Kemp's a problem in center defensively, bro..he looks OK at the plate. but of the 3 outfielders in question, Kemp's the only real asset we have among them that can net us what we really need and that's a catcher + we have Kemp's replacement in CF on deck and others who can fill in over in LF. i can tell you right now that the only real potential answer @ catcher for us is gonna be Matt Wieters. the market for catchers is so very bad..Wieters' walk year is around the corner and he's rejected Duquette's offers multiple times already ( probably because he knows he can get more money from catcher-hungry teams like ours or the White Sox). so i could see a Kemp for Wieters trade in the offseason..AJ moves to the bench and maybe stays on as CK's personal catcher. don't sleep on this either..because Hanley's main suitor in free agency is gonna be the Yankees..Dodgers and Yankees could pull off a swap @ the trade deadline this year. Mo Rivera just put out a release that he'd be ready to pitch the final couple months of the season if the Yankees called him, so i could see LA and NY tossing around the idea of Hanley for David Robertson. our pen is so shaky and Robertson could help as either a set up man or closer if Kenley is still scuffling. Puig is looking more and more like a 3-hole hitter and by that time maybe Guerrero will have gotten enough work in general to come up and take over @ SS for us. or if management feels we need a glove @ short more than we need a bat..Arruba gets the call instead. but WE MUST get better defensively up the middle and allow our pitching to be the advantage it should be. next year, my dream lineup would look like this; Dee 2B Joc CF Puig RF AGon 1B Wieters C SVS LF Uribe 3B ( Seager waiting in the wings for 2016) Guerrero/Arruba SS i think with more work on his plate, SVS could be a decent everyday option in LF. Guerrero only has to be as decent as Hanley was LAST year defensively and if he can't do that then Arruba plays late in games where we lead. instead of using big money on Hanley, i'd use it on Scherzer. oh yeah and hopefully Mattingly is canned by this point and never gets to manage Joc, Guerrero, Arruba, or Seager.
last press release i saw said Wieters won't need TJ surgery..and yes i would still want him if he did.
Yup Weiters is no option long term anyway. Catcher needs to be a smart guy that can call a good game protect plate and throw dudes out here and there. If he has one offensive skill then you got a keeper. Power alone is fine. Or like Ellis who is mostly obp. If fedor had Ellis ability to get on base he would probably still be on the team. If a catcher hits .265 he's already good. If he can obp 100 pts above avg then that's real good at .365 With some power you got 14 or so homeruns maybe 49 rbi. That's a real nice player. If your catcher is solid on d and has at least one of those previous talents then he is a good role player you can generate like scioscia, Ellis, Martin, or get relatively cheap.
it also depends on how the catcher's 1 offensive skill fits the team. if we lose Hanley, trade Ethier/Crawford, send Kemp on his way and elect to get younger..having an experienced catcher with consistent pop would come in handy. and Wieters basically hits 20 dingers a year
I'm glad someone understands the catchers role. If you get offense from behind the plate...it's all gravy. It's a defensive position.
totally agree and... if everyone else is doing their jobs offensively, the catcher's production becomes even less of an issue
Catchers production should never be an issue imo They have enough to worry about like keeping the pitcher on point and being the coach on the field.
Crawford did. So you got me. That arm of his is golden. A catcher coming off of TJ isn't going to throw a lot of runners out.
that's funny, i thought i had you when i pointed to the last press release they put out saying Wieters didn't need TJ surgery.
like i said..there's not a lot of options @ catcher on the market..to act like we should just settle for Ellis is crazy. he's certainly a better defensive catcher than Ellis is..always has been and still is + he gives 20HR a year. i don't even understand why there's an argument..maybe people just like AJ. i like AJ too, but i like the Dodgers more.
with the way Wieters keeps declining Baltimore's contract offers i'd say it's not even their choice anymore..unless they fork over his market worth..if you're Wieters and you believe in your game, you'd probably like to see what the White Sox and Dodgers have to offer first. could be something in the neighborhood of what Brian McCann got from NYY at the end of the day.
