Comments on: Finding A Home For Pedro Alvarez

By: Kevin Creagh

Kevin Creagh — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 00:00:27 +0000

You don’t have to worry about apologizing (I have thick skin) but thank you.
I don’t see Wieters staying — once Boras takes his “name brand” clients to free agency, he will extract $1 more dollar from a team and steer his guy there. I don’t listen to players say they want to stay, a team saying they want to keep a player — it all comes down to $ at the end.

You are correct about TB, but Friedman is no longer there and their owner is still restricting payroll, so I’m not ruling anything out for them. Right now they have $29M in salary commitments to 4 players, about $27M in potential arb salaries to 7 players that I see them keeping, then $7M alloted to min salary guys. That’s $63M out of $72M salary threshold put down by their owner — with some serious needs to fill.

I put TB in the not-as-likely pile because of this. To be honest, I see BAL as the most likely destination for Alvarez.

By: Greg

Greg — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 23:03:58 +0000

I re-read my initial post and determined that it sounded rather snarky. I apologize for that. You are obviously a fan of baseball, and a person that can write a piece that is very sound and engaging, and you shouldn’t be fodder for internet hacks like me to take stabs at.

I did read that you said that the Pirates would have to include a prospect to sweeten the deal for any of the above scenarios with TB, however I think that it would have to be much more than the Pirates would want to send out. Cobb is somebody that Friedman claimed, even injured, was a future 2 or 3, and they just dealt one of the top five pitchers in the game for Smyly a year ago.

Having now been removed from the post for a few hours, I can see a scenario in TB for him, however I still think it is a longshot. He’ll get about $6 mil, and the guy he would be replacing (Jaso) was getting a shade over $3 mil, and provided better production that was more in line with the org’s philosophy.

Wieters is an FA, but has virtually no chance of leaving in my opinion. He’s coming off an injury, has stated that he wants to stay in the org, and the org has stated that they won’t have money to sign all of their free agents, but will make a huge effort to retain all of the pieces that won’t cost the farm (sorry Chris Davis).

Thank you for the piece, the reply, and the opportunity to put thought into something that I wouldn’t have otherwise done so.

By: Kevin Creagh

Kevin Creagh — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 20:51:47 +0000

See my other comment regarding TB and the need for a prospect going back, plus TB needing to reallocate payroll.
Since you’re not familiar w me, know that I’m not an Alvarez fan at all and am not anticipating much better than a reliever back in most scenarios.

And weiters is also a free agent, FYI

By: Kevin Creagh

Kevin Creagh — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 20:48:19 +0000

Whether it wasn’t written well or whatever, but the premise was that Snell was the reason TB would make room in the rotation by trading someone else.

TB is budget conscious next year so they will be trading a starter somewhere. As I said, Alvarez plus a prospect can make it happen here

By: Kevin Creagh

Kevin Creagh — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 20:45:29 +0000

To me, smoak looked like a non-tender candidate, even w his power spike, but I’ll defer here

By: Kevin Creagh

Kevin Creagh — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 20:43:30 +0000

A) that’s quite an image
B) I know his 2016 option is a no brainer, but will Bautista re-sign after that and shift to 1b? It doesn’t affect this article discussion, but I’m curious.

By: Greg

Greg — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 16:39:29 +0000

Unless the Pirates are sending a ton of money the other way, there is little chance they can get any MLB-ready talent. Additionally, each of the stronger options that you present is not that strong at all. If Baltimore loses Chris Davis, they have Steve Pearce to slot in at first, and the DH will be split among Wieters, Joseph, Clevenger, and Reimold each of which are nearly as adequate as Alvarez with the bat, and much more worthy in the field. Seattle will let Morrison go, but 1B/DH at-bats are going to Trumbo/Cruz/Montero. Considering they have almost $24 mil invested in Trumbo and Cruz, I don’t think they’re biting. And Toronto…they literally have 10 or 11 bats that are as good, or better than Alvarez. Their 1B/DH platoon is in the top tier of AL teams, so they are not doing anything. I am not familiar with the author, but it sounds like a piece written by a fan of a team that incredibly over-values “his team’s” own talent as evidenced by the idea that Smyly or Cobb could be brought back.

By: F

Sun, 27 Sep 2015 15:56:31 +0000

No way does Alvarez come to Toronto. He’s a) a Boras client and the Blue Jays avoid Boras like they would a syphilitic dockside whore and b) 1B is Bautista’s eventual destination.

By: Gary Mugford

Gary Mugford — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 15:37:40 +0000

Toronto viewpoint here: Smoak’s had about a half-seasonn of at-bats and has equalled Alvarez’s home rate closely enough that Alvarez wouldn’t be considered an upgrade power-wise. Plus Smoak’s been an outstanding defender. As has been Chris Colabello (when at 1st), who’s also come close to the power rate we are talking about AND has provided .325 on the average line. Together, the two have platooned at 1st in a very effective unit, earning about a third of what Alvarez will make next year. And the stats would have been even better had ex-Pirate Bautista not had to spend six weeks at DH, instead of out in the field. Frankly, Toronto should have been as big a no as say the Yankees, who ALSO have stud Greg Bird playing like Texeira USED to in his healthier days. Neither one rates to acquire Alvarez without massive (and unlikely) changes in their current three-headed DH-1B units.

By: Ted Nelson

Ted Nelson — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 15:09:08 +0000

I would be pretty shocked if Pedro Alvarez returns anything close to Blake Snell or Drew Smyly in a trade. We’re talking about a ~1 WAR DH candidate in Alvarez. He’s not without value as a guy who can hit MLB pitching, he just doesn’t have that much value as a guy who can’t field, is only a bit above average offensively, and only has one cost-controlled year of control remaining.

Smyly is a solid LHSP with three years of control and Snell is a close to MLB-ready top 50-caliber prospect. Even McGee has two years of control left, though you could maybe argue for that trade.