Shortstop 2015

[ashie62]

I am willing to trade an arm to bring in the offense that Starlin Castro provides. Like

1. Lagares
2. Flores
3. Wright
4. Duda
5. Cuddyer
6 Granderson
7. Castro
8. d"arnaud

Lotsa offense at the cost of Noah or so.

[Centerfield]

You would trade Syndegaard for a #7 hitter?

[seawolf17]

Centerfield wrote: You would trade Syndegaard for a #7 hitter?

In Ashie's defense, that #7 hitter will only be 25 years old next season, is already a three-time all-star, and will likely only get better.

[ashie62]

Flip Castro and Flores if you like.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Ashie62 wrote: Lotsa offense at the cost of Noah or so.

Castro's only two years older than Thor, with a presidential term of solid-to-good major-league production in his rearview; I have a feeling it'll be Noah and something else pretty damn good (Conforto? Montero?).

[Edgy MD]

STOP TRADING SYNDERGAARD!

[Frayed Knot]

Not that I'm looking to deal him, but if folks want someone already established player under a known contract like Castro, a promising but still unproven talent like Syndergaard is not overpaying.

[bmfc1]

Castro isn't a "number 7 hitter" even if he would be in the 2015 Mets lineup. And if he's batting seventh, then the Mets lineup is in good shape.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Edgy MD wrote: STOP TRADING SYNDERGAARD!

Young pitcher for young hitter, all day, every day. In my head, I'm doing it right now.

[Edgy MD]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Edgy MD wrote: STOP TRADING SYNDERGAARD! Young pitcher for young hitter, all day, every day. In my head, I'm doing it right now.

I don't think you mean this regardless of which pitcher and which hitter.

'Cuz they ain't equal. Castro shmastro. Let's not get seduced by his name. His team is cashing in for a reason. He's embarrassed them couple of times. He picked up a sexual assault charge a few years ago, he was thrown under the bus by his manager for only having his head in the game "80-85% of the time," and has been benched a handful of times for not hustling. He also ended the season injured, and his durability had probably been his best asset.

While he's coming off possibly his best offensive season, he's not really progressing. Defensively, he brings about 1/3 of what Alexi Ramirez offers. His running game has been on the shelf.

The Cubs are terrible for a reason. Let's not help them trade their way out the basement.

[Guest Mets Guy in Michigan]

Kind of agree. If we're going to trade Noah, I want a real masher.

[Lefty Specialist]

Edgy MD wrote: I don't think you mean this regardless of which pitcher and which hitter. 'Cuz they ain't equal. Castro shmastro. Let's not get seduced by his name. His team is cashing in for a reason. He's embarrassed them couple of times. He picked up a sexual assault charge a few years ago, he was thrown under the bus by his manager for only having his head in the game "80-85% of the time," and has been benched a handful of times for not hustling. He also ended the season injured, and his durability had probably been his best asset. While he's coming off possibly his best offensive season, he's not really progressing. Defensively, he brings about 1/3 of what Alexi Ramirez offers. His running game has been on the shelf. The Cubs are terrible for a reason. Let's not help them trade their way out the basement.

This. They want to get rid of Castro because they have replacements and he's a bit of an attitude problem. This is exactly the kind of guy you don't want to a) bring to New York, where the spotlight shines a lot brighter, and bring to a team with a lot of young players on the verge of competing.

I would imagine that Joe Maddon will have a lot of input with Theo as to how the Cubs are constructed, and Castro doesn't play the way Maddon likes. So I'm guessing he'll be out one way or the other; I'd prefer it wasn't us overpaying for him.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I'm also on the Castr-NO Bandwagon (oh yes I did).

If Theo Epstein wants to move the guy to the Mets he can have Scott Rice and maybe Gee. He wants a real player he better come up with more than Castro.

[Frayed Knot]

The REAL challenge trade with the Cubbies would be Syndergaard for Addison Russell -- neither has set foot in MLB yet but both were Top-15 prospects last winter (Russell slightly higher) and likely will be again this year.
I suspect Chicago would balk on that deal first: Russell is the guy they just traded for and supposedly the SS they really want. He's also a year and a half younger than Syndy plus there's the general assumption that position players are safer and more projectable.



Puma in the Post is talking Seattle again, this year it's Brad Miller and/or Chris Taylor (last year it was Miller and Nick Franklin who has since moved on to TB)

Miller - just turned 25 y/o; 673 ML ABs over 2013-14; .241/.302/.389
Taylor - hit 24 in August; 136 ML ABs this year; .287/.347/.346 - good AAA numbers before that
Not sure how they compare to each other defensively.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Chris Taylor hails from Virginia Beach. CASE CLOSED!

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

More on Taylor from BA:

What To Expect: Mariners SS Chris Taylor July 24, 2014 by Vince Lara-Cinisomo The Mariners seem intent on remaking their offense, which ranks next-to-last in the American League in runs scored and dead last in the AL with a .673 OPS. This despite adding Robinson Cano and others in the offseason. They made two roster-altering moves on Thursday, first trading for first baseman/DH Kendrys Morales, who in 2013 hit 23 homers and led the Mariners in average (.277), hits (167), doubles (34) and RBIs (80). The second move involved dipping into the farm system to promote shortstop Chris Taylor from Triple-A Tacoma. Through 75 games Taylor slashed .328/.397/.497 with five homers and 37 RBIs. Scouting Report A fifth-round pick from Virginia in 2012, Taylor signed for $500,000 following his junior season. He was considered a glove-first prospect when he entered pro ball, but he hit his way to Double-A Jackson in 2013. He handles the bat well, and though scouts say he does not possess home run-power, he has shown the ability to hit for gap power, with 34 extra-base hits this season in 302 at-bats. At the Triple-A all-star game in Durham, he pounded two doubles, including one off the tall blue wall in left-center field, a performance for which he was singled out as �top star� for the Pacific Coast League. Taylor�s strong performance this season is not a PCL illusion. His home park in Tacoma depresses doubles and runs scored, relative to parks the Rainiers visit on the road. In fact, Taylor has done the majority of his damage away from Tacoma (.952 OPS on the road versus .815 at home). The Mariners� No. 8 prospect in the Midseason Prospect Update, Taylor brings positional versatility and an ability to hit for average to the Mariners, and he could carve a useful career as a utility player. But it seems the Mariners could plug him in in place of shortstop Brad Miller, who�s posted a .598 OPS thus far. What To Expect If Seattle is looking for an offensive upgrade at short, it seems reasonable to expect Taylor will get the majority of starts there. While he profiles better at second base because of range and arm strength, that clearly will not happen because there�s a superior offensive and defensive player there (a guy by the name of Cano). Taylor, however, is a stolen-base threat as well as an above-average runner, and he could give a team a boost in average while not losing any home runs in the jump from Triple-A to the majors, since that�s not his game anyway.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Fine, then.

What about the other lil' Cub?

[Frayed Knot]

Not sure that Baez is ultimately going to be a SS - not just on SS-heavy Chicago but anywhere else.
He certainly is an interesting prospect though; lotsa powah and still only 21 y/o.
But K'd nearly 1/3 of the time in AAA, and his brief ML call-up time was just ridiculous: .169/.227/.324 with nearly half his hits going for XB [6 2Bs + 9 HRs of 36 hits] but [u:3fsinhrf]95 Ks in 213 ABs[/u:3fsinhrf]

[HahnSolo]

Since we're talking about young SS on old franchises, would the Red Sox listen if someone inquired about Xander Bogaerts? I know he didn't light up Fenway last year, but still very young and as far as I know still very prospect-y. I suppose our young pitching might interest them.

[Edgy MD]

His stock fell, but I don't think they've soured on the guy.

What do you think the Mermen would want for Taylor?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Some guy, I guess. Seattle is apparently thinking about going all Hanley Ramirez so may have lots of shortstops to sell.

[Edgy MD]

How much would you pay?

Murphy? Gee? Kolarek?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Yes I think I'll be willing to swap Gee for this Taylor fellow (confession: I barely heard of this guy till 2 hours ago). I don't believe Seattle would want Muffy unless looking for a kind of versatile, non-HR hitting DH, but he'd be in my offer pile as well if necessary. Kolarek, you bet. Almost any minor leaguer not in the top 10.

[Frayed Knot]

New Arizona GM Dave Stewart is preemptively on record as saying that the Snakes aren't interested in any of the older NYM pitchers - no Niese, no Gee, and obviously no Colon
That leaves someone from the Wheeler, Syndergaard, Montero, deGrom pool, but then that gets a bit more problematic from this end.




* my auto spell-check keeps trying to turn deGrom into legroom so I might just have to start calling him that - and with his long legs it kind of fits too.

[Edgy MD]

The D-Backs spent all last year deciding whether to spit or swallow, and Stewart has them still chewing.

I'm relatively certain that Montero is the only young pitcher the Mets are willing to talk about.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Frayed Knot wrote: New Arizona GM Dave Stewart is preemptively on record as saying that the Snakes aren't interested in any of the older NYM pitchers - no Niese, no Gee, and obviously no Colon

Me neither.

[Edgy MD]

I suspect nobody moves on the shortstop market until the Yoan Moncada sweepstakes is over.

[ashie62]

Edgy MD wrote: STOP TRADING SYNDERGAARD!

Whether it be Ramirez Castro or someone else you have to give o get. I don't believe Gee has much value.

I don't understand your fascination with Syndergaard. He is not the second coming.

[Frayed Knot]

Ashie62 wrote: I don't understand your fascination with Syndergaard. He is not the second coming.

Neither, most likely, will be the guy he's potentially being traded for.

[Edgy MD]

I'm not fascinated by anybody. I value him more highly than I value Starlin Castro.