per Ken Rosenthal

 

 

Tweets Ken Rosenthal.

 

http://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/7680733527

Flowers to AAA?

My guess is a DH will now be signed or a trade will be made shortly.

Oh oh...

Is Kenny working on trading Flowers now?

I'm not sure if this spells the end of Flowers. I think they want to put him in the position to get more AB's at AAA.

Oh oh...

Is Kenny working on trading Flowers now?

 

No. He'll be in Charlotte.

 

So who gets dumped from the 40-man? Marquez?

Why do we think Flowesr will be traded? I haven't picked up that vibe at all. I think they want Tyler Flowers playing daily at AAA to hone those catching skills.

This was the right move. Knowing AJ's history, Flowers would only have gotten a handful of AB's. Plus it saves us a year pre-arbitration on him, lets him develop a little more in the hitter's park of Charlotte, and maybe lets him build up trade value if we do decide we really like one of the other catchers we have at a lower level.

Why do we think Flowesr will be traded?

Because he's our most valuable position playing piece in the minors. You want to do a major deal, you pretty much have to include him.

So who gets dumped from the 40-man? Marquez?

Cole Armstrong would be my guess.

I don't think the organization is inclined to put the future of the catching position in Josh Phegley's hands just yet. I don't buy the impending trade thought, and would have preferred Flowers on the bench in sort of a Backup QB-type deal.

Cole Armstrong would be my guess.

 

 

I definitely think Armstrong and Marquez are the two top candidates for a DFA.

This was the right move. Knowing AJ's history, Flowers would only have gotten a handful of AB's. Plus it saves us a year pre-arbitration on him, lets him develop a little more in the hitter's park of Charlotte, and maybe lets him build up trade value if we do decide we really like one of the other catchers we have at a lower level.

I don't know about that.

The issue with the team as currently constructed is our DH is a rather weak platoon situation. I would have rather given Flowers a few starts a week at the catcher position and a few starts a week at the DH position, because I think he could probably help the team more than giving the PAs to some of the other guys on this roster.

 

Instead, this means Flowers will be in Charlotte or traded, and more PAs will be taken by the likes of Nix, Kotsay, and Castro than I will enjoy.

 

OR, KW could make the obvious move and go out and sign Thome now.

I definitely think Armstrong and Marquez are the two top candidates for a DFA.

I haven't gotten enough in the way of specific medical reports since last May, but Marquez was dealing with bone spurs when he was pitching last year. If it were me, I'd want to see if he could recover from that before cutting him loose. But then again, if it came down to Marquez vs. signing a DH, the choice is obvious.

OR, KW could make the obvious move and go out and sign Thome now.

Really, he has to now. I could understand keeping the DH slot open if you wanted FLowers to get 200 AB's there. You can't platoon Jones and Kotsay at your DH spot, you just can't.

I haven't gotten enough in the way of specific medical reports since last May, but Marquez was dealing with bone spurs when he was pitching last year. If it were me, I'd want to see if he could recover from that before cutting him loose. But then again, if it came down to Marquez vs. signing a DH, the choice is obvious.

 

I think the chances of Marquez getting picked up on waivers is pretty low, so maybe they can get him by and outright him to Charlotte.

Really, he has to now. I could understand keeping the DH slot open if you wanted FLowers to get 200 AB's there. You can't platoon Jones and Kotsay at your DH spot, you just can't.

I really think it means Thome is signed any day or a deal is made sending Flowers away.

 

Why else would this move have taken so long?

Makes sense. Allows Flowers more time to work on catching (more important even than getting at bats for him, IMO). Also allows KW to trade Flowers if necessary (but that won't happen unless its a blockbuster). $1M is cheap.

 

I'd guess Armstrong is DFA'd, not Marquez, because KW liked Marquez so much. I'd bet they want to give him a chance to show his stuff in AAA when healthy, before giving up.

 

Why else would this move have taken so long?

Because there are multiple backup catchers' on the market, and Castro was reportedly talking with other teams (there was a rumor a couple weeks ago he was close to signing with the Blue Jays but that seemingly fell through).

I'd guess Armstrong is DFA'd, not Marquez, because KW liked Marquez so much. I'd bet they want to give him a chance to show his stuff in AAA when healthy, before giving up.

Only problem is...if you want to sign a DH as well, you need an extra 40 man slot for him as well.

If we carry 7 relief pitchers that means that Andruw Jones is our DH or Nix doesn't fit on the active roster?

I don't think the organization is inclined to put the future of the catching position in Josh Phegley's hands just yet. I don't buy the impending trade thought, and would have preferred Flowers on the bench in sort of a Backup QB-type deal.

 

 

To me, it doesn't look like AJ's days are done by any means. Who's to say AJ isn't resigned? If the Sox go that route, Flowers can most definitely me traded if the right deal comes along.

I coulda swore I heard that Castro had signed with someone else already...guess not. I hope Castro can repeat his performance of last year and get the Sox another perfect game!

Ozzie Guillen does not use two catchers in the same game period. He does not even replace one for the other unless it is the bottom of the 9th and the game is on the line...and then that is a rarity

 

If Flowers was on this team he would play once a week and end up with 100 or so at-bats. Look at Brian Anderson to see how this helps progress a career. There is nothing Flowers can not learn playing everyday in AAA that he would at the MLB level.

 

Flowers was not going to DH unless CJ was a platoon guy that could catch in a pinch.