Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon said today that he would be surprised and disappointed if he is not traded this summer, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki reports. The veteran righty indicated that he’d be willing to waive his no-trade clause to play for any contender — provided, that is, that he’d work in a closing capacity. “I think [the front office] knows where I’m at,” he said. “I’ve always been straightforward that I want to go play for a contender and I’m not going to shy away from it. I feel like that’s my right and my prerogative to have that opportunity and, you know, it’s in their hands. The ball’s in their court. I guess that’s kind of it.” While Papelbon’s preferences will play a significant role in his market, he’s done nothing but increase his trade value through his on-field performance this year. Entering today’s action, the 34-year-old owns a 1.65 ERA with 9.4 K/9 against 1.9 BB/9 — and a career-best 50.6% groundball rate — on the season.
- The Indians are still alive for a post-season berth even though the club has underperformed expectations, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the club will probably stand pat for the most part at the trade deadline. Cleveland is not terribly interested in dealing away Carlos Santana, but could consider moving David Murphy or Ryan Raburn, both of whom have been quite productive this year and can be controlled through fairly reasonable 2016 options. In the event that the Indians decide to add pieces, says Rosenthal, the club could target a pen arm or a bat (at an unidentified position — the left side of the infield seeming most likely).
- The Twins and Brewers have had some preliminary trade chats, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reports (Twitter links). It is not clear precisely what players were under discussion, though Berardino indicates that Milwaukee lefty Neal Cotts could hold some appeal to Minnesota.
- Some opposing clubs believe the Braves could be interested in selling high on outfielder Cameron Maybin this summer, Buster Olney of ESPN.com reports on Twitter. Olney had previously indicated on Twitter that Atlanta was not interested in parting with Maybin, who’s been quite a pleasant surprise since coming over as part of the salary swaps in the Craig Kimbrel deal. But he could have significant appeal to teams in need of an outfielder, particularly if the market ends up being largely devoid of bats.
At least the Phillies are going to get a decent prospect for Papelbon most likely. They almost gave the same contract minus a few million to Ryan Madson, who has not been relevant since. They were also very close to giving 50MM to Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez before they were scared off by his medical. Ruben Amaro would probably have already lost his job by now if those signings had gone through.
Ryan Madson has been very good this year. 1.65 ERA, 241 ERA+ and a 0.8 WHIP.
Thanks for the info, did not know he was rebounding so well this season. Still, over the life of the contract, the Phillies are likely still very grateful to have signed Papelbon over Madson and will get more of a return for Papelbon than what they would have gotten for Madson, even though Madson is performing quite well himself this season.
Madson’s had a lot of tough luck the past couple of seasons. It’s great to see him back to pitching like his old (younger) self.
I saw a story from olney earlier where he had reversed his stance and now thinks the braves will trade maybin. Took roughly 14 hours to change his mind.
That’s because Olney makes all of his money from people tuning in to laugh at the garbage he comes up with..
The first story was Olney giving his take. The 2nd was “other clubs think..”
I think the Braves will be very idiotic to trade Maybin they are in the race in the n.l east and four games in the w.c. this trade might have a huge impact on the teams chemistry let things play out. If the Braves trade Maybin it better be for two top organization prospects ready for next year and they should be hitters. Go braves
I find it difficult to see Maybin’s season as flukey. He’s looking extremely confident up there, and he’s driving the ball the other way consistently. Obviously his BAbip is a little high, but not by much. His LD% is at 23.9%. He’s hitting well against lefties and righties and no longer swinging out of his shoes, and it’s paying off.
I’m conflicted. It makes a lot of sense to sell high on him, but if he truly has turned a corner then his $9M option for 2016 seems like a bargain. The Braves have Mallex Smith knocking on the door, and Peraza has been playing a little CF this year. So my guess is that they move Cameron if they don’t feel they can stay in it at the deadline. I just hope they can acquire a legit prospect who hits for power in the deal. Right now there’s Braxton Davidson and………..that’s about it.
Getting the athlete formerly known as BJ out of ATL was already a win for ATL, we don’t need to prove anything by selling high on Maybin and betting the house on an inexperienced Mallex Smith or Jose Peraza, who only has a month under his belt in the OF. Frankly, there are teams that would be interested in Peraza, and if he’s not a long-term fit at 2B (we also have Albies coming up at 2B) or CF, don’t force him and package him for a OF depth or a catcher. I still think NYY would be interested.
Maybin’s play offensively and defensively is not something you trade right now unless someone blows you away.
Except for the first cup of coffee he had in Florida, Maybin has never had a season like this. Maybe Kevin Seitzer’s Jedi mind tricks will continue working, but if the Braves can sell high and get long-term value in return, they should listen. They still have a bunch of teams to pass before even being in consideration for the second wild card.
The Indians seem to be holding their assets higher than their competitors. I don’t think teams are exactly breaking the door down for Carlos Santana’s .207 batting average.
Judging Santana based on his batting average isn’t fair. The guy has never had a great batting average. However, he does walk a ton and it is usually complimented with great power numbers. The reason teams aren’t gonna break down the door for Santana is because his power numbers have been unspectacular this year. I highly doubt it has anything to do with his batting average, as his OBP of .344 is quite good.
That’s a worn out, tired argument that doesn’t hold up. Many of his HRs come in garbage time. He’s not a clutch hitter. He is terrible on defense, I don’t care where they put him. I can’t see a contender putting him in the field and teams can’t afford the luxury of a dedicated DH.
Carlos Santana’s career OPS is .797. He has a higher OPS than that in the following situations:
RISP
2 outs, RISP
Late & Close
Within one run
Within two runs
Within three runs
I don’t put a lot of stock into “clutch” stats in general, but the argument that Carlos Santana shrinks in those times isn’t based in fact. Of his 107 career homers, 53 have come with a one-run difference between the Indians and their opponents, and 70 of the 107 have come with a two-run lead or deficit.
Santana’s not having a great year, and his low BABIP isn’t purely bad luck, as his hard contact rate is down quite a bit. But, given his contract, on-base skills and track record, I’d wager that quite a few teams would like to try to turn him around.
I,too, believe in the advanced stats, however, I believe common reasoning comes into play as well. The same debate was made over Dan Uggla 3 short years ago. Where is he now? My point is this, advanced statistical analysis only tells half the story. Too many people are relying solely on advanced saber metrics to evaluate ball players. To me, .207 is 207. It means he can’t hit his way out of a paper sack, regardless if he draws walks or has power.
Hey, some of the comments bells and whistles are back! Cool. Minor suggestion: could you make the comments font and size the same as the articles?
Thanks for noticing. You get an up vote so I can test how it’s working and for the first positive commenting comment I’ve seen in a while.
Not sure about the font and formatting stuff, but I’ll pass on the idea.
Yes, I think we will do that. Thanks.
I have another suggestion if it’s possible to do in the system: It would be nice to have an option on how to sort the threads, ie, newest first or oldest first.
It was confusing to me when I posted a comment and saw it appear on the top, but when I came back to the post later on I didn’t see it. Turns out it was because it was actually on the bottom and I had to go through a second page to get back to it.
I agree on that. We’re going to try to add that feature.
Also, testing notifications.
Thanks, guys! Another minor suggestion is to allow minimizing an entire comment nest, including the original post, rather than just the replies. Either way, this is already looking much better. Thanks for incorporating people’s suggestions. You guys are the best.
This new update to the commenting system is really good. Great work guys!
Test
Great improvements ! And unlike the MLB ASG, I was able to vote only once.
One poster was complaining a few days ago about not being able to follow up on replies to his comments. At the time there was an option to receive e-mail notification of replies just below the comment box. I see that option is gone and the box for posting is much smaller. In the meantime, my compliments to the chef !!!
The size of the comment box is adjustable by dragging the corner. And the Manage Subscriptions takes care of the notification issue. Duh! No more suggestions from this corner !!!
tickle? Sorry, had to
In all seriousness, the commenting section is looking tons better already! I anticipate the comments will start to become much more lively
Posting is much better. Thanks for the upgrade.
Your “right and prerogative,” Papelbon? No. Your right and prerogative was to sign with whichever team you liked when you were a free agent. There is no “right to jettison my team if they stop playing well” clause in your contract.
Thank you for saying this. I was posting this same thought and got side tracked. Phillies were on the downward spiral. You decided to sign with a declining team. Sorry it didn’t pan out for you. Play your contract out and shut up.
And some people want to forget about his personality. Sorry, Paps, once a DB, always a DB. No wonder Philly can’t get what your stats say you are worth in a trade. No contender wants you. They want a player like you, without the “personality”.
My guess on Santana is the Indians probably put out feelers on him, saw what they would realistically get back, and figured they might as well keep him.
I doubt he would bring back more then a few medium level AA prospects and/or a so-so major league player unless the Indians eat a good portion of his contract and/or throw a decent player or prospect. His salary is no longer cheap for what he produces, and the constant errors he makes on defense and running the bases offset what little offense he generates.
He might be a nice, temporary replacement while Miggy is injured, but then what would Detroit do with him? The ability to take a walk is not one of the higher priorities you look for in a first baseman.