The Reds’ efforts to sign right-hander Hunter Greene are complicated by the need to wait for fourth overall pick Brendan McKay to reach agreement with the Rays, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes. It seems that Greene is still hoping to emerge as the highest-paid player in the draft, with Cincinnati apparently willing to oblige to the extent possible. Buchanan runs the math on where the Reds’ pool money stands and notes that the club has given no indication of concern that Greene will choose to head to UCLA rather than starting his professional career.
Elsewhere in the NL Central…
- Heyman also writes that the Brewers, a surprising division leader, could look to add some bullpen help prior to the trade deadline this summer. Milwaukee’s top tier of prospects, however, looks to be nearly untouchable in trade talks, he continues, listing the likes of Josh Hader, Lewis Brinson, Luis Ortiz, Corey Ray and Isan Diaz. Heyman also notes that Travis Shaw was a target of the Brewers’ front office from day one last offseason, though it took until the Winter Meetings in early December to finalize a deal with the Red Sox.
- In Pirates injury news, Pittsburgh placed catcher Francisco Cervelli back on the 7-day concussion disabled list for a second time this season yesterday. Cervelli was only activated for about a week between his two stints on the DL. Pirates head trainer Todd Tomczyk described Cervelli’s symptoms as “post-concussive” and “post-viral,” writes MLB.com’s Adam Berry, who notes that this is at least the third concussion with which Cervelli has been diagnosed in his pro career. In Cervelli’s absence, the Bucs have again recalled 27-year-old Jacob Stallings from Triple-A Indianapolis.
- Top Pirates prospect Austin Meadows will be sidelined for at least a week in Triple-A after an MRI revealed a hamstring strain, writes Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Meadows, 22, entered the year as a consensus top-10 prospect leaguewide. But he has struggled thus far at Triple-A, with a .248/.313/.358 batting line through 281 plate appearances. With this injury now limiting him, it seems all but certain the Bucs won’t be in a rush to call him up to the majors — which perhaps alters the team’s calculus somewhat at the trade deadline, with longtime star Andrew McCutchen potentially featuring as an important chip.
- Finally, in agency news, Reds infielder Jose Peraza has elected to join ISE Baseball, according to Robert Murray of Fan Rag (via Twitter). The 23-year-old entered the year with 141 days of service, so he could reach arbitration eligibility after the 2018 season as a Super Two player.
Ugh these are the things that piss me off.
It’s honestly kinda weird thinking about the Brewers as buyers instead of sellers
Won’t be buying too much if they’re unwilling to give up top prospects. Small market team problems. Finally build a solid farm, unwilling to give anyone up.
Which is smart. Anything the Brewers do this year is a bonus. They’re really built for 2018-2022.
Greene
So greedy and so over rated
102? Cool
This could be the biggest payday of his life. Why wouldn’t he want to maximize his earnings? And who could blame someone for doing exactly that?
I do think it’s a bit of an audacious demand (and practically speaking, it certainly doesn’t signal that he would willing to stick with the Reds at a reasonable price tag for his entire career), but should we really expect a more mature outlook from a 17-year-old?
Correct me if I’m wrong, but he seems to basically be saying he wants Strasburg money despite the fact that he’s 3 1/2 years younger than Strasburg was when he was drafted, and he has only pitched to other 17/18-year-olds.
Considering the bust rate of prospects, this could be the guy’s only chance at life-changing money. I don’t begrudge him for it one bit. The owners make more money than the players.
Of course the owners make more money then the players.
I absolutely agree. Of course, he’s talking about a couple hundred thousand bucks and I could argue that’s straight-up silly. He needs to get to Rookie ball and the longer he waits to sign, the less development time he will get. In the long run, a good reputation as a hard worker and lots of development will net him more money than this contract. The real money is made in the majors, not on draft day. So take $7.3 million and get to work.
I hope we don’t buy. Krod is out there. We have in house guys at aaa who can sure up the bullpen and unless a bat is brought back with 3+ years of control like Shaw was then pass on giving up any prospects
I agree. Brewers are a couple years ahead of where they expected to be. It’s still too early to make a true run at it. Just enjoy the ride this year and wait to go for it in a year or two.