The 31 year old Lind(is it possible that Adam Lind is already 31 years old?) is a very good left-handed hitter against RHP's. He struggles(.212 career BA) against LHP's. He is also a negative defender at all positions, but is passable at 1B. He also has battled a bad back off and on and missed nearly half of last season. Toronto apparently became disenchanted with him and recently signed Justin Smoak off the waiver wire. First base has been a problem for the Brewers since Prince Fielder left and they needed a left-handed power bat for the lineup that leans strongly to the right. At the least, Lind gives them the bigger half of a platoon bat and someone to put out there at 1B. That is, of course, if he can stay healthy.
Estrada is also 31 years old. He's a guy who fantasy prognosticators have loved for several years, but who has never quite performed up to expectations. He has excellent K and BB ratios, but is an extreme flyball pitcher who does not seem to be able to suppress HR/FB. In a yard like the Brewers play in, that is a bad combination! The problem with this trade is, Toronto and the AL East is not likely to be any friendlier to Estrada's style and possibly a lot unfriendlier! If there is a place for him in MLB, it would seem to be on the west coast. He lost his starting job midway through the 2014 season and pitched better out of the bullpen so the Brewers don't give up much here.
I'll call this one a clear win for the Brewers provided Lind can stay healthy.
I wonder how many pitchers out there (and available this offseason) whose styles suggest they could benefit from parks like ours and some other parks (no all) in the NL west.
ReplyDeleteOf course, we also want character guys, with championship DNA and who will get along with players and coaches on the team.
What are your thoughts on Yoan Moncada DrB?
ReplyDeleteNever heard of him. Who is Yoan Moncada?
DeleteCuban hitter. Just saw an MLB.com article about him come across my Twitter feed. Will do some investigation.
Delete19 year-old switch hitting SS prospect (6-2, 205). Sounds like folks are pretty excited about his abilities.
Deletehttp://m.mlb.com/news/article/100370044/cuban-prospect-yoan-moncada-petitioning-for-free-agency
Any Cuban is a good Cuban. Hate to the last one left standing in this game of musical chairs. Don't see why the Giants are so hesitant here. They have the money and that's all the Cubans cost right now.
ReplyDeleteNot sure the Giants want a Yasiel Puig on their team at any cost and no matter how talented he is.
DeleteSo far, neither the Cubans nor simply spending more money has translated into winning championships.
Giants are not going to bust through the salary cap no matter how much money they could spend.
In order to keep things fresh, I think the Giants do need to make a move to continue to evolve the identity of this team. An acquisition from the Cuban market - particularly an acquisition at a position of need - should create the kind of renewed interest that a team requires to stay not only socially relevant, but dynamic and not stagnant.
DeleteGiants need to focus on recreating their starting pitching 3-5, but adding a young, multi-tool bat with strong OF Defense in RF would go a long way for this squad. They won't come anywhere near the salary cap with these small additions to the team.
Honestly, HONESTLY, as much as I love Pablo Sandoval (and I do, for his underrated defensive prowess and consistent, game-saving play out there more than anything else) I would think the best business decision is to allow him to find new pastures unless the price is remarkably good. The draft pick would go a long way, and Posey, in time, really needs to transition away from C to be fresh for these late seasons; plus, Susac is starter quality IMHO. Hence, big money would be better allocated to pitching and the next era of position talent for the Giants.
Good thoughts. Hey, the Giants got Daniel Carbonell, so at least they can say they tried the Cuban market.
Delete….er I meant to say Luxury Tax Threshold, which is for all practical purposes a salary cap for the Giants.
DeleteYeah, I was just going to say. I will be surprised if the Giants win any bidding wars on Cubans who make the headlines of BA and Fangraphs. Look for them to keep probing the Cuban market and sign a few more under-the-radar types like Daniel Carbonell.
DeleteIt seems that the Giants have about 25-30 million to spend before they become alarmingly close to threshold. Pablo is domino #1. I don't think he makes it back if they don't sign him today. What do you think?
Deletemedical question - ever heard of anyone with leishmaniasis. I spent the end of last week taking an international student from Tunisia to get a get a lesion/wound/ulcer inspected. Going by CDC diagnostics, a couple doctors think that's what it is. They started process to get the treatment and it may be 2 weeks for lab conformation. Crazy/intersting stuff.
Never knowingly seen a case but it is a common infection in the Middle East and Africa carried by an insect vector.
DeletePS - Hot Stove!!
ReplyDeleteI would love for the Giants to bust through the cap on Moncada even if it means they sacrifice the next years international signing pool. They say this guy has super star talent and the one of those guys would look real nice as a trade chip/prospect for the farm. Kiley McDaniel one of the new guys on Fangraphs who I have taken a liking to has a nice writeup on the situation here: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/yoan-moncada-game-theory/
ReplyDelete- Fan
While I don't deny that a Moncada would be nice to have in the Giants talent pipeline and Yasmany Tomas would solve a lot of problems by plugging into LF, I don't expect the Giants to win any bidding wars for players who are in the headlines of BA and Fangraphs. I think they will continue to explore the Cuban market and we may see a few more under-the-radar signings like Carbonell.
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