2019-2020 MLB Non-Phillies News/Notes Discussion

[Lawman]

So the Indians traded Bauer for a suspension to be named later?

[andyb]

They got a really good pitcher for 1 year where they will have to pay him $20 million. Trammell was widely seen as a top 50 prospect before the season and while he is having an off year his BB rate is still pretty good so it is very possible that he is experiencing some bad BABIP luck (.299 this year for a guy usually above .350 with great speed). They also dealt a decent pitching prospect (#12 on the Reds list) and of course Puig.

Trammell was ranked high because of tools (that are better than Moniak's for instance) and performance that was good up until this year. Now if your scouts think the previous rating was wrong then that would justify the deal. There is more consensus on the side that Trammell is pretty good though.

Teams like the Reds need to pick their spots to compete and I just don't think this is their spot.

[BostonRoss]

It’s possible they sent him to Cincinnati to find the ball he chucked out of the stadium.

[phillychuck]

The only thing that really makes any sense is that scouts on San Diego think that Trammel is a lot better than his performance, that he's growing onto some sort of upside (MLB Trade Rumors calls Trammel a "much-hyped" prospect, whatever that means). And his draft pedigree is pretty high. His overall minor league RC+ is about 120, so it is possible he's better than he looks right now. Still a steep price given what I would think is his perceived value.

I'd add that Reyes' 27 HR/ 9 2B ratio is unsustainable and indicates a likely power regression for a hitter whose sole value is SLG.

One other note--even in this "bad" year Trammel's OPS+ and RC+ are over 100 (above average for league).

[nycphils]

PC, other factor for Reyes is that reports are as an OF, he makes a good DH.

[andyb]

I do think that is the case with Trammell. There are reasons he was rated highly before and it is his physical tools coupled with his past performance that had 800+ OPS scores with decent BB rates. He is probably like Moniak in that the power is a projection, but he also had higher BB rates and better performances before this season.

I would want to know what scouts think of this season and whether that changes impressions. SD must think they are getting a top 50 prospect at a discount or they would not have done the deal. I guess my problem with the Reds is doing a 1 year "win now" deal when the prospects of winning now are tough. This would be like the Phillies doing the Realmuto deal and not being sure that he was the piece that would let them compete immediately. It made more sense for the Phillies to get Realmuto than the Reds to get Bauer IMO.

[kmc1019]

Marlins trading talented rookie starting pitcher Zac Gallen is a giant headscratcher to me. Received a decent prospect in return - AA shortstop Jazz Chisholm - but Gallen has looked like a rotation fixture controllable for 5 more years.

[fish]

Marlins trading talented rookie starting pitcher Zac Gallen is a giant headscratcher to me. Received a decent prospect in return - AA shortstop Jazz Chisholm - but Gallen has looked like a rotation fixture controllable for 5 more years.

I kind of like what the Marlins did from a rebuilding standpoint. Jazz Chisholm and Jesus Sanchez are pretty good prospects. Granted, I think the Rays will turn Trevor Richards and Nick Anderson into dudes.

[David_Criss]

Castellanos to the Cubs

[zambonir]

He would have fit right in

Craig Kimbrel to IL with knee inflammation

[Jeff05]

Exactly what I was thinking!

[andyb]

Back to the NL East:

Nationals sign veteran Asdrúbal Cabrera to bolster infield depth

[bkox]

Yankees & White Sox to play at Iowa's "Field of Dreams" next year

[andyb]

Bo knows baseball. 11 games in his career he has yet to go hitless and has set a ML record of doubles in 9 straight games.

The Growing Legend of Bo Bichette Knows No Bounds

Maybe all the analytics geeks need to take a simple lesson from horse racing and look at bloodlines. Bichette, Gurriel, Biggio, Guerrero. 4 different second generation players and they all are really good at a young age.

[zambonir]

An interesting nature/nurture question too. Of course there's a long list of failures too (close to home Petey Jr. and Drabek come to mind, though Drabek obviously had the talent).

[Taudawg]

It doesn't hurt to have athletic bloodlines. It also doesn't hurt to have millions to spend on the best coaches, trainers, back-yard batting cages, etc. Transfer of knowledge from good mentors can not be understated.

[Jeff05]

And, send them out to stud when they begin to decline? In the Australian Football League there is a father-son clause "which allows a club first recruiting access to the son of a long-serving member of that club".Who knows, it might arise during the next round of MLB / MLBPA negotiations.

[BostonRoss]

If that policy had been in place in MLB, maybe the Nationals wouldn’t have renounced their Expo roots so they could have had Vlad Jr.

[Lucky_Beagle]

"long serving member" that leaves a lot of room for debate. I am sure they have a criteria. It would also work much better in a league where there isn't a lot of movement between teams.
For example who would have recruiting access to the sons the 2 of this years HOF class...Doc and Mussina.

[mdougherty12]

538 on Mike Trout's approach to hitting:

Mike Trout’s One Rule For Hitting