Some items from around the NL Central…
- Gregory Polanco left Saturday’s game with another hamstring injury, and the Pirates outfielder was held out of today’s lineup after undergoing a “battery of tests,” manager Clint Hurdle told MLB.com’s Adam Berry and other reporters. The Bucs have an off-day on Monday, which could give Polanco time to recover and avoid his third hamstring-related DL placement of the season. In better injury news for the Pirates, Andrew McCutchen returned to the lineup as the DH today in Toronto, two days after leaving a game due to what appears to be a minor leg injury.
- The Brewers acquired Neil Walker as a second base upgrade, though GM David Stearns told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Twitter links) and other reporters that the team sees him as a “multi-positional” player who can handle spot duty at first or third base if necessary. The vast majority of Walker’s career has been played at the keystone, though he does have a bit of experience (17 career games at third, three games at first) at the other two positions, with five of those games coming this season with the Mets. Walker, in fact, is making his Brewers debut today at third base, filling in for Travis Shaw, who is sore after twice fouling balls off his lower right leg.
- Also, Stearns and Mets GM Sandy Alderson both hinted that it may be some months before the two teams determine the player to be named who will go to the Mets in return for Walker.
- Tommy Pham’s breakout season has been an enormous boost for the Cardinals, though Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wonders if the Cards see Pham as a big part of their future. Dexter Fowler obviously isn’t going anywhere thanks to his big contract, while Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk are still important future pieces, though both have struggled and spent time in the minors this year. (Piscotty, of course, is also locked up in a contract extension.) Hochman suggests that Pham could be a big trade chip for the Cardinals in the offseason, which is certainly true given Pham’s excellent performance and his four remaining years of team control. In my opinion, I’d say that Pham is too valuable for the Cards to deal for anything less than a huge return, especially given the uncertainty around Piscotty and Grichuk.
- Even at the age of 42, the Cubs’ Koji Uehara has been a quality reliever this year, but “there’s concern that this could be the end of the road,” Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes. Uehara went on the disabled list Wednesday with a neck strain, though there aren’t any indications that it’s a major injury (via Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune). Before his DL placement, Uehara allowed an earned run in four of his most recent six appearances. He still owns a palatable 3.55 ERA over 38 innings, though, with 10.66 K/9 against 2.61 BB/9. Uehara, whom the Cubs signed to a one-year, $6MM deal last winter, suggested prior to the season that he wanted to pitch through at least 2018, which would give him an even 10 seasons in Major League Baseball. This would match the 10 years he pitched professionally in his native Japan.
Pham has certainly impressed me this season, and it does make sense to sell high now since he’s 29 and the OF is crowded
He is 28.
Thought he was born in ’89…my bad.
As if one year in age really mattered.
It does at his age, you’re getting more prime years
He’s 29
He was born 3/8/88
28 or 29……. does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care??
Grichuk isn’t half the player Pham is, so it would make more sense to be rid of Grichuk rather than Pham. There’s only a 2 year age difference anyway. So Pham Left, Fowler Center, Piscotty/Martinez Right. Once Fowler tapers off Pham is a good CF so just swap the two.
The concern is Pham’s eyes… who knows when they will fail.
Agreed on needing a high return, though, otherwise I’d rather trade Grichuk.
Personally, I’d like to see Pham traded as the centerpiece of a deal to bring in an established big bat in LF, while Grichuk and Piscotty then compete for time in RF.
new cba’s are always bs…since when is it determined that player to be named later is unknown?
it’s always been like that, it usually takes some time to find out who that player is, because the team has yet to select the player
And it could be determined by the play of Walker. If Walker helps the Brewers to the playoffs, the Mets could have a higher tier of players made available to them
i dont think so…in the past its been if the player is on the DL…
How does that work? Is there a list of players the Brewers make available?
Yes that’s how it works. The Brewers give the Mets a list of players and the Mets have a maximum of 6 months to pick.
With Walker “reportedly” not dealt to the Yankees at the deadline, because they didn’t like his medicals. It’s possible that they agreed on 2 sets of players. One of group A if Walker is available for the rest of the season, group B if (whatever body part) prevents him from being available.
Could also be someone on the 40 man who didn’t or won’t clear waivers (doubtful but plausible).
What it won’t be is a draft pick from the 2017 draft class. Due to the Trea Turner rule, which states a player to be named later must be eligible for trade at the time of a trade.
Why the San Luis can’t move the single after the third baseman
I want to know why The St. Louis Cardinals doesn’t go after third basement
I didn’t even know they already had two basements!
First world problems… multiple basements.