It’s been a really slow news week outside of the Roger Clemens talk, but there are few last minute items to get to before we go on a brief hiatus for Christmas. Let’s take a tour around the MLB landscape heading into the extended holiday weekend.
Reds and Rangers Trade
The Texas Rangers traded 23 year old pitcher Edinson Volquez and 23 year old lefty pitcher Daniel Herrera to the Cincinnati Reds for 26 year old lefty slugger Josh Hamilton. It’s certainly an interesting trade on both sides. The Rangers are gambling that Hamilton will be able to contribute as a centerfielder and remain healthy.
Hamilton is a former number one pick by the Tampa Rays in 1999. He had a variety of personal problems and was out of baseball by 2002. He launched a comeback in 2006 (I actually saw him play a game as a DH for the Hudson Valley Renegades–he went 0-2) and was a nice comeback story for the Reds during 2007 as their Rule-V draft pick. In just 298 at bats Hamilton batted .292/.368/.554 with 19 homeruns. He did struggle somewhat against left handed pitching as he it .222 in just 80 at bats. There are many questions still surround him regarding his history, his health, and whether or not last year was a fluke.
The Reds get two interesting pitchers. A look at Volquez’s minor league numbers shows he is a high strikeout, high walk guy. In 551 career minor league innings he has struck out 563 batters while walking 216. Control will be an issue, but the young right hander should slot into the third or fourth spot in the Reds’ rotation for 2008. Herrera is a 23 year old lefty reliever who has shown a good strikeout ratio in the minors along with decent control. According the Texas newspapers, Herrera was drafted in the 45th round. He looks to be a 10th or 11th guy in the bullpen pitcher.
I like the risk the Reds take here as they give up a questionable yet talented player in Hamilton and get a pitcher in Volquez who seems to have the same potential on the mound. I would always recommend taking the risk on the pitcher. The Reds have enough offense and deal from a strength. Look for the Reds to sign a centerfielder as there is a bit of a hole there now. Mike Cameron could make a return to Cincy.
The Joba Rules
According to Buster Olney (the best baseball guy in the business outside of Peter Gammons), the Yankees are looking at starting the year with Joba Chamberlain in the bullpen as a way of limiting his innings. His logic makes sense in a couple of ways. Chamberlain is a special pitcher. One can see that if they ever witness him pitch. He does need to be somewhat nurtured. The more important reason is that it really helps the Yankees in 2008.
The Yankee bullpen, at the moment, is very thin outside of Mariano Rivera. Kyle Farnsworth and Latroy Hawkins are the only two locks in the bullpen at the moment. Neither of the two strike me as the 8th inning guy. Chamberlain was outstanding in that role and with Ian Kennedy and Mike Mussina as the fourth and fifth starters, he could be a more valuable asset in the pen.
Brian Cashman has steadfastly kept to Chamberlain being a starting pitcher. Perhaps Chamberlain takes the Johan Santana route to stardom as Santana was in the Twins bullpen for two seasons before entering the rotation.
Jeter and Joba back the Rocket
The New York Daily News has two separate articles getting reactions from Yankee captain Derek Jeter and Joba Chamberlain. It was no surprise that both players came to their teammate’s defense. It is shocking that Derek Jeter said something definitive. Jeter is usually very quiet about these type of things. His plea was for people not to rush to judgment. I agree Derek. Although it doesn’t look good, I think the media’s thirst for another villain has clouded the facts.
Ellsbury staying put?
He should. The Boston Globe is reporting that Jacoby Ellsbury is being pulled off the table in Johan Santana talks. I have said all along that I don’t think the Red Sox are genuine in their interest in a Santana trade so this doesn’t surprise me one bit. Boston media, former Sox, and club executives hold Ellsbury in high regard. Legendary Red Sox, Johnny Pesky was quoted as saying that Ellsbury could be the next Ted Williams. Talk about laying some expectations on a kid! I do know this. I was mighty impressed with him late in the season and then in the playoffs. I just hope that the 23 year old with all of 116 major league at bats is not put under too much pressure by the fans and media. Luckily for him, he is in the same lineup with Ortiz, Ramirez and co. Honestly, I don’t think Theo Epstein ever had any intention of including him in a deal. The fact that there is a rumor is a credit to Epstein’s gamesmanship.
Rockies grab Vizcaino…finally
The NL Champion Colorado Rockies upgraded their bullpen by signing veteran right handed reliever Luis Vizcaino to a two year deal. This essentially is a swap of relievers as the Yankees signed LaTroy Hawkins, formerly of the Rockies. This is a clear upgrade for Colorado, as Vizcaino was a dominant reliever for most of the 2007 season. He started and ended poorly due to over-use. Between those two periods, Vizcaino was the Yankees’ best reliever outside of Mariano Rivera. A return to the National League will give a slight boost to Vizcaino’s numbers. The Rockies take a nice approach here as it is only a two year contract for a reported seven million dollars. Vizcaino is a much better bet than Scott Linebrink for 2008 and 2009.
Happy Holidays
I’ll be taking a break from FCP for the Christmas holiday. New content will most likely be up on the 27th. When FCP returns for the last week of 2007, we’ll have a feature on Fred McGriff, a year in review piece, a Drew-Spot piece, and our reaction to any breaking news.
I wish all of you a happy and healthy holiday. I’ll talk to you next week.
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9 responses so far ↓
1 athomeatfenway // Dec 22, 2007 at 8:38 am
Look like you were right about the Sox using Ellsbury to just drive up Santana’s price on ‘Da Boss. I’d have parted with Ellsbury for Santana.
JOBA Chamberlain — the guy has pitched to 90 total batsmen. Aren’t we getting a little ahead of ourselves with the ESPN NEXT selection and all ? OK, so he faced 90 and only 2 of them scored. Yes,he may become a #1 starter and, sure, he’d look great in a Red Sox uniform. But everyone should just ease up on this kid just in case he turns out to be Mark Prior or Kerry Wood instead of Nolan Ryan or Tom Seaver.
Yankee starting pitching — watching w anticipation. Will it be Wang/Pettitte/Mussina/Hughes/Chamberlain ? I kind of like that rotation. Did I miss something ? I can’t believe there will be no further acquisitions.
Thanks for the great stuff, FCP, always worth the read. Happy Holidays !
2 Gary J Armida Sr // Dec 22, 2007 at 2:36 pm
If you look at the Hawkins/Vizcaino signings as if it was a trade, I think the Yankees come out on the short end.
I agree with athomeatfenway, the Yankee rotation, without Chamberlain included is iffy. Wang ( a # 2-3 Starter) and Pettitte are solid at the top, but everything after that can go either way.
3 garmida // Dec 22, 2007 at 2:38 pm
Thanks for the kind words and the excellent insights.
I haven’t seen a whole lot of Ellsbury, so you would know better–Is he that good where Pesky would say a comment like that? From here, he looks like a great prospect, but I’d be interested in seeing what a Sox fan thinks.
I definitely think the hype on Joba is over the top. He is in a real “can’t win” situation. He got off to a great start for his career, but he still has a lot to prove. The one thing that really sticks out with him is that he looks to be a super kid. He seems to have the right attitude. I think NY just wants another young kid to care about. There really hasn’t been one since Bernie, Mo, and Jeter. We’ll see.
The Yankee pitching staff is problematic if the kids–Hughes, Kennedy, and Joba don’t take a step foward. Wang wins despite having peripheral numbers that say he shouldn’t, Pettitte may struggle with all of the stuff flying around him–he has a history of not pitching well with controversy– and Mussina is probably done. I thought Haren was their only realistic option for this season as I don’t think the Birds will deal Bedard to the them. There’s this creeping thought in my head that the Yanks will nab Santana. I don’t have any information on it, but I think it will be viewed as a necessary PR move.
Happy Holidays.
4 garmida // Dec 22, 2007 at 2:49 pm
Yes, I think the Yanks definitely got the worse end of the Hawkins-Vizcaino swap. Hawkins’ performance within the division is quite ugly.
5 athomeatfenway // Dec 22, 2007 at 5:20 pm
Ellsbury is no Ted Williams. (Impossible.) But get this: Last year I met the ever gracious Johnny Pesky and asked him how good he thought Jonathon Papelbon could be. He beamed “As good as Roger Clemens”. No kidding. Johnny’s a very positive guy. So I won’t take the Ted comment seriously. There’s only one Ted, one Babe, one DiMaggio, one Seaver, one Mays, etc. Fagetaboutit. But he is a wonderful & unique player. Praying for a .350 BA, 40 SB’s, and 30 leg hits. High hopes.
As far as Chamberlain being a good kid, you’re on the money there. I saw the press today on his visit to Sloan Kettering. Then there’s his family. If he does make it big, there’s an HBO Movie in the making. Ya know, I was just waiting to see some team finally knock Joba on his can last year, but it didn’t happen. The big guy is mixing up three pitches. Someone has been coaching him.
Baseball is an intriguing game — What are the chances the Sox and Yanks would both come up with Closer Studs in consecutive years ? That’s assuming Joba eventually takes Mo’s place. Unbelieveable. I love it.
Hope your holidays are terrific.
6 garmida // Dec 22, 2007 at 8:25 pm
Hey man, thanks for the response. It’s always better to hear the hometown scouting reporting than the media one. Ellsbury looks to be an exciting player, the type the Sox haven’t had in a long time.
I agree; baseball is a great, intriguing game. What other sport can be talked about all year round? I would love Joba to take Mo’s spot and have Papelbon and he go at it for the next 10 years!
Have a great holiday and, again, thanks for always checkin in.
7 RBolyar2 // Dec 24, 2007 at 2:02 am
As a Rangers fan, there’s little to be excited about in regards to Volquez unless he improves his breaking pitch and learns how to locate his fastball. Couple that with the fact that he’s actually moved to even MORE of a hitters park, and this could be a long season for him. Still though, rumors have mentioned that should Cincy decide to make a play for Bedard, Baltimore would no longer require Bruce. Perhaps Bailey, Volquez, and Votto get moved in some capacity to aquire Bedard.
8 garmida // Dec 24, 2007 at 11:36 am
I heard that as well in regards to Cincy getting Bedard. If they ever got their hands on Bedard, they have a great shot at winning the Central.
As far as Volquez, he seems to have tools, but like you said his location and control is a problem. The Reds take more of a risk in this deal, but I think their upside is a lot higher.
Thanks for checking in.
9 mlb2007playoffs // Dec 25, 2007 at 6:55 pm
Happy Holidays!!
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