April 1, 2016

Rumor Roundup

Panda Endangered

by Nicolas Stellini

Pablo Sandoval Loses His Job To Travis Shaw
After a flurry of moves that included the signing of Pablo Sandoval, the 2014 Red Sox romped to the American League pennant, then swept the World Series. General Manager Ben Cherington received many an accolade for his work, and Sandoval became an instant fan favorite.

Now that we’ve enjoyed our gaze into a parallel universe, we can take in yesterday's news that Travis Shaw was named Boston’s starting third baseman over Sandoval. A winter that began poorly with unflattering photographs has ended with a benching. The Panda hasn’t exactly had an awful spring at the plate (.270/.308/.541 in 39 Pas), but Shaw’s defense at the hot corner was what earned him the job. The Red Sox will now have a $77.4 million boondoggle sitting on the bench. It’s hard to call this result surprising, given Sandoval’s apparent inability to slim down and the relentless march of time forcing him to age. He never appeared to be an asset that would age well at all. Perhaps that’s part of why Cherington is no longer the GM.

Shaw is a first baseman by trade, so his fielding will be something to watch as the season moves along. However, the decision by John Farrell shows just how confident he is (read: not at all) in one of the more expensive players on the team. Sandoval may know Kung Fu, but he isn’t The One.

Hyun-Soo Kim Unwilling to Start Year in Triple-A
Jung-Ho Kang’s success in the big leagues paved the way for more Korean position players to make the fateful leap to North America. One of those players was Hyun-Soo Kim. A career .318/.406/.488 hitter over 10 KBO seasons, Kim signed a two year, $7 million contract to join the Orioles. His awful spring has led to Rule 5 pick Joey Rickard taking his spot on the Opening Day roster. Kim’s agency has released a statement demanding that he be carried on the 25-man roster and have his contract, which doesn’t include a mechanism for Kim being sent down without his consent, be honored.

It’s a messy situation to be sure. Along with Byung-Ho Park, Kim was supposed to be a player that would have a relatively easy time translating from Korea. He was part of the answer to Baltimore’s less-than-ideal outfield situation when it came to players not named Adam Jones. While it’s still possible that Kim will eventually settle in as a useful big-league player and that the past month and change have been nothing more than a rough landing in unfamiliar territory, the Orioles are in a tight spot. Perhaps they should have signed an outfielder that was an actual proven product. Say, Dexter Fowler?

On the bright side, Kim has an awesome theme song.

Rangers Talking to Indians About Starting Pitching
No, it’s not about Corey Kluber or Carlos Carrasco. Everyone pick your jaws up off the floor.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports that the two clubs are toying with the idea of a trade that would see a starter go to Texas in exchange for a reliever. The Indians have starters to spare, and the Rangers have more than a few relievers. Grant theorizes that one of Josh Tomlin, Cody Anderson or Trevor Bauer is Texas’ target.

One would think that it’s likely either Tomlin or Anderson. For all his trials and tribulations, Bauer is still a former top prospect and still shows flashes of brilliance and fine raw stuff. To acquire him in a package centered around a reliever would likely force Texas to part with one of Sam Dyson or Keone Kela. Bauer also has a slight proclivity for surrendering the long ball (1.2 HR/9 in 2015), which isn’t the most ideal problem to have in Globe Life Park.

Due to his youth (25 years old) and lack of service time, Anderson is probably the more valuable of the remaining two pitchers. It would be interesting to see just how far Texas would be willing to go to acquire the young right-hander. However, the fifth starter in the Ranger rotation will eventually need to abdicate his position in favor the returning Yu Darvish. Tomlin has operated out of the bullpen before, and is therefore likely the best fit.

Nicolas Stellini is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @StelliniTweets
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