By Phil RogersTalking baseball while wondering why the Cubs aren't devoting as much time to building a bullpen as they are to finding revenue streams at Wrigley Field:
1. Elijah Dukes was considered a major talent with major issues when he played for the Rays. But when Washington released him Tuesday, the Nationals said their decision-making process was about his talent, not his issues. They just didn't see him producing enough as their regular right fielder and didn't want to keep him in a secondary role.
There are mixed reports about whether the Nationals will reach out to the still-unemployed Jermaine Dye. If they do, he should dispense with involved negotiations and get himself to Viera, Fla., to start getting himself ready for the season.
Dye fell out of favor with MLB evaluators because of his poor second half at the plate and statistical analysis that suggests he's been one of the worst regular right fielders in the majors in recent seasons. He's a better player than either of those trends suggest and certainly could contribute if given a chance in Washington. He's a guy that the going-nowhere-this-year Nats could use as a space filler in the first half of the season and then trade elsewhere at midseason.
The Nationals do not seem sure what they're going to do in right field.
2. Getting Bobby Jenks ready to start the season clearly has become Job No. 1 for the White Sox. There's still plenty of time for him to get his feet on solid ground entering April, but with Matt Thornton around there's no reason to force the issue. The Sox could bide time waiting for Jenks to work out his issues, especially if they're pleased with J.J. Putz. One disappointing development in their camp was a second consecutive poor spring from closer prospect Clevelan Santeliz, who is looking like one of these guys who can pitch well in the minors and winter ball but not the big leagues. He's got a big-time arm but very little command -- an issue he'll now get all season to work on in the minor leagues after a vote of no confidence from Ozzie Guillen.
3. We've said it before and we'll say it again -- suspending a starting pitcher for five games is really like suspending him for one day. But the start of the season is a different issue. The five-game suspension handed Seattle's Cliff Lee for throwing at Arizona's Chris Snyder is the real deal. It means he opens the season on track to make 32 or 33 starts, not 34, and that's a real consequence. In the middle of the season, there's no guarantee that a five-game suspension will cost a starting pitcher any work. It only means that he's pushed back one day in the mix, which might actually work to his benefit. The only way to force a starting pitcher to miss a turn during the middle of the season is to ding him nine games and MLB doesn't seem willing to do that for routine disciplinary issues.
2. Getting Bobby Jenks ready to start the season clearly has become Job No. 1 for the White Sox. There's still plenty of time for him to get his feet on solid ground entering April, but with Matt Thornton around there's no reason to force the issue. The Sox could bide time waiting for Jenks to work out his issues, especially if they're pleased with J.J. Putz. One disappointing development in their camp was a second consecutive poor spring from closer prospect Clevelan Santeliz, who is looking like one of these guys who can pitch well in the minors and winter ball but not the big leagues. He's got a big-time arm but very little command -- an issue he'll now get all season to work on in the minor leagues after a vote of no confidence from Ozzie Guillen.
3. We've said it before and we'll say it again -- suspending a starting pitcher for five games is really like suspending him for one day. But the start of the season is a different issue. The five-game suspension handed Seattle's Cliff Lee for throwing at Arizona's Chris Snyder is the real deal. It means he opens the season on track to make 32 or 33 starts, not 34, and that's a real consequence. In the middle of the season, there's no guarantee that a five-game suspension will cost a starting pitcher any work. It only means that he's pushed back one day in the mix, which might actually work to his benefit. The only way to force a starting pitcher to miss a turn during the middle of the season is to ding him nine games and MLB doesn't seem willing to do that for routine disciplinary issues.
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Gary on March 18, 2010 8:55 AM
As a Nats fan, I see bring Dye in,
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You want nothing to do with Jermaine Dye, he is as bad as advertised. He may be the only player in baseball who could make Adam Dunn look like a gold glove RF.
As a Nats fan, I see bring Dye in, give him a decent contract and use him as that space filler. With Dunn, Zimmerman, Willingham and Rodriguez, the Nats need another big hitter in the lineup. If he does well enough, then at mid-season trade him to the Yankees, RSox, or some other American League contender where he would be a happy productive DH.