This year’s amateur draft class is still quite unsettled, though in Baseball America’s initial ranking of the Top 100 draft prospects, Hudson Belinsky and John Manuel note that a pair of two-way players are standing out as the potential top two picks. Louisville first baseman/left-handed pitcher Brendan McKay is drawing most of his attention as an “elite pure hit tool” batter though “at least one” interested team prefers him on the mound. No right-handed high school pitcher has ever been drafted first overall, though 17-year-old Hunter Greene has an upper-90s fastball and has touched the 102mph mark. This kind of live arm at such a young age has even drawn some Dwight Gooden comparisons, so most evalutors prefer Greene as a pitcher, though he also possesses “top-of-the-scale raw power” as a shortstop. The Twins own the first pick in June’s draft, though McKay and Greene are just two of nine players Minnesota is reportedly considering for the top selection.
Here’s more from around baseball…
- The Rays are currently “on the outside looking in” of the Derek Norris hunt, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports (via Twitter), though they are still one of multiple teams talking to the free agent catcher. The Rays have a need at catcher since Wilson Ramos will miss some time at the start of the season and require DH days after returning, and they’ve been linked to Norris since he was released by the Nationals last week.
- Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg spoke to reporters (including MLB.com’s Bill Chastain) about the team’s search for a new ballpark, noting that the Rays have already moved on from their top choice. “We had some ideas on locations that weren’t available, that I thought would work perfectly, that were off the table,” Sternberg said. “So we’re sort of moving down our list, No. 2, 3, and 4. Sometimes it’s like starting pitchers. You have five of them, and sometimes No. 4 is better than No. 2, and really better than No. 1.“
- Reds right-hander Nick Hanson, the club’s third-round pick in the 2016 draft, will undergo Tommy John surgery, as reported by SB Nation’s Eric Roseberry and the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Zach Buchanan (Twitter links). Hanson, a Minnesota high schooler, was slated to attend the University of Kentucky before agreeing to an above-slot $925K bonus to join the Reds. The 2017 Baseball America Prospect Handbook ranked him as the 30th-best prospect in Cincy’s system, describing the 6’6″ 18-year-old as “understandably raw with a loose arm” but owning a fastball in the 91-95mph range and the potential for an above-average curveball. Given the usual TJ recovery period, Hanson’s best-case scenario for a return is midway through the 2018 season.
- Jose Quintana is worth the big price it would cost the Pirates to acquire the southpaw from the White Sox, Paul Zeise of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette opines. Quintana’s strong track record and affordable contract make him a good fit for the Bucs, who could sacrifice young arms Tyler Glasnow and Mitch Keller in order to win now with Quintana, in Zeise’s view. Giving up outfield prospect Austin Meadows could be difficult, though Zeise wonders if the Sox have perhaps slightly lowered their asking price. (White Sox GM Rick Hahn said nothing had changed on that front in comments to reporters today.) Pirates GM Neal Huntington “should do [the trade] today,” Zeise writes, if Chicago would accept Glasnow, Keller and Josh Bell.
Wrong Josh Bell
Also, I think that trade would be … mediocre, if including Bell instead of Meadows. I don’t see Bell being all that useful a member of the 2019-2020 ish White Sox.
Just how many Josh Bells are there out there in MLB-land?
I agree that the White Sox ought to hold out for OF Austin Meadows but to diminish Josh Bell’s usefulness as a productive and potentially prodigious switch-hitter, especially in the A.L. where he can DH or play 1B, is silly. Playing half his game in the hitter-friendly environment on the South Side should only enhance his offensive output.
I could easily envision Bell and fellow switch-hitter Yoan Moncada being a formidable pair in the middle of a future White Sox batting order. Tim Anderson in the #2 hole, followed by Moncada hitting third and Bell in the cleanup spot sounds even more intriguing.
What am I reading? Jose Quintana is good. Very solid starter. However, his xFIP and SIERA were both over 4. His K/9 solid, but under 8. His BAA took a good jump, but still at .245 Nothing about him screams elite. There is no way in hell Pirates give up Meadows, Glasnow, and Keller. Keller is an ace and probably better than Glasnow. In fact if I was the pirates and trying to win now I remove both Meadows and Bell and my best offer would be Glasnow and Keller. I am not even a Pirates fan, but this Chicago fan talk is insane. These inflated values they have for Quintana and David Robertson.
I feel like I am taking Crazy Pills
Couldn’t agree more with you tdw1325.
The constant Chicago fan talk concerning a trade to anybody of Quintana is truly insane concerning the expected return.
Very inflated value concerning a solid but certainly not spectacular starting pitcher.
If he’s that good, why would you want to trade him? Could vibe a solid building block over the next couple of years. And with the wildcard in place…..anything can happen, even the White Sox winning!
If a guy’s been outperforming his peripherals for four years, it’s time to start taking notice of that.
I think LA should stop being silent on this. Dump Barns on TB with another prospect for one of their starters and grab Norris as a backup to Grandal.
Yeah no. Norris is looking for a starting gig. Dodgers in no way have significant playing time or ABs to give. Norris is not very good defensively and has had trouble with staffs. If they were really looking to go that way they wouldn’t have traded Chooch. Barnes is better and provides flexibility. It’s a no brainer you keep the defensively superior younger player with 6 years of control that has a skill set similar skill set to Realmuto. He’s shown he can hit throughout the minors when given significant ABs. You really don’t judge a first time rookie back up catcher on the way he hits in ST. You just don’t. Plus Barnes in a package to TB is going to get you what Ramirez? Yeah that’s not an upgrade. This isn’t fantasy baseball.
Not at all. Barnes is better defensively, yes. However Barnes can not hit in the season. He can’t adapt. He does decent in the minors but LAs hesitant to bring him up for a reason. Also if him “showing he can hit” is a few creepers over the fence in spring training, then go home on the PS4. He’s terrible at the dish. And Ramirez? No not at all. Odorizzi or Cobb is what I’d be after. They needed a catcher and him being a “controllable” kid makes him all the more valuable for Tampa. We need another starter and they needed a catcher. But that shipped sailed with Norris going to Tampa. Understood it’s not fantasy baseball and he’s not a first time rookie. We’ve had him for a while and have tried to bring him up several times. Which resulted in him looking wayyyy over matched. We need a backup to Grandal and someone who can kinda call a game and catch a ball but is a for sure out at the plate is not any help. Also, if Barnes starts in the minors and Grandal gets hurt, who catches for Yasmani in the game? Keyshaw? Not fantasy baseball it’s planning. And a cheap catcher that can hit at a major league level would be desirable in our position.
You’re referring to him apparently being unable to hit when he was called up. Essentially he’s never received a large enough number of ABs to supplant himself and show that he can or can’t hit. Their hesitation was pretty clear AJ was the beloved backup. He was dealing with a hand injury towards the back end last year when it looked as though he was going to be in line to see some time.
If you ignore the average and actually pay attention to his spring ABs you’d understand that he’s put together quality ABs. That tells me that he has an approach. Which is more important than the numbers in ST. But hey what do I know, it’s not like I coach or played beyond the high school/college level. And again you’re judging his ability to hit on 32 ABs. Also on that note if you watch Barnes play defensively he’s just superior to Norris. With young catchers you look at how they handle a staff. Now I’m not saying he’s going to be some stallworth above average back up catcher. But if I have a kid with the potential to be league average that is defensively superior to Norris I’m not swapping him. You can’t expect a back up to provide significant value with the bat if he’s only playing once a week. Positionally as the backup catcher I can live with average offense.
On the last note, you throw out some useless PS4 comment yet you mention Barnes as the center piece to an Odorizzi/ Cobb trade deal is just laughable. Understand that Cobb wouldn’t have been traded until the deadline, because he’s essentially at his lowest trade value. The caveat being if there was someone willing to overpay and hope he’d regain CY young form. Odorrizi is another trade line deal, because the rays know full well contenders pay a premium at the deadline. They have no need to trade him. Again if someone absolutely substantially overpays. The fantasy baseball comment was meant to convey that in real life Norris had no interest in gigs unless he was earning every day ABs. It’s essentially why he turned down the Jays offer which guaranteed more money. It was also meant to convey that there was no way what you suggested had a remote chance of happening. They weren’t going to just eat the full sum of McCarthy/Kaz contracts, especially with McCarthy healthy. Now could that be a possibility at the deadline? Sure but I can pretty much guarantee Barnes isn’t the centerpiece, maybe a side piece, but that package is going to be substantial. You basically contradict yourself by saying Barnes can’t hit so the Rays would see him as substantial value. Well if he can’t hit then he falls into the mode of the many young controllable catchers they do currently have that provide the same profile.
Last comment in what world would the Dodgers ever carry one catcher? I
Lol. No Meadows, no trade. This is not difficult.
Pirates shouldn’t trade meadows. They have enough other pieces to make a deal happen if they wanted. and honestly, the sox would be happy to accept those piece. Meadows would be a very nice icing on top of the cake in a deal with the Pirates.
No Meadows. No Keller. No Bell.
No deal? No biggie.
My reasoning exactly. Bell is already in the majors and gave a preview of what he can do, Meadows is the heir to Cutch and a big part of the Pirates future. I could see parting with Keller, although I’d rather them hold onto him.
Keller is now being viewed as a potential ace. A higher ceiling than Glasnow, Taillon or even Cole.
Will he be an ace? I don’t know, but I know I’d let him prove it either way on my team, not someone else’s.
Agree completely. The price has been known for literally months. If the Bucs want to keep Meadows, fine. Great. Everybody is happy. Get your pitcher elsewhere.
Agree with you. No deal. Sox have inflated price on a good pitcher. Pirates see that and aren’t biting. Maybe things change at the deadline for the Sox with a contender. That is if Quintana is having a good year.
It’ll be interesting to see how the draft plays out this year for the Padres, especially when they’re picking third. The last time they had a pick this high, they drafted Donovan Tate… so I’m assuming they can’t do much worse than that.
Yeah not to mention Tate was from the previous regime who also took Matt Bush #1 overall, back then the Padres drafted guys based of sign-ability. No Boras clients what so ever. No college players, just high school kids they could overpay to skip college, worked out horrible for the Padres with Tate and Bush.
This regime however will do whatever it takes, you see that in Prellers first two drafts he took Austin Smith a hard throwing high school righty with the teams first selection. Then last year he went with Quantrill, Laurer and Potts in the first round, 2 out of 3 being college players. You couple a few nice drafts with the International signing spree and the Padres look to be set up pretty nicely for the future. The kid I would like to see them take in the draft this year is Alex Faedo a right handed pitcher from the university of Florida, he looks like he will be a stud.
I’m a White Sox fan and I would take that trade. I really think Bell will be great. The walks are what makes him legit IMO.
Can the media please give the Quintana to Pirates line a rest? Sometimes teams just don’t match up. It doesn’t matter whether that package would be a fair deal (it is), But it doesn’t benefit the Pirates enough at this time to pull the trigger.
Adding Quintana in the short-term moves them from, at best, a fringe/middle of the pack WC contender to a strong one. At which point, even with Quintana, they would still likely be at a pitching disadvantage in the WC game. As long as the WC remains a single-game play-in, the Pirates will continue to be better off hoarding their best prospects for a run with their next core. You don’t mortgage a solid-looking future for a shot at a play-in game with bad odds.
I wouldn’t shoot things down when your unaware of things. What makes Jose very intriguing is his track record, his age and a very accommodating contract. Trading for him isn’t a short fix, it would be a sound investment. Hence the bidding war.
I would like Bell. I know we should take the best talent in trades but it seems like we are going to have a farm system with all pitching. We need some position players.
Pitching prospects are probably the hardest prospects to predict. Lots of top pitching prospects never make it in the show.
If you are a White Sox Fan……Of Course you would “Jump On That Trade”.
Neither a Pirates fan or a White Sox fan here……just a Baseball Fan.
Giving up 2 Pitchers (one who is just about MLB-ready) plus Josh Bell (a switch-hitting solid hitter who IS MLB-ready) is a steep price to pay for an SP, even of Quintana’s caliber.
Pitchers are fragile. And when they break these days, it’s a major deal, mostly because of the mechanics most pitching coaches are teaching today (find & follow Chris O’Leary on twitter….the guy has predicted most of the TJ surgeries, months/years in advance).
No way should the Pirates give up Meadows for any pitcher (ala: David Price). They need him to replace McCutchen (who will be gone by July).
Exactly.
The White Sox GM better be careful that his desire to maximize the return for Quintana doesn’t come back to bite him on the a_ s. There is always the risk of injury to a pitcher as the season goes go, even one that doesn’t have a history of injuries. Just remember greed is one of the 7 deadly sins.
The A’s and Sonny Gray are a prime example circa 2015…
Could not agree more. I really think Quintana gets traded before the season starts because of this. For a full rebuild them holding onto Robertson (even though Nate Jones is lights out) seems like a waste.
I wonder if MLB will ever start embracing players that can both pitch and hit. When Otani is posted he could help break that barrier. If teams are willing to let players pitch and play the field or DH they could then go with a 6 man rotation and that means more rest and less wear and tear on arms.
I don’t buy the excuse that teams are unwilling to do that because of injury. Pitcher injuries are frequent and usually more severe than position players. Pitchers tend to get hurt when they are tired and their mechanics are off or when they simply throw too much. If I was an MLB GM I’d be willing to give this a try with the right player.
They will never embrace it because like 1% of them can actually do it. as its entirely different skills and mechanics.
It’s like saying “Well you can make a steak dinner…but can you also beat a UFC fighter one-on-one?” Sure, some might be able to do that, but its rare. Otani is rare, Bumgarner is fake good (only hits homers does literally nothing else that we all ask of and judge hitters on). Its a novelty and sure Otani can help on both sides, but stop thinking that he’s normal – he’s not.
I don’t know dude, if pitchers would partake in BP the way position players could, I bet most would be able to post a league average line. Lots of pitchers were good hitters in college.
2016 stats (ba/obp/slg/ops)
Pitchers (.133/.165/.172/.337)
League average (.255/.322/.417/.739)
Yeah, I don’t think some bp is gonna fix that.
I think the fact that pitchers are removed from hitting for years before they are even called up kills it. I think in game experience, film and BP would make a difference, but then we are at a point now that they are training to do something they aren’t paid to do.
Spreading your innings also means your worse pitchers are getting innings their best pitchers would otherwise throw. So as long as you’re okay with making your team worse, I say go for it.
Glasnow, Keller and Bell seems about right, maybe one other lesser top 25 team prospect should get it done, and Pitt should get it done, they can afford to take on Q’s money because Meadows will be min wage and replacing Cutch.
Paul Zeise. LOL.
The guy didn’t know enough about baseball to be a beat writer, but suddenly he’s a general manager.
The Pirates offer was Glasnow and Newman and that’s as much as they will offer.
And yes, Sox fans, that means they won’t get him. That’s just fine with all but the blowhards here.
Yea that guy Paul Zeise is a nut bag
i love how every day someone reports that nothing has changed on the quintana trade front
here’s every story until quintana isn’t traded to the pirates:
Report: Pirates unwilling to include Austin Meadows in a deal; Quintana to PIT not happening
That Osuna killing it and could be a nice first base starter if Bell traded. I would do Bell and Glasnow and another lower end prospect and that’s it.
I don’t like Osuna as a full time player. He came out of nowhere and spring stats have to be taken with a grain of salt.
He has some traits that reminds of Cabrera… development is later and upside is likely much lower but starting is still a possibility and then just how far can he work it to who knows.
Kind of odd, the White Sox seem desperate to move Quintana by opening day, yet won’t drop their ask.
This isn’t how trade negotiations work.
Man writers must be dreading the day he’s finally traded, what will they have to write about then?
create a bunch of fake sonny gray/chris archer rumors?
all they have to do is copy/paste their quintana stories and swap out names as needed
They can always bust out more stories about Angel Pagan, cause it seems to be working thus far.
But the problem doesn’t seem to lie entirely on how many innings people pitch or in pitch counts either. For [at least] the past decade they have had starters throw less and less innings and less and less pitches and yet the incidents of TJ surgeries do not decrease.
Bucs fans don’t get it. At the end of 2016, Sale’s FV was over $31M & Quintana’s nearly $26M. That’s what it would cost per year to sign the player as a free agent. Any team trading for Q is getting him at a 75% discount. That’s why the ask is so high.
1B/DH Bell instead of CF/OF Meadows is an insult. It’s a near 7 WAR gap in FV mostly on the defensive side. If not Meadows then CHI will want Bell + SS/UTL Newman.
That makes it 4 players for Q. If not Newman then it grows to 5 with UTL Moroff + C Diaz.
CHI likely will negotiate on Diaz for a PTBNL.
Bucs fans don’t get it. Astros fans don’t get it. Yankees fans don’t get it. Braves fans don’t get it. Mariner’s fans don’t get it…
It’s not a 75% discount if you empty your entire future for it. His returns might be nice now, but won’t be later when you can put a team behind him. lol
In the braves case, we can’t put a team behind him now, and if we give up what your asking for, we might not be able to in the future. I’m being a little dramatic, but you get the concept.
As teams that are entering/in their rebuild years, none is more reluctant than the CWS. Fans of other teams would do well to accept that. That’s why the ask is even high on Robertson.
After 2015, his fantasy value spiked to $17.66M bolstered by a stellar 8.53 MOB/9in.
After 2016, that plummeted to $11.28M due to an ugly 12.42 MOB/9in.
He represents a minor overpay then with $25M/2 yr left.
The CWS believe he can return to 2015 form & are looking for teams that do as well.
As long as he increases his value before Aug, there won’t be any bargain in July either.
Honestly Zeise hit it right. That is what the trade should be. That is 3 of pittsburghs top 10 prospects. I also believe all 3 are somewhere on MLB top 100 prospects as well. Honestly I can agree with most if the white sox want more then that then walk away. As for the Chicago criticism on this trade the fail to see Bell as a corner outfielder. Bell is listed as a 1b (horrible), Rf, Lf, DH. As a corner outfielder and DH he is extremely valuable.
Honestly that would be the best offer Chicago would get the only question is would Huntington put it on the table.