Morisato As GM - Five Decisions I Would Make (Giants, Braves, Reds, Tigers, Rockies Edition)

October 26, 2008 at 9:51 pm · Filed under Atlanta Braves, Cincinatti Reds, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, MLB, San Francisco Giants

Part two of my Morisato As GM Series.

The San Francisco Giants (72-90)

Note:  The Giants are a difficult team to work with because of the sheer amount of bad and immovable contracts here.  I’d almost be tempted to cut several of them, but unfortunately, that ain’t going to fucking happen.

• Play Fred Lewis And Nate Scherholz Everyday In The Outfield Corners - The Giants have a useful player in Lewis and a potentially useful one in Scherholz if they would let him play at the major league level.  Instead of letting them rot in Triple A, where you know they’ll hit, why not at least see if they can provide a bump in the offense, for a fraction of the price of a vet.
• Trade Randy Winn - Winn actually has some value in that he’s a competant left fielder that would fill a short term hole for a contender.  The Mets wold find him an attractive stopgap in left or right field, as I think they’ll be making a play for Matt Holliday in 2009 when he hits free agency.  The Braves might be interested in him playing left, giving their lineup some balance, while possibily offering up Brandon Jones, a decent outfield prospect, or Brent Lillibridge, who was once a highly regarded shortstop prospect.  The Reds could be interested, with their lack of outfielders, but they might not have the ammunition to make an offer interesting.  The Cubs could be interested in him, perhaps offering up some pieces on the farm, or another expiring bad contract in return.  As long as the Giants don’t put up their hopes TOO high, they might be satisified with what they might find out there.
• Play Pedro Sandoval At Third Base And Emmanuel Burris At Shortstop - Sandoval has long put up solid numbers in the minors, and wasn’t horrible at third.  Though he wasn’t awful at catcher, he simply doesn’t fit into their plans as their catcher of the future.  However, he’s got great value as a third baseman.  Burris wasn’t awful at shortstop and is a much better option to use than bringing back Omar Visquel for one final run.
• Trade Dave Roberts To The Mariners For Miguel Batista - At this point, this is strictly an exchange of bad contracts.  Maybe Batista finds value as a swingman back in the NL.  Maybe Roberts gives the Mariners a competant left fielder with Raul Ibanez likely booking.  Both players have their contracts expire this year.  Might as well exchange them and hope for the best.  
• Sign Mark Teixiera - Normally, I wouldn’t advocate signing a free agent if I were the Giants.  However, the problem with the GIants is that they don’t have any real difference makers in terms of offensive players.  The only real close to the majors bat they have, Buster Posey, was just drafted this past year.  With the Giants needing a first baseman, why not sign Teixiera and rely on him to be the middle of the order presence they need.  They’ll be able to afford him, with Roberts’ (or in this scenario, Batista’s) and Winn’s contracts up this year, and unlike past free agent flops Barry Zito and Aarow Rowand, Teixeira is in the prime of his career and should be a cornerstone for the next great Giants ballclub.  He is the lone luxery that I would indulge myself in this class.

The Atlanta Braves (72-90)

• Sign Bartolo Colon Or Brad Penny - The Braves need assistance for Jair Jurrgens, and either one of these guys will add some stability.  They’re both a gamble because of their health history, but overall will be worth a shot at a one year deal.
• Move Chipper Jones To First Base - Jones can still swing a mean stick, but he’s shouldn’t be at third base anymore.  His bat is more than potent enough to play at first, which is why I ask Chipper to make the move soon.
• Sign Juan Rivera - Because, to be honest, the thought of the current left field situation for the Braves scares the shit out of me.
• Bring Back John Smoltz and Tom Glavine On One Year, Incentive Based Deals - The Braves actually need both of these guys if they’re to become respectable in the rotation.  However, don’t commit huge money to them, but instead give them a respectable salary and incentive clauses based on innings pitched, strikeouts, and other incentives that will boost the total value of the contract.  Both guys want to come back.  Why not make it something that’s mutually beneficial.  
• Trade Casey Kotchman And Brett Lillibridge To The Kansas City Royals For Mark Teahen - The Royals are looking for an upgrade at first base, and they maintain a good enough working relationship with the Bravos.  I’d offer them Kotchman and Lillibridge in hopes of attaining a suitable stopgap for Chipper at third.  Teahen is more than able to handle third base, and his bat should recover now that he’s not forced to run around in the outfield anymore.

The Cincinnati Reds (74-88)

• Move Edwin Encarnacion To Left Field - Encarnacion is an awful third baseman and would look much better in left field.  This move still keeps Encarnacion’s value, as his stick plays well in left.
• Trade Homer Bailey To The Colorado Rockies For Garret Atkins - Atkins can at least somewhat handle Third Base, and would be willing to at least stay with Cincinnati when his arbitration years are up.  Bailey has essentially played himself out of Cincinnati and will be an interesting project for the Rockies, with a lot of upside.
• Sign Josh Bard - The Reds need a solution at catcher and Bard is a young, affordable option that still has a lot of promise.  He hit well outside of PETCO park and should love that stadium.  Plus, he’s a capable defender that should help keep with the desire to improve the overall up the middle defense.
• Find Small Bullpen Additions - One of the key things that has become apparent is that paying up the nose for setup men and middle relievers is a fools affair.  The Orioles found this out the hard way when signing Chad Bradford and others to large contracts.  So, were I the Reds, I’d start taking a look around for minor league free agents or failed starters, in hopes that maybe, with the right opportunity, something worthwhile can come from it.
• Play Ryan Freel In Right Field - Freel doesn’t quite profile well as a right fiedler, but at the moment, the Reds are painfully thing in the outfield, which is why any sort of help they can get should be more than welcome.  Freel can actually play a solid centerfield, so moving him here should help improve the defensive value, plus put Freel’s bat, which isn’t bad, in the lineup on a more regular basis.

The Detroit Tigers (74-88)

• Trade Jeremy Bonderman For Gerald Laird And Joaquin Arias - The Tigers have long had a hard on for Arias, and Laird would allow them to move Brandon Inge back to third base, like they’ve planned.  In this instance, Bonderman actually makes a lot of sense for the Rangers.  He’s got a good stuff, in spite of his abuse at the beginning of his career, and is signed for the next three years.  If The Rangers want, and this part is likely, they’ll push for a Player To Be Named Later.  But overall, it’s a solid match.  
• Eat Gary Sheffield’s Contract - Sheff wants out of Detroit, wanting to play the field and complaining about a lack of at bats.  He’s owed $12 million (I think) in the final year of his deal.  For the sake of clubhouse peace and because his roster spot is more valuable right now, just eat the last year.  It’s already a sunk cost anyway.  Why keep a headache and a unproductive part of your ballclub when it could go to someone that might help you win this year.
• Sign Brian Fuentes - Normally, commiting huge money to a closer is suicide.  However, a three year deal to Fuentes, who would allow Zumaya to continue pitching the 8th, would be a reasonable exception to the rule, though the potential problems with his delivery might scare some teams off.  Still, that’s not much of an issue, especially when you consider K-Rod’s delivery (and his huge money demands.)
• Sign Brad Penny - Penny doesn’t carry any arbitration loss and won’t be incredibly expensive on the free agent market.  Furthermore, he allows the Tigers to have a stronger top of the lineup and move one of their more disappointing back of the rotation guys into the bullpen.
• Leave Rick Porcello In The Minors For The Year - It’s going to come up, as the Tigers will be tempted to use top prospect Rick Porcello out of their bullpen.  IT shouldn’t happen.  No matter how polished Porcello looks, he’s still barely going to be 20 and is still in an important part of his development.  For whatever it takes, leave Porcello in the minors.  He shouldn’t even be considered until next year at the earliest.

The Colorado Rockies (74-88)

• Have Franklyn Morales In The Rotation Next Season - Morales has potential ace quality stuff, but his command fell apart last season.  Hopefully, work this off-season will have made him a bit better.  And really, it doesn’t make any sense to block Morales from the rotation with a free agent.  He was touted as the Rockies’ Number One prospect in 2008 for a reason.  Let him prove it.
• Trade Garret Atkins To The Cincinnati Reds For Homer Bailey - Bailey’s a worthwhile project, and at this point, a swap of Bailey and Atkins would be beneficial for both teams.
• Keep Matt Holliday - Holliday is a solid player that the Rockies absolutely should keep for this coming year if they are to return to contention.  There is also the small, teeny, tiny fact that THERE IS NO MARKET FOR HIM!!!  Seriously, most of the contenders that are out there don’t have the farm system, or rotation pieces that the Rockies want for Holliday.  And most of the teams with strong farm systems are not going to empty their farms for one year of Holliday.  At this point, just keep him and collect the picks.  The best they might do would probably be Ian Kennedy and change from the Yankees, or Aaron Heilman (whom the Rockies have expressed interest in turning into a starter in the past), from the Mets.  Boston might have been interested, but the Jason Bay trade killed any possible fit.  As for the Dodgers, they aren’t going to give up many more trade pieces on the farm or in the rotation.  In nearly any case, the package won’t be as good as the picks.
• Trade Wily Taveras To The San Diego Padres For Heath Bell - The Padres are looking to cut salary and Bell is arbitration eligible.  Taveras is too, and is a year away from free agency, but in this case, it might benefit San Diego to consider it.  They have lacked a true centerfielder all season and Taveras is that.  And who knows, Taveras might find Petco suitable for his needs, as he’s a speedster with some gap power.  All in all, he’s young, has upside, and it might benefit the Padres to make an exception to their cost cutting in this isntance.  As for Bell, he replaces Fuentes, so it’s all good.
• Trade Yorvit Torrealba And Ian Koshansky To The Florida Marlins For Kevin Gregg - Torreable catches for the Marlins, with the Rockies paying the cash, and the Marlins get a intriuging first base prospect as well.  And in return, the Rockies get a middle reliever that can be good most of the time.  

Coming up, The Royals, A’s, Rangers, Indians, and Snakes!!!

Comments (4)

Taking A Brewer Fan To Task

October 9, 2008 at 9:49 pm · Filed under Ben Sheets, CC Sabathia, Chicago Cubs, Cincinatti Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, NL Central, Pittsburgh Pirates, Rich Harden

I got this comment in my awaiting moderation bin:

ESK At http://brewedsports.blogspot.com/

For entertainment purposes, as well as a way to properly break down my explaination, let’s do this Fire Joe Morgan Style.

INSERT YOVANI GALLARDO’S BASEBALL REFERENCE PAGE

What about that doesn’t inspire confidence?

The fact that Gallardo is still really young and I have essentially 21 starts of work to go with.  Still, 9-5, 134 innings pitched 3.35 ERA along with a favorable 3:1 K to walk ratio is good, but not enough to inspire confidence just yet.

They had Gallardo for 4 starts this season.

This kinda kills your previous point.  I am supposed to gain confidence about Gallardo after four starts in year two, in which he essnetially missed valuable development time?

Gallardo is a better pitcher than Ben Sheets.

Sheets has better raw stuff than Gallardo, but Gallardo has the better health record and so far hasn’t been ridden into the ground just yet by management.

Yes, they lost Sabathia, but they were contending for the division before they got Sabathia.

I’ll give you that, 3 1/2 games back at the time of the trade, tied for the wild card with St. Louis.  But do you honestly expect me to believe that the Brewers still would have made the playoffs with a leaky bullpen, an achy ace in Sheets, who did miss time, as well as a rotation that was running Dave Fucking Bush out there every fifth day?  No way in hell CK!

Minor tweaks are really all the team needs to be a 90 win team again next year, especially in that division.

Definition of Minor Tweaks:

1. Finding A Long Term Answer At Catcher
2. Replacing Two Rotation Spots With Above Average Pitchers
3. Finding A Setup Man, Closer, And Competant Middle Relief
4. Finding A Long Term Answer At Center Field
5. Finding A Competant Second Baseman
6. Finding A Way To Keep Prince FIelder Long Term

Year, that is the definition of minor tweaks right there.

As for the rest of the division, the Cubs are still going to be above average, and St. Louis is always dangerous.  The Astros always do…something…that they call contending.  And the Pirates and Reds can’t be as awful as they were last season, in particular the former, with several young, competant options for starting pitching.

Dempster will regress to his mean. A career 95 ERA+ pitcher doesn’t generally turn in recurring 150 ERA+ seasons after 30.  He’ll still be good, but by no means will he be this good. 

I expressed doubt that Dempster would be as good as he was this season.  You agreed with me on that point, why did you have to bring it back up?

If Harden gets hurt (if…ha!)

Now you’re just being snarky.  And I expressed doubt about that as well, why repeat it?

and Dempster pitches to his mean then the Cubs are essentially in the same spot as the Brewers, minus two aces.

Wow, we ONLY lost two aces this season!  We’ll be alright!!!  

In all fairness, he does have a point that Milwaukee, as constructed, should at least give some fits to the division at points next season.

But expecting them to live up to what they did this season, with several vets getting ready to fall off the face of the earth, uncertainty at key positions around the diamond and in the lineup, AND trying to hope for roughly the same amount of pitching that you got this year, without two of your biggest contributers (and hoping that Jeff Suppan doesn’t regress and that Seth McClung doesn’t revert to the McClung that bombed his way out of Tampa bay)?  That’s a lot of ask for.  Especially when you have a still very good Cubs team, a AStros team with a crazy owner that will likely throw big money around to improve in the short term, plus several teams out West that aren’t going to be as bad as they were this season, and several teams out east that are on the rise, it’s going to be a lot harder to Milwaukee to repeat this year’s feat and continue to dominate.  

Fielder isn’t going to remain in Milwaukee past his final three years of arbitration, resulting in a Mark Teixiera like scenario for the Brewers, who will be forced to have to trade their best player of get nothing for him.  And continuing to wishcast on Weeks is a fools errand.  

I’m sorry CK.  I’m not sold.  This team has some serious work to do if it’s going to contend.

Still, loved the stadium when I visited!  And the Brats were damn good as well!

Comments (3)

What?! - Updated

August 11, 2008 at 12:43 pm · Filed under Adam Dunn, Arizona Diamondbacks, Baseball, Cincinatti Reds, MLB, NL Central, NL West

The Arizona Diamondbacks Have Traded RHP Dallas Buck and 2 Players To Be Named Later To The Cincinatti Reds for LF Adam Dunn.

That’s it?!

You’re kidding me.

The Reds traded away Dunn, knowing full well he’d bring in two prospects, for a package that barely reaches that.

I’ll admit that Dallas Buck isn’t a bad prospect.  He pitched for Oregon State, but suffered a velocity drop that required Tommy John.  His offspeed stuff is good, but reports are mixed right now as to just how good he’ll develop.

I know the batting average sucks on Dunn, but his on base percetange and power are valuable assets for any team to have.  How is it that Adam Dunn gets so much vitrol while Ryan Howard, virtually a Dunn clone, doesn’t?  I don’t get it.

As for the Diamondbacks, it’s a good move, as they now add an impact bat to their lineup, plus will reap the draft picks that are likely to be better than Buck or any of the players to be named later.  You better believe that their two prized commodities, Max Scherzer and Jarrod Parker, aren’t going anywhere.

Overall, it’s a good move by Arizona, but a bit questionable by the Reds, who I feel made this move out of an attempt to try and show that they are doing something.

It should be interesting to see the Reds for the rest of the season, as they try to plug in players from their minors to find the best fit.  Look for the Reds to also be active in this Winter’s Rule 5 Draft, in hopes of further restocking a talent base that has seen Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn, longtime fixtures in the Reds’ outfield, moved within a month of each other.

Update:  Apparently, the Reds will be recieiving two players on the 40 Man Roster, which includes a major league ready starter.

The Diamondbacks were offering Micah Owings and Chad Tracy to the Braves for Mark Teixeira.

I’d say it’s a safe bet that Owings will be moved.  Tracy is expendable in Arizona, but there’s about a 50/50 chance it’s him getting moved.

All in all, this is a upgraded package for the Reds and actually does have some upside.  Owings slots in the rotaiton as the Number Four and makes the rotation interesting with a Volquez-Cueto-Harang-Owings-Arroyo rotation.  If it is Tracy, perhaps he’ll force the move of Joey Votto back to left field.

All in all, interesting.

Comments (8)