Kuzul

Yesterday I took a look at the July 31 trade deadline needs of the buyers in the National League East, so today I will look at the needs of the buyers in the National League Central.

Unlike the East, which had four teams as potential buyers, the Central only has two teams that should be buyers — the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals.

The Milwaukee Brewers are kind of hanging around, but unless they go on a tear in July, they shouldn’t be buyers. The Chicago Cubs are a mess and we all know the plight of the Houston Astros and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Here are the deadline needs for the Reds and Cardinals…

Wood could be a trade target for the Reds

Cincinnati Reds

Record: 48-36, first in the NL Central

Needs: OF, Starting Pitching, Bullpen

The Reds are one year ahead of schedule in my book. I had them competing for the division title next year and in the World Series in 2012. The Reds are finding success in 2010 thanks to a dynamic offense that leads the NL in runs scored.

While Jonny Gomes is having a career year in left and Drew Stubbs looks like he is coming around, I think the Reds could use another outfielder. The guy that comes to mind is David DeJesus (as you can tell recently, I am a big fan).

DeJesus could platoon with Gomes in right or fill in for Stubbs when he goes into a slump. Another Royal that comes to mind would be Scott Podsednik. He would fill that role as well.

The Reds are in a similar situation as the New York Mets are with Carlos Beltran. The Reds will be getting an All Star in the second half without giving up anyone. Edinson Volquez is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery in the minors and will return in the second half.

However, I do think the Reds need a front-line starter and a power righty in the pen to get them to the next level in 2010. With Arthur Rhodes having an All Star year and the eventual call up of Aroldis Chapman, the Reds should be set from the left side late in the game, but are severely lacking a right-handed bridge to get to Francisco Cordero.

Potential Targets: Cliff Lee, David DeJesus, Scott Podsednik, Kerry Wood, Matt Capps, Kyle Farnsworth, Joel Hanrahan.

St. Louis Cardinals

Record: 45-37, second in NL Central. Third in Wild Card

Needs: Starting Pitching, Second Base

The Cardinals are in a tough spot because they gave up a lot of prospects last year when they acquired Mark DeRosa and Matt Holliday. Outside of Shelby Miller and Daryl Jones, the Cardinals don’t have much left in their farm system. Acquiring a Cliff Lee or Dan Haren is going to be real hard for them.

However, the Cardinals don’t need another front line starter. They already have Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, so they need someone more reliable than Brad Penny or Kyle Lohse.

Jaime Garcia is pitching very well and could have been an All Star, but remember, he has never pitched more than 103 innings in professional baseball. Who knows how he is going to respond when he hits the 160-180 inning mark?

The days of Skippy Schumaker starting at second base for the Cardinals needs to come to an end like yesterday. Tony LaRussa loves this guy, but I am not sure why.

He is 30-years-old with zero upside and he can’t hit, hit for power, run, or field. So what exactly does he do well? I am sure he is a great clubhouse guy and could be a solid utility player, but he should no longer be starting.

The Cards would be wise to go out and get a second baseman who can give them anything.

Potential Targets: Cliff Lee, Dan Haren, Roy Oswalt, Kelly Johnson, Dan Uggla, Jake Westbrook.

Tomorrow we will cover the NL West and the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies, and San Francisco Giants.

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When I predicted Baltimore Orioles’ LHP Brian Matusz would win the American League Rookie of the Year award, I was envisioning starts like he had on Sunday against the Boston Red Sox.

Pitching on the worst team in baseball, Matusz’s successes have been few and far between in 2010, but on Sunday, he might have pitched his best game yet in the bigs.

Matusz gave up just two hits, while allowing no runs, walking three and striking out eight in seven solid innings of work.

The key to beating the Red Sox these days is to control the stars that they have left in the lineup. With Dustin Pedroia, Victor Martinez, and Jacoby Ellsbury on the DL, and with Mike Cameron day-to-day, the Red Sox have only so many guys who can beat you.

Matusz dominated the hitters who could have beaten him on Sunday. David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis, Adrian Beltre, and JD Drew were a combined 1-for-10 with two walks and five strikeouts against Matusz. He made Drew look especially foolish a couple of times.

And that brings me to another point as to why Matusz was able to dominate on Sunday—his ability to change speeds. I can’t tell you how many times Boston hitters were caught waving at an offspeed pitch down in the zone.

Matusz’s average fastball was around 91 mph yesterday, while his changeup and slider were thrown around 82 mph. That is some awesome speed differential. To give you a better idea of how well Matusz was changing speeds on his pitches, take a look at his pitch speed chart courtesy of PitchFX…

As you can see, there was a huge gap in speeds between his fastball and offspeed stuff. Nothing he threw was in the upper-80s. Either the pitch was in the low-90s or the low-80s. When a pitcher keeps hitters that off-balance throughout the game, he is going to be successful.

As I mentioned earlier, it’s been a rough year for Matusz. However, on Sunday he was at his very best.

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With the July 31 trade deadline quickly approaching, I thought it would be a good time to take a look at the teams who are considered buyers, what their needs are, and who they could possibly be targeting.

I am only concentrating on the teams that will be buyers, as there is no point in analyzing what a team like the Chicago Cubs might need because I really don’t have that kind of time.

We shall start in the National League East and work our way around the majors.

Atlanta Braves

Record: 48-35, first place in NL East

Needs: OF

The Braves have a rock solid starting rotation led by Tim Hudson, Derek Lowe, and Tommy Hanson. They also have a bullpen that is third in the NL in ERA at 3.30.

What the Braves need is another outfielder.

With Nate McLouth still suffering concussion-like symptoms, Jason Heyward hurting, and Melky Cabrera predictably being a replacement level player, the Braves really could use another bat in the outfield.

Eric Hinkse has been a good lineup filler, but Bobby Cox can’t expect him to hit .280 all year. He is a career .255 hitter.

The Braves have also added Willy Tavares for outfield depth, but as we all know he isn’t the answer either.

Potential Targets

Josh Willingham, David DeJesus, Aaron Rowand, Corey Hart, Jose Bautista.

New York Mets

Record: 46-35, second place in NL East. Lead Wild Card.

Needs: Starting Pitching, Setup Man

The Mets’ offense should be fine in the second half with the return of Carlos Beltran; It’s like the Mets are getting an All-Star caliber player without giving up anything. There bench should be strengthened with the return of Beltran because now either Angel Pagan or Jeff Francouer will be a fourth outfielder.

What the Mets need is another front-line starter to go along with Johan Santana and Mike Pelfrey. R.A. Dickey has been unbelievable, but I think everyone is just waiting for that other shoe to drop.

If the Mets can go into a playoff series with Santana, Pelfrey, and another ace, they will be in good shape.

The one pitcher I think would be a good fit for the Mets would be Shaun Marcum. His elbow injury is not serious, and he has No. 2 or 3 starter stuff when healthy. He won’t be as flashy of an acquisition as Cliff Lee or Dan Haren would be, but he can get the job done.

I also feel the Mets could use a better bridge to get to Francisco Rodriguez.

Bobby Parnell has been good since his return to the majors, but the Mets could use another power arm from the right or left side late in the game.

Potential Targets

Cliff Lee, Jake Westbrook, Kevin Millwood, Shaun Marcum, Joel Hanrahan, Jason Frasor, Octavio Dotel.

Philadelphia Phillies

Record: 42-38, third place in NL East. Fifth in Wild Card.

Needs: Infield, Starting Pitching, Bullpen

To quote the great Bull Hurley from Over the Top , the Phillies are in “a world of hurt.” They have so many needs right now that I don’t think they can fulfill them all at the trade deadline.

GM Ruben Amaro Jr. was so obsessed with Roy Halladay that he failed to realize that he didn’t make his team any better.

The Phillies have the same issue in 2010 that they have had the past two seasons—a lack of depth in the starting rotation.

Not only do the Phillies need starting rotation help, but they also need infield help thanks to the injuries to Chase Utley and Placido Polanco.

I don’t think they need a superstar to fill those voids, but someone like Ty Wigginton or Adam Kennedy will do.

The Phillies’ bullpen should get a boost with Ryan Madson scheduled to return after the All-Star break, but with Danys Baez struggling, they could use another arm in the pen.

Potential Targets

Cliff Lee, Dan Haren, Kevin Millwood, Shaun Marcum, Ty Wigginton, Adam Kennedy, Mike Lowell, Willie Bloomquist, Jose Lopez, Miguel Tejada, Kelly Johnson, Matt Capps, Octavio Dotel, Kerry Wood.

Florida Marlins

Record: 38-43, fourth in NL East. Seventh in Wild Card.

Needs: Bullpen, Defense

The Marlins should really be sellers, but they are so delusional sometimes that they will probably be buyers at the trade deadline.

The two things the Marlins need the most are bullpen help and anyone who can play defense.

Outside of closer Leo Nunez, who the Marlins stole from the Kansas City Royals in the Mike Jacobs trade, and setup man Clay Hensley, the Marlins bullpen is a mess.

Anytime a team has to resort to giving Armando Benitez a shot, you know they are in trouble.

I put defense on here because if you have ever watched the Marlins play, their defense is a joke.

If the Marlins can find players who can actually play defense, it will help their young pitching staff out now and in the future.

Potential Targets

Jason Frasor, Scott Downs, Todd Coffey.

Tomorrow we will take a look at the NL Central buyers market.

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In my “10 things we learned about baseball in June” post, I referred to June as the “Month of the Injury.” In June we saw star players such as Dustin Pedroia, Victor Martinez, Chase Utley, and Jason Heyward, amongst others, hit the disabled list.

Now it looks like July is picking up right where June left off. Though the first four days we have seen a lot of quality players hit the DL. Let’s take a look.

Manny Ramirez, Los Angeles Dodgers – Ramirez was placed on the 15-day DL because of a strained right hamstring. Manny has suffered through an injury-plagued year, only appearing in 59 games for the Dodgers, but when he has been in the lineup he has produced. Ramirez is hitting .322/.412/.525 this season, with eight home runs in 183 ABs.

Dallas Braden, Oakland A’s. Call it the curse of the perfect game. Since his perfecto on May 9 against the Tampa Bay Rays, Braden is 0-5 with a 4.31 ERA, and teams are hitting .304 against him.

Now Braden was placed on the 15-day DL by the A’s due to a sore pitching elbow. I will try to be optimistic, but I am guessing Braden will be paying a visit to Dr. James Andrews in the near future.

Braden has been shut down until after the All Star break.

Will Venable, San Diego Padres . Venable, the son of former Cincinnati Reds and classic ’80s player Max Venable, has been a solid player for the Padres this season. He is second on the team in RBI with 32 and third in OPS with a .730 mark.

He has been placed on the 15-day DL because of a lower back stiffness. The move is retroactive to July 2. The Padres will replace Venable on the roster with Aaron Cunningham, who they received from the A’s in the Kevin Kouzmanoff trade.

Shaun Marcum, Toronto Blue Jays . After missing all of 2009 because of injury, Marcum has really had a solid start to the 2010 season. He is 7-4 with a 3.44 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP.

Marcum was cruising along and then he got roughed up by the Cleveland Indians after his last start (five runs and five hits in four IP). After the game, Marcum was placed on the 15-day DL with elbow inflammation.

An MRI showed no structural damage and he should only miss one or two starts. Expect him back after the All Star break.

Ryan Ludwick, St. Louis Cardinals. At .273 with 11 HR and an .822 OPS, Ludwick was enjoying another good season in St. Louis, but has hasn’t played since June 25 in Kansas City and it was only a matter of time before the Cardinals placed him on the DL.

Why the Cardinals waited so long to place him on the DL is a little beyond me, but that is sometimes par for the course with the Red Birds. The Cardinals placed Ludwick on the DL with a strained calf.

Look for Ludwick to return to the Cardinals lineup after the All Star break.

Shin-Soo Choo, Cleveland Indians. Choo will be out six to eight weeks after injuring his thumb diving for a ball on Friday. This is a big blow to one of the most underrated players in the game. This injury cost Choo his first All-Star Game birth.

Choo put up a sweet .286/.390/.475 hitting line with 13 HR and 12 SB through 78 games. Not too many outfielders can say they have put up that type of production in the first half.

Some other players to keep an eye out for who might hit the DL are Clay Buchholz, Yovani Gallardo, and Conor Jackson.

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Earlier I went over the American League All Star Game roster, so let’s now cover the National League. Here is the roster for the National League, which is led by Philadelphia Phillies’ skipper Charlie Manuel.

Starters

C: Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals

1B: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals

2B: Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies – Injured, will not play

SS: Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins

3B: David Wright, New York Mets

OF: Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers

OF: Jason Heyward, Atlanta Braves – Injured, will not play

OF: Andre Ethier, Los Angeles Dodgers

Reserves

C: Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves

1B: Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies

1B: Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego Padres

2B: Martin Prado, Atlanta Braves

2B: Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds

SS: Jose Reyes, New York Mets

3B: Scott Rolen, Cincinnati Reds

INF: Omar Infante, Atlanta Braves

OF: Corey Hart, Milwaukee Brewers

OF: Chris Young, Arizona Diamondbacks

OF: Michael Bourn, Houston Astros

OF: Matt Holliday, St. Louis Cardinals

OF: Marlon Byrd, Chicago Cubs

SP: Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado Rockies

SP: Josh Johnson, Florida Marlins

SP: Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies

SP: Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals

SP: Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals

SP: Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants

SP: Tim Hudson, Atlanta Braves

SP: Yovani Gallardo, Milwaukee Brewers

RP: Matt Capps, Washington Nationals

RP: Jonathan Broxton, Los Angeles Dodgers

RP: Brian Wilson, San Francisco Giants

RP: Arthur Rhodes, Cincinnati Reds

RP: Evan Meek, Pittsburgh Pirates

Analysis

While I thought the players and Joe Girardi did a good job of picking the reserves in the AL, the NL was a clown show. When I came home and saw Omar Infante made the team I thought it was a typo.

How does a guy who doesn’t even start on his own team make the All Star team? That is a joke. No disrespect to Infante—he is a good player that every team should have on their roster. But when we are taking about the best of the best, I am sorry, he can’t make the team.

Joey Votto has been one of the one or two best players in the NL all season and the fact that he was originally left off for Infante, might be the biggest travesty in all-star snub history.

Lincecum over Mat Latos or Heath Bell? No thanks. That is a reputation selection that annoys me. McCann might have a better name, but Miguel Olivo is having the better year.

Here are the five players up for the final roster spot…

Joey Votto

Heath Bell

Carlos Gonzalez

Ryan Zimmerman

Billy Wagner

You can vote for the final player here.

If you don’t vote for Votto, then you should never be allowed to vote for anything again.

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Yesterday Major League Baseball announced the rosters for the All Star Game in Anaheim on July 13. Let’s take a look at the American League Roster.

Starters

C: Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins

1B: Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins

2B: Robinson Cano, New York Yankees

SS: Derek Jeter, New York Yankees

3B: Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays

OF: Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Rays

OF: Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers

OF: Ichiro, Seattle Mariners

DH: Vladimir Guerrero

Reserves

C: John Buck, Toronto Blue Jays

1B: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers

2B: Ian Kinsler, Texas Rangers

2B: Ty Wigginton, Baltimore Orioles

SS: Elvis Andrus, Texas Rangers

3B: Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees

3B: Adrian Beltre, Boston Red Sox

OF: Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays

OF: Vernon Wells, Toronto Blue Jays

OF: Torii Hunter, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

DH: David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox

SP: Clay Buchholz, Boston Red Sox

SP: Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox

SP: CC Sabathia, New York Yankees

SP: Phil Hughes, New York Yankees

SP: Trevor Cahill, Oakland A’s

SP: David Price, Tampa Bay Rays

SP: Fausto Carmona, Cleveland Indians

SP: Cliff Lee, Seattle Mariners

RP: Matt Thornton, Chicago White Sox

RP: Jose Valverde, Detroit Tigers

RP: Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees

RP: Joakim Soria, Kansas City Royals

RP: Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers

Analysis

I thought for the most part, the fans got the American League starters right. Sure you can argue Morneau vs. Cabrera or Longoria vs. Beltre, but that is nitpicking.

With a couple of exceptions, I thought the players and Joe Girardi did a good job with the reserves as well. My one gripe is Jered Weaver not being on the team. You could make the argument that Weaver should be starting for the AL squad.

Weaver leads the AL in strikeouts and strikeout ratio. Tied for the lead in quality starts. Fourth in WHIP. Seventh in ERA. That is some serious pitching.

A-Rod over Michael Young? Not sure about that one. I guess that is the advantage of having your manager coach the All Star Game.

I know he plays for the Royals, but David DeJesus needs to be on this team. DeJesus is eighth in the AL in batting (.325) and ninth in OBP (.392).

There is one more spot left to be filled and us as fans get to decide it. Here are the five players up for the final roster spot.

Nick Swisher

Michael Young

Paul Konerko

Kevin Youkilis

Delmon Young

I get why MLB put Swisher on this list (Yankees = interest which = votes), but they should be embarrassed that he is on this list. Nick Swisher? Really?

Weaver, DeJesus, or Alex Rios deserve to be on this list more than Swisher does.

You can cast your vote for the final AL All Star here.

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A quick post here before I head out for the weekend.

One of my favorite Gorilla Monsoon sayings from back in the 80’s was when he said someone was “cleaning house” in the ring. It usually happened during a tag-team match or a battle royal when the fan favorite made a comeback.

My friend Justin and I have adopted the term and use it when someone completely cleans off their plate during a meal. Now I think the Arizona Diamondbacks can adopt the term “cleaning house” as well.

The Diamondbacks cleaned house on Thursday night as they dismissed manager AJ Hinch and GM Josh Byrnes. The Hinch move I can understand, but the Byrnes decision? Not so much.

When the Diamondbacks hired Hinch back in the spring of 2009, I wrote that “There will be no gray area with this move. Either the Diamondbacks will fall flat on their faces and lose 95 games or rise up and win 88-90 games under Hinch.”

The Diamondbacks fell flat on their faces with Hinch as their manager. Arizona was 31-48 this year and were 89-123 with Hinch leading the way. The Diamondbacks took a gamble on Hinch, and it just didn’t work.

Hinch had zero managerial experience before he was handed the job. He didn’t coach in the Majors or minors—I am not even sure he ever coach little league.

It’s very hard to ask a rookie manager to coach a young team. Very rarely does that work out.

As for Byrnes, I was really surprised he was let go. We have head some conflicting reports that Byrnes was let go because because he wouldn’t fire Hinch or because he didn’t get along with CEO Derrick Hall. Whatever the reason was, letting go one of the brighter minds in the game is a mistake.

Former World Series hero and Diamondbacks’ bench coach Kirk Gibson will take over for Hinch. No successor to Byrnes has been named as of yet.

Have a great Fourth of July weekend everyone!!!

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It’s one thing to have prospects in your organization, but it is another thing to have those prospects develop and become solid major league players. That is the issue facing the Baltimore Orioles right now.

The Orioles have a lot of young, talented players on their roster, but they really haven’t developed as quickly as they hoped. Nolan Reimold was sent to the minors earlier this year, Adam Jones has taken a step backward, and Matt Wieters hasn’t had the breakout year many had predicted. Brian Matusz and Chris Tillman are two good pitching prospects, but have been knocked around pretty good so far this season.

The next young and talented player the Orioles are hoping to develop was called up yesterday. The Orioles have summoned 6′3″ 222 lb. 3B Josh Bell to the major leagues. With current 3B Miguel Tejada on a one-year contract, Bell is clearly the 3B of the future for the Orioles.

The Orioles acquired Bell from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the George Sherrill trade back in July of last year. Another poor deadline trade by the Dodgers. In 2008, the Dodgers traded Carlos Santana to the Indians for Casey Blake and last year they traded Bell for Sherrill—Yuck.

Bell was in the starting lineup last night at 3B. I am guessing the Orioles will look to trade Tejada very soon and Bell will remain their starting 3B for the remainder of the season.

Here are some other facts about Josh Bell.

Age: 23

Bats: Both

Throws: Right

College: None. Went to Santaluces High School in Lantana, FL.

Drafted: Fourth round of the 2005 Draft

Minor League Stats:

2005 Rookie: .318 with one HR, a .399 OBP, and a .794 OPS in 45 games

2006 Rookie: .308 with 12 HR, a .367 OBP, and a .911 OPS in 64 games

2007 Single A, High Single A: .271 with 17 HR, a .331 OBP, and a .775 OPS in 128 games

2008 High Single A: .273 with six HR, a .373 OBP, and an .827 OPS in 51 games

2009 Double A: .295 with 20 HR, a .376 OBP, and an .892 OPS in 127 games

2010 Triple A: .266 with 10 HR, a .311 OBP, and a .765 OPS in 74 games

Keith Law Ranking and Analysis

Ranking: No. 61 out of 100 best prospects in baseball in 2010

Analysis: “Bell’s 2008 ended with knee surgery, but his 2009 ended with him being traded to Baltimore, where he’s now the heir apparent at the hot corner. Bell is here because when he hits left-handed, he rakes, hitting .340/.419/.625 against right-handed pitchers in 2009, even after crossing the chasm to Double-A, where weaker hitters are exposed quickly by pitchers with better command or off-speed stuff.

He has excellent bat speed from the left side, accelerating his wrists very quickly from the set position, although his swing is a little flat and might be more geared to doubles than home runs.

On the negative side, he’s futile from the right side, and he’s reaching the point where the Orioles may have to consider having him give up switch-hitting if he doesn’t improve in the next year.

He’s improving at third base and projects as an average glove there, with solid hands and an above-average arm. He should be able to take over in Baltimore sometime between midyear 2010 and the start of 2011 depending on how well he fares against left-handed pitching, regardless of how he does it.”

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The Philadelphia Phillies were hoping for the best case scenario with star second baseman Chase Utley, but on Thursday they got the worst case scenario.

The Phillies placed Utley on the 15-day DL on Wednesday with a strained ligament in his right thumb. They were hoping that he would only be out a couple of weeks, but after Thursday’s events he will be out more than just a couple of weeks.

Utley had surgery yesterday to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb and is expected to miss the next eight weeks. That is a big blow to Phillies.

With Utley out for eight weeks and Placido Polanco out for three-to-four weeks, I think the Phillies need to make a move to help stabilize the infield. I think the guy who would be a great fit would be Baltimore Orioles INF Ty Wigginton.

Wigginton struggled in June with a .208 average and one home run, but overall he has 14 home runs and an .807 OPS on the season. More importantly than his offense, Wigginton is a very versatile player on defense. He can play first, second, or third base if need be.

That is the type of infield versatility that the Phillies need right now.

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Here is what I wrote about the Texas Rangers’ catching situation back in January…

“You know what’s funny? At the end of the 2008 season, the Rangers had Saltalamacchia, Taylor Teagarden, and Gerald Laird on the roster, and everyone, including the Rangers, thought they had a surplus of catching.

Molina is heading to the Lone Star State

The Rangers sent Laird to the Detroit Tigers before the 2009 season. Then Saltalamacchia got hurt, so the Rangers needed a catcher.

The Rangers then went out and brought Ivan Rodriguez back to Texas. Now, if Saltalamacchia’s arm injuries persist, the Rangers might be forced to add another catcher this off-season.

This just proves there is no such thing as a surplus of anything in Major League Baseball. This is why I don’t think the Atlanta Braves should trade Javier Vazquez or Derek Lowe.”

Well, the Rangers didn’t add a catcher in the off-season, but they were forced to add another catcher yesterday. The Rangers acquired catcher Bengie Molina from the San Francisco Giants for reliever Chris Ray and pitching prospect Michael Main.

I kind of like this trade for the Rangers.

Current Ranger catchers Matt Treanor and Max Ramirez have combined to put up a .227/.328/.362 hitting line with seven HR’s. Molina was hitting .257/.312/.332 with two HR’s in 202 AB’s with the Giants this year.

I have to think Molina’s offensive numbers are going to increase moving from the pitching-friendly AT&T Park to the softball hitters paradise otherwise known as Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Plus, hitting is contagious. I also have to think that some of the hot bats in the Ranger lineup will rub off on Molina.

Look, we all know Molina is as slow as molasses and has offensive deficiencies, but all they gave up was Ray and a low-level prospect. Even if Molina contributes to just two wins over the course of the next 85 games, the trade is worth it.

Ray has been serviceable for the Rangers coming out of the bullpen, with a 3.41 ERA, but has a one-to-one strike out to walk ratio (16 a piece) and has struggled in May and June since having a very solid month of April.

The Giants made this trade not for Ray and Main, but to open up the catcher position for Buster Posey full-time. Main was the Rangers’ first round pick in the 2007 draft, but has never made it above High Single-A ball. He had a 3.45 ERA in 15 starts with High-A Bakersfield this season.

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