Fish Stripes Author Reactions to Yunel Escobar
Trade

You heard my response to the trade of Yunel Escobar to the Tampa Bay Rays for minor league infielder Derek Dietrich. The Marlins had their hands somewhat tied since Escobar was not as willing to move to third base as initially expected, but the Fish also sold a little low on him by rushing the trade during the winter meetings. Now it is time to hear my fellow Fish Stripes authors and what they have to say on the subject of the Escobar trade.

Sam Evans (Prospect and Draft Coverage)

The Marlins probably traded for Yunel Escobar only so they could trade him in a move like this. Derek Dietrich does not have the talent to be an above-average major leaguer, but he does have some power hitting from the left side of the plate. Dietrich probably is not a shortstop long-term, but with the way the Marlins infield has been shaping up, crazier things have happened. The good thing about this trade is that it cannot go very badly for the Marlins. Escobar is not a talented player, and he does not have the consistency to make the Marlins regret trading him. Both teams were very aware of the value of what they were trading and acquiring. This should shape up to be a minor move for both teams.

Conor Dorney (Analysis and Prospect and Draft Coverage)

At this point, it's becoming impossible to predict what the Miami Marlins will do next. With all the moves that have been made since the end of the season, it feels like the Marlins are playing a video game where they keep hitting "ACCEPT" to every trade from the CPU that pops up on their screen. Sure, moving Yunel Escobar wasn't a shocking deal by any means, but all it seems to do at this point is leave more questions than answers. Derek Dietrich is a pretty decent middle infield prospect with some pop in his bat. He could certainly provide some value down the road and organizational depth, and the Rays were high on him, but is that the kind of player that's worth acquiring for someone like Escobar, whose presence will make an immediate impact next season? And if the rumors of Miami getting better offers from teams like the A's (offering Brad Peacock or Grant Green) were true, this trade certainly doesn't all that good.

Escobar had a down year on the field (and on his eyeblack) for the Blue Jays last season, but let's not forget that he's been a four-win player in terms of fWAR twice during his career. If his numbers returned to near his career norms, there's no reason to believe he couldn't approach that kind of value next season as well. Additionally, with Escobar likely moving to second with the addition of Hechavarria (who I profiled last month), it would have given the Marlins a fairly solid middle infield, especially when it comes to defense. Now, depth could become the biggest problem. If Hech were to go down with an injury or struggle to produce, the club won't have the flexibility to move someone with experience at the position like Escobar to fill the void. Overall, there are so many confusing pieces to this mess of a puzzle the Marlins have put together this winter. Maybe they'll just have Donovan Solano fill every spot on the infield. Better yet, clone Donovan Solano. ONE THOUSAND DONOVAN SOLANOS ROAMING THE INFIELD. That should do the trick.

Scott G. (Fish Bites)

Yunel Escobar never stood a chance with the Marlins. Even before the Winter Meetings, the Marlins were reportedly shopping the shortstop who was asked to play third base. Escobar had a down year in 2012, and could bounce back next season.

The Tampa Bay Rays are known for their minor league depth and talent, so what Miami got in return is probably maximum value. Escobar recently told the organization that he didn't want to play third base, and not wanting to make the same mistake twice, the Marlins wisely moved him.

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Johnny Bench & His 1975 & 1976 World Series
Championships

Johnny Bench & His 1975 & 1976 World Series Championships As the anchor of the mighty ‘Big Red Machine’, Bench helped take the Cincinnati Reds to the pinnacle of the sport during the post-seasons of 1975 and 1976. And he … Continue reading →

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s-championships-2/

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Yankees avoid arbitration with Brett Gardner

[...]

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RHP Dan Haren joins Nationals on 1-year contract
(Yahoo! Sports)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Right-hander Dan Haren has agreed to a one-year contract with the Washington Nationals.

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Excuse me Hal what are you doing to the New York
Yankees

The New York Yankeeshot stove has felt more like an icebox this off-season, and every one wants to know why. As this winter has been full of mix messages, causing a wave of emotions amongst Yankee fans with some sad, others angry and the rest remain in[...]

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Brett Gardner, Yankees agree at $2.85 million
(Yahoo! Sports)

NEW YORK (AP) — Speedy outfielder Brett Gardner and the New York Yankees have agreed to a $2.85 million, one-year contract that avoids salary arbitration.

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-yahoo-sports/

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Friday Rockpile: Rockies Fowler to Reds Targets
Leaked

ed. Sorry about the late Rockpile this morning. I'm all out of sorts.

The Phillies, Braves and Nationals all have found their starting center fielders elsewhere, leaving the Rockies with a trade chip and few remaining suitors. The Reds stand as a potential location, and while we are told the Rockies have not exchanged names with Cincinnati, Ken Rosenthal put names to a potential deal today:

Two obvious candidates for the Rockies would be right-hander Mike Leake, who is losing his spot in the Reds' rotation to lefty Aroldis Chapman, and center fielder Drew Stubbs, who would lose his job to Fowler.

In other words, the Rockies would be accepting the pieces the Reds don't want anymore, acquiring a home-run prone soft-tossing starting pitcher and a contact-averse center fielder who is basically Dexter Fowler, but worse at everything but basestealing.

Mike Leake has a 14.6% HR/FB rate in his career, better only than Jason Marquis, Tommy Hunter, and Nick Blackburn.

In Troy Renck's piece this morning, the Rockies' beat writer wrote that Colorado needs to be aggressive in the trade market. I agree they certainly need to be more aggressive than they have been in the past, but while Dexter Fowler may be at his peak trade value, they do not need to accept the best deal they are offered.

After Rosenthal's name plug, Renck echoed those names on twitter.

Posted this late last night: Rockies could move Fowler to Reds for Leake and 2 others. Know Rox would ask for Stubbs - bit.ly/SKtAXy

— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) December 7, 2012

The Rockies have held firm on wanting monster return for Fowler. Can Reds meet their demands.How about Leake, Stubbs and catching prospect?

— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) December 7, 2012

Did Renck and Rosenthal land on those names individually? I hope not. That is not the type of deal the Rockies should be looking for in dealing Dexter Fowler.

The Rays could use a center fielder, but at this point, I would be most interested in a Braves deal centered by Julio Teheran or Randall Delgado.

Links

Jeff Francis returns to a Rockies rotation shrouded in mystery, injuries - The Denver Post

MLB winter meetings: Stars still available in buyers' market - The Denver Post

Glenallen Hill named Triple-A manager; Molina, Berg sign

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Reed Johnson stays with Braves on $1.75M deal
(Yahoo! Sports)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Reed Johnson, the top pinch hitter in the National League last season, rejoined the Atlanta Braves on Thursday with a $1.75 million, one-year contract that includes a club option for 2014.

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Johnny Bench Captured 10 Gold Gloves During His
Big League Career

Johnny Bench Captured 10 Gold Gloves During His Big League Career Right at the start of his major league career, it was obvious that Johnny Bench was a supreme defender. In his first full-time season, Bench captured the first of … Continue reading →

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Around the SaberSphere 11/7: Ben Revere, the
Angels Rotation, Michael Bourn

Dave Cameron of FanGraphs thinks the Phillies overpaid for center fielder Ben Revere: Phillies Pay Premium For Ben Revere | FanGraphs Baseball

And, if Revere is a +5 defender in center field, even with his elite baserunning value, then he’s more of a +2.0 to +2.5 win player than the +3.5 win guy he graded out as last year. An average starter, essentially. With five years of team control, including two more at the league minimum, an average player is a valuable asset. But, to acquire that average player, the Phillies parted with a Major League average starting pitcher — and that may be underselling Vance Worley — and their best prospect, Trevor May.

Rob Neyer of Baseball Nation questions the strength of the Angels new-fangled rotation: So, about the Angels' "strong" rotation ... - Baseball Nation

That depends on how you define "strong", I guess. Jered Weaver's so good, and C.J. Wilson potentially so good, that the Angels should have, at the least, a decent rotation and perhaps even a good one. But as currently composed, the Angels' rotation isn't really a strength. It's sort of ... there: interesting because of Weaver, but nothing that the A's and the Rangers and the Mariners will fear (the Astros, maybe).

Dave Schoenfield of ESPN SweetSpot looks at how recent moves may be affecting the market for Michael Bourn: Where does Revere trade leave Bourn? - SweetSpot Blog - ESPN

The Philadelphia Phillies filled their hole in center field by acquiring Ben Revere from the Minnesota Twins for right-hander Vance Worley and pitching prospect Trevor May -- Keith Law breaks down the deal here -- which leaves Michael Bourn still spinning on the center-field merry-go-round. With Bourn's asking price reportedly higher than the $75 million B.J. Upton received from the Braves, where does this leave him? If there's a declining market for his services, does he end up signing for less than Upton money?

Sam Miller of Baseball Prospectus looks at some crazy trade rumors of the past that never came to be: Baseball Prospectus | Pebble Hunting: Hottest Rumors From Baseball's Winter Meetings in Nashville!

The Diamondbacks and Rangers may pull off a trade involving one of the best pitching prospects and one of the best hitting prospects in baseball! But don't get your hopes up; these trades are super sexy to talk about but very hard to pull off, as each team is understandably gunshy about trading The Next Big Thing for a potential bust. That's why the Rangers have refused to part with Eric Hurley to get Carlos Gonzalez. A guy like Gonzalez is just too risky.

Oh and don't forget #DontSignLohse

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