Saturday, May 18, 2013
BtBS: Kevin Gregg Re-emerges in Chicago
(www.beyondtheboxscore.com)
Read More...[A]s of May 16, Kevin Gregg has thrown ten innings without allowing an earned run. Over those 10 frames, he has faced 39 batters surrendering just five hits and four walks and striking out 12 batters. Because it’s just 10 innings, I’m probably making too big a deal out of his success, but remember this is the same pitcher that:
*Was released by the Dodgers during Spring Training. The Dodgers’ pen ranks 25th in the Majors in ERA.
*Registered a 4.62 ERA, 4.95 FIP, 4.83 xFIP over the last ...
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1 2 >One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn't belong
Nobody likes Cleveland. Even Drew Caray got the hell out of there.
Why Oakland? If you don't want to live there you can live in San Francisco or some of the expensive suburbs around the city. The Bay Area is a great place to live. I can't speak for KC as I've never been there.
He's no Eric Byrnes...
My guess is they know something and they want to move him while he still has value before plummeting off a cliff -like the Rox with Ubaldo.
#13 is the only theory that makes sense. How do you get rid of .898 OPS, 139 OPS+, 4th in mvp voting (2011), presumably healthy, age 24, off of one mediocre half season..
It looks like Kirk Gibson isn't the only one who doesn't like him. He led the NL in hit by pitch last year.
Also, definitely agree that even if you don't like Oakland itself, the Bay Area is a wonderful place to live. Demand Arizona give you away to the A's, Justin. Do it.
BBQ and (I assume) pretty cheap weed. Cleveland doesn't offer that much.
The only question in my mind is whether whatever's wrong with Upton is physical or attitude.
EDIT: Oh, now I see this has already been asked and answered, at least speculatively. Still seems like an awfully strong reaction.
Instead, the owner went public with criticisms of him. That invited the fans to start booing him, which they have, and then Justin reacted to the boos by saying I don't care what the fans think. And then word came out that Towers was shopping him. Towers denied he was shopping him, but Olney wrote thats not true, that everyone else tells him he is indeed shopping him. And Towers own comments later have a very much "read between the lines" quality.
The only thing they have accomplished is to create an almost irreparable rift with their franchise player and helped lower his trade value. The handling of this player and this situation could not have been any worse.
And of course as others have pointed out, unless he is seriously hurt, the odds are a lot higher he reverts to form than they are he continues to "slump".
I wrote a Dear Kevin Towers post explaining that he may just be passing up on a Kemp or McCutchen like surge. I'm sure he saw it. Doubt it will mean anything to him though.
Towers has been trying to trade Upton since he took over the job.
(Compiled by poster TAP at DBBB)
That's mostly the ten-foot snowdrifts though. Not too bad when you play a summer sport.
That's how it's appeared to me, and it's so blatantly idiotic that I thought there must be something I'm missing. Apparently not.
As a Giants fan, I like it when my division contenders act like morons.
It's also pretty depressing given none of the industries Cleveland was built around exist anymore. I wouldn't want to live there for all sorts of reason but it's an OK place to visit if you have to (who's going to visit Cleveland for Cleveland's sake?)
Well then Towers should be able to extract a king's ransom in prospects and cost-controlled, talented players. When it comes time to talk brass tacks I'd assume interested GMs will change their assessment of his sanity.
No, they're thinking Arizona is crazy because Towers seems to be painting himself into a corner of being committed to trade Upton. That's the opposite of an optimal bargaining position. So long as it doesn't appear that Towers is ready to renounce the idea of trading Upton and instead re-commit to him, then there's no reason to offer a king's ransom for him.
But the issue is that if the cost of getting him is a king's ransom, then he's no bargain. Let your competitor overspend for him.
They have so poisoned the waters that they pretty much HAVE to trade him. They will convince themselves that one of the packages they are being offered is a good deal. I'm sure I'll be here whining about it. And knowing Towers...there will be a brief window where it appears he made a good deal, but it won't last.
EDIT: To be fair, his Mark Reynolds for David Hernandez deal has worked out fairly well, and his Kelly Johnson for Aaron Hill and John Macdonald trade was a win too.
But he probably made a bad trade with Parker, Cook and Cowgill for Cahill and Breslow.
Pssh. Spoken like someone who doesn't follow the Red Sox.
But he probably made a bad trade with Parker, Cook and Cowgill for Cahill and Breslow.
That was a bit of a head scratcher when it happened and isn't looking any better the more time passes. Is there any method of analysis by which Parker's 2012 (so far) isn't a higher level of performance than Cahill has ever achieved? He's also younger, presumably cheaper, AND you get Cowgill in the bargain? Looks like Beane's trading mill sure came out ahead on that one.
Yeah, but they occasionally get those in April in Cleveland. I guess this can also happen in Minnesota, now that they got rid of the dome, and in Chicago, and occasionally in Boston, but Cleveland's probably the worst for nasty cold weather, even during baseball season.
hart isn't upton but he's at a decent price and a solid bat.
gallardo isn't going to be an ace but he's cheap and solid
sure it's a risk. but braun/upton for the next few years? sure it's two righties but still pretty good stuff
upton's stock is down and i doubt towers wants kids because the diamondback fans figure they should be winning 'now'
i am sure there a lots of flaws but this was my gut reaction and i have won more deals than i have lost so what the hey.
You were a GM ?
Well, given that the Diamondbacks are the defending division champions, that's a pretty reasonable thing for their fans to figure.
xFIP maybe ? Yeah...so no.
Don't forget ALL STAR Ryan Cook.... ;)
More like win "now and then"
business deals.
any thoughts on the actual exchange? you scoff? you think if towers is so determined to dump the guy this could assuage the pain?
At the time of the trade, the D-Backs were looking at a rotation of Kennedy, Hudson, and three of the following - Parker, Bauer, Miley, Collmenter, Skaggs, Corbin. That's a very talented group, but very inexperienced. They thought Parker needed more time, didn't want to rush Bauer and Skaggs, and had questions about Miley, Corbin, and Collmenter. So they decided to trade one (Parker) for an experienced pitcher (Cahill) that would be ready on Opening Day.
It turned out that Parker made it to the Majors faster than expected, after just 4 AAA starts this year. This was partially because the entire A's rotation went on the DL, but Parker did look ready. He may have passed Cahill in value this year, but it's not like Cahill or Breslow are terrible. They have both been valuable too, but they are more expensive.
I don't think that deal addresses AZ's needs. IF...IF they move Upton, they must get back a STRONG Shortstop prospect, one that is major league ready. They have a lot of outfielders, and a couple banging on the door in Reno, and they are set at first base with Goldschmidt.
And with Gallardo no longer able to face the Diamondbacks, (6-0, 1.02 ERA in 7 starts, 44 IP), he probably becomes no more than a league avg starter. (Thats humor.....but maybe a kernel of truth)
no offense but d'back prospects have a knack for not panning out
i hear the part about the shortstop. common need with the brewers
it's pretty common for gms to go after guys who dominate their teams. they think the guy plays that well against everyone else too
i think if melvin called towers would listen
I'd probably be willing to offer Jameson Taillon in an Upton trade, but that's because I'm not high on Taillon.
No offense taken. Just not a deal I would make. But with Towers getting ready to dump him, it never hurts to take a shot.
If you were going to trade a potential ace, which Parker was/is...then with the D Backs roster construction and depth, they really needed to get a top flight good hitting infield prospect out of the deal.
But because of the "win now" mode, they went for the "safe" bet in Cahill.
Which brings me to the other problem. While many looked at the deal as the "safety and low risk" of proven innings eater vs. the high risk of a talented but injury prone prospect.....the REAL risk is with Cahill, who is guaranteed 29 million over 4 years and has over 700 MLB innings on his arm at very young age. If Parker got hurt again, you are only looking at league minimum.
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