Extension Candidates for the Arizona Diamondbacks

by Hayden Hughes
2/28/14



On Tuesday, Nick and Hayden sat down to discuss, again, extensions regarding the Diamondbacks. In an attempt to not spoil anything I'll just say this: two pitchers, and two position players.

Enjoy!

Podcast Playlist:
"Light with a Sharpened Edge" - The Used
"Enough Space" - Foo Fighters
"Great Romances of the 20th Century" - Taking Back Sunday

Nick & Hayden's 2014 MLB Preview: 16. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Million-dollar Smile

16. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

by Hayden Hughes

Let’s get this out of the way real quick:

MIKE TROUT, MIKE TROUT, MIKE TROUT, MIKE TROUT, MIKE TROUT, aaaand MIKE TROUT.

Okay, I’m good if you’re good now.

The problem with baseball is you can’t just bat the same guy over and over again. Which is funny, because that’s the problem with watching Angels games. I shouldn’t be subjected to watch this piss-poor lineup under perform just to see Trout bat 4 times a game. Unless my ticket is free, of course.

Here's the good news.

Let’s be honest, losing Mark Trumbo hurts a lot more than Tyler Skaggs and Hector Santiago are going to help. At least in 2014. Trumbo lead the team in games played, at-bats, homers, and RBIs, although admittedly, strikeouts. Almost all other non-baserunning categories, Trumbo came in second behind Trout.

The Angels didn’t just dump Trumbo, however. They have replaced his bat at DH with Raul Ibanez and solidified third base with David Freese and not Alberto Callaspo. So what does each bring to Anaheim?

Ibanez had a solid season belting 29 homers with Seattle and got on base at a .306 clip, so he should be adequate enough replacing Trumbo for a year. One roadblock is that you’d have to bench Ibanez to play Albert Pujols at DH if lingering injuries stiff-arm Pujols away from playing defense.

David Freese comes over to Anaheim for fourth outfielder Peter Bourjos. Freese had an iffy final season in a Cardinals uniform – his home run total dropped to 9, he hit .262 with an OBP of .340, but struck out 106 times in 136 games. But as Freese has proven, he will be productive in the postseason, should Anaheim make it that far.

 

Freese seems to have lackluster regular seasons, but it's a different story
in the postseason.

So here’s why I believe we have the Angels ranked way too high: I envision a world with a healthy, productive Albert Pujols, a productive Josh Hamilton who doesn’t strikeout so much while outright refusing to walk, a Raul Ibanez who isn’t literally 42 years old in June, an Erick Aybar who will revert to 2012, and a Howie Kendrick who isn’t traded. Unfortunately this world does not exist and we have the Angels ranked too high – and I helped make this list.

Mike Trout’s .432 OBP led the team in 2013. Who was second? Catcher Chris Iannetta with his .358 OBP.

Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols’ averages were .250 and .258 respectively with respective OBPs of .307 and .330. I don’t know how low my standards are supposed to be for guys making $17M and $23M in 2014 (respectively, of course), but if I were an Angels fan I would just watch the Dodgers. At least I’ll find a familiar face in Zack Greinke.

But then I may only weep at the thought of losing Jean Segura for the 89.1 innings Greinke pitched.

See, it would make losing Aybar or Kendrick tolerable if I had Jean Segura’s talent available. But instead, the Angels made a panic trade-deadline move in a season where they finished 3^rd in the AL West. Seriously, just watch the Dodgers.

Okay, I’ll lay off for a second and give the Angels’ faithful something to watch this year that I truthfully believe: this is the year that will determine a lot of things. For one, Jerry DiPoto’s employment for the future. Another thing determined in 2014 will be to what degree the long-term Pujols and Hamilton deals were bad or horrid.

The Trout-Pujols-Hamilton trio should be comparable to the Miami Heat’s Big 3. But LeBron and co. lost in their first title run to the Mavericks. BUT AT LEAST THEY MADE THE PLAYOFFS. Then they went on to win two consecutive titles.

Anaheim, your baseball team isn’t good. Enjoy the success the Dodgers have in 2014. I have quit laying off on them, if you couldn’t tell.

Side note: How crazy awesome is Chris Iannetta. The guy hits .225 in 2013, but gets on base at a .358 clip.

Side-Side note: Don’t you think that the Angels’ P.A. announcer should broadcast Mike Trout’s name like the Bulls’ announcer introduced Michael Jordan for so many years? “Miiiiichaelllllllllllllllllll Trooooouuuutt!” Okay…I guess the syllables just aren’t there.

1. Last Season and Offseason
      a. 78-84
      b. Signed Raul Ibanez
      c. Traded Peter Bourjos to STL for David Freese
      d. Traded Mark Trumbo to AZ for Tyler Skaggs; CHW sent Hector Santiago

2. Line Up/Rotation
Lineup:
      1. Erick Aybar SS
      2. Mike Trout CF
      3. Albert Pujols 1B
      4. Josh Hamilton LF
      5. David Freese 3B
      6. Raul Ibanez DH
      7. Howie Kendrick 2B
      8. Kole Calhoun RF
      9. Chris Ianetta C
Rotation:
      1. Jered Weaver
      2. CJ Wilson
      3. Garrett Richards
      4. Hector Santiago
      5. Tyler Skaggs

3. Favorite/Least Favorite
      a. Nick's Favorite – Going younger with Calhoun, Skaggs, Freeze, Trout
      b. Hayden's Favorite – Trout; Freese Trade
      c. Nick's Least Favorite – Haven’t locked up Trout yet; No one walks.
      d. Hayden's Least Favorite – No youth; No Kendrick, Aybar trades; Ibanez signing;
               i. Going Younger? Pujols and Hamilton are each a year further removed from their peaks

4. Impact Player
      a. Josh Hamilton
               i. Someone’s gotta do better
              ii. Quit pulling everything, don’t be afraid to walk every other week or so
             iii. Literally cannot get on base versus lefties (.233 OBP in 2013 v. LHP)
             iv. Just earn your money.

Come on, man.

Oh look, he did this in Texas, too.

He makes $64 million in 2016 and 2017!!

5. Impact Prospect
      a. None. Literally None. CJ Cron?

6. Midseason Status
      a. Pujols stumbling out to 1B after DL stints
      b. Pujols suspended for conduct detriment to team (Voo-Doo dolls with pins remarkably resembling                             Raul Ibanez and his eventual injuries because now Pujols can’t DH)
      c. Hamilton’s blue eyes regain form and hits better during day games

7. Bold Predictions
      a. 81-81
      b. They will aggressively shop one of Hamilton and Pujols
      c. 3rd or 4th Place.
      d. Trade 2B Howie Kendrick to LAD for RHP Zach Lee
      e. NICK EXCLUSIVE: Trade 1B CJ Cron and 2B Howie Kendrick to CHW for DH Adam Dunn and a                             prospect.
       f. Team stays exactly where they are now. Stuck in their old age.

The good ol' days.

Podcast Playlist:

"Apocalyptic Renegade" by Twin Atlantic
"Hey Ho" by the Lumineers

The (Should-Be) Best Trade of 2014 (That Should Happen): Masterson to Arizona

by Hayden Hughes

2/27/14

The following trade proposal comes after learning two pieces of interesting information over the last 24 hours. Thanks to Nick Piecoro’s recent article, we now know that in the event that the D-backs trade one of their shortstops, they would desire “Maybe an outfielder, but probably more catching and Double-A, Triple-A type starter,” according to General Manager Kevin Towers.

I’m going to assume that “Double-A, Triple-A starter” is referring to a starting pitcher and the catcher he wants is an MLB-ready backup that can be on the 25-man roster. But we all know what the problem is with assuming.

By dealing a “shortstop” I think it’s only fair we consider all the shortstops – young and veteran – "tradable." That means Cliff Pennington, Didi Gregorius, Chris Owings, and Nick Ahmed – the latter being the only without any Major League experience. Piecoro feels that Owings is the favorite to earn the spot for now.

Also by indicating a catcher would be preferable in a trade means a couple things: the Diamondbacks may feel 19-year-old prospect Stryker Trahan is better suited as a corner outfielder – who is also two years from the Major Leagues at least, and that Tuffy Gosewisch and Henry Blanco are not favorable options for the Diamondbacks as backups to an already-wary Miguel Montero.

The second piece of news comes from the Cleveland Indians’ camp. Susan Petrone, beat writer for the Indians, hints (on Wildly Effective from Baseball Prospectus) that their ace Justin Masterson is a guy “not motivated by the dollar” and hints that an extension with Masterson, a welcomed idea by the Indians, might not materialize and the Tribe may be forced to deal Masterson. Further notable, Petrone had less-than-complimentary things to say about shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera and his future with the Indians, citing that he seems to show “less heart than what is desirable.” We’ve seen this from players before, such as Hanley Ramirez, but Cabrera isn’t Ramirez and in the final year of a 3-year, $21.05M deal. The bad news for Cleveland is in this final year, Cabrera will make $10M.

Perhaps more so than his price tag, Cabrera is also expendable due to the quick emergence of the Indians’ 2011 first round draft pick, shortstop Francisco Lindor. At just age 19, Lindor had a slash line of .303/.380/.407 with an OBP of .787. While he has never played in Triple-A and now just 20 years old, Lindor could still be a viable option as the Indians’ shortstop of 2014, even if Mike Aviles takes the majority of the at-bats in April and May.

This should be most appealing to Indians fans because they witnessed Cabrera’s 2013 campaign which resulted in a slash line of .242/.299/.402. So for the Indians, the question is how badly they want to shed Cabrera’s inability to get on base – if at all – and how quickly do they want to bring up Lindor.

The Indians’ rotation, outside of Masterson, consists of Corey Kluber, young flame-thrower Danny Salazar, Zach McAllister, spot-starter Carlos Carrasco, veteran Non-Roster Invitees Shaun Marcum and Aaron Harang, and not to be forgotten, former D-back and 23-year-old Trevor Bauer. And the good news for Cleveland is all these guys are a year older and more mature. Okay, maybe for Marcum and Harang the calendar is their worst enemy, but you get my point. Surprisingly, at age 28, Masterson is the oldest of all starters on the team’s depth chart.

The Indians signed their 6’6” Righty to a 1-year, $9.76M deal to avoid his final year of Arbitration. Come season’s end, Masterson can walk in Free Agency. My guess is they won’t let him walk without some return via trade.

This is where my own logic overrules what little information I’ve gathered. Nick Peircoro and I had the following interaction regarding the D-backs surplus of starters:

@HC_Hughes I'd be surprised if they traded away a starting pitcher. Big part of the Arroyo signing was their lack of depth in that area.
— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) February 26, 2014

While Nick obviously knows more than I do, I can’t help but feel like between Patrick Corbin, Bronon Arroyo, Wade Miley, Trevor Cahill, Randall Delgado, Brandon McCarthy, and Zeke Spruill, the Snakes could afford to make a move with one of their MLB-ready starters.

Here are the options at an eyeball-test: Miley, Cahill, Delgado, Spruill.

Bronson Arroyo was just signed, so he’s not going anywhere. Corbin was one of the two players the Diamondbacks said they would not even discuss trading this past winter, along with Paul Goldschmidt. McCarthy’s $10M contract which expires would most likely only be dumped in the event that the Diamondbacks have dropped out of contention and some contender is desperate enough for the injury-prone righty.

Cahill is due for a bounce back year and has proven to be a solid second or third starter in a rotation, while Delgado has been relegated to the bullpen with the arrival of Arroyo because he is out of options. Wade Miley would be attractive to some teams as a lefty with two consecutive quality seasons and will be Arbitration-eligible in 2015 for the first time. Spruill only has 11.1 Major League innings since coming over to the desert in the Justin Upton-Martin Prado Blockbuster trade. Spruill has the upside of a three or four-guy in a big league rotation with his velocity topping out around 91 mph.

So by now, you’re most likely asking yourself why I bring up these two teams, as it’s apparent these two teams don’t make sense with Arizona having a surplus of shortstops and Cleveland having Lindor close, if not ready this year.

The third team involved in this deal needs help at shortstop (and they’ll most likely favor a younger, cheaper player than Cabrera so they’ll go with one of Arizona’s options), and they need a lot of help in their bullpen.

They are the New York Yankees.

Ultimately, Cleveland will end up trading the more valuable asset between Masterson and Cabrera, being Masterson. Cleveland will then let Cabrera go after his typical, not-good-but-not-bad 2014, and Lindor will be the guy manning shortstop in 2015.

Okay, here’s the dooise-of-a-trade.

The Yankees’ Side:

Didi Gregorius was off to a hot start for Arizona in 2013, but is now in jeopardy of being traded.

The Yankees receive bullpen help from Cleveland in lefty Nick Hagadone and from Arizona in Zeke Spruill. They also get their shortstop of the future in Didi Gregorius from Arizona. It’s only fitting that Gregorius take a year to learn from Derek Jeter (or sit and watch from Triple-A or the bench), as Kevin Towers deemed him the “next Derek Jeter” when Arizona traded for Gregorius. But here’s why Arizona is okay with dealing Gregorius after trading for him less than two years before: Chris Owings is better and they probably didn’t realize that. Gregorius brings a solid vacuum-of-a-glove to the Bronx and also possesses a tool that beats Cabrera outright: He walks. In 33 less games Gregorius walked 37 times, when Cabrera walked 35 times in 136 games. In those 136 games, Cabrera struck out 114 times, averaging 0.84 strikeouts a game. Gregorius averaged .63 strikeouts per game. Check the 2013 OBPs of each player: Cabrera had an OBP of .299, whereas Gregorius’ was .332.

We’ve discussed Spruill as a starter, and since New York has a solidified rotation, Spruill can serve as a long-relief bullpen arm as well as a spot starter. Nick Hagadone coming over from Cleveland serves a purpose that would greatly benefit New York: Hagadone instantly becomes the most valuable lefty in that bullpen. Veteran Matt Thornton comes over to New York as a bona fide LOOGY, but is 37 years old. Making $7M over the next two years, one has to assume Thornton’s career ends after 2015. Hagadone, currently the third left-handed option in Clevelan after Josh Outman and Marc Rzepczynski, is Arbitration-eligible in 2015 and is nine years younger than Thornton. Hagadone, not merely a LOOGY, has held lefties to a .211 AVG in his career, while righties only hit .231. Some more time out of the ‘pen and hopefully an improvement of control could give New York a lefty reliever who can go an entire inning or two. Again, Hagadone is the third most valuable lefty in Cleveland’s organization. In New York, he would be potentially the most valuable.

The Diamondbacks’ Side:

Justin Masterson has been the ace of the Indians, whether by title or not, since 2011.

First, the bad news. On top of Spruill, the Diamondbacks are going to have to give up two starters and they would both be going to Cleveland. First is lefty Wade Miley. Miley would be the lone lefty in Cleveland and would be the only pitcher in that rotation that pitched 200 innings in 2013. He also pitched 194.2 innings in 2012. That’s a hit for the Diamondbacks. Looking at the numbers, Miley compares easily to somewhere between fellow lefties Matt Moore in Tampa Bay and Mike Minor of Atlanta. And Miley has pitched more innings than both Moore and Minor. With a cut down on walks, Miley could top out as a poor-man’s Tom Glavine. Again, Miley’s control is the only tool he needs significant work on. The Diamondbacks would also have the option to give up either Trevor Cahill or Randall Delgado. Cahill is due $7.7M in 2014 and $12M in 2015, with a 2016 buyout of $300,000 or a salary of $13M. Delgado would bring upside to Cleveland, but depending on how high they are on Cahill, Delgado might be too inexperienced and too similar to a younger Zach McAllister, with more strikeout stuff. Cahill would replace the veteran presence left by Masterson’s departure, but at a cheaper price in 2014. Cahill has thrown over 200 innings in 2012 and 2011, and threw 196.2 innings in 2010. Besides a 2013, where Cahill spent time on the DL, he has always started at least 30 games every year he’s been in the league.

The Diamondbacks also give up Didi Gregorius who manned shortstop for over 100 games for them in 2013, in favor of Chris Owings and Cliff Pennington – a transition that might result in some growing pains.

Giving up both of Spruill and one of Delgado or Cahill justifies the return Arizona gets in this deal. Their new ace Justin Masterson would most likely come with a contract extension agreed upon – or at least one would hope with giving up your starting shortstop and two Major League starters and Spruill, a top prospect in their organization. But ultimately, moving all these pieces leads to the potential for Archie Bradley’s arrival in 2014. Starting the year with a rotation of Masterson, Corbin, Arroyo, McCarthy, and Delgado or Cahill definitely beats the current rotation of Corbin, Arroyo, Cahill, Miley, McCarthy, and Cahill. Losing Miley hurts, but also clears the path for Bradley to make his debut once a starter goes down with an injury.

Arizona also receives some good prospects that are currently blocked on their current rosters that addresses all of Towers’ desires in the aforementioned quote. First, a backup catcher behind Montero. The Yankees have locked up Brian McCann for the long term, so Gary Sanchez’s name should absolutely be in this trade. But the good news for Arizona is, even if New York is unwilling to part with its top prospect, they have another catching prospect who is closer to being ready for the big leagues in JR Murphy. Sanchez is a great poor defensive catcher with a solid arm – an odd combination. But Sanchez does hit well and get on base at a good clip. JR Murphy, while he doesn’t have the notoriety that Sanchez does, hit just as well in the minors in 2013, got some run at third base, and is a year older than Sanchez at 22 years old. Murphy did struggle in 16 games at the big leagues in 2013, but either catcher would be improvements over current D-back catchers beside Montero.

The rest of Arizona’s return from the Yankees also has options that I believe Arizona would have leverage in negotiating. Towers wants an outfielder, so the Yankees should have to give up either Slade Heathcott or Tyler Austin. Neither has MLB experience, and Heathcott has had personal struggles. But after locking up Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury for the next five and seven years, respectively, along with Carlos Beltran and Ichiro Suzuki’s places on the roster, the Yankees would definitely part with one if not both outfield prospects. My bet is whichever catcher the Diamondbacks receive will correlate positively to what outfielder they take; if they take Sanchez, they’ll receive Heathcott and if they take Murphy, Arizona will receive Murphy.

And finally, to address the issue of a Double-A or Triple-A starter, Arizona should look to Cleveland for their #6 prospect, Cody Anderson. With an ETA of 2015, Anderson put up a 2.65 ERA in 2013 in 136.0 innings with 122 strikeouts and 40 walks. His WHIP was 1.18. Anderson is blocked on a team with a crowded rotation and could prove to be the best part of this acquisition for all teams.

The Indians’ Side:

Miley has been one of the most reliable assets the Diamondbacks have.

This will be rather straight forward. Losing Justin Masterson would be a difficult swallow for the team and fan base, but this seems to be a guy who seems intent on avoiding a long-term extension with Cleveland, who doesn’t usually dole out big-money contract extensions anyways (Where is Ubaldo Jimenez now? Not Cleveland). The team sheds Masterson before he walks and receives the stability of Wade Miley and his three years of remaining club control, and another starter from Arizona. Their bullpen is solid and will be fine with the loss of Nick Hagadone to New York as well. It would probably be best for the Indians to take on Randall Delgado, even though he has no more options, although just as strong of a case could be made for Trevor Cahill, whose best seasons were in the American League with Oakland. It most likely would come down to money and how highly they view Delgado as a fifth starter.

So to recap:

Arizona receives:	Cleveland receives:	New York receives:
Justin Masterson (CLE)	Wade Miley (AZ)	Didi Gregorius (AZ)
Cody Anderson (CLE)	Trevor Cahill or Randall Delgado (AZ)	Nick Hagadone (CLE)
Slade Heathcott or Tyler Austin (NYY)		Zeke Spruill (AZ)
JR Murphy or Gary Sanchez (NYY)

Nick & Hayden's 2014 MLB Preview: 17. San Francisco Giants

17. San Francisco Giants
by Nick Opich
2/27/2014

In 2013, the San Francisco Giants possessed an imposing rotation consisting of Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum, and Barry Zito, a top 10 offense in terms of fWAR (Wins Above Replacement under Fangraphs formula), and one of the best players in the league in Buster Posey. They posted winning records against all NL West opponents: Dodgers (11-8), Diamondbacks (12-7), Padres (11-8), and Rockies (10-9). Despite this, the Giants were unable to even post a winning record for the season and tied the Padres for a putrid third place finish in the NL West.

How is this even possible?

For starters, injuries took their toll. They were without leadoff man and centerfielder Angel Pagan for 91 games last season due to problems with his hamstring. Ryan Vogelsong, who was hoping to build off his first two years with the club, missed nearly three months with a broken finger. In the second half of 2013, Posey hit only two homeruns and posted a paltry .643 OPS. A rash of other injuries nagged the rest of the club and along with other poor performances, the Giants struggling to find consistency throughout the 2013 campaign. 

It was very reminiscent of the Giants 2011 season when they were also defending a World Series championship and the club failed to make the postseason.

So what moves did the Giants do to improve upon their injury and consistency problems in 2013? They brought in players with more injury and consistency problems of course!

First, they overpaid right field incumbent Hunter Pence and signed him to a 5 year/ $90M extension. Pence rebounded nicely in 2013 after a miserable 2012 but he is not an elite player and should not be paid as such.  

Headlining San Francisco’s offseason acquisitions is veteran starter Tim Hudson. Hudson hasn’t pitched since last July 24^th when he suffered a gruesome ankle injury when trying to cover first base. 

"Ouch"

The Giants are giving the soon to be 39-year-old $23M over two years and banking on him being able to bounce back from his injury to be a key contributor in their rotation.

That shouldn't be a problem, right?

And in an effort to bring more offense to their lineup, San Francisco signed Mike Morse, known for his inconsistent offensive production and terrible defense, on as a platoon outfielder with Gregor Blanco.

Morse was posting underwhelming offensive numbers in Seattle before being traded at the end of August to the Orioles. Once in Baltimore, the outfielder played in only 12 games before his season ended due to a wrist injury.

The face of a $6M man

These puzzling moves beg the question, does the Giants front office understand why their team struggled last year?

The hope for the Giants this year is that Posey will rebound, Brandon Belt will continue to progress, and a slimmed down Pablo Sandoval will post solid offensive numbers in a contract year. It would also help if Blanco and shortstop Brandon Crawford could post replacement level seasons at the plate.

There are a lot of “ifs” coming into this season for San Francisco and if things fall into place like in 2010 and 2012 they could be a dangerous team. But after making no moves to really improve their club this offseason, it more than likely the Giants will be stuck in the middle of the pack once again.


1. Last Season and Offseason
      a. 76-86
      b. Traded with NYY for David Huff
      c. Signed Dontrelle Willis, Michael Morse, Tim Hudson

2. Lineup/Rotation
Lineup:
      1. Angel Pagan CF
      2. Marco Scutaro 2B
      3. Brandon Belt 1B
      4. Buster Posey C
      5. Hunter Pence RF
      6. Pablo Sandoval 3B
      7. Michael Morse/Gregor Blanco LF
      8. Brandon Crawford SS

Rotation:
      1. Matt Cain
      2. Madison Bumgarner
      3. Tim Lincecum
      4. Tim Hudson
      5. Ryan Vogelsong

3. Favorite/Least Favorite
      a. Nick’s Favorite – Stickin to their guns
      b. Hayden’s Favorite – Rotation and Sandoval in a contract yr
      c. Nick’s Least Favorite – No way they can compete
      d. Hayden’s Least Favorite – No speed: Sandoval, Morse, Posey, Belt = 4 Steals; No farm system at all

4. Impact Player
      a. Brandon Belt
              i. Emerged as power threat and first base – beat out Brett Pill!
             ii. Compares well to Freeman and his extension...potentially.

Freddie Freeman's 2013 Hit Spray Chart:

Source: FanGraphs

Brandon Belt's 2013 Hit Spray Chart:

Source: FanGraphs

5. Impact Prospect
      a. Almost nothing, maybe Kyle Crick :-(

6. Midseason Status
      a. Morse is benched; Gregor Blanco takes over a tears it up defensively
      b. Cain and Bumgarner are awesome

7. Bold Predictions
      a. 77-85
      b. Are willing to trade Pagan for almost nothing even after trade deadline
      c. Trade RHP Kyle Crick and SS Brandon Crawford to TOR for SS Jose Reyes and $33M
      d. No back up for Sandoval, must resign him - (Joaquin Arias, Tony Abreu, Nick Noonan, Hayden, Hayden’s                 dog) 



Podcast Playlist:
"Q.U.E.E.N." - Janelle Monae feat. Erykah Badu
"Team" - Lorde

Nick & Hayden's 2014 MLB Preview: 18. Seattle Mariners

The Brain-Trust running the Seattle Professional Baseball Team

18. Seattle Mariners

by Hayden Hughes

In today’s world of excess and music videos with money being thrown around dancing ladies, “slugging” second basemen have the opportunity to make a $240 million-payday. The real P.I.M.P. of the baseball world, throwing cash around to support a club (a baseball club) and players (not playas), is none other than Seattle Mariners owner Jack Zduriencik.

Or as his “friends” refer to him, Jack-Z.

But what’s amazing about what Jack-Z has done is – even after Robinson Cano – are they any better? The 2013 Mariners went 71-91 and now their starting lineup has desperate rebound-candidates Dustin Ackley, Mike Zunino, Corey Hart (who missed all of 2013), Logan Morrison, as well as a first baseman who's yet to fill his potential in Justin Smoak. Now add Robbie Cano, Brad Miller, and Kyle Seagar to that lineup and you officially have the slowest team in MLB history, then there’s Michael Saunders who should steal some bases - some being 10.

That’s also a pretty incompetent defensive squad. Only Brad Miller (0.2) and Robinson Cano (1.2) have Defensive WARs over 0. That’s it. Not exactly ideal to winning.

The Mariners come into 2014 trying to get the taste of their 2013 season out of their mouths. So let’s be optimistic here as they leave their 71-91 season in the past. 71 wins would get a team in last place in 2 of the other 5 divisions in 2013 - those being the NL West and AL East. The only reason the Mariners came in fourth place was the division got to beat up on the rebuilding Houston Astros, who won 51 games.

But let’s say Cano has a great year and brings a WAR of 8 games to Seattle. Take into account 2014 will see full seasons from prospect starters James Paxton and Taijuan Walker. So the Mariners may win…ten more games? Let’s be really optimistic and call it 12 more games. That’s 83 wins and 79 loses. Last year that would have landed them in third place in the AL West.

Oakland has had their taste of winning and will be thirsty for more. And one has to assume Anaheim will finally figure it out this year. Then Texas has only gotten better since adding Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo.

There’s no doubt that between Felix Hernandez, Walker, Paxton, and a repeat-year from Hisashi Iwakuma when he’s healthy, this rotation is stronger than both rotations in Texas and Anaheim. However, even if that rotation reaches their fullest potential in 2014 – which Walker and Paxton probably won’t – Seattle’s Achilles Heels are their hitting and their defense.

So I’ll ask again, how much better is Seattle?

See, here’s my problem with Seattle. Our favorite baseball P.I.M.P. Jack-Z threw all his cash at one attractive booty-shaker named Robinson. See, rappers are actually economically savvy. If you’re going to throw cash, throw it at multiple booty-shakers. Maybe an outfielder whose hips don’t lie and has full-functional legs? Just a thought. 

1. Last Season and Offseason

      a. 71-91

      b. Signed Robinson Cano, Fernando Rodney, Willie Bloomquist, Corey Hart, John Buck, Scott Baker

      c. Traded Carter Capps to MIA for Logan Morrison

      d. Lost Franklin Gutierrez for the year. Lost Hisashi Iwakuma for the start of season.

2. Lineup/Rotation

Lineup:

      1. Dustin Ackley LF

      2. Kyle Seager 3B

      3. Robinson Cano 2B

      4. Corey Hart DH

      5. Justin Smoak 1B

      6. Logan Morrison RF

      7. Michael Saunders CF

      8. Mike Zunino C

      9. Brad Miller SS

Rotation:

      1. Felix Hernandez

      2. Hisashi Iwakuma

      3. Scott Baker

      4. Taijuan Walker

      5. James Paxton

      6. Brandon Maurer*

3. Favorite/Least Favorite

      a. Hayden's Favorite – No Jesus Montero

      b. Nick's Favorite – Underrated rotation

      c. Hayden's Least Favorite – Signing Hart, Trading for Morrison, Not trading Ackley to AZ, losing Gutierrez

      d. Nick's Least Favorite – Below average OF

4. Impact Player

      a. Dustin Ackley

               i. Left handed bat, flexible

              ii. Get AVG up and keep walking

             iii. Not really a lead off guy

5. Impact Prospect

      a. James Paxton

               i. Good fastball, but walks too many

              ii. Doesn’t give up homers

             iii. Has to throw 175 innings

             iv. 25 years old

6. Mid-season Status

      a. In it, but not 1st place

      b. Traded away Ackley, Franklin, Stefen Romero, Chris Taylor, and D.J. Peterson

      c. Corey Hart injured for season after stubbing toe

7. Bold Prediction

      a. 80-82

      b. No different than any other season 

      c. Trade Dustin Ackley, Nick Franklin to ATL for B.J. Upton, $10M and RHP J.R. Graham

               i. OR Trade Dustin Ackley to TOR for OF Colby Rasmus

      d. Jesus Montero back in MLB for Hart

Podcast Playlist:
"Paper Cuts" - Nirvana
"Even Flow" - Pearl Jam

Dbacks and NL West Notes

The Arizona Diamondbacks will play their first game of Spring Training tomorrow against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In anticipation of that game, we bring you some news and notes from the Diamondbacks and the other teams in the NL West:

Dbacks links

-          Minorleagueball.com (a site within SBNation) released their Top 20 Prospects for the Arizona Diamondbacks this week. It’s no surprise that super-prospect Archie Bradley tops the list.      

-          In a recent post on Fangraphs, Dave Cameron presents his 10 Worst Transactions of the 2014 offseason and the Diamondbacks take up two spots on his list.

-          Dbacks beat reporter, Steve Gilbert writes about how Chris Owings has earned his way back into the conversation of “shortstop of the future” and that his future is now. In the article, Manager Kirk Gibson has high praise for the young infielder.

-          A great piece in The New York Times about Gerardo Parra and the tremendous defensive value he brings to the Diamondbacks. In the article, the author talks about when Parra was first signed out of Venezuela, some scouts saw him as a pitcher who could throw in the low 90s and held comparisons to Johan Santana.

NL West Links

-          Dodgers outfielder, Yasiel Puig, may be enjoying life in America a little too much. The explosive Cuban star known for his aggressiveness, gained 26 pounds this offseason and the Dodgers are paying attention.

-          Zack Greinke upset Australian officials and scrambled the Dodgers PR department after his negative comments about the team’s opening series down under against Arizona.

-          Buster Posey is satisfied with MLB’s new plate collision rules. Posey, who was injured in 2011 during a collision with Marlins OF Scott Cousins said, “What I take away from it is, it eliminates the malicious collision, which is a good thing.”

-          San Diego Padres third baseman, Chase Headley, may miss up to two or three weeks after straining his calf during Spring Training drills last Saturday. Headley also had minor knee surgery this offseason.

-          After months of speculation, Carlos Gonzalez will be staying put in left field for the Rockies. It was thought that Gonzalez would transition to center after Colorado traded Dexter Fowler to Houston but it now appears that Drew Stubbs will take that spot.

-          Colorado starter, Jhoulys Chacin, has been shut down for at least a week due to should inflammation. Jon Heyman reported earlier this week that the team has also reportedly checked in on free agent Ervin Santana.  

The Nick Franklin Trade that Should Happen

by Hayden Hughes
2/25/14

Nick Franklin

So there seems to be a growing agreement among the internet that Seattle's displaced second baseman Nick Franklin will be traded to New York for Mets' prospect righty Rafael Montero.

The 23-year-old Montero is a flamethrower with a solid slider and change up that the Mariners would probably be satisfied to have in exchange for an infielder they have no use for with the signing of Robinson Cano.

Nick Franklin, also 23 this March, is a 2-win player, with power potential to be a 20 homers-20 doubles guy. He is a switch-hitter who compares best to Colby Rasmus or Asdrubal Cabrera in their age 23 seasons.

And the Mets would most likely be satisfied with playing Franklin, a second baseman, at shortstop because they're the Mets. I suppose it would be an adequate replacement over Ruben Tejada.

But I have another idea for the Mets and Mariners that involves a third team: the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The following things have to be considered, understood, and even assumed:

•  I'm assuming the Pirates would take an upgrade at first base over Gaby Sanchez, even if it was only a slight upgrade.
• The Pirates are thinking about their future.
• The Mets would be giving up the least in the trade, so they receive the least.
• The Mariners understand they have a huge problem in right field, right? 
• Corey Hart is in RF on their depth chart

Okay, the trade:

• The Mets receive 2B/SS Nick Franklin from Seattle.
• The Pirates receive 1B Justin Smoak from Seattle.
• The Mariners receive OF Jose Tabata from Pittsburgh and RHP Rafael Montero from New York.

Smoak

Seattle gets a corner outfielder in Tabata who brings more athleticism than what Seattle currently has lined up, plus moving Smoak gives Hart or Logan Morrison a chance to take over at first with the other at DH. Pretty straight forward, if you can get on board with the idea of playing Hart and Morrison every day, which I am hesitant to do. But there's no doubt Tabata brings potential for stolen bases and a cut-down on strikeouts that would be leaving with Smoak. Moving Smoak and Tabata would be gutsy moves from both Seattle and Pittsburgh but I think it would work out fine. Not only do Smoak and Tabata mirror each other in terms of low-AVG/decent-OBP but both players' best days are probably ahead of them.

Polanco

The Pirates lose Tabata, who played in 106 games for them, but they get an upgrade in Justin Smoak over Gaby Sanchez at first. Plus, if that Tabata contract ends up being one to regret, which club can afford take that hit: Seattle or Pittsburgh? Exactly. Plus Smoak and Tabata both played 2013 with WARs under 2.0 and are similar in age (27 and 25, respectively). Oh yeah, and Pittsburgh has this guy - Gregory Polanco - who will make an impact for the Pirates this year who compares to future teammate Andrew McCutchen and Austin Jackson according to Baseball Prospectus. He's left-handed, throwing and hitting, and at 22-years old could have a breakout rookie season if given the chance. He is seen as a potential five-tool guy if his power can catch up with the rest of his game, with the most impressive asset being his speed on defense and on the base paths. Oh yeah, man. That's why you trade Tabata. Imagine a Pirates line up that resembles this:

1. Starling Marte
2. Jordy Mercer
3. Andrew McCutchen
4. Pedro Alvarez
5. Neil Walker
6. Russell Martin
7. Justin Smoak
8. Gregory Polanco

Oh. Yeah.

New York stands to gain the least in this trade, but they are sacrificing the least. They receive a switch-hitting middle infielder in Franklin, who possess some real power potential. And for New York, the loss of Montero is really okay for this club. They have Noah Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler, and establishing two young starters in one season will be enough of a roller coaster ride in 2014 (never mind the fact that Jenrry Mejia will get some starts in 2014, as well). Both Syndergaard and Wheeler will probably have their feet cemented in the majors by 2015, when Matt Harvey returns from Tommy John Surgery. Filling a hold at shortstop everyday is more important for this club than trying to make another young arm work in a young enough rotation.

It would be a long shot to see Tabata and Smoak be traded this late into Spring Training, but reports again came out that Cub pitcher Jeff Samardzija could be traded by Opening Day, so anything could happen, right?

Of course, there are suitors outside of the Mets, Baltimore might not be as high on Jonathan Schoop if they could acquire Franklin, we can never count the Yankees out, there's a chance Ryan Goins doesn't work out in Toronto, and the Braves need to replace Dan Uggla (the sooner, the better, Atlanta).

But I like this trade a lot for all teams involved. So get out there and propose this one in all your forums.

Nick & Hayden's 2014 MLB Preview: 19. Cincinnati Reds

Joey Votto. Just the way Seth MacFarlane visualized him.

19. Cincinnati Reds
by Hayden Hughes
2/24/14

With Ryan Ludwick starting every day in left field, one might assume that a professional baseball team would be in a state of complete instability and rebuilding. Or at least in some form of mid-life panic or crisis. One would be wrong – this isn’t the case for the 2014 Cincinnati Reds.

While they lost in the Wild Card game to division foes, the Pittsburgh Pirates and their destined run of 2013, the Reds only lost out on Bronson Arroyo who would be fifth at best in 2014’s rotation. While Arroyo is the definition of stability, check this out – their lineup consists of:

•  9 All-Star appearances
•  6 Silver Slugger Awards
• 1 MVP
• 9 MVP-consideration-seasons

Not all that impressive until you realize that that information stems from only 3 players: Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, and Jay Bruce, A.K.A. their 3 – 5 hitters.

Unfortunately, that’s where the good news ends with regard to the lineup card. A team seemingly in love with super-utility guys such as Todd Frazier, Skip Schumaker, Jack Hannahan, and Ramon Santiago, shouldn’t be expected to beat out the likes of St. Louis and even a Pittsburgh team that for the most part stood pat this offseason.

But there is a chance they win. A Rookie of the Year-caliber season from assumed leadoff guy Billy Hamilton and a resurrection of the 2012 Todd Frazier, along with the expected stability of  a rotation including a now-healthy Johnny Cueto, newly-super-rich Homer Bailey, the ever-dominant Mat Latos, and an effective Mike Leake, the Reds could be really freakin’ good.

But a renaissance of the “Big Red Machine” will only come assuming Leake doesn’t revert to his 2012-self, that Cueto doesn’t land on the DL three times like he did in 2013, and that the Votto-Phillips-Bruce trio aren’t all healthy and as typically dominant as we’ve come to expect. And that’s a lot of assuming.

Heck – that’s assuming Brandon Phillips is still there at all come season’s end!

So there’s something’s to question here: Why extend Bailey when prior he was trade-bait? Why not trade a disgruntled Brandon Phillips? Why not trade Brandon Phillips for anyone to play in left instead of Ludwick? Are they really making a run for it with a left-sided infield of Zack Cozart and Todd Frazier?

A .500 season would be a huge letdown after the 90-72 season they just had, and fans really shouldn't expect that bad of a season. But one can't help but wonder if this team's window has closed, especially with a disgruntled Phillips and a lineup that consists of the less-than-flashy names I mentioned prior.

Another transition that might materialize into some growing pains that I have failed to mention: new manager Bryan Price. Being the pitching coach since 2010 means he is no stranger to the organization, but he has never filled out a lineup card, so we'll have to see where he intends to bat Phillips, how much time will Hamilton be allotted to get acclimated to the big leagues, and how confident they are in the names at the bottom-half of the lineup.

If Dusty Baker got fired after a 90-win season, where's the standard set for a first-time manager?

Yes, I know there was some drama in Baker's dismissal, but still.

They certainly have an uphill battle on their hands. Good luck Reds! 

This is Votto's reaction to just losing a game against the Brewers.
Can you imagine his reaction when he see the standings
and the Brewers are actually above the Reds?
*2014 - There will be tears*

1. Last Season and Offseason
      a. 90-72 (Lost to PIT in WC game)
      b. Signed Jeff Francis, Ramon Santiago, Chein-Ming Wang, Skip Schumaker, Brayan Pena, Chris Nelson
      c. Traded Ryan Hannigan to TB; AZ sent David Holmberg to CIN

2. Line Up/Rotation
Lineup:
      1. Billy Hamilton CF
      2. Zack Cozart SS
      3. Joey Votto 1B
      4. Brandon Phillips 2B
      5. Jay Bruce RF
      6. Ryan Ludwick LF
      7. Todd Frazier 3B
      8. Devin Mascoraco C

Rotation:
      1. Mat Latos
      2. Johnny Cueto
      3. Homer Bailey
      4. Mike Leake
      5. Tony Cingrani

3. Favorite/Least Favorite
      a. Hayden's Favorite – Billy Hamilton; Dealt Hannigan
      b. Nick's Favorite – Mike Leake, due for a big season
      c. Hayden's Least Favorite – Didn’t deal Bailey, Phillips; Ludwick still in LF 
      d. Nick's Least Favorite – Big losses with no replacements from last season

4. Impact Player
      a. Brandon Phillips
                i. Plays well when disgruntled
               ii. Ready to be moved
              iii. Gold Glove winner
              iv. OBP must quit decreasing
               v. 18 home runs last 4 straight seasons

5. Impact Prospect
      a. Billy Hamilton
                i. Replacing Shin-Soo Choo
               ii. Choo 2013 OBP: .423
              iii. Hamilton 2013 OBP: .308
              iv. Strikes out too much

6. Midseason Status
      a. Still competitive, but not as good as 2013.
      b. Must deal Phillips or a starter for package

7. Bold Predictions
      a. A generous 81-81
      b. Will gut their roster at the midseason and go full rebuild
      c. Trade RHP Mat Latos to LAD for $9M, RHP Chad Billingsley, OF Joc Pederson, SS Dee Gordon, and                     RHP Zach Lee
      d. Trade Brandon Phillips to NYY for OF Mason Williams, RHP David Phelps, and IF Eduardo Nunez
      e. Ludwick loses job
       f. Disappointing 2014

Or perhaps Votto was upset with Carlos Gomez's spectacular catch.
Which begs the question - What was Votto pointing at?
Requesting a re-do on his at-bat?

Podcast Playlist:
"Everyday People" - Sly & the Family Stone
"Another One Bites the Dust" - Queen