https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/red...-blake-swihart
Gotta love this. The guy is lucky to be accruing big league service time
https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/red...-blake-swihart
Gotta love this. The guy is lucky to be accruing big league service time
Hal sucks
He should ask for a trade.
other names i have posted under: none
That's pretty much what I posted the other day - that what's going on now isn't productive for either Swihart or the Red Sox. If I'd been in Swihart's shoes I'd have been asking to be traded before now.
It's a mere moment in a man's life between the All-Star game and the Old Timer's game.
-Vin Scully
I could see a team like the Rays trading for him and sticking him into their lineup. Rob Refsnyder has played in half of their games this season for goodness sake!
He can request a trade all he wants. But finding another team that s willing to give anything up for him is another matter.
He has two selling points - a low salary and experience at multiple positions. But he isn't much of a catcher and his only other positions in MLB are 1B and corner OF, neither of which are hard to fill with more established players.
The most likely deal might be for an injured or overpriced player some dirt cheap team (Miami? Pittsburgh?) is looking to get rid of. I could see him going for former Sox relievers Brad Ziegler ($9mill) or Junichi Tazawa ($7mill), assuming the Sox are willing to absorb that payroll. While Billy Beane seems to like collecting former top prospect types with limited position flexibility, I doubt he moves Santiago Casilla ($5.5mill) so readily, although I suppose it is possible.
Beyond that, maybe something along the lines of the Buchholz/Tobias trade where the Sox get a longshot minor leaguer who never sees the inside of Fenway Park...
If he was good enough, he’d be getting playing time.
Originally Posted by moonslav59
Swihart is catch 22. I would need to see him start 7-10 games straight first. He has lost so much development and playing out of position. If a bum like Leon/Vazquez can get playing time, Swihart deserves a chance, here or another place.
He has no options left. I don’t see him sticking at the MLB level with anyone. He has no defensive position, and he doesn’t hit enough to be a DH. Eventually, he will have to accept an assignment to the minors.
The King of TalkSox has Spoken.
That may be exactly what he needs right now to get his game back together again. Remember, at one time he and Vaz were neck-and-neck for the starting catching position in Boston. I see it as being entirely possible that with the right tutor he could be an average catcher with a better than average bat (for a catcher). Players have made a career out of that.
The thing is, he's not getting any younger and if he's going to do that he needs to be cut loose from the Sox so he can have a chance to do it.
IMO the reason he's still with the team is because 1) he has no options left, and 2) he's the insurance in case Vaz or Leon gets hurt. That puts him in what someone else has called a tough spot. He wants to be traded but the FO won't trade him because they MIGHT need him.
It's a mere moment in a man's life between the All-Star game and the Old Timer's game.
-Vin Scully
I'm not really sure what Swihart gives the Sox right now they couldn't get from one of many catchers with options or on minor league deals.
If they don't like his defense behind the plate, wouldn't they be better off with a defensively talented journeyman back there?
Dombrowski has brought in guys like Bryan Holaday in the past to fill a catcher void...
I completely agree with this. It's why I don't understand why they don't do Blake a favor and cut him loose - get whatever they can and do both of them a favor. Unless it's because of the salary thing. We ARE dangerously close to the big limit.
It's a mere moment in a man's life between the All-Star game and the Old Timer's game.
-Vin Scully
Once some teams are out of it, they may throw him out there for a month or two and see what happens.
Maybe some teams feel like they are out of it now, and might give an A level prospect with some hopes for a shot at finding a catcher who can hit well enough to offset his defensive woes.
Why do him afavor? This is a business. He’s their asset.
He’s a guy with potential, but hasn’t really lived up to expectations. Is he any different than the Cechinnis or Lavarnways of the world?
While teams do certainly do favors for players - like Steve Piscotty being dealt to Oakland - I suspect that as the return of Pedroia approaches, maybe they will move Swihart elsewhere.
Certainly teams will make offers. None will be enticing. Swihart probably brings back a 26yo AA player or some sort of organizational depth that need not be added to the 40-man.
Salary dumps are always possible, but it also depends how much money the Sox take on and for how long. The Ziegler/Tazawa scenario above might actually b best case, and I'm not sure how willing DD is to take on those deals, both of which expire after this season...
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