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Poll: Berkman or Hawpe?

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Owners of the two best records in baseball, both the Yankees and Rays aimed to acquire a bat for the season's stretch run as they battle for the AL East crown. The Yanks got their man at the trade deadline, acquiring Lance Berkman from the Astros for a pair of minor leaguers and cash. The Rays waited a little longer, grabbing Brad Hawpe off the scrap heap after the Rockies released him. Both players have slotted in as their team's primary designated hitter against righthanded pitching.

Since the trade, Berkman has hit .239/.314/.348 in 51 plate appearances while spending some time on the disabled list with an ankle injury. Hawpe has come to the plate just four times with Tampa since being recalled on September 1st, and has struck out all four times. Clearly, both players are capable of much better than what they've shown with their new teams so far, which brings us to today's poll question.

Who will perform better down the stretch: Berkman or Hawpe?

Click here to participate in the poll, and here to see the results.

Discussion: Adrian Beltre

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Last month, MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith examined some potential suitors for Adrian Beltre's services this offseason.  The 31-year-old should have no shortage of opportunities coming his way this winter after his resurgent 2010 campaign in Boston.  It seemed unlikely before this season that the former Dodger and Mariner would reach the necessary 640 plate appearances to activate a $10MM player option for 2011, writes Daniel Barbarisi of The Providence Journal, but with a month to go and just over 100 plate appearances needed, it now seems probable.

Many people in the baseball world, including Buster Olney of ESPN (via Twitter), believe that the Scott Boras client will decline the player option without much thought.   After all, Beltre could land a three- or four-year deal on the open market this winter.  Our own Tim Dierkes writes that the veteran may start the bidding at about $50MM over four years.

Will the third baseman rake in more than $10MM per season on a multi-year deal?

Click here to take the poll, and here to view the results.

Poll: Strasburg Or Chapman

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Aroldis Chapman threw 104 mph tonight in his second – and second dominant – big league appearance. The Cuban lefty struck out 12 batters per nine at Triple A in his pro debut this year and when the Reds promoted him, Chapmania ensued.

It wasn't long ago that Stephen Strasburg was the hard-throwing prospect making headlines and overpowering big leaguers. The Nationals right-hander famously struck out 14 in his major league debut en route to a 2.91 ERA with 12.2 K/9 as a rookie. But Strasburg's season ended early; he'll undergo Tommy John surgery this week and will likely miss the entire 2011 season. 

Like Chapman, Strasburg is under control through 2016, but neither pitcher will come cheap. Taking into account Strasburg's injury and Chapman's control issues, let's ask a difficult question:

Would you rather have Stephen Strasburg or Aroldis Chapman going forward?

Click here to take the survey and here to view the results.

Manny Ramirez Claim Reactions

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The move that sent Manny Ramirez to Chicago wasn't as dramatic as the one that sent him to L.A., but it's still one of the biggest transactions of the summer. Two years ago, we had many teams bidding on Manny and Jason Bay heading to Boston. This year, the Dodgers could only negotiate with the White Sox and no players headed back to L.A., but Manny can still hit at an elite level, so baseball players and writers are buzzing about him:

  • ESPN.com's Keith Law says Ramirez is a definite upgrade for the White Sox, even though his stat line may be inflated since "he's done a lot of his damage this year against pitchers with fringe-average fastballs."
  • Multiple White Sox told MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince that they were pleased to see that Manny will be joining the team.
  • ESPN.com's Jayson Stark says Ramirez's difficult personality is "a gift he just keeps on giving."
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out that Ramirez had no choice but to waive his no-trade clause. The 38-year-old has a much better chance of restoring his free agent value in Chicago.
  • Dave Cameron of FanGraphs believes the White Sox made a "bold, intelligent" decision.
  • Click here to read Kenny Williams' thoughts on the claim.
  • It's time to hear your reaction: did the White Sox make the right decision? Click here to take the survey and here to view the results.

Poll: The Blue Jays’ Bullpen

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The Blue Jays made most of their relief pitchers available before the trade deadline, but no team stepped forward to meet their asking price for Scott Downs, Kevin Gregg, Jason Frasor, and/or Shawn Camp. There was plenty of interest in each, but nothing came of it. 

Yesterday we learned that all four were claimed off trade waivers by unknown teams (or perhaps it was just one team), but we don't know how sincere GM Alex Anthopoulos is about moving his top late game relievers. With Frasor and Downs scheduled to become a free agents after the season, it's possible he'll look to move them for prospects now rather than gamble on compensation draft picks later (both project to be Type-A free agents).

Which relievers will the Blue Jays trade?

Click here to take the poll, and here to see the results.

The Dodgers’ Decision

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The Dodgers have a choice to make: trade Manny Ramirez to Chicago, hand him over to the White Sox, or keep him. GM Ned Colletti's decision will impact the pennant race in both leagues, so let's break it down:

The Dodgers' Future

Long-term, the Dodgers would be better off trading Ramirez or handing him over. They could obtain prospects for him or, at the very least, save themselves a significant amount of money. Ramirez hits free agency after the season and he won't see an offer of arbitration, so his time is nearly up in L.A. If the Dodgers don't think they can contend in 2010, there are better ways to spend $4MM.

The Dodgers' Present

The Dodgers are fringe contenders, but aren't in the thick of a pennant race. Baseball Prospectus gives them a 3.5% chance of making the playoffs. The Giants lead the Dodgers by 5.0 games in the Wild Card race, but the Dodgers do have many intra-divisional games coming up. Starting tonight, they'll play nine games against the Rockies, six against the Giants and six against the division-leading Padres. It's not an easy schedule, but the Dodgers could make up ground, in theory.

A hot-hitting Manny Ramirez would give the Dodgers a much better chance of reaching the postseason. When healthy, Manny can hit, as his .313/.407/.513 season line shows, so the Dodgers improve their chances of winning in 2010 if they hold onto Ramirez.

The Decision

By Tuesday afternoon, the Dodgers have to decide whether to trade Ramirez, hand him over or keep him. What would you do? Click here to take the survey and here to see the results, but keep in mind that they might not matter. Manny has a no-trade clause and would have to approve any deal.

Poll: Will A National League Team Claim Ramirez?

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We’ve heard a lot of talk about the White Sox and Manny Ramirez, but for Chicago to have a shot at the unpredictable slugger, half of baseball’s teams have to let him pass through waivers. National League teams have priority for NL players, so the White Sox don’t have any chance of obtaining Ramirez if one of the Dodgers’ NL rivals makes a claim first. 

The White Sox are presumably hoping that doesn’t happen, but it's not a foregone conclusion that every National League team will pass on Ramirez. One baseball person who spoke to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times thinks an NL team will make a claim (Twitter link). 

Any team claiming Ramirez would have to be prepared to take on $4.4MM in salary, but $3.4MM of that total is deferred. For the season, Ramirez has a .306/.396/.497 line, though he has struggled since returning from the disabled list.

Will a National League team claim Manny Ramirez?

Click here to take the survey and here to view the results.

Johnny Damon Says He Will Stay In Detroit

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3:20pm: Damon says he's "not going," according to MLB.com's Jason Beck.

2:45pm: Damon spoke to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe on his way to the ballpark today, saying he's still leaning toward staying with the Tigers.  However, he would change his mind if the Tigers tell him they plan to reduce his playing time in favor of younger players.

9:05am: Johnny Damon, the Red Sox, and Tigers have until 1:30pm eastern time on Wednesday to decide whether Damon will rejoin his old team, reports WEEI's Alex Speier.  The two clubs would have to reach an agreement, and Damon would have to approve it.

Damon was ready to go to the Yankees or Rays, reports Tom Gage of the Detroit News, but the Red Sox had first dibs.  MLB Network's Peter Gammons tweets that the Tigers explained to Damon that the Red Sox claimed Damon because they want him, not as a blocking move.  Gammons says the Rays did not even make a claim.  Damon told reporters last night he's "definitely leaning" toward staying in Detroit, as he'd like to help young Tigers players develop and wants to return in 2011.  He left the door open on his decision, as he needs to talk to GM Dave Dombrowski about what would be in the team's best long-term interest.

I think Damon will approve the trade or claim, if the teams can reach an agreement.  It can't be measured, but Damon might agree that an extra $1.8MM is better for the Tigers' future than one month of his mentoring.  I agree with ESPN's Buster Olney that Damon will be mostly embraced by Red Sox fans.  Finally, Damon is a competitive player and Boston's 21% chance of reaching the playoffs sure beats Detroit's 0.36% shot.

Let's hear your prediction: will Damon accept a trade to Boston?  Click here to make your pick and here to see the results of the poll.

Poll: Austin Kearns’ Future

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Over at River Ave. Blues, contributor Steve H wonders if the Yankees will retain Austin Kearns in 2011.  Has Kearns, he asked, done enough to warrant a large raise or a chance to hook on somewhere as a starter?  If the answer to one of those questions is "yes" (particularly the first question), then the odds of him playing elsewhere next season increase.

The slugger has certainly impressed so far in New York, hitting .351/.415/.514 with 1 home run in 13 games.  When combined with his time in Cleveland, his slash line reads .281/.360/.429 with nine homers in 97 games.  Those numbers aren't too shabby for a guy making $750K this season.  In fact, using his Wins Above Replacement metric, Fangraphs estimates that he would make $6.2MM in free agency with his play this year.  No one would make the case for Kearns to command that kind of money on the open market this year, but the point remains that he has produced more than your average sub-$1MM player.

So, the question is..

Will Austin Kearns re-sign with the Yankees or go elsewhere?

Click here to take the survey and here to view the results.

Poll: Adam LaRoche’s Future

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Adam LaRoche has cleared waivers and could still be traded in the next ten days, but he reportedly isn't drawing much interest. The lack of interest is a bit of a surprise, since LaRoche's numbers are in line with his career norms, and he's traditionally a very strong player after the All-Star break. For his career, his .910 second-half OPS dwarfs his .776 first-half figure.

With LaRoche seemingly unlikely to be moved, the Diamondbacks have had preliminary discussions about extending his contract. The 30-year-old signed a one-year deal with a $7.5MM mutual option ($1.5MM buyout) for 2011. The two sides may just decide to exercise the option, but if LaRoche wants longer-term security, he could sign an extension with the D'Backs or turn down the option (forfeiting the buyout) in search of a multi-year deal elsewhere.

What does Adam LaRoche's future hold?

Click here to take the survey and here to view the results.

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