Reds outfielder Jay Bruce is as “as good a bet as anyone” on the team to be dealt, team sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. That is rather a notable viewpoint given the club’s nice collection of even shorter-term assets. Bruce, 28, is controllable for three more years (the last via option), though Rosenthal adds that he rebuffed two offers of a second extension last year. It’s hard to gauge Bruce’s trade value given his rough 2014 and slow start to this season, but he’s bounced back nicely of late. Bruce is neither old nor expensive, offers an established power bat, and has at times graded rather well on defense and on the basepaths.
- We’ve heard suggestions that the Twins could be looking at bullpen upgrades, and Rosenthal confirms that is Minnesota’s focus. One player the team could pursue is Padres righty Joaquin Benoit, per the report. The righty has been a consistent producer for some time now, and can be controlled for 2016 through a team option.
- The Tigers should look to take out two needs with one move, argues Chris Iott of MLive.com. Dealing for a starter while shifting Alfredo Simon to the pen would upgrade both sides of the staff, suggests Iott.
- While the Cardinals still have some padding, their NL Central lead is beginning to dwindle. Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch argues that St. Louis is in need of a move or two to capitalize on its nice first half. Miklasz says it’s time to add some punch to the lineup, noting that first base is the obvious area for an acquisition with Matt Adams out.
- Miklasz does mention the possibility of shifting well-regarded outfield prospect Stephen Piscotty to first, and indeed colleague Derrick Goold indicates on Twitter that Piscotty could soon get a shot in the big leagues. The 24-year-old was nearly called up on Tuesday, and will now spend time at first at Triple-A to get ready for just that possibility. In his second run through Memphis this year, Piscotty owns a .270/.362/.471 slash with 10 home runs over 340 plate appearances. He has walked 41 times while making just 52 outs via strikeout.
Tigers have their work cut out for themselves after the break.
As with most teams that go on deep playoff runs, the second half is better than the first. IF the Tigers are in the playoffs, they will (by definition) have a great 2nd half and will be very dangerous in the playoffs.
Also Miggy being hurt may be a blessing in disguise, because in theory he could be 100% by the Sept 1st. That is luck that the Tigers did NOT have in their World Series and ALCS runs (2012 and 2013).
More with the luck stuff. I’m curious. Was San Fransisco lucky to lose Cain and Pagan last year, yet still win their third championship in five years? When Oakland lost 3/5 of their starting rotation by the end of last April, yet had the best record by mid-July, was that just luck too? Or did those two teams do well because of strong organizational depth? Do we distinguish between good luck and bad luck?
It seems to me that just hoping for luck is not the most efficient way to run a MLB organization.
I don’t think his injury was planned, and no one commenting on this site is actually running a MLB organization. I believe we are all just fans.
Jay Bruce would be a lovely fit at Camden yards. Not really sure Duquette has the pieces to acquire him without including Bundy is the million dollar question however.
While I appreciate the idea of moving Simon to the bullpen and picking up another starter, I still don’t believe it will move the needle enough to make the Tigers a wildcard team let alone a playoff threat. The 2015 Tigers have just too many holes and absolutely no organizational depth to be a threat.
The Tigers must sell and position themselves for another run beginning in 2016. Flailing away at one last desperate attempt this year is not in the best interest long term. There is no Cinderalla miracle here.
Moving Simon to the Bullpen and picking up a starter, leaves Kyle Ryan in the rotation. I would rather move Ryan to the bullpen. The Tigers, and Illitch will not be selling this year. The 10th best prospect of any team has little to do with what the Major League Roster accomplishes. When healthy, their 25 is among the best in baseball.
Their 25 is filled with holes, and the record reflects that. I would be very careful of the injury excuse. All teams have injuries and those that build a strong and deep 40 man roster weather those requisite injuries.
They could use a couple pitchers for the bullpen, one preferably a lefty. What holes are you referring to? Also, good news on tonights broadcast. Kyle Lobstein is cleared to throw. He was capable before going on the DL. They have missed him.
They will not be sellers at the trade deadline because being a contender is necessary to keep their TV rating up. A new TV contract is coming up so they will make the business decision to be buyers of what they need most (front of the rotation SP plus bullpen). They could lose millions and possibly a billion dollars in a long term TV deal if they went into re-build mode. That’s not going to happen.
What they may possibly do is trade off some FA-to-be contracts to hedge the new additions and keep below the luxury tax. They will also need to use the current starting lineup as trade chips to make any big deal. Making a similar deal like last year,(getting Price for Smyly and Jackson) is highly possible.
Unfortunately, the trade piece may be McCann.
They would be fools to trade McCann unless it was for Hamels. Even then I would not do it. Good 2 way catchers are very valuable.
After this year, the Tigers will not be contenders. That’s the point. I’m not talking talking about a rebuild, but instead a retool. Maximize your assets this year in an extreme sellers market (no one has any idea what another team is willing to pay for Price) so you can make another run over the subsequent three to five years. The Tigers will still have Cabrera, Martinez, plus young controllable talent in Iglesias, McCann, Castellanos and maybe Gose.
The Tigers need to get more athletic, more LH and the entire pitching staff needs to be revamped. Going for broke this season, a season in which they will struggle to make the postseason, will lead to a half decade of mediocre baseball.
They have $60+mill coming off the books plus all the players you mentioned. No need to rebuild, just reload. They will be contenders again next year.
I think you mean that Bruce is controllable for two more years. Next year is $12.5MM, the following is the option year ($13MM or $1MM buyout).
He meant three years, he’s including this one.
Bruce would be a solid fit for the Angels. He’s left handed, plays the outfield and has some major pop.
I’d go with that, though Anaheim really doesn’t have the pieces required for such an acquisition. A bat like that with another year under control fairly affordable, plus a team option will probably get a bidding war if put on the market.
The Angels could easily make the deal. They are very deep with pitching talent.
Bruce is the first trade name that has come up, that has piqued my curiosity as a Mets fan. They have the ability to add one legitimate piece this year, and while OF might not be the most logical fit, Bruce IS the best player available, so far. So it raises a few questions. What would it cost the Mets to bring in a guy like Bruce? Would could they get for Cuddyer or Granderson, to help mitigate some of that cost?
This would reshuffle the deck a little for the Mets, and Nimmo becomes expendable in this or another trade. They seem to have a glut of pitching and a dearth of position players. Further trades would be necessary to balance out the OF, but this might fix the imbalance and get the offense back on the right track.
I don’t know if this is the right move or not for the Mets, and cost would obviously play a major determining factor in that, but this is the first player that legitimately could help the team going forward.