CttP #5: Bryce Harper Injury, Mike Trout Trade Ideas, Astros Frustrated
Welcome to the fifth episode of the Call to the Pen flagship podcast! New episodes will be up every Monday and Wednesday. Today we talk about the Bryce Harper injury and the possibility of a Mike Trout trade.
Welcome to the fifth episode of the Call to the Pen flagship podcast! New episodes Monday and Wednesday. Today we talk about Bryce Harper’s latest injury, Mike Trout trade ideas and the Astros getting feisty with their GM over a lack of moves at the deadline.
In today’s episode, host and Call to the Pen contributor Jonathan Platek discusses the possibility of a Mike Trout trade. Also discussed is a column from Brendan Dlubala about the Astros, specifically Josh Reddick, getting upset with GM Jeff Luhnow about the lack of additions since the trade deadline has come and gone.
Jon also discusses the serious nature of Bryce Harper’s knee injury, and breaks down how the slugger’s intermittent health throughout his career may be a warning sign for general managers looking to give Harper a mammoth free agent contract following the 2018 regular season.
Here’s what is going on in today’s episode:
- 0:00—6:10: Intro and Scoreboard. Jon gives you the scores and highlights of yesterday’s action in MLB.
- 6:11—11:40: Your host discusses the Bryce Harper injury, relaying information on how long he will be out, how serious the injury is and why it wasn’t even more devastating.
- 11:41—25:50: Jon breaks down the concerns regarding Bryce Harper as he heads to free agency after the 2018 season. Specifically, is Harper’s health and longevity a concern for GMs, as Harper has only played 150 or more games once in his career, and certainly won’t hit that mark in 2017? Jon makes the case that it might not be actually worth $500 million to Harper, despite his on-field performance.
- 26:00—Close: What’s Hot on Call to the Pen. Jon discusses and breaks down some great columns and content from Call to the Pen contributors. The posts discussed are linked below.
- First up is Brendan Dlubala with a piece discussing how Astros players are frustrated with the team not making significant moves to bolster the roster for a playoff run. Jon reads a stinging quote from Astros outfielder Josh Reddick, but also surmises that given how good the Astros are, how much could really be done to make them better?
- Next is Evan Marinofsky with a bombshell: The Angels should trade Mike Trout. Jon briefly discusses the prospects of a Mike Trout trade in 2017, and spends time explaining how a Mike Trout trade, or really any superstar deal, would or could look different than you expect, and dispels the “comparable value” notion.