Results tagged ‘ Orioles ’
Iannetta on DL; Hester takes his place on roster
The Angels, as expected, called up catcher John Hester to take Chris Iannetta‘s place on the roster. Iannetta was set to undergo wrist surgery on Friday, which is expected to put him out 6-8 weeks, and was placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Angels.
With Iannetta out, it’ll be backup Bobby Wilson doing most of the catching, with Hester serving as his backup. The Angels, a source said, aren’t actively seeking outside catching help and will go with internal options for now.
Hester, signed to a Minor League deal in late April, played in 53 Major League games with the Diamondbacks from 2009-10, putting up a .220/.294/.366 slash line.
The 28-year-old right-handed hitter spent 2011 with the Triple-A affiliates of the D-backs and Orioles, batting .252 with six homers and 30 RBIs in 92 games. This year, he was batting .266 with two homers and six RBIs in 18 games for the Triple-A affiliates of the O’s and Angels (eight of his games came for the Angels’ Triple-A Salt Lake Bees).
Young catcher Hank Conger was not an option to be called up because he’s still on the disabled list with a right elbow injury. Conger, 24, is in the early stages of his throwing program and isn’t expected to return to action for a couple of weeks. He last played April 21.
– Alden
Game 31: Angels-Twins …
It didn’t look very promising earlier, but the skies have opened up, the rain is gone and the field is dry. Looks like we’ll get this game in no problem (fingers crossed) …
Angels (13-17)
Mike Trout, CF
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Albert Pujols, 1B
Torii Hunter, RF
Mark Trumbo, DH
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Vernon Wells, LF
Erick Aybar, SS
Chris Iannetta, C
Pitching: RH Dan Haren (1-2, 3.43 ERA)
Twins (7-21)
Erik Komatsu, CF
Brian Dozier, SS
Joe Mauer, 1B
Josh Willingham, LF
Ryan Doumit, DH
Danny Valencia, 3B
Trevor Plouffe, RF
Drew Butera, C
Jamey Carroll, 2B
Pitching: LH Scott Diamond
Some pregame notes …
- Scott Downs says he feels “very lucky,” after finding out that he only has a bruise in the back of his left knee and won’t have to go on the disabled list. Mike Scioscia said he could be available — as his closer — today or tomorrow. Huge sigh of relief for a bullpen that came in with the second-highest ERA in baseball.
- The rotation for the Texas series is official, with C.J. Wilson getting the start in the opener on Friday, opposite Yu Darvish — the man the Rangers essentially chose to spend their money on instead. The staff had been throwing so well collectively (2.26 ERA in the last 17 games) that he didn’t want to change anything. Jerome Williams and Jered Weaver will follow.
- Jered Weaver got his wish. He got to do David Letterman‘s Top 10 today. He was up here near the press box for about 30 minutes taping it. The subject was: “Top 10 Signs You’ll Never Throw A No-Hitter.” No. 1 was supposed to be: Because you play for the New York Mets.” But they changed it. For a sneak peek, click here.
- Kendrys Morales is fine health-wise, by the way. Not in the lineup for a second straight day due to back-to-back opposing lefty starters. I’ll have more on that later.
Some Angels links from Monday …
- Not as easy as the first time, but Weaver still stymies the Twins
- LaTroy Hawkins placed on DL; Downs still recovering
- Jordan Walden, Ernesto Frieri to close until Downs returns
- Angels announce Honorary Bat Girl
- Haren ready to face the Twins
Some AL West links …
- Rangers thump O’s in meeting of AL’s best
- Mariners shock Tigers for third straight win
And the Heat are kicking themselves for not closing out the Knicks in four. They should.
-- Alden
Can unfamiliarity be (at least part of) the problem? …
Many have tried to scrutinize, analyze and make some sense for why Albert Pujols is batting only .232, is homerless in his first 69 bats of a $240 million contract and is now hitless in four consecutive starts. Some have talked about the thick marine layer of Angel Stadium (guilty as charged), others have pointed to Pujols expanding his zone as part of his ever-diminishing walk rate (David Schoenfield did a nice job of that on ESPN.com), some have talked about frustrations and trying to do too much on a new team (hitting coach Mickey Hatcher indicated that to me yesterday) and many others (a lot of them residing in the Angels’ clubhouse) have simply pointed to the randomness of small sample sizes.
Most of that is fair — but none of it offers up a full explanation. Nothing can, really, because nobody — Pujols included — can really put their finger on exactly what is going on right now. All we can do is try to provide as much reasoning as possible.
In tune with that, here’s something else to consider: The inexperience Pujols has had against those he has faced.
Below is a list of the starters Pujols has gone up against through his first 17 games and the amount of plate appearances he had against each of them heading into the year (listed in no particular order) …
- Brandon McCarthy: 0
- David Price: 0
- Jake Arrieta: 0
- Nick Blackburn: 0
- Wei-Yin Chen: 0
- Bartolo Colon: 2
- Luke Hochevar: 3
- Hiroki Kuroda: 15
- Francisco Liriano: 3
- Brian Matusz: 0
- Tommy Milone: 0
- Ivan Nova: 0
- Carl Pavano: 10
- Tyson Ross: 0
- Jonathan Sanchez: 11
- Bruce Chen: 11
- Phil Hughes: 0
So, 10 of the 17 starters he has faced so far have been first-time encounters, and only four — all former National Leaguers — were guys he came in with double-digit plate appearances against.
“I’m a guy that I don’t like to look for an excuse,” Pujols said of facing all the new blood on Tuesday night. “I don’t want to blame the league, that I’m new on the league, or that that I’m struggling. I don’t play like that, and I don’t put excuses. It’s the same game. You come here and do the same homework. Does it help if you’ve faced the guy before? Yeah, of course, but you still have to get the same preparation.
“Yes, it is a new league, but I don’t like to get caught up into that. I don’t like to look at that for an excuse the way I’m swinging or the way I feel at the plate, because to tell you the truth, I feel descent. I mean, I feel good. I’m just not that far away from breaking this thing off.”
OK, so Pujols doesn’t want to make excuses, and he shouldn’t. He’s getting paid a lot of money to produce, and he simply isn’t. That’s the bottom line. But iPad videos and scouting reports can only tell you so much about an opposing pitcher. It’s hard to duplicate the experience of actually seeing what a guy has.
And so far, Pujols hasn’t really had that in his back pocket.
“There’s a slight advantage a pitcher has when there’s no match-ups, just because a hitter hasn’t seen his release point, hasn’t seen maybe the action from a batter’s box,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “But a guy of Albert’s talent usually makes a quick study of these things, and we know he will. We know he will.”
– Alden
Game 5: Angels-Twins …
Angels (2-2)
Erick Aybar, SS
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Albert Pujols, 1B
Kendrys Morales, DH
Torii Hunter, RF
Vernon Wells, LF
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Chris Iannetta, C
Peter Bourjos, CF
SP: RH Jered Weaver (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Twins (0-4)
Denard Span, CF
Jamey Carroll, SS
Joe Mauer, C
Justin Morneau, DH
Josh Willingham, LF
Ryan Doumit, RF
Danny Valencia, 3B
Chris Parmelee, 1B
Alexi Casilla, 2B
SP: RH Carl Pavano (0-1, 5.14 ERA)
Some notes from this morning …
- Tough news for Michael Kohn, who had a couple of setbacks with a right forearm strain and was visiting Dr. James Andrews on Wednesday: He’ll undergo Tommy John surgery; 12-month recovery.
- Jerome Williams is here, after having a solid final rehab outing. Nothing definite yet from Mike Scioscia, but it looks like he’ll get the ball at Yankee Stadium on Sunday if his bullpen session goes well tomorrow.
- No Mark Trumbo at third base today. He’s expected to get the nod Thursday, against lefty Francisco Liriano. Scioscia is riding Callaspo’s good career numbers vs. Pavano (.364 BA, 2 HRs, 8 RBIs in 33 ABs).
Some game notes, courtesy of Angels PR …
- The Angels haven’t been better than 2-2 through the first four games of a season since 2008 (3-1).
- Angels currently hold a .318 BA with 12 doubles, five triples and 10 HRs off Pavano.
- Halos have won six of their last eight vs. Minnesota.
- On this date in club history … Mark Langston and Mike Witt combined for a no-hitter against the Mariners (1990); the Angels collected their first ever victory in their inaugural game, 7-2, in Baltimore (1961). … Poor O’s.
Some links from Monday and Tuesday …
- Mark Trumbo and Third Base: Match made in Heaven?
- C.J. Wilson sharp in debut as Angels top Twins
- Weaver looking to keep Twins winless
- Kohn to get second opinion on forearm by Dr. Andrews
- Ex-Angel Vladimir Guerrero charged for assault in Dominican
- Protecting Pujols a priority for Angels
- Torii honored by Twins in pregame ceremony
- Nick Adenhart still in Weaver’s thoughts
Some AL West links …
- Ian Kinsler, Rangers finalize extension
- Blake Beavan comes up short in duel vs Rangers
- A’s reliever Joey Devine to undergo second Tommy John
And the Heat were outplayed by the Celtics for the second straight time — this time at home.
– Alden
Game 4: Angels – Twins …
Welcome to Minnesota, where the weather is a cool 43 degrees and both offenses are looking to heat up. The Twins, playing their home opener, are coming off a sweep in Baltimore in which they scored just five runs. The Angels, meanwhile, struggled to score early while dropping two of three to the young, exuberant Royals at home, and are coming off a game in which their 4-5-6 hitters went just 1-for-14.
C.J. Wilson — you know, that other free agent who signed on Dec. 8 — will make his Angels debut.
On to the lineups …
Angels (1-2)
Erick Aybar, SS
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Albert Pujols, 1B
Kendrys Morales, DH
Torii Hunter, RF
Bobby Abreu, LF
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Chris Iannetta, C
Peter Bourjos, CF
SP: LH Wilson
Twins (0-3)
Denard Span, CF
Jamey Carroll, SS
Joe Mauer, 1B
Justin Morneau, DH
Josh Willingham, LF
Ryan Doumit, C
Danny Valencia, 3B
Trevor Plouffe, RF
Alexi Casilla, 2B
SP: RH Nick Blackburn
Some notes from this morning …
- Torii Hunter and LaTroy Hawkins will take part in an on-field celebration in which they’ll honor the 2002 Twins team that reached the ALCS — and lost to the Angels team they now play for, ironically enough.
- Morales, of you’ve noticed, has played in four straight days to start the season. He’ll get one game off in this series, and will get extra rest with Tuesday’s off days. But for now, he feels good. “I don’t if we had any real reservations about how much hRe can play,” Mike Scioscia said. “The fact he’s played in four straight is encouraging, and if we didn’t have a day off tomorrow, then we probably would’ve given him a day off one of these last couple of days.”
- More specifically than the 4-5-6 hitters, Vernon Wells (who got a day off partly to rest mentally) is off to a slow start again, going 2-for-13 in the first three games — though he did homer late on Sunday. Scioscia believes he may be putting too much pressure on himself, saying: “There’s no doubt about his passion. He understands how much we need him. There could be some things players do from time to time that are going to overcompensate for some things they’re trying to correct. Vernon needs to get simple, and he understands that.”
- Michael Kohn will be seeking a second opinion on his forearm strain. The right-handed reliever was shut down after a bullpen session, and when he tried to crank it up again and progress to long toss about 10 days ago, he had to shut it down once more. Not good.
Some intriguing numbers …
- The Angels are taking part in the home openers at Target Field and Yankee Stadium.
- Wilson led the AL last year with a 2.31 road ERA.
- Scioscia and Ron Gardenhire are the two most tenured skippers in baseball.
Some links from Sunday …
- Ervin Santana‘s woes, missed chances cost Halos
- Wilson to make Angels debut
- Scioscia not concerned with baserunning
- Morales feeling good
Some AL West links …
- Matt Harrison twirled a shutout and the Rangers went deep to beat the White Sox
- The Mariners’ hitters get to face Yu Darvish today
- A Yoenis Cespedes-led rally fell short for the A’s
Dwyane Wade sat out, but Mike Miller returned and the Heat cruised past the Pistons.
– Alden
Where will the top free agents sign? Here’s a guess …
Two things about the free-agent market this offseason: It sure is thin, and it sure is top heavy. If you’re looking for a lights-out closer, there are many. If you’re looking for a front-line starter, there are little. And if you want a premier slugger, you better be prepared to pay up.
Without further ado, here’s my guess (with emphasis on the word “guess”) at the destination of who I consider to be the top five free agents …
Albert Pujols: Cardinals
The notion that Tony La Russa‘s retirement somehow has some relevance with regards to Pujols’ situation is silly. Pujols is signing a deal that could reach 10 years. And even if La Russa, at 67, did come back, he’d only manage for another, what, two years? Pujols knows this. And this may just be me falling victim to the moment, but I can’t see Pujols signing with a different organization just because he’ll be making a few extra millions. With the Cardinals, Pujols goes to a city where he’s revered, an organization where he basically makes the rules and a team that consistently has a chance to win. The Cardinals’ contract offers may not have been lucrative enough before, but they got some extra money with a World Series run, restructuring Chris Carpenter‘s contract and signing Lance Berkman to a rather bargain deal. Plus, if they make third-base coach (and Pujols’ buddy) Jose Oquendo the manager, their chances of him staying are even greater. It’ll be a long, drama-filled battle. But in the end, I’ve got the Redbirds. … Perhaps it’s just that part of me that wants to believe a star player can stay with one franchise.
Other options: Rangers, Cubs, Giants, Dodgers, Marlins, Blue Jays, Nationals
Prince Fielder: Dodgers
I can’t see Fielder picking his team until Pujols signs first and, thus, sets the market for him. And though Brewers owner Mark Attansio expressed his team would “be in the game” for Fielder, it’s long been considered a foregone conclusion that the 2011 season was Fielder’s last in Milwaukee. The West coast seems to be the logical landing spot for the big vegetarian. It’s a big market, Prince and Matt Kemp are pals, the Dodgers badly want to improve their offense, and general manager Ned Colletti is expected to have $25 million to spend on free agents this offseason. Of course, a lot of this will hinge on how quickly the sale of the Dodgers goes through and who buys them. But if this gets done quickly, and MLB proclaims it will be, the Dodgers and Prince look like a great match.
Other options: Brewers, Rangers, Cubs, Giants, Mariners, Marlins, Blue Jays, Nationals
Jose Reyes: Tigers
The Tigers are right there. They just need to improve their defense and get some sort of consistency out of the top of their order. Hello, Jose Reyes. The Tigers’ biggest deficiency in 2011 was third base, but that can easily be solved by moving the defensively-inept Jhonny Peralta — signed through next year, with a team option for 2013 — over to his more comfortable position of third base and obtaining Reyes, who would allow Austin Jackson and his .317 on-base percentage to move lower in the order. Two things that may stand in the way: GM Dave Dombrowski has said he prefers to keep Peralta at shortstop, and the Tigers already have two players making $20-plus million a year in Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander. But owner Mike Ilitch has shown he’ll do what it takes to build a championship-contending club, and the Tigers may be a Reyes away from that. The Mets will give it a valiant effort, but barring significant payroll-shedding moves, they don’t have the capital to keep up.
Other options: Mets, Marlins, Red Sox, Cardinals (if no Pujols)
C.J. Wilson: Marlins
The Marlins have money to spend, and they keep telling everybody they’re going to be in play for the major free agents. That includes Wilson, who would give Florida something it badly needs headed into its new ballpark: A frontline starting pitcher, particularly a left-hander. The price for Wilson will be high, considering he’s clearly the best of what’s a shallow free-agent pool of starters and plays a position that’s always coveted. Projections have him attaining something in the range of the five-year, $82.5 million deals A.J. Burnett and John Lackey previously signed in free agency. But he may get an ever bigger deal. Regardless, the Marlins want to prioritize the rotation and, for one of the rare times in franchise history, have the means to do it. Wilson would give them a solid No. 2 behind Josh Johnson.
Other options: Rangers, Yankees, Blue Jays, Padres, Nationals, Red Sox, Twins, Orioles, Rockies, Royals
Yu Darvish: Yankees
The Yankees are prioritizing the rotation once again, but reports say they don’t want to go all-in on Wilson. If he’s posted, the Japanese Darvish seems like the perfect answer for general manager Brian Cashman, who continues to put a premium on accumulating young starting pitching (something he showed while refusing to trade his top prospects for Ubaldo Jimenez at the non-waiver Trade Deadline). Darvish will have a much cheaper contract than Wilson because he’s only 25, but because of the posting fee that would come with him — remember, Daisuke Matsuzaka required a $52 million posting fee, and that was five years ago — he won’t be much cheaper. The Yanks will face a lot of competition for Darvish, but when it comes down to dollars, they usually win if they have enough desire. And they definitely desire another rotation piece.
Other options: Rangers, Blue Jays, Nationals, Red Sox, Mariners, Twins, Orioles, Rockies, Royals (and probably a bunch of others)
* Filed this week: The Cardinals will be fine, even without Albert Pujols; a look at the curious free agent case of one C.J. Wilson.
** Photo courtesy of The Associated Press.
– Alden
Now for those UNpleasant surprises …
Earlier this week, I wrote about baseball’s most pleasant surprises of the season. Now I thought I should take a look at the other end of that spectrum; the guys we didn’t expect to have down seasons. Take a step back, and you’ll find there’s a lot of star (or star-ish) players that are having bad years.
Here’s a look at the five of the best (or, worst) …
Not-so-great signings: Jayson Werth — $126 million; .230 batting average, .713 OPS. Adam Dunn — $56 million; .165 batting average, 11 homers. Carl Crawford — $142 million; .290 on-base percentage. All were signed in order to get their respective teams over the hump, all have been nothing besides a hindrance so far. If not for a 33-game, season-saving hitting streak, Dan Uggla would’ve been a part of this group, too. Regardless, the cases of Werth (pictured right by The Associated Press), Dunn and Crawford are all head-scratching, and the most troubling is perhaps the situation of Dunn (an unfathomable 3-for-81 versus lefties).
Still not ready?: That’s probably what we can say about Kyle Drabek and Zach Britton, two young guns we thought would compete for the American League Cy Young Award but have struggled this year. Drabek posted a 5.70 ERA through his first 14 starts, prompting a demotion to the Minor Leagues. Now, he has a 6.51 ERA in 13 Triple-A starts. Britton is 7-9 with a 4.54 ERA, was demoted once and missed about two weeks with a shoulder injury recently.
We thought they were on the rise: But Jason Heyward, Carlos Santana, Pedro Alvarez and Brett Wallace only took steps back this year. Heyward, we thought, was a can’t-miss prospect, and he can of course still be a star. But right now, he’s the definition of “sophomore slump.” He’s been mired by injuries, he’s hitting only .220 with 13 homers, and now he’s been supplanted by a man named Costanza (no, not this one). Wallace won the Astros’ starting first base job with a great spring, but hit just .268 with four homers in 101 games before being sent down. He’s 25 now, and has played for four organizations. Will he ever produce like a first baseman should? Santana, one of baseball’s best young catchers before missing the final two months of last year with a concussion, has 19 homers but is only hitting .241 and can’t even be considered the AL’s best catcher in a year when Joe Mauer is struggling (that title belongs to Alex Avila). And Alvarez not only doesn’t look too adept defensively at the hot corner, but he’s hitting .196 with three homers in 56 games in a struggle- and injury-filled second year.
Stars? Not this year: Hanley Ramirez, Ubaldo Jimenez, Chase Utley and Mauer have all had uncommon struggles. By his lofty standards, Hanley’s 2010 season — .300 batting average, 21 homers, 32 steals — was a down one. This one — .243 batting average, 10 homers and 20 steals through 92 games — is flat-out mystifying. He has caught flak from teammates — particularly Logan Morrison – and now, he’s in Class A Jupiter rehabbing. Mauer missed time with leg weakness, has just one home run in his 70 games this year and has been tried out first base and right field this year. The Twins must obviously consider moving Mauer to a different position so they can keep him on the field, but does his bat play elsewhere? For the last six years, Utley has been one of baseball’s most consistent players and arguably its best second baseman. But knee tendinitis put him on the shelf at the start, and now he sits with just a .278 batting average and nine homers in 78 games. And one year after placing third in National League Cy Young Award voting, Ubaldo has a 4.71 ERA in 26 starts this season. Many felt his head simply wasn’t in it in Colorado after frustrations over his contract situation, but he has a 5.79 ERA in his first five starts in Cleveland (though he did pitch seven innings of one-run ball on Friday night).
The lukewarm corner: So, who’s baseball’s best third baseman this year? Not Ryan Zimmerman; he has a .299 batting average but only nine homers and has been limited to 72 games. Not Alex Rodriguez; he has solid numbers for anyone else (.292 batting average and 14 homers) but was set back by a recent stint to the disabled list. Not David Wright; he missed almost 60 games with a back injury. Not Evan Longoria; he’s hitting just .237 after also missing time with injury. Nope, it’s none of those guys. Baseball’s best third baseman this year is … Aramis Ramirez, owner of a .311 batting average, 24 homers and 83 RBIs.
Honorable mentions: Ichiro Suzuki (.331 batting average and 224 hits per season in his first 10 years. This year? Career-low .273 batting average and .313 on-base percentage). … Rafael Soriano (Given $35 million to be a setup man; now has a 4.94 ERA as a middle reliever). … Shin-Soo Choo (One of baseball’s best-kept secrets while hitting .302 with 56 homers and 47 steals from 2008-10. This year, he’s hitting just .261 with eight homers in 83 games).
– Alden
* Also filed this week: Aces’ contract decisions deliver parity.
A week of moves — and non-moves
At 2 p.m. ET, as I sat in my seat just before a 2 1/2-hour flight from New York to Chicago (I’ll be covering the Yankees in the South Side this week), I shut off my phone and immediately started thinking about what would await me once I had service again. The non-waiver Trade Deadline was only two hours away. Where would Heath Bell go? What will the Yankees do? Who will land B.J. Upton? Then I touched down at O’Hare Airport, and realized all of that was a non-story.
Bell was the guy that was sure to be pitching elsewhere the rest of this season, the Yankees — as is their custom — were sure to make some sort of splash, and Upton was sure to be dealt after having his name in rumors for so many years. But none of that happened, Hiroki Kuroda didn’t waive his no-trade clause, James Shields stayed put in Tampa Bay, and the White Sox held on to Carlos Quentin.
That’s right, the biggest thing I’m taking away from the Deadline is what actually didn’t occur.
Now, on to the obligatory post-Deadline-winners-and-losers story. I know that in trades there really aren’t supposed to be any “winners” or “losers” (Neither side makes a deal if they don’t feel they’re “winning,” too, right?), but certain teams simply make out better than others.
Here are the three biggest winners and three biggest losers among the contending teams. And as always, we’ll get the bad news out of the way first …
Losers
Yankees: As MLBTradeRumors.com pointed out, this was the first time since 1999 that the Yankees went through an entire July without making a trade. And even though they’re 22 games above .500 and nurse a 6 1/2-game lead in the American League Wild Card race, they needed to add two pieces that they didn’t get: A starter and a lefty reliever.
Perhaps J.C. Romero, currently pitching for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, will work out for them, and veteran relievers can usually be had in August. But I was in the minority in thinking they should’ve dealt their prospects for Ubaldo Jimenez, who they were reportedly in on. I would’ve given up two of either Ivan Nova, Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances, and one of either Jesus Montero and Austin Romine. Whether or not that would’ve been enough to get the deal done, I don’t know, but it doesn’t seem the Yankees were willing to come anywhere close to doing that.
The Yankees’ hope is that just one of those three arms becomes the quality of starter Ubaldo currently is, and if you have a chance to get an arm like that now — when he’s expandable, when he’s under club control for a while and when he’s extremely affordable — you do it. Right now, the Yankees have the great CC Sabathia, and then four guys they don’t know what they’ll get out of on a nightly basis. Not good enough.
Diamondbacks: The D-backs have a real shot at winning the National League West, but they didn’t do enough to get it done. Jason Marquis and Brad Ziegler were nice and necessary additions to their rotation and bullpen, respectively, but they needed to upgrade their offense to somehow shorten the gap separating them from the Giants. Instead, San Francisco added a bat, and Arizona didn’t.
I get that the D-backs didn’t expect to compete this year and they prefer to hold on to their top prospects. But had they gone after a big bat, they would’ve had a good shot at superseding the Giants. Now? I can’t see it happening.
Tigers: I understand their hesitancy to give up a prospect like Jacob Turner, but frankly, I would’ve liked to see the Tigers do more for their rotation than just Doug Fister. Maybe one more mid-level starter like that for a team that ranks 14th in the AL in starting-pitcher ERA.
Winners
Cardinals: Fans didn’t seem too happy that they dealt an asset like Colby Rasmus and didn’t really get any long-term pieces in return. And I get that. But I give general manager John Mozeliak a lot of credit for going all in on this season — a year that could be the final one with Albert Pujols at first base and Tony La Russa as manager.
They got a necessary arm in their rotation in Edwin Jackson, who’s an impending free agent who won’t clog up their payroll and, thus, hurt their chances of resigning Pujols; they got righty Octavio Dotel and lefty Marc Rzepczynski for a needy bullpen; and they were able to pluck away from a position where they have a suitable replacement in Jon Jay.
Perhaps they could’ve waited to deal Rasmus — a guy who definitely needed a change of scenery — when his stock rose again, but then they wouldn’t look this good right now. And right now, they look like the best team in the NL Central. The Rafael Furcal acquisition is fine; I’m just not sure how much he has left.
Phillies: There was no more perfect fit for the Phillies than Hunter Pence. With him, their offense now looks on par with that vaunted rotation because they have that right-handed bat that was so critical to their production in years past. This past offseason, the Phillies added Cliff Lee to give them a ridiculous starting staff, but they lost Jayson Werth to the Nationals and missed that right-handed bat to hit behind lefties Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.
Now, they have that right-handed bat again in Pence, and they have him in the books until 2013. Pence is having a fine season, and he came into Philadelphia with an .865 OPS. He’ll get plenty more chances with runners in scoring position now. And Phillies fans will love his energy. The Phils had to part ways with their two biggest prospects, but Domonic Brown and Vance Worley stayed put. That’s another positive.
Indians: Yeah, they did give up a big chunk of their farm system to get Ubaldo. But I just love the spirit of this trade, especially from a team that has so far only been known for parting with aces — from Lee to CC. This has been a magical season in Cleveland, and somehow they’re still in it despite a shaky rotation. It doesn’t look so shaky anymore.
The others
Braves: Michael Bourn is the perfect fit for that team; gives them their first leadoff hitter since Furcal.
Brewers: Francisco Rodriguez was a big pickup, and they got some insurance at second base. But they’re crossing their fingers that Rickie Weeks returns to full health soon.
Pirates: They got a couple of bats in Ryan Ludwick and Derrek Lee – two guys who know the NL Central well — and didn’t give up much.
Reds: Was surprised they were in on some of the big guys, but they have a rather large deficit, and that may have played a part in them standing pat.
Giants: Zack Wheeler is a good prospect, but Carlos Beltran is a good middle-of-the-order bat that should fit in perfectly in due time.
Red Sox: They got a nice rotation arm in Erik Bedard and a utility man in Mike Aviles; not flashy, but effective.
White Sox: I’m just glad they didn’t sell off all their pieces; they still have a shot.
Angels: Did nothing, which was pretty surprising.
Rangers: Got two big pieces for the back end of their bullpen in Koji Uehara and Mike Adams.
– Alden
** Filed this week: Pence trade fills Phils’ need for a righty slugger; Cards, Giants take on win-now modes with deals.
Alden Gonzalez
Recent Comments