Listen, we know it’s tough to catch up on everything happening in the baseball world each morning. There are all kinds of stories, rumors, game coverage and Vines of dudes getting hit in the beans every day. Trying to find all of it while on your way to work or sitting at your desk just isn’t easy. It’s okay, though, we’re going to do the heavy lifting for you each morning, and find the things you need to see from within the SB Nation baseball network, as well as from elsewhere. Please hold your applause until the end, or at least until after you subscribe to the newsletter.
The A’s wanted Anderson Espinoza for Rich Hill. Good luck, everyone else.
Monday’s Say Hey, Baseball includes the price for Rich Hill, fallout from the Drew Pomeranz trade, and what other teams think of Julio Teheran rumors.
Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images
* * *
The Red Sox traded their top pitching prospect, Anderson Espinoza, to the Padres for All-Star lefty Drew Pomeranz. Pomeranz is under team control not just for the rest of 2016, but also the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Espinoza was a high price to pay, but the Sox have a need now, prospects to deal, and managed to get someone into their long-term plans, as well. A’s starter Rich Hill only checks off one of those boxes, as he could have filled Boston’s needs for a pitcher now. Oakland asked for Espinoza in return for him despite his just being a rental, which is how Hill is still on the A’s and Pomeranz is on the Sox.
You can’t fault the A’s too much for shooting high, especially not in the midst of a market nearly bereft of available starters. And, to their credit, they reportedly came back with a different offer after asking for Espinoza and seeing that rejected. They’re in a position to ask for a ton, given the desperation of teams looking for arms combined with their ability to give Rich Hill the qualifying offer at the end of the season. That’s bad news for anyone else looking for help: sure, the Espinoza offer was rejected, but now the market has one fewer Drew Pomeranz than it did last week, so there is one fewer option to turn to if the Hill price isn’t right.
Oakland might want to be a little careful, though, considering Hill’s injury history. He left Sunday’s start with a blister, which is admittedly not a big deal in the long run, but Hill has had his share of legitimate, career-altering injuries that kept him from breaking out like this as a starter until he was in his mid-30s already — it doesn’t take much imagination to come up with a scenario where the A’s tried to get too much and ended up getting nothing instead.
- This young Pirates’ fan is as adorable as he is angry.
- The Red Sox trading for Pomeranz makes life more difficult for teams like the Tigers, who not only can’t trade for Pomeranz themselves, but are also trying to take a wild card spot that the Sox currently hold.
- The Pomeranz trade was one the Sox and Padres both had to make, and that was before it was known the A’s wanted Espinoza for Hill.
- Other teams don’t believe the Braves when they say they won’t be trading Julio Teheran.
- Ken Giles had a rough start to 2016, but he’s quietly returned to form and looks ready to close games again if the Astros need him to.
- The Padres won a game this weekend on the 20th walk-off balk in MLB history.
- Here are 12 classic sports moments that you forgot included Pokemon.
- There is an empathy problem surrounding minor league players, as people don’t seem to understand that they are in a business and not just there for a dream job.
See More:
