Minor League Discussion & Boxes 4-18-12

[toonsterwu]

Quick random thought - We do have several guys that are end of the rotation with mid-rotation ceilings, particularly if Whitenack shows as well as he did last year. We won't need all of them, and I wouldn't mind it if the front office became proactive in trying to package several arms to fill another void/grab a better talent. In recent years, we've seen a quantity of pitching prospects, even if they lack high ceilings, generate some decent returns.

 

If the FO shares this thought process, they're going to take some time to get closer looks at what they have, and who they feel comfortable dealing..

 

No doubt. I'm not suggesting anytime soon. But around the trade deadline, if they feel like they have a good grasp on the guys, moving some of them around to gain value elsewhere would be an interesting idea. I wouldn't make the move haphazardly, but with Wood/McNutt/Whitenack/Rhee/Beeler/Struck, we have 6 guys in the upper levels who have mid-rotation ceilings, and if they feel like they have a good grasp on the guys, we should take advantage of value, if possible. One of the moves I've always respected was the tough decision the Yankees made to deal Sterling Hitchcock. By most accounts, they loved his potential, but they liked Pettite more and took advantage of Hitchcock's potential to net Tino Martinez/Jeff Nelson (I think that was the main components of the deal).

[SouthSideRyan]

I think it'll be at least the offseason before they'd make a move like that. There'll obviously be no rush to make the move around the deadline this year, so why not get a full season out of a guy to evaluate.

[PriortoTheoIhadWood]

I think it'll be at least the offseason before they'd make a move like that. There'll obviously be no rush to make the move around the deadline this year, so why not get a full season out of a guy to evaluate.

 

+1

 

Most of those guys don't and won't have much value by mid-season anyway...The most physically talented guy there is the highly inconsistent, hoping to rebuild his stock McNutt.

[toonsterwu]

Here's my counter-point (fully acknowledging that it might be until the off-season before they consider that) - most of our guys are end of the rotation profiles with mid-rotation ceilings. When it gets to the offseason, some teams may not want to deal for that type of player when they could go spend a couple million in free agency to fill said role. Furthermore, most teams have at least 2 or 3 guys in their upper levels like that (can only think of a couple organizations that seem pretty thin in SP in the top levels), so by the off-season, whoever our guys are that are doing well that might get a look might not be as enticing anymore (I can't think of the word choice I want to use right now ... a "strike while the iron is hot" thought is what crosses my mind, but can't frame it correctly for some reason).

 

Anyhow, I understand the other side of it. Tis just a thought. Furthermore, what we need might not be attainable through this type of deal, as no one's going to trade better young pitching talent, and probably not some sort of young guy with slugging potential/ability (unless there's some market dynamics at play), and we'll likely give our guys at C, 1st, CF a look, leaving questions at 2nd/3rd, and the 3rd base market is slim to begin with.