statAddict

Zimmermann seems like a nice buy low opportunity... could really benefit from moving back to the NL. Since the beginning of June, he hasn't been too bad (7.8 K/9, 4.07 FIP). He was very sharp in his most recent outing against the Royals. Perhaps he's just rounding back into form after an injury plagued campaign last year. Only 31 years old, so not to the point where you'd expect a dramatic decline in performance and his injury was to his neck not his arm.

I agree with TheCrew07. I think his point that you don't necessarily need to have an "Ace" is especially interesting to consider. The temptation to dream of developing a true "Ace" is what leads to draft picks of "throwers" with a big fastball and a breaking ball with huge movement, but little feel for pitching. I have seen too many of those guys fail. I'm hoping the new front office can find the sweet spot, which seems to be athletic high school pitchers with above average stuff (a notch below the potential "Aces"), projectability, and at least some feel for pitching relative to their age (Odorizzi and Lopez come to mind). By targeting guys with more of a #2/3 profile, I think the bust rate will be lower and you might find a guy that develops into an "Ace" using premium command rather than elite velocity/movement. I do like the approach Stearns has been taking to acquire pitching depth in his trades. Since the promising arms in the upper levels of the minors have become so costly to acquire in trades, he has been stockpiling young, interesting arms at the lower levels that have some perceived flaw (Missaki, Peralta, Derby - too small) or have yet to break out (Supak). Are they lottery tickets who were cheap for a reason? Of course... but, they have shown enough to be interesting and worth developing. If you get enough of those types into the system, you're bound to hit on a few.

I think Lopez, Difo, Robles, and Reetz would be a fair return in that deal. I don't know if any of them are top 100, but Lopez and Robles are heading in that direction quickly. Check out the numbers Robles put up as an 18 year old last year... all the tools are there and he's already showing an advanced approach at the plate. My question is whether the Nationals feel strongly enough about their need at catcher to give up that much for Lucroy. Ramos was bad offensively last year, but has been solid in the past and is capable of a bounceback.

That would be quite a haul, and I'm guessing that's not far from what the Brewers are asking for right now. However, realistically, if the Rangers are balking at the idea of Lucroy for Gallo straight up, and given the prospects involved in the Frazier trade yesterday, I think we may be overvaluing Lucroy's market value a bit. At the end of the day, I think they get a deal done... it just makes too much sense given what the Rangers can offer and their needs. I'd be thrilled with a return of Tate, Matuella, and a young bat like Morgan or Guzman. The ability to sweeten the deal by including Peralta or Davis does open the door to a potentially huge package of prospects, though.

I’ve read in several articles that the Rangers primary needs this offseason are catching, SP depth, and a quality right-handed OF bat. The challenge for them is that they are trying to fill these needs with limited payroll flexibility. So, they need to find cheap solutions, which rules out premium free agents and salary dump trades. What strikes me is how closely their needs align with the Brewers current roster depth and trade candidates: Catcher – Brewers willing to move Lucroy, Rangers interest has been noted Starting Pitcher – Peralta has been mentioned as a trade candidate and his talent for inducing groundballs would be a good fit in Arlington. Right-handed outfield bat – Brewers have a crowded outfield right now, with Khris Davis being the most logical trade candidate. Rangers signed Ruggiano, but he could be utilized as their 4th outfielder. All of the talk thus far with the Rangers has centered around Lucroy, with the Rangers scoffing at the Brewers asking price. Perhaps they would be more willing to meet the Brewers demands with Davis and/or Peralta added to the deal…? I know it may be unrealistic to expect the Brewers to maximize value by combining their main trade chips in one deal, but the Rangers demand really seems to align with the Brewers supply in this case. My question for the board is what kind of prospect haul from the Rangers would be fair value for the combination of Lucroy/Peralta/Davis? I imagine the difficulty in accurately establishing this collective value is what prevents mega trades like this from happening very often. Either way, I thought it was an interesting hypothetical scenario to consider. Based on the Brewers trade chips and the Rangers prospect depth and financial constraints, I’d be somewhat surprised if some form of trade isn’t worked out between them during the offseason. Any guesses regarding who the Brewers might be targeting within the Rangers system? I like Juremi Profar, Josh Morgan, and Ariel Jurado as lesser known, perhaps undervalued, prospects that would seem to fit the type of player Stearns has been targeting.