“This is the reality: there are a lot more sellers than buyers right now,” a club personnel director tells Peter Gammons in the writer’s latest piece for his Gammons Daily website. Not only are some teams still wondering if they can get back into the postseason race, other teams further back in the standings are looking to rebound in 2018 and thus won’t engage in full-scale selloffs at the deadline. It makes for a lot of speculation but little hard facts at this point in July. As one GM jokes, “the whole countdown to deadline day has become akin to stores putting Christmas decorations in their showcase windows on Labor Day.” Here are some hot stove items from Gammons…
- “The Cubs have called almost every team” in search of starting pitching, including asking the Tigers about Michael Fulmer and Daniel Norris. It would take a blockbuster offer for Detroit to eve consider moving Fulmer, as he has already displayed frontline-starter capabilities over his year and a half as a major leaguer, and he has yet to even reach his arbitration seasons. Norris would come at a lesser but still substantial price since he is controlled through 2022, though the southpaw has battled both injuries and inconsistency during his four years in the bigs. The Cubs are known to be looking for controllable young arms, and may be willing to deal from their surplus of young position players to do so.
- One Tigers pitcher that isn’t on the Cubs’ radar is Justin Verlander, as one Cubs official tells Gammons that “no one is going to pay $70MM for him, even though he may still be a very good pitcher.” Chicago reportedly at least asked about Verlander at one point, though with Detroit apparently wanting to both get top prospects and get Verlander’s salary off the books, it isn’t surprising that the Cubs’ interest in Verlander was described yesterday as “more smoke than fire” by the Detroit Free Press’ Anthony Fenech.
- Billy Beane told Gammons earlier this week that he hadn’t received any serious interest in Sonny Gray prior to last weekend, and the same goes for any serious calls about Jed Lowrie. The veteran infielder is thought to be a good target for teams in need of middle infield help and the Athletics to find lineup space for prospect Franklin Barreto, though it appears that Lowrie’s market has yet to develop with over three weeks still to go until the deadline. MLBTR’s Connor Byrne examined Lowrie, Gray and other Oakland trade candidates in a Taking Inventory piece earlier today.
- Returning to Gammons’ original point about teams not wanting rebuild when they feel they have a chance in 2018, Pirates GM Neal Huntington said that his team isn’t likely to trade young right-hander Gerrit Cole. “We haven’t had a real conversation about Gerrit, and I don’t see us doing so,” Huntington said. “We think we can be serious contenders next year….Our goal is to maintain a level of competitiveness every year, and not to have to jump back and build all over again.”
Right now, the market rests on the Royals
If you look at the buyers market, the demand for outfielders is really small– so many available pieces (Bruce, Granderson, Nava, Kendrick, JD Martinez, McCutchen, Possibly Cain) and not a whole lot of demand (maybe Houston or Washington?). The reason I mention this is because the two other big bubble teams’ (Detroit and Pittsburgh) top chip is….you guessed it, an outfielder.
Therefore, if Kansas City decides to sell, the market will become a buyers market in nearly every position. More options, less demand- lower prices and sellers don’t get as much for their players.
If Kansas City decides to buy it causes the prices to shoot up due to the fact that, not only are about 5 top 25 trade chips taken off of the market, but the buyers market becomes more congested.
I get a feeling that most of the big moves are not going to happen until KC knows what they’re doing. If we’re going off of reports from this week, they seem likely to buy, which would really benefit teams with middling chips to deal like Philly, Toronto the White Sox and Oakland.
Just my take on the market- I could be totally off base, but thats what I see.
I think you make a great point Ankit the Royals and I think it applies to a few other teams. they are less likely but if tor or Baltimore sell it could change the market. it also helps sellers that 2 expected sell teams in Minnesota and Milwaukee are in the race
KC has repeatedly said they are not sellers. They are making calls on BP acquisitions. And the have 6 vs. the Tigers and 3 vs. the White Sox after the AS break. So don’t expect a pre-deadline flop.
After getting swept by the dodgers, they should be sellers now
They are 1.5 games out of the wild card
they are 1.5 out of a 50/50 wild card game as the road team.
so upside is, over perform, squeak in as second wild card, win a coin toss game as the road team, and make a playoff run against superior teams. next year, still no farm, no core.
or sell like crazy and at least have a farm…
Sound thinking !
Good thoughts!
J.A. Happ for Ian Happ. Fair?
Cubs aren’t dealing from ML roster.
Not according to what Theo has been saying.
JA isn’t quite the pitcher the Cubs want. He’s 34. BUT, a package like Stroman, Happ, AND Donaldson for K. Schwarber, Lackey, J. Candelario, T. Hatch, T. Clifton, Tseng… may work
bsteady7, please do not confuse MLBtheshow with the real MLB. That trade is absolutely absurd for a billion reasons. Youre trolling.
That’s not even enough for Stroman or Donaldson alone…
The Cubs have zero need for Donaldson.
no
Not even close to fair.
The Cubs would be crazy to trade Happ at this point. I’d do Baez or Schwarber and a few prospects for J. Happ though.
Ian happ eloy Jimenez pierce Johnson for fullmer Norris and jv
No way…that’s not even enough for Fulmer…a 23 year old all star SP is a hot commodity. He’s a cornerstone player with an elite arsenal of pitches and a lot of plus power(he can consistently hit 95+MPH…like 50+ times in a single game) if they want him they would need to give up Jimenez and Bryant or Rizzo plus an extra prospect for the beard which comes at a premium. That’s obviously not happening so tell your cubbies to assemble a nice prospect package for JV and/or Avila.
Happ and Jimenez is a nice start of a 4-6 player package for Fulmer alone, but you gotta do more work there.
I don’t think they need three starters lol
You are delusional more than Trump oh my lord. Happ, Jimenez and pierce would get you Quintana and Robertson. Jimenez, Bryant AND someone else? You must be drinking Flint water. That would get you Kershaw and bellinger. Seriously it’s okay to have opinions, but you’re nuts. You probably think the 80’s Pistons were better than the 90’s Bulls.
The cubs aren’t trading Bryant or Rizci
Happ and JimeneZ, are far more valuable than you think. ROY possibly and top ten prospect in ALL of MLB? Throw in a T. Hatch and F. Pena and that’s a wrap
This is apples and oranges when it comes to the 80’s Pistons and the 90’s Bulls. If you played by 80’s NBA rules which allowed Detroit to pound Jordan, the Pistons of the 80’s would win. Now if you are using 90’s basket ball rules which was if you looked at Jordan crossed eye, it’s a foul, then the 90’s Bulls would win. As for the trade, I will give you that, it is way to much for Fulmer.
Jimenez is not a top 10 MLB prospect – provide link to source of that nonsense.
Baseball America and MLB.com
“that’s not even enough for Fulmer”
Anyone who would trade Ian Happ for Michael Fulmer should be removed from the game by the Commissioner under the “Best Interests of Baseball” rule.
@Just Another Fan – just search “Top 100 Prospects”. MLB has him at #8.
Exactly
baseballamerica.com/minors/2017-midseason-top-100-…
Look at #5.
Spend less time on your soapboax and more time educating yourself.
Baseball Prospectus has him #8 as does MLB.com. Baseball America has him #5. Nonsense?
Cubs want controllable, young starting pitchers to go with their controllable, young position players. Tigers may want to consider getting creative. Trade Norris and J. Wilson to the cubs for Alberto Almora, Ian Happ and Jeimer Candelario. Candelario is blocked so they really have no use for him. Jason Hayward isn’t going anywhere because of his contract and they still have eloy jimenez and DJ wilson coming up in their system with serious potential. The trade helps both teams deal from a position of depth and gives both teams what they need. Norris will be better in the NL in my opinion, especially since he can hit too. I’d take Biaz too if they countered with him instead of Happ. But I think overall this is fair and the direction the Tigers and Cubs need to be thinking if they want to help both sides now and in the future.
The tigers would do this but the cubs wouldn’t
Jimenez and Bryant/Rizzo plus? Hahahahahahahahahaahahaha
I needed a good laugh tonight. Thank you.
Yeah…Happ isn’t winning ROY over Bellinger.
Why would the cubs trade Almora? He’s their center fielder. Maddon has ruined him by playing jon jay more. Happ isnt going anywhere. Neither is Baez.
Did you see Happ’s pitching line score today? Brutal doesn’t even begin to describe it.
Two earned runs?
stick to the southside
I’d rather the Cubs trade Ian Happ than Ely Jimenez. Jimenez is going to be a beast. Happ I see as being a guy who hits 25+ HR’s a year but hits .240.
Guess you weren’t watching today’s 19-1 smackdown and the volleyballs Happ was lobbing.
Dude, that’s the Astros, not Happ.
The Astros do not need to trade for any pitchers, they need the playoffs to begin ASAP.
Happ for Happ, fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son
How is that fair. Unless the cubs get Marcus stroman and whoever their closer is it’s not gonna happen. It’s already been said cubs aren’t trading anyone from the 25 man roster. They have even prospect to still make a a decent deal. They don’t need or want verlander.
Unless the Tigers are desperate to get under the cap in 2018. Then, and only then, does “Verlander to Cubs” make any sense.
The Tigers tell you a lot about how much money the owners are removing from the game into their bank accounts every year.
The Tigers have not lost one dollar.
If they want under the cap next season, getting Verlander off the books would help.
Is that important to them?
No idea.
They will already be under the luxury tax threshold with sanchez, jd, and k-rod off the books at the end of the season.
Unless it’s a straight up Vernon wells trade to Anaheim where tbey paid 90% cubs don’t want or need verlander.
I could be wrong on that Vernon wells trade. Could have been trade to the blue jays or some thng like that
Cause the names are the same lol
I would be shocked if the Cubs gave up Happ..I’m hoping for a Sonny Gray….can’t see Verlander..or Cole… Frazier to Boston..maybe….Gray to Chicago….La getting Verlander…or Ozuna
I would be shocked if the Cubs gave up Happ..I’m hoping for a Sonny Gray…in Chicago.can’t see Verlander..or Cole… Frazier to Boston..maybe….Gray to Chicago….La getting Verlander…or Ozuna
I would be shocked if the Cubs gave up Happ..I’m hoping for a Sonny Gray…in Chicago.can’t see Verlander..or Cole… Frazier to Boston..maybe….Gray to Chicago….La getting Verlander…I think Chris Carter might be a good fit in Boston..as A DH….
That’s what I like to hear. Really need the Cubs to forget they’re 2 under .500, 5.5 games out of 1st, 7.5 out of the WC and help jack the prices up on cost-controlled starters
Every Weak Contender THINKS they have a Chance at rebound in 2018 , The Greatest example of that misguided thinking in recent history are the Phillies which thought that the Core they ( Aging and hurt ) had they could rebound with one move or two,
Detroit , Pittsburgh, Toronto , Baltimore and NY Mets are believers of this Tooth Fairly Thinking !
Get what you can , and move on Quickly when the fan bases of these Franchises will except the Inevitable of Youth and Losing in the Short Term for Long term Gain !
The issue is that this year the Cubs look like “weak” contenders right now but I expect (as everyone should) them to bounce back next year…
What SP’s do the cubs currently have under team control for next year?
Lester, Hendricks, Butler. and Montgomery (if you consider him a starter). I’d expect them to sign at least one starter this off season and make a trade for another by opening day.
Thanks. I thought they were in need of 2 for next year, but couldn’t remember if they were losing anyone other than Arrietta and Lackey.
“make a trade for another by opening day”
That window is coming into view and it may not be open for much longer at Wrigley.
Throw money at Yu Darvish. Keep Eloy Jimenez.
I’m not saying they’ll trade the farm for someone, but I do feel that they will definitely trade for someone above the typical AAA depth move they’ve made each of the past couple of years. As for throwing money at anyone, I don’t know how likely they’ll be to do that until 2019, as I believe that is when their own TV network is supposed to start and they will be out from under the stipulations they had to follow as part of sales contract when the team was purchased from the Chicago Tribune.
You absolutely certain the Cubs are going to keep being like this all year? Still a bunch of months left and as the Giants showed us in the past, you can actually be awful for a couple months and then catch fire in Sept and take the title.
I don’t!
The issue is that this year the Cubs look like “weak” contenders right now but I expect (as everyone should) them to bounce back next year… But I agree that teams in limbo live off too much false hope, if the MLB was more like Hockey or Basketball where over half the teams make the playoffs it would make more sense but there just aren’t enough spots for teams that aren’t great
Well said ! Those teams missed their window and need to admit it.
The Phil’s are now an example of what happens when you hang on too long
No sir, the Phillies are an example of what happens when you let your farm system stink more than any other for ten straight years.
The Red Sox over the same period had the best farm system and never had a rebuild. The Red Sox have won three World Series over the last dozen years and are a contender again with a young core.
Baseball is a lot more competitive than you are giving it credit for. The team with the WORST record in 2016 is now in 2nd place in their division (twins). No team is completely devoid of talent. Even the phillies, who have the worst record so far in the MLB have multiple above average players.
No!!!
The yankees should absolutely add justin verlander just buy his contract. They wont even have to give up nothing other then money. I would also try to swing a trade for bearaclaw from miami. Frazier straight up might get it done.
According to the reports the asking price is high so if they were to buy the contract and then pay him the 70 mil just doesn’t seem worth it
I’ve heard the Yankees want under the salary cap in 2018. Which won’t happen if they add Verlander.
You don’t acquire the face of a franchise by just taking on the contract. Just like with Jeter at the end. The fan base won’t allow a salary dump.
“Might get it done”?
I am confused “This is the reality: there are a lot more sellers than buyers right now,” ” And then it goes onto basically say very few teams are selling? I’m confused
I think it means teams like Detroit -want- to sell, but cannot due to massive contracts or other hurdles.
That just applies to Cabrera, V-Mart, Jordan Zimmermann, and in most cases JV and Justin Upton. Otherwise J.D. Martinez, Alex Avila, Justin Wilson, Ian Kinsler, Jose Iglesias, Shane Greene, Alex Wilson, and others(younger players) are very much available.
You can still trade them. You just have to get creative. For instance, do you think the Dodgers trade Alex Verdugo a lesser top 10 prospect like mitchell white and Scott Kazmir to the Tigers for Justin Verlander and JD Martinez? May seem like a weak return for Tigers fans but you save 22 million over the next two years and set yourself up well for the 2018/19 free agent class with a pretty set outfield picture. Its really all about getting creative as much as it may sting. It is a business. I’d rather the Tigers be in the winning business than the sentiment business.
It is true, you are saving money, but I think the days of the Tigers being big spender in free agency is over. They are looking for prospects and saving some money. Truthfully, I think Mr. I Jr. would be willing to keep Verlander and Miggy. With the hopes the make it to the Hall of Fame. The Tigers have not had a player go into Cooperstown for 35+ years.
By fangraphs WAR, only Jose Altuve and Daniel Murphy are having better seasons at 2B than Jed Lowrie, with Chris Taylor and Josh Harrison right there (but those two play other places a lot). He’s definitely a fit on the Yankees, Rays or Diamondbacks. Would love to see an Oakland-Yankees megadeal with Alonso, Lowrie, Doolittle or Madson going to NYY with the A’s picking out the best of who’s blocked out of that deep farm system.
Mega deals are extremely rare and the Yankees are not going to tap into their farm system to go all in on 2017.
Only Dodgers would do a Mega deal. Royals also need SP.
A’s got 3 top 100 prospects for 2 rentals from LAD last year. The above package is 2 rentals and one controlled guy so 3 top 100 prospects and a couple others?
Yankees are bad enough vs. LHP. Lowrie is unplayable against them. IMO- Poor fit.
Yanks have Castro and Didi. MI is not an area of concern for them. Bad idea.
Depth though – looking as bench piece in case Castro slumps or gets hurt.
Not worth the price at all, c’mon, man.
Idk if I can name one team who is more hosed than the Tigers. Maybe the Marlins and Orioles? Angels and Reds are close but not quite there. Royals could get there if they think they have any chance of contending after this year.
Why? They have a boatload of tradeable assets including #1 and 6 of the top 37 on the MLB Trade Rumors top traceable assets list.
They also have 3 young starters, a young SS, a young 3rd baseman and a young catcher. They also have an all star LFer that is either with them for the next 4 years or coming off the books freeing upon money.
Oh, and they also have the runner up four the CY Young last year.
Oh, and they also have Miguel Cabrera who is coming off injury but figures to be recovered by 2018.
Cuz they have no Major League team, no farm system, refuse to rebuild and think they will get top prospects with no salary offset for Justin Verlander. Really the best thing that could happen to them right now is a total fire sale.
They also make the absolute worst choices in the draft, flawed power arms is all the ever go for, only ever worked out with Verlander, they’re like 1-for-10 on them lol.
By no major league team, what do you mean? I gave you a full list of what they have. You did not provide me with a fact based rebuttal.
The late Mr I was the reason they conducted business as they have. Yes, the time is now to make some moves, but the no trade clauses, and no demand at some positions, leave things stuck in neutral. If you can’t get solid prospects back, what’s the purpose of making a trade? It is still a business. You have to put butts in the seats.
Porcello, Smily and Andrew Miller are pretty good.
Add Corey Knebel
Refuse to rebuild? They have been over 500 for 11 straight years at the All Star break until this year. Cabrera, Verlander and VMart are the only players who have been there most of that time. The rest are new.
“Really the best thing that could happen to them right now is a total fire sale.”
And then the Tigers would be looking at five years of tanking. The really disturbing part of that idea is how incompetent they have been at building a farm system. Before they go down that road they need to hire some highly competent people to oversee the farm.
The Tigers are in a bad spot. If they blow it up, they truly can’t just blow it. They will not be able to unload Miggy or Victor. They have very few assets to sell that would justify selling. Wilson should get a haul as playoff teams are always in search for his skill set, Martinez can fetch a good package, but he’s more of a LF expiring contract. Beyond that it’s playing the eat money game. Granted that’s not including Fulmer and even to some extent Norris. There is enormous value there. A major portion of the players you mentioned have little trade value and or are flawed.
JUP is a nice player, but I doubt a team wants to potentially be saddled with his contract. The Tigers are probably better served praying he opts out. Iglesias well he’s a defensive first guy with little control who continues to trend down offensively. Castellanos offers control, but his defense leaves a lot to be desired. He’s also playing a position that is extremely deep. The same can be said about Kinsler playing 2nd. His offensive numbers have plummeted and he’s 35. McCann he’s ok, but is anyone going crazy over him. JV is JV he’s had a rough first half, but you figure he’s going to right the ship. But again he has a full NTC and a huge contract.
Tigers are hosed, because a lot of what they valued has little value as the market has shifted. It’s an old underperforming team with little in the way of incoming young talent or a multitude of desirable pieces, young controllable/ inexpensive.
@Blue_Painted_Dreams_LA If each player on the Tigers was well-sought after, then they wouldn’t have to be selling in the first place. Every seller is in a similar position (other than the JV and Miggy contracts,- but both of them are still producing anyways). When it comes to deadline deals, teams will pay a lot for the most premium bat on the market. Just half of a year of yoenis netted them Fulmer and another prospect. While I agree with your opinions on JUP and some of the others, I really don’t think the Tigers are hosed. Their farm system isn’t as bad as people like to say (some people just love to hate), and they still have some very solid players on their team. What they need is another retool like 2015 and adjust from there, not a full rebuild. They have young pitching, they just need their bats to get younger. And they definitely are not hosed.
Which is why they should not sell at this trade deadline unless something falls in their lap. JD, Avila and possibly Sanchez can be moved if he continues to return to form. They are underperforming, but they are not old. Only 5 of the players on their 40 man are over 32. Three are gone after 2018 and two of those can be bought out for $5M after this year. Verlander is gone after 2019 unless he is top 5 in Cy Young.
Rather than sell low, just play it out. Odds are most of them are going to return to their career norms. The cap is going to take care of itself. Sell next winter or at the 2018 trade deadline. If you are not in contention.
The bind they are in is not age or the cap. It is they traded away guys like Suarez, Hernan Perez, Knebel, Avisail Garcia, Willy Adams and Smily to stay competitive. They don’t have enough young talented,cost controlled players to take the place of the guys leaving. There is a lot of talent in the low minors but not high.
The best thing they could do is play it out with the talented but underperforming guys they have, with a few exceptions.
Only 6 teams with worse records than the Tigers right now. And what makes you think the Tigers will be any better next year or the year after that?
To clear salary and show a commitment to rebuilding.
They’re looking at 5 years of being bad as it is.
That’s your opinion. It totally depends on how the next two years go. If they do well in their retooling, they might start contending again sooner than you’d think
I wasn’t trying to hate just being realistic. Maybe hosed wasn’t the optimum term although it was the term used in a previous post. In essence it was a response as to why they are in bad shape. If as you say they wouldn’t be in position to sell “if” players were sought after that’s not necessarily true. I don’t doubt at all they couldn’t get talent for JD and Wilson. The difference as you mentioned in Ces and JD is positional ability. I think we’ve seen the market shift on in a sense one dimensional sluggers. Do I expect them to get a better package than the one that Bruce received? Yes he’s a better hitter and provides RH pop. That said it’s an expiring contract in somewhat of a non premium position so expectations have to be tempered. Wilson would be the guy that rolls in a huge pool.
And I understand they have P talent in the minors, but some of that is far away. A retool without a substantial base is playing it in the middle. It’s hard to compete long term playing it in the middle. They should most likely hold those who aren’t of high value at this point. The offseason would be the time to potential sell 1 by 1 if said talent has a market.
This isn’t true. There’s some really good arms right now in the MLB who were Tigers draft selections including Corey Knebel and Andrew Miller. And the Tigers have 3 of those “flawed power arms” happened to be among the top 100 prospects mid season updated by Baseball America
Sox need to find andeal for sandoval. Id say take on a bad contract like verlander but theres no space for him on the roster, unless they could add in an additional team. Similar structure to that trade with bronson arroyo a few years ago
Give up on that. RS are not getting anything for Pablo. He will be released and they’ll be paying him to be bad on some other team.
At this point I am completely cool with that
I thought Sandoval might rebound a bit, honestly, but he’s a sunk cost at this point. Remarkable how quickly he fell off a cliff, but it’s certainly a data point in how much better the AL is than the NL.
how is 1 fat player that a lot of smart people saw declining a data point for the ALs superiority?
The market actually rests with the Tigers. Avila was very passive in potential trades in the off season. Will he remain that way? If he is more aggressive, then the dominoes will fall nicely.
Six top 100 prospects should be his goal, even without trading JV. Wilson, JD, Upton, Alex Avila, Castellanos, Kinsler. And yes, they should eat money to make it happen.
They are not getting 6 top 100 prospects for those players.
If they eat 75%-90% of the remaining contracts for those guys than each one should fetch a top 100 guy. I think Avila and Kinsler don’t get you about a 90’s prospect, but the rest (assuming he means Justin Wilson and not Alex Wilson) should fetch better top 100 prospects. If they would refuse to eat a big chunks of salary they won’t get much at all.
That would be a ton of money to eat. I thought detroit was trying to save money. Realistically I think you could get 1 for JD and 1 for Wilson. The .market isn’t really great for outfielders and 2nd basemen, let alone 3 outfielders from 1 team.
I agree. Like I said if they realistically want to get 6 top 100 prospects they are going to be eating the majority of the contracts. Saving money for them is going to be difficult with the money owed to just those guys plus Verlander.
Yeah this seems about what they’ll get. I don’t see them trading Kinsler, JUp, Iglesias, JV, etc. Avila could get a nice player or two but no top-100 talent
Trade Cole. Even if you want to go for it, trade Cole and get a SP who isn’t a Boras guy.
I have written about this before, Tigers should consider trading Fulmer but ONLY if the package him with a big contract. Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera, Jordan Zimmerman and Justin Upton. If was a GM, I would gladly take on payroll to acquire Fulmer and Upton’s contract seems to offer the best bang for the bucks because he is producing at a high level.
if they trade Fulmer, which I’m not opposed to seeing as it’ll likely be 3+ years before we contend again, they shouldn’t bring down his value by tying him to anyone.
biggest return possible
Might sound crazy, but what about this trade?
2017 J. Arrietta for 2016 J. Arrietta
2017 A. Russell for 2016 A. Russell
2017 K. Hendricks for 2016 K. Hendricks
2017 J. Lester for 2016 J. Lester
2017 J. Heyward for….oh wait….nevermind
Fulmer seems like more of an offseason Winter Meetings type of trade. Not a horrible idea to consider since he would bring in such a massive haul to a struggling franchise. However, it still seems highly unlikely.
Houston could be a potential trade partner.
Why would the Tigers trade fulmer? He hasn’t even hit arbitration yet. When has a team EVER traded a young ace? The whole point about the tigers selling is to try to get younger. Why would they trade their best young player? That’s extremely counter-intuitive.
I could see it. If Avila believes Faedo, Manning, and Burrows are real and he can get a haul similar to the quality ChiSox got for Sale… maybe.
Next time Detroit is likely to contend is 2020ish… which is a fair timeline for those three pitchers to join them
Why not just hold fulmer and watch him continue to improve? If he is this good being this young, don’t you think he will get better when he enters his prime? Why not just hold and wait to see if we are contending in a couple years, rather than trade him now when we haven’t seen the full extent of his upside? He will still return an insane amount in a couple of years, or even more depending on how much he grows.
or he could get hurt…
I’m just saying that if someone offers you a haul of 4-5 high quality prospects, you’ve gotta consider it
It would depend on the players coming back. You could even trade for mike trout depending on the deal. My point was I don’t think you will find such a lopsided deal at this point, and the tigers should be able to hold onto fulmer for multiple years and still be able to trade him for as much or even more than what he is worth now.
I think I’d rather keep Fulmer and have him as the ace of the rotation with Faedo, Manning, Burrows, Funkhouser/Norris/Boyd behind him in 2020
nothing wrong with that either. I just think if you’re able to get a handful of highly regarded prospects, you have to listen
I completely disagree with Gammons. There are more sellers than buyers? Sounds more like he WANTS that to be the case for his red sox, rather than that actually being the case.
A lot of potential sellers have the mindset that somebody is gonna come along and massively overpay them for the players they want to offload. The Nats pretty much set that expectation with some of their recent deals. There will be overpays by the deadline as usual, but when the music stops most of these sellers will be stuck with their trade chips, and their rebuilds/retooling delayed. The Phils know all about that.
That completely depends on the situation. With elite trade pieces, you will fetch an elite return (yankees). Phillies didn’t have any elite trade pieces available last summer.
Cubs should call it in and keep building up their farm system. They are a mediocre .500 team and could make the best of the season by trading for prospects and future players.
the cubs aren’t mediocre, they are just facing the classic world series hangover that has affected so many great teams following their championship year.
The Cubs are mediocre (right) now. They’re pitching rotation has come back to earth (should have been anticipated by Theo), and they don’t have a lead off hitter (Fowler should have been retained). Aside from Bryant, and Happ, most of their position players are proving to have been slightly overrated. If they don’t find replacements for Lackey and Arrieta
, they’re most likely a sub .500 team next year.
fowler hasn’t been great. the old SP i agree with.
The only way I see them doing that is if they come out of the break extremely slow and drop to 8+ games back before the deadline. The only thing I see changing that is if there is a major injury to one of their key players or if Milwaukee grabs one of the top of the rotation starters on the market (even then, a “retool” is questionable at best).
Caratini, Candelerio & another 25-30 prospect for Suzuki & Teheran
If Verlander goes to the Cubs does Lackey go to the Tigers to clear a roster spot and provide some salary offset? It would clear some money if the books for the Tigers in out years and help not increase the Cubs by as much this year.