The Phillies are “waiting with open arms” to find the right trade for at least one of their big-name veteran players, a major league official tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. That list of big names, of course, includes ace Cole Hamels, though Jonathan Papelbon and Chase Utley could also be moved, Cafardo writes. Amaro recently told reporters that he’s willing to eat part of Hamels’ contract in a trade if necessary, and that could help bring about a deal for the Phillies. More from today’s column..
- Major league sources tell Cafardo that the tampering investigation brought by Rays owner Stuart Sternberg against the Cubs for their hiring of Joe Maddon was reopened when Sternberg objected to the original verdict. In the end, however, it was found that there was no tampering in the negotiations.
- Marlins GM Dan Jennings thought he had trade possibilities for catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who was designated for assignment last week. He’s currently in the 10-day limbo period in which he could be traded, claimed, or put on waivers.
- Scouts are still waiting for Red Sox outfielder/first baseman Allen Craig to bust out and it appears Boston is going to play him more to boost his trade value. Cafardo notes that Craig has historically hit well in the month of May.
- The Red Sox are trying to create roster versatility by using players at different positions. Shortstop Deven Marrero is the team’s latest experiment after seeing time at second base. One NL scout isn’t so wild about the concept. “He’s a terrific athlete so he’ll do well at the other positions, but this is the type of guy where you know he’s a terrific shortstop so why mess around with that?” said the scout. “He’s got high confidence as a shortstop and now you’re reducing that confidence level by making him play positions he’s not used to.”
I’ve run countless simulations on OOTP 16. Cole Hamels is hardly a difference maker. I’ve traded for him just to experiment. Teams who gut the farm for him rue the day. He’s the Erik Bedard trade of 2015. Not worth it.
Pin,…I’m not sure if it’s as bad as Bedard, but I surely agree with your point. Hamel’s Era as of now is 4.14.
The Phillies have held on to their aging veterans for too long, and appear to be trying to recover more than is warranted for these blunders.
Its 4.14 after 6 starts. I assume you also think Lester (4.71 ERA) and Kershaw (3.71 ERA) are declining?
Brix….of course not, and as other posts have suggested he’s a noted slow starter, it’s just that he mayn’t be as dominating as he was in the past.
And why would that be? Every pitch speed is within .2 – .4 MPH of 2010 with the exception of his change which has ticked up slightly over the years. His only variance is his pitch selection. He is using his 4 seam less and cutter more.
Phan….always good to talk!…. Just think it’s probably more natural attrition, rather than anything in particular & the wear and tear on a long successful career. Other similar examples..Verlander,J. Weaver,Lincecum
And yet not all pitcher do show substantial decline. It’s been more and more prevalent and acceptable the past few years to decide that 30 is the beginning of the end. Every pitcher is different. Any pitcher could fall apart just as easily as he could pitch effectively at age 36 like many others have done. Last year there were 58 pitchers in MLB that had a ERA+ at average or above…24 of them were 30+.
Phan….it surely does seem harder to deduce; it seems (although I don’t have the numbers) that pitching on poorer teams for a number of years can wear on a pitcher, as there are more tough innings and tough outs to deal with.
I know that weighs on a player’s mind but Ironically the 3 pitchers you mentioned pitch for the Tigers, SF and the Angels
Phan….that is true!, I was just thinking of pitchers that are in their early 30’s that had parallels to Hamels.
Lincecum was done way early .
Lincecum, even when drafted, was not predicted to last because of his slight frame and bad delivery. If you go back and read scouts’ opinions of him (at the time he was drafted) you’ll read a lot of opinions that he should have been a reliever, even. SF should be glad for what they got from him.
No kidding huh,Hamels is and has been better then lester and more consistent throughout his career.
You do not use an ERA against a pitcher, but he has a 5 FIP.
I think the dodgers will make a move for hamels, If he goes to the american league, he will get lit up
Steve…that seems logical, after Grienke, Kershaw there is a huge drop off. There are though,quite a few AL teams, where he might fit, that could afford his salary…Red Sox,Yankees,Angels.
Being an Angels fan I would love to have him but they don’t have the money to take his salary or they have the prospects philly would want. If the dodgers keep getting injuries in that rotation, they could make that move for hamels and trade one of Joc/Seager/Urias , I know amaro would ask for all three but if he could get one of them, plus lower level prospects and a player on the roster, I think that would get the job done.
Steve…your Angels just dumped Hamiilton, albeit not all of the contract, so that would certainly help.
The Phils demands may come down a bit, as they are basically stuck with Howard & Utley.
Yea their paying 68 mill of the contract, I think they would use the money on other needs, They need a bat with Hamilton gone, Joyce and Cowgil are not getting it done, But if it’s a bat like bruce or gomez or braun, possibly will cost the angels sean newcomb , I wouldn’t do that
Steve…..As a Brewers fan were in the same ball park !..the Brewers will be having a fire sale. You would not want Braun either, as he has a long expensive contract. Gomez on the otherhand will probably
hit the market, but will be expensive at last 2 high tiered prospects.
If the Angels come up with something like Segura again, that would be fine.
Dodgers don’t have the pieces to get a deal done. They aren’t moving Joc/Seager/Urias.
They do have some pieces to get the deal done
Which would those be? Grant Holmes won’t headline a Hamels trade.
Agreed here. Unlike the Red Sox who I believe could definitely get a deal done without Betts/Swihart, I don’t see the Dodgers getting one done without one of Joc/Seager/Urias and I don’t see them parting with any of them.
Dodgers have Carlo Frias, Zach Lee, Scott Schebler, Darnell Sweeney, Kyle Farmer… enough to get a deal done with Seager, Pederson and Urias
If that was enough to get Hamels, then he would be in the Bronx, or Boston, or LAA, or anywhere else that could afford his salary
Those 5 players for Hamels…. It would get done, but who knows if anyone ever put that package together. I did, but I’m just a couch GM. Although I think I could do better than Amaro has done.
The horrible defense (2nd most errors in the NL)
The horrible hitting… (Revere, Utley, Howard, under .200)
RF is anyone’s guess, and no matter who they put there, isn’t any good anyways… (Francoeur & Sizemore)
I just don’t understand how the Phillies claim to be “rebuilding” when in fact the only players they traded away were Rollins and Byrd.
Howard – Utley – Ruiz – Papelbon – Hamels all need to be traded for OFFENSE! Rollins, Byrd and Bastardo got us back 5 starting pitchers… Not 1 single position player.
They didn’t even make Tomas or Moncada an offer.. They missed out on Castillo, Tomas, Moncada, Soler, Cespedes, ect…. The Phillies biggest years from 2007-2011 were all because they had the #1 OFFENSE in the league.
Howard was hitting 45-50 HRs, driving in 120-140 RBI
Utley was a 30 HR, 100 RBI player – Rollins was a 20/40 player, then we had Werth, Pence, Ibanez all do well.
You cannot keep losing your offense and expect Hamels to pitch a shutout everytime out. Bandaids like Harang, Billingsley, Francoeur, Byrd, Williams, just didn’t cut it.
I really hope the Phillies are VERY active come July and August.. start new, fresh, and make the trades needed.
What people don’t seem to consider when proposing these deals is whether the players are what the Phillies need to build for the future. They are rich in pitchers. Pat Gillick said they were focusing on position players. Strangely, their best young players play SS, 3B, and CF and their best position prospects who should be ready soon play SS, 3B, and CF.
If you want to propose a deal with the Phillies it better include one (or more) players the Phillies see as potential starters at C, 1B, 2B, LF, or RF. I could see the Phillies trading Hamels in a deal that didn’t include a top 40 prospect if it included 2 top 100 guys who play these positions.
The Cubs, Padres, Red Sox, Dodgers, Rangers, Yankees, and Cardinals can all make good packages for Hamels that would address the positions of need for the Phillies which are indeed C, OF, 2B and 1B.
Only if they’re willing to include certain players. The Yankees would likely have to trade Judge and Bird or Sanchez. The Red Sox would have taken their catcher, Swihart, and second baseman, Betts, off the market. I’m guessing they’d have to trade Margot but I’m not sure who the second player would be.
With all the Cub untouchables, I can’t see a deal not headlined by Schwarber and probably Almora or McKinney. The Rangers have Alfaro and Mazara, although I doubt they’re looking to trade for Hamels now. The Cardinals are weaker at these positions. Outside of Piscotty they mostly have pitching. While the Padres do have Renfroe and Hedges the reason Hamels isn’t a Padre now is reportedly that the Phillies don’t like either.
If the Phillies are willing to eat enough money the Pirates might be able to give the Phillies what they want.
Pirates would be a surprise… but if they want to truely take advantage of the Cards losing Wainwright, it would be to acquire Hamels
Some people think teams would be better signing Cueto or Zimmermann instead of trading for a $22 million AAV Hamels. If you’re a team like the Pirates you won’t be signing any of those guys, but maybe you could trade for Hamels with a $16 million AAV.
Say the Phillies trade Hamels to the Pirates and pay his full option year, making it a 4+ year deal with an AAV of 17.6 Million.
What would the Phillies get in return?
Since I don’t work for the Pirates I have no idea. I’d guess the Phillies would want Austin Meadows and Josh Bell. Not that they’d turn down Tallon or Glasnow, even if they aren’t looking for more pitching.
“Dodgers have Carlo Frias, Zach Lee, Scott Schebler, Darnell Sweeney, Kyle Farmer… enough to get a deal done with Seager, Pederson and Urias”
I thought you were a Dodger fan reading the proposal.
You wrote a lot of B prospects there and I would jump for the trade as a fan of the Dodgers despite the fact I think Hamels is not great.
Then they do have the pieces (Joc,/Seager/Urias), but you don’t think they will move them. Some teams just don’t have them.
Last year it was 6.75, 2013 it was 4.78, life time it’s 3.95 for the starting month+. He historically starts slow. I wonder if the same simulations will project Betts as a .220 hitter? After all he is ATM.
The only thing concerning is the walks but that can probably be attributed to him being afraid to pitch to contact given the offenses struggles.
And defense’s struggles…
Phan….good point, it surely is to early to project full season performance this early in the season.
Also he surely has not had great run support for the last 2 yrs, it’s just that he’s getting a bit older & the Phils need to cash in now!, or risk the same mistake they made with Utley & Howard.
It’s been said a thousand times already, but Hamels early season numbers are never true indication of his full season, I think the prime time to trade him is and has been this year, any point before the trade deadline hits. He was inevitably going to take a lot to acquire anyways, even without said blunders.
I place zero stock in statistics after 24 games. For teams or players. I don’t actually think Dee Gordon is going to bat .400 this year, for example.
Doubter!
Cxz….you’re probably right about the timing, the only issue might be, if he was ineffective over a long period of time, hence his value might go down.
and Lester’s over 4.50, Kershaw is above 3.70, Jordan Zimmermann is above 4.80, etc. Era is meaningless this early in the season.
Hamels is showing some of the best velocity of his career and the best curveball he’s had since he’s come up in the big leagues. He’ll be just fine and any team that trades for him will be trading for an ace.
It’s been said a bunch already, but it’s way, way too early to judge Hamels on this season. He had quite possibly his finest season *last year*. imo, he has several years of elite performance left at a minimum. I agree with you that he’s nowhere near as bad as Bedard.
Rct….I’m not even implying he’s bad, has been a very steady pitcher, it’s just that he’s getting a little older with a heavy workload history.
Every player is getting Older…. 1 day at a time.
His age and contract are VERY friendly considering what the same aged Pitchers are making that are in the same league.
Lester, Scherzer, Kershaw, are all 27-30 mil a year.
The net free agents: Price, Cueto, Zimmerman will all be 200 million dollar pitchers come 2016.
23.5 Million a year for the next 3 to 4 years is a great deal for anyone that trades for Hamels. The 3rd best Lefty in MLB and overall top 12 Pitcher in MLB.
Donnie…I don’t dislike Hamels, just think Phillies need to make a move, in this case sooner than later,
particularly if he should struggle…3rd best lefty in
Baseball….hmmm…..Price,Lester,Kershaw,Bumgarner,…..No there’s 4 that are better, without too much research…top 12.. Hmmm..
The 4 left handlers +…
Cueto,Grienke,Wainright(injured)?…maybe top 12..however, many comparable cheaper younger less proven possibilities.
Price, Bumgarner and Lester do not rank above Hamels.
Kershaw and Sale do. (according to scouts and stats)
Comparable Cheaper and Younger “available” Pitchers?
Like whom?
Donnie…wow…now it comes to opinion off course, but at this point in there careers I’d surely prefer any of Price,Baumgarner,Lester.
All I’m implying with cheaper & younger ,,,translates to up & coming with only 1 or 2 really good yrs …
Kluber,Ventura,S.Miller,L.Lynn,G.Cole,Strasburg,G.Richards,Tehran,….
That mode, not implying they’re better than the others but with high ceilings.
None of them available though, so while you’d “prefer” them… We are talking trade talk, no use throwing out names of those that aren’t being traded.
Donnie valid pt, I definitely, in the Phillies case think they should go for a complete rebuild, the biggest problems the bad contracts, as they’re almost immovable.
The Brewers are in a similar position, but other than Braun, the players should be easier to move.
Gomez,Garza,K-Rod,Lohse,W.Smith,Lind.
Gomez by himself should garner at least 2 high end prospects, much like Hamels.
Teams are being more careful though about giving up top tiered prospects,
I agree, but imo, I think he’ll be fine for probably this and two more seasons before he really starts declining.
Are the Red Sox really in a position to bat a guy hitting under .150 MORE just to increase trade value?
Victorino is out, Betts isn’t lighting it up, and Craig has tons of upside.
Yes. When you’re 6th in the league in runs scored you can afford to carry some dead weight. Unless you can name a team that isn’t routinely starting a player hitting .150 at this time of year?
With a rotation that is 30th in ERA and 30th in innings per start, which hurts the pen, 6th in the league in runs scored isn’t enough. Brock Holt is on the bench hitting .378, which is eerily close to Craig’s OPS of .416 (how about that OPS+ of 17). If the Red Sox want to keep a struggling guy in the lineup, make it Napoli. We can maybe afford one struggling veteran in the lineup right now, but certainly not two.
I would place very little stock in statistics this early in the season.
Kansas City Royals
It’s not really as if run production is the problem for them, their pitching is the issue right now.
The offence has been a bit inconsistent though
That’s a fair assessment, but it’s really done enough overall that they should be winning more games. When you lose games 7-18, 8-11, and 5-7, just as examples, it’s your pitching not doing it’s job well enough.
Just look at the last two games. No production right now with RISP
Using two games as a sample size doesn’t paint the whole picture of the team and besides,the Yankees have been worse than Boston in RISP both this year and the past few games, and not only did they take the series, but they’re in first place right now. The real root of BOS issues right now is the lack of performance from their pitching,nobody has stepped up like they had hoped yet.
And the only way to minimize the damage the rotation is doing right now (other than having them actually perform better), is capitalize on as much offensive production as possible. Craig in the lineup doesn’t accomplish that.
I dont think having Craig in the lineup would make or break the offence and if he can produce, Boston can use him as a chip to acquire pitching.
I don’t really agree with that logic in this case, because scoring 7-8 runs should be more than enough to win a game, there comes a point where the pitching has to take the reigns when you’re given that type of run production. I don’t see adding another good bat as being much more than a generic brand band aid for a wound that needs stitches.
Obviously the best solution is for the starters to get their act together. I’m just saying that at this moment, when the starters are struggling, it makes sense to put the best offensive producers out there to give the team a better shot of winning, rather than focusing on increasing trade value at a time when the team is still defining who they are. 7-8 runs should be enough, but it isn’t right now, or this team isn’t 12-12.
Part of starting Craig has to be factored into trying to build his trade value so that they can address their pitching needs via the trade market when the deadline comes around, otherwise they likely would be looking to load up the offense as much as possible. I don’t think it could hurt them all that badly as of right now to get him in the lineup, in order for him to ever be worth anything in the market, they’ve got to at least try to get him at bats.
now that Boston is paying Porcello $20MM to be mediocre, how much will Ace cost them per year?
Hard to say, depends on the the years involved in the deal and the particular guy. Simple answer:A lot.
I think you mean : A lot more.
My Yankees draw the line at .155. Then, they get a day off to do it all over again.
Yeah, I love how they’re managing Beltran right now honestly, splitting time with Young so that he still gets a chance to turn it around, while letting the hot bat play more frequently.
Austin….your Yankees are surely off to a terrific start; they must be doing it with mirrors!… Other than Ellsbury,Gardner,Betances,A.Miller..it all seems rather average, but the results are surely there.
Tex had arguably the best start to a season he’s ever had, and it seems like every night, somebody different has been stepping up to get the big hit. Oh, and Pineda has been a savior for the rotation, he’s going to surprise a lot of people this year if he stays healthy. Plus the entire bullpen has been incredible so far, not just the big two. No mirrors, just better than expected production thus far.
Cxz…also factoring in, is that nobody in the division seems to be a dominating team, much like last yr until the Orioles pulled away….90 wins could get it done, and if Yanks starters stay tough with that bullpen, they’d would be tough to beat.
Also the Yankees have been healthy, that division has had a ton of injuries while the Yankees have dodged the injury bug. (Until Tanaka)
The other story in that division is the Rays who have survived absurd injuries and have some real impact players who should return. They have the best pitching in that division if healthy.
Rich…I did see that the Rays have a ton of injuries, even with that, not sure if Rays have enough offense. Orioles have maybe 6 starters
Jimenez (seem to be back) Tillman,Gonzalez,Chen,Norris,Gausman .
Comparable to Rays.
and the Orioles have Bundy knocking on the door to the Majors as well. While clearly no “Ace” – they have depth so that if any of the current 6 falter, they can just swap out on from the pen to a starter.
Donnie…..is Bundy healthy?, the Orioles may struggle at times for offense, and bullpen without A. Miller doesn’t appear to be quite as strong.
If they had last yrs team, they’d be clear favorites, of course that’s in the past
fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=12917&posi…
Yes, he’s started 4 games in AA to a 3.00 ERA and in in 12 IP, he has given up 8 hits, 2 BB and has 14 K’s.
They didn’t pick up Miller til the trade deadline last year, and I can see them picking up another player if needed. They are still a Hitting machine and when they get Weiters back, it will adding a huge weapon as well.
Donnie…Miller was a huge pickup last year, and I hate seeing him on the Yankees..right there that could be a difference of 5 games, not sure if Weiters will be big hitter when and if back; actually think getting JJ Hardy back will be bigger.
No reliever is a 5 game difference maker. let alone a set up guy. Orioles pen is good and it should be fun watching the best competition as all 5 teams will be in it I think.
yes… He is pitching in AA
12 IP / 8 H / 4 ER / 2 BB / 14 K’s / 3.00 ERA
You’re both forgetting the 660 HR elephant in the room.
Haha, I only didn’t mention him because he’s been a bit cold other than that big HR lately, and sort of tied him in to being one of the guys to step up on different nights.
You forgot to mention the negative defensive value that he brings as well. Every time they put him in the lineup they reduce their chances of winning. Seems like a high price to pay for the off chance that some other team would be dumb enough to take his contract.
I wish the angels could make a move for a bat like craig, after losing hamilton , joyce and cowgil are not getting it done right now
Craig for a reliever could work
You’d be lucky to get anything more than a AAAA arm, and thats if you pay some salary too.
Have you looked at Craig’s numbers?
I saw Craig’s numbers in 2012 & 2013. One bad year (2014) and no playing time in 2015.
That said… I’d agree that at this point, he’s a player that would fetch a AAAA player. Phillies could swap Papelbon for Craig and Coyle.
I dont understand the Sox obsession with position versatility. Its nice to have a guy like Holt as a super utility guy but why would they need more than one guy like that on the roster? Marrero is a great defensive SS, why move him anywhere? It doesn’t make much sense to me.
More attractive to other teams??? I dont really know
Because the ability to play more positions is appealing in trades. (JP Crawford is the Phillies top SS prospect), and he’ll never play everyday SS in Boston, so if you plan on him being a piece for the BoSox moving forward, you’re wasting development time by keeping him at SS.
Yes, there are so few openings for SS in the majors. (NYY, SD, NYM, Hou, to name a few) SS is one of the weakest offensive positions in MLB right now, Look at what the Yankees gave up for Gregarious. Even after that, he is not a sure thing as a long term solution. What other teams are moving top SS prospects to other position to make them more shoppable? What the change of positions says to other teams is : The Red Sox do not see him as a starting SS, but as a utility fielder.
Houston and NYY are taken, and Marrero isn’t an upgrade (yet) to anything NYM or SD already has.
Gregerious is not certain as a long term solution, and Houston’s SS is currently on the DL for some time. If they want to continue to develop Corriea, Marrerro would be an upgrade from Villar. I would think for SD he would be a more long term answer than Amarista or Barmes. Pretty sure he would be better defensively than what the Mets have too.
Even if what you say is true, would you move him from SS?
They could be auditioning his versatility for the Phillies to see if they’d be interested in something like Margot, Marrero, and others for Hamels.
Yes. Big Papi is not a model of “Position Versatility”, but he has been their best player over the past decade.
Because making him look like a utility infielder lowers his trade value.
What could Marrero get in a possible trade?
Probably a middle reliever or a closer with a high salary (Papelbon)
Utility IF’s aren’t worth a whole lot in trades. He’d be better served as a secondary piece in a bigger deal than a straight up trade.
He could be a starting shortstop for at least a few teams
Utley, a 36 year old second baseman and his .422 OPS are really going to be of value. He is making Howard look good. Amaro waited too long to get anything or any salary relief for either. He better hope Hamels avoids any more games like yesterday.
Small sample size, utley is still a good 2B
That .091 BABIP is sure to hold up…
If utley would accept a bench role, id love to see him, papelbon, and Hamels go to Boston for Craig and prospects
Why would the Phillies want Craig?
Because they need a RF and Craig in 2012 and 2013 was great, 1 bad year w/ injuries every player will have.
That said… I can see Papelbon for Craig and Coyle deal.
Craig will turn 31 this season; no reason a rebuilding team should trade for a 31-year-old player. He’s slightly younger than Francouer.
Nothing wrong with a veteran on the club, especially if he comes back to form. Comparing Craig to Francouer is weak though, one flourished and the other floundered.
They have a veteran who is pretty close to unmovable in Howard.
He’s done next year…
Francouer, in his career has been worth about 6.1 WAR, while Craig has been worth about 5.3 WAR. Frenchy has played longer and has/had more defensive value, but neither will be contributing when the Phillies are finally good again. Why not find some younger option, maybe a 6-year minor-league FA without a spot, and see if he can contribute? Bad teams don’t need veteran placeholders with no future.
The Phillies will promote Dom Brown to play RF. It’s easy to be pessimistic that Brown will regain 2013 form but it’s just as easy with Craig. Brown is 3 years younger, about $30 million cheaper and had a higher BWAR in 2013 than Craig did. Why trade for a more expensive, older Dom Brown when you already have Brown?
The only way the Phillies would take Craig is if the Red Sox insisted they do it to lower Boston’s payroll. It is unusual for the team trading a veteran for youth to take on that much salary. It’s usually the team trading for the vet, a la the Adrian Gonzalez deal.
Dom Brown – that was a nice 6 weeks he had in 2013. Besides that, he’s been really bad.
Cafardo’s weekly Hamels article….. Gotta love it.
If you didn’t know any better, you’d think Cafardo covered the Phillies…or just Cole Hamels
That and puff piece. I think Cafardo is angling for a Hamels to Craig deal, with Philly throwing in $50M.
Seattle should make a run at cole hamels he would help that rotation get back on track they have the talant to pull it off and still be in a good postion for the future. They could deal paxton and a few prospects
They certainly have the prospects to pull it off…
What’s lost in all of this is the new report that the Red Sox aren’t willing to include Margot in a deal for Hamels. Clearly they don’t want him.
That’s been obvious for some time. Every prospect is untouchable but the ones they have that aren’t really prospects.
If they aren’t willing to trade Margot, then the Red Sox just don’t care about winning. Margot is 1 or 2 years away?
Where does he fit in the Red Sox plans? Obviously Betts, Ramirez and Castillo are set in the OF for at least 3 or 4 years – They have no place for Margot.
I would guess that Hanley goes to DH in a couple years, when Ortiz is retired or a part-timer. Betts should move to second eventually, but I think Pedroia might hang on there until he’s like 40.
So basically… The Red Sox have to wait til Ortiz no longer hits or he retires for Ramirez to move to DH so that they can then find room for Margot, who may or may not ever work out in those coming years… and that all the other OF’s in Boston’s Minors are just minor league filler? As far as Pedroia goes, I still see him there 4 years from now, and if not, wouldn’t Moncada go there? I don’t think you can move Betts back to 2B after years of being a CF, I have never seen a player move from the OF to the INF except to play 1B. But plenty have gone from INF to OF…just sayin… Margot shouldn’t be an “untouchable” – He’s still years away from even making The Show, and if its 1 or just 2 years away – he certainly has no place on the Red Sox. You agree?
Oops; I forgot about Moncada…dang, it does look like there’s a huge backlog of prospects in Boston. I don’t know what they should do; The outfield of the future should be Margot, Castillo and Betts in some configuration, but I guess Boston could deal one of those guys for a legit starter. It’s a stacked system, at least in terms of potential.
I haven’t heard that report, but that’s silly if true. I fully supported the Sox sticking to their guns with regards to Betts and Swihart, but they can’t label every good prospect “untouchable”. They have too many good ones to keep them all for themselves, and at some point these kids are going to grow up and either lose their value or be blocked in the majors. Margot is a logical choice to headline an offer for Hamels.
I wonder if the Sox are hesitant because they really don’t want to go over the luxury tax next year. If the Phillies are willing to pay a good chunk of Hamels’ salary to keep costs down, I’d fully support the Sox throwing in another good prospect or two (still not Swihart or better though). Something like Margot/ Marrero / one of E.Rod/Owens/Johnson / Cecchini. Maybe they could get creative and work a deal to take Papelbon as well. Paps clearly wants out of Philly.
I could see something at or before the deadline like Hamels and Papelbon for Victorino, Craig, Kelly and prospects. The stipulation would be that Philly doesn’t have to cover any of Hamels salary as long as they take Victorino and Craig back, which would give the Red Sox an extra $27.5 million on the books next season as long as Papelbon finishes 40 more games, if not only $14.5 million. Whichever it may be, you have to think Boston will pay Buchholz the buyout, and probably won’t resign Masterson or Napoli, which would save them at least $13 million so it wouldn’t such a bad deal if you think about it.
I just can’t see Philly wanting Vic, Craig at all. Victorino looks like he might be broken and Craig hasn’t been good since 2013. A rebuilding team doesn’t need broken veterans; heck, the Phils are already employing Sizemore in that role.
I believe that even if the Phillies paid part of Hamels’ salary the Sox would still be subject to the luxury tax on it. I think the luxury tax is based on contract value, not what the team is actually paying. I could be wrong.