As Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reported last night, Hanley Ramirez is going through release waivers at the moment, which makes it likely that he’ll clear and become a free agent tomorrow afternoon. Red Sox skipper Alex Cora appeared on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM this week to discuss the team’s decision to cut ties with Ramirez in one of the highest-profile DFAs in recent memory (Twitter link, with audio). Per Cora, the decision came down to one of roster flexibility and a desire to get Mitch Moreland’s left-handed bat and superior glove into the lineup with more regularity.
“We’ve been talking about when Pedroia comes back since February,” said the Red Sox’ skipper. “We had different scenarios, different options, and at the end, I talked about being flexible as far as versatility — being able to maneuver the last part of the game with pinch-hitters, pinch-runners, defensive replacements and being able to match up with the opposition. It’s nothing against the player, because Hanley is a good player. He was going through a slump. That’s part of it. Everybody goes through it. … I did feel as an organization, our roster was going to be a little bit tight with him not playing every day.”
More from Boston and from the division…
- Bradford spoke with setup man Joe Kelly about the manner in which the right-hander has now fully embraced his role as a reliever. Kelly wasn’t exactly keen on the idea of moving to the bullpen earlier in his career and had preferred to remain in the rotation, but he’s thriving in and enjoying his role as a late-inning weapon for the Red Sox. Kelly, a free agent at season’s end, said he wouldn’t reject the idea if a club approached him about returning to the rotation this offseason, but it doesn’t sound as if that’ll be a priority for him, either. “I like the job I’m in right now,” he said. “I kind of like the thrill, the adrenaline rush.” Kelly and Bradford also discuss the different mindsets that come with pitching in different roles, his move from the outfield to the mound during his amateur days, and his stress-free approach to his impending free agency in a candid interview that’s well worth a full read.
- Buster Olney and Keith Law of ESPN discussed the timeline for Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s promotion in the latest Baseball Tonight podcast (audio link, with Guerrero talk beginning around the 7:30 mark). The pair agrees that Guerrero Jr. should be in Triple-A already and should be called up this summer, despite the fact that some execs with other teams have opined to Olney that the Blue Jays would be ill-advised to lose the year of service time they could gain by delaying his promotion until early 2019. Olney and Law discuss Guerrero Jr.’s defensive and offensive development as well as the marketing opportunities the Jays would have in both 2018 and 2019 by promoting him to the big leagues.
- For all the speculation surrounding the Yankees and Cole Hamels, Joel Sherman of the New York Post argues that J.A. Happ should be every bit as much on New York’s radar this summer — if not more. Happ, unlike Hamels, doesn’t have a no-trade clause that includes the Yankees, and he’s also earning a more reasonable $12MM this season that aligns with the team’s luxury tax goals. Moreover, though, Sherman notes that Happ simply isn’t separated by Hamels in terms of talent as much as the pair’s reputation would suggest. The 36-year-old reinvented himself following a 2015 trade to the Pirates, and he’s posted better numbers in recent years (and again in 2018) than Hamels. The general thinking extends well beyond the Yankees, of course. If the Blue Jays decide to make Happ available to other teams this July, the southpaw would be one of their most attractive rental chips and would fit on virtually any contender looking to bolster its rotation.
I hope the Jays brass are smart business people. Call up Vlad Jr in 2019. If they call him up in the lost season of 2018 and lose a year in control, they all deserve to be fired.
Willie Calhoun is an example why you don’t do that? while I agree waiting a bit longer makes sense, waiting till 2019 makes 0 sense. young players can only get discouraged by this not elevated
He’s 19. He’ll be fine.
I have to disagree with ya Jimmer. IF Vlad is called up to AAA and tears it up he should get his feet wet in the majors after the deadline. However, if he’s just ok in AAA then I have no problem waiting until 2019.
Vlad should already be in AAA. I guess he and his .417 batting average still has something to prove in AA.
Is AAA really that much more challenging than AA these days? I think the Jays must feel that the best development staff is working at AA, and that Vlad is best suited playing on an excellent team with players he knows well. AAA Buffalo is having a decent season too, but the roster turns over frequently with the big leagues and the team has a lot of older former big leaguers. AA seems to be where it’s at for 20-22 year old developing talents.
I agree, double A is the most challenging league IMO. Triple A would of course give him a different kinda challenge, like u said former major leaguers and experienced players, so it still makes sense.
You’ll never hear about the players who perform at every level except AAA because they usually don’t make the big leagues. They exist. Why keep a dude hitting .417 in AA. Give him a brand new challenge in AAA and watch him start at .000. It’s good to give a future stud a new test before the big leagues.
Delaying a promotion by 2-3 weeks to gain an extra year of control is common sense. Delaying it by 10 months for no other reason that to gain an extra year of control is idiotic.
That said, Vlad needs to be challenged. Complacency creates bad habits. The longer you keep him at a level he so easily dominates, the harder it will be for him to adjust when things are actually difficult for him. Push him to Triple A, and provide him a challenge. If he struggles, see how he responds. If he clearly dominates that level for 1-2 months, then they have to call him up to the bigs.
Vlad’s first step has to be AAA. There is a huge difference between AAA and AA. It is the pitching. In AA, Vlad may see an eleite pitcher once per week. In AAA he can see major leaguer depth evey time out. It is a huge step from AA to AAA. IN AAA he will regularly see MLB off-speed. There is not much MLB level offspeed in AA.
A bigger step though if from AAA to MLB obviously. The pitching we are used to seeing on TV is elite comapred to AAA. The biggest step in any hitters minor league development is from AAA to the big leagues.
As far as Vlad`s service time goes, this is a business not a charity and most MLB teams don`t give a hoot about a player staying in the minors to get an extra year of control. It has been done many times before even to stars. The Jays need to do that regardless of how much time he is there for, Hurt feelings are non existent and irrelevant.
Atkins was interviewed and basically said Vlad’s not going anywhere. He’s staying in AA. His reasoning had nothing to do with defense either. Total bogus rationale and a waste of time keeping him there. Coddling and protecting Vlad is the wrong move, in my opinion.
He should be in AAA. If he mashes there as well, then he should be called up. All this nonsense about a year of control. You make it sound like they are not able to sign him long term before that point. Most teams lock up their young players. Look at Springer in Houston. Just non-sense.
No it is not nonsense to take into account an extra year of control. All teams do that.. It depends on his agent. For example if Vlad Jr is a Boras cleint, there is no locking up, it is always free agency. Other agents are like that too.
Cole Hamels or J.A. Happ…well hell Joel Sherman thinks it should probably be Happ to the Yanks.
Two problems with that.
1-It’s Joel Sherman reporting this.
2-It’s Joel Sherman reporting this.
Ervin Santana and his $11M salary was the Yankees best bet if he rehabbed, but he was just pushed back.
More pitchers will become available in the next 4-6 weeks. It’s only May 31, and numerous teams will be looking for another starter. Looks like the Yankees may well need two….unless Rothschild does miracles with AJ Cole.
AJ Cole is in the pen so why would the Yankees need to get two SP just because Cole isnt that good?
Happ is cheaper, better, a rental, has ALE success, and can’t block a trade. Why wouldn’t he make more sense?
The only thing I could not see making sense if a Happ to Yankees trade is the Yankees may not want to part with the prospects it would take to get app to a division rival. That’s if somebody like a Clint Frazier is reasonable for one of the best available at the deadline.
Right on Boatman but also anyone they trade to the BlueJays they’ll have to face 18 times a year if they in fact pan out.
Worst case scenario is that the guys traded save their A games for the series they play against the Yankees.
Would you want to face Yankee prospects/talent 18 times a year…..that’s pretty good incentive not to trade within the division as well as Happ is more than likely a rental after this season. The Yankees got rid of their STUPID HAT a couple of years ago and don’t do that kind of stuff any longer.
Any acquisition will have to come out of the division and for prospects/talent deemed to be tradeable for the chance to exceed in the playoffs and get to the World Series!
Yeh, Great Joel….make a trade with the Jays who will want a high end payback of prospects/talent to make this trade…..with a team that just happens to be in their own division.
Just what we need……Yankee prospects lining up against the team that traded them 18 times a year…..I guess Sherman thinks this would give him endless news article content to torment the Yankees with for years to come!
What an ass.
A Mets apologist ass at that!
Joel seems to forget that the Jays are in the same division as the Yanks! Maybe if they give up Judge and their #1 prospect, Atkins will consider it!
The Red Sox have really taken off once Rameriz was removed.
I watched him mess up playing 1B that was a big reason for 2 Yankee wins over the Red Sox earlier in the year. Of course the sexy analytics didn’t show it, but one only had to watch the games. Moreland could hit .150 and he would be more valuable to the Red Sox then Rameriz hitting .300 in regards to the team winning games. Moreland is a big reason for the Red Sox success this year. Heaven knows he saved that infield of Devers, Bogaerts, and Nunez on a daily basis. Haven’t seen Pedroia enough to see if he has an D left.
I think the analytics have shown Moreland is a substantially better fielder than Hanley. They’ve also showed he’s been a better hitter. So the vailed shot at analytics failed.
Ben Cherignton, is that you?
LOL
I might be the first commentator on this site to point out the value Moreland has due to his defense, and to the negative effect Hanley had on the teams winning due to his horrendous defensive play at 1B. All I read on here were his offensive statistics. Where were all you people to discuss his defense and its effect?
The problem with “sexy analytics” for position players is that they’re always overbalanced regarding offensive stats. When defense is mentioned, it’s almost a throwaway line. Branch Rickey understood the importance of a quality defensive 1B. Those beholden to analytics see a 1B as having to hit a lot of HR’s and drive in a lot of runs…..even though they then tell you that RBI really don’t mean anything because a batter is going to do what he is going to do no matter who is pitching or what the game situation is.
When analytic experts assure me that Carlos Santana is a very good 1B but that Eric Hosmer’s D is overrated, well, after 60 years of playing, coaching, and watching MLB I wonder if these are the same geniuses that figured that a tax cut would result in less revenues for the government. Analytics are nice to supplement research. But they are meaningless if the people using them do not understand the discipline. Baseball. Medicine. Business. Whatever.
Go back to your cave please and thank you
Agreed Moreland is the far superior defender. Hanley looked like he didn’t even reach balls it always seemed to be close at 1st base when Hanley caught a routine throw. Having Moreland in as the first baseman makes all the fielders better they don’t have to worry about every throw to first.
Hanley’s never been a great defender. Now that he doesn’t rake like he did 8-10 years ago he’s become expendable. Red Sox have also proven they are ok with eating salary. They want to win and they are willing to spend a ton to do it.
The “sexy analytics” show Moreland as a far superior player. The Red Sox front office is pretty savvy.
Happ>Hamels
Happ career ERA+: 104
Hamels: 124
So no.
No one would contend that Happ has had a better career than Hamels. As you just suggested, it’s a measurably false assertion. However, at this stage of their careers, and considering recent performance, Happ may very well be the better pitcher at this moment. Age is rusting Hamels but has only seasoned Happ.
Happs best years are happening now. Jamel’s best years happened 4 plus years ago.
Career stats are way too deceiving when comparing these two
jesus christ….
yeah, i’m talking about for their entire careers, dummy
The difference in luxury tax impact between Hamels and Happ is only about $7M ($5M, if they wait until the trade deadline). Nowhere near enough to influence the Yankees’ decision. They can afford either.
And since Hamels is better, he should be the priority.
Isn’t Hamels younger also?
The difference in luxury tax is $12 million and will be the same all season. Signing hamels would put the yankees over the luxury tax threshhold, happ would leave them just under it. Also, at the beginning of the season happ is only owed $12 million, whereas hamels is owed $30 million
Hamels isn’t better
he’s posted better numbers in recent years (and again in 2018) than Hamels
————————
That’s not true. Last three years, they have a similar ERA+. This year, Hamels’ is significantly better.
Maybe Sherman is looking at numbers that aren’t park adjusted…which is pointless. We’ve seen it time and time again what happens when the Yankees bring in a low ERA guy from a team with a more pitcher friendly park. And sure, the impact wouldn’t be as significant with Happ, because he’s been pitching in the AL East. But Hamels is the better option both numbers’ wise, and because he performs under pressure. We don’t know how Happ will react to NY.
Hamels is definitely the better pitcher. But both Hamels (Texas) and Happ (Toronto) already play their home games in launching pads so the park adjusted argument is moot. As for handling big city pressure, they both began their careers, and won World Series rings with the Phillies. I don’t think pressure will be an issue.
We can make a case for both guys, but in the end the Yanks may want to deal with Texas rather than Toronto because of the Jays are a division rival. I may be wrong. Both guys have the ability to get hot and help whichever team obtains them.
I bet the Mets or Rockies are interested.
I thought the comment likely to go through waivers was funny. Did anyone for even a second thought somebody would be dumb enough to pick up that huge contract? Nobody is going to pay him any more than minimum wage and will be sure he doesn’t get the at bats for a option.
No team in the Majors is that desperate. Wait a day and hope he’s still available in your team’s pecking order slot. CWS have the worst record in MLB at the moment followed by BAL, CIN, KC, MIA, and MIN. White Sox and KC are a distinct possibilities given their need at DH. MIA may want him for 1B if they intend to trade Bour.
Happy or Hamels. What are we,the Mets?