andyinfremontAndy Spafford
on June 20, 2019 at 8:40 am
This seems like a fair trade for both sides. The A’s need lefty relief depth, and Bummer can be stashed in the minors this year if needed (I’m not sure if he has another option next year; if he does, all the better). He also comes with 5+ years of control and his MLB numbers are excellent against lefties (as you’d expect) but also pretty good against righties. He could ultimately supplant Ryan Buchter, who has been horrible against righties this year, and who may get a bit expensive in his 2nd arb year if he becomes strictly a LOOGY. On the other hand, Bummer’s track record is limited — he wasn’t this good until recently. He’s also pretty much a 1-inning pitcher.
Blackburn showed promise in 2017 before being derailed by injury last year. He seems healthy now, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s back to his prior form in 2020. But as a control guy, he doesn’t have great stuff to fall back on, and his ceiling is probably back-end starter. Right now, the A’s like him as a depth piece, but he could be quickly surpassed by rehabbing pitchers with more experience (Manaea) and/or upside (Luzardo), with hopefully more to come next year (Cotton, Puk, etc…). Kind of risky to deal Blackburn before at least one of Manaea or Luzardo is back in Oakland though.
Ramirez had a nice 2018 in AA, but has struggled so far in AAA. I imagine he’ll be eligible for the Rule-5 draft in 2020 if not placed on the 40-man roster, and at present that seems unlikely, especially given that Bolt and Fowler are clearly ahead of him as OF-prospects (with Luis Barrera knocking on the AAA door), all of whom are on the 40-man already. Interesting prospect, but he’s expendable unless a couple of pieces ahead of him get dealt.
johnbitzerJohn Bitzer
on June 20, 2019 at 10:59 am
I like this one for both sides. The A’s need another lefty in their bullpen, and the Tigers need quantity so they flip him when he’s hot in a 1-for-2 deal.
This seems like a fair trade for both sides. The A’s need lefty relief depth, and Bummer can be stashed in the minors this year if needed (I’m not sure if he has another option next year; if he does, all the better). He also comes with 5+ years of control and his MLB numbers are excellent against lefties (as you’d expect) but also pretty good against righties. He could ultimately supplant Ryan Buchter, who has been horrible against righties this year, and who may get a bit expensive in his 2nd arb year if he becomes strictly a LOOGY. On the other hand, Bummer’s track record is limited — he wasn’t this good until recently. He’s also pretty much a 1-inning pitcher.
Blackburn showed promise in 2017 before being derailed by injury last year. He seems healthy now, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s back to his prior form in 2020. But as a control guy, he doesn’t have great stuff to fall back on, and his ceiling is probably back-end starter. Right now, the A’s like him as a depth piece, but he could be quickly surpassed by rehabbing pitchers with more experience (Manaea) and/or upside (Luzardo), with hopefully more to come next year (Cotton, Puk, etc…). Kind of risky to deal Blackburn before at least one of Manaea or Luzardo is back in Oakland though.
Ramirez had a nice 2018 in AA, but has struggled so far in AAA. I imagine he’ll be eligible for the Rule-5 draft in 2020 if not placed on the 40-man roster, and at present that seems unlikely, especially given that Bolt and Fowler are clearly ahead of him as OF-prospects (with Luis Barrera knocking on the AAA door), all of whom are on the 40-man already. Interesting prospect, but he’s expendable unless a couple of pieces ahead of him get dealt.
I like this one for both sides. The A’s need another lefty in their bullpen, and the Tigers need quantity so they flip him when he’s hot in a 1-for-2 deal.