Playing Fact or Fiction with All of MLB's Hottest Week 8 Buzz, Rumors
In recent years, the late May rumor mill has been filled with speculation about players whom contenders might potentially target as the trade deadline draws near. That's not how things are playing out in 2015, however, with much of the mill occupied by talk of how teams might look to overcome injuries internally.
While that doesn't lend itself to heated debate, there's more than enough buzz and chatter floating around for fans to sink their teeth into.
Have injuries and ineffectiveness forced a pair of contenders to look to the trade market for reinforcements? Is it too early for teams to be talking trade, much less pulling the trigger on a significant deal? Will a team's unorthodox strategy work?
We'll hit on all of that and more in this week's edition of "Fact or Fiction."
The Mets' Six-Man Rotation Will Last
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Mets fans worried that New York's top prospect, Noah Syndergaard, was pitching on borrowed time can rest easy. The team plans on using a six-man rotation when the injured Dillon Gee returns, keeping Syndergaard in the majors rather than optioning him back to Triple-A.
As you can imagine, those affected didn't meet the news with overwhelming support. "Even the sixth man was tough to convince," pitching coach Dan Warthen told ESPN.com's Adam Rubin.
It's a move geared toward managing the innings of the young staff without having to skip starts or shut anyone down. The team plans on using this strategy into early or mid-August, which could well find the Mets sitting in the thick of a playoff race.
Warthen told Rubin:
"Our No. 1 concern is our pitchers, and our pitchers staying healthy. We have some other [young] ones -- [prospect Steven] Matz is coming along. We're going to have Syndergaard here, deGrom here, Harvey here. Those are the guys who are the big concerns. As for the other guys, they have to go along with it. It's going to only prolong their careers. From the organization's standpoint, from my standpoint, I think it's a smart thing to do.
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Verdict: Fiction
As Rubin notes, rolling with a six-man rotation will leave the Mets with a four-man bench. That doesn't give manager Terry Collins many options for double switches late in games or provide much insurance should an injury strike one of the team's everyday players.
The chances of a team going two-plus months without injury are slim-to-none, which are about the same chances that this experiment continues into August. Sooner or later, injuries will force the team's hand to abandon the six-man rotation.
St. Louis Will Trade for a First Baseman
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As Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes, first base was a major issue in St. Louis before Matt Adams tore his right quadriceps, an injury that will require surgery to repair and could keep the 26-year-old out of action for the rest of the season:
"With Adams and Mark Reynolds getting most of the plate appearances at first base, the Cardinals rank 23rd in positional batting average (.235), 28th in on-base percentage (.284), 25th in slugging (.383), and 27th in OPS (.667.)
They're down on the list of extra-base hits (22nd, with 15) and have the third-highest total of strikeouts (51). The position has delivered only six homers and 26 RBIs for the Cardinals so far.
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The team's internal options to replace Adams are limited. After Reynolds, the Cardinals could look to promote career journeyman Dan Johnson or 27-year-old prospect Xavier Scruggs from Triple-A. They could also shift a catcher or outfielder over to the position.
Or they could go with the most logical option, which would be to look outside the organization for a replacement. Potential trade options include Colorado's Justin Morneau, Milwaukee's Adam Lind and perhaps even Oakland's Stephen Vogt or Billy Butler, who is primarily a designated hitter but capable of playing first base.
Verdict: Fact
Some combination of Johnson, Reynolds and Scruggs could work for a bit, but ultimately, the Cardinals are going to have to look elsewhere for a more permanent solution.
Morneau in particular could be an attractive addition once he's recovered from his concussion, given his track record of success, short-term contract and left-handed bat, which would add some balance to a lineup that is heavy on right-handed hitters.
It's Too Early for Sellers to Start Selling
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New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson recently told ESPN.com's Adam Rubin it's too early for teams to start dealing, a theory that's shared by many in the game.
While teams don't want to send the wrong message or disappoint fans by throwing in the towel on the season in late May, they have a good idea as to where they stand in the baseball landscape.
Those clubs that we all believe will be sellers at the trade deadline? They believe it too.
But these clubs continue to play their most valuable trade chips, waiting for a market to develop and trade offers to come in. But does the risk—a potential injury—outweigh the reward, which in this case would be a rather inconsequential victory and more enticing trade offers?
Verdict: Fiction
The answer to that question is yes, the risk outweighs the award.
Take Cincinnati's Johnny Cueto and Oakland's Scott Kazmir, front-line starters who are expected to become fixtures on the rumor mill for the next two months. Teams would gladly trade for either one right now, assuming of course that their recent injury scares are nothing more than that.
Cueto, who missed his last scheduled start with elbow issues, doesn't have any structural damage, per MLB.com's Mark Sheldon, and is expected to be OK. Kazmir, who left his most recent start after only three innings due to shoulder tightness, is expected to miss one start, per Ron Kroichik on the San Francisco Chronicle.
Had Kazmir's shoulder been compromised, Oakland would have lost one of its most valuable trade chips for what, exactly?
If a team believes it's going to sell, it should start selling now—before injuries have a chance to destroy whatever trade value the players have.
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Seattle Will Trade for Another Reliever
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Baseball's best bullpen a year ago has been anything but that in 2015, as Seattle relievers have pitched to a combined 3.81 ERA and 1.37 WHIP, a stark difference from the group's collective 2.59 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 2014.
The team opted to go with a six-man bullpen to create a roster spot for center fielder Austin Jackson, who was coming off the disabled list, demoting reliever Danny Farquhar to Triple-A. But that six-man bullpen is only temporary.
“We’re prepared to (make another move to add a reliever),” general manager Jack Zduriencik told Bob Dutton of the News Tribune (Tacoma). “We’ll go game to game, day to day. We’ll see how it falls into place.”
Verdict: Fact
Neither Farquhar (6.46 ERA, 1.56 WHIP) nor Dominic Leone (5.40 ERA, 1.68 WHIP) has been effective against major league hitters thus far, and expecting a different result by recalling one (or both) makes little sense.
A number of relievers could be available in trade, a list that includes Oakland's Tyler Clippard, who has proved to be effective in a variety of bullpen roles, and Evan Scribner, who is off to the best start of his career (2.33 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 10.3 K/9).
Philadelphia Fans Don't Understand Baseball
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By now you've read what Philadelphia GM Ruben Amaro Jr. had to say to CSN Philadelphia's Jim Salisbury about his team's fans, but just in case you missed it, here it is, in all its glory:
"They (fans) don’t understand the game. They don’t understand the process. There’s a process. And then they bitch and complain because we don’t have a plan. There’s a plan in place and we’re sticking with the plan. We can’t do what’s best for the fan. We have to do what’s best for the organization so the fan can reap the benefit of it later on. That’s the truth.
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You stay classy, Ruben.
He's since "apologized," telling reporters, including Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News, that he "probably used my words incorrectly or poorly" and that his comments "weren't meant to disparage our fans by any stretch of the imagination."
In the words of the immortal Dr. Evil, "riiight."
You can't have it both ways, Mr. Amaro, so which is it? Phillies fans are brainless cretins when it comes to baseball, or they're one of the brightest fanbases around?
Verdict: Fiction
Say what you will about fandom in the City of Brotherly Love, but Phillies fans know their stuff. They might make their point by tossing a D-sized battery in your general direction, but they have a good grasp on the game of baseball and how to further Philadelphia's stagnant rebuilding efforts.
If anyone in Philadelphia deserves to have his knowledge of baseball questioned, it's Amaro, who has done nothing to endear himself to the city or organization with his recent decision-making.
Unless otherwise linked or noted, all statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs and are current through games of May 28. All contract information courtesy of Cot's Contracts.
Hit me up on Twitter to talk all things baseball: @RickWeinerBR.
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