In this week’s edition of Blue Jays Central: Ask the Insiders, they are asked about what they think Jose Bautista would be worth if the Jays decided to trade their star slugger and whether it makes sense to solve their hole in left field by putting Anthony Gose in centre and moving Colby Rasmus to left.
Kyle asks: I enjoy hearing the debates on radio about the merits of possibly trading Jose Bautista in the offseason. IF they were to entertain the idea, what sort of package would be a realistic return given his stats, his contract, and the needs of the Blue Jays?
Buck Martinez: Kyle, Jose Bautista would net a big package like the Rangers got for Mark Teixeira a few years ago. Jose’s contract is very team friendly and his skills are top shelf. The Rangers got Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz, Matt Harrison, Beau Jones and Jarrod Saltalamacchia for Teixeira and Ron Mahay. Feliz, Andrus and Harrison became all-stars. Feliz was rookie of the year. You have to do your homework. Feliz and Andrus were A-ball players. Mel Didier was with the Rangers at that time and helped identify the young talent they would ask for in the Teixeira deal. Moving Bautista would be tough, but if you knew the players you were getting and you got four good players in return it might be time to pull the trigger.
Mike Wilner: It would have to be a pretty massive return, Kyle, since Bautista brings so much from both an offensive and defensive perspective and his contract is so team-friendly. I’ve often said I’ll trade anyone if it makes the team better, but that’s tough to do with Bautista. There’s no ready bat to replace him, so you’d need to get back a middle of the order guy who gets on base and hits for power. With that, you’re just treading water, so you’d also need to get a big-time starting pitcher or a solid second baseman or catcher in order to make the trade worthwhile.
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Rob asks: If Anthony Gose’s solid defence holds up could you see the Jays solving their left field hole by moving Colby Rasmus to left and putting Gose in centre? Seems like Gose has the better arm/range.
Buck Martinez: They both have good arms but don’t throw enough to take advantage of their arm strength. As for moving Rasmus to left that could be a remedy, but Gose needs to show more with the bat. If he doesn’t get on what good is his speed? It is too bad Rasmus was hurt and couldn’t finish up strong. Now the Jays go into next season wondering if Colby can put together a full season. They are so many questions surrounding this club entering September, I don’t know how you fix it.
Mike Wilner: Rob, the first thing the Blue Jays are going to have to do is figure out how and if Melky Cabrera fits, because you really can’t put him anywhere else but in left field. If they can get someone to take him off their hands, moving Rasmus to left and using Gose in centre isn’t a bad plan – Gose’s defense and speed make him worth playing even if he never winds up becoming a solid hitter. But you can’t have too many holes in the line-up, and using Gose everyday means there need to be better bats at second base and behind the plate.
Erica asks: I think one of the reasons behind the weakness in the starting pitching this season has been leadership behind the plate. Would you see a veteran like A.J. Pierzynski being a good fit in terms of leading the pitching staff as well as someone who brings the nasty attitude and winning culture the team could use? He’d also be a pretty good mentor for A.J. Jimenez.
Buck Martinez: Erica are you sure you aren’t a baseball executive? You have hit it right on the nose. There are only a handful of great defensive leaders behind the plate along the lines of Bob Boone, Gary Carter, Jim Sundberg, Pierzynski, Yadier Molina, Matt Wieters and Buster Posey. Keep your eye on Salvador Perez of the Royals. He has the skill set and the attitude to take the reins of the pitching staff and make it his. Catchers have to show confidence and conviction to what they are doing behind the dish and he is a rising star.
Gregg Zaun: Erica, I would love to see an upgrade at the catching position. Arencibia ranks near last in every category imaginable except homers. He’s a poor defender and his game calling is suspect and regressing. He is going to become expensive. I think a veteran like Pierzynski or Brian McCann would be a nice upgrade and possibly a mentor for Jimenez. The Jays will have to keep three catchers if Jimenez comes up because Thole is here to stay as long as Dickey is in the rotation.
Mike Wilner: I’m not a huge fan of A.J. Pierzynski, Erica, since his reputation isn’t one of being a guy that only his opponents love to hate. I don’t think a “nasty attitude” is necessary, and I find it hard to believe that successful veteran pitchers would allow themselves to be talked out of their game plan by a third-year catcher. Also not sure why you’re so sure he’d be a good mentor for Jimenez.
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John asks: It looks like a pretty interesting storyline in Los Angeles where the Dodgers management is trying to balance teaching Yasiel Puig some of the “old school” fundamentals, and benching him when he has lapses, but they also rely on his dynamic bat to win ballgames. How difficult a job is this for manager Don Mattingly?
Buck Martinez: This is a real challenge for Donnie Baseball, but he knows exactly how to do it. Saying, “Skip (Shumaker) gave us a better chance to win” is the right thing. Until you get your team to understand the only thing that matters is winning, you are banging your head against the wall. Players today think more about style than substance. The only way Puig can style is to be on the field. If Donnie takes him out and he sits on the bench, maybe he will understand there is way to get back in the spotlight — play hard all the time. The Dodgers are in a good spot for this to work, they have a lead and are headed to the post season plus they have Kemp on the doorstep to return with Andre Ethier and Carl Crawford to play in the outfield.
Puig can regain his spot in the lineup by showing the manager he will play hard and sound baseball. Believe me Mattingly and the coaches want Puig in the lineup, but they may be doing him a favour as they make this point. You may not remember, Bobby Cox took Andruw Jones off the field early in his career in Atlanta, Jones said it was the best thing that ever happened to him.
Gregg Zaun: John, it’s not that hard to be firm but fair. No matter how good the player is, you can’t let certain behavior stand. Puig needs to learn how to act like an adult major leaguer. Dodgers fans will thank Mattingly someday and so will his teammates.
Mike Wilner: John, it can’t be easy, because the tools are so overwhelming that the temptation for Mattingly is to ignore all the other stuff since Puig has the chance to be a game-changer every time he sets foot on the diamond. Having not experienced pro baseball in North America until this year, Puig has some issues to iron out. If Mattingly thinks the best way to help him do that is to sit him once in a while, that’s what he’ll do, albeit reluctantly.
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Mark asks: Awful news about the Mets and Matt Harvey’s injury. It seems like they did everything by the book in terms of limiting innings each year and gradually developing him. Do you think that this shows that there isn’t much to be done to prevent injuries in young pitchers and they should just be allowed to pitch and if injuries happen, they happen?
Buck Martinez: Mark I suggest you go to the New York Daily News and read an article written by Bill Madden. He spoke with Tom Seaver after the Harvey news broke. It is what we have all been saying for years. The pitchers are babied to the point of being fragile. The industry has put such a high value on pitching and rightly so, they are blinded by the pitch counts and innings limits. When you go back into the glory days of pitching in the 60s and 70s, pitchers routinely threw 300 innings and logged 35-40 starts in four man rotations. Were they in better physical condition? No way! They would pitch! They didn’t believe in weight training, it was pitch and run. Your legs are the most important part of your body to keep your arm strong. If you have strong legs you keep your delivery intact throughout the game. No fatigue, no flaws.
Many coaches today believe the pitchers don’t “pitch” enough in the minors because of pitch counts and innings limits so they never learn how to work when they tire, never face a hitter for a third at-bat, and never learn how to close out a game in the later innings. They are always on the bench watching after 75 pitches and four innings. When I first came up to the Kansas City Royals in 1969 the starters would throw batting practice to our hitters. I would catch them and the hitters would give them “feedback” on their pitches. I believe there will be an organization, in the next couple of years, that will go back to pitching kids deeper in games and pushing them harder and faster through the minor leagues. If you don’t challenge the good ones and allow them to learn from their struggles you will never see them reach their full potential.
Gregg Zaun: Mark, throw the so-called book out the window. They need to throw more and throw properly. Pitchers should be ready to go 200 innings when they get to the show. That means being patient and not rushing them to the bigs because they are doing so well in the minors. Think of it this way. Baseball is a marathon and you wouldn’t ask a sprinter to run 26.2 miles without first building up his stamina and range. That takes time. It takes patience. Pitchers experience more physical and mental stress with each pitch at the big league level. Let them build arm strength and physical maturity at the less stressful minor league level. Look at the Tampa Bay Rays model.
Mike Wilner: Mark, I hope we’re going to see a shift in attitude on this soon. It really does seem like no matter how careful teams are, no matter how much they baby pitchers, they break. Look at the Yankees with the Joba Rules, the Nationals with Stephen Strasburg, the Blue Jays with Drew Hutchison and now the Mets with Harvey. Pitching is an incredibly unnatural motion for the human body, and injuries are going to happen. I’m completely in favour of throwing to strengthen and starting to prepare guys to be able to throw 120 pitches every fifth day as soon as a team gets it hands on them. Players are bigger, stronger and more durable now than they ever have been, and it appears as though more of them are breaking down than ever before.