Yankees:
As always, the Yankees are one of the top teams in baseball. Their offense is nearly unstoppable, and despite an injury to Michael Pineda before the season and Mariano Rivera, their pitching staff has been putting it together, with only a few headaches. The Yankees have been known to make big splashes in trades, but this year may be different because of Brian Cashman's declaration that he will not be making big moves at the deadline this year. The Yankees may not pull the trigger on Hamels because they aim to get under the luxury tax threshold next year, and having Hamels on the payroll may cost them an additional $22-26 million per year that they won't be able to spend. As stated in earlier posts, the Phillies are starting to age and it seems that they may be getting closer to the point of selling as each day progresses.
LHP Cole Hamels to the Yankees for LHP Manny Banuelos, RHP Dellin Betances, C Gary Sanchez, OF Slade Heathcott
The Yankees get another big name to put into their rotation, and Hamels would fill a huge spot for the Yankees, who are missing CC Sabathia and Pettitte with injuries right now. If the Yankees were to trade with him, they would be fully capable of signing him to an extension. The only thing that may keep them from doing this is if they do not want to go over the luxury tax threshold next year. The Yankees do not need to drop big on Hamels to keep themselves in the race and secure their playoff spot, but he sure as hell would help.
The Phillies, once again need to get prospects for Hamels, as their chances of resigning him are getting smaller. This trade would net them two near-ready pitchers to put into their rotation and a great catching prospect in Sanchez, who might ready in time for when Ruiz might leave in free agency or not be good enough to start. Heathcott is a good talent to have around for the future, as his ceiling is pretty high, and he might develop into a good hitting outfielder to eventually replace Victorino.
It has been stated in different blogs that the Phillies asking price might already be too high for the Yankees, who are reluctant to part with prospects and increase payroll much this year.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Trade Reaction: Carlos Lee to the Marlins
Carlos Lee and cash(rumored to be all but the league minimum on the remaining $9 million) to the Marlins for 3B Matt Dominguez and LHP Rob Rasmussen
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The Marlins acquire another big right handed bat to start at first over struggling Greg Dobbs and Gabby Sanchez. El Caballo will also serve as insurance for the Marlins just incase Giancarlo Stanton happens to go down with an injury and will serve as lineup protection for him. They gave up light hitting third baseman Matt Dominguez and left handed prospect Rasmussen, who has been pitching well this year in the High A level.
The Astros acquire defensive wiz third baseman Dominguez, but he has been very inconsistent with his bat and many don't see him as ever being a big league hitter. The Astros have Chris Johnson at third with Matt Downs, so Dominguez will have to fight for playing time. Rasmussen has been pitching well for the lower Marlins levels, and at 23, he still has more room to improve. He has been pretty consistent though, and may be in the major leagues by age 25 or late next year.
Overall Verdict: Tied as of Now
The Astros ate pretty much all of Lee's contract to trade him, and some might see it as a quick, irrational reaction to him denying a trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this week. The Astros get a new third base "prospect" and a pitcher that may be a dependable start from the 3-5 slots in the rotation. The Marlins now have more lineup protection with Lee and insurance for the situation if Stanton goes down with injury.
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The Marlins acquire another big right handed bat to start at first over struggling Greg Dobbs and Gabby Sanchez. El Caballo will also serve as insurance for the Marlins just incase Giancarlo Stanton happens to go down with an injury and will serve as lineup protection for him. They gave up light hitting third baseman Matt Dominguez and left handed prospect Rasmussen, who has been pitching well this year in the High A level.
The Astros acquire defensive wiz third baseman Dominguez, but he has been very inconsistent with his bat and many don't see him as ever being a big league hitter. The Astros have Chris Johnson at third with Matt Downs, so Dominguez will have to fight for playing time. Rasmussen has been pitching well for the lower Marlins levels, and at 23, he still has more room to improve. He has been pretty consistent though, and may be in the major leagues by age 25 or late next year.
Overall Verdict: Tied as of Now
The Astros ate pretty much all of Lee's contract to trade him, and some might see it as a quick, irrational reaction to him denying a trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this week. The Astros get a new third base "prospect" and a pitcher that may be a dependable start from the 3-5 slots in the rotation. The Marlins now have more lineup protection with Lee and insurance for the situation if Stanton goes down with injury.
Trade Series PT 2: Cole Hamels Blockbuster to the Dodgers
Dodgers:
The Dodgers have been a surprise contender this year, patching together some of their pitching staff and a good section of their roster with a bundle of 2 year deals. The started the season red hot, but have cooled down as of late, dropping to a game behind the division leading Giants. With their ownership situation resolved, the Dodgers may be comfortable to make big moves to improve and willing to spend large amounts of money to keep their team on top. The Dodgers are in the market, looking for a good pitcher to put behind Clayton Kershaw, who has been good as he always has been. If Zack Greinke becomes available, the Dodgers should also be considered a suitor for him as well. Since the Phillies started having rough times this year, the Dodgers have been named as possible suitors, considered the favorites for Hamels if he is dealt. The Dodgers may also be in play for some of the other players that may be made available by the Phillies. The only thing that may block the Dodgers from acquiring Hamels would be if the Dodgers want Hamels to sign an extension to complete the trade.
Here are the trade offer(s).....
LHP Cole Hamels to the Dodgers for RHP Nate Eovaldi, RHP Allen Webster, LHP Chris Reed, 1B/3B/OF Jerry Sands
LHP Cole Hamels, OF Shane Victorino to the Dodgers for RHP Zach Lee, RHP Garrett Gould, OF Alfredo Silverio, RHP Chris Winthrow, C Gorman Erickson
1st Trade- The Dodgers will acquire the marquee pitcher that they want to couple with Clayton Kershaw. They will have to give up a good amount of talent, but Hamels is the best pitcher available and has shown that he is a gamer willing to pitch when needed and will always throw a tough game.
The Phillies acquire a good quad of pitching prospects, which should help them in the near future, and a position player in Jerry Sands, who might be able to play at third for them in the future and at age 24, is almost major league ready. This is a solid package for Hamels, but the Phillies may want more value if they have to leverage the deal on a trade-n-sign.
2nd Trade- The Dodgers need an outfield bat and a good pitcher. I don't think Tony Gwynn Jr. should be starting on a contending team, and they might want to package together Hamels and Victorino to fill their roster holes. They are giving up a plethora of prospects, but shoring up their roster. This move would easily put them in contention for the World Series, making their lineup stronger and putting a second dominant left hander into the rotation.
The Phillies are getting a titanic haul in this trade. They receive 3 premium pitching prospects and 2 very good position prospects to help give their farm system depth. The chances are becoming smaller everyday that they wait to resign Cole Hamels, and Victorino is going to become a big expensive on a team that may not want to pay him $10-12 million to start.
The Dodgers have been a surprise contender this year, patching together some of their pitching staff and a good section of their roster with a bundle of 2 year deals. The started the season red hot, but have cooled down as of late, dropping to a game behind the division leading Giants. With their ownership situation resolved, the Dodgers may be comfortable to make big moves to improve and willing to spend large amounts of money to keep their team on top. The Dodgers are in the market, looking for a good pitcher to put behind Clayton Kershaw, who has been good as he always has been. If Zack Greinke becomes available, the Dodgers should also be considered a suitor for him as well. Since the Phillies started having rough times this year, the Dodgers have been named as possible suitors, considered the favorites for Hamels if he is dealt. The Dodgers may also be in play for some of the other players that may be made available by the Phillies. The only thing that may block the Dodgers from acquiring Hamels would be if the Dodgers want Hamels to sign an extension to complete the trade.
Here are the trade offer(s).....
LHP Cole Hamels to the Dodgers for RHP Nate Eovaldi, RHP Allen Webster, LHP Chris Reed, 1B/3B/OF Jerry Sands
LHP Cole Hamels, OF Shane Victorino to the Dodgers for RHP Zach Lee, RHP Garrett Gould, OF Alfredo Silverio, RHP Chris Winthrow, C Gorman Erickson
1st Trade- The Dodgers will acquire the marquee pitcher that they want to couple with Clayton Kershaw. They will have to give up a good amount of talent, but Hamels is the best pitcher available and has shown that he is a gamer willing to pitch when needed and will always throw a tough game.
The Phillies acquire a good quad of pitching prospects, which should help them in the near future, and a position player in Jerry Sands, who might be able to play at third for them in the future and at age 24, is almost major league ready. This is a solid package for Hamels, but the Phillies may want more value if they have to leverage the deal on a trade-n-sign.
2nd Trade- The Dodgers need an outfield bat and a good pitcher. I don't think Tony Gwynn Jr. should be starting on a contending team, and they might want to package together Hamels and Victorino to fill their roster holes. They are giving up a plethora of prospects, but shoring up their roster. This move would easily put them in contention for the World Series, making their lineup stronger and putting a second dominant left hander into the rotation.
The Phillies are getting a titanic haul in this trade. They receive 3 premium pitching prospects and 2 very good position prospects to help give their farm system depth. The chances are becoming smaller everyday that they wait to resign Cole Hamels, and Victorino is going to become a big expensive on a team that may not want to pay him $10-12 million to start.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Trade Idea Series PT 1: Cole Hamels Blockbuster to the Rangers
Cole Hamels is the best pitcher on the trading block right now. He is only 28 and in a contract year, only 5 months away from signing a contract worth well over $100 million. He has some great stuff combined with determination and the old school pitching style and grit. When the Phillies start actively shopping him, they are assured to be berated by offers from other teams that want Hamels leading them down the last stretch of the season. Some teams may want to complete a trade only if Hamels signs an extension, so that may hamper the trade package that the Phillies will receive for him. In my opinion, there are 6 teams that will actively pursue and try to acquire him. I am only excluding the Nationals because of the incident with Hamels earlier in the year with Harper. The teams include the Rangers, Dodgers, and the Yankees.
Rangers:
The Rangers are always in the market for improvements even though they have the most formidable team in the league. It is already rumored that they have scouts at the games of the top market stocks in Zack Greinke and Cole Hamels. The Phillies are getting close to the point where they might be selling off their aging stars that are about to hit free agency and maybe even the ones that are under contract for a couple more years(ie Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Placido Polanco, Carlos Ruiz, Joe Blanton)
Here is my trade proposal...
LHP Cole Hamels to the Rangers for LHP Martin Perez, 3B Mike Olt, RHP Neil Ramirez, RHP Tanner Scheppers, C Jorge Alfaro
This is a pretty hefty package for what might only be a half season rental of Cole Hamels, but the Rangers are not afraid to make big impact moves to improve their ball club down the stretch and make moves that will matter mostly in the playoffs. They have made a move similar to what I have proposed for Hamels when they traded for Cliff Lee. The Rangers are itching for their first World Series championship, and they will make sure every facet of their team is as solid as can be going into the playoffs so they do not falter again as they have the past two years.
The Phillies are starting to age, and the chances of them resigning Hamels seem to get smaller and smaller as each day passes. The Phillies are getting old, and this year is showing what weaknesses they have and what they need to improve to keep in the running with the NL East, which seems to get more competitive every week. They have said that they want a 3rd basemen, catcher, and high upside pitcher, and this trade brings in all three. It would be wise for them to trade Hamels and shore up their franchise instead of waiting until the offseason where there is a high chance that they will not resign him.
Rangers:
The Rangers are always in the market for improvements even though they have the most formidable team in the league. It is already rumored that they have scouts at the games of the top market stocks in Zack Greinke and Cole Hamels. The Phillies are getting close to the point where they might be selling off their aging stars that are about to hit free agency and maybe even the ones that are under contract for a couple more years(ie Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Placido Polanco, Carlos Ruiz, Joe Blanton)
Here is my trade proposal...
LHP Cole Hamels to the Rangers for LHP Martin Perez, 3B Mike Olt, RHP Neil Ramirez, RHP Tanner Scheppers, C Jorge Alfaro
This is a pretty hefty package for what might only be a half season rental of Cole Hamels, but the Rangers are not afraid to make big impact moves to improve their ball club down the stretch and make moves that will matter mostly in the playoffs. They have made a move similar to what I have proposed for Hamels when they traded for Cliff Lee. The Rangers are itching for their first World Series championship, and they will make sure every facet of their team is as solid as can be going into the playoffs so they do not falter again as they have the past two years.
The Phillies are starting to age, and the chances of them resigning Hamels seem to get smaller and smaller as each day passes. The Phillies are getting old, and this year is showing what weaknesses they have and what they need to improve to keep in the running with the NL East, which seems to get more competitive every week. They have said that they want a 3rd basemen, catcher, and high upside pitcher, and this trade brings in all three. It would be wise for them to trade Hamels and shore up their franchise instead of waiting until the offseason where there is a high chance that they will not resign him.
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