At thirty years of age, Zack Cozart has fully hit his stride as a ballplayer. Yet because of his early-career struggles at the plate and an ill-timed knee surgery last year, he’s earning just under $3MM this season with one more arbitration-eligible campaign to come. That makes him an interesting and affordable trade piece for the Reds.
A deal is far from a fait accompli, but seems increasingly likely as the market develops. Still, Cincinnati could certainly justify holding onto him if a fair offer isn’t forthcoming. As I recently noted in ranking Cozart among the game’s top fifteen trade candidates, though, he will quite likely be the best shortstop available. Particularly since he was kind enough to acknowledge his MLBTR readership recently, we thought it made sense to take a look at where he could end up playing next.
Cozart began turning heads last year, when he came out of the gates with a strong .258/.310/.459 batting line and nine home runs over 214 plate appearances. Then came his hard-to-watch injury, which occurred as he hustled to leg out a grounder and landed awkwardly on first base. That not only sapped Cozart’s arb earning power, but put a halt to his efforts to prove that he had really turned a corner at the plate. After being installed as Cincinnati’s regular shortstop in 2012, he managed only a .241/.280/.362 batting line over 1,761 trips to the plate in the next three years. He did show some pop, with 31 total home runs, but the bat looked marginal.
Thus far in 2016, Cozart has put both the injury and those past struggles in the rearview mirror. He has maintained and even improved upon his offensive production from last year, slashing .273/.316/.486 over the first 275 plate appearances of the season. Cozart is making hard contact (32.9%) and spraying line drives (23.4%) at career-best rates, and he’s continuing to bang long balls on about 13% of the flyballs he hits. He has actually been better on the road than at Great American Ballpark and isn’t benefiting from an inflated BABIP.
If you want to take the optimistic side, Cozart’s development looks somewhat similar to that of Brandon Crawford. As in the case of the Giants’ $75MM man, Cozart has never faced questions with the glove. In fact, Cozart has been among the most valuable defenders in all of baseball, delivering more or less equivalent value to Crawford. Just check out this UZR-based leaderboard from 2012-16 and whistle with surprise and admiration.
With solid baserunning mixed in, Cozart is and always has been a fairly high-floor player. That’s why he managed to play at about a two-WAR clip even when he was sagging on offense. Mix in an average or better bat, though, and you’re suddenly looking at a guy who has already compiled two wins in just 67 games. With the cheap salary and bonus year added in, that’s a pretty appealing trade piece.
There’s little question that the Reds front office believed Cozart would ultimately deliver this kind of productivity; he has been an everyday player since 2012. But Cincinnati may not be well-positioned to enjoy the fruits of its patience. The club isn’t expected to contend before Cozart hits free agency after the 2017 season, and an extension doesn’t seem particularly wise given his age and the team’s ongoing efforts to trim obligations and manage some long-term contracts that haven’t panned out. Plus, the organization has a pair of intriguing young infielders at the major league level — Eugenio Suarez and Jose Peraza — who could step in at short.
All sounds good so far … but truth be told, there isn’t a really evident match on paper. There are a few contenders whose shortstops have scuffled thus far, to be sure. And some other clubs have needs around the infield that could conceivably be met by adding Cozart. But it’s tough to find any specific team that is likely to feel extremely motivated to add a new face at short.
Let’s take a closer look:
Royals: K.C. just hasn’t received much of anything from Alcides Escobar, who has followed up on a poor offensive 2015 with an even worse start to the current campaign (56 wRC+) while drawing negative defensive metrics. Meanwhile, holes opened at both second and third; while they’ve been plugged admirably by Whit Merrifield and Cheslor Cuthbert, it’s not clear that either will be up to the task of regular duty for the long haul. It’s possible to imagine Cozart being utilized in any number of ways by the resourceful Royals.
Mariners: Seattle hoped that Ketel Marte would be ready for a regular role this year, but he’s struggled to a .278/.305/.363 batting line and hasn’t drawn rave reviews from defensive metrics with the glove. The team traded away a one-time option, Chris Taylor, and hasn’t received much at all from reserves Shawn O’Malley and Luis Sardinas. Installing Cozart could allow the M’s to turn Marte into a super-utility player who could see time all over the infield and outfield.
White Sox: Highly-regarded prospect Tim Anderson has been a league-average hitter over his first 74 plate appearances, but there are some red flags mixed in. He has yet to draw a walk, is striking out in about a third of his plate appearances, and is benefiting from a .370 BABIP. Ultimately, his current productivity is dependent upon a .219 ISO that would dwarf anything he has done in the minors. While Chicago may not want to burn resources and may be glad to roll the dice on Anderson’s talent, the fear of regression is real. It’s worth noting, too, that second baseman Brett Lawrie has cooled off considerably since his hot start.
Mets: Yes, the club just added Jose Reyes to provide an option with David Wright possibly down for the count in 2016. But that move didn’t come with any financial risk. And Reyes looked like a shell of his former self last year before sitting out the first half of this season. Then, there’s the fact that Asdrubal Cabrera has never had good range at shortstop. Adding Cozart up the middle while bumping Cabrera to third could represent a huge defensive upgrade.
Giants: San Francisco is set at short with the aforementioned Crawford and has quality young options at second (Joe Panik) and third (Matt Duffy). But Duffy is currently out and the organization is rumored to have looked at Yunel Escobar. Cozart would represent a similar addition in terms of his cost now and in 2017, and he’s probably the better player at this point. Of course, adding an infielder never seemed like the most pressing need in the first place.
Astros: Hear me out! Most agree that Carlos Correa is not a great defensive shortstop; moving him to third has long been discussed as a possibility. Adding Cozart and bumping Correa to third would essentially be another way of addressing the team’s questions at the hot corner. Top prospect Alex Bregman is streaking toward the majors, of course, but the team might not want to rush up the 2015Â draftee or rely on him too heavily right out of the gates. I’ll admit it’s a long-shot, but it could be an interesting fit.
Marlins: We’ve long heard how enamored Miami is of Adeiny Hechavarria, and he’s highly valued for his glove, but he’s one of the team’s few regulars that isn’t hitting for the club. Cozart would also make a great platoon mate for Derek Dietrich at second, and could spell Martin Prado at third. With Dee Gordon’s return nearing, though, Cozart would likely only make sense if the club decides it’s time to replace Hech. Pitching seems a much higher priority for the Fish.
Tigers: This situation looks much like that of the Marlins. Jose Iglesias remains a fantastic fielder, but he’s now hitting .255/.314/.332 on the year. Plus, Nick Castellanos is a marginal defender at third and is carrying a sub-.700 OPS in June. Cozart could bump Castellanos to the outfield while J.D. Martinez is out and then be utilized in a variety of ways — including, conceivably, as the regular shortstop — down the stretch.
Orioles: Cozart doesn’t look all that dissimilar from a younger version of J.J. Hardy, who is now nearing 34 years of age. Hardy’s always-questionable on-base abilities have faded yet further in the last two years, and he last hit double-digit home runs in 2013. It’s not entirely inconceivable that Baltimore could seek his replacement in Cozart, though the elder player remains a top-quality defender. That scenario would begin to look more plausible if Hardy suffers another injury or can’t pick up the pace he has set since returning on June 18th (.257/.257/.314).
Others: We’re really starting to wade into implausible territory the further we get down the list here, but there are some other teams who could match if you squint. The Red Sox have 99 problems and shortstop ain’t one, but adding Cozart to the mix would open up some platoon opportunities at first and third, give the team a highly-capable fill-in at the middle infield, and/or open up the possibility of utilizing Travis Shaw in left. And the Rays could conceivably send Cinci a useful arm in order to improve its shortstop situation at a reasonable price — with an eye on 2017. You could make a case that the Indians could improve upon Juan Uribe, who isn’t hitting much but still defends like a champ. But even then, they’d probably be better suited adding an outfielder and deploying Jose Ramirez at the hot corner. The Dodgers always seem to find a way to add another infielder, though admittedly it’s difficult to see in this case; the Yankees would probably prefer to have better production from second and third, though that’s a tough fit.
In the aggregate, the demand side of the equation isn’t terribly robust. The real question, perhaps, is whether one or more contender will come up with a really significant need between now and the deadline. In the event of an injury or steep performance decline from one or more shortstops, the Reds could be left holding a critical piece of the trade deadline puzzle.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
I do like these kinds of stories, but the question becomes what does each team have that the reds would take for 1.5 years of cozart? Im sure a lot of fans, myself included, are unfamiliar with what the reds actually need in terms of prospects that they lack currently and would be looking for in a trade.
The Reds currently have a top heavy system of pitching in AAA and AA. Literally had so many pitching prospects that A+ couldn’t promote a pitcher because there was such a logjam in Pensacola’s starting 5. So in all likely hood, they need position players or pitching prospects lower in the system.
Sounds like a perfect trading partner for Red Sox with a lot of position prospects and almost no MLB pitching prospects.
The Reds are probably most interested in bats, especially corner outfield prospects. The Reds’ pitching staff has been pretty terrible for much of this year, but they have a surplus of strong pitching prospects near the majors, as Nicklauth said, so I doubt they’ll prioritize pitching, which might look to an outsider like a primary concern.
The OF situation isn’t too pretty. Top prospect OBP-machine Jesse Winker, 25 year old Billy Hamilton in CF, and now 2016-wonder Adam Duvall, with his 21 HR and .290 OBP. After those three AA OF Phil Ervin is arguably their best outfield prospect in the system, aside from kids in rookie ball.
Reds are a sucker for minor leaguers. The white sox could unload more of their future junk to get Cosart. Anderson is over rated and is certainly NO lead off hitter.
Reds are rebuilding, trying to acquire young talent. They already swung a deal involving the White Sox for Todd Frazier, and preferred Dodgers prospects. The White Sox farm system isn’t very strong.
How do YOU think the Reds should rebuild? By reading for 30+ old talent? Of course a rebuilding team is a “sucker” for minor leaguers.
Orioles should not go after cozart hardy is doing just fine for the time being
Orioles don’t need another shortstop machado played a fine shortstop while hardy was injured
Point would be essentially just to replace Hardy. If you move Machado there, then you need a third baseman.
As I suggested, though, it’s a stretch.
We have Reyes in the minor who if I’m not mistaken can play 3rd
I noted him in the post, yes. He has never played there before, so we’ll see, but I’m sure his skills will translate just fine. Question will be whether he can hit again.
If the Reds can get a prospect in the 80-100 range and maybe another lower level guy outside of the top 100 that would be fair. Probably have to come from a team with a deeper system though. Pitcher or position player wouldn’t matter to Reds I’m sure. They’re operating on best available rebuild right now.
Nobody knows the player and all the intangibles like the team he currently plays for. If the Reds like what Cozart brings to the table, they should sign him to a multi year deal. As your article states, players at this position with his skill set are indeed valuable assets.
Sure, but how old will he be when they really expect to contend?
I am no expert, but this is a tough situation for the Reds. If it were up to me, I would hold onto him. Above average SSs that can maintain decent performance are hard to come by. I agree with notagain27. I would sign him to a multi-year deal while he can still be bought for cheap. The Reds won’t “compete” for a few years, but it would be nice to see Cozart on the squad once they do.
The Reds have 22 year old top prospect Jose Peraza on the roster, shifting between SS/2b/CF/LF. He’s ready for an everyday job, with Cozart’s the most likely to come open. Peraza is, hopefully, the team’s future, while Cozart is the past.
They didn’t acquire Peraza to keep him on the bench or in AAA for years, and he’s already blocked long term at 2b (Phillips) and CF (Hamilton).
That’s a great point. Hopefully for Red’s fan’s Peraza will pan out. I was not a huge fan in what I’ve seen of him as an everyday SS. However, he is no bust either. Maybe they could keep Cozart as a utility player.
Yeah. The Reds are high on and bet heavily on Jose Peraza, trading Todd Frazier for him. He’s done fine, both at SS and at the plate (maybe not great, but not bad, either, especially for someone as young as he is). They can’t trade Brandon Phillips (10/5 rights, has vetoed two trades already) and Billy Hamilton has improved, and isn’t close to losing his job.
As a Reds fan, I’m sure that Cozart will be traded to the highest bidder. If they were willing to move long-time starters to utility roles Peraza would be playing everyday while Brandon Phillips watched on the bench. Cozart will remain the Reds’ starting shortstop until he leaves the organization, I’m confident of that. I just hope it’s in July, rather than the offseason, so the Jose Peraza era can start. I like Cozart, but I’ll be happy to see Peraza start for the Reds with Cozart making a playoff run.
Very well said. If Peraza ends up being an elite player, I will be pretty sad as a Braves fan
I think Tim Anderson’s speed makes a higher BABIP sustainable. His lowest in a season was .369 in the minors, hits a lot of ground balls and line drives. I don’t think the Sox would expend resources on a SS when they have so many other low-performing holes to fill. (CF, C, bullpen).
BABIP isn’t as worrisome as the K/BB. May not be a top priority, but I think it’s a plausible need.
White Sox aren’t entirely worried about K’s. They used to employ a K machine by the name of Adam Dunn. On more than one stint I believe.
The Mariners make the most sense to me. Their farm is fairly weak, but I could either see a package of Drew Jackson and Tyler O’Neill + maybe a lottery ticket type pitcher working well for the Reds.
That would be a pretty sick up the middle combo with Cano and Cozart
I think that suggested package of SS Drew Jackson and Tyler O’Neill would work well for the Reds, if anything it’s more than I expect in a deal. Drew Jackson supposedly plays strong defense and has good plate discipline. O’Neill would immediately become the Reds’ top power-hitting prospect.
Honestly after getting short changed in both the Frazier and Chapman deals, maybe the Reds deserve to get a little bit more for Cozart. Plus he is very good and very cheap for his skillset. He will command quite a bit.
Seattle has a lot bigger holes than Marte at SS which he is doing fine. Defensive metrics are really inaccurate. He is in his first full year playing at the MLB level so it is not a surprise he is struggling a little at the plate. He is not going to be a power bat he will be a singles guy with a lot of speed. I highly doubt they are going to give up on him so early. They need an upgrade in the OF to let Cruz DH more and to replace Lind at first for LH pitchers. They also need some depth at pitching really the only mistakes Jerry has made is in the starting pitching help brought in. Miley and Karns have not been that good. If they waste any prospects on a SS it will be silly when they have way bigger holes to fill.
Of course they won’t give up on him. But he’s not playing at a very high overall level right now, so you have to decide whether you can upgrade and whether that makes sense with the other needs.
As for the idea that defensive metrics are “really inaccurate” … I mean, they can be misleading, especially in small samples, but how do you support that broad assertion? I try to listen to more than just the metrics, and I think anyone who pays attention would, but they have relevance.
Generally, he’s just not playing to Cozart’s level right now. You could reasonably believe he’ll be better going forward. But I think SEA is worthy of mention.
Smoak is the best example I can use. Was rated pretty low when he was here. The eye test did not equal the metrics for his D.
To your other point could Cozart be an upgrade yes I am sure he could be. SS is not the position of the biggest need though. I guess it would depend on the cost to get him. Our MILB system is pretty low right now and the pieces we have to use would be better served in other places. Get Lind and his .125 avg or whatever it is now off the team. Get another OF that could rotate with Cruz and Guti and also DH. So yes we could upgrade but other spots are more of a need.
Funny thing is Marte just made a pretty good over the shoulder catch in the OF. Valle also commented on how much more comfortable he is getting out there and how much he has improved.
Saying Correa is not a great defensive shortstop shows how the quality of writers here has gone WAY down. Some of these writers really need to watch some of the players they write about. Carlos is a gold glove quality shortstop. Not because he is the best glove at shortstop but a solid, even great glove, and that combined with his bat puts him above all. Yes I know Gold Gloves are fielding awards but if the glove was the only consideration Jeter would have never won one and Adam Everett would have one a GG every year because he was hands down the best glove in the game when he played.
So your insinuation is that Jeff should not ding Correa’s glove work because he’s a an elite hitter?
Jeff didn’t call Correa a poor defensive shortstop. He said he isn’t a great one. You can be average — even slightly above — and not be great. Cozart, on the other hand, is great at the position. Plus, there’s been talk of Correa outgrowing shortstop and moving to third since he was drafted.
Your logic of Correa being a Gold Glove caliber player there and then your immediate acknowledgment that Gold Gloves aren’t an accurate barometer for the true top defenders at each position seems contradictory, as well.
Actually he said he is not a great defender. Which is crazy. Now do not get me wrong he is not the best glove in the game at SS but he is a GOLD GLOVE caliber SS. Hands down!! Defensively he is at top 5 in the league. Spend more time actually watching all MLB games and less time reading about it for regurgitation articles..
Please clarify: should I base my opinions and observations on award voting or the eye test?
Come on now. Nobody thinks Correa is a great defender. I don’t either. But I never said anything remotely suggesting he isn’t a high-quality overall shortstop. I also don’t think I need to remind everyone that he’s good every time he’s mentioned.
Cozart is a truly elite defender. You could play both at the same time, and perhaps that’d be a way to improve the roster … but it seems pretty unlikely. That’s all I said.
FWIW, I ultimately do not care in the least about gold gloves, but if I did, I’d probably disagree with your suggestion it would be some kind of travesty had Jeter never won one.
Great response!
Saying he is not a great defensive shortstop is insane. Watch the kid play. His footwork is damn near perfect. His range as a million times better than what people thought it would be. He has soft hands and great reflexes. His arm is a cannon. People knocking Correa’s defensive skills have truly not seen him play. He is as smooth as ice out there. And he is only going to get better.
Obviously you failed to read or understand my entire post. “Yes I know Gold Gloves are fielding awards but if the glove was the only consideration Jeter would have never won one and Adam Everett would have one a GG every year because he was hands down the best glove in the game when he played” I was saying that the glove is not the only consideration of GG. If Jeter batted .240 he would never have won a GG.
So what you’re saying is the gold glove isn’t a very good reflection of defensive ability, at least as it has been awarded historically.
I am not a scout. I try to watch as many players as I can, but I can’t rely on my eye to evaluate guys. Fortunately, we have scouts and defensive metrics to look at in assessing players. Nobody but you thinks that Correa is near the level of the game’s best shortstops in the field, so I’m not sure how I can be labeled insane. And it’s also no insult to him.
Just for example, this absolutely glowing post from 2015 is titled “Why is Carlos Correa so awesome?” Here’s what it concludes about the glove:
“He won’t be a defensive star at the position, but unless he goes the unlikely route of adding another 15-plus pounds to his frame the tools and talent are there for an average or even slightly above-average defensive shortstop.”
For a guy with his bat, that is phenomenal. He’s awesome, I love him, he’s one of the game’s very best players. Okay? I’m not going to jump from that to overvalue every aspect of what he brings. The guy could legitimately be a Hall of Famer, but that doesn’t mean he’s the best at everything he does in the game today.
Wow. I understand that Correa hits well enough to win a gold glove, but even if he does it does not make him an elite defender. He is an elite SS, but his bat brings most of that to the table. Jeff spoke the truth, and ANY of the teams we are fans of would still love to have him, Rangers included. But there is no need to call out people just because you(or Jeff) didn’t have the blinders on and earplugs in. Your homerism will be welcomed at Crawford Boxes(or whatever the Astros SB Nation site is).
How could someone be struggling and hitting .278?
It has been empty batting average. He doesn’t walk at all and isn’t hitting for power.
He has a .219 ISO… If he had enough plate appearances to qualify, that’d rank 4th among shortstops behind Story, Machado, and Seager. Saying he isn’t hitting for power is far from the truth…
He does need to start taking a few walks though. That being said, the fact that his OPS is just under .770 without having a walk through his first 16 games is pretty fantastic. His hit and speed tools are VERY good. If he can become more selective at the plate as he gains more experience, he can become a very good hitter (great hitter if he can stay at SS).
That comment was in reference to Ketel Marte, not Anderson. I referenced the ISO in the post, so I’m aware.
The issue with him isn’t that he’s failing to make good contact right now; the results speak for themselves. It’s whether that’ll be sustainable when he’s striking out in a third of his PAs without drawing walks. It’s a small sample, of course, so I’m not reaching any final judgments here — just taking what we have to look at.
Maybe Anderson will be a great hitter, and maybe he’ll do it soon. But he has never shown that kind of pop in the minors, and the plate discipline is a concern right now as he adjusts to the majors. That’s part of the reason they could still consider Cozart.
You’re right, that’s my fault. I mixed up my .270’s hitters with lacking on base skills. Sorry about that.
Not sure how much you watch Seattle but the team was built to be a high OBP team and somehow have been in the top teams in HRs. Marte does not need to hit HRs he needs to get on base which he has done in streaks. He is like many young players taking more time to adjust to how the pitchers are pitching to him. When he does he has a hot streak then they adjust and it takes time for him. He also has a great coach working with him he will be fine. Like I said above OF and first are way bigger holes to be filled along with SP but I doubt they do much in that area. The nice thing is the new owners have said that payroll will not be an issue at the deadline like it has been in the past. Nintendo ran the team like a business and only cared about the bottom line. The new guys who were minority owners seem to be more interested in winning.
Whatever on-base streaks he’s showing, the net is a well-below-average OBP that he isn’t making up for with power.
To reemphasize: I’m not saying Marte is a dud as a prospect, by any stretch, and I’m not saying Seattle needs to replace him. You’ll notice that I talked about many other teams and basically gave the case for why each team could consider him.
I do appreciate you responding to your articles. I think Mariner Fans get a bit testy when people talk about the team because it has been so bad for so long most people don’t have a clue about most of the players. I am coming around to the SABR metrics just not a fan of the D ones. They just don’t seem to match the eye test.
He talks great about Cosarts slash line and then talks negatively about Ketel Marte’s and they are very similar
I’m sorry, but they are not similar at all. Marte: 85 OPS+, 82 wRC+. Cozart: 109 OPS+, 105 wRC+. You’re not looking at the last column, where all of Cozart’s power is reflected. And Cozart is a much better defender.
Those numbers are very misleading all of Cozarts power numbers have come over small samples over this season and last season, when you look at his career he is below average OPS+, do you think he can sustain this new found power over a full season, the rest of his career says its unlikely. Marte small sample is showing he will probably normalized to what Cozart has been most of his career but Marte is only 22 I’ll take the upside of a 22 year old over a 30 year old.
Marte has a career 98 OPS+ over 500 PA
Cozart has 108 OPS+ over his last 500 PA
Not that huge of a difference only one is 30 displaying power he never has the rest of his career hence his career 83 OPS+ the other is 22 and slumping, I can see valuing the D but I just wonder what makes you think Cozart is going to maintain that power when his career shows he wont?
I should say Regressing not slumping.
Maybe you are looking at the new found power as simple icing on the cake and even if Cozart returns to his normal hitting you still find his glove more valuable. That I could see. Even the bulk of Cozarts career with out the power hes still a better hitting version of Ahmed.
Another thing I did not think about is the power Cozart found would more than likely die at Safeco. Look at Beltre for an example his numbers were not great there Safeco is tough on RH hitters. This year had been a bit of an anomaly because it has been much warmer sooner than normal and the ball had carried well but it is still tough on RH bats. The only thing he would improve on would be D and I still don’t think it is enough to make a trade with the other needs we have.
I don’t know that Cozart will keep it up. I don’t know that he’s an immediate upgrade over Marte. I discussed all of Cozart’s prior struggles in the post, so I’m not ignoring it. I’m just suggesting there is cause to believe he might be an upgrade, but it’s for Seattle to assess. As for whether he’ll maintain the power, I don’t know, but he wouldn’t be the first guy to improve later in his career and he’s playing well over a full season or so worth of PAs.
Obviously, Seattle is not going to give Marte to Cinci in a deal for Cozart or something of that nature – it’s just a question whether they would be interested in adding a veteran piece at the position for the rest of this season and perhaps next year as well. This post is designed to look at possibilities, not declare what should happen.
Don’t think he gets moved by the deadline. Think his market opens up in the offseason
Definitely possible.
the royals aren’t interested in another bat, they need a SP
I’ll guess they look at both.
Last Reds=Royals trade worked out well for both teams.. Why not another one?
The last Reds-Royals trade was a rental player for three guys currently in the Reds’ rotation. Unfortunately the Royals’ system is pretty picked over at this point.
I guess they have 3b Hunter Dozier and RF Jose Bonifacio both doing well in AAA, but eh. I guess they could also find a home for LHP Matt Strahm as a bullpen piece. But the guys the Royals have to offer aren’t ones that scream ‘that’s what the Reds need’.
I love how the writer is so involved in the comments. makes this site my #1 baseball site to visit
I agree 100%. Great dialog on this thread. People are talking up “Baseball” and not necessarily focusing on their personal team!
Thanks. It’s always fun to go back and forth a bit.
I love the idea of Cozart going to Baltimore. It’s only a matter of time before Hardy is out for 2 months again.
A reuniting in Washington with Baker would be nice to see too. Baker pretty much oversaw his early development and stop by him and he was barely hitting at the Mendoza Line.
While admitting that I don’t follow the advanced metrics, I do watch all the Tigers games. Nick Castelanos has really improved defensively this year, He has been showing much more range, and has made more highlight worthy plays. I don’t see the Tigers changing his position with the amount of improvement he continues to show. He may never become a standout defensively, but like Correa, may win a Gold Glove (lol). If he’s average at 3B, I think the Tigers will play him there for quite some time. His lack of speed in the OF would be problematic in the spacious Comerica. Let Moya get some playing time while JD is out.
Metrics still don’t like him thus far in ’16, but you’re right that it isn’t the cleanest fit. And partial season defensive metrics aren’t gospel, for sure.
I would say picking up any additional salary would be a concern too. Avila’s comments make me think they’d have to shed some salary to make a trade. That would cost more in prospect depth- which they are unlikely to do at this point (according to Avila’s statements).
Cozart to Washington for victor Robles. Dusty hates playing rookies. So no trea turner. They can trade turner for a closer. And reunite cozart w dusty
I’d be awfully surprised if this happened. Espinosa is playing pretty well right now. Dusty will play Turner if Rizzo tells him to. And Robles would be a pretty hefty price to pay.
Off topic question:
Why hasn’t Asdrubal Cabrera tried a move to the OF?
You think Correa is a subpar defensive shortstop? Are you nuts? Have you watched him play? Seriously? Not to mention Valbuena is crushing the ball right now and is a great defensive 3b.
Read it again and tell me where it says that.