Kuzul

When Brian Wilson got hurt in April, Bruce Bochy had a big decision to make.

Would he choose Sergio Romo, the star reliever whom righties can’t hit? Would he choose Javier Lopez, the left-handed submariner whom lefties can’t hit? Or would he choose Santiago Casilla, the hard-throwing righty who can be very erratic.

Surprisingly, Bochy chose Casilla. It seemed to be the right move, as Casilla converted 20 of his first 21 save opportunities.

Then, the wheels came off.

In just eight short appearances, Casilla blew five saves, as his ERA went from 1.32 to 3.34. In four of those eight outings, Casilla allowed two or more runs, and he cost the Giants a win in two of those games. Bochy even said recently that the Giants will rethink the closer situation (h/t Will Brinson of NBCBayArea.com).

However, San Francisco doesn’t have that many other options. Romo has balky knees and elbow problems, and he can’t close on a day-to-day basis. Javier Lopez and Jeremy Affeldt are usually used to face lefties in the seventh or eighth inning, although both could close if needed.

George Kontos and Brad Penny have done a nice job in San Francisco, and both should see some save opportunities coming soon. However, Penny has allowed some home runs and struggled recently, and Kontos is young and inexperienced.

So, what could the Giants do about it?

Trade for a closer.

Huston Street, Jonathan Broxton, Brett Myers and Francisco Rodriguez are all available, and, according to a report from SBNation, the Giants are interested in Broxton. The Royals closer is 22-for-26 on save opportunities, has a 2.34 ERA this year and hasn’t allowed a home run in his last 20.2 IP.

However, Broxton is inconsistent. He strikes out tons of batters, but he also gives up a lot of hits. Last year, Broxton had a 5.68 ERA, and the year before he had a 4.01 ERA.

Broxton could end up being just like Casilla in the second half, and that’s a chance the Giants don’t want to take.

According to Andy Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com, the Giants scouted the Cubs and Royals farm systems. The Giants don’t want to give away top-notch prospects, since they already parted with star pitching prospect Zach Wheeler last year.

However, if the price is right, they could go after Street.

Street is 15-for-15 on save opportunities with a 1.03 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 26.1 innings. Just like Broxton, he has the ability to miss bats. However, Street has also been lights-out this year, and if the Giants traded for him, they would have arguably the best closer and the best setup man in baseball.

They would have to part with some prospects, but one solution is trading a catcher. The Padres have a young catching prospect in Yasmani Grandal, and he is hitting .288 with five home runs (in the majors). However, they could use Giants catcher Tommy Joseph in a trade if the Giants were willing to trade him.

If the Padres won’t take Joseph, San Francisco could find some other prospects. They have a lot of outfielders, and they have Gary Brown. Even though San Francisco probably won’t trade him, he could be used as bait.

No matter whom the Giants trade, they will have to get a closer. Casilla can’t pitch in high-pressure situations, Romo can’t close every day, and no one else seems to be ready to take over at closer yet.

It’s very hard to win in the playoffs without a closer who can handle the pressure, and Street can handle it.

Street can close when the pressure is on, and he has pitched in the playoffs. Broxton has pitched in the playoffs, too, but he has a 4.40 career ERA in the postseason.

And, even though it seems that the Giants have a good bullpen, closing out games is different. No one on the team (except for Romo) has what it takes to close.

Broxton and Street do, and they could really help the Giants.

Or they could hurt the Giants on other teams.

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When I first read the details of the 10-player trade made between the Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, my initial thought was that Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow made a bad deal. 

What need could the Astros possibly have for Francisco Cordero, a 37-year-old former closer who was getting shelled by American League hitters? And what about Ben Francisco, a platoon player with some success against left-handed pitching? These aren’t the kinds of players that a rebuilding team like the Astros should add.

Of course, the real answer was with the other four players Houston picked up in the deal. The Astros received pitchers Joe Musgrove, Asher Wojciechowski and David Rollins, along with catcher Carlos Perez. The trio of pitchers are extremely young, currently developing at the Single-A level, and were among the Blue Jays’ top 20 minor league prospects. 

Luhnow is doing the exact thing that his rival NL Central executive Theo Epstein wants to do with the Cubs. He’s bringing in “waves and waves” of pitching prospects to build depth in the Astros’ minor league organization. 

It’s not enough to get a couple of guys and hope they develop. With more prospects in the system, the chances of a few reaching the majors increase. 

Trading Brandon Lyon to the Blue Jays made sense. Though a veteran reliever in the bullpen would help win some games, he’s worth far more to the Astros in terms of what return he might yield in a trade.

Toronto obviously still feels it’s in the playoff race, 3.5 games back in the AL wild card standings. Lyon is more valuable to a contender at this point.

However, it was still curious to me that Luhnow would trade J.A. Happ, still relatively young at 29 years old and a left-hander with strikeout stuff (8.5 Ks per nine). Is that the kind of pitcher that could help anchor a rebuilding pitching staff? 

Well, maybe. But again, Happ may have been more valuable in terms of what the Astros could get in return. And if the Blue Jays were willing to trade some prospects for him, that’s obviously better for the long-term future of the franchise than whatever else Happ could provide for them in another few seasons.

The same goes for David Carpenter, who looks like a valuable strikeout thrower for any bullpen. In the minors, he’s averaged almost 10 strikeouts per nine innings.

In limited major league action, he had similar numbers. But he also walked more than four batters per nine innings, far too high for a reliever. And he was extremely hittable, allowing 43 hits in nearly 30 innings. 

Let’s get back to Cordero and Francisco, however, because it’s difficult to imagine either player being with the Astros for very long.

Cordero almost seems certain to be flipped to another team looking for bullpen help, like the Braves, Mets or Giants. A National League team will be betting that Cordero was just ill-suited for the American League can find the success that he had with the Brewers and Reds for the past six seasons. 

Now, Luhnow has two potential closers to deal, between Cordero and Brett Myers. Will they bring more waves of pitching prospects into the Astros’ minor league system?

Francisco is a bit more intriguing because he could provide some help to the Astros’ current roster.

No team is getting worse production from right field than Houston, which has a collective .213 batting average and .664 OPS from the position. Francisco can hit left-handed pitching, compiling a .273/.314/.424 slash average in 35 plate appearances this season. 

At the very least, Francisco can platoon with Brian Bogusevic. Yet he still appears to be a player more likely to be flipped to a contender looking for a right-handed bat off the bench. 

So it’s probably a bit too early to judge this trade for the Astros just yet. Not just because it will be years before we find out if the pitching prospects received in the deal turn out to be major league contributors. But because Luhnow may not be done with the players involved in this trade just yet.

The Astros aren’t a playoff contender, obviously, but they could be the most intriguing team to watch in the 10 days leading up to baseball’s July 31 trade deadline.

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If the St. Louis Cardinals are considering dealing the organization’s top-pitching prospect, Shelby Miller, there are a handful of potentially available pitchers they could go after.

While there is no guarantee they would be willing to part ways with him, his performance in 2012 has at least shown that he is not untouchable.

His last start was a major improvement, but he has not easily made the transition to Triple-A baseball.

Miller is 4-8 on the season with a 5.79 ERA with the Memphis Redbirds. In 82.1 innings pitched through 18 starts, the 21-year-old RHP has surrendered 17 home runs and 46 walks.

On the positive side, he also has 94 strikeouts. He still has some nasty pitches, but has not responded well to the improved hitting of the Pacific Coast League. Opposing batters are hitting .280 off of him to date.

Don’t let his record fool you. Miller still has what it takes to develop into a top-tier major league pitcher.

While his trade value might not be what it would have been last year, many clubs still know what he is capable of when he gets back on track.

If the Cardinals did decide to move him, what kind of impact players could they get?

In the case of most top-tier starting pitchers, Miller alone won’t make a deal. Following are a list of pitchers that might make the Cardinals more likely to move Miller.

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As crazy as it may seem, there is a possibility that the Miami Marlins could trade Giancarlo Stanton prior to the 2012 MLB Trade Deadline, according to Buster Olney of ESPN (Insider required).

Joe Frisaro of MLB.com has also confirmed that it makes sense for the Marlins to listen to offers for Stanton. MLB general managers would salivate at the chance to acquire one of the best young players in baseball today.

There is no doubt that the cost for Stanton would be incredibly high, but he is probably worth the small army of prospects that he would cost. Stanton is type of player who can be a cornerstone for years to come.

While Stanton is currently on the disabled list after he underwent knee surgery, that does not mean that the Marlins can’t trade him (h/t Larry Stone of The Seattle Times). Stanton would be a fit for any of the teams in the majors, but some would be more inclined than others to go after him.

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Intra-division trades between hated rivals are rare, but they do happen on occasion. There was the famous 1964 deal in which the Chicago Cubs sent Lou Brock, Jack Spring and Paul Toth to the rival St. Louis Cardinals for Ernie Broglio, Doug Clemens and Bobby Shantz. Even the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees have negotiated deals including the infamous Babe Ruth trade.

This means that there are certainly grounds for the Tampa Bay Rays to trade one of their top starting pitchers to an American League East rival. Jason A. Churchill of ESPN (Insider required) has noted that both the Yankees and the Red Sox have an interest in James Shields.

It seems to be difficult to see the Rays as sellers at this point in the year, as they are right in the thick of the Wild Card race. However, it is possible that the Rays can trade Shields while also improving their chances at making the playoffs this season.

Tampa Bay would be a much better team if it could find an upgrade at catcher, first base, shortstop, outfield or DH. It could also go after a second baseman and move Ben Zobrist into the outfield full time.

Chris Archer could re-join the Rays’ starting rotation, or the team could insert Jeff Neimann back into its rotation once he returns from an injury (h/t Danny Knobler of CBS Sports).

Boston seems to be a good fit for a deal with the Rays. A possible Shields deal could be centered around Ryan Lavarnway, and the Rays could also ask for first baseman Lars Anderson in addition to a reliever such as Junichi Tazawa.

This deal or a similar one would seem to work for both franchises. It would give the Red Sox the No. 2 starter that they are looking for while helping the Rays immediately fill a number of holes.

A deal with the New York Yankees seems much harder to fathom. The two teams do not match up as well. The Yankees have a number of young outfield prospects that are still a ways away from the majors as well as a number of high-level pitching prospects that have struggled.

If the two sides were to discuss a deal, the Rays would certainly want one of Manny Banuelos or Dellin Betances as well as a young prospect like Tyler Austin. This deal would not put the Rays in a position to make the playoffs this year.

While a deal between the Rays and one of their division rivals seems to be unlikely, there is a better chance that they can work out a deal with the Red Sox than the Yankees. If it turns out that the best deal that the Rays can make involving Shields is with the Red Sox, then they should not be afraid to pull the trigger.

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Stephen Strasburg’s innings limit has been one of the hotter topics in baseball, and it’s clear that the Washington Nationals will have a tough decision to make.

However, it seems like the Nationals are already preparing to move on without Strasburg.

According to MLB.com, Washington has interest in Ryan Dempster and Rockies catcher Ramon Hernandez. The Nationals have John Lannan in the minors, but they would definitely benefit from trading for Dempster.

The consistent ace is 5-3 with a league-leading 1.86 ERA this year. A lot of teams will be pursuing Dempster, since Chicago is looking to stockpile prospects for future success. Washington has a great farm system, so they could definitely make a trade.

If the Nationals did trade for Dempster, they would probably have Strasburg, Dempster, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmerman and Edwin Jackson in their rotation. After Strasburg leaves, Ross Detwiler would join the rotation.

Washington would have to give up a lot, but it would definitely be worth it. Dempster is a great pitcher who could really help the Nationals. Even if the Nationals decided to keep Strasburg in the rotation, Dempster would still help the team and just make the best pitching staff in baseball even better.

The team’s four best pitchers would wreak havoc on the league and greatly enhance Washington’s chances of winning a championship. Just imagine a playoff rotation of Dempster, Gonzalez, Strasburg and Zimmerman (if Strasburg pitches). All have ERA’s under 3, and all have a WHIP under 1.12.

If the Nationals didn’t trade for Dempster, they would probably call up John Lannan to pitch in September. Lannan has had a nice career in Washington, but he is 6-8 with a 4.60 ERA with Triple-A Syracuse. Dempster is definitely better than Lannan, and he would definitely help the Nationals a lot.

Washington is known for having a young, well-rounded team. They have the lowest team ERA in baseball, even though two inconsistent pitchers, Edwin Jackson and Ross Detwiler, reside in their rotation. Just imagine how much better the rotation would be with Dempster, even if Strasburg gets shut down or skipped.

Dempster would welcome a trade to just about any contender, and, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, he would likely be happy with a trade to Washington. Dempster is in the last year of his contract, but Washington could re-sign him and have he, Strasburg, Zimmerman and Gonzalez dominate hitters for a couple more years.

It will take a lot, but the Nationals would definitely benefit from trading a few prospects for Dempster. Washington would undoubtedly have the best rotation in baseball during the month of August, and they would still have a great rotation without Strasburg in September. If the Nats re-signed Dempster, they’d have the best rotation for a few more years.

And it’s always good to have the best rotation. The Nationals may have the best rotation right now, but in September, their pitching will take a major hit. If Strasburg is shut down and Dempster isn’t brought in to Washington, imagine how Jackson and Detwiler would pitch in the playoffs.

I’m sure Nationals fans don’t want to imagine that. So that’s why the Nats need to bring in Dempster. 

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The Washington Nationals have been and will be an interesting team to watch.

After years of building up young talent and sending them into the farm system, Washington’s young dream team has finally been assembled. Players like Ian Desmond, Ryan Zimmerman, Jordan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper were all drafted by Washington, and they are all making a splash.

And it wasn’t just the draft. Washington signed Jayson Werth in the 2010 offseason and traded for Gio Gonzalez in the 2011 offseason.

Now, the Nationals lead the NL East by 2.5 games, and they’re ready to fight to the finish in a tight NL East race that everyone will be talking about.

Here are the Nationals’ four biggest second-half storylines.

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MLB has a new Competitive Balance Lottery, and teams may use those picks as trade bait this season. A few deals could be made this summer based on these lottery picks, and with them, baseball will usher in a new way to negotiate possible deadline trades.

As pointed out by B/R Featured Columnist Ryan Rudnansky, the CBL is flawed. But baseball is trying to stay competitive not only within itself, but within the realm of American professional sports.

Though we don’t know the order of next year’s lottery (that will be determined July 18), we do know these picks can be used as bait. If a team gets suckered into a deal because of one—or more—of these picks, the team on the receiving end of the player-for-draft-pick trade could become an instant World Series threat.

San Diego Padres Send 3B Chase Headley to Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore has been near the top of the AL Eastern division standings all season. They currently sit in second behind the red-hot New York Yankees and just a half-game ahead of the Boston Red Sox.

Yet they possess one of the lottery picks in the CBL. Again, the system—still in its infancy—is flawed. San Diego also has one of the lottery picks and could like the idea of having another (up to four picks in the first two rounds of the draft? Why not?).

The Orioles have Wilson Betemit and Mark Reynolds on their major-league roster this season, with Betemit getting the majority of the starts even though he’s more of a utility player. That’s how bad Reynolds is.

Reynolds has been splitting time between third, first and DH, but he has also spent time in the minors this season.

His strikeout rate is terrible. Since 2008, Reynolds—a career .236 hitter—has produced four of the top 10 highest strikeout totals in major league history. No one over that time has struck out more than Reynolds has, and it’s not even close.

Headley would make Reynolds expendable and bring a consistent bat to a lineup in need of protection behind All-Star center fielder Adam Jones. Headley is not the best-hitting third baseman (a career .268 hitter), but he makes sense for Baltimore because he provides an above-average glove at the hot corner.

That is something of which they are in desperate need.

Betemit and Reynolds combined at third have a .905 fielding percentage this season. Headley sports a .975 percentage. The lottery pick, along with whatever else they send to San Diego, would be well worth the return.

Colorado Rockies Send CF Dexter Fowler to Cincinnati Reds

Another scenario where both teams possess one of the lottery picks, the Reds are currently leading the NL Central and are in good shape down the road as well. The Rockies will need some help to compete for the foreseeable future.

That’s where the lottery pick comes in.

This trade is a bit of a longshot because of Cincinnati’s weird affection for Drew Stubbs. It needs to happen, though, if the Reds want to win the NL Central and make a deep run into the playoffs this season.

Stubbs’ production has decreased across the board since his rookie season, and in 71 games this year he has a .217/.287/.361/.648 disappointment of a slash line. His defense is great in center, but his bat has been very inconsistent.

Dexter Fowler’s 2012 season has been streaky as well, but not as polarizing as that of Stubbs.

The Rockies center fielder has a slash line of .300/.384/.532/.916 so far, and he’s been on fire of late, batting .438 with a double, a homer, three runs batted in and a 1.035 OPS in eight games since July 5.

You might say he benefits from playing at the thin-aired Coors Field in Denver, and you’d be right, but his career numbers at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati are equally as good—better, even.

Stubbs’ numbers are less than impressive at his home park.

Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd says he expects to keep Fowler, but did not say he won’t be traded, as Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported was the case with Carlos Gonzalez and Michael Cuddyer:

You’ve got a center fielder on pace to have 20 home runs and 80 RBI…I can’t say for certain (we’re not trading him) but we put a lot higher value on him than someone looking to acquire him.

Miami Marlins Send RF Giancarlo Stanton to Pittsburgh Pirates

Who wants a 22-year-old behemoth right fielder with ungodly power to all fields and a Howitzer for a throwing arm?

Yes, baseball Insider Buster Olney is reporting that if the Marlins become sellers, everyone on the roster is fair game. That includes the player formerly known as “Mike.”

If trade talks with the Arizona Diamondbacks for struggling former No. 1 overall pick RF Justin Upton die, look for GM Neal Huntington to call about Stanton. Outfield prospect Starling Marte would be a perfect fit in Miami, as he hails from the Dominican Republic.

The team already has an incredible Latin flair to it with the new ballpark, their new manager—Ozzie Guillén—and the thousands of Latin fans who attend games. Adding a Latin future star to the equation may save what has become a disaster of a season.

Stanton would be a better deal for the Pirates, frankly. He’s a better hitter than Upton is, and their defense is about equal in right field. Andrew McCutchen and Giancarlo Stanton would put the Pirates back on the map for real, and they would be one of the most-feared 3-4 combinations in all of baseball.

Keeping with the theme, both these teams possess a lottery pick next year. Pittsburgh could sweeten the offer with their pick, Marte and potentially a pitcher from their starting rotation. With everyone on the block, it’s only a matter of time before Josh Johnson is dealt away from Miami for prospects.

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This past offseason for Major League Baseball provided a lot of excitement and much anticipation. Big name players such as Albert Pujols, Jose Reyes and Prince Fielder left their respected ball clubs for greener pastures—or greener contracts. Small-market clubs grew up in Miami and Washington following multiple signings, a high profile coaching hire and trades.

Halfway through this season, and with the deadline still a couple of weeks away, we’re yet to see a large amount of in-season trades. But, the action and storylines have not disappointed.

With almost three months of the regular season to go, there are still some big questions that remain to be answered.

Will the surprising teams continue their success?

Will this year’s disappointments right the ship in time for October?

And, of course, what team and which players will be taking home some hardware?

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The St. Louis Cardinals have a major weakness in their bullpen.

If this team is going to overcome this weakness and make another playoff run, they need to make a trade similar to the one they made at the trade deadline in 2011 that landed them Marc Rzepczynski and Octavio Dotel.

Once they shore up that area of their team, they can focus on catching the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates at the top of the National League Central.

If they can’t land an arm or two for the late innings and can’t start winning close games on a more consistent basis, this team will struggle down the stretch.

So, let’s take a look at three American League relievers who could help the Cardinals repeat their 2011 World Series magic.

Aaron Crow, Kansas City Royals

The Royals haven’t used Crow very much this season. He’s appeared in only 39 games so far in 2012.

Despite having a respectable 12 holds, he has a disappointing 4.04 ERA. In 2011, he posted an outstanding 2.76 ERA in 57 appearances.

He has a great fastball and a couple of decent breaking balls to keep hitters off-balance.

The chance to move to a winning team like the Cardinals might be enough to allow Crow to develop into an elite relief pitcher.

Sean Doolittle, Oakland A’s

Doolittle is a converted catcher, much like current Cardinals closer Jason Motte.

Motte has worked out pretty well for the Redbirds, so adding another converted catcher might be a good move.

Doolittle is a lefty, so he can help Rzepczynski and take some of the pressure off him.

He’s only pitched in 11 Major League games, but he’s compiled an impressive 2.45 ERA and has struck out 24 batters in just 14.2 innings.

Charlie Furbush, Seattle Mariners

Furbush has pitched 36.2 innings for the last-place Mariners so far this season. In those innings, he’s struck out 46 batters and has a 2.21 ERA.

He’s only been in the majors for two years now, so he has plenty of time to become an even better pitcher.

He hasn’t allowed a home run to a lefty all season, and lefties are hitting only .161 against the southpaw hurler.

He struggled as a starter last season, but seems to be settling into his role as a reliever quite nicely. He could be a great addition to the Cardinals bullpen and should still have plenty of gas left in his tank.

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