Some news from around the NL East…
- The Braves know they’ll have to eat most of Matt Kemp’s remaining salary to facilitate a trade this winter, though the team is less willing to kick in money in a potential Nick Markakis deal, FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman writes. Markakis is set to earn $10.5MM in 2018 (the last year of his contract), which the Braves see as “fair value” for the veteran outfielder, so they aren’t likely to cover “much or any” of that salary. Of course, Atlanta’s stance could change depending on what another team is willing to offer for Markakis. Over three seasons with the Braves, Markakis has 3.4 fWAR and is hitting .276/.357/.390 with eight homers over 616 PA in 2017. Earlier today on MLBTR, Connor Byrne listed the Braves’ corner outfield situation as one of the Three Needs the club must address this winter.
- It wouldn’t be surprising to see Ichiro Suzuki back with the Marlins next season given the respect Derek Jeter has for his former teammate, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. Suzuki, who turns 44 in October, has indicated that he intends to play in 2018. The veteran has a .260/.325/.345 slash line over 195 PA for the Fish this season while providing backup at all three outfield spots.
- Also from Jackson’s piece, he hears from an investor connected to the Jeter/Bruce Sherman ownership group that there was discussion earlier this summer about the possibility of Casey Close, Jeter’s longtime agent, joining the Marlins front office. It isn’t known if this idea is still being considered, or if Close even has interest in a career change. Jackson speculates that Close could oversee the Marlins’ business operations, while Jeter handles the baseball ops department. Close currently heads Excel Sports Management’s baseball division, and it would send some major ripples through the agent world if he did depart for a new job given the number of players (including some of the game’s biggest names) represented by Excel.
Keep Kemp, get rid of Markakis. Cant have them both out there again next season
Agreed, at least Kemp is good for 20+ home runs to provide pop somewhere in the middle of the order. Markakis won’t even hit 10.
No way, his defensive value and the sheer fact kemp can’t stay on the field ruins any positive marks his offensive may provide. At least markakis is a league average player and you know what your getting.
As of Thursday they were separated in average by one point.
Wait what? Markakis is not a league average player. League average is about 2 fwar. Markakis is at 0.7. He’s a roughly league averge hitter (97 wRC+), but he has negative baserunning and bad defense.
They are both Bums , Trade Both of them for a Bag go Balls and Move on !
What’s a Bag go balls???
amazon.com/GBM-Golf-Official-Go-Balls/dp/B01LDTEPZ…
Wrong kemp is horrible need to release him if we can’t trade him
Kemp don’t hit enough for his bad defense to be tolerable
Pay Kemp’s contract and the Mets will make him their CF. sandy doesn’t care about defense anyway. If the goofball “TC” comes back he can spend all season pontificating how Kemp “tries real hard” everyday.
Both Kemp and Markakis are going to be very difficult to get rid of, much less both of them. About the only way I see the Braves being able to deal Kemp is if an American League team wants to swap out a bad salary (perhaps a pitcher?).
which really defeats the purpose of trading kemp
Markakis will be a good pickup for somebody. A league average bat with good obp skills and passable defense. He’d fit onto a lot of teams right now.
Markakis is an ultra-ordinary player who hasn’t been above 2.0bWAR since 2011–and he will be 34 next year. He’s not terrible, but I don’t know that any team would want to take on a full salary and give up anything more than a throw-in. He’s only of use to a team that has a black hole at his position and can’t fill it internally or on the FA market.
Giancarlo Stanton is getting another “breather” today. Wouldn’t he want to be in the lineup no matter what? So close to sixty – weak effort.
Is the only reason we care about 60 (or 61) because we figure everyone who has topped Ruth/Maris cheated?
Yes, there’s a reason that the players who broke the single-season and all-time home run records (McGwire, Sosa, Bonds, etc.) are not and never will be in the Hall of Fame.
I think it’s more along the lines that only 5 players in history have broke the 60 home run threshold whether or not the records are tainted.
The guy is six homerums shy of 60, but only has 18 ABs over the last week? I question Stanton’s compete level. You have to want to be in the lineup – always.
Yes, but to me it’s more about the rarity of the feat. So many attain 40-50 HR, but the amount of those hitting 60 or more is so rare, even considering suspected users. It’s similar to the 40/40 club or even the 50/50 club (only 2: Bonds & Brady “90210” Anderson).
Sheerly out of curiosity, was Brady Anderson ever legitimately tied to PED’s?? Or was that all just hearsay and speculation, based on his random uptick in power out of seemingly nowhere?? (Similar to say a guy like Luis Gonzalez)
I think speculation. But it is the one of the weirdest career turns around. If he actually used, his HR totals from 1992 on are 21/13/12/16/50/18/18/24/19. Could have he have used for just one season? Or was it more like Davey Johnson’s 1973 in the Launching Pad. 43, but only four other seasons in double figure, none higher than 18?
“Using for one season…” that’s not how PEDs work. It’s not magic beans.
Its easy for you clowns to say that PEDs instantly make someone good… they have to still work harder than most of you bums ever have in your life to achieve what they did.
It takes extraordinary talent to hit that many homers and the PEDs helped those guys stay healthy and durable.
If 85% of the league tested positive in that blind test that led to the testing of MLB players in 2003, then that means way more guys should have hit that many homers by your logic.
That was my favorite era and it also saved the MLB from the post-strike 90s turmoil that almost buried the league.
Except for Hammering Hank…
Wentz and Drew Waters for Avisail Garcia.
If Braves can’t find a taker for Markakis, Sox will take his full salary in the swap.
No way, Wentz looks like an absolute stud; albeit, he’s still a ways away. Also, Drew Waters has flashed the potential to be a 4-5 tool OF’er, which they don’t normally just grow on trees.
Yes, neither of Wentz nor Waters are proven, nor sure things, no prospect is a “sure thing.” However, Garcia is not really a truly proven commodity either. Basically, I wouldn’t mind Garcia, but Wentz and Waters would be a sizeable overpay.. To me, it would just depend on the cost, and based off the trades made this season, for Garcia that honestly shouldn’t be all THAT much..
Great and pretty solid, out of the box idea for a trade acquisition, but, as previously stated, that cost is just much too high…Atleast for my own personal liking…Then again, I probably value Wentz higher than most, and Waters’ tools and potential just intrigues me too much to trade him away just yet…
So you like the idea of acquiring Garcia. But not with any prospects you think have upside.
pplama, I think that’s a pretty general statement to make for a comment that doesn’t really imply that he’s thinking that. I also think you’re offer is to much considering what we would be getting in return. Garica is having a good year, but I don’t agree with MLB trade rumors. I think we should stay away from him, let our players develop, and let Nick hold down the fort until someone can take over. He’s good enough.
The Braves need to make room I. The outfield for Ronald Acuna…not add another OF.
Giancarlo Stanton is getting another “breather” today. Wouldn’t he want to be in the lineup no matter what? So close to sixty.
Maybe he’s actually hurt, right? Stanton isn’t the picture of health. The team is way out of it and no reason to turn a small thing into a big thing in the end of a dead season.
Jeter is a year younger than Ichiro lol
I have a hunch that Derek Jeter will be out of Miami in five years, after he gets his minimal $25 million investment paid back via salary. He then will be available to take over a post with the Yankees — possibly the successor to Cashman or another high FO position.
Trade with Chisox??????????????? A.Garcia and D.Cease FOR I.Anderson,Markakis(pay 3Mil.),Kemp(pay 8 Mil.) and Ruiz. Sign Darvish and go after Otani.