you presumably definitely know that a couple of teams have been kicking the tires on Nicholas Castellanos. To be specific, the Los Angeles Dodgers came a calling just about a week ago. The word around the campfire is that the approaching cost for the man who knows not what quality defense is was pretty high. That word was confirmed more recently when it was reported for that general manager Al Avila told the Dodgers that they would need to surrender outfielder Alex Verdugo or getting prospect Keibert Ruiz.
Obviously, the Dodgers balked at surrendering either Verdugo or Ruiz for the defensively challenged Castellanos, who’s only under control for one more year (at an projected $11.1MM). The 22-year-old Verdugo positions as the Dodgers’ No. 1 prospect and baseball’s 32nd-best farmhand at MLB.com…Ruiz, 20, is the Dodgers’ second-positioned prospect at MLB.com, which places him 39th generally speaking.
This may appear as though a major ask, yet I, for one, am more than alright with this. There is a plenty of time to find a landing spot for Castellanos. Asking big at the beginning is a good way to settle into a more reasonable trade return down the road.
The folks over at MLB Pipeline named their five most enhanced farm systems and (spoiler caution) the main residence team made the list. The credit for an enhanced minor league program that currently sits simply outside the main 10 goes essentially to Casey Mize and the 2018 draft class, however they likewise mention the acquisitions of Isaac Paredes and Daz Cameron [Ed.: Which occurred in 2017, yet yeah, sure, MLB].
Paredes’ and Cameron’s performances at Double-An appeared to awe the forces that be. It’s weird to think about the Tigers with good farm system. While that is fine and good, I’m not going to get too excited until the point that we begin to see that mean the huge club.
Nestled snugly into an AL Central refresh from MLB Trade Rumors prior a week ago was a little nugget from an Anthony Fenech mailbag with respect to what the signings of Tyson Ross and Matt Moore mean for Daniel Norris. The short of it is that the bearded gentleman of yet-to-be-reached potential will have nothing given to him. Ross and Moore are there to ensure youthful Daniel can feel, feel, feel, feel the heat.
I’m certain that many a sports fan, after hearing of a perplexing front office choice from their most loved team, has wondered if the top brass are making informed decisions, or if they are simply throwing darts at the wall or relying on an Ouija board.
All things considered, on account of former Tigers owner John Fetzer, the Ouija board thing may have been a viable choice. On his approach to amassing a fortune and having an heavy hand in two World Series championships for the club, Fetzer relied quite heavily on a variety of new age spiritual techniques based on his interests in the paranormal and metaphysical.
A new book by Brian Wilson (not Pet Sounds, Brian Wilson) of Western Michigan University takes a deep dive into Fetzer’s life. This article from the Free Press gives you a look inside the Fetzer Institute, where the employees are encouraged to build upon Fetzer’s belief in intuition and various spiritual practices. The article, among many other things, recounts a tale of Fetzer, unsurprisingly, working with Mark Fidrych during his breakout year. It’s pretty fascinating.
