MLB News & Notes (other than Cubs or Sox)

[funkster]

Definitely think the Cardinals are playing way over their heads right now.  I can see them coming back to Earth very quickly, which they've already done to a degree.

[vitaminB]

I could also see them winning 70 or so in a row.

[VanSlawAndCottoCheese]

The best case scenario is that the Cubs sweep the Sox, the Pirates sweep the Cardinals, and Molina is found naked, face-down in a ditch with a naked Matheny wearing a strap-on slumped over him.

 

Rooting for anything less is uncivilized.

[1060Ivy]

Definitely think the Cardinals are playing way over their heads right now.  I can see them coming back to Earth very quickly, which they've already done to a degree.

 

Fuck the Cards.  As Bill Murray said, and Ace noted, the Cards are "Satan's messengers on Earth". 

 

I imagine a scenario in which Molina, Peralta and most of the Cards' organization are swallowed up by the earth one day - most likely after walk off 2 run HR to beat the Cubs - with a voice heard in the distance repeats, "Your time is up. Come to your new home."

 

Cards seem to play over the heads far too often.  Yes, their record is ridiculous (believe that they are on pace for 105 wins with a couple of AAA starters currently in lineup) but we shouldn't expect that they will begin to realize that they are not as good as their record and begin playing to their expected talent level.

[rok]

Imagine if we had traded Baez or ?? for this kid. This is what worries me about trading for young pitchers.

 

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/0...at-injury/

[funkster]

Luckily, I think the FO agrees with us.  Imagine if we had Appel instead of Bryant.

[rok]

I hope we stay away from Shields.

 

 

Padres Asking Other Teams About James Shields
MLB Trade Rumors by Mark Polishuk  /  4min
 
The Padres have asked teams about any possible interest in James Shields, Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com reports (Twitter link).  The extent of these discussions isn’t known, as the Padres could’ve been simply doing due diligence on trade scenarios rather than seriously gauging the right-hander’s market, though the fact that Shields’ name has been floated at all is a notable step.

 
Following today’s win over the Rangers, San Diego enters the All-Star break with a 41-49 record that puts them 10 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West and 7.5 games back of the Cubs for the second NL wild card spot.  It’s a disappointing spot for a Padres team that made several major additions last offseason, and yet GM A.J. Preller hinted that his club’s trade deadline goal was to reload for 2016 rather than rebuild.
 
Still, Preller also noted that Padres were open to all options and “the biggest thing we preach to our scouts is to just be prepared for all different scenarios.”  Dealing Shields would naturally present a far different “scenario” than dealing, say, a player on an expiring contract.  As others have noted, trading Shields just months after the veteran and San Diego-area native signed a large multi-year contract would hurt the Padres in the eyes of both the fans and future free agents who might think twice about signing with the club.
 
Shields has a 4.01 ERA, 3.28 K/BB rate and a career-best 10.1 K/9 over 116 2/3 innings this season.  Advanced metrics (3.30 xFIP, 3.25 SIERA) indicate that Shields’ 4.01 ERA is a bit high, as Shields has been hurt by a 17.9% home run rate — this number is not only well above Shields’ career average, it stands out even more as an outlier given that his home games are at one of baseball’s most notoriously pitcher-friendly ballparks.
 
Shields is guaranteed roughly $4.1MM for the remainder of this season, then $63MM over the 2016-18 seasons and a $16MM club option (with a $2MM buyout) for 2019.  That’s a lot of salary for a 33-year-old hurler, yet since Shields can opt out after the 2016 season, a trading team might prefer such a potentially medium-sized commitment rather than deal for a pitcher on a guaranteed long deal (i.e. Cole Hamels) or one who can enter free agency this winter.

[rok]

Anyone who just watched the Pirates buttfuck the Cardinals in extra innings for the second consecutive night got a real treat.

 

Fuck YOU St Louis. Burn.

[Kid]

Only downside is that Cubs are now 8 & 5.5 games back of those teams, respectively.

[gobigred]

Pirates are easy to root for...if the Cubs get that play in game I would rather play St Louis once and take our chances 

[rok]

I'm rooting for a Cardinals collapse and Pirates (or us first and foremost, obviously) taking the division. Maybe it's dumb on my part, but I almost want the Cardinals in that 1-game WC playoff. It would be an epic, demoralizing collapse on their part to even get to that point, so bring it on.

[Kid]

I'm rooting for a Cardinals collapse and Pirates (or us first and foremost, obviously) taking the division. Maybe it's dumb on my part, but I almost want the Cardinals in that 1-game WC playoff. It would be an epic, demoralizing collapse on their part to even get to that point, so bring it on.

 

That's still going to be tough for the Pirates because their schedule is so much harder in the 2nd half than the Cardinals or Cubs.

[VanSlawAndCottoCheese]

I suppose a lot of it depends on how many of the injured Cardinals come back, how soon they come back, and how well they are playing when they come back.

[Kid]

Don't get me wrong, I think the Cardinals have played way over their heads.  At only 2.5 games back, the Pirates are definitely better positioned to make a run at the division, but they have to deal with a substantially harder schedule, so I don't know if they'll be able to capitalize.  If the Cubs were closer in the division, they would seem to be better positioned with an easier schedule and the Cardinals' (hopeful) reversion to the mean.  8 games is just a lot.

[Andy]

The Cubs pitching is keeping them on the positive side, but eventually the offense has to come around or it will collapse.  They really need a spark. 

 

The way the team is setup, it's hard to imagine them trading for a position player... but we really need a bat.  If they trade away from the same position they replace with, we could be alright.  Just need something to get things turned around.  Since it doesn't appear they'll be bring up a prospect bat any time soon (no push with Schwarber and Baez and La Stella still a ways away), I'm not sure what they'll do.