This week’s look around the baseball blogosphere:
- BaseballDocs offers a couple Mike Trout trade proposals.
- SaberBallBlog conducts an interesting study about the amount of luck (or lack thereof) each team had with first-half rotation matchups.
- Redleg Nation argues that proper mechanics, not simply limiting workloads, are among the truly important factors in preventing injuries to pitchers.
- Other League analyzes the success of Padres first baseman Wil Myers.
- The First Out At Third encourages the Brewers to put right-hander Junior Guerra on the block.
- Blue Jay Hunter isn’t a fan of the Blue Jays’ decision to extend first baseman Justin Smoak.
- Outside Pitch MLB breaks down the Cubs’ potential trade options.
- Wayniac Nation interviews Mets Triple-A manager Wally Backman.
- Super Two Sports doles out first-half awards.
- Chin Music Baseball picks a first-half MVP from all 30 teams.
- Pirates Breakdown expects second-half surges from three Pirates.
- Jays From The Couch makes a case for the Blue Jays to swing a trade with the AL East rival Yankees to acquire left-hander CC Sabathia.
- Outfield Fly Rule tries to gauge Braves right-hander Julio Teheran‘s trade value.
- Brew City Sports Report is concerned that the location of the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate, Colorado Springs, could be detrimental to developing pitchers.
- Now On Deck opines that baseball, with its vast array of young stars, is in great shape for the long haul.
- Think Blue Planning Committee wonders if the Dodgers can put together a formidable rotation if they make the playoffs.
- Dan Grant of Same Page Team grades the Blue Jays’ roster at the halfway mark.
- Motor City Bengals comes up with some buy-low trade deadline options for the Tigers
- Sports Heaven lists five playoff contenders that could crumble during the second half of the season.
- Camden Depot scrutinizes Orioles catcher Matt Wieters‘ theory about the spike in home runs across the major leagues.
- Inside the ‘Zona ranks the Diamondbacks’ 10 best prospects at the midpoint.
- The Point Of Pittsburgh looks at Pirates third baseman Jung Ho Kang‘s troubling off-field issues.
- Notes From The Sally scouts Phillies outfield prospect Cornelius Randolph.
- Everything Bluebirds calls on the Blue Jays to re-sign designated hitter/first baseman Edwin Encarnacion and keep him away from the division-rival Red Sox in the process.
- Off The Bench runs down several potential starting pitchers the Red Sox could target as the trade deadline approaches (one of whom, Drew Pomeranz, they ended up acquiring after OTB published the piece).
- Jays Journal examines the impact the Pomeranz trade will have on the Blue Jays.
- isportsweb dives into the state of the Phillies as the trade deadline nears.
- The Runner Sports profiles Astros High-A outfield prospect Bobby Boyd.
- Rotisserie Duck revisits the 2006-15 drafts and assesses the fantasy baseball impact of each class.
- Clutchlings is bullish on Blue Jays first base prospect Rowdy Tellez.
- Yanks Go Yard believes the Yankees will need help from their farm system during the season’s second half.
- The Ranger Report is worried about the slumping Rangers.
- Baseball Hot Corner is confident about the surging Red Sox.
- Philliedelphia asks when the Phillies will host an All-Star Game again.
- Chris Zantow recalls the 1975 All-Star Game at Milwaukee County Stadium.
Please send submissions to ZachBBWI@gmail.com.
Both of those Trout trade proposals were laughable at best but the Cubs one was almost troll worthy.
If you think you have enough for trout, you dont and need to add more.
Astros get Trout and 5.5 years of his prime
And joe smith for the bullpen
Angels get
Bergmann, cameron, moran, kemp, bostick, teoscar hernandez, guduan and rodgers, and some cash starting when mikes contract hits 34 a season 6 mill per season, so 18 mill to the astros to bring his price down so its saves room on the cap.
Thats the astros 1, 5, 8, 12, 22, 23, 26, 28 prospects.
Itll take a kings ransom to get trout
Was about to comment the same, but thought the Cubs one started off good with Torres and Contreas then went sideways with the inclusion of Soler and Edwards, neither of which add much value. What was laughable was the comment at the end that implied the Dodgers or Nats would balk at including Urias or Giolito. If they can get Trout they wouldn’t think twice about it, even though they are great prospects.
Yeah they were both pretty bad but I thought the Astros one was closer as a trio of McCullers, Bregman and add Springer then let the Angels pick 2-3 more from the system they would definitely listen.
Once you realize how much it would cost to get Trout you realize you just turned your own team into the Angels with Trout.
That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to say this whole time. Fans are obsessed with prospects these days and think that’s the only way to build a contender. But trade the whole farm for Mike Trout. That’s okay. It would end up being the same thing and whoever has Trout would have to go a similar route by adding hefty contracts to contend.
It would cost a lot but think some teams could pull it off without hurting their chances at contention too much. The Cubs for example could offer something along the lines of Torres, Schwarber, Happ, Almora, and Edwards without much damage to the major league club. The problem is, the teams that could best pull it off, Cubs/Sox/Stros lack impact arms the Angels likely would want and have a greater need for arms themselves.
Think the Astos would be best served holding onto Bregman until they see what they have with Gurriel. Unless a top controllable arm could be had like Fernandez.
so you think Angels best option is to trade trout?
I don’t think people realize that it will 100% certainly require parting with good, controllable major league talent (in addition to prospects, of course) to get Trout.
Every proposal that pops up is some combination of good-to-top prospects, but to even get the conversation started you’re talking about names like Betts, Bryant, Springer, etc.
(Not saying those respective teams should necessarily do that)
Trout to the Phils, bring him home
Doesn’t CC Sabathia have an option that automatically vests if he doesn’t have a significant injury in 2016?
$23m + $5m buyout is one thing (especially if the Yankees ate some money) but $23m + $25m vesting option for a decent but clearly aging guy is not going to be appealing to the Jays.
Yes, his option vests if he doesn’t injure his shoulder this year. Technically it would be about 12M + 25M for next year if he was traded now. The Yankees might eat the rest of this year’s money but it would not make sense for them to eat any of next year’s money. So 25M for about 1.5 years of Sabathia, the Jays could handle that if he was willing to waive the NTC.
The Teheran article is just telling me what I already knew. His contract makes him very valuable to the tune of tens of millions of dollars of saved money. Since other teams probably don’t value him as much as the Braves they should just hang on to him because it would be difficult getting proper value for him.
Well, I don’t think it was to convince someone that Teheran had value; that, as you noted, was already known. It was attempting to assign a value beyond ‘some value’.
I do think other teams value him as much as the Braves do, which is why they were calling on him. I don’t think they value Teheran as much as what the Braves are asking for him. Perhaps semantics, but they aren’t the same IMO.
I would like a deal centered around Bregman some. Giving atl a future of Bregman, Swanson, Albies, and freeman in the infield and that would be an exciting future!
am I the the only one that thought those trout proposals were terrible? And why are we still speculating on that subject, trout is not going anywhere so let’s stop making horrible trade proposals please
Dodgers need to trade prospects for trout dodgers have troubles in the outfield
trout is not going anywhere bud and trading him to Dodgers hahahah
TROUT IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE!!! If Trout is traded … Anaheim stadium will be a ghost town…
Agree I just come here for the comments when trout is involved.
The Cubs would never trade for Trout. He’s just not worth what it would take to land him. Or at least in the fans of this site’s eyes.
Let’s stop with the Trout trade speculation. He’s NOT going anywhere! The Angels are not a penny pinching organization. Since Autry, they’ve always spent on players and as long as Artic is owner they always will be. We’re not a cash strapped rebuilding franchise like the Mets, A’s, Mariners, Astros, etc…I know everyone would love to have on their team, but it’s not happening.
I agree that Trout is not going anywhere, AND ABSOULUTLY NOT to THE DODGERS where the Angels have always been 2d class in Southern Cal.
Even if the Red Sox were willing to send Benitendi, Devers, Kopek., Brian Johnson, & one of Vasquez or Swihart I would expect the Angels to turn it down for PR reasons.
Trout would never be traded across town to LAD, Artie wouldn’t allow them to steal the thunder. It’s possibly but .99999 probability nobody offers and drains what’s necessary to get him
I feel bad for kang. His numbers past 30 games are horrible. I hope that the tumors aren’t true…but if they are then get him out. I hate this issues where it’s word against word and lacking clear evidence. I just want to hope it isn’t true but I’m biased
None of those Trout proposals are even close.
You are trading for Willie Mays before he enters his prime on cost controlled salaries.
He would bring in the biggest haul in baseball history easily
Mike Trout is in his prime right now. Most athletes start to fall off after age 28.