I wonder what is the basis for predicting a "rejuvinated" Juan Rivera. The guy's 32, slow, questionable in the areas of instincts and defense and is a corner outfielder with a career .330 OBP and one good year to his credit.
It's not really fair to criticize a trade for Haren on the grounds that they need a hitter more. No matter whether you need a hitter or not, you make that trade any day of the week because it was such a steal. A marginal run saved is still the same as a marginal run scored, and Haren saves a bundle of runs. Make the steal of a trade, worry about getting a bat at less of a bargain tomorrow.
Also it's a little confusing why one would criticize the team for getting a starter, and then make the only players you suggest for trades starters.
Just from watching Weaver over the years, I'm not surprised he's a pop-up machine. He has good sinking stuff, but then he can ride his fastball in on the hands of hitters very well, and that's where he gets the pop-ups. You get used to seeing it watching him a lot. I bet if that kind of pitch location data were looked into, thered be a strong correlation based on pitchers who have sink but also bust guys inside.
I don't understand equating Prado and Johnson based on the time they were starters. Prado's OPS in the second half of last year, when he was the full-time starter, was .772. Johnson's for the first half, when he was the starter, was .645. Those numbers are pretty far apart.
Quinlan just doesn't seem like he's anything worth having. 115 at-bats of .243/.275/.339 is what he was used for last year, which is a better indication of what you'll be getting over the season than his numbers against lefties. That's a loser on any team, let alone a contender in a difficult division and league. Just seems like a waste of a spot, particularly when Evans power and Willits speed are at least useful tools for a bench.
"...if anything, it sounds like a proposition that puts Jason Heyward on the spot to reprise Andruw Jones' '96 pennant-push debut, a decision fueled by need and not simply talent management."
In 31 games with Atlanta in 96, Jones batted .217/.265/.443, with an OPS+ of 79. I'd be willing to bet Diaz would outperform that by a wide margin, even playing everyday. Would Heyward, right now, put up better numbers than Diaz/Infante? Not that anyone should read too much into this, but Heyward's hot streak has turned kind of cold recently.
This will be LaPorta's first and last interview where he is asked why he thinks there are so many different religions in the world. Jesus, Laurila interviews are awesome.
"Even a Toronto legend like Roy Halladay is not helping their attendance very much, and it becomes even more imperative that Riccardi trade him."
Imperative? I like the strong language Matt. A little part of me thinks that you are hoping Riccardi reads your article and trades Halladay to the Phillies.
How would the Braves be able to trade Vazquez after July 31? Wouldn't someone claim him, or am I just missing something? One more year at 11.5 million sounds like a huge bargain...and not just for an NL East team.
If Beltran still finishes 3rd in the voting, is the outfielder that finishes 4th automatically selected as a starter, just because we know Beltran won't play? Or would a reserve take his spot in the starting lineup?
Part of me wants to fourth this, but would that be fair to the rest of the competitors? Don't get me wrong--Tim is clearly something special and I think it's becoming obvious that he's going to go deep in this competition. But he's going to be getting extra exposure. Just like the rest of the Idols, he was given a word limit on fantasy. I hate to nitpick, but I at least want that factor to be considered, in case it hasn't been.
As a contrast to \"perfect-world projection\", I\'d like to see an honest assesment of how likely it is the player is a bust. How likely is it this kid never makes an impact in the bigs? How big of a risk is he? Let\'s try and put a number to it!
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