Yuli is better defensively, a fair bit better, and he's still not remotely as valuable a player as Josh Bell is right now. The best defensive first baseman in history wouldn't come close to making up the offensive difference. With CF and catcher being what they are and Brantley's situation being up in the air, the team flat out can't afford Yuli's bat at 1B, we just can't. If Click can't pull the trigger for an offensive upgrade at one of those 3 spots I won't be too happy.
It’s really looking like trading McCormick would be a bad idea. 2nd in OPS to only Yordan over the last 30 days. Slight drop in K% and hefty increase in BB%. Can he sustain it or at least something close to it? https://www.fangraphs.com/players/c...rDensity=&wxElevation=&wxWindSpeed=&sort=-1,1
McCormick is a good player, and if he’s traded it should only be if the other team values him in line with a solid everyday OF with 4+ years of control left. Same with Urquidy; a lot of people (myself included) have advocated trading him, but Houston should only do that if the other team values him like a solid #3 or #4 pitcher with 3+ years of control left.
I feel like Diaz goes through streaks like this often. Merely stated what I did about McCormick because he’s inching ever closer to that 700-1000 AB mark which tends to be where a lot of hitters start to figure it out. Not saying he is, but giving up a .963 OPS (last 30 days) for something other than a sure thing would hurt when Jake isn’t lighting it up.
Jake is only on this team to maintain Verlander and the pitching staffs inning count. Once McCullers gets moved, he will probably take Seth Martinez spot in the bullpen and stick around for injury insurance. Not a big fan of him. He will not be a guy I expect on our post season roster moving forward.
Game 7 of the World Series. Everyone is healthy. Who starts at 1B- Yuli or Bell? I’d be shocked speechless if it wasn’t Bell.
Comps for a Castillo trade So, what kind of return should the Reds expect for Castillo, who is under club control not only for the rest of this season, but also the next one? Consider two recent deadline trades for starting pitchers at the same level of service — José Berríos, who went from the Twins to the Blue Jays in 2021; and Marcus Stroman, who went from the Jays to the Mets in 2019. Each deal brought two well-regarded prospects, and each included right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson, the 48th selection in the 2018 draft. For Stroman, the Jays acquired Woods Richardson and righty Anthony Kay, the 31st pick in 2016. For Berríos, the Twins acquired Woods Richardson and shortstop Austin Martin, the fifth pick in 2020. The performances of those players have yet to match their pedigrees. Woods Richardson, 21, has a 3.40 ERA in 11 starts at Double A, but currently is on the injured list. Martin, 23, is struggling offensively at the same level. Kay, 27, has a 5.48 ERA in 28 major-league games, and is currently on the injured list with the Jays at Triple A. The Astros’ deal for Gerrit Cole in January 2018 also was somewhat comparable to the situation the Reds face with Castillo, though Cole was under club control for two full seasons, as opposed to one-plus. For Cole, the Pirates acquired right-handers Joe Musgrove and Michael Feliz, third baseman Colin Moran, and outfielder Jason Martin. • Nationals first baseman Josh Bell remains a priority for the Astros. The Nats are likely to move Bell before right fielder Juan Soto, if they move Soto at all. The Astros also are exploring the addition of another catcher as Jason Castro recovers slowly from a left-knee issue. — Ken Rosenthal
Yes- all my calls to trade people with multiple years of club control that are at least league average obviously comes with the caveat that the other team must pay what those guys are worth. I would trade Odo for a bucket of shag balls if that’s the best offer on hand, but the other teams have to give fair value for Chas and Urquidy
https://www.mlb.com/news/2022-mlb-trade-deadline-discussion Footer: Moving on…The more I’m thinking about Willson Contreras, I can’t help but think the Astros might be the best landing spot. He wouldn’t take playing time from Martín Maldonado; as you’ve said from the start, Mark, there are plenty of ways to get these guys at-bats as DH. And the Astros seem to be resigned to Yordan Alvarez’s balky hand being something they’re going to have to navigate around the rest of the season. Meanwhile, the Astros also need a backup catcher. Throw in a few of Yordan’s ABs, and this is starting to make perfect sense. Who says no? Morosi: I love the Astros as a fit for Contreras. They won't want to give up [No. 1 prospect] Hunter Brown, but I think he would be a reasonable request from the Cubs. Feinsand: The Astros make perfect sense to me. So do the Mets. James McCann is signed beyond this season, but he’s been banged up and struggling most of the season, and Contreras is signed for only this year. The Cubs need more than one team to get into this mix if they want to extract a big-time prospect for Contreras. ____________________ What do the Astros need to do at the deadline? I think maybe they add a left-handed bullpen arm and maybe another starter for depth. Maybe a solid outfielder as well. I would love to hear your thoughts. — Charlie A. The Astros need a left-handed reliever. They have none on the active roster. Gregory Soto of the Tigers and Joe Mantiply of the Diamondbacks would be the dream trade targets for Houston to fill that void. I’d also like to see the Astros make a run at Contreras to improve their offense at the catcher position. I’ve also heard they’ve shown interest in Bell. And you can never get enough starting pitching, so why not try to land Castillo, like every other contender, too? • The Yankees remain interested in Benintendi, along with the Padres and Braves, despite his COVID-19 vaccination status. • (re: Castillo) The Dodgers, Blue Jays and Mariners are all willing and able. I think the Reds will get a package that includes three of an organization’s top-25 prospects. • A bunch of relievers could be moved before the deadline, including Scott Barlow and Josh Staumont of the Royals; David Bednar of the Pirates; Mantiply, Mark Melancon and Ian Kennedy of the Diamondbacks; Alex Lange, Joe Jiménez, Michael Fulmer, Andrew Chafin and Gregory Soto of the Tigers; Steve Cishek and Erasmo Ramírez of the Nationals; and Alex Colomé and Daniel Bard of the Rockies. • Bell will be traded. The Blue Jays, Rays, Astros and Mets are all possible landing spots. The Nationals will probably net a decent pitching prospect and a mid-level prospect in return. • The Astros, Mets, Giants, Padres or Guardians are the most likely to acquire Contreras. I think Contreras will be traded and there’s a 50-50 chance Happ gets moved, too. Contreras is a rental, but the Cubs should be able to get a top-five and a top-15 prospect from an organization in return. Happ, who is under team control through next year, could yield a top-10 and a top-30 prospect. • Despite his 22 home runs, [Christian] Walker isn’t valued highly by many teams because of his .206 batting average and .315 on-base percentage. Plus, the teams looking for help at first base prefer Bell over Walker. — Jim Bowden
Poor analogy by me…should have stated that him being forced to play Chas with Brantley out and Yordan day-to-day (sort of) might be finally giving him the ABs he needs to breakout.
I’ve come to the conclusion that Jake Odorizzi is the new Mike Fiers. He’ll have a good game here or there to make you believe. Everyone touts as a serviceable innings eater. But in the end, he does what you expect and fails then complains. Next, McCullers comes back, Odo relegated to the pen. Then he’s left off the WS roster. We go on to win the WS. He gets pouty and leaves in FA. Comes back to rat on us because we slighted him for not keeping him on the roster when he was clearly the worst pitcher in the rotation…
Odorizzi to the Cards straight up for Alex Burleson needs to happen. Burleson Called up and plays LF. He would be the 4th OF with Chas. This needs to happen asap. So does the Josh bell trade
