Minor League Discussion & Boxes, 5-24-15

[Guest]

MiLB.tv is like russian roulette with camera angles so it's hard to be certain, but it looks like it?

 

Yesterday

http://i.imgur.com/S2LgC1n.png

 

August 2014

http://i.imgur.com/DpfLWBJ.png

[Sammy Sofa]

Yeah, looks like it.

 

And for a second I couldn't see the ump at all in the top pic, and everything seemed so much better.

[toonsterwu]

I guess my main issue with that would be what in the hell would we be trading for that would require him as a second piece?

 

And I guess that's a good segue to ask who all do we have that would be considered more valuable in trade currently than Javy?

 

I'd go....

1 KB

2 Rizzo(he'd be 1st if he wasn't a 1B)

3 Russell

4 Arrieta

5 Soler

6 Schwarber(not sure if I actually think he'd bring more than Javy, if no team is sold that he can stick behind the plate)

7 Starlin

8 Javy

 

I'll try to get to 10....

 

9 Lester(even with the contract?)

10 Hammel, Edwards, or Torres? No idea. Maybe Alcantara?

 

At any rate, if we're trading Javy and someone above him on this list, I'm not sure there's 10 guys in MLB I'd do it for, once contracts are taken into consideration.

 

This is a fun exercise. As of right now, I would go, relative to trade value,

 

1. Anthony Rizzo - If he is an elite bat, like the way he is producing right now, I think he would have more general value than Bryant right now.

2. Kris Bryant - At year's end, he could, and maybe should, be ahead of Rizzo, but there's enough "unknown" right now, and combined with the projections on him, I think an elite young bat like Rizzo would edge him out.

 

3. Jake Arrieta - Doing it for a 2nd straight year should assuage a lot of concerns.

4. Addison Russell - Time and experience are the only things that are needed

5. Starlin Castro - If his offense turns around, even to last year's levels, I think he could be up at 3 due to the combination of history showing he can play at the MLB level, contract being friendly, and position.

6. Jorge Soler - Is he more offensively gifted than Castro? Sure, but Castro's got some track record to go on. If Soler starts blasting away like he's done before, then he could climb back up.

7. Jon Lester - Even with that contract, I think his track record would buy him enough intrigue if we shopped him.

 

This is where it gets hard ...

 

8. Jason Hammel - This is a tough one, but the thing I'm thinking is ... who's going to net more for a trade right now? I really wonder, with how well extraordinarily well Hammel is pitching, plus the fact that he's only signed on for 2016, there's a chance a team not wanting to pay a premium for Cueto or that ilk might fork over something. Put it this way - we've seen folks fork over top talent for second tier arms for a playoff push.

9. Javier Baez - Thing is ... he's done it at AAA, so I think he'll really need a long extended run showing improvement in key areas, or a bump back to the majors to show himself, to erase some doubts.

10. Blake Schwarber - Baez's position and level gets him the edge.

 

____

 

As for the whole trade Baez thing ... I'm of two thoughts

 

a) Gut feeling has always been that this is a kid who learns and adjusts, and with his bat speed and athleticism ... if he adjusts, and I think he might ... it'd be tough to bet against. I mean, I think a perfectly reasonable expectation if he shows any of bit of adjustment, would be to become an Ian Desmond type guy. Granted, Desmond never struck out as much as Baez.

b) Problem is, if I'm a GM, I'm weighing risk/reward, and as much of a reward as Baez may bring, he also brings more risk than a lot of top talent out there. Perhaps there are specific scouting reports that show adjustments that we as fans don't know, so maybe there's a case to be made somewhere. That said, his offensive and defensive inconsistencies certainly make him riskier. Thus ... if a good trade came down the road (although I have no idea what right now), it'd be awful hard to say no.

[ARCubsFan]

Who is Blake Schwarber

[sneakypower]

i'd expect the vast majority of teams to value Schwarber more highly than Castro at the moment

 

also, if i'm reading correctly, Soler is in the beginning of 6/$25.5M in obligations; with teams coveting middle of the order RH hitting, he's probably right up there with Arrieta, Russell & Schwarber battling for #3 spot

 

Rizzo's the obvious #1, to me (is he #3 overall in baseball for trade value?)

[Sammy Sofa]

Who is Blake Schwarber

 

A handsome, terrible man.