2021 Trade Deadline

[calsnowskier]

So how do we feel if Farhan doesn't do dick?

Why are you bringing his sexual orientation into this conversation?

Just because he is apparently not gay does not mean we should think any less of the man.

Bigot.

 

[calsnowskier]

Are you asking how the prospects compare to each other? Talking about the prospect ranking isn't an exact measurement of cost but it does give a picture of the cost for the club acquiring big league talent. The Red Sox shipping off their 19th ranked prospect for Schwarber tells us that they had approximately 18 more highly touted prospects that they got to keep while getting a slugging outfielder for the stretch drive. The Padres, meanwhile, had to give up their 9th most highly touted prospect, plus an unranked prospect, for a reliever.
Yes, prospect rankings are fluid and arbitrary. Some clubs' 9th ranked prospect would be ranked 20th in other organizations and 5th in still others. They don't tell an absolute picture. And prospects don't work out often either. Neither do major league acquisitions. I'm not giving a final "this trade is awful" or "this trade was amazing", or even scaling them. I'm just trying to give some kind of definition of immediate, apparent cost.

My rant wasn’t really targeted at you, even though I was quoting one of your posts. I have just seen a lot of posts saying something like…

”The team got Schmoe (their #5 prospect) and Smith (their #10 prospect) for Jackson. That is like us giving up Bishop and Matos.“

No! It is NOT like us giving up Bishop and Matos. It is NOTHING like us giving up Bishop and Matos.

 

[LHG]

 

[LHG]

My rant wasn’t really targeted at you, even though I was quoting one of your posts. I have just seen a lot of posts saying something like…

”The team got Schmoe (their #5 prospect) and Smith (their #10 prospect) for Jackson. That is like us giving up Bishop and Matos.“

No! It is NOT like us giving up Bishop and Matos. It is NOTHING like us giving up Bishop and Matos.

Actually, I did make a post like that. It was the Gallo to Yankees deal and the Yankees sent over a bunch of mid tier prospects. The comparison isn't equal, but the illustration was showing the approximate cost on the Yankees for the outfielder and a reliever.

 

[calsnowskier]

Actually, I did make a post like that. It was the Gallo to Yankees deal and the Yankees sent over a bunch of mid tier prospects. The comparison isn't equal, but the illustration was showing the approximate cost on the Yankees for the outfielder and a reliever.

Ok, than I was attacking you. LOL


All teams have their own farm depths. Our #15 prospect 5 years ago does NOT equate to our #15 prospect now. We have a MUCH deeper farm now than we had then. Trying to compare the two is a fools errand.

Comparing our top prospect 5 years ago (Beede?) to our top prospect now (Luciano) doesn’t make sense either. Beede was our top prospect more because our farm was somewhat light. Beede was a legit prospect, sure, but he was no Luciano.

 

[tzill]

ChiSox got raped for Kimbrel. Would have taken Bart +

 

[msgkings322]

ChiSox got raped for Kimbrel. Would have taken Bart +

I guess we're not doing anything...

 

[stanford the manford]

Panda to the Indians for those of you tracking ex-Giants (maybe not a Giant, but still a large fellow)

 

[tzill]

Looks like we are closing in on Bryant.

Remember, FZ does his best work in the last 60mins.

 

[msgkings322]

Looks like we are closing in on Bryant.

Remember, FZ does his best work in the last 60mins.

Berrios off the board now. I don't consider getting an unnecessary position player "best work". I'm not happy with FZ this trade deadline. Needed pitching, didn't get any.

 

[tzill]

Berrios off the board now. I don't consider getting an unnecessary position player "best work". I'm not happy with FZ this trade deadline. Needed pitching, didn't get any.

Too soon to tell.

 

[msgkings322]

Too soon to tell.

Hope you're right. If McGee is our closer in the playoffs forget about it

 

[msgkings322]

Here's the Athletic with some nice stuff on Cueto, and what we should be doing to improve the team:




The trade deadline is a time for tortured shopping metaphors: there are markets and sweepstakes, bargains and splurges, minor purchases and mega-hauls.


But while Giants president Farhan Zaidi thumbed his text threads to acquire any number of players who could fortify his roster (Kris Bryant? Craig Kimbrel? Trevor Story?), right-hander Johnny Cueto pledged himself to a literal shopping spree. With left-hander Jarlín García getting the goods.


“I think I’m going to buy him a bottle of wine,” said Cueto, “and yeah, he’s earned himself some shoes from Louis Vuitton.”


Cueto’s generosity usually doesn’t require returning a favor, even when international luxury brands are involved. He is known to take rookies shopping for swanky luggage or their first travel suit. When he spent most of a summer rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, his rental home in Arizona became the weekend barbecue spot where young and idled prospects, mostly from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela who were awaiting the start of short-season leagues, could listen to music and feast like kings. It was a reward for a week of punishing workouts in the gym — workouts that Cueto directed, supervised and pushed them through, of course.


With the Giants this season, García became one of the players who fell under Cueto’s guidance. And yes, that included a shopping excursion or two on road trips.


“Johnny … is like my dad, he’s like my mentor,” García said with the help of Spanish interpreter Erwin Higueros. “He’s the one who keeps giving me advice on what to do, how to work out, how to stay healthy, how to use my pitches. I mean, he’s been the greatest. I have no words how to explain what he has meant to me, and how he has taken me under his arm.”


And on Thursday, García paid it forward. He replaced Cueto with two outs and the bases loaded in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Three pitches and one roundhouse-punch reaction later, García struck out Cody Bellinger to preserve a four-run lead. The bullpen was untouchable the rest of the way as the Giants won 5-0 to take two of three from the Dodgers and extend their NL West lead to three games.


Against the Dodgers, you could say the Giants have receipts.


They have beaten them in five of their last seven meetings. They are 8-8 in the season series. They’ve held off every charge while retaining the top spot in the NL West since May 31. They’ve even reached over the fence to turn a walk-off loss into an eventual victory — a highlight that got replayed a time or three on Thursday because the guy who robbed Albert Pujols at Dodger Stadium back on May 30, Mike Tauchman, was designated for assignment.


The trade deadline is the monster of the moment, as you’re aware, and you probably won’t know the full extent of it while you’re reading this. The landscape is changing by the minute. Max Scherzer was going to San Diego at the top of the hour, then by half-past, he was going to the Dodgers. Along with Trea Turner, too. That mega-deal appears to be on its way to completion. No matter what transpires by 1 p.m. PDT on Friday, though, remember that the Giants entered this roster run-up as the hunted team. While the industry and fans wait for them to count for the Dodgers, remember that the Dodgers are making bold strokes to counter what their archrivals continue to do on the field. That has to count for something.


Cueto provided a reminder on Thursday: even though he’s no longer seen as an ace or No. 2 or even a No. 3 starter, he’s always been a pitcher who is at his best when the lights are the brightest. He was facing the Dodgers for the first time this season and took a carving knife to the mound, holding them to four hits and working the fringes of the strike zone and hitting 95 mph. He made Max Muncy look as bad as the Giants had seen him all season. Cueto looked like the kind of pitcher who could match up with anyone in a postseason start.


“It was Johnny’s best outing in a long time,” Kapler said. “His stuff was especially crisp. His timing mechanisms, his ability to upset the rhythm and the timing of the opposing hitters, was important. He had really good body control today. … And the fastball was as good as we’ve seen it in a long time.”


If not for a booted ball at second base from Donovan Solano, who minimized a double-play grounder into a forceout at second base, Cueto undoubtedly would have worked deeper into the game. The grounder should have ended the sixth inning and instead it cost Cueto a dozen more pitches, including 10 stressful ones to Justin Turner, who worked a two-out walk to load the bases.


Giants manager Gabe Kapler jogged to the mound, which usually signals his intent to give a starter a pep talk rather than a pat on the back. But after a brief conversation, Kapler pointed for García.


“I think Johnny would have stayed in there, I think he wanted to stay in there, and in many ways I thought he earned the right to stay in there,” said Kapler of Cueto, who was at an otherwise manageable 77 pitches. “I just felt like it was the right time to go to García, who has been so good, and not put Johnny in a position where another long at-bat could have had him running out of gas. I really do feel like there was some degree of emptying the tank in that at-bat against Turner.”


Every decision is a study in alternatives, and García was as solid as a left-on-left matchup can get. He had a 1.42 ERA over his previous 23 outings and had held lefties to two hits in 40 at-bats dating to May 22. His 31 percent strikeout rate is the highest of his career.


“When I was having problems, I did talk to (Cueto) to be a little bit more consistent, to keep focus and to use the sinker a little bit more,” García said. “That’s what I’ve been doing lately.”


The Giants took control early against David Price, a high-salaried attachment in the Mookie Betts deal. Austin Slater sprayed singles. Wilmer Flores had two hits. Brandon Crawford’s first plate appearance after being activated from the injured list came with the bases loaded and two out in the first inning, and he chopped a two-run double down the third base line. It had to be a sweet feeling for Crawford, who lamented that he’d miss six of seven games against the Dodgers while taking a 10-day pause to let a mild oblique strain run its course.


It was also the 250th double of his career. That’s cause to stop the game for a milestone recognition and an ovation in some cities.


An interesting wrinkle: the Giants didn’t hit a home run in three games against the Dodgers and it marked just the second time all season that they failed to homer in three consecutive games. (The other time came at Nationals Park, which involved a pair of seven-inning doubleheader games.) Yet they still knocked around Price while taking two of three from the team with the second-best record in the league.


The lesson, as it pertains to Price, might be that you never know what the ramifications of a major trade could be down the line. Scherzer and Turner would no doubt make the Dodgers more formidable. But how detrimental would that trade be to the Giants, really? And would it be more problematic if they went to San Diego? Consider that the Giants have three more games remaining against the Dodgers. They’ll play 10 of their final 19 games against the Padres.


Make no mistake: the Giants have areas where they can and should improve the roster prior to the trade deadline. Solano has run out of Marco Scutaro pixie dust while becoming something nearer to a liability on both sides of the ball. Alex Dickerson hasn’t gotten on one of his scorching runs that makes the downturns palatable. LaMonte Wade Jr., despite getting his first career hit off a lefty (breaking an 0-for-31), shouldn’t be starting against them.


Brandon Belt, who is beginning a rehab assignment, is optimistic that he’ll be back within a week. But Evan Longoria’s return is looking a lot less certain and Tommy La Stella has been out so long, it would be foolish to count on him making an impact this season.


There’s no question a bat like Kris Bryant who can play third base and left field would make an impact. There’s no question a game-shortening reliever like Craig Kimbrel or the Nationals’ Daniel Hudson would increase their bullpen depth. There’s no question an experienced swingman like Kenta Maeda would make their pitching staff better. There’s no question that trading for someone like Trevor Story, and sticking him at second base, would plug up the only defensive gash on the diamond while adding a dangerous right-handed bat.


And because August waiver deals are a thing of the past, and this is still the oldest position player core in the majors, the Giants should be proactive to cover the areas where they lack depth. There’s still a lot of baseball to be played and a lot of potential pitfalls along the way.


For now, maybe Crawford should have the last word here.


“I think we’re in a pretty good position,” he said. “First place is a good position to be in.”

 

[tzill]

apparently, we are closing in on Story and/or Bryant.

 

[LHG]

 

[filosofy29]

Dodger deal is official.

 

[stanford the manford]

Here's the Athletic with some nice stuff on Cueto, and what we should be doing to improve the team:




The trade deadline is a time for tortured shopping metaphors: there are markets and sweepstakes, bargains and splurges, minor purchases and mega-hauls.


But while Giants president Farhan Zaidi thumbed his text threads to acquire any number of players who could fortify his roster (Kris Bryant? Craig Kimbrel? Trevor Story?), right-hander Johnny Cueto pledged himself to a literal shopping spree. With left-hander Jarlín García getting the goods.


“I think I’m going to buy him a bottle of wine,” said Cueto, “and yeah, he’s earned himself some shoes from Louis Vuitton.”


Cueto’s generosity usually doesn’t require returning a favor, even when international luxury brands are involved. He is known to take rookies shopping for swanky luggage or their first travel suit. When he spent most of a summer rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, his rental home in Arizona became the weekend barbecue spot where young and idled prospects, mostly from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela who were awaiting the start of short-season leagues, could listen to music and feast like kings. It was a reward for a week of punishing workouts in the gym — workouts that Cueto directed, supervised and pushed them through, of course.


With the Giants this season, García became one of the players who fell under Cueto’s guidance. And yes, that included a shopping excursion or two on road trips.


“Johnny … is like my dad, he’s like my mentor,” García said with the help of Spanish interpreter Erwin Higueros. “He’s the one who keeps giving me advice on what to do, how to work out, how to stay healthy, how to use my pitches. I mean, he’s been the greatest. I have no words how to explain what he has meant to me, and how he has taken me under his arm.”


And on Thursday, García paid it forward. He replaced Cueto with two outs and the bases loaded in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Three pitches and one roundhouse-punch reaction later, García struck out Cody Bellinger to preserve a four-run lead. The bullpen was untouchable the rest of the way as the Giants won 5-0 to take two of three from the Dodgers and extend their NL West lead to three games.


Against the Dodgers, you could say the Giants have receipts.


They have beaten them in five of their last seven meetings. They are 8-8 in the season series. They’ve held off every charge while retaining the top spot in the NL West since May 31. They’ve even reached over the fence to turn a walk-off loss into an eventual victory — a highlight that got replayed a time or three on Thursday because the guy who robbed Albert Pujols at Dodger Stadium back on May 30, Mike Tauchman, was designated for assignment.


The trade deadline is the monster of the moment, as you’re aware, and you probably won’t know the full extent of it while you’re reading this. The landscape is changing by the minute. Max Scherzer was going to San Diego at the top of the hour, then by half-past, he was going to the Dodgers. Along with Trea Turner, too. That mega-deal appears to be on its way to completion. No matter what transpires by 1 p.m. PDT on Friday, though, remember that the Giants entered this roster run-up as the hunted team. While the industry and fans wait for them to count for the Dodgers, remember that the Dodgers are making bold strokes to counter what their archrivals continue to do on the field. That has to count for something.


Cueto provided a reminder on Thursday: even though he’s no longer seen as an ace or No. 2 or even a No. 3 starter, he’s always been a pitcher who is at his best when the lights are the brightest. He was facing the Dodgers for the first time this season and took a carving knife to the mound, holding them to four hits and working the fringes of the strike zone and hitting 95 mph. He made Max Muncy look as bad as the Giants had seen him all season. Cueto looked like the kind of pitcher who could match up with anyone in a postseason start.


“It was Johnny’s best outing in a long time,” Kapler said. “His stuff was especially crisp. His timing mechanisms, his ability to upset the rhythm and the timing of the opposing hitters, was important. He had really good body control today. … And the fastball was as good as we’ve seen it in a long time.”


If not for a booted ball at second base from Donovan Solano, who minimized a double-play grounder into a forceout at second base, Cueto undoubtedly would have worked deeper into the game. The grounder should have ended the sixth inning and instead it cost Cueto a dozen more pitches, including 10 stressful ones to Justin Turner, who worked a two-out walk to load the bases.


Giants manager Gabe Kapler jogged to the mound, which usually signals his intent to give a starter a pep talk rather than a pat on the back. But after a brief conversation, Kapler pointed for García.


“I think Johnny would have stayed in there, I think he wanted to stay in there, and in many ways I thought he earned the right to stay in there,” said Kapler of Cueto, who was at an otherwise manageable 77 pitches. “I just felt like it was the right time to go to García, who has been so good, and not put Johnny in a position where another long at-bat could have had him running out of gas. I really do feel like there was some degree of emptying the tank in that at-bat against Turner.”


Every decision is a study in alternatives, and García was as solid as a left-on-left matchup can get. He had a 1.42 ERA over his previous 23 outings and had held lefties to two hits in 40 at-bats dating to May 22. His 31 percent strikeout rate is the highest of his career.


“When I was having problems, I did talk to (Cueto) to be a little bit more consistent, to keep focus and to use the sinker a little bit more,” García said. “That’s what I’ve been doing lately.”


The Giants took control early against David Price, a high-salaried attachment in the Mookie Betts deal. Austin Slater sprayed singles. Wilmer Flores had two hits. Brandon Crawford’s first plate appearance after being activated from the injured list came with the bases loaded and two out in the first inning, and he chopped a two-run double down the third base line. It had to be a sweet feeling for Crawford, who lamented that he’d miss six of seven games against the Dodgers while taking a 10-day pause to let a mild oblique strain run its course.


It was also the 250th double of his career. That’s cause to stop the game for a milestone recognition and an ovation in some cities.


An interesting wrinkle: the Giants didn’t hit a home run in three games against the Dodgers and it marked just the second time all season that they failed to homer in three consecutive games. (The other time came at Nationals Park, which involved a pair of seven-inning doubleheader games.) Yet they still knocked around Price while taking two of three from the team with the second-best record in the league.


The lesson, as it pertains to Price, might be that you never know what the ramifications of a major trade could be down the line. Scherzer and Turner would no doubt make the Dodgers more formidable. But how detrimental would that trade be to the Giants, really? And would it be more problematic if they went to San Diego? Consider that the Giants have three more games remaining against the Dodgers. They’ll play 10 of their final 19 games against the Padres.


Make no mistake: the Giants have areas where they can and should improve the roster prior to the trade deadline. Solano has run out of Marco Scutaro pixie dust while becoming something nearer to a liability on both sides of the ball. Alex Dickerson hasn’t gotten on one of his scorching runs that makes the downturns palatable. LaMonte Wade Jr., despite getting his first career hit off a lefty (breaking an 0-for-31), shouldn’t be starting against them.


Brandon Belt, who is beginning a rehab assignment, is optimistic that he’ll be back within a week. But Evan Longoria’s return is looking a lot less certain and Tommy La Stella has been out so long, it would be foolish to count on him making an impact this season.


There’s no question a bat like Kris Bryant who can play third base and left field would make an impact. There’s no question a game-shortening reliever like Craig Kimbrel or the Nationals’ Daniel Hudson would increase their bullpen depth. There’s no question an experienced swingman like Kenta Maeda would make their pitching staff better. There’s no question that trading for someone like Trevor Story, and sticking him at second base, would plug up the only defensive gash on the diamond while adding a dangerous right-handed bat.


And because August waiver deals are a thing of the past, and this is still the oldest position player core in the majors, the Giants should be proactive to cover the areas where they lack depth. There’s still a lot of baseball to be played and a lot of potential pitfalls along the way.


For now, maybe Crawford should have the last word here.


“I think we’re in a pretty good position,” he said. “First place is a good position to be in.”

I was at the game yesterday. Cueto lights up the stadium more than any Giant in recent memory. He was nails at the plate

 

[LHG]

apparently, we are closing in on Story and/or Bryant.

Oh joy, a shortstop with a .712 OPS who plays his home games in Coors Field. Just what the team needs.

 

[msgkings322]

I was at the game yesterday. Cueto lights up the stadium more than any Giant in recent memory. He was nails at the plate

Yep, easily the most entertaining pitcher since Timmy. I hope they find a way to keep him for a couple more years at a reasonable price.

 

[LHG]

FZ needs to look into this: