To quote my boy Neetzi, I had the knee pads in full effect earlier this year for Clayton Kershaw. Clayton didn’t disappoint too much, as his second and third starts were a combined eight innings, two earned runs and seven Ks. Kershaw then went on to have a couple rough starts and did eventually get sent back down to the minors. Upon being called back up to pitch against the Rockies in Denver, Kershaw got rocked for 10 hits in three innings, while allowing five runs to cross the plate on his way to his third career loss.
Three starts later and Kershaw is a hot commodity once more. In his three starts since the debacle in Colorado, Clayton has worked 19 innings and allowed a single run to cross the plate. He has put up a 15:6 K:BB ratio over that time, and notched his first two wins in the process. Look for Clayton to continue to pitch at a high level the remainder of the year. Those of you who scooped him up when he came back will now reap the rewards. Kershaw should be owned in all leagues.
Wow. ManRam is officially a Los Angeles Dodger, and Jason Bay is a Boston Red Sox. The Pirates are getting pitchers Brandon Moss and Craig Hansen from the Red Sox, and three bagger Andy LaRoche as well as outfielder Bryan Morris from the Dodgers. That’s all I know so far.
In related news, Pat owes me something.
According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Red Sox and Marlins are deep into talks that would send Manny Ramirez to the NL East. This would change the dynamics of a three team race that is likely to go down to the wire. We will know soon enough if this trade is going to happen, because the deadline is tomorrow afternoon.
What was that, Pat?
Update
Buster is now saying it could be a three team trade that would add Pittsburgh to the mix. There are so many names involved in this trade rumor now, that it’s become difficult to follow. In the end, the Sox would get Jason Bay to replace ManRam. Check his numbers, because they are pretty comparable to ManRam’s.
The Braves have officially traded first baseman Mark Teixeira to the Angels for fellow one bagger Casey Kotchman. The Braves also picked up right handed pitcher Stephen Marek, a bully for AA Arkansas. This deal is a little disappointing, but only because Marek is 25 years old already and is still in AA. Not only that, he’s sporting a 3.66 ERA. Not enough, Frank Wren, not enough for Mark Teixeira. I like Kotchman, and his best years are just ahead of him. You have to get better than Marek thrown in, though. Jose Arredondo, I’m looking at you.
Kotchman is a good player. Not a great player, but a good one. He should not be owned unless you are in a deep NL only league. Teixeira’s value remains the same, as hitting between Chipper Jones and Brian McCann is hard to beat. Vlad and Torii Hunter aren’t too shabby themselves, and I think both of their value just went up a bit.
If there was any doubt before, the Braves took it all away yesterday when they reportedly told other MLB teams that they plan to move Mark Teixeira before Thursday’s deadline. It would appear that this decision was made for the Braves when they were forced to place Chipper Jones and Tim Hudson on the 15 day Prior List, not to mention that Brian McCann is out a few days with a mild concussion. So who are the Braves most likely to send Tex to? According to MLB.com, the Dodgers, Angels, Red Sox, Yankees and D-Backs are all in the mix for big Tex.
At the moment it appears that the D-Backs are the proverbial front runners for Teixeira. The Braves are looking at Conor Jackson and Chad Tracy from Arizona, and moving Jackson would make sense if Arizona thinks they can ink Tex to a long term deal. If not, they had better not move one of the best first base prospects to rent a player for two months. The D-Backs have other players to offer up as well (I’m looking at you, Max Scherzer), so this could get interesting down the stretch.
When I gave you the break down of the Nady to the Yanks trade on Saturday, it was yet to be official. Some of the prospects going the Bucs’ way have changed, as both Phil Coke and George Kontos will both be staying in the Yankees’ system. In their place, the Pirates will get two right handed pitchers in Jeff Karstens and Dan McCutchen. This deal now looks better for Pittsburgh, with both Karstens and McCutchen being better prospects than either Coke or Kontos are.
To learn more about the Bucs’ new prospects, you can read this article on MiLB.com. It should be noted that this is the same article I linked to on Saturday, only MiLB.com has updated it to reflect the correct players.
The New York Yankees added the outfield bat that they desperately needed on Friday when they acquired Xavier Nady from the Pirates. They also brought in left handed bully Damaso Marte. What did it cost them? Four of their prospects, including highly touted Jose Tabata, a right handed right fielder who was once likened to a young ManRam. They also gave up RHP Geroge Kontos, LHP Phil Coke, and RHP Ross Ohlendorf. Ohlendorf is the only pitcher of value here. You can read an excellent breakdown of the Buc’s new prospects here.
My thoughts on the move after the jump. Continue reading ‘Yanks Snare Nady, Marte from Pirates’
The Saint Louis Cardinals are going to need some help in the starting rotation if they want to make the playoffs this year. Plain and simple. The likes of Braden Looper, Todd Wellemeyer, “to be named later”, Joel Pineiro and Kyle Lohse setting up the rotation for the next five games just will not get it done. Adam Wainwright is on the Prior List and isn’t coming back for a few weeks. When he does, the staff certainly gets a huge boost. Well, there is also another big boost headed Cardinal fan’s way. Continue reading ‘Can Wainwright & Carpenter Save the Cards?’
Brett Myers will make his return to the mound tonight for the Phillies in Shea Stadium. Myers was sent to the minors back on July 1, and made four starts that were spread out over all three main levels of the Phillies system. His last start came for Single-A Clearwater, in which he gave up two earned runs over 6 2/3 innings. That brings his numbers for his minor league stint to an ERA of 3.00, 28:7 K:BB Ratio over 27 innings with a 1.15 WHIP. He’s certainly someone to keep your eye on, but at this point I would not consider him a strong option in fantasy baseball. If he comes out and pitches a gem against the Mets tonight, however, there will be a rush to the waiver wire to snag him. If you have an extra roster spot, he’s not a bad guy to grab and hold for a few weeks to see how he does.
The Arizona Diamondbacks announced that they are buyers yesterday by acquiring closer Jon Rauch from the Washington Nationals. Rauch will be the set-up man for the D’Backs, unless Brandon Lyon gets yanked from 9th inning duties. With Lyon giving up seven earned runs in his last two outings, he only needs a few more for the move to be possible. In return, the D’Backs only gave up a single prospect in two bagger Emilio Bonifacio. Bonifacio was playing for AAA Tucson, where he had a .348 OBP, swiped 17 bases, and scored 49 runs.
While Rauch’s value takes a hit in fantasy baseball, he could steal a few wins and saves going forward. Hold onto Rauch if you have him, as I expect his value to still be solid the rest of the way.
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