Wilson Ramos to miss 4-8 weeks

[cmathewson]

IMO the trade is yet another move where the strategy was sound but the talent eval failed. Either the Twins eval of Ramos, Capps, or both players.

 

I like the strategy of trading catching for pitching (or other players) for 3 reasons:

 

Even if Capps was a top closer, I would hesitate to make that move. Relievers are the easiest pieces on a team to replace. Catchers are the hardest. I would consider trading a catcher for a starter, especially a 1-2. But not a closer. In Capps, case, he was not even that good of a closer--more in the Eddie Guardado mold than Joe Nathan. All guts. Those guys are a easy to find. We had a guy like that on the team (Crain) but they refused to consider him for that role.

[Willihammer]

Even if Capps was a top closer, I would hesitate to make that move. Relievers are the easiest pieces on a team to replace. Catchers are the hardest. I would consider trading a catcher for a starter, especially a 1-2. But not a closer. In Capps, case, he was not even that good of a closer--more in the Eddie Guardado mold than Joe Nathan. All guts. Those guys are a easy to find. We had a guy like that on the team (Crain) but they refused to consider him for that role.

 

I'd probably aim for a starter too, but I disagree elite defensive catchers are hard to replace. Last year there were 3 who hit free agency - Ross, Molina, and McCann. The year before 3 - Ross, Molina, Martin. Undoubtedly there are minor league journeymen and backups out there who are just as skilled but nobody seems to be scouting those guys with the exception of a couple teams.

 

Meanwhile guys like Pierzynski and Saltalamacchia (and Mauer) get paid millions for their bats even though they are inferior defensive catchers and overall provide similar value.

 

Its such an obvious area ripe for exploitation, and actually, I think Pinto would be a great candidate to move due to his solid bat and lousy defense. Someone will overpay for him.

[mnfireman]

Per MLBTR:

[h=1]Nationals' Ramos To Undergo Hamate Surgery[/h]By Jeff Todd [April 1 at 8:06pm CST]

Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos is likely to undergo a procedure to repair an injury to his left hamate bone, report Adam Kilgore and James Wagner of the Washington Post. The surgery will likely keep Ramos out of action for four to eight weeks, according to the report.

The news is a major disappointment for the Nats, and even moreso for the unlucky Ramos, who returned last year from an ACL tear only to deal with hamstring issues over the first half of the season. Ramos, 26, was expected to play a major role for a Washington club that hopes to return to the top of the NL East this year. In just 303 plate appearances last year, he clubbed 16 home runs and put up a .272/.307/.470 triple-slash.

It is not yet known, of course, how the team will address the loss. The Nationals acquired Jose Lobaton in mid-February to serve as the backup catcher, and can certainly lean on him in a starting role for some time. The likeliest internal candidates to take Ramos's roster spot are Sandy Leon and Jhonatan Solano, who have filled in at the MLB level in past years. Washington let veteran Chris Snyder leave at the end of the spring, and he has since signed on with the Rangers.

A new acquisition will surely tempt GM Mike Rizzo given the team's readiness to win, Ramos's fairly extensive medical history, and the fact that hamate injuries often sap power for some time even after a player returns. But at this early stage of the season, it would be effectively impossible to find a player that offers a reasonable hope of filling Ramos's substantial expected production. And it could be hard even to find someone that would provide much of an upgrade over the team's internal options for the reserve role.