Jack Taschner: The newest Phillie

WholeCamels over at The Good Phight has analyzed the Phillies-Giants trade that sent Ronny Paulino briefly to the Giants (he’s now with the Marlins) and brought Jack Taschner to the Phils. While the trade itself isn’t groundbreaking - Paulino is a backup catcher having a horrible spring, and Taschner is a lefty specialist - the analysis itself is interesting from an armchair GM standpoint.

He had this to say about the trade:

1. Chris Coste will definitely be the backup catcher, at least at the start of the season.  The Phillies also probably see him as a valuable right-handed bench bat, even if that bat is overrated.

2.  The path is clear for Lou Marson.  If there’s one place the Phillies have depth in the minor leagues, it’s the catching position.  Paulino was only going to be a barrier to Marson’s development.  If either Ruiz or Coste succumb to injury, it’s Marson’s time.

Source.

Joe Blancato giants, jack taschner, marlins, phillies, ronny paulino, the good phight, trade

Beats a picture of Youk.

Dave Cameron over at FanGraphs has put together a super-comprehensive ranking of all 30 MLB teams, rating their franchise using five criteria: Ownership, Front Office, Major League Talent, Minor League Talent and Overall.

Rounding out the top three are the Red Sox at No. 1, with the Yankees and Rays tied for third. Cameron had this to say about the Sox:

Well capitalized owner who wants to win and invests in the product? Check
A cohesive front office that combines scouting and statistical analysis? Check.
A major league team that can win immediately and has pieces to build around? Check.
A minor league farm system that will replenish the major league roster? Check.

The Red Sox are the cream of the crop in baseball right now.

Hard to argue with that, though the AL East certainly remains up for grabs as the Yankees continue to spend and the Rays keep improving their young club.

The worst three franchises are the Nationals, Marlins and Astros. Cameron’s thoughts on the Nats:

It’s impossible to find an organization in worse shape than the Nats. They’re coming off a major league worst 102 loss season and their GM just resigned amidst a scandal over significant issues with their Dominican scouting operations. Rather than hiring a new general manager, the team president is just handling business himself while giving Asst. GM Mike Rizzo some increased authority without a promotion.

Yeesh.

Source.

Joe Blancato astros, dave cameron, fangraphs, marlins, nationals, rankings, rays, redsox, yankees