A right-handed hitter who might be worth the farm?
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A right-handed hitter who might be worth the farm?
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
In an earlier post, we concluded that Hunter Pence is not a "high on base percentage guy" or a "power hitter."
But here's a guy who could fit into both categories. . .
White Sox right fielder Carlos Quentin has not seen his name pop up in the trade deadline rumor mill very often. That's probably because the White Sox are just 3.5 games out of first place and figure to be a strong contender for the American League Central crown.
But the tireless Ken Rosenthal has a new blog post up that suggests the White Sox could be looking to trim payroll over the next five days. And guess who he mentions as a possible trade target?
That's right. Carlos Quentin.
The Phillies were briefly linked to Quentin by a national report during the winter meetings, although nothing ever came of it. We would find out later that the Phillies had bigger fish to sign.
Quentin at the time was something of a question mark. In fact, he still is.
He has suffered from a variety of injuries, and he is not regarded as a strong defensive player. The 131 games he appeared in last season were a career high.
But the man can hit baseballs hard. And he can do it from the right side of the plate.
Quentin is hitting .268 with a .360 on base percentage and .525 slugging percentage this season. He already has 20 home runs in 339 at-bats, to go with 27 doubles, 62 RBI and 42 runs scored. He has played right field regularly for the White Sox, serving as designated hitter in just 11 games. Critical to his success this season has been his ability to hit left-handed pitching. In 2009 and 2010, Quentin hit .213 and .211 against lefties, with a total of 11 home runs in 203 at-bats. This year, though, he is hitting .278/.392/.544 with six home runs in 79 at-bats against lefties.
It's hard to imagine the White Sox trading Quentin, particularly since they have a moveable pitcher in Edwin Jackson who makes $3 million more than Quentin's $5.05 million salary.
But Kenny Williams isn't the most predictable general manager in the world. Maybe he is hearing the type of haul the Astros are hoping to get from Pence. And maybe he is floating a trial balloon on the chance that one of the several teams looking for a right-handed bat will give him an offer he can't refuse.
You have to think that convincing the White Sox to give up Quentin would require a package starting with Domonic Brown. But Quentin is a bona fide middle of the order hitter. And his current salary is manageable. And he does not become a free agent until after next season.
With Paul Konerko in the twilight of his career and the designated hitter as an option, the White Sox could be intrigued by a player like Jonathan Singleton. And every team would be interesting in the type of pitching prospects the Phillies have at Clearwater.
Would Quentin be worth a package of Brown, Singleton and Cosart? Especially considering his defensive limitations, injury history, and reverse righty/lefty splits? Would such a deal be enough for the White Sox, who would probably like to shed their payroll without shedding their chances at contending this season? Would a right-handed power bat like John Mayberry who can contribute in a reserve role this season sweeten the deal at all? Would the Phillies be able to engage the Cardinals in a three-way deal in which Colby Rasmus eventually lands with the White Sox?
Lots of questions. Few answers. Hey, it's the trade deadline. But it's out there.
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OMG lighten up Francises!!
We have the best record in baseball and we are getting Polanco and Oswalt next week. All we needs is a LH reliever specialist and maybe trade for Jim Thome it the waiver period in August to be a LH bomber off the bench and possible World Series DH.
I have faith that Mayberry can put up Pat Burrel like numbers today. D Brown is 1-2 years away from putting up better numbers than Werthless. We are fine!!!
We have better pitching and hitting than the Giants did last year (or this year for that matter) and they won it all.
BTW Worley has a way better mound presence than Happ.
I have faith!!!— bluejfk- David, you must be kidding? If not I have to question your sanity. Giving up Brown, plus the top 2 prospects in the phils system is way too much for this guy. It's way to much for Hunter Pence also and I think he's the better player. I have no problem giving up Brown and one of the baby aces (not named Cosart) plus another decent but not top prospect. If these guys expect more, tell them good luck and go pound sand.— scubapro
- Murph, you seem like a really nice guy, you really do. But you have no idea what you are talking about and I think you know it, and are trying to now defend yourself. If you think there is no way the White Sox trade Quentin, then why are you throwing out fantasy baseball proposals? Isn't this supposed to be real news, not armchair gm chat?— carlosbeltran
Comment removed.- I agree Kemp is the one to go after Brown, singleton, cosart be damned. Go and get Kemp, go to Ruben— Slocs
- Baltimore has about the worst pitching in MLB. Why not try swapping Brown, Cosart and maybe Aumont for Adam Jones. He's young and a solid defender and right hand bat and I think he would thrive on this team. I like Brown and if his defense were any better I'd say keep him, but...— Cameiros
- I agree with Mike p a little. Matt kemp is the way to go if your going to give up the farm. But I would really think about Pence too. You don't want the Giant's to end up with him. No Quentin.— duncan2288
- This is inciting riot!— cedara
- If it ain't broke, don't "fix" it. This trade talk exists simply because people need to fill space or have nothing better to write or say - evidence of what little value their alternative communications must have.— Odayman
- Kemp would be a terrific surprise. No to Beltran, Quentin, Willingham, and Frenchy. Yes to Pence. GEt rid of Brown while the gettin is good.— stop2think
- You forgot the wacky analysis that projects lousy numbers. You know, like the one you did for Hunter Pence yesterday.— younged
- Writer, D. Murphy, we don't need another right fielder with defensive liabilities. Murphy just doesn't get it when it comes to H. Pence.— misterhman
- I wouldn't do the trade either, but do you guys realize that Cosart had been hit around like a Piñata lately? Not a good sign for a top-pitching prospect. In July he had 2-3 record with an whooping 8.04 ERA and opponents are hitting .330. In his last 4 starts he has pitched 14 innings, allowing 17 runs on 25 hits. For the season he has a mediocre record as well, going 8-8 with a 4.19 ERA, with a whip of 1.31 and only 75 Ks in 101 innings (not good for supposedly a power arm) while permitting 50 BB. Again, couldn't care less for high ceiling tags. That's for the expert in BA and ESPN. Meanwhile, Julio Rodriguez is leading the team with a 13-6 record, with a whip of 1.09 (also tops), opponents are hitting under de Mendoza line against him (.194) and has 113 Ks in 115 innings. So much for not having great stuff. Oh, for the month of July, when things started to heat up, he's 5-0, with a 1.76 ERA, 32 Ks in 30 innings and opponents hit .183 against him. This is coming after having a hell of season last year, especially in the second half where he was player of the month of August and pitching pretty well in the Puerto Rican Winter League. Not bad for a 20 year old. To me he should be more untouchable than the so-called top-pitching prospect. But that’s just me.— EL Zorro
- Keith Law just ranked Cosart as the #17 prospect in baseball. Cosart has a 97-99 mph fastball, a plus curve, and a changeup that he's still developing that has the potential to become a plus pitch. He's having trouble wielding his stuff at this point in the year, but keep a few things in mind. First of all, he's only 21 years old. Second, he's already 30 IP above his previous career high, so at this point, they're just trying to stretch out his arm to give him the feel of pitching for a full year. Finally, they're working to smooth out his mechanics. Given these things, it's not surprising that he'd give up some runs. Cosart's stuff is much better than Rodriguez's, and he has all of the workings of a #1 starter, assuming he can stay healthy. — Mike P
- Zorro -- Interesting that the object of your affection has switched from Nick Hernandez (this time last year, you promsied us, "that guy is going to be special") to Julio Rodriguez. The scouting community is in agreement that Cosart is among the best pitching prospects in baseball and that JRod is a marginal prospect, if he's a prospect at all. Maybe they haven't read the box scores the way you have. — phillyl0
