2013 MLB Regular Season running thread

Today's 0-for-3 dropped Nationals infielder Anthony Rendon's average to .256. (One of us was tossing out random Rendon updates a while ago, wasn't he?)

 

Love this trade for Detroit. Iglesias isn't Peralta, but the Tigers' SS depth just got a lot better.

 

A football game has broken out in Arlington. What a shitshow by both bullpens.

 

Thank you again for your suck, Ernesto Frieri.

 

Iglesias has supposedly been the flashiest leather-slinging SS in the minors for a couple seasons now, and is hitting a completely-unforeseen .330/.377/.410 this season. He doesn't have Peralta's power of course but if he can keep the OBP in decent territory he will be fine.

Because of the Tigers age/contract situation around the infield, it looks like Cabrera is going to remain at 3B for a few seasons, so getting a glove-whiz SS who could allow Cabrera to play a step closer to the base should help minimize his defensive limitations.

The big scuttlebutt now is the Tigers expect 50-game suspensions to come down within a couple days for Peralta and the rest of the Biogenesis crowd. Tonight was the Tigers' 105th game so if Peralta started a 50-game ban Friday that would make him eligible with five games left in the regular season.

 

There are a lot of big pros and cons. Having a shortstop with actual range (who is under club control until 2018) will be a boon to the infield (especially since Jackson is excellent in center and Infante not shabby at 2B when he's not getting gored by Brett Lawrie). Biogenesis aside, Peralta is a FA after this season and the fewer games I see Ramon Santiago and his .183/.254/.260 in the lineup, the better.

However, there's some consternation within the Tiger fanbase (when isn't there?) that his average is unsustainable (his BABIP was well over .400 until his recent slump). Also, the Tigers' system is very thin right now and Garcia, who has already appeared in the World Series, is considered by many to be a mini-version of Cabrera. The only other major prospect in the system is Nick Castellanos, who has a fantastic bat, but no defensive position.

That being said, when I'm reading multiple sources proclaim him the best defensive shortstop in baseball since Omar Vizquel, I'll take it.

 

Dont' understand trade. Iglesias is the kind of infielder you want to build around. Same way I don't understand why they got rid of Ciriaco. They never gave Ciriaco a real shot.

 

Red Sox believe they have even better shortstops and other infielders in their system. We'll see. My opinion is that getting Peavy is placing undue trust in medical science.

 

Loved every bit of it.

 

Medical science?

 

Speaking of Red Sox, Michael Young has waived his no-trade clause for them. The Sox need a third baseman and Middlebrooks is struggling at AAA. May be something there.

UPDATE: Young has added the Yankees to his waiver list. I'm sure it's not a negotiation ploy and he's sincere. (Rosenthal says Yankees know nothing about it.)

 

Iglesias can't hit. His hitting the first six weeks he was in the majors was totally out of character with his minor-league career, in which he had a .314 SLG in 1,200 plate appearances. Since July 4, he's 11-for-66 with zero extra base hits and zero walks.

Also, the Red Sox have one of the best prospects in the minors at any position in Xander Bogaerts, who is younger than Iglesias and has an .854 OPS in Triple-A. He'll be Boston's starting shortstop on Opening Day 2014.