If there was ever a precursor to a trade, this was it, via Matthew Leach and Austin Laymance:

Speaking to KSDK TV-5 in St. Louis, La Russa was largely complimentary of Rasmus until the end of the interview. He spoke of Rasmus’ bright future and said that the club is not shopping Rasmus.

At the end, however, La Russa was asked whether Rasmus is listening and responded tartly.

“Well, he’s listening to somebody,” the manager said.

Asked whether Rasmus is listening to the Cardinals’ coaches, he was more direct.

“No, he doesn’t listen to the Cardinal coaches much now, and that’s why he gets in these funks, in my opinion,” La Russa said. “If he would just stay with [basically] what they teach, he would have … but I actually feel concern for him, because he hears it from so many places, he’s got to be confused.”

Approximately 12 hours after that piece hit MLB.com, the Cardinals sent Colby Rasmus packing to Toronto along with relievers Brian Tallet and Trever Miller and minor league stalwart P.J. Walters for a package centered around Edwin Jackson. The Blue Jays also sent relievers Octavio Dotel and Marc Rzepczynski and center fielder Corey Patterson to St. Louis to complete the deal.

Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve had our five part series introducing everyone to FanGraphs’ newest stat, SIERA. Now, how about we simplify things and explain SIERA in 500 words?

The following is taken from the new FanGraphs Library page on SIERA, so it will always be available here whenever needed.

Read the rest of this entry »

A few nights ago I flipped over to a Ranger-Blue Jays game just in time to catch a plate appearance by Rangers’ second baseman Ian Kinsler. Toronto’s announcers were talking about how Kinsler, despite doing well this season as the Rangers leadoff hitter, is not ideal for the spot. Whenever the phrase “ideal leadoff man” comes up, you know that Rickey Henderson’s name is about to come up, and indeed, it did. So even while complimenting Kinsler’s good season, the announcers somehow thought he wasn’t quite right for the leadoff job despite being a good baserunner and getting on base at a good clip. What are they talking about? What exactly is the “ideal leadoff hitter” if a guy who gets on base and runs well isn’t?

Read the rest of this entry »

The talks started last winter, but they didn’t seem serious. Why would the Cardinals consider trading Colby Rasmus? He’s young, he’s cost-controlled, and he’s a center fielder who has some pop. But he clashed with manager Tony LaRussa, and we’ve seen other players depart St. Louis after such spats. Those talks have heated up again in the past month, gaining momentum as the trade deadline approaches. Today it all came to a head. Early this morning word broke that the Blue Jays were set to acquire Edwin Jackson, whom they’d then flip to the Cardinals in a Rasmus deal. A few hours, everything came together as planned.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ralph Waldo Emerson writes in Spiritual Laws that “only in our easy, simple, spontaneous action we [are] strong.”

Please believe that this edition of One Night Only was composed as easily, simply, and spontaneously as possible.

As usual, the reader can find here our very proprietary watchability (NERD) scores for every one of today’s games.

Featured Game
San Francisco (5) at Philadelphia (3) | 19:05 ET
• Tim Lincecum (8) was scratched from Tuesday’s start with the “flu,” but I think we all know what “flu” means, right?*
• Influenza, is the answer. We just say “flu” because “influenza”‘s a long word.
• Lincecum faces Cole Hamels (10), currently fourth among qualifiers, and third on his own team, by xFIP and SIERA.
• Question: if some combination of Philly starters are the Tenenbaum children, who, do you think, is Eli Cash?
• Maybe Answer: Joe Blanton?

*Note: Matt Cain (7) would pitch tonight if Lincecum’s still sick. Manage your life decisions accordingly.

Read the rest of this entry »

The rumor mill is spinning with the trade deadline a mere five days away as teams amp up their approach to accomplish their goals. On Monday, we took a look at ten teams who could make moves this week, but who don’t really have a pressing need to act. Some teams, like the Phillies, Red Sox and Yankees, are going to make the playoffs, and any moves they make this week will be to improve a minor deficiency. Others, like the Blue Jays and Rockies, don’t have much to sell and aren’t in the position to buy either. Yesterday, the focus shifted to teams who could benefit from making moves, either to get back into the race like White Sox, or to unload valuable assets like the Padres and Orioles.

Today ends the series by examining the ten teams who really need to make or field offers this week for different reasons. Each member of the group has a pressing need to transact this week in order to accomplish goals for this season, next, or both.

#10 – Tampa Bay Rays
Despite squashing rumors of James Shields potentially being available, the Rays have one of the most attractive deadline pieces in B.J. Upton. Though his offense has suffered quite a bit since 2007-08, the elder Upton brother is still a 3+ WAR player capable of hitting 15-20 homers while stealing 40 bases. Add in decent defense in center field and it becomes easy to see why many teams are coveting him. The Nationals are looking to acquire a long-term solution in center field and could make a strong push, though the Braves have also been linked to him.

Upton reaches free agency after the 2012 season, so with a year and two months left under team control, now is the right time to move him. With Desmond Jennings already promoted to the majors, Upton has been made expendable, and if the end solution involves trading him, it’s better to do so when he could impact two playoff races.

Kyle Farnsworth tends to change teams around this time every season, and his stellar numbers so far — 1.99 ERA, 2.69 SIERA, 4.0 K/BB could have plenty of teams calling. The Rangers could use relief help, as could the Cardinals and Tigers. The Rays could also look to capitalize on the potentially fluky success of Casey Kotchman, who will be a free agent after the season. His .388/.450 OBP/SLG would be mighty attractive to a few teams.

Read the rest of this entry »

Twins 9, Rangers 8

Moving the Needle: Jim Thome sets up the ninth inning comeback, +.274 WPA. After suffering a humiliating defeat on Monday, the Twins got right back on the horse Tuesday and actually took a lead in the second. But the Rangers assaulted them with five runs in the fourth. By the ninth it was 8-7 Rangers, but the Twins still had some fight. With a man on first and one out Thome hit one deep, but in the park, to left. Josh Hamilton appeared to have simply missed it. That put runners on second and third. The tying run scored when Elvis Andrus couldn’t field a bouncer in the middle of the infield, and then the go-ahead run scored on a Joe Mauer double. Joe Nathan didn’t make the save easy, but he did strike out the final two batters of the game.

Notables

Nelson Cruz: 3 for 3, 2 2B, 1 BB, 1 HBP. He drove in two and scored three times on his perfect night.

Michael Cuddyer: 2 for 5, 1 2B, 1 BB. His wOBA is up over .370 now. It would seem like a good time to trade him, since the Twins could probably get a decent amount of value.

Also in this issue: Red Sox 13, Royals 9 | Braves 4, Pirates 3 | Tigers 5, White Sox 4 | Mets 8, Reds 6 | Angels 2, Indians 1 | Dodgers 3, Rockies 2 | Yankees 4, Mariners 1 | Brewers 3, Cubs 2 | A’s 6, Rays 1 | Marlins 11, Nationals 2 | Phillies 7, Giants 2 | Orioles 12, Blue Jays 4 | Cardinals 3, Astros 1 | Diamondbacks 6, Padres 1

Read the rest of this entry »

When the Tigers acquired Austin Jackson from the Yankees prior to the 2010 season, they did more than simply replace the popular Curtis Granderson in center field. They brought to Motown one of the few players who can match Granderson’s charisma. The 24-year-old Jackson isn’t a star — at least not yet — but he possesses an enviable mix of thoughtfulness and amiability. He can be serious, he can be fun-loving, he can even be baseball’s black Bugs Bunny.

——

David Laurila: Why do you play baseball?

Austin Jackson: I play baseball, basically, because I’ve always played baseball. I had an older brother that played and I think that’s a big part of why I started playing. Growing up, I mostly played it for fun; it was something I enjoyed as a kid. I started getting a little more serious when I was in high school, because I realized I actually had a chance to make a profession out of this.

I had another sport and kind of swam my decision of whether to enter pro baseball or go to college and play both basketball and baseball. That was a tough decision coming out of high school — as an 18-year-old — to choose to make a little money and do something you love, or go to college and see which way that takes you.

DL: Does being African American impact that type of decision?

Read the rest of this entry »

The opening salvo of the last week of trading season has been fired… and by the Washington Nationals, who sit 15 games back of the Phillies for the NL East race and nine games back of the Braves for the NL Wild Card. The Nationals pulled the trigger on a deal with the Cincinnati Reds acquiring left fielder Jonny Gomes for minor league pitcher Chris Manno and outfielder Bill Rhinehart.

Wait, what?

The impetus of this deal for the Reds is simple. Chris Heisey has been an above average hitter and has earned time in the left field hole for Cincinnati. With Gomes’s usefulness limited to his performance against left-handed pitching, Heisey has made him redundant. The movement of Gomes makes room for Yonder Alonso to come up and add another left-handed bat to the outfield mix and to the bench.

The thought process for the Nationals, however, is not so clear. The reward for the Nationals appears to be a right-handed platoon partner for Laynce Nix. Gomes does crush left-handers to the tune of a .382 wOBA for his career and a whopping .426 wOBA so far this season. He’s effectively worthless against righties — a .319 wOBA career and .296 this year — and in the field, where he carries a -38 career UZR in about four seasons’ worth of plate appearances in the corner outfield positions.

Read the rest of this entry »