Baseball

Injuries wreaking havoc on the trade market

Not a lot of pitchers available, which gives Red Sox an edge

Jim Rogash / Getty Images

The market for pitching has been depleted by injuries, making Brad Penny a valuable trade chip for the Boston Red Sox.

Q: The Rangers have the best farm system in the majors, and they’re winning. Do they package prospects to win it all now, or use fill-ins on the major-league roster, and build a core of home-growns for the future?
— Lorenzo, Ocean Beach, Calif.

A: Yes, after almost being run into the ground by Tom Hicks’ clueless decisions, the Rangers are in a pretty good place these days. As I wrote a couple weeks ago, the influences of Nolan Ryan, Mike Maddux and the increasingly better-looking trade of Mark Teixeira to Atlanta all have been positive factors.

The system arguably is the best in the game, even with Elvis Andrus already excelling in his rookie season, and at least for now, the Rangers lead the AL West (and with a payroll of only about $70 million).

But let’s not get carried away with the ‘win it all now’ idea. First of all, I expect the Angels to overtake the Rangers soon enough — although it must be said, the Angels aren’t the guaranteed 90-plus-win team they’ve been in recent years.

Secondly, the injuries are starting to mount in Texas — Josh Hamilton, Brandon McCarthy (again), Frank Francisco (although he should be back soon enough) and will take their toll on a team not blessed with great depth. Not to mention the traditional July-August swoon that has haunted the franchise for years.

The Rangers reportedly are looking around for another starting pitcher — Ian Snell is one possibility — and you know the bullpen needs help when they’re dealing for Rockies castoff Jason Grilli and immediately throwing him into the mix.

So to answer your question, I’d say there’s a good chance the Rangers will make a move or two to strengthen their run at a winnable division, but there is probably no chance that their elite prospects will be dealt.

Q: What do you think about the Colorado Rockies? Do you think they’ll be in the trade market?
— Dan Gaber, Juneau, Alaska

A: Their recent 11-game winning streak is a potential season-changing event, but we’ll have to see where things go from here between now and the trade deadline.

As impressive as the streak was — including series sweeps in Milwaukee and St. Louis — it still left the Rockies one game under .500, albeit only a few games out in the wild-card race after shaving five games off their NL West deficit.

The big reasons for the streak? Starting pitchers ran off a 10-0-2.50 stretch over 75.2 innings, closer Huston Street was NL co-player of the week with five saves, the offense had three consecutive double-figure run total games, and the general feeling of calm after the storm following all the uncertainty leading up to Clint Hurdle’s firing.

Through Wednesday, they were 14-5 under Jim Tracy, who has tweaked a few things, but nothing major. Now what?

The Rockies could use help at the back of the rotation and in the bullpen, and could deal Garrett Atkins and/or Ryan Spilborghs — especially if Carlos Gonzalez hits enough to stay in the big leagues (still a question at this point). Trouble is, Atkins’ value has tanked with his batting average around the Mendoza Line and his reduction in playing time.

Greg Smith could help the rotation after a rehab stint, but Taylor Buchholz’s loss for the season due to surgery limits bullpen options within the system.

It’s highly unlikely they would take on more payroll, and in fact it’s more likely they would shed some with an Atkins’ deal, or if they decide to move Jason Marquis or Huston Street for younger players.

That type of deal likely wouldn’t occur until if and when the Rockies decide they aren’t in wild-card contention.

Q: Will the Cardinals make a trade for a quality bat this season, or are they going to keep playing the waiting game?
— Kerry Kennedy, St. Louis

A: That’s an age-old question around Busch Stadium, isn’t it? And the Cards’ sputtering offense continues to keep that issue on the front burner.

When they scored 11 runs in a win over the Tigers on Tuesday, it marked the first time they totaled more than five runs in a home game since April 25th. And not coincidentally, they also had lost seven of their last nine at Busch Stadium prior to Tuesday.

Yes, it’s no secret they’ve needed a bat to better protect Albert Pujols. And that need has increased with the loss of Troy Glaus to injury and the relative struggles of Ryan Ludwick and Rick Ankiel.

But there are other issues in play here, namely payroll considerations and the accompanying organizational philosophy to build from within.

Nothing wrong with that in theory, but the criticism of some local observers is that the Cardinals’ over-valuation of their prospects is keeping them from trading organization talent to fill needs at the big-league level.

The other side of the coin is what teams might be asking in return for hitters such as Matt Holliday and Mark DeRosa — both available and seemingly nice fits for the Cardinals.

Cards owner Bill DeWitt’s latest comments indicate that there is financial flexibility to make a deal, but that nothing is likely, at least in the immediate future.

Tony DeMarco writes regularly for NBCSports.com and is a freelance writer based in Denver.

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