So... if we DO trade Bundy, next man up is...?

[Luke-OH]

16 minutes ago, Roll Tide said:

Any chance they line Harvey up for the rotation?

They might stretch him out, I have always maintained that there is a chance that with a full healthy offseason, the command and consistency could tick up (those are the only things keeping him from starting). But with his stated preference to remain in the pen and his injury history, it’s probably a slim chance.

[wildcard]

The Rule 5 guys available are not ready to start in the majors.   The starters in the O's minors are not ready to start.

Maybe they get a guy back in the Bundy trade.   It will mainly be 6 year minor league starters, pitchers off the waiver wire and/or starters that are being traded for next to nothing from clubs clearing space of their roster.  Like when they got Wojo and Brooks last year. 

Akins could be up as early  as May.   Kremer, Zimmerman, Bausman, Wells and/or Lowther as early as July.   Just  depends on which guys can adjust to the major league ball.

 

[Roll Tide]

37 minutes ago, 7Mo said:

Take a look at Luke's comments in the Rule 5 thread if you haven't already. Sheffield loses the strike zone and Zach Brown has little, if any upside.

There are 2 guys in the Nats system I like based on Luke's comments.

I like Steven Fuentes and like the idea of plucking from the Gnats.

Also Oscar De La Cruz from the Cubs is a good option (96 innings 79 hits 34 walks and 106 Ks) and hes pitched at AA

Griffin Jax (Twins) 23 starts (mostly at AA), 127 innings 117 hits 27 BB and 94 Ks

[7Mo]

7 minutes ago, Roll Tide said:

I like Steven Fuentes and like the idea of plucking from the Gnats.

Also Oscar De La Cruz from the Cubs is a good option (96 innings 79 hits 34 walks and 106 Ks) and hes pitched at AA

Griffin Jax (Twins) 23 starts (mostly at AA), 127 innings 117 hits 27 BB and 94 Ks

I like Fuentes a LOT.

I made the mistake of asking about Jax. No on him.

[Roll Tide]

17 minutes ago, 7Mo said:

I like Fuentes a LOT.

I made the mistake of asking about Jax. No on him.

??????

[7Mo]

2 minutes ago, Roll Tide said:

??????

No upside. No reason to believe he could contribute at the MLB level.

[Roll Tide]

9 minutes ago, 7Mo said:

No upside. No reason to believe he could contribute at the MLB level.

Not sure I agree

 

Quote

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 45 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 60 | Overall: 45

When the Twins drafted Jax out of the Air Force in the third round of the 2016 Draft, they knew his development path would not be a straight one because of military requirements. He managed to log just under 40 innings over his first two summers, graduating in the interim, and then eventually had his requirement deferred as he was put in the World Class Athlete Program, designed to allow athletes to pursue sports and train for the Olympics. He managed to log over 100 innings in the Florida State League and then the Arizona Fall League in 2018.

Jax was able to gain entry into the WCAP thanks to baseball's re-inclusion into the 2020 Olympics and that means he gets to be a full-time Twins prospect now. That should allow him to refine his three-pitch mix. He'll throw his fastball in the 90-94 mph range, sitting mostly around 92 mph, with excellent run and sink. His changeup is his best weapon, an offspeed pitch he'll throw to both left- and right-handed hitters. He'll mix in his fringy slider effectively and is an extreme strike-thrower with all three as more of a ground ball, pitch-to-contact, guy than a strikeout pitcher.

While Jax is lean, he is in excellent military shape and he has a bit of a bulldog mentality on the mound, perhaps handed down by his father, former NFL linebacker Garth Jax. That, plus his feel for pitching, could allow him to make a big step forward now that he can focus solely on pitching.

A sinkerballer at OPACY

[Philip]

1 hour ago, DrinkinWithFermi said:

If we trade Bundy, I think I might have to take the ball a few times this year.

Totally unrelated, but I loved Carl Sagan. We disagreed strenuously on one very serious subject, but I admired him and his spirit very very much.

 

[Frobby]

1 hour ago, Luke-OH said:

I’m not saying Sheffield isn’t a possibility, the stuff is tantalizing and he checks a lot of the boxes analytically minded teams look for.

BUT, if you think Tanner Scott has strikethrowing issues, Sheffield is much worse.

Uh, wow.   Pass!

[Philip]

41 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Uh, wow.   Pass!

My thoughts exactly. Tanner Scott makes me scream and throw things, and usually I throw the more accurately… Although not as fast

[Philip]

2 hours ago, wildcard said:

 

The Rule 5 guys available are not ready to start in the majors.   The starters in the O's minors are not ready to start.

 

That may very well be the most important question of the off-season, whether we will actually bring up any of the cavalry in May or thereabouts, or we will spend another year with flotsam and jetsam from other teams.

[tntoriole]

Well, Mike Wright and Aaron Brooks have both up and signed with Korea, so I guess that rules them out.  Maybe Chris Tillman would be up for a comeBack? 

Or Big Sexy?  

https://nypost.com/2019/11/08/bartolo-colon-is-getting-in-shape-this-winter/

[mdbdotcom]

Will the new rule about pitching to at least three batters apply to starters?

[Roll Tide]

1 hour ago, mdbdotcom said:

Will the new rule about pitching to at least three batters apply to starters?

Why wouldn't it? But since injury/player safety will trump everything else I don't know how this can actually be enforced.

I can see a player forced to pitch getting seriously injured sewing the league.

 

[mdbdotcom]

Cashner - 1 year/$2 mill with no-trade clause and incentives