It was no secret that Christian Yelich wasn’t happy with the Marlins’ latest fire sale, and the team felt that Yelich could’ve become a clubhouse distraction had he remained on the roster, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. This is why trading Yelich was more of a priority than dealing catcher J.T. Realmuto, as “the Marlins believe Realmuto will be a good soldier if he isn’t traded.” Of course, Realmuto has reportedly asked for a trade as well, though Miami is reportedly holding out only for a big return if the catcher is to be moved. Jackson also notes that first baseman Justin Bour (a popular target for teams calling the Marlins) hasn’t asked for a trade.
More from around the NL East…
- “If I had the opportunity to pick a position, I would pick second base,” Asdrubal Cabrera tells Kevin Kernan of the New York Post. This represents a change in attitude from during the season, when Cabrera was openly unhappy about moving from shortstop to the keystone, though Cabrera explained to Kernan that his displeasure over the position change stemmed from the move seemingly being sprung upon him with little notice. “I was not happy with the communication,” Cabrera said. The veteran infielder also noted that he likes playing third base, which looks to be his primary position for 2018 as things currently stand on the Mets’ roster. New York has been primarily linked to second basemen in trade and free agent rumors, though Cabrera’s flexibility (and that of the re-signed Jose Reyes) make it possible that the Mets could still make a play for a third baseman.
- The Phillies have been unable to find a trade partner for Tommy Joseph this offseason, leaving the first baseman fighting for a roster spot as Spring Training approaches, The Athletic’s Matt Gelb writes (subscription required and recommended). Rhys Hoskins’ presence led the Phils to shop Joseph last summer, and the path to first base playing time has become even more blocked now that Carlos Santana is a Phillie. “You don’t know where you fit in,” Joseph said. “You don’t know what your role is. But those are all things that will evolve as spring training gets started and as we get deeper into March….I’ll go out there and earn my keep.” As Gelb notes, the Phillies’ trade efforts have been hampered by the presence of so many other first base options still available in free agency. Joseph still has a minor league option remaining, so he could find himself back in Triple-A after hitting 43 homers and a .247/.297/.460 slash line over his first 880 MLB plate appearances.
- The Braves plan to have a spirited Spring Training competition for rotation jobs, as manager Brian Snitker tells Gabriel Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that as many as three starting spots could be up for grabs. Julio Teheran and Mike Foltynewicz have two slots spoken for, and the newly-acquired Brandon McCarthy will be a strong favorite for the third slot if healthy. That leaves the likes of Max Fried, Luiz Gohara, Lucas Sims, Sean Newcomb, and Mike Soroka battling for the remaining rotation spots, plus Scott Kazmir could also be a factor if he can recover from the injuries that sidelined him for all of the 2017 season. Atlanta is more likely to use the starters that don’t win jobs as relievers rather than again use a six-man rotation, Snitker said.
I still dont understand the Santana signing by Philly… he isnt 18mil a year better then Joseph. They are missing a lot of other pieces too.
ethier He’s worth 20mil or not cuz joeseph is worth nothing. sub300OBP at 1b is awful
Seeming as Joseph was the worst first baseman in the league last year, yes Santana is.
One of the leagues best on base guys compared to one of the leagues worst on base guys. One of the best fielders in the AL last year compared to one of the NL’s worst fielders last year. Those 2 things alone make Santana light years better than Joseph, to say nothing of his switch hitting ability, the flexibility he offers their lineup and defense, the symbolism to the fan base and next year’s FA class, or that money isn’t really an issue for these owners with the payroll being next to nothing.
Trust me, Phillies fans are excited about Santana and Kapler. No one expects a World Series this year, but our cellar dwelling days of the rebuild are over. All they need are a couple reliable starting pitchers to become serious playoff contenders.
@herecomethephillies
love it. every word of it. my thoughts exactly. go phils.
As a Phillies fan I was confused on the Santana signing at first, but I understand the move after thinking about it and listening to others’ takes on it.
But for Kapler…not excited at all. I don’t think he’s going to be a good manager, and not likely a long-term one either. I’m sure the Phillies will tick up in the win column this season (maybe even break .500), but he’s going to burn the team out. I do agree that there needs to be more 21st century thinking in the dugout, but it can go too far. Case in point: the Dodgers likely win the World Series is Dave Roberts doesn’t overuse his bullpen because that’s what the analytics tell him to do. But we shall see…
The Dodgers didn’t win the 2017 World Series because Darvish threw two absolutely garbage starts – that’s incredibly difficult to overcome. Very few bullpens can absorb that kind of taxing work at the end of the postseason – let alone a Team overcoming giving up 2 two games for nothing.
Yes, Darvish was trash in the World Series, but one of the biggest reasons the Dodger bullpen was drained—even before Darvish made an appearance—was because Roberts pulled Rich Hill after 4 innings. “Oh no, he’s pitching well but can’t possibly face the batters a third time.”
Teams can overcome poor outings or starts, even in a short series. Had Roberts not be so by-the-analytics the series probably wouldn’t have even gone 7, to allow Darvish to have a second bad start.
The Dodgers had the talent to get to and win the World Series, and they made it to game 7 despite their manager.
.259/.363/.455 is not worth more than $5 million a year, let alone $20 million. 1B is an easy position to fill with a decent player for a lot cheaper.
.259/.363/.455 is not worth more than $5 million a year, let alone $20 million. 1B is an easy position to fill with a decent player for a lot cheaper.
Santana brings a switch-hitting middle of the order bat, who gets on base and makes pitchers work. Phillies didn’t have that. And if his ability to work counts rubs off on any of the young guys,he’ll be worth the overpay.
He is, Joseph is terrible. Can’t play defense or get on base.
He would be a perfect fit for the Mets.
if 1 WAR is worth around 6million-ish, then Santana is definitely 18million a year better than Joseph. you cant honestly sit there and tell me you’d be happy with another year of TJ gettin a significant number of ABs.
1 WAR is almost 9 million now! Just sayin!
In that case Trout is worth $70 million a year, Lorenzo Cain $30 million…. applying $ to WAR is stupid.
When you’re a bad team you have to over pay to get players to come in. I completely agree, he’s not worth that money, but he’s a name people recognize and this is the organizations attempt to please a fan base who is starving.
They have the money. One of the riches owners in sports. It was probably more along the lines of veteran leadership/getting fans in the stands
Don’t know where you fit? You were supposed to be the catcher of the future TJ. I mean he’s a middle of the road 1B at best. If he was a catcher he’s like top 5 lol. Positionality at it’s finest.
not really middle of the road even when the adverage ops for 1b is something like 840 and he’s sub 800
Not his fault he had concussion problems.
I’d rather have Asdrubal at 2B and then have the Mets sign Frazier.
Perfect DP combination with Reyes. They can lead the league in lowest fielding % for a double play combination. Combined with poor defensive catchers it should
be entertaining watching opponents steal 2nd base!
The concussions weren’t his fault.
If the braves are gonna go this route, soroka needs to start the year in AAA… the rest is easy to predict… Sims will be in he bullpen Newcombe will likely start and so will gohara. If fried wins the final spot good for him, but out of those last 3 don’t waste their time with more bullpen work. Fried is really the only bullpen type arm …. as he’s more fragile lol. They all are young enough to get more training in AAA before settling for a bullpen role
the braves have serious quality pitching depth, no doubt. as a Phils fan, as excited as I am about our young core taking a step forward this year, I do not look forward to facing the Braves’ arms in 2019. they are gonna be crazy good.
Yes, but they need more position prospects, I wouldn’t be surprised if Cashman and AA don’t make a trade. Frazier for one of their pitching prospects seems like a match.
You’ve got the idea, but I wish they would consider a 6-man rotation with all of the young arms, which would give them more consistent innings than spot starts and long relief spots.
I’m sure Kazmir will eventually get some innings if he shows he’s healthy, if nothing else, to audition pre-Deadline. They’ve been stretching Fried out slowly to avoid disaster and I think he’s the dark horse to win the 5th spot if Newcomb is his typical wild self. I wish we can hurry up and transition to Newcomb and Folty to bullpen pieces and quit delaying the inevitable.
I disagree with Folty going to the pen. He has shown times when he can be a dominant pitcher for 7-8 innings. He tends to have one bad inning that gets him off his game though. Newcomb, on the other hand, could be an effectively wild relief pitcher. We’ve seen guys go from mediocre starters to dominant bullpen arms. Andrew Miller comes to mind as an example.
Foltynewicz will pitch great a few games and other days he acts like he just can’t maintain focus or hit his spots. Other times he seems a total head case.
I wonder if he needs to visit Smoltz’s old sport psychologist.
I really hope 6 man rotations don’t become a thing. The concept is flawed- limiting innings by having guys go deep into fewer games won’t make them any more effective in those games or durable over the course of a season. Instead teams need to start bullpenning to limit innings. Have 4 stud “starting pitchers” go through the lineup twice (at most) and then pull them for closer types to get the final 12-15 outs. I’m hoping the Rockies are thinking the same thing and that’s why they’ve built this “super pen.” The Braves have a unique opportunity to develop these young studs, as a baseball fan, I hope they don’t blow it.
I agree, however my thought process is that if you have only Teheran having gone 200+ IP in his career, while McCarthy is coming back from injury and the other starters not totaling more than 154 IP (Folty) there’s gradual room to have some guys improve while not overly relying on them as the get used to the 162-game schedule. Ultimately, I envision guys like Soroka, Gohara, Wright eventually being able to go 200 (Allard, Fried there are questions about they can easily answer).
That’s all good, I like the six man rotation, but that doesn;t solve their problem of great position players which you need to win big. The Braves need at least 3 more top position players. I count more than 6 pitchers that could be moved. Folty, Fried, Newcomb, Anderson, Soroka, Allard,and Wright.
I would like Fried to start in AAA as the “ace” of that staff. Build off the momentum of the AFL and show he can take the next step. Basically I think this is his last chance to be a starter in the bigs before he becomes a Blair/Wisler AAAA pitcher
This is Fried’s last chance? He has 4 starts and 26 IP to his name. Not to mention any momentum he’s built from a dominant AFL performance, for whatever that’s worth.
Wisler has 46 GS and Blair 16 – compared to Fried’s 4, not to mention Fried is 1 year younger and has been stalled by injuries. And all things considered, he looks like he has the highest ceiling of all of them, so I’m hoping there will be different results.
Wouldn’t be surprised to see Blair a bullpen piece, Fried in the rotation at the end of the year, and Wisler as manager of the Bryan HS varsity baseball team very soon (Go Golden Bears!).
An argument could be made that a fragile arm fares worse in a pen. That being said, I agree with everything you have mentioned. I would rather the Braves go the route of more ‘true starts’ in AAA.
I actually think Folty and Sims might be better suited for the pen anyway. Folty is a beast the first few innings, but if anything goes wrong he mentally implodes. That is not what you want in a starter. Sims has the mentality, but after a turn or so through the lineup, opponents seem to be able to gauge him better. To me, neither of those trait sets shout ‘front’ ‘or top three starter. All the other guys have the ability.
I am thinking:
Teheran, Folty, and McCarthy to start, with a SHORT leash on Folty if the other young arms are pitching well by May.
Newcomb and Kazmir to round it out if Kazmir is healthy. Gohara almost certainly first man up, with Fried and Soroka in the minors.
Kazmir and McCarthy are moved or released unless the Braves are in the wild-card hunt, opening spots. Another spot or two would almost certainly open due to injuries.
I really wish the Braves would consider a 6-man. Just get rid of one of the useless bats. I am sorry, but these guys don’t need a game off every week, with built in off-days and such. They should be able to play 150+ easily. Let them take a BP or two off each week if they start to feel slowed down. Freddie can go 155 as long as people quit plunking him. Albies, Swanson, Camargo, and Inciarte are young enough to go 150+. Save the .225 hitting 5th OF and add a starter. It lets the fragile young arms build up innings a little more slowly so they are ready next year.
OR .. do what the Dodgers did last year and come up with injuries to rotate extra arms in and out using the 10-day DL. The whole league knew they were doing it, but no one spoke up. I figure the Braves will do it, get caught, and lose 10 prospects.
Atlanta needs to get with the program. They suck
I mean, they kinda are with the program. They’ve got one of the best farm systems in baseball, and could be a real contender in a year to two.
Prospects can get you fired, but small markets need to be patient until they develop. They will all develop at different speeds.
he must be being sarcastic
the Phils were delusional if they thought they were getting something for Tommy.
some international dollars would have been good enough for some Al team that could use him as part time/platoon 1b/dh type, but thats it- or a warm body to fill a spot in the minors.
I think most braves fans are ready for Teheran to be dealt while he still has some value. And I’m sure most of us don’t really want McCarthy to start. We would rather see the young guys compete this season and see how far they take us. I also have no problem with a 6 man rotation. Less taxing on the young arms and gives the fans more opportunities to see these guys play. Reality is we aren’t competing this year, but we better be next year. Best way to do so is throwing these kids into the fire now as most are ready for the learning curve year.
I’m not, knowing how topsy-turvy he is, and how he improved at home towards the end of the season, Teheran is due to come back down closer to his typical ERA. He’s always defied FIP. When we have someone clamoring for his spot in the rotation & he’s pitched consistently well is the time to trade him. His contract can afford us to be patient, both with him and the maturation of his inevitable replacement.
We’ve seen major development delays in Folty, Newcomb and Swanson, not to mention going backwards or stalling altogether in Blair/Wisler, so I’m not sure the by-fire approach is always the best. They brought Albies up when he was ready – compared to bringing Swanson up when the fans were ready — and look at the results so far.
If I’m not mistaken, Swanson was a 4 year college players who was suppose to be an already advanced hitter and defender. I wouldn’t say his development has stalled but I think the rush was to put someone on the field with the new stadium. I expect a good season this year, nothing spectacular but good.
As for Folty, I still 100% believe he’s our best pitcher and will prove it this year. His development has come along slow but the kid has shown us what he can do. I think he is going to put it together this year. Newk is what we have known him to be. A hard throwing lefty with some command issue. Nothing has ever changed, I think it’s one more season as a starter than likely in the pen next year. Julio is Julio. Expect a. good season this year with little run support and about an one run difference in ERA and FIP.
Swanson only had 14 AB as a freshman and played 70+ games/season his 2nd and 3rd-final year. His college AB totaled 579, which is roughly a full season worth – and that was with an aluminum bat. He had 494 AB that topped out at AA ball before reaching the majors during which he put up pedestrian numbers.
“New York has been primarily linked to second basemen in trade and free agent rumors”
The Mets free-agent/trade rumor mill: Frazier, Harrison, Moustakas. To a lesser extent Walker. This doesn’t jive with the above statement.
Have you been paying attention this offseason?Harrison, Kipnis, Kinsler have been talked bandied about much more than Frazier & Moose. Had a deal for Kipnis, owners nixed it. Kinsler vetoed trade. They’ve discussed Nimmo for Harrison. Right or wrong, 2b is clearly the direction they want to go (presumably just in case Wright can actually play).
Hi TomG—let me explain what is going on. The rumor mill that you referred to has been perpetuated by Jeff Wilpon. It’s the only way that the Mets get good press and he hopes that enough fans are suckers and buy tickets on false expectations.
The reality is that the Mets are using recycled over the hill players to partially plug their leaky infield.
Wilpon is hoping Tebow can play 2nd.
I recently read that the reason Darvish has not signed is because he wants to go back to LA but they are insistent on getting under the luxury tax this year but are trying to move salary to make it happen. If that is the case I want the Braves to take a couple more salaries off their hands but with a prospect coming back. Salaries with the potential to at least produce enough to move at the deadline this time.
If that’s the case, could they not backload his deal and still stay under?
luxury tax is based off AVV so no
If the Royals are still looking to unload payroll, the Phillies make good trade partners. Joseph could be a part of a trade in a Royals deal, either as a 1B or DH. All “projections” still have him as a 30 HR – 90+ RBI guy playing w/ 600+ PA’s. He’s cheap and controllable – something the Royals want.
Duffy and either Kennendy or Hammel for Joseph, Jake Thompson, Zach Eflin and Williams.
or they could wait for him to be DFA’d
They’d be waiting until 2019 because Joseph still has an option left.
Klentak isn’t any Howie Roseman
How would we know? He doesn’t do anything. He hasn’t made a trade for a Major Leaguer in over two years and the minor leaguers he traded for are org filler. Holding onto Joseph when he has no spot for him is what he’s done with the whole roster.
He has 3 big league catchers. He has 13 starting pitchers for AAA and the Majors and another 14 at high A and AA. He has 4 starting outfielders for 3 spots and his best position prospect blocked by a really good player.
I’ve heard people say that he doesn’t have to trade any of those players now, but better to trade them before you have to. When you have to you don’t get much of anything, as they found out with Jeremy Hellickson. .
I see Newcomb and Gohara winning the 4th and 5th spot for the braves, and fried will be in the bullpen or AAA. Soroka and Sims will most likely be in AAA to start and be candidates to come up late next year. I think Kazmir will be put on the DL or released.
Gohara has the best stuff, and Fried has the best curve, I think they are starters at some point this season.