2016 MLB thread. THE CUBS HAVE BROKEN THE CURSE! Chicago Cubs are your 2016 World Series champions

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GotHolesInMySocks said:
Report, Marlins/Red Sox talking a Hanley/Bell For Crawford deal.

Saw it on Sportscenter.
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I hope not...wouldn't mind getting rid of Bell but I still have faith in Hanley. Plus don't see how Crawford makes the Marlins better in this deal. Its going to take more then that to get the Marlins back into the playoff picture
 
23ska909red02 said:
Basically, if I understand it right, we have the top section in gray, right above the threads, that we can use to link people to pre-made threads. As you can see, the last link I inserted in that section today was a link to this thread.
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I definitely appreciate the help from you and Meth to get it back on top :smokin

Yankees :smh: first time they got swept in a four game series by losing each game by one run in their franchise history. These A's.
 
Normally I'd be delighted anytime the Yanks were swept, but somehow the A's are now in a tie for the second wild card spot. :smh:
At least the O's are picking it up. 5 in a row, and a long awaited quality start from Britton. Good stuff.


A 20 year old is leading the majors in WAR. :x
 
Juan Uribe is a professional athlete.

2z8rqd2.png


that's all.
 
Rays can't hit they're done.

Red Sox are just getting healthy though, and if they can get Dempster or another pitcher, watch out.
 
Rangers are throwing out Feldman and probably Martin Perez the next two days as Oswalt and Lewis are fighting off back and elbow tightness... :smh:

Just go get Greinke or Hamels and be done with this.

Need another bat, too. Josh swung through about 8 fastballs last night, Cruz hit his first homer in a month, Napoli and Torrealba suck behind the plate. Team is frustrating as all hell and they're still up 5 games and neck-and-neck for best record in baseball.
 
Dempster could be goin to Atlanta? Come on Theo, all you got left is Soriano and Garza and all the bad contracts are gone if that's true. :pimp:
 
abovelegit1 said:
Normally I'd be delighted anytime the Yanks were swept, but somehow the A's are now in a tie for the second wild card spot. :smh:
At least the O's are picking it up. 5 in a row, and a long awaited quality start from Britton. Good stuff.
A 20 year old is leading the majors in WAR. :x
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by sweeping said yankees :smokin
 
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I hate to even talk about it for fear of a jinx but .500 looks closer and closer...


Low expectations but gotta start somewhere :D
 
Finally some movement...

Omar Infante and Anibal Sanchez to Detroit... :x

Ryan Dempster to Atlanta... :tongue:

Hopefully a deal for Matt Garza can be completed, don't want to give up Zach Lee, but for a 28 year old pitcher under team control...that's a trade worth doing. They can throw in Soriano too, if they are willing to eat most of the money owed to him.

Hanley Ramirez on the block, has his defense declined so much that teams don't even know where to play him? So much natural talent, yet mentally he's not there, :smh:

Josh Johnson possibly on the block :nerd:

Our farm system is awful, :smh:

Ichiro to the Yanks... wow!
 
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Bigmike23 said:
damn really he going to get more then that in the open market?
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Someone is going to mess around and break the bank on him. He'll be 29 and he profiles statistically significantly better than his ERA... 

He's an ace. Think that outweighs whatever issues teams will try to use as leverage. 
 
Anibal really helps out the rotation... Should do well in our monster park... Omar is a HUGE upgrade at 2nd... Lets just hope Leyland plays him and doesn't screw him for Raybum...Love how the Tigs are playing and these deals should help us out quite a bit.... DD loves dealing with the Marlins... Looks like another winner for us.
 
Tigers are the ones who did the best today.

Infante isn't great but they have terrible second baseman.
 
The downside of the Ichiro trade.

The Yankees' trade for Ichiro Suzuki is interesting in the same way that Joe Namath playing for the Los Angeles Rams was interesting. Ichiro is an easy first-ballot Hall of Famer and has been an amalgam of hits, stolen bases, Gold Glove Awards and All-Star votes in his career, but it's unclear how he represents an upgrade for the New York Yankees, other than for their network.



Others ahead of him in his OPS neighborhood this year are Jeff Francoeur, Rickie Weeks and Drew Stubbs. DeWayne Wise, who the Yankees designated for assignment to make room for Ichiro, had a .778 OPS in 53 plate appearances with New York -- significantly higher than Suzuki's OPS in each of his last three full seasons.

Ichiro embraced this and essentially made it happen, and he has indicated a willingness to go along with whatever Yankees manager Joe Girardi wants. Ichiro could be energized, in theory, by shifting from an exhausted situation to something better. Think Kevin Youkilis going from the Boston Red Sox to the Chicago White Sox. If Suzuki is surrounded by better players in a ballpark better-suited for hitters, this could create opportunities.

But is also has the chance to become something of an embarrassment.




If he doesn't play well -- and there is a lot of evidence that could be the case -- then Girardi will have a revered 10-time All-Star sitting on his roster.



There are other hitters who get on base more, who hit for more power, who are better-suited to take advantage of the dimensions in Yankee Stadium. Ichiro is still a good outfielder, and he can run. There are many other outfielders who have those two particular skills.



If it doesn't go well, Girardi is going to have to immediately feel comfortable with the idea of pinch-hitting for an all-time great. He will have to fight empathy in making his choices. He may feel compelled to play Ichiro purely out of a sense of deference to Ichiro's extraordinary history.

In 1973, Willie Mays was 42 years old, in the final season of his career, and he played 45 games in the outfield for the New York Mets -- all in center field. Nobody was ever going to tell Willie Mays he wasn't the center fielder -- a practice that continued through the World Series that year and went badly at the end.

Mays' OPS in that regrettable final season was .647. Ichiro Suzuki's OPS this morning is .640.

The acquisition of Ichiro made it a big day for the Yankees, Girardi said. The Yankees are hoping for the best, writes John Harper. Ichiro is a famous supplementary part for the Yankees, writes Joel Sherman.

In Seattle, there is relief that Ichiro is gone. This saves the Mariners from barreling headlong into a situation identical to the Ken Griffey Jr. debacle two years ago.

Fans are coping with Ichiro's departure.

Notes on the Ichiro trade
From ESPN Stats & Information

• The Yankees acquired Ichiro for 25-year-old right-handed pitchers D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar.

• Ichiro's $17 million salary this season gives him the fourth-highest salary on the Yankees (after Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia) and makes him the team's 12th $10M man this season (including $11.5M being paid to A.J. Burnett).

Highest career BA among active players (min. 3,000 PA)
Albert Pujols: .326
Joe Mauer: .324
Ichiro Suzuki: .322
Todd Helton: .320

• The Yankees now have three players with at least 2,500 career hits (Ichiro, Rodriguez and Derek Jeter).

From Elias Sports Bureau: Only two teams in MLB history have had three players with at least 2,500 career hits at the time they were together: A's in 1927 (Ty Cobb, Eddie Collins, Zack Wheat) and A's again in 1928 (Cobb, Collins, Tris Speaker).

• While Ichiro's bat is not what it once was, his glove is still golden. According to Fangraphs.com, Ichiro ranks second among all corner outfielders in defensive runs saved. According to that same metric, Ichiro joins a group that ranks second-worst in the American League.

Defensive runs saved in 2012 by Yankees corner outfielders
Ichiro Suzuki: 12
Andruw Jones: 2
Nick Swisher: minus-3
Raul Ibanez: minus-4



Ichiro's last four seasons (BA/OPS)
2012: .261/.640 (both would be career worsts)
2011: .272/.645
2010: .315/.754
2009: .352/.851

Comparing Ichiro to Wise, Ibanez and Jones trio (Ichiro/trio)
OPS: .640/.728
Slug pct.: .352/.429
Homers: 4/16
RBIs: 28/45

Elsewhere


• The Miami Marlins were baseball's biggest story coming into this season, and now they are its greatest disaster after fewer than 100 games. The trade of Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante to the Detroit Tigers for Jacob Turner means that Miami is veering, again, back into familiar ground. The Marlins are willing to deal Hanley Ramirez and Josh Johnson and anybody else not nailed to the floor, and what South Florida has again, after its investment in a new ballpark, is an unwatchable team for the final two months.



The first season-ticket holders in the history of the Marlins' new park bought their tickets expecting to see a world-championship caliber team and instead, in August and September, they will see a lot of the same type of players the Marlins have been fielding for most of the last decade -- young, talented, cheap and unaccomplished.

Now can you understand why Pujols wanted a no-trade clause when the Marlins pursued him in free agency last winter?

GM Larry Beinfest said the Marlins have given up on this season. Johnson threw great in what was essentially an audition for other teams.

The Tigers are playing well, and they got even better without giving up prospect Nick Castellanos. Infante and Sanchez give Detroit exactly what it needs in its unflinching effort to win a World Series this year: a good second baseman and a solid presence at the back end of the Tigers' rotation.

Turner is an excellent addition for the Marlins' baseball operations department. But it's the kind of white-flag trade that has been executed far too many times in this franchise's short history.

Mark Simon has more on how good Johnson was against the Atlanta Braves.

• The Braves are waiting for Ryan Dempster to say yes.

• The Texas Rangers figure to be one of the more aggressive teams in the trade market in the next eight days in the aftermath of the season-ending injury to Colby Lewis. Texas is looking for elite talent -- Cole Hamels or Zack Greinke.

• The Philadelphia Phillies are waiting to see if Hamels is going to take their offer.

• The Rays' players are trying to block out trade rumors.

• The Los Angeles Dodgers are putting together a pretty amazing road trip, at a time when it is badly needed.

• The Colorado Rockies should play Todd Helton, writes Troy Renck.

• The Red Sox are keeping Jon Lester in their rotation.

• Ken Kendrick, CEO of the Arizona Diamondbacks, says Arizona is better off with Justin Upton on the team.

• Nolan Ryan says Josh Hamilton gives away at-bats.

Searching for Mike Trout's flaw.

ANAHEIM -- With his headphones on and a towel at the ready in his waistband, Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington did his daily 10 laps around the field early Sunday afternoon, walking briskly in his fight against Father Time. When the Rangers' manager finished, he relaxed in the dugout and saw something he had never seen before.

Mike Trout had come out to work on his bunting, and as Washington watched the Angels' phenom square around in his work with third-base coach Dino Ebel, the thought occurred to Washington that he had finally identified something Trout isn't good at.



Trout might have the highest average in the American League. He might be the fastest player in baseball; the Angels clocked him at 3.52 seconds from home to first, almost supernatural. He might be the best player in baseball, as Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane predicted in early May. He might be the best player of his generation, as Albert Pujols said Sunday.



But Mike Trout is not a great bunter, Washington said with a smile.




He went on to explain that his team hasn't figured out a way to get him out, and as if to illuminate that point, Trout reached base in four of his five plate appearances Sunday night -- a triple in his first at-bat, a walk after a dozen pitches, another walk, a single.



As one member of the Angels' organization said the other day, we are all conditioned to think that eventually a 20-year-old rookie -- who went to Magic Mountain Saturday evening with his friends, like a lot of 20-year-olds -- will turn into a pumpkin, inevitably. Pitchers will figure things out. Advance scouts will discover his kryptonite.



But here's the thing: Trout's swing is incredibly simple, and his approach is so sound in how he takes the ball to right field, something he learned from watching Derek Jeter as a kid, the Angels source said.

"You see a rookie hitting .350 and you think that eventually, it'll stop," the source said. "But after awhile, you start to wonder if this is who he is -- and that he's actually getting better."



Trout's OPS for his first plate appearance against starting pitchers is about .700 this year. His second: About 1.120. His third: About 1.400. His fourth: About 1.500.



He doesn't watch video between at-bats, he said before Sunday's game. The first time he is thrown a breaking ball, he said, he captures a mental image of the pitch and then makes his adjustments thereafter. Like a hitter with a photographic memory.



The Rangers couldn't get him out; the Los Angeles Dodgers say they can't find a hole in his approach; scouts are befuddled, so far.



But Washington can still hang onto this -- Trout isn't a great bunter. Yet.



Trout's current trajectory would take him to these numbers at season's end -- a combination we've never seen before in Major League Baseball:



Runs: 132
Hits: 202
Walks: 56
Homers: 28
Extra-base hits: 73
RBIs: 89
Stolen bases: 58
Average: .357
On-base percentage: .412



Meanwhile, the weekend ended badly for the Rangers, whose hitters looked awful in their at-bats against Dan Haren -- most notably Josh Hamilton, who has seen his on-base percentage plummet by about 100 points during the past couple of months. The Rangers have a lot of peak/valley hitters manifesting this season -- Hamilton, Mike Napoli, Nelson Cruz.



And Texas is dealing with a rash of pitching injuries, as well.



Oakland sweeps


Oakland swept the New York Yankees in four games, and at the end there was a fitting conclusion, writes Steve Kroner.



Notes from Elias Sports Bureau


• This is the first time that the A's have had eight walkoff wins in a span of 16 home games. The last MLB team to do that was the Brewers in 2000 (also eight in 16).

• The last time the Yankees were swept in a series of at least four games by the A's was 1972. They had played 19 straight series of four-plus games against the A's since without being swept. The last time the A's swept a series of at least four games against the Yankees at home was in 1913 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia.



• The A's had hosted 57 straight series of at least four games against the Yankees since they last swept them at home.

• This is the first time the Yankees have been swept in a four-game series with each loss by one run. The last time the Yankees lost four straight games, each by one run, against the same opponent was against the Tigers in 1988-89.



Elsewhere


• The Detroit Tigers closed out a sweep of the Chicago White Sox with a strong effort from Jacob Turner.



From ESPN Stats and Info, how Turner won:



A) Threw strikes: 70 percent strike percentage bolstered by the White Sox swinging at 52 percent of all pitches. Four of Turner's first five starts had strike percentages in the 50 percent range.
B) White Sox swung at 15 of Turner's 41 pitches out of the zone, a chase percentage of 37 percent. As a team, the White Sox have chased more than 30 percent of "bad" pitches this season, third-most in the AL.
C) 18 of 23 batters saw first-pitch strikes. Only four plate appearances ended with the hitter ahead in the count (three were outs), and Turner went to just one three-ball count (full) the entire day.



From Elias: At 29 years and 95 days old today, Cabrera becomes the 11th-youngest player in MLB history to hit 300 home runs. He's the fifth active player to reach 300 career homers before age 30.



Active players to reach 300 HRs before age 30
Alex Rodriguez: 27 years, 249 days
Andruw Jones: 28 years, 144 days
Pujols: 28 years, 170 days
Cabrera: 29 years, 95 days
Adam Dunn: 29 years, 237 days

Cabrera is only the second Venezuelan-born player to reach 300 homers in his career. Most career homers among Venezuelan-born players:



Andres Galarraga: 399
Cabrera: 300
Magglio Ordonez: 294
Bobby Abreu: 286
Tony Armas: 251



• The pitcher formerly known as Fausto had three birthdays, with three cakes, as Paul Hoynes writes.



• Jair Jurrjens got roughed up. There is an expectation in other organizations that the Atlanta Braves will make an immediate push to add a starting pitcher, and they have been in the Ryan Dempster talks all along.



Dings and dents


1. Ian Desmond is headed to the disabled list.



2. Matt Garza is feeling better and might avoid the disabled list.



3. Jonny Venters looked good in his first outing off the disabled list.



4. Giancarlo Stanton is making progress.



Moves, deals and decisions


1. The Milwaukee Brewers seem ready to sell.



2. The San Francisco Giants are trying to decide what to do with Brandon Belt, writes Henry Schulman.



3. The San Diego Padres signed hitter Carlos Quentin. Huston Street is next.



4. Oakland is among those interested in Chase Headley, and perhaps the Athletics' strong play in the past month will nudge them to be a little bit more aggressive than they'd normally be.



By The Numbers
From ESPN Stats and Info



5: HRs by Kevin Youkilis in 22 games since joining White Sox (had four homers 42 games with Red Sox this season)
36: Times Ichiro has stolen two bases in a single inning in his career

NL East notes


• Ryan Zimmerman powered the Washington Nationals, who came back to win the final two games of the four-game series against the Braves. Washington is getting tough through adversity, writes Thomas Boswell.



• The Phillies' clubhouse is keeping the faith, writes David Murphy.



• Anibal Sanchez threw well, with scouts in attendance, but the Miami Marlins lost again.

NL Central notes


• The Chicago Cubs were wrecked.



• The Brewers' playoff dreams may have ended, writes Tom Haudricourt.



• The St. Louis Cardinals put it all together in a sweep, writes Bernie Miklasz. Adam Wainwright says St. Louis is championship caliber.



• The Houston Astros are evolving into the '62 Mets, in the nature of how they're losing. There are massive changes to come for Houston, as Chip Bailey writes.



• Ron Cook writes that there is a lot to enjoy about the Pittsburgh Pirates.



NL West notes


• The Dodgers needed a lift, and they got it against the New York Mets during the weekend.



• Jason Kubel and the Arizona Diamondbacks had a really fun weekend.



• There have been first impressions with the Rockies' four-man rotation.



AL East notes


• While the Yankees were swept, the Baltimore Orioles gained gobs of ground in the standings.



• Jon Lester was crushed.



From ESPN Stats and Info, how Lester allowed 11 runs:



A) Fastball was all over the map, contributing to a very poor strike percentage, especially against righties. Since the start of the season, Lester had thrown 63 percent strikes to RHB; on Sunday it was less than 52. That also meant fewer swings (42 percent versus 46 percent) out of Toronto hitters, and a better contact rate (84 percent versus 79 percent) when they did swing.
B) Career-high four home runs allowed, three on fastballs, and all three of those near the same spot (the middle/right of the plate looking in, the "6" on your phone). Blue Jays went 8-for-13 plus a sac bunt when they got a pitch in the strike zone and put it in play.
C) Curveball also ineffective: Seven of the 11 he threw were out of the zone, five of them not even close, and only one was swung at.



• The Toronto Blue Jays partied on against Lester, the headline in this story reads.



• Joe Maddon was disappointed with the Rays' 4-6 homestand. Tampa Bay's offense struggled again.



• The Yankees suffered a flashback to 1972.



AL Central notes


• The White Sox had a brutal weekend.



• Ryan Doumit saved the day.



• The Cleveland Indians are in a free fall and dropped below .500.



• Jeremy Guthrie struggled, as Tod Palmer writes. A couple of Kansas City Royals were ejected.

Cespedes has changed Oakland's plan.

In recent years, the New York Yankees have provided a barometer for the Oakland Athletics. Even when the Athletics were playing well, the Yankees tended to go into Oakland and overmatch their younger opponents; when the Athletics went into Yankee Stadium, well, forget it. They often looked intimidated and simply not ready for the stage.

So the ongoing series between the Athletics and Yankees is especially noteworthy. Oakland has won the first three games of the four-game series, limiting the Yankees to six runs. On Sunday, when Bartolo Colon pitches against CC Sabathia, Oakland could close out a sweep of the team that is running away with the AL East. As of Sunday morning, the A's are tied for one of two wild-card spots.

The Athletics have the best team ERA in the American League and not by a small margin. Their bullpen has been spectacular, holding opposing hitters to a .202 batting average. And they have their version of a Josh Hamilton, a Robinson Cano, a Mark Trumbo in Yoenis Cespedes.



The defector from Cuba is not close to being the best player in the major leagues, but the Athletics say that when he is healthy and in the lineup, he provides large dollops of hope and toughness. If he strikes out in his first few at-bats -- and he's got 51 strikeouts in 229 at-bats this season -- he will be there at the plate in the late innings utterly convinced that he's one swing from beating you. He believes he has the ability to crush a ball at any time, like he did on Saturday when he mashed a 458-foot homer off Phil Hughes.



This is something the Athletics have lacked in their everyday lineup since the departure of Miguel Tejada, whose energy level and confidence lifted his less experienced teammates.

Cespedes has seven hits in his 10 at-bats in this series against New York, including two Trumbo-like homers and zero strikeouts. Each time he comes to the plate, there is an expectation that he could alter the game. This is his expectation and of those who wear the same uniform. Injuries have limited him to 62 games, but in those, Oakland is 38-24. When Cespedes hasn't played, the Athletics are 12-20.

Cespedes' play and presence has shifted thought in the Athletics' organization. Before this season of rebuilding began, there was no way that Oakland would have entertained the notion of aggressively pursuing help at shortstop or third base before the trade deadline, but that's going on now. Marco Scutaro is available, and so is Yunel Escobar and Stephen Drew.



The Athletics' players have earned that midseason help. Ryan Cook has earned that with his spectacular season; he's allowed 16 hits in 42 1/3 innings. Jarrod Parker has earned that by limiting opponents to a little more than three runs per game; he won Saturday. Josh Reddick has earned that by making an adjustment in his approach and clubbing 21 homers so far.



Cespedes has earned that by helping make the Athletics believe that they can beat anybody from Anaheim to Arlington to the Bronx.



Brandon Inge was The Man for the Athletics Saturday.



From Kenton Wong of ESPN Stats & Info, more on Oakland's turnaround:



Heating up in Oakland
Best records in baseball since July 1.

Team Win pct. W-L
Oakland Athletics .867 13-2
Detroit Tigers .765 13-4
Pittsburgh Pirates .688 11-5
San Diego Padres .688 11-5
• The Athletics have been the hottest team in baseball since the start of July, going 13-2. That has allowed them to gain 6½ games on the AL West-leading Rangers in that span.

• Many of the A's wins this month have come in dramatic fashion, including five walk-offs:

July 3: Brandon Moss hits a game-tying single in the bottom of the ninth. Coco Crisp ends the game with a walk-off sac fly.
July 6: Chris Carter hits a pinch-hit three-run walk-off homer in the 11th inning.
July 8: Josh Reddick hits a walk-off double in the 13th.
July 18: Brandon Hicks hits his first career homer -- a walk-off shot in the ninth.
July 20: Brandon Moss hits a walk-off single in the ninth inning.

• Sunday, Oakland will have a chance to finish a sweep of the Yankees, owners of the best record in baseball at 57-37. The Yankees have not been swept in a four-game series since facing Toronto in May 2003.

• Pitching has keyed the A's recent success, as they have allowed three runs or fewer in 12 of their 13 wins this month. They have also gone 7-0 in one-run games, including each of their past four games.

• In addition to the pitching, Cespedes' return has helped. When he missed 22 games in May with a hand injury, Oakland went 7-15. After a mediocre first half, Cespedes has picked it up in the second half with six multihit games, including two 4-for-5 games.

Cespedes this season (first half/second half) Games: 54/8
BA: .263/.581
HR: 9/4
RBIs: 36/9
Slug pct.: .465/1.032

Cespedes has especially improved hitting off-speed pitches. From March-May, he hit just .190 on at-bats ending with an off-speed pitch (compared to .351 from June-July). His OPS has also risen from .617 against off-speed pitches in March-May to 1.007 in June-July.



A slow-developing trade market


The Houston Astros' purge has been responsible for most of the trade action to date, and there have been a couple of other minor deals. But there has not been much in the way of high-impact trades, and some general managers believe that's because their brethren are struggling to define the value of two-month rental players like Ryan Dempster.



In past seasons, it was commonplace for teams to surrender strong packages of prospects for a veteran like Dempster. Last season, for example, the San Francisco Giants gave up their best young pitcher, Zack Wheeler, for Carlos Beltran.



But under the new rules, the wild-card teams are guaranteed just one game, and there is no draft-pick compensation for an acquired player like Dempster. At a time when more teams tend to operate with a macro vision, executives are reassessing the value of a midseason deal. "There is a point when common sense takes over," a GM said Saturday. "You are not going to put your team in a desolate place in 2013 and beyond" to get one quick fix.



"It's a business decision," he added.

For example: The Los Angeles Dodgers, not liking the price tag for Dempster, have decided to focus on players they could control beyond this season, like Matt Garza, who was pulled from his start Saturday after experiencing some cramping.

The Cardinals' desire to add a starter has been mitigated by the progress of Jaime Garcia.



The remaking of the Astros


Meanwhile, other executives have noted that the Astros are positioning themselves to be this decade's version of the Tampa Bay Rays, who finished so poorly in the standings repeatedly early last decade that year after year they picked at or near the top of the draft -- and made a lot of right choices.



The Astros had the No. 1 pick this year, they are strongly positioned to have the No. 1 pick next year, and their rebuilding could take so long that they may be picking at or near the top of the draft for several more years to come.



What the Astros are gambling, of course, is that they won't do mortal damage to the interest and faith of their hard-core fans. Houston was fifth in the NL in attendance in 2004, 10th in 2010, 13th in 2011. Right now, the Astros rank last, with no hope yet on the horizon and plans to move into the more competitive AL West next year.



The San Diego Padres have been through fire sales, and they will attest: A strip-down strategy like this comes with risk and long-term costs. The covenant with some hard-core fans is irreparably broken. You can argue that this is the best strategy for the Astros to pursue in their effort to win ballgames, but as a business entity they are training a generation of fans to ignore them completely.



Brett Myers became the latest veteran to be dumped. Francisco will be the Astros' new temporary closer.



From ESPN Stats & Info: The Astros have now sent four of their top five salaries from Opening Day packing: Carlos Lee ($19 million), Myers ($12M), Brandon Lyon ($5.5M) and J.A. Happ ($2.35M). The only player in the top five still with the team -- Wandy Rodriguez ($10.5M) -- is rumored to be on the block.



Elsewhere


• We've got the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels on ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball," with Dan Haren pitching against Matt Harrison and with Mike Trout chasing history. He scored again in the Angels' loss Saturday.



Most consecutive games with run scored among rookies (since 1957)
2012: Trout -- 13
2001: Albert Pujols -- 13
1984: Dan Gladden -- 11
Source: Elias Sports Bureau

Most consecutive games with run scored (Angels history)
2012: Trout -- 13
1995: Jim Edmonds -- 13
1997: Edmonds -- 11
1993: Chad Curtis -- 11
Source: Elias Sports Bureau

Yu Darvish shut down the Angels on Saturday. Arm tightnesscould sideline Colby Lewis again. Ervin Santana had a really bad day.

• John Lannan helped the Washington Nationals salvage a badly needed nightcap victory against the Atlanta Braves. Bryce Harper likely will be back in the lineup Sunday.

Ben Sheets was outstanding again, Carroll Rogers writes.

• Cole Hamels might have pitched his last home game for the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday, a loss.

• You can't stop the Detroit Tigers, you can only hope to contain them: Detroit is on a serious roll and has moved into first place after Rick Porcello was dominant.

• It looks as if the Tigers will call up Nick Castellanos no later than September, writes Lynn Henning.

• The Rays' loss Saturday was devastating in many ways, Roger Mooney writes. Luke Scott is back on the disabled list.

By The Numbers
From ESPN Stats & Info



5: Leadoff homers by Shin-Soo Choo this season -- most in MLB
12: Runs scored by the Cardinals in the seventh inning versus the Cubs; the only 12 runs scored in Saturday's 12-0 game
13: Consecutive games with run scored by Trout
23: Consecutive games Robinson Cano hit safely in before having the streak snapped Saturday
334: At-bats needed by Edwin Encarnacion to reach 26 homers -- tying a career-best

Moves, deals and decisions


1. The Phillies may soon trade Shane Victorino, writes Bob Brookover.



2. The Yankees are intrigued by Justin Upton but should wait until the offseason to make a move, writes Joel Sherman.



3. Roberto Hernandez is on the path to return to the big leagues; the Cleveland Indians think he might need only a couple of starts in the minors after he serves his suspension.

Dings and dents


1. Jayson Werth has started his rehabilitation assignment in the minors.



2. Juan Cruz landed on the disabled list.



3. Johan Santana, who looked like he had no mound weapons Friday, was placed on the disabled list, and now the reeling New York Mets have two rotation spots to fill.



4. Denard Span was lifted from Saturday's game because of dizziness.



5. Hanley Ramirez is sidelined with an infection.



6. Tim Stauffer is making steady progress.



AL East notes


• Give the Baltimore Orioles some credit: They have hung in there despite their pitching issues. And Chris Tillman bounced back to throw well Saturday.



• The Boston Red Sox crumbled late.



• The Toronto Blue Jays mashed.

AL Central notes


• The Chicago White Sox fell out of first place.



• Lorenzo Cain had a good day.



• The Indians were taken down by a former Indian.

AL West notes


• The Seattle Mariners got some gutsy pitching.

NL East notes


• Carlos Zambrano was erratic, Andre Fernandez writes.



NL Central notes


• The Pirates got a lot done without doing much of anything at all.



• The St. Louis Cardinals erupted on Saturday.



• The Cincinnati Reds are without Joey Votto, but they're still winning.



• The Milwaukee Brewers were beaten, and if Milwaukee went into sell mode now, that would make sense.

NL West notes


• The Colorado Rockies bounced back.

• Jason Kubel had a really, really big day with three homers.

• Matt Cain and the Giants won a wacky game.

Paul Maholm among pitching trade targets.

Paul Maholm was drafted nine years ago and has pitched in more than 200 games in the big leagues, so the book on him is well-established. Left-hander with a below-average fastball who has to mix his pitches to win.



But before the trade deadline every year, teams will still send scouts to watch pitchers like Maholm because they're looking for a hot hand -- a hitter in the midst of an offensive burst; a pitcher who has made an adjustment that's fueling a hot streak or has started throwing a pitch that's working for him.



Like an NFL team looking for a kicker who is on a roll, MLB teams seek a quick fix. One great start -- or a short series of strong outings -- can make a difference to clubs this time of year.



Maholm has a career ERA well over 4.00, but he is pitching well right now. At 30 years old, he is making his mistakes down in the strike zone, an evaluator says, rather than up. For a soft thrower such as Maholm, that can make an enormous difference.



Maholm is making $4.75 million this year, has a $6.5 million option for next season and has thrown well for most of this season. Since his first two starts of the season, in which he allowed 12 earned runs in eight innings, he has an ERA of 3.32, with only eight homers surrendered in 97.2 innings. He has allowed only three earned runs in his last 30.1 innings, with four walks and 20 strikeouts.



He doesn't have the stuff of a Cole Hamels, the American League East pedigree of Matt Garza or the ceiling of a Zack Greinke, but at this time of year, teams are looking for help, and Maholm looks like he could help.



Meanwhile, the Dodgers remain in the mix for Ryan Dempster.



Sources say that as of Friday morning, the Dodgers and Cubs haven't found common ground. Los Angeles is trying to keep a high number of its top prospects off-limits, and the Cubs are having talks with other, more aggressive teams.



The Cubs might be scrambling to fill their rotation in the final two months, because Dempster might be traded today. Garza could follow in the next 11 days, with Boston being a major player in the trade talks, and Maholm could draw interest from teams that see substance in his turnaround.



"They're going to trade anyone who has value," one executive said about the Cubs.



The funny thing is that the Cubs are red hot these days, with 14 victories in their last 19 games.



• Along the same lines, you wonder if Edinson Volquez's one-hitter is going to open some eyes among rival evaluators in the days before the deadline.



He is making $2.238 million this season, will have five-plus years of service time when the season's over and won't be eligible for free agency until after next year. These are his numbers over his past five starts:



IP: 33.2
H: 20 (an impressive number)
ER: 5
BB: 19 (a scary number)
K: 33



Volquez, 29, has been a rotation leader before and has shown he has a high ceiling. He has been markedly better pitching in Petco this year than on the road.



From ESPN Stats & Info, how he shut down the Astros:



(A) Volquez threw 72 of 117 pitches (61.5 percent) down in the zone or below, his highest percentage in a start this season. Astros hitters were 0-for-13 in at-bats ending with a pitch in that location.
(B) He threw 37 curveballs out of 117 pitches (31.6 percent), his most curves and highest percentage in a start this season. Astros hitters were 0-for-9 in at-bats ending with a curveball.
(C) The Astros hitters were 0-for-13 with four strikeouts in at-bats ending with an off-speed pitch overall, including 0-for-9 down in the zone or below.
(D) He recorded a season-high 13 ground ball outs.



• Yes, the Texas Rangers would be open to the idea of upgrading their pitching, but there are few available pitchers who fit that description. Maybe only one, in fact: Cole Hamels. As Jayson Stark first reported, the Phillies have increased their offer to Hamels to six years, and if he signs, the Rangers may forgo the trade market altogether, other than adding pieces for their bench.



• A six-year deal for Hamels would cost something in the range of $140 million, almost double what Philadelphia seemed willing to spend on the left-hander last year. If Hamels gets about $24 million a year, that would mean Philadelphia would have about $95 million committed to four players -- Hamels, Cliff Lee, Ryan Howard and Roy Halladay -- for 2013.



There has been speculation that Lee might be dealt, but keep in mind that his contract is heavily back-loaded, with salaries of $25 million for each of the next three seasons and a $27.5 million vesting option for 2016 that contains an enormous buyout of $12.5 million. Howard is in the first year of a five-year, $125 million deal.



• The Blue Jays' lack of bullpen depth has hurt, writes Brendan Kennedy.



I don't think any organization has been stopped in its tracks this season in the same way the Blue Jays have. All of their best young pitchers have been cut down by injuries, suspending their development and affecting all parts of the team. Because of what's happened this year, the Blue Jays are destined to go into the 2013 season with almost an identical set of questions that they had this year -- adding shortstop to the list, because Toronto seeks change at that position.



• Chris Carpenter had his surgery.



• The Tigers continued to gather momentum behind a strong start by Max Scherzer. They face the Chicago White Sox in a big weekend series. Detroit could be in first place by Saturday, writes Bob Wojnowski.



• The Diamondbacks and Marlins are among the teams prepared to sell. On Thursday, Arizona blew a big lead and Miami was taken down, again, by the Cubs.



The Miami players say they're still in the playoff hunt. From Joe Capozzi's story:


The main talk about the Marlins now is whether they will look to trade players such as pitcher Anibal Sanchez or second baseman Omar Infante or reliever Randy Choate among others.



"Right now to be honest, I don't think we have anything, at least they don't mention to me any move. They might wait until Pittsburgh,'' Guillen said.



"I think we have good players. I think we can compete. It's up to them to see who stays or who goes.''


The Diamondbacks' plans remain in neutral, GM Kevin Towers says.



• By about a quarter of a run, the Athletics have the best ERA in the American League, and Oakland beat the Yankees on Thursday.



Moves, deals and decisions


1. Contrary to a report, the Red Sox and Pirates have not talked to the Diamondbacks about Stephen Drew.



2. The Blue Jays recalled Yan Gomes.



3. The Rockies' top position prospect needs to have hope for a recall, writes Troy Renck.



4. The Dodgers apparently are not interested in Jimmy Rollins, writes Dylan Hernandez, because he is locked into a long-term deal.



5. Even Justin Morneau is available as the Twins prepare for a purge, writes John Shipley.



6. The Royals signed Jason Kendall.



7. Ryan Roberts, a major disappointment for the Diamondbacks this year, hasn't been playing much, Nick Piecoro writes.



8. The Phillies are still trying to decide whether to buy or sell, writes Bob Brookover.



9. The Nationals cut Rick Ankiel.



10. The Mets need to think about a bullpen makeover for future seasons, writes Joel Sherman.



11. Nick Markakis likes the leadoff spot.



12. The trade deadline could become a big deal for the Red Sox.

Dings and dents


1. Todd Helton is going to test his hip.



2. Jesse Crain will be back this weekend.



3. Brett Gardner is likely out for the year.



4. Ian Desmond will be in the Washington lineup today, writes James Wagner.



5. Joba Chamberlain continues to throw great, George King writes.

By The Numbers
From ESPN Stats & Info



3: Career walk-off home runs for Cody Ross (five career walk-off hits)
12: Of David Wright's 14 home runs have come off fastballs over the middle of the plate vertically (belt-high)
13: Wins for David Price and R.A. Dickey, most in the majors
43: Straight games with three or more runs for the Yankees (longest single-season streak in team history and second-longest single-season streak in Live Ball Era)

AL Central notes


• The Indians closed out their road trip with a loss.



• The White Sox had their guts ripped out.



• The Twins let a strong start go to waste.

NL Central notes


• The Reds rallied from a 6-0 deficit, but Brandon Phillips was upset with the fans afterward.



• The Astros are positioning themselves perfectly for the No. 1 pick. They have lost 36 of their last 48 games.

AL West notes


• The Angels' offense slowed.



• The Mariners had a nice series in Kansas City, as Geoff Baker writes.



AL East notes


• The Yankees' domination in Oakland ended.



• David Price was The Man for the Rays.



From ESPN Stats & Info, how he won:



(A) Price didn't allow a run while striking out seven in seven innings pitched.
(B) Indians hitters were 0-for-12 in at-bats ending with Price's fastball, just the second time this season he has not allowed a hit against the pitch.
(C) He threw 22 curveballs out of 108 pitches (20.4 percent), well above his season average of 11.3 percent. Indians hitters were 0-for-5 with three strikeouts in at-bats ending with the curve.
(D) Indians hitters were 1-for-15 in two-strike at-bats, including 0-for-12 against the fastball and curveball.
(E) Indians hitters were 0-for-8 with five strikeouts in at-bats ending with a pitch down in the zone or below. All the outs came against his fastball or curveball.



• Cody Ross hoisted the Red Sox onto his shoulders.

NL East notes


• R.A. Dickey ended the Mets' losing streak, writes John Harper.



• Gio Gonzalez had a bad day.



• The Braves really needed a win, and Tim Hudson delivered.

Ichiro deal a shrewd move by everyone.

The Seattle Mariners have finally turned the page and done the right thing for Ichiro Suzuki and themselves by trading him to the New York Yankees in exchange for minor league right-handed pitchers D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar.

The Yankees have been in need of outfield depth since the injury to left fielder Brett Gardner, who had arthroscopic elbow surgery and is now out for the year. The Yankees have been platooning Raul Ibanez and Andruw Jones since he went down and they have done a decent job, but the Bronx Bombers have really been missing Gardner’s speed and range in the outfield as well as his ability to manufacture runs with his wheels and create more fastballs for the other Yankees hitters because he's a threat to steal.
[+] Enlarge

AP Photo/Bob Galbraith
The Yankees need speed, and Ichiro still has that.
Ichiro, 38, is a 10-time All-Star who has won two batting titles, not to mention the 2001 AL MVP and Rookie of the Year. However, he’s been in steady decline the last three years, and the M’s have seen his OBP go from .352 in 2009 to .315 in 2010 to .310 in 2011 to a career-low .288 this year. He has, however, maintained his ability to steal bases, as he's 15-for-17 this year.

The Yankees hope to be getting a rejuvenated Suzuki, who had to waive his 10-and-5 rights to accept the deal to New York. Playing for the non-contending Mariners that last several years has to have worn on him and a chance to get to the World Series could spark an solid second half for Suzuki. He will clearly benefit from joining the power-packed Yankee lineup and should be able to give the club the stolen-base threat they lost with Gardner’s injury.

The Mariners are going nowhere in 2012 and dealing Suzuki allows them to add some minor league depth. More importantly, because Ichiro is a free agent after this season, this deal will prevent the Mariners from having to answer questions about what they will do with him next year.

As for Seattle's haul, Mitchell is a 25-year-old who was a 10th-round pick in 2010 out of Clemson. The 6-foot righty is a sinker-slider pitcher who could be a No. 5 starter if everything breaks right. Farquhar, who's also 25, is a 5-9, 180-pound reliever who has a 3.33 ERA in 51 1/3 innings between Double- and Triple-A this year. He's an extra bullpen arm, the kind of guy you like to have in reserve in Triple-A.

Basically, this deal had more to do with opening a spot for younger players for the Mariners while paying Ichiro the ultimate respect of allowing him to finish his career in a pennant race.

For the Yankees, a small price to pay to improve the outfield and compensate a little bit for the loss of Gardner.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



The other major deal of the day saw the Miami Marlins make a tremendous trade in building for the future by sending second baseman Omar Infante and right-handed pitcher Anibal Sanchez to the Detroit Tigers in return for righty Jacob Turner, catcher Rob Brantly and southpaw Brian Flynn (The two teams are also swapping compensatory draft picks that are part of the new collective bargaining agreement in the deal).

Turner will develop into a top-of-the-rotation starter in time and Brantly could become the Marlins' everyday catcher as early as next year. The Tigers made the deal for the present as they filled two huge needs in one deal. Infante improves their second-base situation both offensively and defensively, and Sanchez will benefit from the Tigers' potent offense and could have the same second-half impact that Doug Fister had a year ago. This deal is as simple as the Tigers winning short term and the Marlins crushing it with a huge win long term. This deal has the potential of someday bringing back memories of the John Smoltz-for-Doyle Alexander trade that Tigers fans still can’t forget.
 
Marlins make out well in trade with Tigers.

While much of the focus today is on the Ichiro Suzuki trade (and my thoughts on that are at the bottom of this piece), a much more significant deal was reportedly made between the Detroit Tigers and Miami Marlins.



The Tigers clearly make themselves better in a tight AL Central race this year with the acquisitions of Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante, but the Marlins did well to obtain one top-30 prospect (Jacob Turner) and a couple of other solid prospects in exchange for an impending free agent pitcher and a 30-year-old hitter who would probably be a utility player on most teams.




Sanchez had significant shoulder problems earlier in his career, but has been healthy since the start of 2010 and has made himself into an above-average starter thanks to a plus changeup with good deception and at times some late tumble. His fastball is just average, but he locates it well enough to stay ahead in the count and avoid free passes, although it's fairly flat and might make him homer-prone in the wrong ballpark.



With Sanchez and a healthy Doug Fister back in the mix, the Tigers have five solid starters -- Drew Smyly, now injured, was coming back to earth when he got hurt anyway -- and no depth if their rotation should sustain another injury. Infante isn't anything special with the bat or glove, but given what he's replacing, Tigers fans might mistake him for Rogers Hornsby. Detroit's second basemen have hit a combined .201/.286/.276 this season, so while Infante isn't likely to improve his performance when moving to the better league, he'll be an improvement over anything the Tigers have in-house at second base. The two additions make the Tigers two to three wins better for the rest of this season, plus some value from Infante in 2013 as well.



Turner was consistently up to 97 mph with his fastball in high school, touching 99, but is more 90-94 now. He works with a two-seamer that has some tailing life and generates a few more ground balls than his four-seamer does, but not enough to overcome the fact that he doesn't miss bats like he should.



He has a full starter's repertoire, with a power curveball at 77-82 that used to be sharper, a cutter at 84-86 that probably needs to be closer to his fastball in velocity, and a changeup with pretty good action at 86-87. As much as I understand the idea of making starting pitchers more efficient, I don't get the idea of taking a power pitcher like Turner and turning him into a finesse/ground ball guy; I think he's lost a little arm speed, but that could also be a function of trying to 'pitch' too much instead of just letting it go. He alone makes the deal worthwhile for the Marlins, as he's got enough stuff as is to end up a third or fourth starter but isn't far removed from a time when he looked like a possible star. It's quite possible he was just rushed to the majors and hasn't had time to make the necessary adjustments.



The other prospects headed to Miami are catcher Rob Brantly and lefty Brian Flynn. Brantly, who has struggled a bit since a promotion to Triple-A, is a contact-oriented hitter without much patience and a hook-oriented swing; he has an above-average arm but his receiving has always been a problem, most likely because he doesn't have the hands for it. Flynn, who was just promoted to Double-A, has good stuff but has trouble repeating his delivery, right down to his arm slot, and probably ends up a reliever, although his delivery seems to get worse when he's working from the stretch. The deal largely boils down to Turner, but as I said, I think he's a great pickup in exchange for two months of Sanchez and a season-plus of Infante.



One point of interest in this trade is that, for the first time in MLB history, we have seen draft picks traded, as the two teams exchanged their "competitive balance lottery" picks, with the Tigers sending their pick after to the second round to the Marlins for their pick after the first round. (We'll ignore, for the moment, the absurdity of the Tigers receiving a pick in that process while the Rays received none.) Let's hope teams' interest in using these picks as trade commodities spurs changes in the next CBA to allow teams to trade other draft picks as well.



Thoughts on Ichiro deal

The trade of Ichiro Suzuki to the New York Yankees for D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar sounds huge, but its impact is quite small. Ichiro, now 38, has been awful at the plate for a year and a half, as his longtime aversion to walks has finally caught up to him because his bat has slowed enough to prevent him from hitting above .300. His overall stat line includes Safeco Park's status as a pitcher's haven this year, but even outside of that park, he's best cast as a platoon outfielder against right-handed pitchers and defensive replacement. The Mariners get two non-prospects in return, with Mitchell possibly profiling as a last man on a pitching staff, but also get out from the PR nightmare this winter of choosing not to re-sign their best-known player.

Top prospects ranked by trade value.

As a follow-on list to my ranking from earlier this month of the top 50 prospects in the minors, here's a ranking of the top 10 prospects on contending clubs -- i.e., potential deadline "buyers" -- based on their immediate trade value. To draw the line between contenders and non-contenders, I used ESPN's playoff odds, and limited the list to prospects from teams with at least a 15 percent chance of making the playoffs prior to Monday's games.



This list isn't specifically my evaluation of the values of these players, but represents my understanding of (and speculation) on what the players' actual values are to current GMs. This list ignores players who can't be traded because they just signed their first professional contracts this summer, and players who are currently out with a significant injury (e.g., Travis d'Arnaud).




1. Jurickson Profar, SS
Age: 19
Level: Double-A (Frisco)



Too good to trade? Profar looks as if he could step in as a major league shortstop by Opening Day and be league-average or better, with superstar upside. That combination of immediate return and potential peak could make it impossible for Texas to get sufficient return in any deal; they would have to receive more than one established big leaguer with multiple years of control remaining to come close to the potential value of the first six years of Profar's career.




2. Gerrit Cole, RHP
Age: 21
Level: Double-A (Altoona)



Cole's raw stuff is as good as anyone's in the minors right now, with plus velocity, a plus changeup, and a slider up to 92 that you can easily project as plus, and scouts getting their first looks at him this year are going to come back with some strongly positive reports. I don't think Cole is ready for the majors, primarily because he still doesn't command the four-seamer well enough, but his repertoire wouldn't be out of place in a big league rotation, and he should be ready inside of 12 months.




3. Oscar Taveras, OF
Age: 20
Level: Double-A (Springfield)



I imagine Taveras will be the one name the Cardinals refuse to discuss in trades this summer, as the comparisons to Vlad Guerrero look a lot less outlandish this year than they did at this time in 2011. He could slot into most teams' 2013 Opening Day lineups, and the power display he put on in BP before the Futures Game -- witnessed by scouts from just about every team, with a few execs sprinkled in -- ratcheted up his value a few notches.




4. Tyler Skaggs, LHP
Age: 20
Level: Triple-A (Reno)



Left-handed, projectable, and already showing an above-average fastball, Skaggs has already reached Triple-A after having no trouble at any previous level. I could see him in a swing role or even as a fifth starter this year, but by this time next year, he should be ready for a rotation spot somewhere. As for teammate Trevor Bauer -- while I'm sure he'd still have trade value as a starter who's close to big-league ready, his diminished velocity in his four major league outings and inability (or unwillingness) to throw strikes, especially when behind in the count, will absolutely reduce what he's worth on the market until he has more success in the majors.




5. Mike Olt, 3B
Age: 23
Level: Double-A (Frisco)



Olt is the lowest-ranked prospect from my top 50 update (No. 46) to appear on this top 10, making up for his relative lack of ceiling (although his ceiling isn't low) with his proximity to the majors. Olt could probably step in right now and play third base for a number of rebuilding clubs, offering above-average defense, a .320 to .330 OBP, and 20 to 25 home run power right away.




6. Shelby Miller, RHP
Age: 21
Level: Triple-A (Memphis)



Miller's value has taken a hit this year, to the point where I wouldn't be remotely surprised to see him included in a major trade in the next seven days. His velocity was off earlier this year after he lost too much weight last winter, and while he's back in the mid-90s, he's struggling with command and has been unable to use his off-speed stuff to put hitters away. He's less ready than he seemed to be before this season, which makes him available, but at just 21, he's still promising enough to be able to bring back a significant major leaguer in return.




7. Julio Teheran, RHP
Age: 21
Level: Triple-A (Gwinnett)



Although Teheran has been very inconsistent this year in Triple-A, and quite homer-prone, he's also just 21 years old with a plus fastball and plus changeup and no history of arm trouble. It is reasonable for a bad team acquiring him to believe he could work in the majors either as a fifth starter or as a long man while he continues to work on fastball location and on finding a consistent breaking ball.




8. Billy Hamilton, SS
Age: 21
Level: Double-A (Pensacola)



Hamilton has stolen just eight bases in 11 games since his promotion to Double-A, but his speed is still game-changing and he's continued to get on base and hit for average even since the promotion (small sample-size caveats apply). There's also some small PR value to acquiring Hamilton, who is the most famous prospect currently in the minor leagues. Of course, the problem with Hamilton's trade value is that the Reds very easily could look at him as a potential bench piece for the stretch run, a pinch runner who could back up shortstop; they might try to get him some reps in center and/or at second base in August to give him more potential to play the field later in games.




9. Nick Castellanos, 3B
Age: 20
Level: Double-A (Erie)



Castellanos, like Olt, isn't going to appear in the majors this season at his ideal position (third base) barring an injury, so the Tigers have him playing at a position where he's less valuable (right field). He's reached Double-A at age 20, where he's hit and hit for some power but seen his walk rate plummet. His youth and advanced bat, as well as his ability to play third base for another organization, would allow the Tigers to make a second major move -- although after Monday's deal with Miami, it seems unlikely that they'd do so.




10. Jackie Bradley, Jr., CF
Age: 22
Level: Double-A (Portland)



Bradley has three things working in his favor for his trade value: He's a plus defender in center, he has shown an unexpectedly strong ability to get on base, and he's not that far away from the majors, probably a year or less. The Red Sox might be looking at him as Jacoby Ellsbury's long-term replacement, but if not, he's the kind of good-not-elite prospect who is traded more often than the upper-echelon prospects are.



The next five


Jameson Taillon, RHP, Pirates
Aaron Sanchez, RHP, Blue Jays
Gary Sanchez, C, Yankees
Archie Bradley, RHP, Diamondbacks
Mason Williams, CF, Yankees

Adding Myers worth the cost for Chicago.

The Chicago White Sox add a body to their bullpen at minimal cost, while the Houston Astros save a little money and add two depth arms to their farm system.




Brett Myers, probably best known among fans for his arrest for allegedly assaulting his wife in 2006 (charges were dismissed after his wife said she did not want Myers prosecuted), had value as a starter in 2010 and 2011, primarily for his ability to soak up innings, but was just a replacement-level reliever thus far in 2012, giving up 17 runs in 30.2 innings with just 20 punchouts. That last figure reflects the fact that his repertoire is deep -- five separate pitches -- but offers nothing plus, with his best attribute his ability to slightly cut his fastball without giving up velocity, helping generate some ground balls. He rarely walks guys and has plenty of options for changing speeds. The net gain to the White Sox is marginal, less than a win, although Don Cooper has worked miracles before with other pitchers who have underperformed elsewhere.



In exchange for Myers, the Astros get two depth starters who barely qualify as prospects, plus a player to be named later. Right-hander Matt Heidenreich is up to 91 mph with an above-average changeup, above-average command and control, and a good feel for pitching, but in the best-case scenario, he is probably a good fifth starter, and he more likely tops out as an up-and-down guy. Left-hander Blair Walters will show an average fastball up to 92 mph and changeup, but neither of his breaking balls is average, with the curve and slider running together and often finishing out of the zone. He also doesn't have the platoon splits to point to a future as a specialist.



Neither guy is likely to be a top-20 prospect in this system by year's end. Houston also saves $1 million and avoids the threat of Myers' $10 million vesting option for 2013 (triggered if he finishes 16 games between now and the end of the season), more valuable than either of the players returned.

Scouting Jorge Soler's debut.

Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler made his pro debut on Thursday night with the Chicago Cubs' club in the rookie-level Arizona League, the lowest level of organized baseball, with teams largely populated by teenaged prospects, rehabbers, and a handful of older organizational players. Already 20, he's old to be in this league, but given how long it has been since he faced live pitching, it's a reasonable place for him to start.




Soler, who signed a nine-year, $30 million dollar deal with the Cubs in June, only DH'd and had three at-bats before he was pulled for a pinch hitter -- you know, don't want to overtax the guy or anything -- and did at least get a chance to show how explosive his hands are at the plate. He loads his hands high and deep, but accelerates quickly enough to catch up to above-average stuff, even meeting a few balls out in front of the plate (perhaps because his timing is still off). He's balanced through the swing and should be able to generate power from his lower half. He grounded out twice but didn't run hard either time, although his strides are long and easy and he should be an above-average runner when he decides to show it. (His third at-bat was a hard lineout to the pitcher.) He's in very good shape and his body looks loose and athletic. This wasn't an ideal look since he didn't play the field and hasn't faced live pitching in ages, but at least some of the tools were on display -- and yes, I will go back in a week or so to try to see him in the field.




• The Los Angeles Dodgers' big Cuban free agent signing, Yasiel Puig, had a brief workout for the media last week in Glendale, hitting in the cages, first off a tee and then off a BP pitcher. He's stronger than Soler and looks a little older (he's 21), lacking Soler's explosive hands but also a little behind Soler in getting into game shape, looking maybe 5-10 pounds above his ideal playing weight (but far from out of shape). It's still unclear when he'll be cleared to play in a game.




• Shifting to Triple-A for a moment, Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Tyler Skaggs threw in Tucson on Wednesday night in a game slightly marred by a line drive he took off his leg from the second batter he faced. The lefty was 90-94, mostly 92-93, and was aggressive about coming inside with it, especially to right-handed batters. He showed an above-average curveball at 74-79 with good two-plane break but trouble throwing it for strikes (and getting the calls when he did throw it for strikes). His changeup was inconsistent at 79-81, some clearly plus with a little fade, some easier to pick up as he slowed his arm a little. Skaggs was victimized by bad defense by his Reno teammates in the first, as he picked off the runner who lined the ball off his hip, only to see the first baseman throw the ball away, and then got a bases-loaded flyout to deep left that left fielder A.J. Pollock misplayed into a bases-clearing double. If the leg was an issue, I'll give Skaggs a pass on the fringy command he showed, but I think it's fair to say that finishing the summer in Triple-A will give him time to work on refining the changeup and working on getting ahead more with the fastball.




• Tucson reliever Brad Boxberger (San Diego Padres) was 91-94 in that game, sitting more at the high end of that range, with a deceptive 79-81 mph changeup on which he seemed to be dropping his arm slightly. It's a rough delivery with a lot of sling to it and little from his lower half, but the two pitches together would probably work in a big league pen right now.



• Padres infielder Jedd Gyorko played third base on Wednesday for Tucson -- he's also played a lot of second this year -- and was fine defensively, good enough to stay there, although I still find it hard to see him having the lateral agility to ever be average defensively at second. His swing is very short and compact, with no stride and minimal load, so while he should make a lot of contact, it's hard to see power here, which will make profiling at third base tough.



• D-backs centerfielder Adam Eaton (Reno) gets his hands a little deep when he loads them but his path to the ball is very direct, so he should make a lot of contact and could hit .300 or better in the big leagues. I spoke to two scouts who have Reno as part of their coverage this year, and both felt that Eaton has improved enough with the glove to be a solid-average defensive centerfielder in the majors, which would make him a potential above-average regular (perhaps worth 3 wins above replacement) because of his bat.




• Returning to the AZL, here are some quick notes on other prospects I've run into so far. The Cincinnati Reds have lefty Amir Garrett, also a forward for the St. John's basketball team, in their AZL rotation; he was 91-94 with some late life with good rotation on a hard-breaking curveball at 75-76. He didn't hold his velocity well, tiring in the second inning (a reflection of his split commitment to two sports), and while his arm is very quick he doesn't use his lower half well and looks like a future reliever if that's not cleaned up. Third baseman Tanner Rahier, a favorite of mine from the draft this spring, saw six pitches in the game I saw, swung at all of them, and didn't get any results for his troubles. I do still like how his hands work, but he's not showing any plate discipline this summer (even beyond this one look), which is going to severely hamper his development as a hitter.




• Cleveland Indians: Starter Mitch Brown made his debut that night, sitting at 91-93 and working down in the zone with good deception as the ball appears very late out of his hands. He throws both a slider and a curveball, getting more feel for the slider after a couple backed up on him in the first, with one at 84 very hard with good tilt. He told me after his outing that he hadn't thrown in a game in seven weeks, so for his first time back on a mound it was promising. Shortstop Dorssys Paulino, who received a $1.1 million bonus last year, has a really sound, line drive-oriented swing, simple with good follow-through, and is an above-average runner with enough arm strength for the left side of the infield.




• Texas Rangers: This lineup is loaded with big-bonus prospects, with third baseman Joey Gallo standing out so far for his huge raw power -- although his swing is very long and I saw him swing through a number of pitches in the strike zone, which is why I argued in a chat this week that he isn't ready for full-season ball right now. Lewis Brinson has an extremely projectable, athletic frame, with plus speed and pretty good pop because his wrists are quick, although his pitch recognition was not good. Nomar Mazara, who received a record $5 million bonus last year as a 16-year-old, has very good bat speed as well but looked a little overmatched by changing speeds. Ronald Guzman's bat was extremely slow and his swing was long.




• Los Angeles Angels: Their AZL team is very thin; shortstop Jose Rondon is the best prospect, with strong hands and a very balanced swing.



Right-hander Arjenis Fernandez is 89-91 with a slurvy curveball but a solid-average changeup that could be a plus pitch in time.




• Seattle Mariners: Second-rounder Joe Decarlo has one of the slowest bats I've seen (considering just major prospects) so far out here, and his body doesn't offer any projection. Outfielder Isaiah Yates, a 17th-round pick this year who won't turn 18 until the end of August, has the best pure swing in the lineup but also looked a little overmatched, although his at-bats were solid. Second baseman Tim Lopes also has a good swing but stands so far in the bucket I'm not sure his performance so far is going to last as he moves up unless he gets himself more on line in the box.




• Oakland Athletics: Daniel Robertson won't stay at shortstop but he can really hit, with a very direct swing and enough rotation that I could see average or better power (although the two-homer performance I saw was probably an outlier). Third baseman Renato Nunez looks better than he did in instructional league last year, with a better approach and slightly quicker bat. Addison Russell and B.J. Boyd didn't play the night I saw the A's, so I'll go back to get both guys.




• Arizona Diamondbacks: Stryker Trahan, their 2012 first-rounder, took some great at-bats, but more importantly, received very well, catching and freezing everything near the zone, blocking balls in the dirt but failing to keep them in front of him, as they'd roll to the side but didn't get past him. That's already progress, enough that I feel good about his future behind the dish. Eleventh-rounder Ben Eckels showed four pitches and worked from 88-93 with all three secondary pitches at least flashing above-average, although his fastball command was poor and by his fourth inning he completely ran out of steam. Second-rounder Jose Munoz has bat speed but expands the zone too easily; he's athletic enough for short but has a long way to go to stay there. The prospect here everyone's talking about, Andrew Velazquez, sprained his ankle running out an inside-the-park home run and hasn't played since.




• Milwaukee Brewers: This is the least talented team I've seen out here, although they were hurt by the fast (and merited) promotion of Tyrone Taylor. Clint Coulter has a very quick bat but right now isn't driving the ball, just swinging for contact. Jose Pena has some trouble picking up breaking balls, especially down and out of the zone, but he's got very quick wrists and the ball really comes off his bat well when he squares one up, with the potential to hit for both average and power.

Jays and Astros both get value in trade.

The trade between the Blue Jays and Astros today involved nine players and one more to be named later, but there's little of consequence involved here. While the quantity involved does not reflect the overall impact of the deal, there is logic in it for both sides.



[+] Enlarge

AP Photo/Julio Cortez
First-year Astros GM Jeff Luhnow has effectively improved the system.

The Astros have done an excellent job in 2012 of addressing the top of their farm system, largely through a strong draft strategy that parlayed the first overall pick into four top-50 talents in this year's class. This trade addresses the second weakness in the farm system inherited by new general manager Jeff Luhnow -- an utter lack of depth -- adding a trio of third-tier prospects who, in Houston's organization, become second-tier guys by default. It provides the depth to potentially fill some bullpen or bench roles for no cost down the road.



Right-hander Asher Wojciechowski is probably a future reliever, as his velocity has gone backward and is just solid-average. He doesn't have an out pitch, with just an average slider and a below-average changeup. Carlos Perez is an offensive catcher without any plus tools, and he hasn't developed as expected with the bat. He is having a solid year in low Class A but is repeating the level and is old for the league. He has some arm strength but is only a fair receiver, good enough to stay there but only having value if he hits. Right-hander Joseph Musgrove, 19, is already well filled-out physically with a high-effort, short-arm action and a tendency to fly open after release, all of which probably points to a reliever future, especially given some minor shoulder trouble that has held down his workload. He does have the size to start and can spin a breaking ball, although he needs to get tighter rotation on it. Lefty David Rollins, the fourth minor leaguer going to Houston, is an organizational arm and not a prospect aside from a small chance he makes it in a specialist role.



The Astros also add reliever Francisco Cordero and spare outfielder Ben Francisco. Either of them could be fodder for another trade before either this month's or next month's trade deadline, but neither is likely to return a prospect even as good as any the team received in this trade. Their inclusion is more likely a way to allow Toronto to clear a roster spot and even out the salaries involved in the deal.



For Toronto, this move adds pitching depth at a cost of fringe prospects who might have been squeezed out of 40-man spots by better players in the next few years and were one bad half-season away from losing any trade value they had.



The best player coming back is lefty J.A. Happ, a back-end starter with good deception and fringe stuff who has, by using his two-seamer more this year, improved his ground ball rates substantially, although he remains homer-prone because his velocity is short. He is probably a below-league-average starter in the American League but above replacement level, giving the team three years of control of a guy who should at least absorb some innings. His acquisition is also a reflection of the failure of Deck McGuire and Chad Jenkins, both former first-round picks, to develop, creating a gap in the Jays' starting pitching pipeline exposed by a rash of elbow injuries this year.



Reliever Brandon Lyon returns to the organization that first drafted him, now as a strike-throwing reliever who relies heavily on an above-average cutter that he throws more often than he throws his pin-straight fastball. He is better than Cordero, albeit not by much. Right-hander David Carpenter is 92-95 with a short, hard slider that he leaves up in the zone a little too often, but he has good control and enough velocity to at least profile as an 11th or 12th man on a staff.



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The other trade Friday, between the Rockies and Royals, is a mistake-for-mistake deal, both sides giving up a pitcher they acquired in an offseason trade that went sour. If forced to choose, I'd rather have Jeremy Guthrie, especially now that he is out of Colorado, than Jonathan Sanchez, whose performance this year was so bad I would not be surprised to hear he is hurt.
 
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