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Gammons Notes: Dodgers’ offseason, the ongoing Castro-Mets saga and Rusney Castillo
August 22, 2014 by 0 Comments
Dodgers
As the Dodgers wait to see how Zack Greinke’s elbow feels after Saturday’s start and how Hyun-jin Ryu’s glute progresses as he shoots to return next weekend, they realize that once the season ends they have some major decisions. They will carefully watch shortstops Miguel Rojas and Erisbel Arruebarrena; it now seems highly unlikely that they will re-sign Hanley Ramirez, either to play shortstop or third base, so they then have to look for another third baseman.
Then there is the Matt Kemp issue. People close to him say he still wants to be traded, which will be pushed again after the post-season. A couple of the American League teams who have been following him closely feel strongly that he is close to regaining his swing after serious shoulder and ankle injuries, and that while he may not be able to play center field, he is a huge righthanded power bat that is a lineup-changer.
Cubs, Mets
The ongoing Castro-Mets saga seems an unending melody, which is almost certainly going to drift off across Lake Michigan. Officials from both teams agree that they do not match up. The Mets most value on-base percentage, the Cubs have reservations about dealing top young middle infielders for pitchers who haven’t approached 200 innings. The Mets don’t particularly like Starlin Castro, and prefer Addison Russell, which isn’t going to happen.
They are convinced that Kyle Hendricks’ pitchability will play in the middle of the rotation behind Jake Arrieta because of his tireless preparation, C.J. Edwards and Pierce Johnson are coming fast in double-A. And because this may be the final year their draft pick is unprotected, they could make a run at James Shields or Jon Lester, who carry no compensation, this winter, but are more likely to wait to hit the pitching free market next year, when David Price and Jeff Samardzija are available.
Rusney Castillo
There were a few skeptics about Rusney Castillo, his performance in Cuba, his workouts with a couple of teams. But his workout with the Red Sox and seven months of work following him convinced them to give the 27-year-old a seven year, $72.5M deal that begins this season.
The 5-foot-8 Castillo is likened to “a Ron Gant who can play center and can fly.”
Teams are already preparing for the next Cuban slugging phenom, 23-year-old Yasmani Tomas. He’s 6-foot-2, 230 pounds and described as being close to Jose Abreu in terms of power. As one general manager said Thursday, power is so rare that Tomas could be one of the big stories of the off-season. He’s currently in The Dominican, but not working out for teams, and since it took Castillo seven months to get cleared and signed, it could be close to spring training by the time Tomas can get signed.
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