2018 Trade Deadline ROSTERBATION

zbhargrove said:
Man... after so much chatter yesterday it just seems like it's been shut off... another sign to me that something significant is coming.
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The discussion on XM earlier today was that they were hearing there's tons of talk about relievers (as one would expect), and that once the floodgates open there will be quite a few of them moving quickly - just waiting for the first move.

Mark Topkin was also on the early show and said that he expects there's finally fire to go along with the Archer smoke - he expects him to be moved.
 
Carp said:
That said I hope Fried does well. I certainly don't want to trade him. But we're in the thick of a playoff race and I absolutely don't trust him as reliable starting pitcher for the rest of this season.
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Its a little bit of a conundrum. Young players learn in a playoff race, even when they come up a bit short.

But what I think makes a playoff race a bit different is you can't be too patient with a player who is struggling. This is where depth and options come in.

Left side of the infield: I would like an alternative to Camargo and Swanson. Culberson has provided way more than we have a right to expect, but I mean a better alternative than him.

Bullpen: I like Sam Freeman and Moylan more than most. But I don't think we can be too patient with them at this point. So I'm glad we got Venters and Brach. And I wouldn't hesitate to replace Freeman and Moylan if they continue to struggle. We have options in AAA. Phillips, Touki, Gohara, Allard.

Rotation: Again we can't be patient with guys who are struggling. If Teheran and Fried have a couple bad starts, brink in Gohara, Allard or Touki. Some of these young guys are going to sink but one or two will swim.

For the most part I think we are covered in terms of having some alternatives for guys who are unproven or struggling. I'm encouraged by recent starts by Fried, Touki, Allard and Gohara. The one area that I still see a need is infield. Someone like Beltre, Solarte, Dietrich or Happ.
 
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I really wish we would've given Phillips more of a look on the ML team by this point, at least in mop-up duty.
 
Fried's last 2 MLB starts have also been the starts where the spin rate on his FA has been the highest of any of his 8 career starts: 2062 and 2049. His VMov for the last 2 starts is 8.3", which is about Grade 40/45 (up from Grace 35), and gets his FA closer to average.

Fried was showing a SI early in the year, and now it looks like he's scrapped it and somehow added 50 more RPM on the FA lately. The extra spin rate is giving the FA more vertical life.

It seems clear to me that the new FO is tinkering with Fried, and that could be partly responsible for his worse command. I would not be in favor of trading him until the tinkering is done. He is a legit #3 if he irons out an average or better fastball (SI or FA) and average command.
 
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Super said:
I really wish we would've given Phillips more of a look on the ML team by this point, at least in mop-up duty.
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Phillips and some of the others will be coming up in September. The bigger question is do they come up a bit sooner for some of the guys who are struggling.
 
https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/39080/rubbing-mud-astroification-gerrit-cole/

This is a good article detailing Cole's increase in spin rate when he joined the Astros. Like Fried (though not quite as bad), he had a low spin FA in the 2100-2200 range that produced below average rise of < 9".

Then he goes to the Astros and suddenly increases the spin rate to 2300+, and adds 1.5" of rise. This causes the Whiff% on his FA to double. Simply remarkable, and caused accusations of cheating by the Astros. We've seen very similar immediate improvements by guys like Peacock, Morton and Verlander as well.

Are the Braves getting Fried to do something similar, and we are only witnessing the preliminary effects so far? We can only hope so.

What if the Astros got their hands on Fried and turned him into a weapon?
 
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nsacpi said:
Its a little bit of a conundrum. Young players learn in a playoff race, even when they come up a bit short.

But what I think makes a playoff race a bit different is you can't be too patient with a player who is struggling. This is where depth and options come in.

Left side of the infield: I would like an alternative to Camargo and Swanson. Culberson has provided way more than we have a right to expect, but I mean a better alternative than him.

Bullpen: I like Sam Freeman and Moylan more than most. But I don't think we can be too patient with them at this point. So I'm glad we got Venters and Brach. And I wouldn't hesitate to replace Freeman and Moylan if they continue to struggle. We have options in AAA. Phillips, Touki, Gohara, Allard.

Rotation: Again we can't be patient with guys who are struggling. If Teheran and Fried have a couple bad starts, brink in Gohara, Allard or Touki. Some of these young guys are going to sink but one or two will swim.

For the most part I think we are covered in terms of having some alternatives for guys who are unproven or struggling. I'm encouraged by recent starts by Fried, Touki, Allard and Gohara. The one area that I still see a need is infield. Someone like Beltre, Solarte, Dietrich or Happ.
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Saying you will replace one unproven player if he struggles with another unproven player is not in the way of a solution, imo.
 
With the Nats reportedly ready to sell, one name that would make a significant difference in the 2nd half could be Gio Gonzalez. I know everyone fears inter-division trades, but I do believe the Nats have hurt the value of potential trade assets by waiting so long to sell. Many teams have already made their improvements, taking several suitors off the market.
 
clvclv said:
The discussion on XM earlier today was that they were hearing there's tons of talk about relievers (as one would expect), and that once the floodgates open there will be quite a few of them moving quickly - just waiting for the first move.

Mark Topkin was also on the early show and said that he expects there's finally fire to go along with the Archer smoke - he expects him to be moved.
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Saying a bunch of BP arms will move within the next 24 hours isn’t exactly a hot take.

We will see if one of your XM radio sources finally proves to be right.
 
Carp said:
I don't think a huge trade is coming now. May be Sonny Gray or Stoman if you consider that huge. The problem is there doesn't appear to be many significant upgrades available right now aside for Realmuto, Degrom/Snydergaard, and Archer. I would rather not meet the value for Degrom or Realmuto.
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Now we are talking business.
 
Switching between three or four different sites trying to keep up with contracts, service time, advanced stats, super advanced stats, and team payrolls really gets crazy this time of year.

Someday, maybe someone will build the killer app for that stuff that has it all, though maybe there ain't money in doing that.

fangraphs could get a long way there by simply improving its contract and service time displays.
 
Southcack77 said:
Switching between three or four different sites trying to keep up with contracts, service time, advanced stats, super advanced stats, and team payrolls really gets crazy this time of year.

Someday, maybe someone will build the killer app for that stuff that has it all, though maybe there ain't money in doing that.

fangraphs could get a long way there by simply improving its contract and service time displays.
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It wouldn't be hard to put that info into a sortable database. Just grunt work really.
 
Southcack77 said:
Saying you will replace one unproven player if he struggles with another unproven player is not in the way of a solution, imo.
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ever heard of a "proven" player slumping in September and October and getting benched...it happens...even with great clutch players like Carlos Beltran
 
Jon Morosi of MLB.com reports that the Rangers and Braves have discussed a trade involving Adrian Beltre.

The Braves have been mentioned as a possible fit before, but it appears that there's actually something to it. However, Morosi writes that it's "unclear if there's enough momentum" to get something done by Tuesday's deadline. Johan Camargo has quietely been pretty good this season (.777 OPS), so the Braves aren't exactly desperate. Beltre would have to waive his no-trade clause for a deal to take place, though he could welcome the chance to play for a contender. Morosi also mentions the Cubs as a possible fit given Kris Bryant's shoulder issue, though it appears more speculative than anything else.
 
Tapate50 said:
Jon Morosi of MLB.com reports that the Rangers and Braves have discussed a trade involving Adrian Beltre.

The Braves have been mentioned as a possible fit before, but it appears that there's actually something to it. However, Morosi writes that it's "unclear if there's enough momentum" to get something done by Tuesday's deadline. Johan Camargo has quietely been pretty good this season (.777 OPS), so the Braves aren't exactly desperate. Beltre would have to waive his no-trade clause for a deal to take place, though he could welcome the chance to play for a contender. Morosi also mentions the Cubs as a possible fit given Kris Bryant's shoulder issue, though it appears more speculative than anything else.
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Given Beltre's power decline, you've gotta figure that there would have to be more involved - Kela or Diekman - if AA's giving up much.
 
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