Cleveland Sports Forum

Especially in Colorado we will never know.

How many years is he signed for? 3 with a possible fourth, at $9M year average. That's a long deal for a reliever who's possibly been overworked for years.

Fascinating interview!

Talking lineup switcheroos, analytics, pitch counts and more with Cubs GM Jed Hoyer

By Jon Greenberg 7h ago 6
There​ can’t be​ a sports​ executive in this city​ who does more​ radio interviews than​ Cubs​ general manager​ Jed Hoyer,​​ who is both relatable and accessible, which is a nice combination for his line of work.

I swear Hoyer is the lead-in to — not the winner of, obviously — Grobber’s “Bum of the Week” at 1 a.m on The Score before appearing rapid-fire on Mully & Hanley, Big John and Ramblin’ Ray, Kap & Co., The Roe Conn Show, the Ben Joravsky Show… Sometimes Cubs president Theo Epstein feels bad and does an interview himself, but both Cubs executives deserve credit for always being there to talk to the fans and answer their often repetitive questions. Not every fanbase gets the chance to hear it straight from the bosses’ mouths.

With that in mind, I’ve noticed over the years that Hoyer is always seemingly answering the same questions. While Hoyer, who is always available to the ink-stained wretches as well, takes it in stride — his buddy Theo has no problem pointing out bad points — I thought it would be useful to bring up some commonly asked questions and get more definitive answers to them from Hoyer. Think of it as sort of a “Mythbusters” interview.

So on Monday, before the rain started coming down onto Wrigley Field, wiping away the game, Hoyer indulged me for about 20 minutes near the home dugout.

Is it a myth that Joe Maddon messes with the lineups too much?
Greenberg: Lineups is one…

Hoyer: You know that’s my biggest pet peeve.

Greenberg: Is it really?

Hoyer: Yeah, because…

Greenberg: Wow, I didn’t even have to say anything.

Hoyer: I’ve said this a few times in the media. One of the first things I learned from Bill James when I was working with him in Boston, he would always say, you know, don’t obsess about the lineup. It’s the biggest waste of your time. All you want to do is hit your best hitters the most often. If you do that, don’t worry about it. Any other changes, we’re talking about fractions of runs over the course of a season. So for an individual game, it’s just not going to have enough of an impact. Fractions of runs and people obsess. It’s a sports radio lightning rod, both a consistent lineup and the batting order. I just think people spend too much time thinking about something that doesn’t have a significant impact on winning and losing.


When it comes to a player like Kris Bryant, digging into certain stats might not do you any good. (Patrick Gorski/USA TODAY Sports)
On Kris Bryant and our focus on hitters’ numbers with runners in scoring position and clutch situations
Greenberg: The big thing we’re talking about now is Kris Bryant’s numbers in close and late situations…

Hoyer: Also something I think is cyclical. If you look back at his rookie year, he got every clutch hit, drove in every clutch run. He had huge hits in every single (2016 playoff) series against the Giants, against the Dodgers, against the Indians. So the idea that it’s somehow not in his DNA has been proven wrong as a Cub. I think those things are cyclical. Guys will have a stretch where they’re great in a situation but maybe be down for awhile.

[Editor’s note: In 2015, according to Baseball-Reference, Bryant slashed .292/.417/.489 with a .395 BABIP and 63 RBIs in 175 plate appearances with runners in scoring position. With two outs, just 74 plate appearances, he slashed .350/.473/.567 with just 14 strikeouts and 13 walks. That season, in 100 “late and close” plate appearances, he hit .250/.380/.463 with 28 strikeouts, five doubles, four homers and 12 RBIs. He slashed .317/.408/.520 in high leverage situations and just .236/.340/.417 in low ones. Check here for his current splits, which are dramatically different.]

Greenberg: Are close and late numbers a good stat to look at to see if someone’s a good player?

Hoyer: That’s not something I would spend a lot of time on. Again, I think for the most part guys are cyclical with that. If you’re a good hitter, you’re a good hitter. I think that especially with a guy that has proven to have the ability to get big hits in big spots.

Is it a myth that pitch counts are destroying baseball as we know it?
Hoyer: The whole argument about pitch counts and teams babying pitchers in today’s game is one that never sits well with me. I always feel like it needs proper context. I think back in, let’s use the ’50s for example, you had major league teams signing a ton of guys for their 15-20 minor league affiliates. The investment in the players was far less. So they would have guys throw all the time and throw a lot of pitches. A handful of guys would survive and a lot of guys you’ve never heard of with great arms fell by the wayside. So when people use Robin Roberts or Catfish Hunter or Nolan Ryan as examples, they are citing the outliers. If we wanted to throw guys 300 innings today on a four-man rotation, we could do it. We don’t know who it would be, but someone would survive that gauntlet. But with four full-season affiliates and huge signing bonuses and guaranteed contracts, no one is able to take that risk with their pitchers. Nor should they.

Also, the game was played completely differently. When you go back and look, I’ll use an example, Bob Gibson. Everyone talks about how dominating his stuff was…and I’m sure it was. Well, he was striking out probably seven or eight guys per nine. Right?

(Editor’s note: In his magical 1968 season, Gibson struck out 7.9 hitters per nine innings. That would have been the 36th best strikeout per nine ratio last season between Rick Porcello and John Lackey.)

The game was simply different. When you were pitching a complete game, you might be throwing 100 pitches, 105 pitches. Guys swung at the first pitch, guys hit the ball on the ground, they sacrifice bunted a lot. There was no weightlifting. Slugging percentages were different. No one wanted to strike out. The idea of going deep in a game or pitching nine innings, you didn’t have guys up there trying to get full counts or trying to hit the ball out of the ballpark all the time. So I think when people talk about complete games or whatever, at some point, the number of pitches that starters are throwing often times isn’t that different.


Joe Maddon likes to talk, but not necessarily about his relievers’ health — fans rarely have all the information when it comes to bullpen availability. (Patrick Gorski/USA TODAY Sports)
On the mysteries of bullpen management
Greenberg: When it comes to bullpen management, how big is the gap between what the public knows about a team’s bullpen usage and what you guys know?

Hoyer: I think that’s one area that is probably frustrating for a fan, because what the fans aren’t aware of is who’s available that day, who’s not available, who’s semi-available but we’re trying to stay away from. I think it’s a hard one, so a lot of times when people are frustrated with the bullpen usage in a certain night it might be because two guys are sore. Joe [Maddon]’s not going to say that after the game. “By the way, that guy’s sore.” So I think that’s one area where a lot of times the decision on the field, there’s a reason, and if the reason could be given to the public, it would make a lot more sense. You’re not going to talk about every soreness, every injury, every time you want to rest a guy, both for obvious reasons in your own clubhouse and also for the opponent as well, right? But I do think that’s one area where I understand the frustration, but it’s also they don’t have all the information nor are they going to have it, so it’s a natural area of frustration.

Greenberg: How much research do you guys do, as far as knowing which relievers to pitch in certain circumstances?

Hoyer: A lot. A lot. Every bullpen has a bunch of guys who do different things. You want guys who can elevate, you want guys who can sink the ball. You want curveballs, you want sliders. When you have that, you might be like, “This part of the lineup really struggles with elevated fastballs, so we’re going to throw this guy.” There’s a lot of that goes into how you match up.

Why, oh why, do we talk about trades in May?
Greenberg: I thought of this story idea in late May when people would ask you about the possibility of trades. When do trades first get talked about?

Hoyer: GMs are always in contact with each other. I do think things have moved up a little bit. You’ve already seen a few trades this year, which is unusual. Really, April and May are, generally speaking, dead zones for trades. People are still figuring out what they have, what they don’t have. A lot of times if people are willing to trade at that time, the prices are so high because there’s such a big percentage of the year left. So I do think that time of the year when people start talking about it, it’s too early.

Greenberg: For us it’s like, after a month fans and reporters think they know what a team has, so it’s time to talk trades. But when do you start doing the work to prepare for possible deals?

Hoyer: We have a department of people who are always doing the work on that, but as far as when the focus shifts to it? I think you’re always talking about it, but I think it becomes more serious after the draft.

Greenberg: So when do you guys talk about possible trades and that kind of stuff in the front office suite?

Hoyer: I think you always are, but not necessarily specifics on whom to go get, but what shortcomings you might have or might be able to address. So I think conversation is always going on. You might have a list of a dozen players that can fill that role and then you winnow it down. But it’s not like there’s a fine point on it for awhile.

Greenberg: I think fantasy baseball has probably brought more focus on early trade talks.

Hoyer: I was listening to somebody talk about the NBA draft today and they said the most exciting part is the trades. There’s a fascination with the NFL draft, the NBA draft, baseball in general. People love that. Which I get.


The Cubs front office never had to raise the white flag on the 2017 season thanks to a post-All-Star break spark, but the Cubs were prepared for all eventualities. (Scott Kane/USA TODAY Sports)
On when fans should raise the white flag…
Greenberg: When’s a good time, generally, for fans to really worry about a disappointing team?

Hoyer: I don’t have a good answer. But I will say I think we’re all guilty. We’re playing the Dodgers right now, it’s a good example, I think they were eight or nine under at one point. Was it 10? [Editor’s note: The Dodgers were 16-26 on May 16.] People were already writing their obituary as a team in May and you realize that a really good team can overcome that. I think people tend to forget how hot a good team can get and erase that deficit. On the flip side, I think the opposite happens all the time. If a team gets off to a 30-18 start that wasn’t expected to be good, people are like, “Well, we’re definitely [going to] the playoffs.” No, you can lose a lot of games in a hurry if you weren’t expected to be there in the first place. [Editor’s note: See the 2016 White Sox.] On both sides, good and bad, I think people jump to conclusions early without realizing there’s a reason we do this thing for six months.

Greenberg: Do you have any personal examples of a team you were sure was going to be bad that turned out to be good?

Hoyer: I think last year, I feel like in July we were definitely confident given what happened the year before, and we knew how hot we could get in the second half. I think Theo’s talked about this openly, we certainly had discussions about if things don’t turn around, here are the possible moves we would make. We didn’t react too early, but certainly those conversations were going on.

Greenberg: I wondered if that was really true.

Hoyer: It was more of, “If this doesn’t turn around in the next two or three weeks.” It was frustrating. That first half, I think we were 43-45 at the All-Star break. That was not something we ever thought was going to happen coming off the World Series. You talk about a hangover and you’re two under at the All-Star break. I think that’s a really good example of what you’re talking about. That team won 92 games. We got really hot and I think a hot streak can erase several months of playing poorly. Another example is Boston in 2004, there was a lot of frustration. We were 10 over, I think, in April and then we were a .500 team for three months. That was amazingly frustrating given the talent level that we had and given that the Yankees were running away with it and we ended up winning 98 games. We had a great August and really took off.

It was a really good learning experience, because I do think that [Nomar Garciaparra] trade sparked the team, but at the same time we also had such an unbelievable talent level. That hot streak was going to happen at some point, no question.

On the “good numbers” that fans should use when talking about hitters and pitchers
Greenberg: I know you have proprietary stats, but what publicly available stuff would you tell people to use, besides the eye test, to evaluate a player’s performance?

Hoyer: I think everyone has stuff for different things. One thing I would mention I do look at a lot and this is really simple, I look at walk-to-strikeout ratio a lot. Both as a team and as a player. I just think teams that control the strike zone and hitters and pitchers that can control a strike zone are amazingly valuable. I think that’s one of the things. I’m really happy with our on-base percentage as a team. I love the fact we have great walks, our strikeouts are down. At the same time, as a pitching staff, our walks are up and that’s been a source of frustration. I do look at that a lot either way. There are hitters, that we know, who succeed without controlling a strike zone, but as a rule you want some guys that have some control over the strike zone, have some walks, control their strikeouts. Same as with the pitching side.

You get some bad questions in radio. Which ones would you do away with?
Greenberg: What questions that you get a lot during those radio interviews do you dislike?

Hoyer: There is such a focus on the one or two guys who are slumping. You have 25 guys. You always have one or two guys who are in a slump. In most cases, the question about “What are we doing to help them?” is really difficult to answer. Sometimes, it is simply a case of baseball being a game of failure and slumps are a part of it. In other cases, the player may be working on something mechanical and that isn’t normally something you can speak to in great detail out of respect for the player and coach. So while the answer might be really interesting, it isn’t one that you can provide during the slump. It’s a legitimate question, just one that doesn’t usually lead to an interesting answer because of those factors.

Some bonus front office myth-busting…
Greenberg: What’s the biggest Theo myth you can bust?

Hoyer: The biggest Theo myth is Theo is obviously incredibly aware of the numbers. He is obviously exceptionally bright and quantitive, but I think one of his great gifts is he’s able to take in all the information. He loves scouting, he loves player development and he relates to everyone from coaches to scouts to players at the same exact level. The biggest myth about him that he’s the pioneer of the quantitative age, but that’s really where it stops. The truth is what makes him exceptional is he has a great understanding of the quantitative, but he adds the human element to it.

Greenberg: What’s the biggest Jed myth?

Hoyer: That I’m tall.

Greenberg: That’s not a myth.

Rockies at last got smart and shut down Bryan Shaw with a trip to the DL. Although he's been pitching ever more ineffectively bringing his season's ERA into the mid 7's, he was also used in more games [41 already!] than any pitcher in the majors. Indians know how to use relievers intelligently.

Gammons: The most intriguing deadline trade target — or a franchise anchor for the Padres? By Peter Gammons Jun 25, 2018 26
Brad​ Hand isn’t​ Manny Machado.​ We get that. He’s​ different from Chris​ Archer, if he​ is​ put on​ the market,​​ or J.A. Happ.

Brad Hand in 2018 is what Andrew Miller was in 2016, and Miller carried the Indians to the 10th inning of the seventh game of the World Series. This is not about leading the National League in saves, because we all understand the evolution of bullpen use. “Right now, he and Kenley Jansen are the two best closers in the game,” says one National League scout who has been following the Padres and focusing on their bullpen. “He’s throwing his four-seamer 95 (mph), his sinker is a tick under 95, he’s got the dominant slider, and a contender with a closer can utilize him like Miller. He’s been a starter. He is a high-leverage matchup dream if you’re playing a team like the Nationals, because lefties are hitting .068 against him and have struck out in more than half their at-bats.

“And,” adds the scout, “he’s signed to a club-friendly deal through 2021.” Indeed. If he’s acquired by the July 31 deadline he would be owed less than $2 million for the remainder of this season; then he’s scheduled to earn $7 million in 2019 and $7.5 million in 2020, with a $10 million option for 2021. That’s $26.5 million for four potential Octobers, if you’re looking at the game the way the Astros, Cubs, Dodgers and Yankees do when they view their payroll projections.

From the Padres’ viewpoint, they don’t have to trade him. They are building an organization with so much talent that The Athletic’s Dennis Lin recently pointed out that they will have to worry about protecting their 40-man roster this winter. If they begin to approach .500 next season, Hand can save most games their young pitchers should win. If they begin to contend in 2020, as is their plan, he is a $7.5 million closer.

“We’ll see how the market develops,” says Padres General Manager A.J. Preller. In other words, his cell phone is on, his negotiating mind is open. Sure, the Red Sox would love to have Hand with Craig Kimbrel and Joe Kelly this year — because this is the season they have to win before some star contracts begin expiring, and if Kimbrel and Kelly both leave for free agency this fall, as expected, Hand helps the team replace them at about a third of the cost. But if Preller trades Hand, he has to get major young, controllable pieces. And if Boston doesn’t include Rafael Devers before throwing in Jason Groome (who the Pads wanted out of high school) and others, their system doesn’t have much else to offer, considering the trades Boston made to win it all in the 2016-18 window.

Will the Yankees try to build a pen that guarantees four innings a night? Will the Indians jump in, especially with Miller and Cody Allen likely gone after this season? Houston seems more interested in Reds reliever Raisel Iglesias. Oakland has not made it clear if Blake Treinen will be moved. The Cubs? Makes sense. The Dodgers? Yes, but they won’t deal catcher Keibert Ruiz and outfielder Yusniel Diaz, their best prospects, which means they may shoot for Tyson Ross at a lower cost. Maybe the Braves would be interested in Hand, but Alex Anthopoulos is wary of draining the system for a reliever.

Now, the Padres also have matchup relievers that may interest teams like the Dodgers. Kirby Yates has a 0.84 ERA and righthanded batters are hitting .088 against him with no extra-base hits. Craig Stammen has a 1.96 ERA. Adam Cimber recreated his delivery studying video of Darren O’Day, and some team may look at him as another O’Day — who might also be available himself.

But those matchup relievers aren’t Hand. He originally was a starter the Padres claimed on waivers from the Marlins, and who subsequently narrowed his repertoire, giving him the ability to be a closer, a leverage matchup, or multi-out guy such as Josh Hader or Miller. Hand’s velocity has steadily crept up into the 95 mph range (he was 89-91 when the Marlins tried to start him, which is why Jefferey Loria ordered him waived); his 2016-2018 batting average/OPS numbers against lefthanders are .125/.421, .150/.580, .068/.345. Think about that weapon facing a team vulnerable to lefthanded pitching, like Boston, in October.

This is a unique position Preller, manager Andy Green and pitching coach Darren Balsley are in. If, as expected, they begin crossing the .500 border in 2020 and their remarkable warehouse of young arms are credible major league pitchers, Hand would be only 30 years old. But, while evaluators from other organizations rave about the athleticism and skill in the Padres’ low minors—the result of international scouting—the team still needs more young position players who can play in the majors in 2019-20.

Shortstop Fernando Tatís, Jr. and second baseman Luis Urías will be their double-play combination sometime in 2019. Austin Hedges will be a dependable major league catcher with the essential personality to create conviction in his pitchers. Manual Margot is a gliding gull in center field who, while learning to hit in San Diego, is +7 in Defensive Runs Saved. Eric Hosmer won’t turn 30 until October 2019. Wil Myers, Hunter Renfroe, Franchy Cordero and Josh Naylor will have clarified their futures soon.

Pitching? Cal Quantrill, who has a great arm coming off Tommy John surgery and the makeup of his father, Paul, will likely be in Petco next season. So might Chris Paddack, another TJ veteran who since the operation has a 1.66 ERA with a 180-15 strikeout-walk ratio as he prepares to finish this season in Triple A. Anderson Espinoza is working back from the surgery as well, and has shown signs he could explode in the minors in 2019. They have 2017 No. 1 pick MacKenzie Gore, 2018 first-rounder Ryan Weathers, and Adrian Morejon, Michael Baez, Logan Allen and Jacob Nix knocking on the prospect door.

They got Paddack for Fernando Rodney, and Allen as a throw-in for Kimbrel. That is professional scouting, and Preller is like Pat Gillick in that he is a scouting and talent guy, a baseball junkie who remembers everything and is seemingly always at a game somewhere. He surrounds himself with scouts. Don Welke was a Gillick guy. So was Logan White. Josh Stein is a future GM. David Post played a major role in the Astros’ signings of George Springer, Dallas Keuchel and José Altuve, who were turned over to the very successful Jeff Luhnow administration. Want another rising scouting and baseball front office star? Preston Mattingly has a chance to be to Preller what the Yankees’ vice president of baseball operations Tim Naehring is to GM Brian Cashman.

San Diego is in a very competitive division on a number of fronts. The Padres are never going to have the revenues of the Dodgers or Giants, and Arizona has one of the best and the brightest organizations in the game under Mike Hazen, Jared Porter and Amiel Sawdaye. Colorado’s domestic and international scouting is historically excellent. And everyone realizes that Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi have turned the Dodgers into a model organization; after July 2, check their international signings on Baseball America.

But by being patient, and allowing the scouting to be done organically, the Padres seemingly can build a lasting power. Petco Park is a fan’s heaven. The Gaslight District is a great area, pre- and postgame. You can get surfing lessons in the morning, have a fish taco on the water, see a game. Players love living in San Diego.

During the 1998 World Series, I stood on the roof of a downtown parking garage with Larry Lucchino and Sam Kennedy, looking down at the site and discussing the plans for building Petco Park in that area. I’ve been at Petco for the WBC and the All-Star Game, walked along the water thinking, In January I’m going to ask, Why is it I don’t live here? I wonder what October would be like with these Padres, giving due credit to the work previously put in by Kevin Towers, Jed Hoyer, Jason McLeod and Josh Byrnes.

We all know the history, of Ray Kroc viewing his first game after buying the team, grabbing the public address mic and saying, “I have never seen such stupid ballplaying in my life.” Oh, lord, those brown uniforms.

The Astros did something that had never been done in Houston. The Cubs did something that hadn’t been done since 1908, the Royals something that hadn’t been done since 1985, and, going back in time, Gillick’s Blue Jays brought Canada its two world championships.

It’s fun just watching these Padres build with the dream of their first World Series rings. And the fish tacos are still to die for.

7th inning of San Diego's opener vs the Dodgers, a streaker ran across the outfield from right to left. Kroc with microphone in hand, started yelling, "get that guy off my field" And Dave Winfiei made his MLB debut. My ticket cost $2 and bus fair was 50cents round-trip.

Got a chance to catch the Reds 7th inning today. Couple walks and singles and then a grandslam by the pitcher all before the Brewers could record the 1st out. And the Reds trailed 3-2 prior to the employment.

I assume it was your computer that wanted to use the word "employment" there, not you. I have tried to guess what you tried to type, but can't make it out.

Losing pitcher in that game was some guy named Zagurski who showed up in the Tribe's spring training one recent March. He lifted his career ERA to 7.53 stretching from 2007 to present. Last major league appearances before today were in
2013 with the Pirates where he registered an ERA of 15.00
and then Yankees gave him one appearance in which he retired one guy allowed 2 runs for an ERA of 54.00
But today's 0 outs, 4 runs was infinitely worse.

ESPN reports the Yankees have made a substantial offer for Machado. No details Sounds like PR dept.

If Machado was an outfielder and would sign an extension, I would empty the farm for him.

But he ain't and he won't.

Somebody is going to get him, but it ain't us.

If I'm the Orioles, I ask the Yankees for Frazier and Sheffield. They can throw in Heller and Feyeriesan too if they'd like

The Orioles completed the much-anticipated Manny Machado trade with the Dodgers on Wednesday, acquiring outfielder Yusniel Diaz, right-hander Dean Kremer, third baseman Rylan Bannon and two other prospects.

Also going to Baltimore for the four-time All-Star are infielder Breyvic Valera and right-handed reliever Zach Pop, according to multiple reports. Diaz, Kremer, Bannon and Pop were assigned to Double-A Bowie, while Valera will report to Triple-A Norfolk.

"We like the depth of the Dodgers' package, we like the quality of the Dodgers package, and we like Yusniel Diaz," Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette told MLB.com.


Ranked 84th overall by MLB Pipeline, Diaz is the top prospect involved in the deal. The 21-year-old Cuban hit .314/.428/.477 with six homers, four triples, 10 doubles and 30 RBIs in 59 games with Double-A Tulsa. He ranks second in the Texas League in on-base percentage and eighth in batting.

"He stays in the middle of the field well," Drillers manager Scott Hennessey said earlier this month after Diaz homered on a four-hit night. "And when he stays in the middle of the field, that's what he is. He's a gap-to-gap hitter with power to the gaps and power to center field. For the most part all year, that's what he's done. He hasn't tried to pull balls or hook balls like last year. He's become a better hitter."

Kremer was ranked 28th among Dodgers prospects. The 22-year-old hasn't pitched since making a spectacular Double-A debut on July 5, when he tossed a seven-inning three-hit shutout and matched his career high with 11 strikeouts. He moved up a level after going 5-3 with a 3.30 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and .230 opponents' batting average in 16 starts in the hitter-friendly California League.

The UNLV product was selected in the 14th round of the 2016 Draft.

A 2017 eighth-round pick out of Xavier, Bannon was the Dodgers' No. 27 prospect. He jumped to Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga to start the season and leads the California League with a .402 on-base percentage, .559 slugging percentage, 20 homers and 59 walks while ranking second with 61 RBIs and 58 runs scored.


Bannon's glove and throwing arm are his best tools, however, as he shows solid range in every direction with soft hands at the hot corner. He's also shown defensive versatility by starting 20 games at second base for the Quakes.

Pop was drafted one round earlier than Bannon and started this season with Class A Great Lakes before earning to promotion to Rancho Cucamonga in May. The 21-year-old posted a 0.33 ERA in 19 appearances out of the Quakes bullpen and struck out 23 batters against six walks in 27 innings. He was promoted to Double-A Tulsa on Monday but had yet to appear in a game for the Drillers.

The Dodgers acquired Valera from the Cardinals in April for outfielder Johan Mieses and he owned a .284/.350/.433 slash line with six homers, 25 RBIs and 36 runs scored in 56 games at Triple-A Oklahoma City. The 26-year-old second baseman has batted .172/.273/.172 during four brief stints in the Majors this season.

"Clubs have to make the hard decisions," Duquette told MLB.com, "and when you do that, you can be rewarded in the future."

Bowden: Grading the Manny Machado trade for the Dodgers and Orioles


By Jim Bowden

The​ 2018 MLB​ trade deadline​ is underway, and what​ most expect to​ be the biggest​ trade​ of the​ summer was​​ completed when the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired All-Star shortstop Manny Machado from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for five minor-league prospects.

Trades are supposed to work for both teams and my initial reaction is that this one should do just that. Here are my initial grades of how both teams did in the trade:

Los Angeles Dodgers: A
The Dodgers made it very clear in their trade discussions with the Orioles that top prospects — including outfielder Alex Verdugo, catcher Keibert Ruiz, and pitchers Mitchell White and Yadier Alvarez — were all off limits in a “rental” trade for All-Star shortstop Manny Machado. LA’s front office, led by Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi, never wavered from that position, and ended up landing Machado without giving any of them up.

The middle of the Dodgers’ lineup was desperately missing shortstop Corey Seager, who is out for the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Machado replaces him with even more power, which puts the Dodgers offense back on par with the one that got them to Game 7 of the World Series a year ago.

This trade makes them the clear favorites to win the National League West over the Diamondbacks. (Arizona understands the impact that Machado can have on the Dodgers, since it was only a year ago that the DBacks were the ones trading for an impact bat in J.D. Martinez; he helped propel them to the post-season with a wild card berth.)

The Dodgers deserve the most credit for investing their money in scouting, international talent, the amateur draft and player development. That allowed them to make a deal of this magnitude without giving up arguably any of their top four prospects. The Dodgers did trade a significant prospect package to get Machado, but they could afford to because of how well they’ve done in building one of the game’s best farm systems.

Next on the agenda for the Dodgers is to trade for more bullpen help. Both Friedman and Zaidi have been burning up the phone lines in their pursuit, and some of their trade targets have included: Kyle Barraclough of the Marlins; Brad Hand (who was just traded to the Indians), Craig Stammen and Kirby Yates of the Padres; Raisel Iglesias and Amir Garrett of the Reds; and Jeurys Familia of the Mets, among many others. It’s only a matter of time before they call their next press conference.

Baltimore Orioles: B+
Orioles general manager Dan Duquette did a terrific job in bringing back a strong prospect package, considering that Manny Machado will be a free agent at season’s end. I got to see Yusniel Diaz, the headliner in the trade for the Orioles, at the Futures Game last Sunday. He homered twice, once to right-center and once to left field. He has a short, compact swing and looks like he’ll have at least 25-home-run type power in time. He has good plate discipline as well, as shown by his 41 walks and 39 strikeouts in 264 plate appearances for Tulsa in the Texas League this year. Though he’s presently playing center field, he will more likely end up on one of the corners. He demonstrated above-average speed once underway and showed off a strong arm during pre-game practice. He definitely looks like a future middle-of-the-order bat.

The next-best player in the deal is infielder Rylan Bannon, 22, who can really hit with power. He is presently slashing .296/.402/.559 with 20 bombs and 61 RBIs in the California League. He has played both second and third base, and although some are concerned about his defense, most think that in time he’ll end up being more than adequate, and at least average, at either position. He’s always hit, and has the power to be another 20-25 homer bat.

The Orioles got two pitchers in the trade as well: Right-handed starter Dean Kremer and right-handed reliever Zach Pop. Kremer, 22, was drafted by the Dodgers in the 14th round of the 2016 June free agent Amateur draft out of UNLV. He has a four-seam fastball that comes in at 91-95 mph, a get-over curveball and a slider that is nasty at times. He also flashes an average change-up. He profiles out as a future middle-of-the-rotation arm. Pop has a mid-nineties sinking fastball and at least an average slider. He projects as a set-up reliever at best, if the command and control of his stuff arrives.

The Orioles also got infielder Breyvic Valera, 26, as a throw-in. He’s a “4A”-type player, meaning better than AAA but a borderline major league. He has good instincts and can play second or third base, but is essentially a 25th player on a roster.

I doubt there would have been a better trade on the table if the Orioles had waited until closer to the trade deadline to consummate this deal, so it’s hard to criticize the timing. In my conversations with other GMs who were in pursuit of Machado, none of them said they had offered a deal as good as the one the Orioles made with the Dodgers.

The Orioles’ rebuild has officially begun. Next on the agenda: Trading relievers Zach Britton and Brad Brach, and maybe even outfielder Adam Jones. The process is just beginning for the Orioles, but they’re off to a good start.

Related to Tribe - Neal Huntington/Chris Archer era....

A longstanding admiration society

Even Archer was surprised when he heard the Pirates were interested in him. When Huntington called him after the trade, the pitcher learned something even more surprising about his new GM.

“He’s liked me for a looooong time,” Archer said in a text message. “Ask him about it.”

Huntington’s fascination with Archer, it turns out, dates to the 2007-08 off-season, his first as Pirates GM. Archer then was a 19-year-old prospect in the Cleveland Indians’ system, preparing to enter his third year of pro ball.

As Huntington recalls, Pirates assistant GM Kyle Stark — then the team’s farm director — “strongly recommended” that the front office request Archer in a trade. The Pirates did not get Archer then, and he instead went to the Chicago Cubs with two other minor-leaguers for Mark DeRosa the following off-season; the Rays obtained Archer in the Matt Garza trade on Jan. 8, 2011.

“We obviously were not able to acquire him (in ‘07-‘08), but we have continued to track and monitor his development into a terrific major-league pitcher and person,” Huntington said. “We have also had dialogue over the years with the Rays, but it took until today until something worked for both clubs.

“We believe his intelligence, character, pitch arsenal, advanced analytics and a move to our league and ballpark project really good results for him and us over the next three-plus years.”

Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that Joe Mauer and Logan Morrison have passed through revocable waivers.

While it comes as no surprise, this means that they can now be traded to any team.

Of course, that almost certainly won't happen. Mauer is still owed the remainder of his $23 million salary for this season and owns an underwhelming .725 OPS.

He also has a full no-trade clause. Morrison has been a huge disappointment on his one-year, $5.5 million deal, with a .195/.289/.387 batting line in 91 games.