Mychal Givens’ bottom-line numbers may have taken a step back in 2018, but the right-hander finished the season strong for the Orioles and will again be a possible trade chip this offseason, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. The front office tabbed Givens as nearly untouchable in trade talks this past summer under general manager Dan Duquette, but it’s not clear how the new Orioles’ top baseball ops decision-maker will perceive Givens’ availability. The 28-year-old Givens, controlled through 2021, averaged 95.1 mph on his heater, 9.3 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 76 2/3 innings this season en route to a 3.99 ERA. Relief help figures to be as in-demand as ever this offseason as teams continue to more aggressively deploy relievers and shy away from starters facing opposing lineups for a third time.
More out of the American League…
- Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun chats with rookie center fielder Cedric Mullins about being the first of the Orioles’ hopeful next wave of core pieces to arrive on the big league scene in 2018. Mullins, who turned 24 last week, enjoyed a strong season between Double-A and Triple-A before debuting with the O’s in August and hitting .235/.312/.359 in 191 plate appearances down the stretch. Considered by the Orioles as a potential long-term piece in the outfield, Mullins and Meoli discussed the young outfielder’s opportunity to emerge as a leader of the next wave of O’s talent and the type of speed-based offense he and Jonathan Villar can bring to the lineup. The O’s ranked last in the Majors in stolen bases each season from 2014-17, swiping a stunningly low 19 bases in 2017. Mullins, meanwhile, has a 30-steal season under his belt in the minors (2016) and stole 23 bases across three levels in 2018.
- Tigers skipper Ron Gardenhire had his share of frustration regarding fundamental miscues in September, and he spoke to Evan Woodbery of MLive.com about the need to have players better prepared for the Majors upon arrival. Woodbery notes that a number of players specifically cited by Gardenhire — rookie infielders Dawel Lugo and Jeimer Candelario among them — were trade acquisitions and haven’t spent the bulk of their career in the Tigers farm. That said, Gardenhire made clear how strongly he, GM Al Avila and farm director Dave Littlefield feel about ingraining fundamentals into players at an early age. “That’s really important to make sure our people in the lower minor leagues are on top of this, our staff guys,” said Gardenhire. “Littlefield gets it. He knows it. Al has talked about it. Our people have to be better in the minor leagues. They have to pound it in or we’re going to find new people. He’s told me that. He’s made that clear.” Everything from running out ground-balls to hitting the cutoff man to proper execution on double plays will be a point of focus, per Gardenhire, who is quoted extensively in a piece that’s well worth a full look for Tigers fans.
- While some Athletics fans were hoping for a look at top pitching prospect Jesus Luardo late in the season, especially amid significant rotation injuries, the 21-year-old was kept in the minors as he worked a heavy slate of innings in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery. General manager David Forst, though, expects Luzardo to be in the mix for a spot next season once he has a full winter of rest under his belt (link via Ben Ross of NBC Sports Bay Area). “I think Jesús is going to come into Spring Training and be a factor,” said Forst. “…He’s probably one of, if not the top left-handed pitching prospect in the game. So I expect he’ll come into Spring Training and be a factor for us.” Luzardo, who only turned 21 on Sept. 30, worked to a 2.88 ERA across three levels this season, though that mark was skewed a bit by four ugly starts in Triple-A late in the season that saw him yield 13 runs in 16 innings. The lefty blitzed through Class-A Advanced and Double-A despite facing much older competition and, even if he doesn’t make the team next spring, looks ticketed for Triple-A to open the year, making him a very plausible option to come up in the first half of the 2018 campaign.
Everyone always hoping to see Jesus
So next season will be his second coming since TJS
He would have come up this year if it had been his second pro season since TJS.
I’d like ATL to take a chance on Givens, Viz is only getting more expensive (and more injury prone) and the bullpen altogether needs some help. I wonder if Dave Trembley would put in a good word to AA.
What might ATL offer?
Looks like we got an ALCS rematch boys!
Sexist
That may be a bit premature… the Astros are in but I don’t think anything’s been decided between Boston and New York yet…
Maybe not decided but a message was sent tonight.
Luzardo will have a spot guarenteed next year. So much talent in that arm. Going to be a special left hander for a long time.
Only thing that will hurt him is the service time b.s. If Oakland runs that way, I understand though.
Oakland’s never seemed to really play the service time game, they tend to call up people if/when they deserve it
No reason to manipulate service time when our window is now apparently. If he proves he can start the season in the majors he will start season in the majors. The only reason we held Chapman back was because his bat wasn’t ready.
If Oakland are serious about contending, they need to put him in as early as possible. In all the games I’ve seen from him this year he just looks like a MLB guy at AAA right now, even if his numbers weren’t like outstanding, the stuff definitely was though. Can’t wait to see him up.
Only if AJ Puk didn’t get hurt the A’s would have their Ace against the yanks. Instead a bullpen game that under performed.
That’s a little bit of a reach. The man hasn’t even pitched 100 innings in AA. Puk could’ve been shutdown or ineffective by now.
He mowed down players in spring training with a 90mph average fastball and blown UCL. He was slated to start his season in Triple A, and it was likely he’d have been in our rotation at some point this season.
Well if no one got injured the A’s wouldve seen puk, cotton, manaea graveman, gosett, Blackburn, holmes. All were at AA level and above and all got injured in 2018. Also they probably don’t even trade Logan shore for fiers if every ithwe rotation pitchwr was healthy
Asking any of those guys to give you more than what you got out of the group you pieces together is difficult. Maybe puk couldve done it but those guys weren’t going to come in and give you a rotation you could go toe to toe with the big guys just yet. And puk only tossed 10.2 innings this spring. They were pretty good innings but it’s spring training and you know it’s 10 innings. I don’t doubt he’ll be a frontline starter one day, but it’s not really fair to assume that day was now. A’s were ahead of schedule this year. Future certainly looks bright.
Puk was one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball. He would have made a big difference if he was healthy.
They don’t worry about service time because they usually destroy their arms long before they hit free agency.
The Tiger farm system isn’t known for emphasizing fundamentals. I’m glad to hear they’re paying attention to them now.
Now a top-ten farm. Only goin’ get better.
As a Pirates fan, anyone saying that David Littlefield gets it makes it seem that something terrible is going on.
You would think the tigers would focus on developing their young players considering that’s what they are banking their future on. No more depending on free agents to fill the positions. Not surprising though… they have never done much on developing major league talent. Castellanos is their only recent draft to majors star and he has bounced from position to position. JV was great…. imagine if how good he could have been had some coaching.
*ahem* Jeimer was not a rookie last year.
Didn’t he graduate at some point last year? He didn’t play enough in 2017 I don’t think to not be a rookie in 2018.