Yankees looking to trade Judge for Hamels

 

It’s finally happening. Cole Hamels could possible have his shot at the title playing with the New York Yankees. But what could the Phillies gain from a trade involving one of their star players? Not much.

The 31 year old (soon to be ex) Phillies Pitcher, Cole Hamels has voiced his dislike of the predicament he has been in for the past 13 years. Although being one of the top prospects in his early career, and an All-Star player for little less than Half of it, Hamels has yet to even come close to winning a championship. While being interviewed earlier this year by USA Today, a disillusioned Hamels confided in the reporter that he wanted “to be traded from the Philadelphia Phillies”, his reason simply being that they have not held up with his expectations of winning.

So why would the Phillies be looking to trade Hamels for prospect Aaron Judge? Legal and personal pressure from Hamels towards the Phillies’ owner. Aaron Judge is a designated hitter who could in no way or form fill the shoes left by Hamels. This can only mean one thing, the Phillies are looking to trade Hamels for more than one prospect. The Yankees in the other hand are saying that this will not happen, and that their inquiry into Cole Hamels would have to cost them less in order for it to be worth while.

 

The curious case of Yasiel Puig.

With trading deadlines closing in rumors have surfaced about the LA Dodgers classifying Yasiel Puig as a possible trade candidate. Yasiel has played with the Dodgers since 2013 where he came in fifteenth place for the MVP title and second for Rookie of The Year. In 2014 he appeared in the All-Star game and was once again placed in the MVP list arriving at number nineteenth.

Puig has also had one of the best batting averages in the LA Dodgers for the last 3 years. Having a .312 in 2013, .296 in 2014, and is currently sporting a .259 in 2015.

They also currently find themselves to be number one in their division, follow by the Giants by a five win margin (roughly .034 points).

So why on earth would the Dodgers want to trade him? Adrian Gonzalez, Howie Kendrick, Joc Pederson and Jimmy Rollins. The Dodgers have made it clear that they have batting averages to spare. They could afford to (literally) run laps around their opponents having one of the most efficient batting formations and logistics in the MLB this season.

What would they be looking for? Someone to match Zack Greinke on a daily basis. sporting a 1.30 ERA, Geinke has proven himself to be one of the elites this season. Clayton Kershaw in the other hand has not proven to be the ace in the hole he was during 2014. Even though merits have to be given for his performance against the Mets on July 24. While I’m sure Kershaw will not be replaced I am he will be he will be displaced by a lower ERA pitcher or closer. Keeping their supremacy over NL West at ease.

Candidates: Cole Hamels*, James Shields, Sonny Gray, and Dallas Keuchel. 

*Hamles will not be traded until his performance against the Cubs this Saturday.

MLB: Opening Day

Cardinals vs Cubs
It was the bottom of the 6th when Matt Holliday slid into the field to catch what would be the first out for the Cubs during the inning. This, in a nutshell, is a symbolic and physical representation of what went on during the game. The board’s final score read 3-0 in favor of the Cardinals, and granted there is not a lot constructive criticism one could hold against the Cardinals today. Adam Wainwright out-pitched Jon Lester (who failed to make 5 innings), even though Lester has had a good two years while playing for the Athletics and the Red Sox.

Jason Heyward‘s three hits combined with Matt Holliday’s two runs demonstrated the bad shape the Cubs outfield is in. Lazy and somewhat proud, the Cubs manifested the clear power struggle that’s been ensuing inside the outfield. Awkwardly looking at each other as they tried to either catch the ball all at once or completely miss it and wait for someone else to go get it.

Way to go Cubbies!

“Way to go Cubbies!” Indeed.

The Cubs’ dry spell is not to be blamed on a curse but rather on a mentality that has perpetuated mediocrity and dissatisfaction with both the fans and the team. If we are to ask ourselves “What being the Cubs constitutes?” and the opposite we would find that the two objects created in our minds would be indistinguishable one from the other. So much so that the only distinguishable features in them would not be physical, but rather curses and attitudes.

If the Cubs wish to be released from this Hegelian prison they must first release themselves from the pressure of having to perform. There is no need for a super star or a shinning savior for the club but rather team work. The Cubs must come to term with their past failures before they are done in by them completely. The first step, of course, is in the Outfield, order has to be established, egos have to be held aside. The second in the batting cage, and the third within the player and the coaches who continue to perpetuate the idea that there is something supernaturally wrong with the Cubs, when the truth is that there is something wrong with them.

P.S. thank you to the MLB vine for giving us quick scope at how hard it really is with the new hit box.

MLB: Just In Case You Missed It.

Blue Jays
After the signing prior Pirates (2011 All-Star) catcher, Russell Martin there has been a speculative debate on Venezuelan catcher Dioner Navarro‘s peace of mind in the Blue Jays. Dioner talked to MLBTradeRumors:

“I think I’m at that point where I don’t even pay attention anymore, whether it’s here or somewhere else. I’m just trying to get ready and let my agent do what he’s gotta do. If he gets something done, he’ll let me know[…]”

What Is Navarro saying? he’s definitely saying he’s willing to leave if the opportunity appeared. Dioner had a great season in 2014 with the Blue Jays, and we can definitely see why he would be worried that he’s about to become overshadowed by Russell.

Cardinals
The Cardinals recently acquired Relief Pitcher, Matt Belisle First Baseman Mark Reynolds and Short Stop Dean Anna. They have also given extensions to Lance Lynn and Jon Jay for more than two years each.

The Cardinals have been off to a rocky start this year with the loss of Oscar Taveras, having to sign in Jason Heyward and Jordan Walden during the off season to compensate. Other than this the Cardinals have not had a bad start this year. Matt Adams has a .554 OPS and Reynolds is up there with the .573 OPS as well.

 

Others
I’m adding a report from Nick Cafardo from The Boston Globe on the idea of changing baseball into a bigger roster. Nick believes that:

“It’s time for Major League Baseball to go to an expanded roster, one that makes sense for the way the game has evolved. Make it a 25-man game roster, but expand the overall roster to 28.”

Here’s a link to the full report.

MLB: Just In Case You Missed It.

During the last few days there has only been one game that really made an impression on me, and (unsurprisingly) it featured the Oakland Athletics. The A’s have been great surprise this (pre)season with their recent signings. I would cite myself but I’ll just leave a link to my last post in this sentence. I would make this a MLB: Just In Case You Missed It Athletics Edition, but I’m saving that up for later.

Concerning my sporadic posting, I’m not really in the business of writing nonsensical post. I would rather post some information that I find relevant.

White Sox vs Athletics
Pitcher Jeff Samardzija had his first victory with the Sox’s on sunday. Samardzija gave two earned runs on three hits over three innings. By his side was Gordon Beckham who helped in two double plays that gave way to Samardzija ending a leadoff walk in the second inning. The White Sox’s have been playing a good game this pre-season and seem to be very balanced (except for some mishaps in the outfield). They are lacking a strong hitters other than Adam LaRoche. But I rest on the idea that they are a complete and balanced team who have a good season ahead of them, regardless of any loss they might encounter in the next few days.

In the other hand, the Athletics (even though they lost 10-4) had a great game with a good amount of potential (with some improvement). They don’t have to buy any players, or extend any contracts to other teams they just have to “cultivate our garden” and yes, I do believe Candid has whatever it is that they are looking for. Ryan Verdugo (who I hope comes back), Jason Pridie and behold Coco Crisp has made some improvement. Not to mention that Ben Zobrist is a player with unprecedented potential, the modern renaissance man in the diamond brought a good degree of variability to their team. I hope the Athletics have a good season this year, but that is up to how they decide to polish their skills, the game was a clear indicator that they have to get to work on their outfield and their batting.

MLB: Just In Case You Missed It Cactus League Edition.

This week gave us the return of Major League Baseball (kind of) in the form of the Cactus and Grapefruit League. This final-draft tournament will give us various games a day up until April 4, this will both satisfy our need for baseball and statistics while at the same time giving teams a chance to design their final draft for the upcoming season.

This being said, I hope people understand that this is not about points, winning or losing. It’s about scouting out potential and future trade candidates. After watching a few games this week these where the four teams four teams I thought were note worthy (so please, forgive me if I missed some of them).

Note: The new “Pace-of-play rules” are having a big impact on the way the game is being played. mostly affecting batters, tipping the game in the favor of the pitcher once again.

Giants vs Athletics
Madison Bumgarner has had a rough start this week, showing a bit of the wear and tear of recently having won a championship his performance during the Cactus League has been nothing more than mediocre. On top of this Hunter Pence has been injured (broken left forearm) and will be missing most of March, April and maybe even May. This has become a setback for The Giants who’s offence was going to be their main selling point this season. It seems Buster Posey will have to work twice as hard, for now. The Giants do not look like a MLB championship team this year, but that’s nothing to be ashamed of. They have proven themselves time and time, but got caught on a rocky start. We’ll see if some last minute offense trading takes place, they’re going to need it.

The Athletics in the other hand seem to have gotten up on the right foot this season, praising their acquisition of Marcus Semien who did one of the hardest things in his last game against the Giants, getting a home run out of Bumgarner. Another worthy mention is Jesse Hahn, the ex-Padres pitcher had a good start this week striking out 2 in his first test inning. There’s not much I can say about the Athletics yet other than they seemed to make some good decisions this preseason.

Yankees vs Phillies
Cole Hamels made two scoreless innings today (Philies lost however 4 to 1, but hey if it wasn’t for Hamels it would have probably been worse.) only giving Stephen Drew a chance at going to first base. Hamels once again showed us why he is worth the money he is asking to be paid, and if this match served for anything it was for advertisement. Ryan Howard however gave us a glimpse of what is soon to come for all batters. Having problems adjusting to the new batting hit box he was quickly and seamlessly struck out. The Phillies have a long way to go this season, the horrible game today (well everyone except Hamels, of course) shows how unprepared they really are, and sadly validates Hamels’ fear of not being in a team whose main goal is to win.

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Typical Phillies’ fans on a sunny day.

 

There’s nothing to say other than the Yankees played a good game. Luis Severino showed us what he was made off, striking out two batters with ease. The Dominican rookie performed at a pro level, leading me to wonder if he will get a pro-contract in the next few days.

Nathan Eovaldi has proven himself many times in the diamond and today was not an exception. The team played in unison and it payed off. I’m not going to go into detail for the Yankees because I believe that belongs to another time. Maybe in a few more days of play we will be able to see their true colors this season and A-Rods’ performance as well.

MLB: Just In Case You Missed It.

Pirates
South Korean star Jeong-ho Kang has been signed (to a 3 years, 11 million dollar contract with options in 2019) under the Pirates’ insignia. A.J. Burnett will also be joining Pittsburgh’s catcher team, the former Orioles (gone since 2009, traded to the pirates only to have his contract halted in 2011) pitcher will also be joining the team. And more importantly the most needed Right-fielder Corey Hart will hopefully bring some of his lucky hands and batting to the Pirates. T

The newly formed team will hopefully end the Cardinal’s Rain over the Pirates progress (specially after losing Russell Martin). We can clearly see a more offensive take being brought on by the pirates which will make for a better NL Central.

Twins
Brian Dozier will soon be a part of the Twins. Mike Berardino from the Twincities wrote that “In terms of comparable players who have recently signed extensions, the chart below shows Dozier stacks up well with the likes of  Seattle Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager, Cincinnati Reds third baseman Todd Frazier and San Diego Padres infielder Jedd Gyorko.” Although Dozier has expressed his love for the Twins he has also made it clear that offers are what are motivating him now.

Red Sox 
Boston has yet to sign the Cole Hamels. Bob Nightengale of USATODAY wrote that: “For a team that spent $265 million this winter, signing the best two sluggers on the market, and gambling on a talented 19-year-old from Cuba, what’s another $94 million to acquire the premium pitcher on the trade market?

Nothing personal, the Red Sox say, but they insist they’ll be just fine with the rotation they have.”
Will Hamels have what it takes to make it into the a team worthy of “winning” a championship? Though question, the economic question is a shocker but it’s also important to understand that the Red Sox’s are looking to win, and that’s the reason they’ve been frantic buying this preseason. My hopes are that the Red Sox’s make it to him before the Padres do.

 

 

 

MLB: Just In Case You Missed It.

Yankees 
Andrew Miller has turned down a contract of 40 million throughout four years with the Astros to join the New York Yankees (who offered him 36 million for 4 years). The last three seasons for Miller have been incredible and he has bettered his ERA each step of the way. In 73 games last seasons he had an impressive ERA of 2.02.  It seems Miller’s decision on choosing the Yankees over the Astros was based purely on the Yankees possibility of winning the American League’s East division.

Rays
The Rays have released Josh Sale into the wild, to be suspended in some other team for years to come. Marc Topkin, from the Tampa Bay Times wrote that: “He was suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball in August 2012 after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug, then said he didn’t take a banned substance and would have appealed but couldn’t recover the evidence to prove it.

Sale was suspended indefinitely by the Rays in May 2013 for disciplinary reasons following an inappropriate Facebook post about a visit to a strip club, then said the time away allowed him to ‘go home, grow up, take care of a lot of things.'”

I can only imagine why they didn’t sell him sooner? Or why Sale’s who was clearly not wanted stayed?

 

MLB: Just In Case You Missed It.

Blue Jays 
The ex-Nationals pitcher Rafael Soriano‘s future is uncertain at this moment as he is still roaming as a free agent. Being a top contender in the pitching field, fans have speculated that he would probably do best in the Dodgers (given their need for new pitchers, sorry Brian Wilson). But I would like to make a argument for the Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays have been building a good (fantasy) team this year. Working hard to gain players like Outfielder Dayan Viciedo and Pitcher Francisco Rodriguez into the mix. The Blue Jays have never been a bad team, and with the addition of Soriano, Rodriguez ans Viciedo they would probably be top contenders in the East American League. But this is of course wishful thinking. There is no sign as of now that would point to the signing of Viciado and Soriano. Although Rodriguez has said that he is interested in joining (click the ‘pitcher’ to see evidence).

EDIT: As of March 1 (Sunday), Dayan Viciado has signed with the Blue Jays.

Diamond Backs 
The DB’s have signed Pitcher Erick Threets and Trevor Reckling. Threets is the man to watch here. After playing in Mexico last season he finished with an ERA of 2.79 and a K/9 of 6.3.

Dodgers
Outfielder Travis Witherspoon has been signed by the Dodgers. There is not much to be said about the central field player other than I hope he does well outside the A+ League.

Athletes, Frankenstein and what it means to be a monster.

Literature (like all art) is a representation of the writers’ reality. By this definition a novel can take the form of any theme: Social Injustice, human psyche, or any single emotion the writer can be feeling at the time. This is the reason why I try to incorporate literature into my everyday life, and by extensions sports as well.  

Over the past two weeks baseball has seen the fall of Alex Rodriguez and Josh Hamilton. Episodes different from one another in various ways that converge on a central argument “what do we consider unforgivable?” And if something is unforgivable, does that make it a monster? In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein we are confronted with a similar situation. One that I hope can shine light unto our overshadowed central argument.

Victor Frankenstein is mad (he is insane, I mean) and has lost his life to the pursuit of the creation of life. Frankenstein is successful and achieves his goal of creating life, but is unsatisfied with it. Ugly and eight feet tall he convinces himself that he has created a murderous monster. But is the creature Victor creates really a monster? The answer to this question is simple. No, he did not create a monster. In fact we are presented with heroic acts coming from the creation in various parts of the novel. Great feats of strength and courage, all for good. Yet the deprivation of love and understanding does lead to his eventual murdering of Elizabeth (name is in white lettering in order to conceal spoiler). Yes, he was ugly and wretched (or so Victor claims) but his only fault in life was being a victim of circumstance.

“There was none among the myriads of men that existed who would pity or assist me; and should I feel kindness towards my enemies? No: from that moment I declared everlasting war against the species, and, more than all, against him who had formed me, and sent me forth to this insupportable misery.” The monster – Frankenstein (Chapter 16)

There is perhaps no better citation to place things into perspective as the latter. One is born neither a monster nor a saint, but rather is shaped by their experiences. Josh Hamilton will serve me as an allusion for this. Hamilton is a drug addict that has been fighting his condition for the last ten years. Can we effectively call him a monster? If life led him to substance abuse, is he not like Frankenstein’s creation, who against his better judgment is somehow a victim of circumstance, even though he has great potential? I would argue that this is true, and that the Victor Frankenstein (the personal situation) that has created the drug-addict inside of him cannot be resolved by commands (sorry crazed twitter fans).

But what about A-Rod? Is he Frankenstein’s creature as well? And this is where it gets complicated. Alex Rodriguez cannot be defined by the creatures’ slowly decaying moral barrier. My reason being that the sports enhancing drugs Rodriguez was subject to are done out of deliberate planning in order to better his skills in baseball. As oppose to Hamilton who is forced by chemical imbalances in the brain to fall back into drug abuse. Alex Rodriguez embodies a young Victor Frankenstein (before the experiment) more than the creation. Being blinded by the need to succeed, willing to break any rule to become famous.

Neither one can be considered unforgivable or a monster. Yet the personal faults exhibited by Josh Hamilton seem to weight more on the conscious of the fans (in a negative manner) than Alex Rodriguez’ deliberate cheating. In order to truly consider Rodriguez as a monster we would first have to find his Frankenstein (a clear attempt to cheat himself that results in something he finds wretched or vile). This would be considered unforgivable, he would have created grief for both him and his teammates, fans and, managers all for personal gain. This would effectively make him a monster. But time will tell what is that he will become.