Chris Archer was removed from his start on Saturday after just eight pitches due to forearm tightness, though the Rays ace told reporters (including Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times) that he feels better today, despite some lingering tightness on the outside of his right forearm. While Archer doesn’t feel the injury is particularly serious and he hopes to make his next start, more will be known on Monday when he is examined by the Rays’ team doctor. Losing Archer for any stretch of time would be a big blow to Tampa Bay club that is trying to stay in the wild card race, though obviously Archer’s overall health is of larger concern to the team, given the ominous nature of forearm injuries. Here’s more from around baseball…
- The Cardinals are attempting to rebuild and contend all at once, as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch looks at how the team is trying the unusual tactic of using young players (rather than experienced veterans) as midseason and late-season roster upgrades. The plan requires a lot of faith in the minor league system, though many of the youngsters deployed by the Cards this year have been very productive. “We were able to start making some moves that look forward without detracting from today. We sort of jump-started our offseason a little early by opening up opportunities,” GM Michael Girsch said.
- Blue Jays team president Mark Shapiro discussed his experiences in the game with MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, and the wide-ranging interview touched on the Jays’ immediate plans for 2018. Past reports have suggested that the Jays are still looking to contend next season, and Shapiro reiterated that by suggesting that there is a priority towards retaining the increased fan support that has surfaced from the team’s recent postseason success. “In this situation, the desire to win and to continue to give a relatively new fan base — because a lot of fans that are coming are new fans — a reason to cheer and to come to the ballpark is probably more important than just maybe pushing the express button on how to regenerate and reinvigorate the farm system,” Shapiro said.
- The Braves will likely call up left-hander Luiz Gohara as soon as Tuesday, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. The hard-throwing Gohara has posted strong numbers in each of the last two seasons, and is ranked by MLB.com as the eighth-best prospect in Atlanta’s system. Though GM John Coppolella didn’t rule out the idea of also promoting top prospect Ronald Acuna sometime in September, O’Brien feels the 19-year-old outfielder is likelier to make his MLB debut (and be placed on the 40-man roster) next spring, when Acuna will be competing for a regular job.
- Defense and the ability to make contact at the plate could be more attractive skillsets than power for teams looking for lineup help this offseason, ESPN’s Buster Olney writes (subscription required). We already saw sluggers get paid less than expected last winter, and some evaluators feel that trend could worsen in the coming offseason since home run hitters aren’t particularly hard to find, as more and more players are adjusting their swings to lift the ball to generate homers or extra-base hits. Olney and his ESPN colleague Keith Law also described this concept during a podcast earlier this week.
st louis’s front office leads the league in blowing smoke up fans a@@es.
I know. It is so hard cheering for a constant winner. Who do they think they are missing the playoffs 2 out of the last 7 years (with a World Series appearance, a World Series title, and several NLCS appearances). It was so hard to watch such smoke and mirrors.
with a better front office and manager, st louis would be 7-7 in making the playoffs and probably a few more world series championships. if you don’t win it all, you finish last.
Woe is him, his team isn’t doing well because they won’t sell the farm for the short term and is one of the most respected front offices in baseball, but they are the worst, even worse than Baltimore
How is Dave Stewart unemployed when Mozeliak still has a job because he won’t compromise the stupid cardinal way which is respected by the entire sports world
Yes, the entire sports world respects when your scouting director goes away for a 4 year vacation, 3 1/2 with good behavior.
If you aren’t cheating, you aren’t trying hard enough. My only problem with the Cards is they got caught.
Is that a Ricky Bobby quote? And if you’re stooping low enough to hack computer databases you’ve tried too hard and aren’t good enough at doing your own thing.
How do you figure? I’d say other than the Giants we’ve been the most successful team for the last ten years in the major leagues. Getting in to the playoffs is the key and after that its a crap shoot. We showed that in 06′ and 11′. The Indians showed it last when they lost two of their top three pitchers leading into the postseason.
You can always replant the farm. You can never get today back. Who from our farm in the last 5 years would’ve been a big loss? I rest my case your honor.
What players are left from those winning years? Manager Larussa gone, Pujols, Chris carpenter, Berkman, holiday , jay, freese. Front office jocketty gone as well. You Sound like a fan of the Cubs in 1908 thinking the future is bright.
Well Molina and Wainwright for starters. And Moz has been running the ship the entire time….so don’t know where you are going with this.
All of those productive players have aged. Obviously you have to replenish. It’s silly for anyone to complain about the Cards.
They haven’t just aged they are no longer on the cards. What does the 2011 cardinals have to do with 2017? 2015 lost to Cubs in nlds last year didn’t make playoffs this year doesn’t look favorable . Keep living in the past
yeah, the front office that has won them 2 World Series over the last 11 years and consistently in the playoffs.
Try being a Mets fan where your owners are actually pieces of garbage or a Padres fan where they’re in rebuild purgatory. GFYS.
Hey Metseventually. You’ve surfaced again.
Quick question:
Are you a mets fan or only trying to be a mets fan?
If the latter, you can easily change your identity tag to:
Tryingtobeametsfan
Are you just trying to be a Wilpon fan or do you really like those two criminal bloodsuckers – Fred and Jeff – so much that you’re willing to attack Mets fans?
Hahaha truth. Mo loves finishing second
How do they blow smoke? What do Matheny or the front office have to do with the team not playing well. I always thought the players win and don’t win games.
first, you have to get the right players. second, you need to play the right players. front office and the manager have both failed to do that.
Who are the right players and who should Matheny be playing that he doesn’t? There’s no perfect player. The Cardinals aim to contend every season and to do that you have to rely on the farm system and then add and subtract based on performance and need. They’ve done that and then its up to the players to perform. If they don’t why blame Matheny and the front office for the players failure to execute.
This is a transition period and being such the team is inconsistent. Only one team wins the world series each year. A lot has to go right to be that one team.
wasn’t dexter the cure all for the cardinals ailments? front office made that mistake when the outfield would have been fine with bader and or sierra with grichuk, piscotty and pham. signing molina to an extension is another bust in the making. carpenter, oh carpenter, what needs to be done to him? trade him and give the job to luke. dump greg garcia and jose martinez.
If you watched the games then you’d know.
It’s amazing how many people think “winning” is getting one of the 10 playoff spots in a 30 team league. The Cubs have helped us by being incompetent for years so we’ve only really had to compete against 3 small market teams. There is only one winner each year, we’ve been in a position to be that winner more, but our tight front office is satisfied with just getting in like some of the goofy fans below.
Calling up prospects isn’t “Upgrading” just because your team sucks.
What a very intelligent statement. Can you please show me the hidden stat that you found that shows that these good young players aren’t an upgrade and stop resisting the fact that the entire MLB tries to be like the Cardinals
You ask for a “hidden stat” and then pull a “fact” out of your arse. Talk about your “very intelligent statement.”
Damn son all 2 of you (ReverieDays and Leigh) are tripping, calm down you’re making yourself look dumb. The article straight up says the Cardinals are using an “unusual” tactic in banking on their prospects being upgrades. Which means that literally nobody would think this is a good idea in terms of traditional baseball ideology. Oh and why were the Cardinals good for so long? Having a great farm system that could churn out productive players every year, players being able to step up into roles that others were not able to fill. Kind of like how the situation is now with the Cardinals calling up their prospects, no?
Nationals should have kept Danny Espinosa at shortstop Trea Turner sucks. Why is Rafael Devers at 3rd base when the Red Sox have Pablo Sandoval. I can’t believe the Angels had the audacity to replace Peter Bourjos with Mike Trout. *Smh while also shaking my fists* These damn new players are ruining baseball!!
the Red Sox don’t have Sandoval anymore
List of scenarios where the prospect turned out to be an upgrade. Espinosa and Bourjos moved along also.
Turner sucks should’ve been the first sign of maximum sarcasm ahead.
He is making a point, not be taken literally
Well played and perfectly articulated!!
You missed his sarcasm
The entire MLB? Not the Yankees.
Exactly MZ311. The point that I was ridiculing was “stop resisting the fact that the entire MLB tries to be like the Cardinals.”
I don’t think the entire MLB aspires to be like the Cardinals. I’m pretty sure that the Cubs try to be like the Cubs. The Yankees try to be like the Yankees. I’m also reasonably sure that the Dodgers try to be like the Dodgers (churning out insanely good prospects year after year).
Cardinal fans love the taste of their own bathwater.
No one said bringing up prospects was an upgrade. The team is in a bit of a transition and this gives them a headstart in seeing firsthand what they have moving forward for next year and beyond. To think we can win every year and make the postseason is unrealistic.
Blue Jays Shapiro is clearly a good baseball man and leader and perhaps he is a better marketing spin guy. Don’t buy his Kool-Aid that this team can compete next year and that his goal is to slow down and win and also satisfy the fans. Most [not all] of the additions the Jays added to cover injury, depth or improve the club at the major league level in 2017 did not work. This starting pitching staff is older and declining except for Stroman. I hear Sanchez finger is not going to be right for a while to be a starter.
I appreciate Shaprio is concerned about the fanbase and adding new fans but the goal is winning and it needs to be blown up now or it will be years of mediocrity and meaningless games in September. I think the current strategy is out of balance, too much serving the gate receipts with a phoney hope of winning and not enough quick rebuild for next year for good prospects or near ready prospects. Since they didn’t trade Bautista or Estrada they lost out on those prospects and I hear that, yes there were good and one great offer for [one] of them.
It’s sad and frustrating to watch an organization focus on a longterm building the farm system while at the same time misleading the fans [or perhaps themselves] that this team can compete. Sigh. I wish Shaprio would call it what it is – an old team past its prime and winning capabilities….and that might generate some better and faster building for the future decisions…
Such was the case in CLE for many years on Shapiro’s watch. He said everything in business-speak and talked around everything of substance like a politician. Shapiro will rebuild that team, and it will take years, but success on the field won’t come until he’s departed.
Amen
Man, being mentioned in a rumor that the Braves are interested in possibly trading for you is the new Madden Curse. Michael Fulmer with elbow neuritis, now Chris Archer with forearm issues. Sure, it’s only coincidental, and seasons are long, and these injuries are nothing serious (yet…knock on wood), but it shows the fragility and risk of trading a king’s ransom for such a player.
Gerrit Cole, watch out!
Weren’t they in on Sale?
As much as anyone. We weren’t going to give up the prospects CHW wanted, especially since most weren’t as developed as BOS, including Acuña. Amazing what happens in a year.
Braves could trade for Archer By sending Sims, Wisler,Demeritte,D.Peterson and Muller for him . Then trade Teheran,Seymour and R.Sanchez to Texas for Profar,W.Calhoun and Sadzeck?
How is this remotely a good idea? I honestly doubt the Rays will pull the trigger on that offer, not to mention there is no reason to throw that amt of players in a offer for Archer. I think Sims will be a solid #5 starter in the future, and I think D Peterson and Muller will be part of the future as well. At the end of the day, no need to trade for Archer… i mean seriously… we don’t need him THAT bad.
Next, that trade idea to Texas is just so freaking bad it hurts. They aren’t just gonna hand Calhoun to us. and Profar is just god awful. I personally think the package you are offering is worth more than ultimately Calhoun. On top of this, Sanchez is about to be Rule 5 eligible, and I really think the braves are gonna let him slide. So if the rangers want Sanchez… they can simply wait. He’s regressing anyways.
Blue Jays looking to contend in 2018…wow…fools. So another year of an old, over paid, slow, unathletic team destined to finish last without any thought toward the future. Wonderful
Braves should trade for Machado. Send Teheran,Swanson,Markakis,Ruiz and D.Peterson. Then trade for Archer. Send M.Adams,Sims,Wisler and Demeritte. Camargo
could play (SS) __ Lineup of Inciarte, Albies,Freeman,Machado,Acuna,Camargo,Garcia(LF),Fl
owers.
lbi
Why trade for Machado? He’s about to be a FA soon. That’s quite a haul for a rental that will leave us cause we won’t pay him. Not even the best offer anyways, they would likely reject it. lol. If we want him bad enough, we will pay the man when he’s a Free agent. Don’t trade for him.
and stop with the Archer bull… that’s not a good offer anyways… matt adams is the best player in that deal.. they would never accept that. lol and your lineup isn’t that good. We can literally keep the players in all your trade offers, make an offer to Machado when he’s a FA (although I full well know we wont). then have a better lineup than what you just made. lol Not even remotely a good hypothetical trade
As much as I like Adams’ bat, he will have to ride the bench in Atlanta next season. He would fit well in AL in a DH spot. Just send Teheran to anyone who will take him. Unfortunately, Braves front office has fallen into the pit of trying the same experiment over and over and expecting different results. No Edisons in there.
I don’t really get what your saying here. I’m with you when I think we should trade Adams and should have already traded him. But same experiments? We started a rebuild like 3 years ago… which takes time. and honestly, you’re starting to see it come together a little. We actually have a bunch of young guys coming up, acting like they belong to the bigs. With a little more experience… this team can be very good in the next year or two.
I think Teheran might need to go also… but no to “anyone who will take him” He’s a proven pitcher who is having a slight down year and is cheap under team control. He has value even if he’s ultimately a #3 pitcher. I definitely think we should shop him, but he deserves a decent enough return.