DieBruderschaft.com

Rockies news and links for December 15 Denny McLain Jersey , Game ThreadsRockies Fan ExperienceRockpileRockies offseason: Justin Smoak, Daniel Murphy emerge as possible offensive upgradesNew,103commentsRockies news and links for December 15, 2018ByEric Garcia McKinley@garcia_mckinleyDec 15, 2018,6:00am MSTShareTweetShareShareRockies offseason: Justin Smoak, Daniel Murphy emerge as possible offensive upgradesRox shift 1B/2B search to short term options | Rockies.comThe Rockies were rumored to be targeting either Carlos Santana or Edwin Encarnacin to play first base. Weirdly, those two players were traded for one another on Thursday. It takes Santana off the board, although it shouldn’t surprise anybody if Jerry Dipoto decides to trade Encarnacin, even though the Mariners just acquired him. If so, that would be the first time he did that since he traded Carlos Santana for Edwin Encarnacin. Anyway, the Rockies seem to be moving away from those guys and looking at other possibilities. Thomas Harding reports that the Rockies are now eyeing a handful of guys to upgrade the offense: Daniel Murphy, Logan Morrison, Neil Walker, and Justin Smoak. Those are some names. Let’s rank them from least to most desirable:Logan MorrisonThe man had a .276 on-base percentage last year! He’s also had just one good season, and it really may have been a fluke, in 2017. Pass.Neil WalkerWalker would be last if he were signed to play first base (hard, hard pass) http://www.tigersfanproshop.com/authentic-joe-jimenez-jersey , but I’m not sure he would provide much of an offensive boost at second base either. Walker had the worst season of his career in 2017, with a 79 OPS+. And second basemen don’t usually have graceful declines, so that bad season should give any team pause.Daniel MurphyMurphy, who will be 34 by the time spring training rolls around, posted a 105 OPS+ split between the Nationals and Cubs in 2017. That was a step back from his outstanding 2016 and 2017 campaigns. Still, the note about second basemen and ungraceful declines apply here as well. It would make more sense to play the younger and more athletic Rya McMahon at second base and Murphy at first, but I don’t think any Rockies fan wants to see another middle infielder signed to play first. Justin SmoakJustin Smoak, who used to be really bad, has had a couple of good seasons in Toronto — OPS+’s of 131 and 123. The worry with Smoak is that it really wasn’t that long ago when he was not a good hitter at all. Smoak is firmly a first baseman, so he would allow Ryan McMahon handle second base with Garrett Hampson. Of the four names Harding floats, Smoak is probably the most desirable, even if he doesn’t inspire that much confidence. But that’s just what I think. Rockies use winter meetings to window shop | Rockies.comThe winter meetings ain’t what they used to be. For the Rockies, as well as for most other teams, it was probably just a space to continue conversation without any urgency to execute any transactions. Harding notes that the Rockies still have areas where they’d like to improve: Offense, bullpen, and catcher. If nothing happens over the next week or so, then those question marks will probably carry over into January. Rockies depart winter meetings still searching for an upgrade on offense | Denver Post ($)Patrick Saunders offers his perspective about the Rockies needs. He also notes that the Rockies re-acquired catcher Chris Rabago for cash from the Royals after the Royals selected him in the Rule 5 draft from the Yankees. Feces, cockroaches and mold: Denver venues have some of the worst food-safety violations in pro sports Kirk Gibson Jersey , new report says | Denver Post ($)ESPN investigated food safety inspection reports from sports venues across the country. Food consumption is as much a part of the live sports ritual as watching the game itself, and people deserve access to this information. This is journalism in service of the public. The full report can be found here. The Denver venues faired poorly, as all three professional sports venues in Denver ranked “among the worst in the U.S. for food-safety violations at professional sports stadiums and arenas.”Also: Ew. The Marlins could be trading J.T. Realmuto this offseason and the Dodgers need a catcher, with the likely departure of Yasmani Grandal. Realmuto would be a fine replacement."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections 2019 Spring TrainingProspectsCommentaryNews and NotesDodgers RumorsCommentaryLet’s talk about the Dodgers and J.T. RealmutoNew,319commentsMarlins’ catcher would fit in well with the Dodgersgoing to focus on one player: J.T. Realmuto.The one Marlin who wasn’t traded last offseason might end up bringing Miami its best trade return this offseason. He’s the best catcher in baseball and is available.Jim Bowden of The Athletic wrote about Realmuto and what it might take to get him out of Miami. He identified the Dodgers and proposed Alex Verdugo and Dustin May for Realmuto. If that sounds a bit light, it probably is. That, despite what Miami-based radio host Craig Mish tweeted on Wednesday.Still, a 2-for-1 seems highly unlikely, unless one of the two is a legitimate global Top 10 prospect, which neither Verdugo or May are. As a side note, the best prospect proposed by Bowden is Victor Robles, and that ends up being a 1-for-1 swap. That seems even more unlikely than any of the 2-for-1s.Maybe a Dodger proposal begins with Keibert Ruiz instead of Verdugo, but May is almost assuredly going to be included as he’s organization’s top pitching prospect in terms of youth and ceiling. It’d probably take a third solid piece — someone in the 8-15 range of the org rankings. But if a package of Verdugo and May would be enough to obtain the final two years of control of Realmuto, then Andrew Friedman should charter a plane for Realmuto’s arrival to Los Angeles.But why is everyone so gaga for J.T.? Well, he’s really, really good. And with offense from behind the plate being at one of the lowest points in the last 50 years, the fact Realmuto and his 126 wRC+ in 2018 is available means he should be coveted.He set a career-high in home runs (21) in 2018, which also led to a career-best mark in isolated power (.208). He also established a new career-best walk rate (7.2 percent) http://www.tigersfanproshop.com/authentic-joe-jimenez-jersey , line drive rate (22.8 percent), fly ball rate (37.4 percent) and a career-low in ground ball rate (39.8 percent).He’s also fast. Not just fast for a catcher, but fast. He had the 83rd-best sprint speed (of 549 ranked players) in 2018 of 28.6 feet per second. Among catchers, he was the best. If you thought Barnes was fast (27.4 ft/sec), Realmuto is faster. He’s Andrew Toles/Yasiel Puig fast, which is really saying something. This is a rare talent for catchers these days.So, he’s a premium-hitting catcher who can run. That’s good enough for most. But he’s also a solid, agile defender behind the plate. He’s a Top-20 blocker and thrower, according to Baseball Prospectus. Where he lacks a bit is framing, which is a hallmark for Dodger catchers. Having Yasmani Grandal and Austin Barnes — two of the game’s best — it’s hard to give that up, but Realmuto can make up for that with his offense.What might be most attractive about the 27-year-old is the fact the acquiring team might be getting his two best years before free agency. That is, if his offense keeps trending in the right direction.Realmuto has two more years of team control before he hits the open market. For a contending team — like the Dodgers — he could be the perfect fit. While the future of the position is likely with Ruiz and Will Smith, it’s highly unlikely both will be ready for full-time duty next season. It’s even a stretch to say both will be ready by 2020. If Realmuto is in town for two seasons, that gives Ruiz extra time to develop and improve on the things he needs to and would allow Smith to ease into a role as a backup catcher.The acquisition cost shouldn’t be prohibitive, but the competition for Realmuto this winter promises to be stiff. There are many teams that would love to add the game’s best catcher for a couple years. He fits on almost any team, but if Grandal doesn’t return, there may not be a better fit for his services than the Dodgers.