Prospects and trade discussion

[Neddy]

this JDM deal, something stinks about this. I wonder if after failing to grab more top prospects from us, Al Avila shipped JD out to our divisional rival DBacks to spite us. even for a rental, none of those prospects that went to the Tigers will have a shot to be an everyday player in the bigs. maybe one of them becomes a 25th man on a roster somewhere for the month of September once.

from asset POV, it makes no sense for the Tigers.

[Neddy]

Todd Frazier is such a Dave Dombrowski type of a player.

[Ranma]

Todd Frazier is such a Dave Dombrowski type of a player.

It's being reported that the Yankees not only jumped in front of the Red Sox in talks with the White Sox but are close to acquiring Todd Frazier, David Robertson, and Tommy Kahnle. Given the sudden activity and package of names, the ChiSox look to add even more top talent to their already best collection of prospects in baseball.

I'm guessing top prospect Gleyber Torres will be kept by the Yanks while Clint Frazier, Blake Rutherford, and Jorge Mateo are included in the package going to Chicago.

[Neddy]

Todd Frazier is such a Dave Dombrowski type of a player.

It's being reported that the Yankees not only jumped in front of the Red Sox in talks with the White Sox but are close to acquiring Todd Frazier, David Robertson, and Tommy Kahnle. Given the sudden activity and package of names, the ChiSox look to add even more top talent to their already best collection of prospects in baseball.

I'm guessing top prospect Gleyber Torres will be kept by the Yanks while Clint Frazier, Blake Rutherford, and Jorge Mateo are included in the package going to Chicago.

hey that is a real news!

the yanks are gonna pull this move? wonder if they are gonna move Frazier to first, as I am not sure if they are committed to Garrett Cooper on first when Headley is still owed 13 million this year and the next at the third base. Matt Holladay is the DH and he won't be going anywhere, and that's for sure. he is hitting .840 OPS this season. if Garrett is staying on first (the dude is 6-6. gives a huge target on first) then Todd must be displacing underperforming Chase Headley at his natural position on third. not sure if the Yanks can find a trade partner to sell off Headley to anywhere without eating his salary and getting nothing in return. it seems more likely that they may have to use him as a spare part corner infielder.

if the scenario above is the most likely case, let's go poach Ji-Man Choi. I know he's had gotten very sporadic at bats with the Mariners but he still have total at bats in the big leagues under 130. his career minor league numbers are better than .300 BA and about .900 OPS. his first two hits for the Yanks were HRs. he is a young right handed first baseman who hits left. he will make a pretty decent asset in a trade package back to an AL team as he can be 1B/DH/LF. we should be able to get him from the Yanks for cheap, and make a modest gain when we flip him to another team before this month is over.

[Ranma]

Mike Petriello, MLB.com (7/18/17)

Potential deal: P Yadier Alvarez (39), 2B Willie Calhoun (69) and P Jordan Sheffield

It's already been reported that the Dodgers have checked in on Britton, knowing that a 1-2 of Britton and Kenley Jansen might be nearly unequaled in recent history, and the Dodgers aren't afraid to trade prospects to fill needs -- they did move pitchers Grant Holmes, Frankie Montas and Jharel Cotton to Oakland for Rich Hill, Josh Reddick and Jesse Chavez last year.

While outfielder Alex Verdugo (50) and pitcher Walker Buehler (78) get bigger hype and could easily be swapped in here, MLBPipeline describes Alvarez as delivering "overpowering fastballs with ease, sitting at 94-97 mph for innings at a time and peaking in the triple digits," plus having three potentially plus secondary pitches. Calhoun's bat is just about ready right now, though his questionable defensive skills make him a better fit with the DH available in the AL.

Four Possible Trade Packages for Britton

[Neddy]

Mike Petriello, MLB.com (7/18/17)

Potential deal: P Yadier Alvarez (39), 2B Willie Calhoun (69) and P Jordan Sheffield

It's already been reported that the Dodgers have checked in on Britton, knowing that a 1-2 of Britton and Kenley Jansen might be nearly unequaled in recent history, and the Dodgers aren't afraid to trade prospects to fill needs -- they did move pitchers Grant Holmes, Frankie Montas and Jharel Cotton to Oakland for Rich Hill, Josh Reddick and Jesse Chavez last year.

While outfielder Alex Verdugo (50) and pitcher Walker Buehler (78) get bigger hype and could easily be swapped in here, MLBPipeline describes Alvarez as delivering "overpowering fastballs with ease, sitting at 94-97 mph for innings at a time and peaking in the triple digits," plus having three potentially plus secondary pitches. Calhoun's bat is just about ready right now, though his questionable defensive skills make him a better fit with the DH available in the AL.

Four Possible Trade Packages for Britton

ahhhh.... we'd better have some top of the line medical experts reviewing his physical. a healthy Britton is a dream come true setup man. broken Britton is a major burden on our farm as well as on the payroll.

[Ranma]

the yanks are gonna pull this move? wonder if they are gonna move Frazier to first, as I am not sure if they are committed to Garrett Cooper on first when Headley is still owed 13 million this year and the next at the third base. Matt Holladay is the DH and he won't be going anywhere, and that's for sure. he is hitting .840 OPS this season. if Garrett is staying on first (the dude is 6-6. gives a huge target on first) then Todd must be displacing underperforming Chase Headley at his natural position on third. not sure if the Yanks can find a trade partner to sell off Headley to anywhere without eating his salary and getting nothing in return. it seems more likely that they may have to use him as a spare part corner infielder.

I don't know enough about the Yankees' lineup to make a projection, but I heard Frazier would probably share time with Headley and split time playing at 1B and 3B. By the way, the latest report is that the Yankees are "pushing hard" for the trio of White Sox, which further supports my belief that Chicago will get a big haul from New York.

if the scenario above is the most likely case, let's go poach Ji-Man Choi. I know he's had gotten very sporadic at bats with the Mariners but he still have total at bats in the big leagues under 130. his career minor league numbers are better than .300 BA and about .900 OPS. his first two hits for the Yanks were HRs. he is a young right handed first baseman who hits left. he will make a pretty decent asset in a trade package back to an AL team as he can be 1B/DH/LF. we should be able to get him from the Yanks for cheap, and make a modest gain when we flip him to another team before this month is over.

I know you've mentioned Choi before, but I'm still not really familiar with him other than talk about his power not translating to games with shades of Billy Ashley even though he's got a better batting eye. He doesn't look overly athletic to me either, so I'd have concerns about his glove in LF and even 1B where Bellinger really helps our defense there. If we can stash him in our developmental pipeline for cheap, sure, I'd be interested but I'm not keen on really making the effort to explore talks with other priorities and the Yankees probably looking to replenish their farm system a bit in the wake of the imminent deal with the White Sox.

[Neddy]

I know you've mentioned Choi before, but I'm still not really familiar with him other than talk about his power not translating to games with shades of Billy Ashley even though he's got a better batting eye. He doesn't look overly athletic to me either, so I'd have concerns about his glove in LF and even 1B where Bellinger really helps our defense there. If we can stash him in our developmental pipeline for cheap, sure, I'd be interested but I'm not keen on really making the effort to explore talks with other priorities and the Yankees probably looking to replenish their farm system a bit in the wake of the imminent deal with the White Sox.

naw, you got it all wrong.

with the rise of Bellinger, there is no need for a young left handed first baseman for us for the next decade or more. I was talking about buying him on cheap to immediately flip him in a trade package within next two weeks before the trade deadline. I love the kid but I don't want him playing for us at this point. Yanks have little leverage with the glut of corner infielders, and Choi is an attractive piece for a team looking for a young, (minor league) proven guy who has a potential to be a solid high BA/ OBP/ with average pop.

speaking of a good BA/OBP with average (or below) pop, our old friend James Loney has signed on with KBO's LG Twins. wish him all the luck but I have a feeling even in that horrent pitching environment, he is still gonna be hitting line drives most of the time. just hope he can hang on to that job and put up respectable numbers ( which from that league, a respectable numbers for foreign players mean better than .300 BA with much higher OBP, and at least league acceptable HRs which James will never meet in terms of the long ball) somewhere in the neighborhood of .330 BA with .410 OBP if he wants to make a return. but I will be perfectly happy for him if he makes a Matt Murton like career in KBO and get to retire his jersey after 5-7 years of excellent play overseas.

[Ranma]

naw, you got it all wrong.

with the rise of Bellinger, there is no need for a young left handed first baseman for us for the next decade or more. I was talking about buying him on cheap to immediately flip him in a trade package within next two weeks before the trade deadline. I love the kid but I don't want him playing for us at this point. Yanks have little leverage with the glut of corner infielders, and Choi is an attractive piece for a team looking for a young, (minor league) proven guy who has a potential to be a solid high BA/ OBP/ with average pop.

speaking of a good BA/OBP with average (or below) pop, our old friend James Loney has signed on with KBO's LG Twins. wish him all the luck but I have a feeling even in that horrent pitching environment, he is still gonna be hitting line drives most of the time. just hope he can hang on to that job and put up respectable numbers ( which from that league, a respectable numbers for foreign players mean better than .300 BA with much higher OBP, and at least league acceptable HRs which James will never meet in terms of the long ball) somewhere in the neighborhood of .330 BA with .410 OBP if he wants to make a return. but I will be perfectly happy for him if he makes a Matt Murton like career in KBO and get to retire his jersey after 5-7 years of excellent play overseas.

My apologies, Neddy. I actually read what you said before, but then immediately forgot that part about flipping him after I got sidetracked before responding. Yeah, if we can get him on the cheap and develop him to sell off later similar to what we did with Chase De Jong, then I'm all for it.

Man, I actually thought Loney would be a cornerstone player for us. I knew he was never going to hit 40 home runs but I thought he'd be a perennial threat for the batting title with maybe 25-HR potential. I also loved his glove as well. I was heartbroken to see things not work out for him here as well as him not meeting expectations.

[Ranma]

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[Neddy]

naw, you got it all wrong.

with the rise of Bellinger, there is no need for a young left handed first baseman for us for the next decade or more. I was talking about buying him on cheap to immediately flip him in a trade package within next two weeks before the trade deadline. I love the kid but I don't want him playing for us at this point. Yanks have little leverage with the glut of corner infielders, and Choi is an attractive piece for a team looking for a young, (minor league) proven guy who has a potential to be a solid high BA/ OBP/ with average pop.

speaking of a good BA/OBP with average (or below) pop, our old friend James Loney has signed on with KBO's LG Twins. wish him all the luck but I have a feeling even in that horrent pitching environment, he is still gonna be hitting line drives most of the time. just hope he can hang on to that job and put up respectable numbers ( which from that league, a respectable numbers for foreign players mean better than .300 BA with much higher OBP, and at least league acceptable HRs which James will never meet in terms of the long ball) somewhere in the neighborhood of .330 BA with .410 OBP if he wants to make a return. but I will be perfectly happy for him if he makes a Matt Murton like career in KBO and get to retire his jersey after 5-7 years of excellent play overseas.

My apologies, Neddy. I actually read what you said before, but then immediately forgot that part about flipping him after I got sidetracked before responding. Yeah, if we can get him on the cheap and develop him to sell off later similar to what we did with Chase De Jong, then I'm all for it.

Man, I actually thought Loney would be a cornerstone player for us. I knew he was never going to hit 40 home runs but I thought he'd be a perennial threat for the batting title with maybe 25-HR potential. I also loved his glove as well. I was heartbroken to see things not work out for him here as well as him not meeting expectations.

yeah, I saw Loney as a potential Gywnn type of a player and was terribly disappointed when he didn't pan out. but at least he is still in the(globally pro) league, I was very high on Andy LaRoche and that went nowhere fast and i don't believe he is playing anywhere.

[Neddy]

the more I give it a thought, I don't think we should deal for Hand from the Padres. if their crooked GM thinks he is gonna pry top prospects from anyone who is willing to deal for him, then let that other fool make the deal. after seeing what the Tigers got for Martinez from the D-Backs, I think Wilson can be had for a similar package. they are not getting Alvarez unless we think he won't ever pan out.

[Ranma]

I'm guessing top prospect Gleyber Torres will be kept by the Yanks while Clint Frazier, Blake Rutherford, and Jorge Mateo are included in the package going to Chicago.

From the sounds of it, the trade involving the Yankees and White Sox is close to happening with one last prospect to be haggled over. Rutherford is reportedly included but Tyler Clippard and Ian Clarkin are the other players who are part of the package. It doesn't look likely that either Mateo or Frazier will be included, so I have to say that the Yankees really made out on this deal.

Granted they give up Rutherford, who is already ranked ahead of Verdugo as a prospect, but they'd improve their bullpen to be the best in baseball while also sniping the Red Sox. Impressive.

[Neddy]

I'm guessing top prospect Gleyber Torres will be kept by the Yanks while Clint Frazier, Blake Rutherford, and Jorge Mateo are included in the package going to Chicago.

From the sounds of it, the trade involving the Yankees and White Sox is close to happening with one last prospect to be haggled over. Rutherford is reportedly included but Tyler Clippard and Ian Clarkin are the other players who are part of the package. It doesn't look likely that either Mateo or Frazier will be included, so I have to say that the Yankees really made out on this deal.

Granted they give up Rutherford, who is already ranked ahead of Verdugo as a prospect, but they'd improve their bullpen to be the best in baseball while also sniping the Red Sox. Impressive.

i am surprised to a certain point that the Yanks are making actually smart deals under the leadership of the same GM who was a major part of wasteful "yankee way" teams that bought over the hill expensive yesteryear stars every year.

[Ranma]

the more I give it a thought, I don't think we should deal for Hand from the Padres. if their crooked GM thinks he is gonna pry top prospects from anyone who is willing to deal for him, then let that other fool make the deal. after seeing what the Tigers got for Martinez from the D-Backs, I think Wilson can be had for a similar package. they are not getting Alvarez unless we think he won't ever pan out.

You are certainly right about A.J. Preller in calling how unreasonable he'd be with his trade demands. Hand is still my top priority, but I'm not willing to put up with that BS. At the same time, the price tag for Britton seems high, especially with possible injury issues. I'd try to see pit those two teams against each other in negotiations.

There will still be demand for their respective players but teams are filling their bullpen needs with the Dodgers, Astros, and Rays as the most prominent bidders for now. If nothing reasonable can be worked out, then I'd look into Wilson from the Tigers, though I'm still hesitant to give up much for a reliever.

[Neddy]

the more I give it a thought, I don't think we should deal for Hand from the Padres. if their crooked GM thinks he is gonna pry top prospects from anyone who is willing to deal for him, then let that other fool make the deal. after seeing what the Tigers got for Martinez from the D-Backs, I think Wilson can be had for a similar package. they are not getting Alvarez unless we think he won't ever pan out.

You are certainly right about A.J. Preller in calling how unreasonable he'd be with his trade demands. Hand is still my top priority, but I'm not willing to put up with that BS. At the same time, the price tag for Britton seems high, especially with possible injury issues. I'd try to see pit those two teams against each other in negotiations.

There will still be demand for their respective players but teams are filling their bullpen needs with the Dodgers, Astros, and Rays as the most prominent bidders for now. If nothing reasonable can be worked out, then I'd look into Wilson from the Tigers, though I'm still hesitant to give up much for a reliever.

we still have plenty of options internally, although historically that is not how a championship caliber team operates, at least in terms of team psychology. but we still have Walker coming up for sure by the end of this season, and he could be the solution to solidify the 7th inning. and we still should consider Ryu and Maeda as options for the pen.

[Ranma]

we still have plenty of options internally, although historically that is not how a championship caliber team operates, at least in terms of team psychology. but we still have Walker coming up for sure by the end of this season, and he could be the solution to solidify the 7th inning. and we still should consider Ryu and Maeda as options for the pen.

I actually expect Buehler to come up and help later on in the season with Font also a decent possibility. My main concern is having a reliably consistent left-handed reliever but I'm not going to panic with the Ryu-Maeda combo as well as having Avilan, Drayton, Liberatore, and maybe Kazmir as options.

[Ranma]

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Ken Rosenthal, Facebook.com (7/18/17)

DODGERS: HEAVY LIFTING ALREADY DONE

The Dodgers spent a combined $192 million to retain closer Kenley Jansen, left-hander Rich Hill and third baseman Justin Turner last offseason in part because their top executive, Andrew Friedman, loathes paying high acquisition costs in July trades.

Friedman relented last season, sending three pitching prospects to the Athletics for two rentals, Hill and outfielder Josh Reddick. But the Dodgers, leading the NL West by 10½ games entering Tuesday, are in a much stronger position now.

They want a top left-handed reliever, someone such as the Orioles’ Zach Britton, Tigers’ Justin Wilson or Padres’ Brad Hand. But they’re wary of overpaying for 15-20 innings of a pitcher who will have zero impact on them winning the division. And they’re not about to go nuts on a starter such as the Athletics’ Sonny Gray, not when they signed Hill precisely to avoid getting sucked into such a move.

Hill, as it turns out, is outperforming Gray by a slight margin, and Dodgers lefty Alex Wood is outperforming both of them by a larger amount. Friedman and Co. are reluctant to disrupt the chemistry of a team that took the field Tuesday sporting a 65-29 record. And the two prospects they get asked about most, outfielder Alex Verdugo and right-hander Walker Buehler, well, the Dodgers believe that both are ready to play in the majors right now.

The Dodgers are one injury to an outfielder away from Verdugo entering the outfield mix. Buehler is a candidate to join the bullpen in September. The Dodgers would rather trade prospects with comparable ceilings who are further away from the majors, major-league sources say.

They’re going to do something, maybe even something surprising — Friedman, when he pursues moves in July, always aims high. But truth be told, the Dodgers did most of their work last winter. Anything now is a bonus.

Facebook Post: Ken Rosenthal

[Ranma]

I'd still like to deal Ryu maybe to a team like the Mariners in order to capitalize on his Pacific-Rim popularity in the northwest but he's unlikely to get a significant return right now. I just don't have much faith in him as a reliable option for whatever we need of him despite his glimpses of good showings.

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[Ranma]

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