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The Moose Moves to Milwaukee - Mike Moustakas Joins the Brewers

7/28/2018

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by Richard Rowell, Sports Break
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The 2018 Major League Baseball trade deadline will be remembered for just how many selling teams there were, and the various prices that were paid for "rental" players. By rental players, we mean players with contracts that are expiring at the end of the season. Of the many "rental" transactions we've seen, the trade of third baseman Mike Moustakas to the Milwaukee Brewers may be one of the most interesting.

The "Moose" on the move!

Mike Moustakas was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers by the Kansas City Royals late on July 27, 2018. The return was outfielder Brett Phillips and right-handed pitcher Jorge Lopez. What's interesting about the return is unlike many other rental trades, these are not minor leaguers with upside, but rather once highly-thought of prospects that have already graduated to the Major League level. Of course, neither Phillips or Lopez has lived up to their billing.

The "Moose" has had a fairly good season for the Royals, even though he has a rather ugly batting average and an on-base percentage around .300. His power output is about what we've come to expect and his defense at third base is solid if not spectacular. His baserunning has been dismal, but not unexpected. But, on only a $5.5 million contract for the season, plus a $1 million buyout on a mutual option that will quite likely be declined by the player, the Brewers are assuming minimal financial risk.

BUT, don't the Brewers have a third baseman?

Before we get to the return for the Royals, which is quite interesting itself, let's talk about the implications of the Brewers acquiring Moustakas. The power of Moose's bat is quite welcome. The issue is that the Brewers already have a fine third baseman in Travis Shaw. Of course, Shaw can reliably handle first base as well, but the Brewers have a fine first baseman already in Jesus Aguilar. So, where do all the pieces fit?

The trouble with the Brewers is second base. They've gotten well-below average production from the position in 2018, with Jonathan Villar leading the way as a below-average hitter. But it's highly unlikely you would see Moose playing second base. That leaves only Travis Shaw to be on the move to the keystone. While Shaw isn't your typical second baseman, he's shown defensive versatility in the past. So, we'll see how the Brewers' creativity works out. As a team trying to win the National League Central, solidifying their power output at the cost of a few potential runs on defense seems like a good trade-off, especially as Moose is fine at the hot corner.

We'll see how Shaw actually fares at second for the rest of 2018. But, on paper, this is a move the Brewers really needed to make.

What About the Guys the Royals Got?

Once a top prospect, Brett Phillips did fine in his first MLB action in 2017. But in 2018, he's struggled. He's even been below average at AAA with the bat. He's fine defensively, though, actually above-average. He had 8 Defensive Runs Saved in only about 200 innings in the outfield in 2017, and 2 DRS in only 42 innings in 2018. So, if he hits anywhere near league average, he's going to be a useful outfielder for the Royals. He's still only 24 and has years of control left.

Jorge Lopez has shown potential in the past, although like Phillips, he's had a down 2018 with only a few appearances in the Majors. But this is a guy who throws in the mid-90's with his fastball, has a good curveball, and a serviceable change-up. Whether he becomes a fourth or fifth starter or just a middle reliever for the Royals remains to be  seen, but he needs to get the walks under control.

Really, if the Royals end up with a fourth outfielder and a middle reliever for two months of Moustakas, they made out pretty well. The Moose gets to be in a pennant race and potentially set himself up for a nice contract in the offseason.

For the Royals, they shed a few dollars in payroll and receive two players that can play on the Major League team right now. Phillips could still be a starting outfielder and Jorge Lopez could still be a useful pitcher for them. The Brewers weren't really going to miss them, but when you're a team that's doing as poorly as the Royals, any controllable reinforcements are always welcome.

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Reaction to Austin Jackson and Cory Gearrin Trade - MLB

7/9/2018

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by Richard Rowell, Sports Break
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So, the San Francisco Giants dumped Austin Jackson and his relatively small salary on the Texas Rangers. As bad as he's been, the only things I see different this year are he's not hitting as much to the opposite field and his contact rates are a lot lower than normal for him despite a high batting average on balls in play.  I really think there's a lot of bounce back potential here if he just starts going the other way more again. He was plenty useful for the Indians in 2017. It seems that the Rangers plan to flip Jackson, though.

Along with Jackson, Cory Gearrin also came to the Rangers in a clearly money-motivated move. Gearrin was excellent in 2017, but he's gone backwards this year. His strikeout and walk rates are actually better, but he's given up a lot of home runs this year. The obvious thing is that he's not getting enough groundballs, only 34% this year VS a 50% career rate. That may be all he needs to regain past form.

It's not a bad move for either team, as the Giants have two guys that can immediately take those roster spots and the Rangers get some bounceback candidates, one of which they're probably going to flip immediately. They also got a minor leaguer in the deal, too.
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My Mid-Season Thoughts on the 2018 Boston Red Sox

7/8/2018

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by Richard Rowell; Co-owner of Brand Shamans & Write W.A.V.E. Media
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It’s been a hectic 2018 for me, so my MLB watching has been limited to merely checking on the latest Red Sox scores and glancing at the standings. But with 61 wins in their first 90 games, they are the best team in Major League Baseball, two games ahead of the powerful Yankees in the American League East. I wanted to take some time to reflect on what’s clearly been a great season for the Red Sox, something I fully expected.

The Good

Obviously, JD Martinez has been one of the best free agent signings in Red Sox history. This guy was available for nothing just a few years ago when Detroit picked him up. The Red Sox did have interest, and oh boy, did they miss out on him! They made up for their mistake, though, and he’s responded with 27 HRS and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) over 1.000 through 85 games. You couldn’t ask for better!

Mookie Betts is having his breakout year in 2018. With 22 HRs and 16 SBs through just 70 games, he’s on pace for a 40-40 season. It seems his becoming a perennial 30-30 player that I always thought he could be is finally being realized.

The big two have been supplemented by three other great bats in the lineup: Mitch Moreland at first base, Xander Bogaerts at shortstop and Andrew Benintendi in left field. Moreland seemed like the safe choice for the Sox in the offseason, but I felt he was better than throwing a pile of money at Eric Hosmer. Moreland loved Boston and after a solid, underrated 2017, he’s responded to a bargain two-year contract in a big way.

A lot of people were down on Xander, but I always believed in him, and so did Alex Cora. He’s not setting the world on fire, but his power’s back. Rumored to be part of a potential trade for Giancarlo Stanton in the offseason, it turns out he’s been just as valuable to the Sox as Stanton has been to the Yankees.

Benintendi really isn’t a surprise. He’s realizing the potential most baseball fans expected from him. His speed and power combination is much like Betts. He’s what Betts is except batting and throwing from the left side.

Also, Brock Holt has reemerged as a super-utility man for the Sox. His doubles power and high on-base percentage has once again helped the Sox immensely.

Sandy Leon continues to be a really solid catcher, too, and consistently better on offense than Christian Vazquez.

On the pitching side, the bullpen has been excellent. Craig Kimbrel is back to looking like a Hall-of-Fame closer again.  Matt Barnes and Hector Velasquez have been solid. Brandon Workman and Bobby Poyner have been good when they’re in there. Joe Kelly and Heath Hembree have been effective.

Chris Sale has been his usual awesome self and Rick Porcello has been a solid #2 starter. Eduardo Rodriguez has regained his previous form and is a really strong #3 starter.



The Bad

Dustin Pedroia has been in a total of 3 games for the 2018 Sox. That’s not good. If they get anything out of him this season, it will be a welcome sight.

David Price is having a really mediocre 2018, although he hasn’t actually been BAD. For his contract, though, he’s continuing to be a major disappointment. Drew Pomeranz fell apart after a great 2017, although with his history of arm troubles, it’s not a huge surprise. Tyler Thornburg, the guy the Sox gave up Travis Shaw for, has been a lost cause.

Speaking of Travis Shaw, the Sox would love to have him back. That’s not to say that Rafael Devers has been terrible, but he hasn’t exactly been good. The power is there, but the plate discipline is not. He’s also well below average with the glove, which we already knew. Shaw isn’t having the monster year he did in 2017, but his glove is a lot better and his on-base skills are more consistent.

Eduardo Nunez has been horrible. That’s not the end of the world, and he can still turn things around. Jackie Bradley Jr. is hitting below .200 but his above-average glove keeps him in the lineup… so all is not lost.

Also, Sam Travis, Tzu-Wei Lin, and Blake Swihart have all been disappointments in the Major Leagues so far.


Up and Coming

Remember Mike Olt? He’s tearing it up at AAA Pawtucket! The former Texas prospect can hit. Also, long-time minor league catcher Mike Ohlman is showing his on-base and power skills. The pitching staff at Pawtucket is surprisingly good. We’ve seen a little bit of William Cuevas, but Jalen Beeks is the clear ace of that staff. Justin Haley and Chandler Shepherd look like solid arms, too. There are a few guys at AA Portland that are tearing things up, too, especially Cole Sturgeon.


Honestly, the 2018 Red Sox look like they should be winning the American League East unless the Yankees have anything to say about it. Any improvement from Price or the Sox role players would be a boost to an already very strong team. We’ll see how the 2018 regular season ends up. But it’s been a great year.

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