Reply With QuoteCubs send Cashner and some dude to the Padres for Rizzo and some dude.
Good trade for both, probably.
Let's see what they flip him for at the deadline.Originally Posted by triggercut
Cubs send Cashner and some dude to the Padres for Rizzo and some dude.
Good trade for both, probably.
The Rizzo move pretty much means the Cubs are definately out on Fielder it would seem. I do wonder who is in at this point. The Nationals keep getting rumored but have denied it over and over, which makes me think that perhaps that is coming from Boras in an attempt to drive up the price. Other then that, the Rangers keep getting rumored as well, but that will go out the window if/when they sign Darvish.
So I don't think the news is all bad as a Mariners fan. The market may be coming back to Seattle.
Is the brain trust that down on Smoak? He was pretty highly touted and mashed for a while last year, though as his fantasy owner I can tell you he went through more thana few rough times as well.
I think they are willing to give him another year if they don't get Fielder, but I think everyone was expecting more from him last year. The problem with the Mariners is that the lineup has been so bad its hard to figure out who is good and just totally unprotected in the lineup and who just isn't that good. My guess is that if Fielder comes to Seattle he and Smoak will share 1B and DH jobs and that Smoak (and some other guys) will look a lot better with a legitimate bat in the lineup. If the Mariners don't get Fielder then they will probably take a shot at one of the aging sluggers still out there and hope they get a solid year out of them.
Are the Mariners expected to contend next year? I thought they had the worst record outside of the Astros. Plugging a high priced FA like Fielder into a woeful line up won't actually make the team competive. It might sell tickers, but it certainly will cost the team a lot of flexibility as they try to rebuild through trades and drafts. Even a long term deal doesn't make sense, since he's likely to decline once he gets past 30.
They have pieces in place that look good long-term, but the main impetus is that Felix is entering the big money part of his contract. The idea is that Fielder would solidify the lineup. If all they did was improve from horrible to sub-par offensively their pitching is probably good enough to compete. Felix is an ace, Pineda looks like he has that same potential, then they have a couple of solid back of the rotation guys. And a park that is pitcher friendly.
This is also year four of the Zdurencik era, so there is at least an expectation that by now they should be competitive.
Smoak is woefully unprotected in the Seattle lineup as most of any kind of power hitter would be. He definitely did better after he was traded, but he's still fairly young and can grow in the right kind of environment probably. Then again, if you can't hit in Arlington...
--- Alan
Heavy rumors in Seattle that they may be trading Pineda to the Yankees for Jesus Montero.
That sound like it's win-win for both sides if it goes through. Yankees get a young talented arm they desperately need and the Mariners get a potential stud in Montero.
Yeah, I like it. But the initial reaction locally (based on sports radio chatter) is extremely negative. However, the one thing the Mariners have is a lot of depth with young pitchers. And while it might be argued that people would rather see the prospects traded, you won't generally get major league ready hitters in return, or you'll pay a lot more.
Depends on the details, and if its true, of course.
Edit: A number of sources are confirming the trade, though there are supposedly other players involved. The question is whether the M's plan to keep Montero at C or if they intend to make him a 1B or DH type, which would likely remove Fielder from real consideration.
Last edited by Sarkus; 01-13-2012 at 04:52 PM.
Well... that seems like ... ... I don't know.
If I was a Mariners fan, I'd probably be hating it. But, it also looks like this means they are admitting to a rebuilding phase.
Pineda was a rookie last year wasn't he? So it's not like they're trading King Felix. The Mariners need offensive help and all reports indicate Jesus Montero is a stud. Needs to work on his catching but his hitting is major league ready. But if they plan on moving him to first that might not matter.
First reaction I had to the trade was that the Yankees had gotten the better end of things...but then you think about how young pitchers not named Andy Pettitte have fared in the pinstripes...
So the details are that the Mariners are giving up Pineda and a good A ball prospect for Montero and pitcher Hector Noesi. Noesi worked as both a starter and a reliever last year for the Yankees and is 24, so he goes into the pile of young pitchers the Mariners are collecting. And don't forget that Seattle signed a Japanese starter, so they have room to maneuver.
I generally like the deal at this point.
Darvish has signed. 6 years, $60-70M, depending on bonuses.
If he's anywhere near what he's supposed to be, that's a good deal.
And it just got that much more likely that Prince Fielder is going to the Nationals.
Plus the $51.7m posting fee, of course. Still, good signing for Texas especially with how WS-ready that team already was.
They are gonna destroy the West.
El Hombre and company might have something to say about that.
I was gonna say, someone forgot that Artie Moreno opened up the piggy bank...
...although if Darvish is even close to as good as advertised, the Rangers will be formidable.
My poor Tigers got gut-punched the other day, losing Victor Martinez for the year to an ACL. I wouldn't want to be Dave Dombrowski right now, trying to fill V-Mart's shoes. Switch hitter, .330, 100 RBIs, protection for Cabrera...no one available and affordable is going to come close.
Yeah, if anything, this sets up a pretty interesting battle between the Angels and Rangers this year.
Mariners and A's, enjoy your season!
Vernon Wells might have something to say about that.
BAM.
But he'll get hurt saying it.
It's funny how much the Angels of 2012 look like the Angels of 30 years ago, when Gene Autry was desperately trying to buy himself a World Series. He brought in guys like Carew, Reggie Jackson, Freddy Lynn, Freddie Patek, Bruce Kison, and Don Baylor who'd had their best years behind them with other teams and prettymuch let guys like Carney Lansford, Dickie Thon (goddamn if not for that beaning he'd have been great), and Mark Clear get away for free.
Guess we'll see if the parallel holds. AL West is gonna be a dogfight.
After the news broke of Fausto Carmona not really being Fausto Carmona, the Indians traded a solid AAA prospect in Zach Putnam for 0-8, 6.67 ERA in 2011 Kevin Slowey. Sigh. We've got 3 or 4 guys in AAA who can already put up those numbers, why did we need to trade for another?
Enjoyed this Onion article
Fielder Ponders "Free" Agency
Sorry I haven't discussed the Darvish deal yet (or even been on QT3 really). I was supremely hoping that the Darvish deal wasn't too expensive, and I think they pretty much hit a decent figure. The downside is that he doesn't have a ton of precedent for success other than an apparent command of 7 pitches (except a changeup apparently, I expect Nolan Ryan and the Maddux brothers may attempt to add this to his repertoire), a great record in Japan, and young age. Japanese pitchers have typically done decent-to-poor in the majors, or have devolved after a lengthy season or worse, become completely ineffective after a few. And as Olney pointed out, the signing fee + contract is the highest deal ever given to a RPH ever. The Rangers still have a bit of money left over--nearly enough to sign Fielder, but that doesn't appear it'll happen now--but a lot is riding on this. A lot.
It's a little unknown how they will manage his workload given that Japanese pitchers tire in late summer (and that's not even accounting for Texas heat). Plus, it's a big addition to a pitching rotation that is actually brimming with mostly young talent (Colby Lewis being the elder statesman at 32). There's enough there that if one falters, another can assume the mantle (we're talking Lewis, Harrison, Holland, Ogando, Feliz, Feldman AND Darvish) so the exact look of the starting rotation will be in question going into spring training. I assume Feldman will be second odd man out, but who is the first? Lewis, Feliz and Darvish have practically been guaranteed rotation roles. You'd assume Holland would, but Harrison was a workhorse last year... yet Ogando was amazing too, until he fell apart a bit mid-season and was moved into the bullpen for the playoffs (and killed it until the tail end of the WS). If Feliz struggles, will he be able to move back? Or will we just need some long relievers in the bullpen to make up the difference?
In other news the Rangers also signed Brad Hawpe to a minor league deal. I've always liked Hawpe and was sorry he had to get tommy john surgery last year, and he's really faltered over the last two or so. Hoping he can make a healthy and decent rebound.
--- Alan
Supposedly scouts are calling him the god of all that is pitching in japan. And that his prowess over there is in no small part thanks to how american his pitching style is.
But that is the trouble with Japanese players, you don't really know what is going to happen till they play over here.
Its definately going to be interesting to see how Darvish does. I was surprised the other day to hear a guy who lives in Japan say that he thought the pitcher the Mariners signed (Iwakuma) was better then Darvish. He's convinced that Darvish doesn't have enough control of his pitches to do well against MLB hitters.
I doubt it will turn out that way, though. But hey, in the spring its ok to hope about your baseball team. ;-)
Unless you're a Cubs fan. This is the time of year we start practicing, "There's always next year..."
At least I've got my AL team to follow while the Cubbies work out how they'll lose this year. Although the Tigers' fate will depend on what they manage to find to fill that gaping Martinez-shaped hole in the lineup.
Posting Permissions