The TV deal was renegotiated last year and can pay up to $500 million through the life of the deal (2029), which is up from the $12 million per year (on average) they were getting before. I would post the link if we were able to in this forum but if you search for the AJC article, it quotes Braves CEO Terry McQuirk breaking down the deal. It’s not as bad as it once was, though it’s not like the new deals (i.e. LAD, PHI, SD) where they’re backing the bank trucks up.
I’m not too worried about Rollins. He’s been hitting the ball hard, and sometimes when you’re going through slumps, everything seems to be going against you. Just today he was robbed of a 2 RBI single on a great catch by Justin Maxwell. Give it some time and it should even out.
Rendon should play whichever position is the least damaging on his knees.
Escobar should play SS over Desmond. His defense was crap with TB last year, but he’s always been a strong SS.
Can’t get any worse defensively than Desmond, unless you have Uggla on your team…wait….err
I though Friedman would have already scouted other organizations for a McCarthy replacement, can’t really expect a starter who hasn’t been able to make 30 starts in 9 of his 10 MLB season to be dependable.
Not too many trades are made this early on, most/many teams are still trying to see if they will contend before they start selling.
Looking at Ian Desmond career numbers he has a .316 OBP, and people expect him to get a monster contract? That would be an albatross.
Considering how pretty good but not great players are getting huge money I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets a big contract. 20 million for porcello was insane
I have no idea why a team would give Desmond over $100M let alone over the $150M that he is expecting. There must be some magic stats. But I see what I see on the field, and he is nowhere near the player his rep says he is. He is going to be a massive disappointment to the fans of the team that signs him. From the way they’re throwing around money, the Padres may well ante up.
It should be Rendon at third, Escobar at Short, and Desmond at second.
zach lee looks like a new man and the man we been waiting to see since we drafted him. it now or never call him up!! 4 starts 1.71 ERA 20Ks to 4 walks and a 0.76 whip. i dont see anyone better to take mccarthy spot
Agreed. I like the depth they’ve built with Bolsinger, Baker etc..but this is crunch time for a kid that the Dodgers worked extremely hard to sign. He was one of their blue-chippers, time to throw him the ball.
I just think it time to see what he got. It what like 3 or 4 years he been in the minors.why not give him a shot.
IMO, the Nationals would be better off moving Escobar over to SS now and trading Desmond – whose defense and lack of focus on the game as a team leader is setting a bad example. Then go out and get a 2B that can hit. Throw a pitcher into the trade if they have to…..or they can find a 2B or SS that can hit and move Escobar and Rendon around. The Nationals badly need another bat, preferably left handed.