Among the clubs looking at Reds outfielder Jay Bruce are the Dodgers and Nationals, both of whom have been tied previously to the slugger, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. (Rosenthal previously reported those connections here and here.) Neither of those organizations has a critical need for an outfielder, though it’s possible to imagine both looking to add some thump to their lineups. Of course, those are likely to face competition for the revived veteran from other quarters. Bruce holds the top spot in MLBTR’s top twenty trade candidates list as he continues to put up monster offensive numbers.
Here’s more from Cincinnati and the rest of the NL Central:
- Reds manager Bryan Price isn’t at risk of dismissal, president of baseball operations Walt Jocketty tells Rosenthal. Price says that the removal of pitching coach Mark Riggins was done as part of an effort to add “a different perspective, different approach” to address the club’s pitching woes.
- Rosenthal also notes that the Reds could conceivably look to give youngster Jose Peraza more time at second while reducing the role of veteran Brandon Phillips, who has struggled at the plate. Jocketty acknowledges that Peraza’s current super-utility role is “not the most ideal way to develop a guy,” but says “that’s what [the Reds] have” at present. Rosenthal wonders whether the organization could re-approach Phillips about waiving his no-trade clause, which he has been unwilling to do thus far, though Jocketty says the organization isn’t considering that at the moment. Generally, Jocketty says that trade chatter still isn’t “that active right now.”
- Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter left tonight’s game with what has been diagnosed as an oblique strain, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch was among those to report (Twitter links). He’s headed for an immediate assessment of the injury as the team seeks to get out ahead of things, and manager Mike Matheny says there’s a “high level of concern.” It’s obviously not possible to assess how much time he might miss at this point, let alone whether a DL stint will be required, but the manner in which the Cards are proceeding suggests some pessimism. St. Louis just lost Brandon Moss, so it’s not an optimal time for another position player to be dealing with an injury issue.
- Meanwhile, Cardinals catcher Brayan Pena is headed to the DL with knee inflammation not long after being activated, as MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch reports on Twitter. 11-year minor-league veteran Alberto Rosario will get his first big league call to replace Pena as the backup receiver, but that’s probably not what St. Louis was hoping for. The team recently lost Eric Fryer on waivers while attempting to outright him to clear space for Pena.
- Pirates reserve catcher Chris Stewart will attempt to play through knee soreness, head athletic trainer Todd Tomczyk told reporters including Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link). An MRI showed “wear and tear” to the joint, which could ultimately require surgery, but it seems that Stewart will at least make an effort to avoid going under the knife.
This really hurts St. Louis. If Carpenter is down for any length of time, that could be the season for them. I think if he’s out longer than 2-3 weeks, the Cardinals will go get a mid-to-upper tier bat. SPs been a problem, but their rotation has talent. All they need to do is get everyone clicking on all cylinders, and their pitching could be solid.
I’d imagine they’d call the Rockies about CarGo or Blackmon. Maybe Solarte from the Padres. I have a hard time imagining they’d just sit on their hands in that situation.
I don’t think Col is moving any of their main guys. Col just doesn’t really do that. That saying goes “Everything works itself out. Couldn’t Grichuck and Wong move back into their positions and it’d be a way to get through all star break. I’d say Pearce might be a piece the cards look for. Under the radar plays multiple positions wouldn’t cost a ton and he’s hitting.
Problem is neither of them have been hitting. Moreno likes paying a ton for players not to play for him, maybe a reunion with Pujols will bring pop back into the lineup.
Yes.
Grichuk in center, Wong at second, Garcia and Gyroko covering third and second as needed
Only problem is the cards have a lot of good hitting outfielders coming and in the upper minors/majors
Moss, (Grichuk is better than this), Wong can help, piscotty, Pham, Badler, O’Neill, Holliday, etc.
Cards need bullpen help and depth behind Molina and Diaz. But the only real upgrades to the team are in the bullpen. There isn’t much else that are obvious weak holes to fill.
The team is much better than their record, and their run differential shows that.
What about Bruce from the Reds?
Well, Cards have no excuses, they were losing games even with Moss and Carp in the lineup
Fryer may be better than Stewart especially if he’s not healthy.
At this point you might be correct. However, Stewart is very good defensively and definitely is a positive veteran force with the pitching staff and in the clubhouse. If Stewart can play through his knee pain without having surgery it would be huge for the Bucs. Plus, Cervelli is close to being ready for a rehab assignment I think.
This coming from a Cubs fan….. Carpenter is amazing. Prob their new MVP . Since Yadi is slowing diwnZ Carp is THE hardest out in the Bigs
.500 OBP over last 30 days
Cards need to be big time sellers at end of this month! This team is brutal!! Ugh
Unless they Cardinals pursue Ryan Braun, which i think they should
Even ignoring Braun’s contract and that it would be an inter division trade.
Braun isn’t enough of an upgrade over Piscotty, Holliday, and Moss the teams corner outfielders.
Who they gonna sell?
Matt Holliday is the only expiring contract that they could get good value for. Everyone else is under team control and the team will be competitive next year.
I don’t know that they are out of it enough to sell Holliday, but Carpenters diagnosis may help determine that.
They also have a team option they may want to exercise on Holliday
Tough loss for the Cards, Matty C is one of the toughest outs in baseball. Slowly but surely he has become of the best all-around, overall hitters in the NL, if nit the majors. He shows some good in-game power, he can definitely spray it to the gaps, and he is an excellent situational hitter. Not to mention the fact, Matty also runs the bases very intelligently, and he will get from first to third whwn the situation calls for it.
Again MC is an excellent hitter, I mean very rarely does Carpenter have an at-bat where he looks over matched at the plate, and sometimes even when he does get fooled he has enough strength, discipline, and solid enough mechanics to still get a hit or fight the pitch off to get one he can handle.
Personally, just as a fan of baseball in general, I love watching Carpenter hit, and it is a shame he has to take some time away to heal. Hopefully he can get back into the line-up quickly, otherwise the Cards may be in a bit of trouble without their best all-around hitter!!
Mike Matheny, not Brian.
Die hard cards fan.
If Carp is gone, don’t bother trying to acquire anything at the deadline.
Carpenter has been the best hitter in the NL this year (wRC and wOBA). The cards need him, pitching to continue to rebound and the team to be better in one run games to be in the mix this year.
Also, wish we still had Fryer right about now
Yeah that was a nice slip from late last night … clearly came from the deep recesses of my mind – I know someone by that name.
I can’t help but be happy for Alberto Rosario. 11 years in the minors and he finally gets rewarded with a call-up.
I agree, and I’m a Pirates fan. I love it when guys who have spent that long in the minors finally get their shot in the bigs.