Here’s the latest from around baseball as we head into the new week…
- Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe will be out of action for at least a couple of days after suffering a right intercostal muscle strain during Sunday’s game. Plouffe hurt himself during a swing in the sixth inning but remained in the extra-inning contest until he appeared to aggravate the injury while running the bases at the end of the 10th. While Plouffe doesn’t think the injury is too serious, manager Paul Molitor told reporters (including Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press) that Plouffe will be held out of action and re-evaluated after a couple of games to see if he can avoid a DL stint. The third baseman entered Sunday’s game hitting .256/.275/.487 in 40 plate appearances.
- Cuban second baseman Jose Miguel Fernandez will participate in an open showcase for “likely hundreds of scouts” on May 2 and 3, Baseball America’s Ben Badler reports. Fernandez was declared a free agent earlier this month and isn’t subject to international bonus pool limits due to his age (28 next week) and eight seasons of experience in Cuba’s Serie Nacional. Badler’s piece also contains a new video of a Fernandez workout, and Badler observes that the second baseman has lost quite a bit of weight. This is perhaps an indication that Fernandez has been working out to get into game shape given that he has been sidelined for almost 18 months due to a suspension for a previous attempt to escape Cuba and then his successful departure from the country.
- The Twins’ 3-9 record and the slow starts from some young stars could be attributed to Torii Hunter’s retirement, an AL scout tells TodaysKnuckleball.com’s John Perrotto. “You see some of their kids like Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano and they’re really talented but they’ve been trying to do way too much at the plate….That’s where they miss Torii,” the scout said. “He has that great personality where he keeps everything loose but he also had such a great track record that he could talk to those kids, calm them down, and they knew that he knew what he was talking about. Sometimes you need to hear things from a fellow teammate rather than a manager or coach. It just carries more clout.” While Hunter didn’t contribute much on the field in 2015 (0.5 fWAR), his clubhouse leadership was widely considered to be a factor in Minnesota’s surprising 83-79 record.
- Michael Cuddyer is enjoying his post-playing life, the retired outfielder tells Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, as he relishes spending time with his kids and getting to watch baseball simply as a fan for the first time in decades. Cuddyer rather surprisingly retired in December, receiving a buyout of around $2MM-$3MM on the $12.5MM he was owed in the final year of his contract with the Mets. “Usually when I get to the end of the season, I’m pretty beat up, but I still love the game, still love playing,” Cuddyer said. “This time, that was gone. And I didn’t want to hang on if I didn’t love it.”
- If the Red Sox rotation continues to struggle, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald suggests some fixes to get the staff on track later in the season. These include internal solutions (Eduardo Rodriguez making a strong return from the DL, or Henry Owens or Brian Johnson stepping up to deliver solid innings) or possible trade answers, though acquiring a top-tier arm could be difficult. Rival teams asked for the likes of Xander Bogaerts or Mookie Betts when the Sox asked about pitching over the winter, and Boston isn’t too keen on trading even less-established young talent after already unloading several prospects in the Craig Kimbrel deal.
Cuddyer took a lot of heat from Mets fans his last season. I applaud him for having the fortitude to walk away from $12 million simply because he didn’t love playing the game anymore.
He’s a solid citizen, I always admired him. He’s a bread and butter guy you anchor a strong team with…
Cuddyer took heat because of what was perceived as a dumb move by Mets front office–it wasn’t just signing him, it was giving up the pick for a player of that age coming off an injury year. Since you can’t blame the front office when you are at the game, you blame the player. His 2015 year wasn’t all that much different than his 2012 year, his 2010 year, his 2008 year, and especially his 2005 year. The Mets paid a salary based on a season equal to his best but played at age 34. Their mistake, not his. I’ll give him a lot of credit for walking away.
DD realizes this is not the year of the Sox. I think ’17 will be the beginning.
The players the Sox parted with for Kimbrel were nice players but they were blocked, all four.
The three prospects mentioned above are all southpaws–when you include Price in that mix–that’s four LH’ders.. ERod and Owens are the most likely to be kept.
Johnson is ML ready and is, IMHO, the equal of Owens. I see Johnson, Devers, possibly Benentendi or Mookie being moved to the A’s for Sonny Gray if DD is serious about a ’16 run.
Umm Betts alsone should have more value than Gray. Betts posted a 4.8 fWAR season and is projected to be better this season. He’s under control for longer and is younger. Fangraphs did a trade value list in the summer. They had Betts the 11th most valuable player in baseball, while Gray was in the 20s if I recall.
As for now not being right for Redsox.. They have just as good of a shot as any other team in the AL. they could use some help in the rotation sure, but they have a great offense. Defense, bullpen, and one of the best pitchers in baseball. They look to be at least a mid 80 win team, with the possibility if more if there rotation improves
Sorry but it will take allot more then Betts to get Gray.Just cause Betts is worth more ion WAR does not mean the A’s will make a deal just for him. Pitching is at a premium right now and teams have to over pay to get good contracts and great pitching. Just how it is right now.
There is no chance in hell of the Sox dealing Betts for anybody, unless it’s Mike Trout or Bryce Harper.
Young, talented, and controlled up the middle talent has and always will be at a premium as well.
Mookie betts is more valuable than Gray.
I personally don’t feel that way, but even if I did, it doesn’t make it right. Sonny Gray is one of the most talked about young arms in the bigs. He would likely fetch a price of Mookie and a couple double or single A guys.
You have to give talent to get talent. If Betts is untouchable, OK, but Oakland isn’t just going to hand over Gray for whatever Boston feels like paying. Gray is averaging 1 bWAR per 50 IP. That’s pretty elite territory, almost identical to Price.
I would take Gray over Betts every day of the week. Betts puts up nice fwar ( and I’m all for measuring players with WAR), but pitching staff aces are in a different category completely.
Betts would be a good starting point for a trade, but would take at least one more premium prospect and a lower level guy.
The problem for the Red Sox is always going to be price–particularly if they value their own prospects/younger players very highly, and place many off limits. There are two sides to dealing from surplus–either you trade the guys who are blocked by people slightly more talented/ahead of them–or you trade the guys who are blocking the guys and move up the slightly lower-rated prospects. But your trade partners for a top-tiered starter who is under control for a reasonable price really want your best merchandise, and if Boston isn’t “keen” on trading talent, they may have to get very lucky.
I think there is a philosophy change with Dombrowski. I agree the Cherington/Epstein regime had the overvalue prospect way of doing things. Dombrowski’s track record indicates a different tactics. That being said dealing for Gray not as easy venture seeing every other contending team would like to do the same.
Excellent point!
It clearly appears that Dave Dombowski does not look at the Red Sox roster and farm system as the public relations department (start with Peter Gammons, the virtual Red Sox PR writer) has been putting it out for decades, and getting the locals to buy it. As I noted the other day, the reality is that most of their heralded prospects are simply not that good – quick, name 6-8 players that are on the Red Sox roster that were brought up from the farm system over the past 3 years, and think of how good they are – you got Betts as a possible quality player, that’s it.
Dombrowski in in there looking at the situation with the eyes of a successful MLB executive for over 30 years. Rest assured, he is not seeing things as the Red Sox fans that post here do (last year some kid wrote “people are jealous of the Red Sox farm system”).
I wonder about the 4 “prospects” he traded to Preller! for Kimbrel. I doubt he felt a one of them would become good enough to be anything more then a backup on the Red Sox team he’s putting together. Preller! on the other hand has this overrated rep about how he can value prospects (geez, just look at the people he traded away), and that roster of his is so baron that I’m sure at least 2 of the 4 will get prominent playing time with the Padres within the next few years.
The Commissioners office should not allow Preller! to make a trade with any experienced MLB executive.
You’re going to say Bogaerts is less than a quality player? I don’t know about that.
I honestly feel like most teams feel try same about prospects but the big guys will take more flack for holding their prospects to a higher standard. I’m sure every team has untouchables that won’t ever amount to anything.
As I said the other day, I do like Bogaerts and Vazquez. Betts is athletic and I like what I’ve seen, but right now he doesn’t play consistent ball (I’m talking about on the field, I don’t analyze statistics) – but Betts is 24 years-old so he has time to mature.
My point with the Red Sox is this – those are 3 very nice players that came up in the past 3 years. But most MLB teams can point to at least 3 very good players they developed over the past 3 years. For a farm and development system that I keep being told is elite, I don’t see where that is the case. Again – I don’t think Domrowski is buying into that at all. And where are all the pitchers I keep reading are so sensational (see above comments)? Last year I remember reading that some young pitcher was a slam dunk ace…..until the league saw him for 3 months. This year I don’t even remember the guys name – but I know he;’s not a starting pitcher for them.
Oh, you’re an eye test supporter, what a shock..
Can you name any team with 6-8 solid players they’ve brought up in the last 3 years?
Carry on with your nonsense
He’s the guy who takes the comments of a few moronic, troll-like Red Sox fans on the internet and applies their logic to all of the team’s fans.
And anyway, Samuel, it isn’t all about bringing up players, but also using these supposedly over-hyped assets to bring quality talent to the roster via trade. Prospects regularly flame out. In fact, most of them flame out and their careers are forgotten as quickly as they began. Naturally the prospects of large market teams are going to be more greatly publicized.
Don’t let mass media determine everything for you. They’re the ones who drive the narrative in these situations, leading to the layman’s assertion that these middling-at-best prospects are going to be legends of Red Sox lore. Honest, objective fans are out there. You just don’t see them spouting off on the internet, because these individuals aren’t fueled by the aforementioned narratives and downvotes on forums.
Cubs, Mets, Astros, Marlins (maybe), soon to be Dodgers, next year’s Braves, Twins, Blue Jays that’s just off the top of my head.
name the 6-8 players, cuz i bet they don’t meet the criteria if bogaretes doesn’t count.
How about the Pirates? McCutchen, Marte, Polanco, Harrison, Cole, Watson…..soon to be Bell, Glasnow, Taillon, Hanson, Meadows, McGuire…
Great comment on Gammons!
Betts, Bogaerts, Shaw, Bradley, Vazquez, Holt, They’re all starting. Out of the pen you have Ramirez, Tazawa, Barnes. Yeah, you’re right terrible players. Their farm never produces anything. And I didn’t even really have to think for more than a minute.
Cuddyer = fan favorite in MN. Anyone interested should look up his article about retirement for The Players Tribune.
DD needs to promote his field manager to a front office job and replace him with bench coach.Tory Luvello, ASAP! Nothing against Farrell but his talents would be better suited in an off-field position.
That has been my feeling for a couple of years. His bench coach is a better Mgr. than JF
I think Buxton will never hit major league pitching.