Anthony Rizzo

[TheDude]

Didn't see anything on this yet, from Jason Churchill ESPN:

 

"After acquiring Yonder Alonso in the trade that sent right-hander Mat Latos to the Cincinnati Reds, the San Diego Padres could shop first baseman Anthony Rizzo to help the club fill other holes, perhaps in the starting pitching department.

 

Rizzo could be a fit for a number of clubs that do not have a long-term solution at first base, including the Tampa Bay Rays, reports Dan Hayes of the North County Times.

 

The Rays could offer Wade Davis as part of a package, so the Cubs, another club reportedly expressing interest in Rizzo, may have to dig deep to land the first baseman, a player the new regime in Chicago knows well.

 

The Cubs may not be able to match Davis, a club-controlled pitcher with frontline abilities, but they do have some pieces, including centerfielder Brett Jackson.

 

Other potentially interested clubs include the Washington Nationals, Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers and Cleveland Indians."

 

 

Looks like pure speculation. Anyone have thoughts?

[Schwarber Fan]

been discussed at length in the Garza thread

[Abe Frohman]

Acquiring Rizzo would be a very intelligent move financially and for the future. Perhaps the interest in him is intended to stop Boras from driving up the price of Fielder. I think I'd rather have Rizzo if more Xtra base power is acquired in the OF.

[davell]

If we traded Brett straight up for Rizzo, I'm OK with it. But, I'd want us all in on Cespedes AND Soler at that point. I think finding a 3rd team and involving Garza is our best shot at landing Rizzo. Toronto maybe, with either Drabek or Alvarez being spun off to SD and Rizzo coming here.

[Shilzzz]

i'll never understand this foolishness on wade davis guys like jon morosi are splattering against the wall. sure a move to petco would greatly benefit his numbers, but no matter, san diego has at least 3 guys equal to davis in the wings. davis is highly inconsistent and joe maddon has never really liked him as a starter. you should go back and read the post-davis start tweets he sends out.

[TruffleShuffle]

"frontline abilities"? he has a career 92 era+ and is 26 years old. i don't care if he was a top prospect before; the chances of him reaching the level people expected are extremely slim at this stage.

[mookie]

Well heck, I guess Randy Wells has front line abilities as well.

[toonsterwu]

If we traded Brett straight up for Rizzo, I'm OK with it. But, I'd want us all in on Cespedes AND Soler at that point. I think finding a 3rd team and involving Garza is our best shot at landing Rizzo. Toronto maybe, with either Drabek or Alvarez being spun off to SD and Rizzo coming here.

 

Brett for Rizzo? I hope they pass on that. I'm not even completely sold that Rizzo's "in-game" power (can't think of what I want to say, but not his raw power, what he can actually produce) will be better than Jackson's. Even if it is slightly better, and even if Rizzo is a slightly better contact hitter (and that's debatable with a fairly long swing and a K rate that is above 20%), I'm just not sold his offensive package, on paper (which is all we really have to judge by right now, as I won't hold his 153 pro AB's against Rizzo that much), is better than Brett to compensate for Brett's defensive advantage. It's just not a good value move, IMO, particularly for an organization that will have a hole in CF sooner than later and with Szczur looking, on paper, a good 2 years away. I'll be honest, as much as I've railed against an 8 year deal for Fielder, I'd much rather give Fielder that 8 year deal and have Brett in my back pocket, than the other way around.

 

I like Rizzo enough that adding him would be nice. I don't like Rizzo enough to trade away Brett for him, even if most people rank Rizzo as a slightly better prospect than Brett.

[davell]

Trading Brett isn't ideal, it's not what I want to do either. I just figured if we replaced him with Cespedes, it'd be OK. But, you're right, even if Rizzo has MORE offensive ability, it still wouldn't be a great value deal. I think our best bet to acquire him would be to try and involve a 3rd team with a Garza deal and we could spin something towards SD for him that way. The ideal way to me though, would be if they'd accept Wood and a guy like Lake.

[seanhopper]

If San Diego is interested in a pitcher under control for the next 4-5yrs., then possibly the Cubs acquisition of T. Wood is with intent to move him for Rizzo. Honestly, I could see another move happening this week to pick up other pcs San Diego wants. The Cubs have 2 chips left --Garza and Byrd-- to bring back prospects and trade chips.

 

T. Wood + prospect for Rizzo + a SD prospect (a Hoyer pet project)

[davell]

And yeah, Toronto is really starting to be who I want to deal with, if we trade Garza. They have some serious upside guys, pitching-wise. Would acquiring Marisnick and spinning him off for Rizzo be too much?

[davell]

If San Diego is interested in a pitcher under control for the next 4-5yrs., then possibly the Cubs acquisition of T. Wood is with intent to move him for Rizzo. Honestly, I could see another move happening this week to pick up other pcs San Diego wants. The Cubs have 2 chips left --Garza and Byrd-- to bring back prospects and trade chips.

 

T. Wood + prospect for Rizzo + a SD prospect (a Hoyer pet project)

I think Soto and Marmol are chips as well, just no teams in need of a starting C at the moment, but injuries will most likely change that. I kind of think we'll hold onto Byrd for a few months, to give Brett some more time in AAA. I could see us dealing Marmol though and giving Cashner or Carpenter a shot at closing. Shark as well, if he can't stick in the rotation.

[toonsterwu]

I have doubts that someone like Lake would intrigue the Padres enough. I'm also not sold that Wood is a valuable enough asset to flip as a key piece to a deal like this. As much as I've said that I felt the Padres system is getting over-hyped, I also think they have enough Wood-level guys that trading for him doesn't make a ton of sense. That said, who knows.

 

I tend to think the Cubs have more than 2 chips remaining. Soto could probably still net a solid return, even coming off his 2011 campaign. And ... how much value does Byrd have? I know someone said Harrison the other day, and I'd take that in a heartbeat, but I'm not sold Byrd has that much value. Only time will tell.

 

As a total side note, much as I don't like Wade Davis, Wade Davis and prospects for Rizzo seems ... a bit much (obviously depending on who the prospects are). I think Wade Davis fits your other model for a mid-rotation starter - the guy who looks very good, but is inconsistent. He had a decent run ending the season, but even that run exposed his issues as much as anything (lessening the number of changeups he threw). He has the plus velo and 2 solid breaking balls, but he's a bit inconsistent on the breaking balls, lacks a good changeup, and doesn't have the elite control to compensate (and I want to say his fastball seems a bit flat, but I've never really looked at his pitch f/x data). He also doesn't have the elite control to compensate. All that said, he's just entering his prime and is still team-controlled. In some ways, his profile is actually somewhat similar to what Matt Garza's was last year (Garza was heavily dependent upon his fastball with the Rays; I still think the work Riggins did with him, or the work someone did with him to get him to change his entire approach has been under-appreciated). Davis for Rizzo seems fair to me, as small market teams need to find ways to add guys with power potential. I guess filler pieces wouldn't matter on either side.

 

That may be more due to how I feel about Rizzo, though. I see the potential of Rizzo, and as noted, I wouldn't mind adding him in the right deal. That said, I also think there's a good chance he could be more Adam LaRoche, a decent first baseman, but nothing to get too excited over (to be honest, if the Cubs pass on Fielder, whatever their decision is) putting in a call to Washington on LaRoche wouldn't be the worst idea out there, as I think Washington might be willing to move LaRoche on the cheap to clear some space (still wouldn't surprise me if they ended up with Fielder).

[JeffH]

toonster, you value Wade Davis more highly than Travis Wood?

[toonsterwu]

And yeah, Toronto is really starting to be who I want to deal with, if we trade Garza. They have some serious upside guys, pitching-wise. Would acquiring Marisnick and spinning him off for Rizzo be too much?

 

I'm the wrong person to offer a response, as I'm noticeably not as excited as some on Rizzo (still think early 30's on the community list on Sickels was too high), but for me, I'd rather keep Marisnick and get a vet first baseman to cover for a year or two.

 

My "ideal" Garza trade is impossible at the moment, and that would be the Nats and getting Rendon to go with Cole. Heck those two alone, and I'd be fine. That said, Rendon can't be dealt until later, and I doubt, with his medical history, that they'd want him in another organization all year long as a PTBNL. Toronto certainly looks good as a target team, but the Yankees would still be my favorites. Red Sox are looking for pitching, but they don't have anything in the system that really excites me to make a deal (I'm not nearly as bullish on Boegaerts and Barnes as some, and the other top guys don't have huge ceilings or are inconsistent (Ranaudo comes to mind).) Tigers would be a nice sleeper, but I doubt they move Turner or Porcello, and I'm not sure their other top prospect arms are centerpiece guys as the 2nd piece (next to Castellanos). I'm assuming Rangers are out. On the NL side, are the Marlins still looking for pitching? Havent' followed all that closely, but even then, not sure they have the one-two punch I'd want, unless Morrison is shopped, which I doubt. Even then, I don't love Yelich a ton and Volstad is going to get expensive soon. Can't think of any other team really looking hard at a frontline starter, outside of the rumors on the Padres. Danks being off the market should help our chances to move Garza, if the Cubs want to. That said, best bet is still to get an AL East bidding war b/w the Blue Jays and the Yankees.

 

Oh, actually, my ideal Garza trade might be the Mariners, but I doubt they get involved. But loads of high ceiling pitching, plus intriguing positional assets is enticing.

Edited December 22, 2011 by toonsterwu

[toonsterwu]

toonster, you value Wade Davis more highly than Travis Wood?

 

Would I take Davis over Wood? Tough call. I don't think much of Wood's ceiling, despite the Reds poster that went to the thread and claimed he'd be our 2nd best SP (not impossible, but that would speak to a bad, bad season, and not to his talent level). That said, gut instinct is that I think Davis might end up in the pen as a set-up/closer type eventually.

 

If I had both guys, I'd value Davis over Wood. But in this case, a lot would depend on what I'd have to give up for Davis, though. I'd love to see if a pitching coach (in this case, Bosio) could get him to do what Garza did - significantly lessen his reliance on his fastball. Even a mediocre change is useful if used well-enough as a threat, and his breaking balls are solid (don't think he has Garza's ceiling in re: to what Garza did this year, just speaking in general, but they are somewhat similar).

 

Anyhow, that's just armchair commentary on my part.

[Little Slide Rooter]

toonster, you value Wade Davis more highly than Travis Wood?

 

Would I take Davis over Wood? Tough call. I don't think much of Wood's ceiling, despite the Reds poster that went to the thread and claimed he'd be our 2nd best SP (not impossible, but that would speak to a bad, bad season, and not to his talent level). That said, gut instinct is that I think Davis might end up in the pen as a set-up/closer type eventually.

 

If I had both guys, I'd value Davis over Wood. But in this case, a lot would depend on what I'd have to give up for Davis, though. I'd love to see if a pitching coach (in this case, Bosio) could get him to do what Garza did - significantly lessen his reliance on his fastball. Even a mediocre change is useful if used well-enough as a threat, and his breaking balls are solid (don't think he has Garza's ceiling in re: to what Garza did this year, just speaking in general, but they are somewhat similar).

 

Anyhow, that's just armchair commentary on my part.

 

It's a tough call. Davis is 2 years older but has the former top prospect tag going for him. What I like about the prospects of dealing with TB is that I'd be interested in also acquiring Reid Brignac in a deal. Would Marshall alone be enough to get both? Maybe we could throw in a big league spare part like Byrd, Baker, Russell, or DeWitt or some fringe prospects?

[toonsterwu]

I think the Marshall ship has sailed, barring something with the medicals coming up (and if it's with the prospects, my guess is that both sides would just work hard to rework the trade).

 

OOC, why do you want Brignac? Don't see much value in bringing him here. Sure, he's solid defensively, but Barney can play short.

[Little Slide Rooter]

I think the Marshall ship has sailed, barring something with the medicals coming up (and if it's with the prospects, my guess is that both sides would just work hard to rework the trade).

 

OOC, why do you want Brignac? Don't see much value in bringing him here. Sure, he's solid defensively, but Barney can play short.

 

My interest in Brignac is the same as Ian Stewart and Daric Barton. He's only 2 years past top prospect status, and while things havn't quite worked out for him in the big leagues he's still young enough that it's too early to pack for Japan. Personally, I'd rather field an entire team of guys like that and see if a change of coaching and/or scenry can get them going rather than dumspter diving for Reed Johnson, Aaron Miles, or Craig Counsell.

[toonsterwu]

Well, b/w Miles/Counsell, sure I can understand that. I'd rather try and get Tim Beckham than go for Brignac, though. But with Barney as the backup at short, I just don't see a point to adding Brignac here. It's money that can be diverted elsewhere.

 

As for Daric Barton, meh. Never had much pop as a minor leaguer to begin with, and just don't see the need to go down that road.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Yeah, I'd take Beckham too. Didn't realise he was only 21 but he hasn't done much of anything in the minors. The reason I said Brignac is because they've said they're wiling to move him and he shouldnt be too expensive. Beckhmas age will make him more expensive considering he's still younger than a good portion of guys out of the draft. His minor league numbers are weak, but the fact that he's a 21 year old 1st overall pick should make him somewhat pricey.

[dew1679666265]

MLBTR

 

Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune thinks Anthony Rizzo will be traded "in the next week or two." He predicts Rizzo will be sent to the Rays, who will then flip Rizzo to the Cubs, where he is "still coveted" by (former Padres executives) Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod.

[davell]

What would the Rays want from us? Soto or Marmol, I guess?

[StarlinOnYou]

If San Diego is interested in a pitcher under control for the next 4-5yrs., then possibly the Cubs acquisition of T. Wood is with intent to move him for Rizzo. Honestly, I could see another move happening this week to pick up other pcs San Diego wants. The Cubs have 2 chips left --Garza and Byrd-- to bring back prospects and trade chips.

 

T. Wood + prospect for Rizzo + a SD prospect (a Hoyer pet project)

 

If San Diego wanted Wood - wouldn't they have already gotten him a few weeks ago when they were fleecing Cincinnati in the Latos trade?

[JeffH]

Why wouldn't the Rays just keep Rizzo, since they have a big hole at 1B?