Podcast: Dealing with Cruz’s Deal
Matthew Carruth · December 2, 2014 at 5:52 pm · Filed Under Mariners
The Mariners signed Nelson Cruz. To a lot of money for a lot of days to come. So Jeff and I discussed it.
Podcast with Jeff (@based_ball) and Matthew (@msea1): Direct link! || iTunes link! || RSS/XML link!
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Montero -> DH
Cruz -> RF
Get excited.
Also, the buffalo in Nepal are water buffalo, so you weren’t going crazy.
So here’s the thing. Both of you talk a lot about how unpredictable the future is, and 2018 is a long ways away. I agree that it’s quite unlikely that Cruz himself is worth paying anything, let alone $14.25 million, but it’s also almost impossible to make a reasonable guess about what shape the roster, and the payroll, and the budget, and the luxury tax will be in four years from now. That’s not to say that this is an obviously great move, or that the “it’s not my money” argument is clearly correct, but I think it’s inaccurate to definitively claim that the Cruz deal will in a meaningful way handicap the 2018 Mariners. It certainly COULD, but then again Mt. Rainier could erupt again, and that would probably handicap the 2018 Mariners more.
Mt. Rainier’s eruption is as inevitable as Nelson Cruz being paid to sit on the couch and watch The View in 2018.
Honestly, though, this may still be worth it. Can we send Chris Taylor and Condor to the Mets for Wheeler now? Throw in a Hultzen maybe?
I still don’t understand why the M’s decided to overpay (years) for Cruz and not make a real strong push for Tomas. Especially since Tomas can play RF and would allow a Saunders/Tomas RF/DH platoon. Maybe they did and I didn’t hear about it but Arizona seems an unlikely destination for the hype surrounding Tomas.
Michael Saunders traded for JA freaking Happ are you kidding me Mariners?
Good job Z – mission accomplished.
Ms just traded for Happ, freeing up rotation spot.
Braves just signed Markakis, an OF.
Up next: Walker and Miller for Upton and Gattis.
So dumb that JZ and Lloyd can’t be professionals and keep their personal feelings about Saunders to themselves and recognize that he’s a valuable player. I understand if it’s someone like Milton Bradley who is an idiot but to run a guy out of town for some perceived lack of work ethic is nuts.
Saunders had 1.9 WAR in 78 games last year and he probably could have played in another 20 if Lloyd hadn’t been so stubborn. JA Happ is okay but the Jays have to be laughing their asses off right about now.
While this deal isolated in and of itself looks to be in the Jays favor, it seems overwhelmingly to be setting the stage for more moves for the Ms, so we should not be quick to judge. Also, in the big picture, both Happ and Saunders aren’t major game-changers, so even if it is in the Jays favor, the overall effect will still likely be minor for both teams.
Now we get to watch Saunders hit 30 Jacks for Toronto and we will get to watch Z blow up the farm in another dumb trade….
I mostly agree and I’m hopeful that there is some master plan that will come to fruition, but my problem is with the circumstances that made this trade happen.
We shouldn’t be trading any of our outfielders. I don’t want to see Stefan Romero or James Jones in 2015. We now have Austin Jackson and Dustin Ackley and that’s it.
Even if we do acquire one of Upton/Kemp/Cespedes we still needed a guy like Saunders who could provide depth and rotate with the other three. So, unless JZ signs another outfielder along with trading for Upton/Kemp/Cespedes it just seems like they shot themselves in the foot a bit for personal reasons.
Sure is going to be painful watching Cruz in right….ugh.
Ichiro…anyone?
The minute the season ended Zduriencik and McClendon telegraphed that deal. It sucks.
I’m with you on wanting depth, JasonJ. Good point. I might like James Jones a bit more than you, but I see your point.
I guess we’ll have to see. I hope they do add better depth at OF, too, maybe in FA. It’s clear a trade is coming, though, at least I think. Goodbye Walker. Sad to see you go, but will welcome Kemp or Upton (not Cespedes, please no). Kemp would be awesome. And if it’s Upton, I may like the idea of Walker and Miller for Upton and Gattis. There’s more OF and C depth with Gattis.
I’m ready for the return of the Wlad.
Although, I think he’s under contract thru next year?
+We now have Austin Jackson and Dustin Ackley and that’s it.+
Jack thinks we have Cruz. I wonder if the next move is to sign Morse again to DH?
The sickening thing about this is that Toronto gets significantly better with this move and we get worse. Their line up is stacked with All-Stars and I can see Saunders hitting 15-25 homers with 70-80 runs driven in, which is exactly what we need. Just when we thought things were getting better, the Mariners are being the Mariners all over again. Now they need two good outfielders. Happ? Wow.
Ah, Yuniesky Betancourt, you never fail to amuse me… now that I no longer have to watch you play. Three things:
First, it’s over a year old now, but this retweet from Jon Heyman amuses me — perhaps with Jeter retired, now is the time?
And (second) speaking of this particular trinity of Jeter, and Betancourt, and Heyman, let us never forget that the latter wrote in 2007:
That was based on one game’s observation.
Finally, Yuniesky at the plate: lowest career OBP for players with at least 4000 PA, since 1946. Thing is, most player with plate discipline that bad never get a chance to amass 4000 PA. He’s a special, special dude.
Other players picked #19 in the past: Shelby Miller (2009), Andrew Cashner (2008), Conor Jackson (2003 — also a pick taken from the M’s), James Loney (2002), Alex Rios (1999). Miller has already accumulated 6 WAR; Loney 12 and Rios 28. Of course there are plenty in there in other years that never amounted to anything, but the upside of a #19 pick is clearly not zero.