The Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets and Tampa Bay Rays seem to be top contenders in a deal for Casey Blake
Andy LaRoche a future Indian?--photo courtesy of WallyG/flickr
Pirates GM Neal Huntington may be helping the Indians, and not even know it. Xavier Nady is one of the most talked about names in baseball right now. Several teams are out hunting for a right-handed bat to play in their outfield, and Nady is at the top of everyone’s list. Huntington, taking note of former mentor Mark Shapiro, isn’t about to let his guy, Xavier Nady, go cheaply. It’s believed that Huntington is asking for a minimum of two top prospects for Nady, who’s having a career year. Both the Mets and the Rays seem to be interested. Huntington is believed to be playing hard ball.
Enter Casey Blake.
Mark Shapiro seems to be playing coy with Blake on the open market, which is quite the opposite approach that Shapiro took with ace, CC Sabathia. With Blake, Shapiro is biding his time. Inevitably, every team that Huntington seems to be asking more from, comes knocking on Shapiro’s door.
The Mets and Rays would be looking at Blake to play in the outfield. Blake, who has virtually lived at third and first base over the past season-and-a-half, doesn’t appear to be an ideal fit for either team. What things seem like, and their reality are two totally different things.
The Rays have all the talent in the world, that isn’t the question. They surely wouldn’t be dealing for Blake to get more talented. Yes, he would add a decent right-handed stick that they desperately need, but his biggest role has more to do with Blake as a person, then Blake as a player. As I watched the Rays play the Indians before the All-Star break, it was evident to all that watched that they lacked one key piece to the puzzle. The Rays lack the veteran leadership that the Indians were able to garner from players like Eddie Murray, Orel Hershiser and Dennis Martinez in the mid-90’s. No, Blake isn’t the caliber of those players over his career, but you certainly could make parallels to them at this stage in their careers. As to who the Tribe would go after in a deal to the Rays, you could take your pick of top prospects from single A to triple A. My best guess is that they would be looking for pitching help if there was a deal consummated with Tampa, since their depth there is second to none. It’s hard for me to believe that Cleveland isn’t looking for top notch hitting, which leads me to believe that Tampa isn’t Shapiro’s first choice.
The Mets may be even a bigger stretch. Omar Minaya has expressed interest in Blake, and is believed to have talked to Shapiro several times about the Tribe’s multi-purpose player. The Mets do need his right-handed stick, but are not a team that is in need of a presence. Of course, you could make a case that they are just the opposite, after last season’s collapse, and this year’s struggles earlier in the season. That said, the Mets are one of the hottest teams in baseball. Nady has also played in New York, and is another player that Minaya covets. What I’m not sure is what the Indians would get from the Mets. They’d love the Mets’ top prospect, Fernando Martinez, but it’s considerably doubtful that they’ll get him for Blake. Past that, I’m not sure there’s anyone interesting enough for the Indians to bite. There’s been talk of infielder Dan Murphy, and closer Eddie Kunz, but Murphy has really come out of nowhere, and Kunz seems to be dropping a bit in the eyes of some scouts. Of course, these guys are on paper, so who knows.
The team that intrigues me the most are the Los Angeles Dodgers. Over the weekend, Dodgers GM, Ned Colletti stated that he was still looking for a shortstop, and now a third baseman. With all the focus being on a possible Jhonny Peralta deal to the Dodgers (at least here), Colletti has opened the door to possibly signing Blake, and/or Peralta. I could see a case that would have the Indians dealing both Peralta and Blake to the Dodgers, but their asking price is likely to be high. It’s believed that Colletti is willing to part with Andy LaRoche for a player of Blake’s ability. What Colletti isn’t willing to give up is the player that Shapiro likely covets most: Matt Kemp. The question then becomes how valuable does Mark Shapiro believe that LaRoche is?
For those that don’t know LaRoche, he’s the son of former major leaguer Dave LaRoche, and the brother of Pirates’ first baseman Adam LaRoche. He also happens to be one of the brightest third base prospects in baseball. In the minors, LaRoche is a career .294 hitter, with 96 homers, and 331 RBI. He has struggled in the majors, which may give Shapiro some pause, but he’s only played in 55 games total. Still, his .212 average, and lack of power (only three homers) could give Shapiro visions of Andy Marte. That also isn’t taking into account Wes Hodges, who is flying up the Tribe prospect charts at third base, and could be a factor as soon as next season.
Who is the best fit for the Indians? It’s hard to say. Likely, the Tribe will have to wait out the likes of Nady, fellow Pirate Jason Bay, and Seattle Raul Ibanez, who all seem to be at the top of the list of several clubs. Still, if GMs like Neal Huntington continue to ask for the moon for parts that aren’t worth it, Casey Blake may become the jewel in the eyes of several teams.
For those counting at home, the Cleveland Indians have currently won seven out of their past eight games. Yesterday, the Tribe was led by three-homer power barrage in beating the Angels 5-2. Andy Marte (!!!) hit his second homer of the year, Casey Blake (watching Rays, Mets, Dodgers, Twins?) hit his 11th, and Jhonny Peralta (Um, can he get any hotter) hit his 17th. Cleveland is now 44-54, and was finally out of last place in the Central, although Kansas City won tonight and is ahead by a thousandth of a point (.450 to .449). Cleveland is currently down 3-2 to the Angels in the fifth inning.
One other note is that the pen looked solid again. Rafael Perez had an extended outing, going 2 2/3 innings. He gave up only a hit, which happened to be a solo homer to Howie Kendrick. He came in with two on, and one out in the sixth, and got out of the inning thanks to a double-play ball. He continues to look like the Perez of 2007. Masa Kobayashi looked better, striking out the side in the ninth, for his sixth save.
Could the pen be rebounding?
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008 at 10:07 pm and is filed under Mark Shapiro, Tampa Bay Rays, James Pete, Ned Colletti, Neal Huntington, Masa Kobayashi, Orel Hershiser, Dan Murphy, Dave LaRoche, Dennis Martinez, Eddie Murray, Eddie Kunz, Rafael Perez, Casey Blake, Xavier Nady, Andy LaRoche, Jason Bay, New York Mets, Howie Kendrick, Andy Marte, Los Angeles Dodgers, Fernando Martinez, Matt Kemp, C.C. Sabathia, Omar Minaya, Cleveland Indians, Adam LaRoche.
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12 Responses to “The Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets and Tampa Bay Rays seem to be top contenders in a deal for Casey Blake”
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:36 am
The Indians need to be looking to replenish the pitching depth of their organization, which leads me to think that Shapiro needs to be talking to the Rays prominently. We have all seen that our pitching in the minors has gone from promising outlook to somewhat bleak and injury prone. I would like to see the Indians get a future 2-3 starter and another strong relief arm for a guy like Blake. While it would be nice to get an elite prospect for Blake, I think Shapiro should be looking to bolster the depth. If we could get a solid, not spectacular, pitching prospect and another solid bullpen arm, we could have another really great young group of core players ready to play next year.
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:13 am
You think CB could really pull in that much? A future number 2 starter, I would say, isn’t too far away from being considered an “elite” prospect, and to throw an additional reliever who will contribute next year … I mean, Casey Blake is far and away my favorite player of this team, but I think that sounds like too much for a 35-year-old who is nothing more than a solid, if unspectacular, ballplayer. Maybe I’m wrong. If I am, that would be an awesome return for him. But I think that most of the time we overvalue our chips, as fans.
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:22 am
I recently read that the Yankees are somewhat interested in Blake. If so, is it too far fetched to consider getting OF Austin Jackson in return?
Also, the Marlins are holding 3B ex-phenom Dallas McPherson in reserve in AAA and he is absolutely raking, on pace for 40 dingers. He’s always had talent but never remained healthy.
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:29 am
I really don’t see any interest in LaRoche by the Tribe. He is the Dodgers’ Marte. If they deal with LA I’d rather see them do one of two things — first, deal Blake only or with one prospect (Ed Mujica type) for Jonathan Broxton who may soon be closer material. Second, send Blake or Peralta along with Jeremy Sowers, Marte, etc. in some kind of attractive package to obtain SP Clayton Kershaw.
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:19 am
I have to agree with JB on this one. We might be placing too much value on Blake in the trade market. He’s the type of player everyone likes to have but doesn’t want to trade much for.
The Yanks just added Richie Sexson (for better or worse) so they have a RH off the bench now who can play first (I think they have about 10 1B possibilitis now). So I don’t know if that reduces their interest in Blake. Their outfield is suddenly thin due to injuries, so that might be their source of interest.
The Dodgers don’t need Sowers for any reason and they already have a Marte (as was mentioned), so I don’t see them trading a potential closer for a package of that type.
It would be interesting to see what a package of Peralta and Blake would bring.
I’ll be happy if the get a solid reliever for him from somebody, especially if he comes back to Cle. as a free agent in the winter.
We have so many question marks and allegedly so little money, he’d be a good guy to have back because of his versatility in plugging whichever holes remain by Opening Day 2009.
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:55 am
Peralta and Blake together could bring back something decent for sure — but part of that “something” had better be a shortstop or a third baseman because the left side of our infield would be pretty strikingly bare should we trade away our starting SS and 3B! And, again, I’m not counting Cabrera yet. Though he did pick up a couple of knocks last night.
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:14 am
Oh, and are we sure on all this? that there is talk of Dan Murphy and Eddie Kunz being possible candidates for a Casey Blake trade? Or that Shapiro most covets Matt Kemp? Maybe I misunderstood, but are those facts? Because I haven’t been able to find anything on the record that pairs any names with Casey Blake.
And Halifax, I agree, LaRoche is so far down my wish list that he’s, well, not really on my wishlist. If I were Shapiro, I’d definitely pass on a deal involving him.
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:26 pm
I may have been the source of the Murphy/Kunz for Blake rumor. Both names have been floated on various Met-related sites, though not necessarily in connection with Blake. And yet, it doesn’t require much imagination to come up with them, since they’re among the premier members of the second-tier club (behind Martinez and Niese). Martinez and Niese would only go, I believe, for a bigger bat under control through at least 09, not just for a “rental” like Blake.
James: Your analysis seems pretty sound. But I have to believe that since Blake is a rental, and a good-though-not-great talent, that Minaya and Shapiro ought to be able to find common ground, either in quantity or quality of prospects. Which is why I proposed, say, Murphy and Dylan Owen (2007 Short-Season A Pitcher of the Year), who’s now doing fairly well in A+.
But we all have to guard against the all-too-human tendency to rate our own team’s prospects as valuable trading chips to other GMs.
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:45 pm
I am definitely over valuing Blake’s value, but thats also what a team will do if somehow a bidding war starts. I should have said a middle of the rotation starter prospect. Those are the guys you don’t really here a whole lot about until they come up and start pitching (Joe Saunders, Dana Eveland, Greg Smith, Jake Westbrook, etc….). My point is that it would be more beneficial to the Indians to trade for two or three average pitching prospects than for one guy who we think could be another star. I really worry about the depth in the organization, not just the major league level either.
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:46 pm
I do have to imagine the closer we get to the deadline (which is only a week and a half away) Blake’s value will receive a boost.
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:52 pm
and when I speak of dealing a package of Blake, Peralta, Marte, etc. I mean whomever works for them, I don’t really care because at this juncture I’m not emotionally attached to keeping anyone except Grady, who better only be traded if Harvey Kuehn (whatever) is available. The team is so devoid of greatness and crawling with mediocre role players that it really doesn’t matter much. If somebody wants something, take it!
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:42 pm
We made that trade once - Harvey Kuenn for Rocky Colavito.
I think we’re STILL paying for that one.
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