A trio of notable players left tonight’s action early. It’s too soon to speculate in any of the situations, but all are worthy of note with the All-Star break right around the corner.
- Royals skipper Ned Yost indicated that he is fearful of a prolonged absence for Gordon, Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star reports (Twitter links). Though McCullough adds that the training staff does not believe Gordon’s groin muscle detached from the bone, the 31-year-old is said to have heard a pop from the muscle.
Earlier Updates
- The Royals may have dodged a bullet, as the team announced that star left fielder Alex Gordon was carted off with a groin strain. It appeared that his left leg buckled as he chased a ball to the wall, and Gordon’s obvious pain contributed to the impression that he may have suffered a significant leg injury. Regardless, a groin strain can itself still be rather a serious problem, and it is too early to know the long-term implications. Needless to say, any lost time from the outstanding veteran would create a significant hole in the Kansas City lineup.
- Athletics lefty Scott Kazmir left his start tonight after just three innings with triceps tightness. But after the game, he told reporters (including MLB.com’s Jane Lee, on Twitter) that the issue is “super minor” and should not cause him to miss any time. As Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reminds us, via Twitter, this is not the first time that the veteran has been forced out early from a start. And indeed, there may not be cause for concern. But the timing is obviously not great, with Kazmir shaping up to be one of the market’s more appealing rental arms.
- The Cubs’ starter this evening, Jason Hammel, also left quite early with what the team called left hamstring tightness, as John Jackson writes for ESPN.com. Chicago turned to lefty Clayton Richard, who was just added in a trade. While it’s obviously less concerning to hear of an injury of this nature than the two noted above, the Cubs will surely still proceed with caution, and Hammel will undergo an MRI, per a tweet from Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. Chicago’s rotation is not the deepest part of its roster, and Hammel makes up a key part of an effective top three, having put up 102 2/3 innings of 2.89 ERA pitching.
So, Jon Niese doesn’t sound so useless now…eh?
I don’t recall anyone ever saying he was useless.. I have heard expensive, shoulder worries, and so-so pitcher, but never useless.. He could throw batting practice for the Phillies and he would still be considered useful..
Swap out “useless” for “little to no value”. A team who needs a backend #3 or top #4 to win some games down the stretch would definitely benefit from trading for him.
I can’t actually recall (seemingly educated) people saying he’s useless. Teams in need of back end rotational help could surely benefit from having him on their staff. What has been said repeatedly, and rightfully so, is that he doesn’t have much value at all on the market, which still holds true.
He is still pretty useless. An extra half a win from replacement level is such a marginal upgrade.
Mets fans will overvalue him, non Mets fans will undervalue him. He’s a 28-year-old lefty who has averaged 2-2.5 fWAR the past four seasons. Under team control through next season, with the potential for team options for two more years. Based on the cost of a win, he’s more than reasonably priced. They’d have no problem moving him if that’s what they want.
He’s not useless, he’s just not worth that much on the trade market. If the Mets can get a top 100-200 prospect for him or a blocked position player who is under 26 they should consider that a win. His contract is the big issue: if you take him, you are taking on a guaranteed $10M for 2016 plus whatever is left of his 2015 salary. Talent-wise, he’s fine, but most teams would like to get a higher ceiling at a $10+M investment.
1. What “higher ceiling” guy is out there that isn’t going to cost premium talent?
2. In regard to $’s, his fWAR (as mentioned above) is worth it.
3. In his last 5 years he has averaged 170 innings pitched, with a low of 143 and a high of 190. His MPH may be down on his FB, but he still pitches effectively. His stats slot him as league average…which is a backend 3 on most teams and a 4 on almost everyone else.
Matt shoemaker, dan haren, mat latos. If he was so good why wouldnt they trade bartolo colon and keep niese…