SBNation.com User Blog: rfffr

Shortstop Options without a trade

rfffr — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 18:33:13 -0000

As you know, the Diamondbacks shortstop situation for next year is far from set in stone. They plan on exploring a trade for one. But if they don't make a trade, here are some options

In-house
Willie Bloomquist, John McDonald and Jake Elmore are on the roster. Bloomquist possesses the ability to hit singles but his defense and baserunning ability are in question. Elmore and McDonald are both fine defenders but not as good hitters.

Free Agents
The free agent class at short isn't particularly strong. Jhonny Peralta and Stephen Drew headline the class. Oakland holds an option on Drew that they may exercise. Peralta can hit for power but his defense is terrible.

Rule 5 Draft
There will probably be someone who can play short in the draft but Rule 5 guys usually don't turn into Josh Hamilton or Dan Uggla. Tim Beckham may be worth a look if available, but if he is available but we would probably pick around 15 and he may not last that long

As you know, the Diamondbacks shortstop situation for next year is far from set in stone. They plan on exploring a trade for one. But if they don't make a trade, here are some options In-house Willie Bloomquist, John McDonald and Jake Elmore are on the roster. Bloomquist possesses the ability to hit singles but his defense and baserunning ability are in question. Elmore and McDonald are both fine defenders but not as good hitters. Free Agents The free agent class at short isn't particularly strong. Jhonny Peralta and Stephen Drew headline the class. Oakland holds an option on Drew that they may exercise. Peralta can hit for power but his defense is terrible. Rule 5 Draft There will probably be someone who can play short in the draft but Rule 5 guys usually don't turn into Josh Hamilton or Dan Uggla. Tim Beckham may be worth a look if available, but if he is available but we would probably pick around 15 and he may not last that long

Offseason trade: Wade Miley for Billy Hamilton

rfffr — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 19:46:16 -0000

As you know the Diamondbacks have a lot of pitching depth. Also Stephen Drew is a free agent with an unlikely option at the end of the year. That leaves a whole at shortstop. Billy Hamilton is basically the second coming of Rickey Henderson. I think a trade like the Michael Pineda for Jesus Montero would be good for both sides. Like the trade there would be other pieces involved but this could be beneficial for both the Diamondbacks and the Reds

Garza may miss the rest of the season

rfffr — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 17:19:51 -0000

Matt Garza experienced a setback and his future in 2012 is now in question. He was coveted by the Diamondbacks at the trade deadline with rumors Patrick Corbin and Adam Eaton going to the Cubs in a potential deal. It could be possible that Towers had questions about his medical records and Cubs wouldn't allow a physical and that's why the trade was nixed. Whatever the reason, it looks like we dodged a bullet and I'm glad we didn't end up with another Jason Marquis situation

Time to get David Wright

rfffr — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 21:55:01 -0000

The Mets lost again and the Dodgers acquired Hanley Ramirez. I think it's time to go out and acquire David Wright or at least Chase Headley. Willie Bloomquist is going but Headley and Wright are both better. Both come with obstacles. Wright won't be cheap and relations between us and the Padres are strained now that we have each other's past GMs. The bottom line is we need a superstar 3rd baseman to advance in the playoffs.

Hanley Ramirez: Yay or Nay? [That's a Nay...]

rfffr — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 21:39:07 -0000

So apparently the team is interested in Hanley Ramirez. We have had struggles at 3rd all year. The Marlins are desperate to get rid of him so they'll probably be willing to absorb almost all of his contract. He would probably cost something around what the Yankees gave up for Ichiro which we could afford. The downside is he has work ethic issues and would block Matt Davidson. So what do you think? Is it worth it?

Wade Miley for Rookie of the Month?

rfffr — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:24:01 -0000

Does anyone think Wade Miley has a chance to win Rookie of the month? He only allowed two earned runs in April and has been generally impressive.

At the moment I can't think of anyone else that could possibly challenge him for the title. Of course, I would have a hard time naming many rookies that have been around for the whole month. Does anyone know any other rookies who could potentially challenge him for the title?

Does anyone think Wade Miley has a chance to win Rookie of the month? He only allowed two earned runs in April and has been generally impressive.

To Sign a Starter or Not?

rfffr — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:45:34 -0000

As of right now, the Diamondbacks have 4 established starters: Ian Kennedy, Daniel Hudson, Trevor Cahill, and Josh Collmentor. They're known to be pursuing Joe Saunders and Hiroki Kuroda both who would cost several million to sign. The question do we need either these guys?

The Diamondbacks have 4 major league ready prospects: Trevor Bauer, Tyler Skaggs, Patrick Corbin, and Wade Miley. Three of the 4 are left-handed. But all four are making approximately the league minimum which could save us money if we need to take some on during a trade. The Braves seemed to have success using Brandon Beachy in their fifth starter spot. (Their offense ran dry so you can't use the failure to get to the postseason as an argument)

Poll

Should the Diamondbacks sign a starter

Yes they have more experience

26 votes

No give the spot to a prospect

56 votes

82 votes | Poll has closed

Baseball America's Top 10 Diamondbacks Prospects

rfffr — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:14:31 -0000

1. Trevor Bauer, rhp- Expected him or Skaggs at #1

2. Archie Bradley, rhp- surprised by this one since he's nowhere near MLB ready

3. Tyler Skaggs, lhp-Should be #2

4. Jarrod Parker, rhp-Should be #3. Managed to make the playoff roster. Could be #1 in a weaker system.

5. Matt Davidson, 3b/1b- Top position in the system. Good ranking

6. A.J. Pollock, of-don't know much about Pollock to be honest

7. David Holmberg, lhp-I'll take Holmberg as the fifth best in the system

8. Chris Owings, ss-may be heir apparent to Drew

9. Wade Miley, lhp-Miley is the only one with significant major league experience. He wasn't bad in the preview.

10. Patrick Corbin, lhp-Major league ready. Should see him in 2012

So the top 5 are all top 100 prospects and Pollock is probably on the cusp. System's so stacked they think Parker is our future closer

1. Trevor Bauer, rhp- Expected him or Skaggs at #1

2. Archie Bradley, rhp- surprised by this one since he's nowhere near MLB ready

3. Tyler Skaggs, lhp-Should be #2

4. Jarrod Parker, rhp-Should be #3. Managed to make the playoff roster. Could be #1 in a weaker system.

5. Matt Davidson, 3b/1b- Top position in the system. Good ranking

6. A.J. Pollock, of-don't know much about Pollock to be honest

7. David Holmberg, lhp-I'll take Holmberg as the fifth best in the system

8. Chris Owings, ss-may be heir apparent to Drew

9. Wade Miley, lhp-Miley is the only one with significant major league experience. He wasn't bad in the preview.

10. Patrick Corbin, lhp-Major league ready. Should see him in 2012

So the top 5 are all top 100 prospects and Pollock is probably on the cusp. System's so stacked they think Parker is our future closer

Replacing Kenny Britt

rfffr — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 21:14:52 -0000

What should the Titans do to replace Kenny Britt? This team has a good quarterback and with a lights out receiver they could go far. That's not to say that taking on a new receiver won't backfire especially after the Randy Moss experiment last year. (Though some could argue that Jeff Fisher wasn't using Moss correctly since he was in all essence a decoy)

The other problem is is anyone available? Who is on the trading block? And will the Titans meet their price?

Which AL team are you rooting for?

rfffr — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 22:40:11 -0000

So if the Diamondbacks were to make the world series which team would you want them to play, The Rangers, Tigers, or Rays (because no one around here roots for the Yankees. Your decisions can be based on who you want to see or who you think we have the best chance against.

I personally want to see the Diamondbacks face the Tigers. I would like to see a matchup between Ian Kennedy and Justin Verlander. I would also like to see the Diamondbacks break Jose Valverde's saves streak. What are your thoughts?

Poll

What team are you rooting for?

Rays

28 votes

Tigers

15 votes

Rangers

13 votes

56 votes | Poll has closed

It's time. Who will play in the Division Series

rfffr — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 04:43:54 -0000

Now that the season is over it's time to try to guess who makes the postseason roster. There are obvious locks: Justin Upton, Ian Kennedy, Paul Goldschmidt, Daniel Hudson, Miguel Montero, Willie Bloomquist, Aaron Hill, Chris Young, Joe Saunders, JJ Putz, David Hernandez, Joe Paterson, Josh Collmenter, Lyle Overbay, Ryan Roberts, Bryan Shaw, Gerardo Parra, Henry Blanco, Brad Ziegler and John McDonald are locks.

Here are my thoughts on the other 5 guys

Sean Burroughs- he has a lot of pinch hits. I trust him more than Geoff Blum

Ryan Cook- He's been pretty good this month-He replaces Juan Gutierrez to be eligible

Colin Cowgill- He's faster than Gillespie and probably a better hitter

Micah Owings-I trust him more than anyone else to be the longman and he seems unable to lose

Alberto Castillo- One lefty won't cut it and I like him more than Zach Duke or Wade Miley

Here are my thoughts on the other 5 guys

Sean Burroughs- he has a lot of pinch hits. I trust him more than Geoff Blum

Ryan Cook- He's been pretty good this month-He replaces Juan Gutierrez to be eligible

Colin Cowgill- He's faster than Gillespie and probably a better hitter

Micah Owings-I trust him more than anyone else to be the longman and he seems unable to lose

Alberto Castillo- One lefty won't cut it and I like him more than Zach Duke or Wade Miley

Ramon Hernandez

rfffr — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 20:29:30 -0000

So as we know the Reds are most likely out of the National League Central Race and two top catching prospects in Devin Mesoraco and Yasmani Grandal. This could make Ramon Hernandez expendable (though I'm still nort sure why Ryan Hannigan is the starter). If he is put on Waivers it's highly suspected that the Giants will put a claim on him. However if we are still behind when he goes down, I think we should make a claim to block them. Hernandez is type a free agent so the Reds probably won't give him away. Though there's also the possibility that the Reds don't like our offer but that still prevents the Giants from getting him

Trade Deadline Discussion Thread

rfffr — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 21:51:14 -0000

This thread is discuss all Trade Deadline deals not just ones involving the Diamondbacks.

Recent news
The Bad Guys acquired Jeff Keppinger and the Tigers acquired Wilson Betemit. The Braves are working on a deal for a right handed batter presumably an outfielder such as Ryan Ludwick or Hunter Pence.

You can also discuss who you would like to see the Diamondbacks acquire at the deadline. The word is we are looking for pitching. Probably not Ubaldo Jimenez but Hiroki Kuroda, Aaron Harang, Jeremy Guthrie, Carl Pavano, or James Shields might be worth acquiring

This thread is discuss all Trade Deadline deals not just ones involving the Diamondbacks. Recent news The Bad Guys acquired Jeff Keppinger and the Tigers acquired Wilson Betemit. The Braves are working on a deal for a right handed batter presumably an outfielder such as Ryan Ludwick or Hunter Pence. You can also discuss who you would like to see the Diamondbacks acquire at the deadline. The word is we are looking for pitching. Probably not Ubaldo Jimenez but Hiroki Kuroda, Aaron Harang, Jeremy Guthrie, Carl Pavano, or James Shields might be worth acquiring

Diamondbacks to call up Allen, Blum

rfffr — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:39:01 -0000

I think it's fair to give Allen a shot to be an actual starter as opposed to the inconsistent playing time he got the last two years and Blum needed to be activated

So before tomorrow's game, the Diamondbacks will call up Brandon Allen and activate Geoff Blum from the DL. No corresponding moves have been announced but I guess Juan Miranda and Sean Burroughs will be designated for assignment. (Both would probably be sent to AAA) Ryan Roberts does have options but I don't think it'll happen. I think it's fair to give Allen a shot to be an actual starter as opposed to the inconsistent playing time he got the last two years and Blum needed to be activated

Future Diamondbacks: Ethier and Pedroia?

rfffr — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 21:48:50 -0000

There's no trade rumors for either going on but Andre Ethier hinted that he would be in favor of playing with Diamondbacks in the future and said he would love if Dustin Pedroia joined him. As unlikely as this is, how awesome would it be? An outfield with the offensive prowess of Young, Upton, and Ethier would be legendary. Sure Ethier is terrible with a glove but offensively he might make up for it. We could keep Parra as a fourth outfielder/defense replacement for when we have the lead

Should the Diamondbacks re-acquire Reynolds?

rfffr — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 18:51:04 -0000

So the Orioles are not playing well at the moment and Mark Reynolds may be one of the player on the trading block. He's hitting better this year and striking out less. The Diamondbacks have not been getting much production of 3rd base recently and adding another power bat wouldn't hurt. I think as long as we don't have to give up much (maybe Esmerling Vasquez and David Nick?) we should try to get him back.