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I think maybe Liranzo is a little more than just an insurance policy for Tork. Harris might be putting Tork on notice, which, honestly, Tork might not mind because he might be eager to move on to somewhere else for new start. Seems like a non-analytics organization like the White Sox or Angels or Rockies or Nationals might be a good fit for him.

Who was demanding Jackson Holliday for Jack Flaherty?

I’ll bid him Godspeed and everything as he walks out the door, but now that he’s on another team, I really don’t care so much how he does anymore. He’s just another pitcher like all the other pitchers on other teams now. I’m focused on Liranzo and Sweeney now.

Is Lirzano going to take over for Tork? Thayron Liranzo TLDR A below-average arm stands in the way of Liranzo catching. He might have enough power to profile at first if he can't. Full Report Liranzo still has too much to clean up on defense for us to feel comfortable stuffing him on the Top 100. When he can actually get a throw to the bag off, his Patrick Bailey-style sidearm release works ok, but he so often botches or fumbles his exchange that he doesn't give himself a chance to get the runner. Liranzo mostly utilizes a traditional crouch when receiving and is a below-average framer and ball-blocker. Both those skills are more tenable and within the range of big league viability than his arm, but at Liranzo's size and age, it's no guarantee they'll stay that way. There is huge switch-hitting power here — Liranzo hit 24 bombs in the Cal League, hit a ball 114 mph, and had a 48% hard-hit rate last year. He can hit for power from the left side even when he isn't taking his best swing, and he's dangerous from the right side even though he uses super conservative footwork, generating everything with a shift in his weight and the strength of his hands. Liranzo doesn't have great feel for the barrel, which is typical for a young a switch-hitter, let alone one of atypical size. His 65% contact rate is below the threshold of any 2023 big league first baseman (Bryce Harper's was at 68%, the next lowest was 72%), so there's substantial Quad-A risk here if Liranzo can't catch. Whether or not he stays back there is the difference between Cal Raleigh and M.J. Melendez from a production standpoint. Arm strength is perhaps a little less teachable than other issues young catchers often need to fix, which is worrisome in this case. He has a little more minor league experience than some of the other prospects who present a combination of extreme ceiling and risk, and Liranzo's high-end outcomes are driving his placement here.

D'OH!

What the hell is happening? Who is fcking up the report on the return for Flaherty? Or are we getting all four guys?

Whoops! Fangraphs 2024 Updated rankings now has Cartaya at #13 in the system and on a downward trend. https://www.fangraphs.com/prospects/the-board/2024-in-season-prospect-list?org=lad Kendall George ranks #30 here. Looks less than whelming at first glance.

Interesting haul. Cartaya is the prize. Pipeline has him at #7 in the system but not a Top 100; fangraphs has him at #3 but that was back on March 1. here is the writeup there: 3. Diego Cartaya, C Video Signed: July 2nd Period, 2018 from Venezuela (LAD) Age 22.5 Height 6′ 3″ Weight 219 Bat / Thr R / R FV 50 Tool Grades (Present/Future) Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw 30/35 50/60 40/55 40/30 40/55 55 After he slashed a disappointing .189/.278/.379 at Double-A Tulsa, Cartaya won FanGraphs’ 2023 Resolve-Testing Catcher of the Year award, a honor previously bestowed upon Bo Naylor, Henry Davis and MJ Melendez. Some of the underlying hit tool issues that Cartaya performed in spite of during previous seasons became untenable in 2023, as upper-level opposing pitchers executed to the locations he struggles to cover, which are copious. This is nothing new — Cartaya has had elevated strikeout rates in the lower minors (26% or more) since 2021, and hit tool risk has been a part of his profile the entire time. It will continue to be, but if Cartaya can get to enough of his power and continue to develop on defense (more on that in a second), then he’s still likely to clear the low offensive bar at catcher. The physical punishment inherent in catchers’ duties can have a pretty serious impact on how they perform on offense for long stretches of time. Cartaya’s bat looked unusually slow in 2023 and his max exit velocity declined three ticks from the previous season; his issues were not as simple as him having a low BABIP (although he did at .216). The exit velo decline could point to some underlying malady, or at least is an indication that Cartaya wasn’t in peak physical form last year. He had multiple injury issues in prior seasons (mostly back and hamstring). At age 22, it’s fair to conclude that he’s not in physical decline, and that whatever his 2023 issue, it might be remedied or healed with an offseason of rest. If anything, broad-shouldered, 22-year-old hitters who are built like castle drawbridges, as Cartaya is, tend to merit more projection into their mid-20s. Cartaya still has developing to do on defense, but he’s a pretty good bet to remain a catcher. His receiving and ball-blocking are still below average (common for a 22-year-old, but it’s frustrating that Cartaya has been treading water in this regard), and too often he fumbles the baseball during his exchange, but his raw arm strength is very good and he has the big, durable frame typical of a primary catcher. He is no longer on the expressway to Chavez Ravine like it seemed he was a year ago, but Cartaya is still a high-ceiling catching prospect who stands a chance to be an impact regular. One of Cartaya’s option years has now passed. Will Smith is entrenched ahead of him, and fellow catching prospects Dalton Rushing and Thayron Liranzo put themselves in the medium-term 40-man mix with great 2023 seasons. It’s very important for Cartaya to rebound in 2024 so he can enter his final option year as a viable big league option. You could point to any of the Dodgers’ good catching prospects as candidates for trade, and Smith’s presence increases the likelihood that any of them begins their career as a backup, which is especially true for Cartaya because he’s already on the 40-man roster. We’re not totally ignoring Cartaya’s 2023 flop, but our instincts here are to avoid overcorrection and continue to project Cartaya as a long-term primary catcher.

Is it the same package they offered us for Eduardo last year? Is Flaherty going to exercise a phantom no-trade clause?

OTOH ...

The pundits are beginning to throw in the towel.

I'm knocked out by the idea that games lasted 2-1/2 to 3 hours back then. Given how quickly hitters put pitchers' pitches into play, that must have entailed a hell of a lot of dawdling.

Well, at least he's consistent.

The Pirates are buying?!

Nesbitt thinks it's a reliever now for a reliever later. Stavenhagen thinks Montalvo is a starter. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5669835/2024/07/30/mlb-trade-grades-andrew-chafin-tigers-rangers/ The trade Texas Rangers get: LHP Andrew Chafin Detroit Tigers get: RHP Chase Lee, RHP Joseph Montalvo Stephen J. Nesbitt: The Rangers have had a bottom-10 bullpen by ERA this season, and adding a veteran lefty like Chafin will help bolster that unit. Chafin had a 1.35 ERA through May 7, and over the next month that number swelled to 5.40 because of three particularly bad outings. Since early June, though, Chafin has allowed only one run over 17 innings. He is a known commodity, exactly the type of arm teams target at the trade deadline. Chafin eviscerates lefties, and the AL West has some scary ones. Chafin has held left-handed hitters to a .474 OPS this season, compared to .756 OPS for righties. We’ve seen a few lefty relievers moved already this month — A.J. Puk, Jalen Beeks, Caleb Ferguson — and Chafin might be the most reliable of the bunch. His command is solid. He’s leaning on his slider more than ever this season, leading to a career-best strikeout rate (30.9 percent). The Tigers, who enjoyed their first go-round with Chafin in 2022 so much that they brought him back in 2024, now acquire his expiring contract for a couple minor league arms. Baseball America has Montalvo ranked as the Rangers’ No. 19 prospect. Between Lee and Montalvo, there’s a decent chance the Tigers will one day get a capable reliever out of this deal. Rangers: B Tigers: B Cody Stavenhagen: Chafin has had a nice bounce-back season after a down year in 2023. With a 34.4 percent whiff rate and a slider that is holding opposing hitters to a .132 average, he makes perfect sense for a Rangers bullpen in need of another left-handed weapon. The Rangers have an uphill climb to make the postseason, but Chafin is the type of durable arm who could take down important innings in their quest to get there. He even comes with a $6.5 million team option after the season the Rangers could pick up if all goes well. Detroit gets back a pair of interesting right-handed arms. Lee averages 12.3 strikeouts per nine innings in relief over four years in the minors. Montalvo, currently a starter, has a riding fastball and a swing-and-miss slider that have helped him post a 2.63 ERA and solid strikeout rates in the minors. The Tigers believe in their ability to get the most out of pitchers, so getting two intriguing arms rather than one makes this a solid return. Rangers: B+ Tigers: B

Do you have the fever? Because the only prescription is more cowbell.

You know what they say: you can't have too many left-handed-hitting outfielders.

Fifty-five minutes left. I want my shiny new toys!

Absolutely, and Facebook, Imstagram, YouTube, all of it. It will be especially delicious when it comes to Twitter.

Again, someone should start a random baseball thread for random baseball stuff—anyway, pulling together something for a deck I'm doing and ran across this interesting tidbit from 1901, just as the American league was becoming a major league.

Fire Harris!

Montalvo is the get. #27 Pipeline midseason, #19 Fangraphs as of July 12. FG: 19. Joseph Montalvo, SP Drafted: 20th Round, 2021 from Central Pointe Christian (FL) (TEX) Age 22.2 Height 6′ 2″ Weight 185 Bat / Thr S / R FV 40 Tool Grades (Present/Future) Fastball Slider Changeup Command Sits/Tops 40/50 50/60 40/55 35/60 91-94 / 97 Montalvo has a very athletic drop-and-drive delivery with big hip/shoulder separation that may portend more velocity even though he’s a smaller-framed guy. He’s run a sub-3.00 ERA at every minor league level, including at High-A this year, because Montalvo’s command weaponizes below-average stuff that might keep improving. His fastball already punches above its weight because of its uphill angle, and Montalvo has feel for a long-bending low-80s slider that flashes plus length and will likely play plus at maturity because of his command. He also has a mid-80s changeup that flashes bat-missing tail, but it tends to have early action that puts hitters off the scent, and Montalvo uses it sparingly. Montalvo’s capacity for movement and lower body athleticism is exciting and makes me want to project on his stuff quality into his mid-20s. He’s thrown a ton of strikes in the low minors and stands a good shot to be a no. 4/5 starter down the line. He’s Rule 5 eligible this offseason and might be kept at High-A all year in effort to keep him off the Rule 5 radar. He’s more likely to be rostered after next season and debut in 2026, probably as a spot starter. Seems like a good get for a middle reliever.

But at least Flaherty will not have blocked a trade at the last second! 😁

They allow toilet paper in the visitor's clubhouse? Talk about mollycoddling. Why, back in my day, if an opponent tried to wipe his ass with toilet paper we'd beat him unconscious to a bloody pulp and then let the red ants do the rest. The nerve ...

Ha ha ha, yeah, I'm actually being serious here.