Estrada not happy in AZ?

[The Commish]

There have been grumblings in recent weeks from a couple sources that Estrada isn't happy in AZ and wants to be back in the Bay Area where he is from. At first when I heard it on another board I kind of dismissed it, but when I asked a friend of mine who works with the DBacks and other major league players he confirmed that it was true.

It's too bad really because he is the closest we've been to a legitimate catcher. His numbers alone prove that he's the best that we've had behind the plate (.303/9/57), not to mention he has been our most consistant and clutch hitter this year.

The situation then begs the question, when will Miguel Montero be ready? Early in the year in AA Tennessee, Montero was batting .270 with 10 HR's and 46 RBI's in 289 AB's. He was moved up to Tucson in mid-July and has done surprisingly well in 82 AB's, batting .354 with 5 HR's and 20 RBI's. He hits left handed much like Estrada and has had a very good On Base Percentage every stop along the way. The Dback's no doubt would like to leave him down in Tucson at least half-way through next year. Those plans may have to change with Estrada wanting out.

I wouldn't pass this along if it wasn't accurate, and when I first heard it I brushed it off as nothing. But after looking into it I found out that Estrada does not want to be here much longer. His contract is up at the end of this season and my guess is that he will find a team in California that will throw money at him. Luckily for the Diamondbacks we have someone that may be ready to step in for Estrada if/when he does decide to find a new home. The debut of Miguel Montero may be sooner than some people think.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

If Estrada doesn't want to be here we might as well trade him this offseason while he's got a lot of value. We can always make due with a Snyder/vet platoon until Montero's ready which at this point looks like September 2007.

 

[The Commish]

If Estrada doesn't want to be here we might as well trade him this offseason while he's got a lot of value. We can always make due with a Snyder/vet platoon until Montero's ready which at this point looks like September 2007.

I would love to trade him since he does have value, but it looks like his contract is up at the end of this season. Maybe my information is wrong, but that's what it looks like.

I would rather just bring up Montero at the beginning of next season instead of signing a guy for one year. Let him and Snyder platoon until he gets the hang of it. After all, the kid is producing in triple-A and appears to have very good plate discipline.

 

[The Commish]

Besides, the thought of Snyder getting any significant playing time scares the crap out of me.

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

I would love to trade him since he does have value, but it looks like his contract is up at the end of this season. Maybe my information is wrong, but that's what it looks like.

I would rather just bring up Montero at the beginning of next season instead of signing a guy for one year. Let him and Snyder platoon until he gets the hang of it. After all, the kid is producing in triple-A and appears to have very good plate discipline.

Estrada is still arbitration eligible next season and not a free agent, so he is still under Diamondback control this offseason.

 

[The Commish]

Estrada is still arbitration eligible next season and not a free agent, so he is still under Diamondback control this offseason.

Ok good. It's hard to find MLB player contract information. That's huge because we could get a good pitching prospect(s) for him, something that we desperately need.

 

[ArizonaSportsFan]

He certainly isn't happy after trying to catch Julio tonight. He was getting pretty beat up by pitches in random locations.

 

[Nasser22]

I like Estrada a lot and wish he would stay but they could get some talent back in a trade for him. I have no problems starting Snyder and Montero is supposed to be good I guess. Snyder isn't as bad at hitting as he was before and is a great defensive catcher. I actually like him.

 

[devilalum]

I like Estrada a lot and wish he would stay but they could get some talent back in a trade for him. I have no problems starting Snyder and Montero is supposed to be good I guess. Snyder isn't as bad at hitting as he was before and is a great defensive catcher. I actually like him.

I'm not sold on Snyder at all. He's a backup catcher at best.

 

[Nasser22]

Well you usually don't get much offense from catchers but Snyder has improved and is good enough as a 7th or 8th batter and his defense is great so I have no problem with him starting even though I do hope Montero turns out to be good.

 

[devilfan02]

his defense is great so I have no problem with him starting

 

[Ryanwb]

FWIW....

I had heard that Estrada was part of the deal that would have brought Zito to Arizona until the other team backed out. This was just what some guys in front of me at the game a few weeks ago were saying..... i thought it was bunk until now

 

[SunsTzu]

Well this sucks, I like Estrada and wish the D-Backs could keep him(and have him want to be here).

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

Thats interesting. He's been getting plenty of playing time, and is closer to the bay area than he used to be, so I don't know why he has much reason to complain there. Maybe it has something to do with the stomach ulcer problems he's been battling recently.

 

[The Commish]

Estrada likely to join exodus from Arizona


Bob McManaman
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 27, 2006 12:00 AM

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SAN FRANCISCO - This won't just be the end for Luis Gonzalezand, potentially, Craig Counsell.When the Diamondbacks close out the year with four home games Thursday through Sunday at Chase Field against San Diego, it figures to be the end of the road for catcher Johnny Estrada,too.

At least in an Arizona uniform.

Estrada finally said as much on Tuesday and General Manager Josh Byrnes, in his strong public comments to date, acknowledged the Diamondbacks will probably try to trade Estrada after this season.

"We feel like with (Miguel) Montero'sdevelopment, he is certainly a candidate to be major-league ready and obviously, (Chris) Snyder has had a good year," Byrnes said. "Maybe Johnny is frustrated because of that, but he has played very well for us, too, and we think a lot of him as a player. But we'll go into the off-season with a surplus there, and we'll see if we can use it as trade bait."

Estrada, who has had personality clashes with manager Bob Melvin and pitching coach Bryan Price, said he is counting down the days and will be happy to move on, noting his decreased playing time. He has been particularly unhappy about not having caught Brandon Webb during the ace's past four outings, including Tuesday night against the Giants at AT&T Park.

Melvin considered starting Estrada but changed his mind, saying of Snyder and Webb: "I liked the way they've worked together the last three times."

Estrada, who is arbitration-eligible in the off-season, meaning the Diamondbacks control his rights, said his preference would be for Arizona to work out a trade that would send him to Philadelphia. The Phillies signed him in 1997 after drafting him in the 17th round that year.

"They're a team that obviously has a good nucleus of players; they're going to need a catcher, and I've been there before, I know their whole coaching staff and they know me," Estrada said.

"I know what Philly fans expect, too. I know it's a tough place to play, but the bottom line is they want a winner on the field, and they don't care how you do it. They want you to win; they don't want just a bunch of yes men."

Estrada had his share of run-ins with then-Phillies manager Larry Bowa, but said a lot of other players did, too.

"I saw Larry Bowa single-handedly run Scott Rolenout of town my rookie year," he said. " . . . Having to be thrown into that kind of fire with that kind of manager, it was a pretty rude awakening. But I wouldn't change it for the world, because it made me who I am."

His other top choice would be getting dealt to San Francisco, which isn't far from where he was raised. He thinks it's doubtful, however, that the Diamondbacks would consider trading him to a division foe.



http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/articles/0927dbnb0927.html
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[overseascardfan]

Maybe package him for a front end SP, Brad Penny, John Lackey, etc.

 

[Ryanwb]

We finally get a decent catcher and he hates the team.

 

[AZZenny]

We finally get a decent catcher and he hates the team.

He hates the manager and pitching coach. Join the club.

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

Estrada needs to quit complaining about playing time and realize that he ranks 6th of all NL catchers in number of at bats and that the only catcher in the NL with a substantially larger amount of at bats is Paul LoDuca.

 

[The Commish]

I think he hated the situation from day 1. I don't really think this is necessarily the organizations fault - he never really gave us a chance. I like Estrada but I'm not really bothered by trading him since we have Montero. However if Snyder was our only option for next year then I would be pissed. I think his AB's would be higher if he actually wanted to play for us. Now that the organization plans on trading him they want to give the starts to our young guys to gain some experience. I doubt we will get a frontline starter for him like someone mentioned even if we did a package deal. I would expect pitching prospects or bullpen help in return. Not much else.

 

[Kel Varnsen]

Doesn't it work against Estrada to let anyone outside of the Diamondbacks organization know that he wants out? Doesn't that take away a lot of leverage from the Diamondbacks, thereby making it less likely that they would receive offers that they would deem fair and likely to accept?

 

[burndoggy]

Dont let the door hit your ass on the way out. Estrada while a great offensive talent is a clubhouse cancer everywhere he goes. Very below average as a reciever and just plain lazy as a catcher and a base runner.

 

[The Commish]

Doesn't it work against Estrada to let anyone outside of the Diamondbacks organization know that he wants out? Doesn't that take away a lot of leverage from the Diamondbacks, thereby making it less likely that they would receive offers that they would deem fair and likely to accept?

Conventional wisdom would say so, but baseball and specifically this situation goes against that. Since Estrada is arbitration eligible the DBacks still control his rights which puts the ball in their court to a certain extent. Combine that with the fact that great offensive catchers are few and far between, he will be a hot commodity especially for a team that is in contention. Some may argue that his attitude problems may lower his value, but if he is able to find a team that wants his services (there will be suitors) then it won't really matter. Clubs want to win, and having an offensive threat like Estrada in your lineup can really be a luxury. I said it before and I will say it again, pitching prospects or solid bullpen help is the likely return on investment. I liken this situation to restricted free agency in basketball or football - the DBacks have quite a bit of leverage and what they desire won't be hard to swallow for many teams.

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

I don't even think Estrada is all that great offensively. Sure, he hits over .300 but a pitcher could throw the rosin bag and Estrada would still swing at it. He only has 13 walks this year, and 7 of them were intentional! I'm content with trading him (although I really don't think his value is very high) and letting Montero and Snyder (who has a higher OPS than Estrada) battle for the starting job.

 

[The Commish]

I don't even think Estrada is all that great offensively. Sure, he hits over .300 but a pitcher could throw the rosin bag and Estrada would still swing at it. He only has 13 walks this year, and 7 of them were intentional! I'm content with trading him (although I really don't think his value is very high) and letting Montero and Snyder (who has a higher OPS than Estrada) battle for the starting job.

I disagree on your comment about his hitting. I think he has been one of our most consistent hitters all year and has come up with big hits in clutch situations. You're right on the walks issue, but typically where he bats in the lineup 4-6 you don't want a lot of walks because the guys behind you are pretty worthless. He goes up there to drive in runs.