Brandon Belt will be out of the Giants’ lineup for the time being after his second concussion in two seasons, Alex Pavlovic of CSNBayArea.com writes. His current issues stem from a slide against the Reds on Tuesday. He had difficulty concentrating during Friday’s game. “He showed symptoms last night and that’s what we’re treating him for,” says manager Bruce Bochy. Belt also missed about a quarter of last season due to a concussion. Buster Posey will take over for Belt at first base until Belt returns. Here are more quick notes from around the league.
- Manager Ned Yost says the Royals could promote another middle infielder, according to Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com (Twitter links). Both Alcides Escobar and Omar Infante left Friday’s game with injuries. Escobar’s injury was merely a bruise, as Flanagan notes, but Escobar’s injury (an oblique strain) could be more serious. That could mean the promotion of top prospect Raul Mondesi Jr., Flanagan speculates. Mondesi has only hit .240/.279/.372 in 338 plate appearances for Double-A Northwest Arkansas this season, but he’s a strong defensive player and baserunner, so he could potentially be useful to the Royals in those capacities. He also only recently turned 20 and is about four years younger than the average player in the Texas League. In July, Baseball America ranked Mondesi the No. 25 prospect in the game. MLB.com currently ranks him 35th.
- The Padres have a tough task ahead of them this offseason, Jon Heyman says in a video for CBS Sports. They appear likely to lose Justin Upton, who will likely get a large contract elsewhere. Heyman says he hears the Padres will probably extend Ian Kennedy a qualifying offer after a strong second half, and Kennedy will likely refuse it. After a disappointing season, the Padres will have to decide this winter whether to attempt to contend again next year or whether to rebuild, trading players like Craig Kimbrel and Tyson Ross.
Padres are so, so screwed. They’re paying Matt Kemp’s full freight next year too. No payroll space, no more prospects to trade, not a lot of major leaguers of interest to other teams. I don’t know how they “go for it” even if they want to.
I think the only way the Padres have a shot at signing J Upton is to find a way to rework Melvin Upton’s contract. The brothers like to play with each other and if they padres can keep Justin Upton they have enough pieces to make a run for it. There isn’t much flexibility in their payroll to find the middle infield help they need but it is possible. Maybe find someone that will trade for Alonso. Myers has played well at first base and a full season at 1st looks to be in his future. And their rotation and bullpen are solid enough with some run support.
LOL well, considering Kemp is hitting .263/.312/.440 with 22 home runs and 97 RBIs and will be the 1st padres player with 100+ RBIs since Headley in 2012 think they’ll be ok paying him since he’s been their best hitter all season.
As far as prospects- they’ll have 5 picks before the 3rd round come next years draft. They’ll have their own 1st, 2 comp balance picks from Upton and Kennedy, plus have the pick between the 2nd and 3rd round. Plus whatever they do during the international signing period.That’ll restock the farm immediately.
With Upton, Kennedy, Morrow, Johnson, coming off the books and resigning probably none of them they’ll have some financial room to fill team needs. They can also clear room by trading Kimbrel.
They’re set at catcher with Norris, have options at 1st with Myers or Alonso (who may be non tendered), have spangenberg at 2nd, Gyorko deserves a look at short given his power bat, Solarte at 3rd. Kemp in right, Jankowski or Upton Jr in CF, and Renfoe/Jankowski in LF. Upton Jr has provided decent production this year with .250/.316/.426 in about 200 plate appearances. Their rotation is set with Shields, Ross, Cashner, Rea, and Erlin/Despaigne/Kelly as the 5th and whoever else they sign to pitch here.
It’s completely cockamamie to assert that Alonso might be non-tendered. And I don’t see Kimbrel getting traded unless we get back a similar return to what we gave up (and took on) for him. And Renfroe probably won’t be called up until next September.
It’s complete nonsense to assert that Alonso may be non tendered. Renfroe won’t be called up until next September. And I doubt Kimbrel gets traded unless Preller gets a return similar to what he gave up (and took on) to get him in the first place.
@seamaholic Fowler’s on record saying that payroll will increase to ~$120MM next year, but even with that, there’s not a ton of payroll flexibility. I expect the Padres to package Shields with someone like Kimbrel to the Yankees.
to begin, no it will not be easy to fix the padres. First off, trading Matt Kemp for a couple class B prospects while eating a good chunk of the money left on his contract would be a start. James Shields could be dealt for 2 or three decent prospects as well. Craig Kimbrel and Tyson Ross to a team in need of a number three starter and an elite closer could bring back Brian Johnson, Travis Shaw and a lower prospect. Trade wil myers for prospects. In other words, clean house for the best minor league talent you can get for them with the exception of ian kennedy who’s stock should be higher next year mid season than it is now after losing 15 games already this year. Bringing in guys like Shaw and Johnson give you unproven guys who you can give the chance to to prove themselves because you may find something in one of them or both or maybe neither will work out and you continue to tank and get higher draft picks
Kimbrel and Ross together would net much more than Johnson and Shaw. Gonna have to be at least a couple guys with great upside. Johnson is more of a low ceiling, high floor player and Shaw is likely a bench bat.
James Shields can’t be traded due to his negative trade value. And there is no trading Kennedy next season. He’s a free agent after this year. And get that 15 losses stat the fxxk out of here! Wins and losses for a pitcher are the most useless stat in baseball.
Wait, the guy who’s a RedSox fan has literally no sense of the value of Red Sox prospects and no idea what players west of the Berkshires are free agents??? That is shocking.
The Padres would have been in great shape had they traded Upton, Kennedy, Kelley, Cashner Kimbrel, Benoit and/or Ross in July. It befuddles me. They were way back in the division to the Dodgers and Giants and the Wildcard seemed to be out of reach barring a crazy run. I would have had a firesale. They could have rebuilt that farm system into one in the top 5 with all of those pieces, but they lose Kennedy, Upton and Kelley now (they might get 2 1st rounders, but still) and Benoit, Ross, Cashner and Kimbrel are a year closer to free agency. They need to do a Cubs, Phillies, Astros style rebuild now in my opinion,
Kimbrel and Ross are nowhere near free agency so there was no need to trade them unless Preller got an offer he genuinely liked. And Cashner has struggled this season so it made sense to hold onto him and see if he can rebuild his value before becoming a free agent after next season. I agree with you on everyone else tho.
The Padres would have been in good shape if Preller had sat on his hands last off season. They’d have Joe Ross, Wisler, Hahn and Burch Smith to fill in the rotation, Zach Eflin and Max Fried a couple of years away, Jace Peterson playing SS this year, Maybin in CF, and Mallex Smith 2 years away to take his place. When the prospects that were given away develop, these trades will go down as some of the worst the Padres have ever made.
Burch Smith ended up needing TJS and Hahn now might need a second TJS. Obviously we didn’t know that at the time of the trades tho. I’m still upset about losing Trea Turner.
Turner and Ross are the guys they’ll miss long term, and they guy the acquired for him was, by a wide margin, the most valuable commodity involved in any of the team’s offseason moves.
Hahn and Smith’s injuries were totally predictable (and Burch is a one-pitch, straight fastball guy anyway). Cam Maybin, despite the fast start, has produced significantly less than MUpton. Mallex Smith is inferior both at the plate and in CF to Jankowski. Eflin and Wisler have decent chances of becoming #4 starters, and Max Fried has a great arm, a 10 cent head, and will be hoping to find a spot in a High-A rotation next spring.
How were Hahn and Smith’s injuries predictable? And let’s not forget the fact that Melvin Upton was owed 3x as much total money as Cameron Maybin at the time of that trade.