Writings on baseball by Matt Barnard and Dan Stein.

 
Mariners take Sanchez off the Mets hands

Seattle Mariners get: Rey Sanchez.
New York Mets get: Kenny Kelly.

The Mariners are a team with a bunch of needs, and it may be only due to the fact that they're competing with flawed competition (the A's, I'm referring only to the AL West divisional race at present) that they're the current favorites (by virtue of their three game lead as I write this) to win their division. That could change very quickly though, as A's general manager Billy Beane has shown the ability to get exactly what his team needs in late July over the past few summers.

On the flip side, Mariners general manager Pat Gillick has a reputation for being inactive around the trading deadline, and it'll be interesting to see whether or not he makes any moves that actually address a major failing on this team (like adding a bat at third base or left field), or if he just jerks around with moves like this one. Kenny Kelly wasn't likely to see the light of day in the Mariners' organization any time soon, so it's just as well that he gets shipped out while he has a chance at some kind of a career. The Mets are a pretty good team to go to right now if you're a young outfielder, as the organization's biggest prospects are either infielders or pitchers and they're currently playing Roger Cedeno on a semi-regular basis at the major league level. Kelly's not an amazing prospect by any means, but he's fast, reasonably young and hitting with some success (.246/.313/.484) at AAA, so he's probably not far from ready to get a crack at seeing what he can do to help the Mets.

What does getting Rey Sanchez accomplish for the Mariners? I'm asking because I really don't know, beyond giving them excellent defense at shortstop and second base. That would be fine, except that they really don't need it, already having Gold Glover Bret Boone in the fold as the regular second baseman and adequate defensive replacements (Mark McLemore, Willie Bloomquist) for Carlos Guillen should they need one. Guillen is hurt right now, but if this move is intended as a stopgap until he gets back, it's only creating another problem. While he was never much of an offensive player, Sanchez hasn't hit at all this season, posting a .207/.240/.236 line with the Mets in 182 plate appearances. That's as close to an offensive black hole as you're going to find the major leagues over that long a stretch of at bats these days, and playing him regularly will leave the Mariners with something akin to an eight-man lineup (which would be fine, if not for that automatic out every time through).

Billy Beane's just made a move to help his team considerably (see the post following this one), and I hope for the sake of Mariners fans that Pat Gillick has more in store for his squad. This is a nice dumping of some salary for the Mets (it's a small one, Sanchez was signed to a $1 million, one year deal before the season), but it's also just getting rid of a guy who has been absolutely useless to the team on the field...and for that, they get someone who could well see a little time in the Met outfield before the season is out.
posted by VZW Watcher at 5:49 PM -

 
Mondesi punted to Arizona

Arizona Diamondbacks get: Raul Mondesi.
New York Yankees get: David Dellucci, Bret Prinz, Jon Mark Sprowl.

This is a crappy deal for the Yankees. I realize that Raul Mondesi had become a problem in the Yankee clubhouse and has been unhappy with his role over the past few weeks. I realize that his behavior might be seen as detrimental to the team (he apparently skipped the team flight to Anaheim, choosing to make the trip a different way), and that there are almost certainly plenty of things that went on in Joe Torre's clubhouse that we, the public, are unaware of. I heard a report this evening after the trade that the Yankee brass was concerned that Mondesi's attitude had been rubbing off on some of the younger players, notably Alfonso Soriano. Perhaps this improves the situation in the Yankee clubhouse, and if that's the case, perhaps something positive can be taken away from it. But from a pure production perspective, this is an awful move.

We're not able to quantify "intangibles" at this point, so we're forced to look at what we do know for sure. Mondesi's been a productive major league hitter this season (.258/.330/.471) who is a decent rightfielder with a cannon for an arm. He's also making a lot of money, but for the team with the highest payroll in baseball by a wide margin, even Mondesi's $13 million salary (of which the Yankees are responsible for $7 million, the rest is being paid by Toronto) for this season is acceptable if accompanied by solid numbers. While he's struggled at times, Mondesi had a terrific month of April when much of the team was struggling, posting a .354/.420/.697 line over 111 plate apperances. His production has clearly dropped off since then, but he's a valuable offensive player and an asset regardless of what he's doing off the field. The Yankees have enough solid citizens on the roster that you'd think they'd be able to manage a bad seed here and there...but apparently that's not the case.

So the Yankees dispatch Mondesi...did they get anything useful in return? First of all, it's important to note that the Yanks aren't getting rid of all of the money that Mondesi is owed for the remainder of this season, as they're sending $2 million to Arizona to help cover their expenses. The kitty: part-time outfielder David Dellucci, righty reliever Bret Prinz and minor league catcher Jon Mark Sprowl. If Sprowl ever turns into anything more than organizational filler, it'll be nice...but I'm not holding out much hope. He's currently 23 in his fourth season at A, and while he's hitting .296/.402/.421 so far this season with A (Midwest) South Bend Silver Hawks, he's got a long way to go and much better prospects in his path.

Dellucci's been a interesting guy in the past, but I'm not sure he is anymore. He doesn't make a lot of money ($900,000 this year, he's not guaranteed beyond that), but of course, he doesn't deserve to based on his major league performance. He's had a few interesting and valuable seasons in limited action (notably his .394/.463/.505 123 plate appearance stint in 1999), but his performance has dropped off considerably over the past two seasons, to the point where there's really no room for him on the current Yankee team outside of as a AAA injury fallback option and possible September roster expansion filler guy. The Yankee lineup can survive the loss of Mondesi (assuming he's replaced on a full-time basis by Ruben Sierra and Karim Garcia and not Dellucci) because of the insertion of Nick Johnson back into the lineup, but giving up a valuable offensive player for not much still isn't a good idea.

Prinz is the most intriguing guy from the Yankees' perspective, as the team does actually need some relief pitching and he's shown he can do it in the past. While he's been hurt for much of the season, he's healthy now and will be assigned to AAA Columbus, but I certainly would not be surprised to see him get a shot at the big league level before the season is over, perhaps even before rosters expand, should any of the Yankees' fringe relievers (mostly referring to Sterling Hitchcock, who may yet be dealt before Thursday's deadline, and maybe Antonio Osuna) have problems.

From the Diamondbacks' perspective, they don't give up much and acquire a legitimate bat to bolster their lineup, so it's a nice move taking advantage of the Yankees' problem. Playing time has been going to Danny Bautista (.259/.298/.330) in right field, so slotting Mondesi in everyday and keeping him happy that way really shouldn't be a problem for Bob Brenly. I'm still not sure they'll get there, but it's certainly a step in the right direction towards the National League Wild Card.
posted by VZW Watcher at 1:30 AM -

 
Trade Steve Trachsel

I was listening to an interview of Mets interim general manager Jim Duquette last week on WFAN (the most prominent sports talk radio station here in New York) when he was questioned about the availability of Steve Trachsel - a sensible query given that the Mets are now in full-on rebuilding mode and have already shipped out Roberto Alomar, Jeromy Burnitz, Armando Benitez and now Graeme Lloyd under Duquette's watch this season. Unlike those guys, Trachsel's under contract for at least one more season after 2003, as he's got a guaranteed $5 million coming to him next year (the Mets also have a $5 million option on him in 2005). Duquette explained that he liked the stability that Trachsel brings to the rotation, that he's had some success in New York, and that he expects Trachsel to be an important part of the Mets rotation in 2004.

I'm not a Mets fan, but I do attend and watch Met games periodically, so this is bad news. If you've never seen Steve Trachsel pitch, that's a good thing, as he's one of the least pleasant guys to watch in the majors currently. There are plenty of guys who work slowly...but I don't think there's anyone who reaches Trachsel-slow. With or without runners on base, he consistently takes a full 30 seconds between every pitch. Let's take a look at each of his starts this season and compare his average game time to the league's:

Trachsel starts this year (w/ game time, # of innings Trachsel pitched)

4/3 vs. Cubs - 2:53 (5 innings)
4/9 at Marlins - 2:49 (6 innings)
4/14 at Expos - 3:07 (6 innings)
4/19 vs. Marlins - 4:01 (5 innings)
4/25 vs. Diamondbacks - 2:53 (6 innings)
5/1 at Cardinals - 3:21 (5 innings)
5/7 vs. Dodgers - 2:28 (7 innings)
5/12 at Rockies - 3:16 (6 innings)
5/17 at Giants - 2:47 (8 innings)
5/23 at Braves - 3:05 (5.2 innings)
5/29 at Phillies - 2:59 (6.2 innings)
6/5 vs. Brewers - 2:46 (4 innings)
6/10 at Rangers - 3:19 (3.1 innings)
6/15 at Angels - 2:38 (9 innings)
6/20 vs. Yankees - 3:19 (7 innings)
6/25 vs. Marlins - 2:49 (7 innings)
6/30 vs. Expos - 2:45 (7 innings)
7/5 at Reds - 2:33 (6 innings)
7/10 vs. Phillies - 2:46 (1.2 innings)
7/17 at Braves - 2:26 (6 innings)
7/22 at Phillies - 4:01 (5.1 innings)
7/27 vs. Reds - 2:45 (5.1 innings)

His games are averaging just over 3 hours a piece, which really isn't as bad as I expected, but is still almost a quarter of an hour longer than the average game in the major leagues this year (the figure I have is 2:46, but it's a bit dated...if you know of where to get this kind of information updated, please let me know). As annoying as he is to watch, it'd be alright if he were a really effective pitcher or the Mets were a team that could effectively utilize a professional major league innings eater, which is exactly what Trachsel is.

Keeping him for this season (and signing him to his $8 million, 2 year deal in December of last year) was perfectly defensible coming off what was probably the best season of his career, as he posted a 3.37 ERA over 30 starts and 173.1 innings with an 11-11 record for the Mets. The team was still deluding itself into believing that it could contend for a playoff spot, and having the 2002 version of Steve Trachsel pitching relatively cheaply at the back end of a rotation would help in that pursuit. Clearly, the 2002 iteration is no longer with us, as despite his slightly improved record (he's at 9-7 this year so far), he's pitched significantly worse. The team is also totally out of contention, and while paying him an average of $4 million over these two seasons would've been acceptable if the team was good, it's no longer a wise investment. He's not helping the Mets do anything more than tread water, and expecting him to be worth the $5 million he's due next year and turn it around again at 33 seems pretty foolish to me. Right now, there are enough contending teams desperate for starting pitching that the Mets could no doubt ship him out of New York, and regardless of what they get in return, get out from under his contract for next season (or pick up a piece of the money owed and get more value coming back).

If the Cardinals call up and offer a total non-entity for Trachsel and insist that the Mets pick up his entire contract, it's defensible for Jim Duquette to decline. While he's occupying a roster spot, he's capable of going out every fifth day and giving the team a chance to win. That said, if the Mets can get either out from under his contract or acquire some players with value in return, they'd be foolish not to take advantage of such an opportunity.

posted by VZW Watcher at 3:49 PM -

 
Royals acquire Graeme Lloyd

Kansas City Royals get: Graeme Lloyd.
New York Mets get: Jeremy Hill.

The biggest problems the Royals are facing right now are their need for more offense and their bullpen. While you can certainly argue that their rotation is a candidate to become a major problem pretty quickly, the fact is that the team doesn't have a tremendous amount of resources, and they need to focus on fixing the things that they can reasonably expect to within their means. Getting Curtis Leskanic at the beginning of the month was an excellent start, and he's pitched even better than expected thus far (admittedly, in very limited work), allowing just three hits and three walks (no runs) while striking out 11 over 7.1 innings.

So that's one guy down. Unfortunately, even with the move of Jeremy Affeldt to relief this week, this is still a pretty bad bullpen. Optimally, you'd really like to be able to shift Affeldt back to the rotation anyway, so if you have a chance to acquire some relievers for a marginal cost, you do it with a division title within reach as the deadline approaches. While he's getting up in years, getting Graeme Lloyd for Jeremy Hill fits the bill. In making this trade, you realize Lloyd's limitations...he's a guy who can face just a couple of batters and get lefties out. This year for the Mets vs. lefties he's allowed a .222/.222/.267 line against in 45 plate appearances against, numbers the Royals would love to see from their bullpen. Not that it means a ton, but Lloyd's also got previous significant playoff experience, so should the Royals get there, he's got that going for him.

The cost to the Royals ends up being Jeremy Hill, a minor league reliever - the sixth that Mets' interim general manager has acquired since he took over (Royce Ring, Edwin Almonte, Kole Strayhorn, Joselo Diaz, Jason Anderson and now Hill). While he pitched in the majors a little bit last season, he's having a dreadful 2003 campaign at AAA Omaha, and basically has one pitch: a mid-to-high 90s fastball. While it's not the worst one pitch to have, it's likely he'll need a bit more to succeed at the major league level for any extended period of time. While he's almost 26 already, his age isn't as big a factor in his development as a pitcher as might be assumed, as this is only his third season as a pitcher following five years in the Royals system as a failed catching prospect.

Graeme Lloyd was pretty useless to the Mets at this point, as last place teams don't have much need for a one out lefty specialist, and I guess if Allard Baird called up Jim Duquette and offered this trade, the Mets had to take it. At the very least, the Mets acquire someone who could be of some value to them in the future as they give up a guy who would not have been. While there are a lot of guys in the Royals system I like a lot better than Hill, he's more valuable to the organization at this stage than Lloyd was. At the same time, the Royals weren't going to be helped in their divisional title push this year by Hill, and going after a legitimate major league reliever like Lloyd was the right move.
posted by VZW Watcher at 2:10 AM -

 
Carl Everett to White Sox deal completed

Chicago White Sox get: Carl Everett.
Texas Rangers get: Anthony Webster, Frankie Francisco, Josh Rupe.

This deal obviously happened a little while ago (on July 1st, to be exact), and I took a look at the addition of Everett at that time. I began my comments like this:

It's hard to judge a trade when all parties involved aren't yet known, but I'll do so under the assumption that whatever the Rangers are getting in return for Carl Everett (at this point, known only as "two minor leaguers and future considerations") are no great shakes. If they are...and whenever it's announced, we'll take a look at that too...there's more to be said about this trade.

It ends up being three minor leaguers, and there is indeed more to be said about this trade. While I had admittedly never heard of either Frankie Francisco nor Josh Rupe before I read their names a few moments ago, Anthony Webster is a legitimate prospect. Drafted in the 15th round in the 2001 draft, he's reportedly a tremendous athlete and fantastic defensive centerfielder already at just 20 years old. After an excellent campaign last year in rookie ball, he's having a pretty successful run at low-A Kannapolis, posting a .289/.353/.361 line in 405 plate appearances. More specifically, he's got 18 doubles, a triple and two home runs, 20 stolen bases in 32 attempts, 31 walks and 58 strikeouts. While he's a way off, Webster has the makings of a pretty valuable centerfielder, and is a much better prospect than I had thought the Rangers would be acquiring in this trade. In fact, Kevin Goldstein's The Prospect Report (which is an absolutely terrific site, but I'm assuming most of you know that) had him rated as the #5 prospect in the White Sox system - and #100 in all of baseball - prior to this season. As well as Everett had produced for the Rangers in the first three months of the season, he wasn't going to be a part of the next good Texas team...and Anthony Webster may well be.
posted by VZW Watcher at 1:01 AM -

 
Bubba Crosby recalled
Following last night's embarrassing loss to the Rockies (embarrassing mostly because they were made to look terrible by Darren Oliver), the Dodgers had a lengthy closed-door meeting and made some roster changes, sending down Daryle Ward and Steve Colyer and recalling Rodney Myers and Bubba Crosby. For a team with the much-ballyhooed offensive woes that the Dodgers have, Crosby's addition to the team (assuming he's actually going to get a chance to play) is a very welcome one.

When he was called up earlier in the season, he spent roughly three weeks with the team - but started just one game and got only nine at bats (and one hit). He joined the team originally when Brian Jordan was ailing (he's out now for the season)...and of course, the team had yet to acquire Jeromy Burnitz or Rickey Henderson. The promotion comes at a little bit of a strange time, given that the outfield has been improving lately with the relatively awesome month (.293/.369/.547, as compared to .260/.324/.444 over the full season-to-date) Shawn Green is having and the added production Burnitz and Henderson bring, although though the latter has yet to contribute much beyond his two home runs. I'm not surprised by the fact that he's been recalled so much as wondering why the team didn't think to give this a shot sooner, as Crosby has been destroying the AAA Pacific Coast League all season - in 76 games (277 at bats), he's got 12 homers, 24 doubles, 8 triples and 57 RBI, good for a .361/.410/.635 line along with 8 steals (and no caught stealings).

In order for the Dodgers to remain remotely competitive for the Wild Card (amazingly, they're only 4.5 games behind the Phillies), they clearly need to improve offensively, as has been documented all over the place. While their biggest holes are in the infield at this point (second base and shortstop are just dreadful), Crosby's an in-house potential fix that they should really give a clean shot at some regular playing time, and hopefully, that's just what they're doing.
posted by VZW Watcher at 2:55 PM -

 
Lofton and Ramirez heading to Wrigley

Chicago Cubs get: Kenny Lofton, Aramis Ramirez.
Pittsburgh Pirates get: Jose Hernandez, Matt Bruback, a PTBNL.

A clear-cut win for the Cubs. Seriously hurting in centerfield since the loss of Corey Patterson for the season (they've been throwing Tom Goodwin out there on a regular basis), they finally acquire Dusty favorite Kenny Lofton, who helps the lineup significantly, giving them a real leadoff hitter. Of course, they've also been using Lenny Harris a disturbing amount at third base...something they'll no longer have to do with the arrival of the once-awesome but still young Aramis Ramirez.

And what do they give up to fill these two major holes? So far (there's still a player to be named in the deal), nothing of significance. Jose Hernandez was acquired about a month ago for Mark Bellhorn and hasn't been terribly effective since. While he's got some value when he's playing well, his numbers thus far in 2003 are pretty crappy (.227/.291/.359), and he certainly hasn't been pushing the Cubs in the direction they want to go. He'll likely man third base for the remainder of the season for the Pirates, but when the one year deal he signed with the Rockies this past offseason expires at the end of October, that'll be it for him in Pittsburgh.

So given that Hernandez isn't likely to stick around, who are the Pirates getting here? The answer is Matt Bruback, a borderline prospect coming from a team already plenty deep in young arms. The Cubs are paying Ramirez's salary (both this year and next, which takes him through the end of his contract), but I'm really surprised that Pirates GM Dave Littlefield couldn't mine something a little more valuable from what is a deep farm system, particularly on the pitching front. Anyhow, Bruback has spent this season-to-date at AAA Iowa, posting a 6-8 record in 20 games with a 3.96 ERA, striking out 90 over 125 innings. It seems conceivable that as the Pirates completely tear the team apart (with this trade, those of Scott Sauerbeck and Mike Williams, and the looming deals involving Brian Giles, Jason Kendall, Jeff Suppan and Kris Benson), Bruback could get a look at some starts pretty soon with the major league team.

While the dye on this trade hasn't been cast just yet, early indications are that the PTBNL isn't anyone of significance. Assuming that's the case, this is a pretty bad deal from the Pirates perspective, accomplishing little but taking Ramirez's salary off their books. The Cubs do a great job in filling some big holes and push themselves towards success both this season and in the future (as they now have a real third baseman). Ramirez has been disappointing over the past few seasons, but he's an improvement over Jose Hernandez right now and is a worthwhile risk going forward.
posted by VZW Watcher at 5:08 PM -

 
Harden tonight
Like just about everyone reading this I'm sure, I'm extremely excited about Rich Harden's major league debut tonight. I'm also really annoyed that the game, like so many other A's games, isn't being carried on MLB.TV for the rest of the country to watch. Even forgetting about Harden's debut, this game (vs. the Royals) features two of the best teams in the American League playing the opening game of a significant series. I've been very pleased with MLB's inaugural season of live, streaming games...but the lack of games of certain teams has to be addressed.
posted by VZW Watcher at 3:54 PM -

 
Ludwick to the Indians for Rodriguez, Spencer

Cleveland Indians get: Ryan Ludwick.
Texas Rangers get: Ricardo Rodriguez, Shane Spencer.

A little late on this, but here it is nevertheless. Almost everywhere I saw this trade mentioned, it's been with a headline involving the fact that Shane Spencer is changing teams. While he's almost certainly the most well-known of the three gentlemen in the deal (due to his postseason, nationally-televised experience), he's also far and away the least significant when it comes to evaluating what this trade means for the future...and even this season, as I don't know how much playing time he's going to get. Both the Indians and Rangers are completely out of the 2003 playoff hunt and are trying to put themselves in the best possible position going forward by acquiring young players to fill their needs. This is a trade that legitimitely helps both sides, which is a nice thing.

That said, I think the winner here is Texas. Ricardo Rodriguez looks like a legitimate major league starter (I'm not yet concerned about his poor 2003, where he's gone 3-9 with a 5.73 ERA over 81.2 innings and 15 starts), and while he's on the DL right now, he's just about to come off. The Rangers, as everyone knows, are absolutely desperate for pitching, so much so that their 6.03 team ERA is helped even by Rodriguez's crappy figure. While Ryan Ludwick is a decent prospect who will probably have a solid major league career, the Rangers have an awful lot of bats already and are trying to get plate appearances for young guys like Laynce Nix and Marcus Thames. The Indians have a bunch of outfielders already in Jody Gerut, Milton Bradley, Matt Lawton, Coco Crisp and sometimes Ben Broussard - so they're not exactly addressing a need - but they're also deep in young pitching and it certainly doesn't hurt to add a guy who can probably produce at a relatively high level from a corner outfield spot for the next few years very cheaply.
posted by VZW Watcher at 1:36 AM -

 
Benitez to the Yankees

New York Yankees get: Armando Benitez.
New York Mets get: Jason Anderson, Anderson Garcia, Ryan Bicondoa.

I'm a little bit torn on this one. I strongly dislike Armando Benitez, both for his actions (specifically against the Yankees, most notably his drilling of Tino Martinez in 1998) and his mostly deserved reputation of pitching poorly in big games. He's failed spectacularly on several high-profile occasions (especially in the postseason), and he's not a guy I'd ever want pitching in a big spot if I could avoid it. That said, he throws extremely hard, is an intimidating presence coming out of the pen late in a game, and goes through periods where he's very effective. For those positive reasons, I assumed that there would be a substantial market for his services over the final few months of the season, as there will undoubtedly be when he becomes a free agent following the World Series, and that the price to pry him from the Mets would be a high one.

Looking at all he brings to the table, I was really hoping he'd end up in Boston. The Red Sox would have to give up some of what little minor league/young talent they possess, and they'd only get a inconsistent short reliever in return, and one who the Yankees have handled very well in the past. When I heard that the Yanks were seriously considering acquiring Benitez themselves, I was naturally concerned...mostly because of the cost I assumed would be necessary to get him from the Mets, who aren't known for doing their crosstown rivals any favors. I heard names like Brandon Claussen and Nick Johnson bandied about, guys who definitely aren't worth parting ways with for three and a half months (I hope) of Benitez.

Of course, this is a very different deal than one involving those guys would have been. Jason Anderson has been a good minor league pitcher, but hasn't been met with a tremendous amount of success at the major league level this year, when he's had a real chance to establish himself as a contributor on a contending team. I hear he's going to be assigned to AAA Norfolk by the Mets and used as a starter, and maybe he'll succeed in that role and be a factor for the Mets down the road. The fact of the matter is that Jason Anderson was never going to get a real opportunity to be used that way in the Yankee organization, and the team needs bullpen help now, not later. If he's an asset in a year or two for the Mets, I think the Yankees can live with that...Benitez, as much as so many of us in New York hate him, is a huge addition to the Yankee bullpen right now.

I really don't know much about either Anderson Garcia (who I hadn't heard of) or Ryan Bicondoa (who I had, but only because the Yanks signed him last year), but neither are big-time prospects. If Jim Duquette is able to unearth something in either of them, more power to him...but at this point, they're not much more than filler in a deal that is really Benitez for Anderson and two arms. Garcia throws hard and has posted good numbers thus far, but he's 22 (not that he's too old to progress and contribute just yet) and playing in low-A ball. Bicondoa is older (24) and has had a disappointing year at high-A Tampa after a nice season with the Staten Island Yankees in 2002. I guess it's nice to have young pitchers in your system, and if you accumulate enough, some are bound to work out...but both are a long way from contributing at Shea.

It's easy to be bummed about this from a Yankee fan's perspective, because we hate Benitez. He hurt our Tino, acted like a baby about it, and has failed against us in big spots. But the Tino incident is now six years ago, and the bullpen badly needs help now. Jason Anderson wasn't going to be the solution, and while parts like Dan Miceli are adequate as back end guys, it's not good to have to rely on them in higher leverage spots. Mariano Rivera is still on the team and will pitch in save situations...Benitez is going to be used as a set-up man, and we'll have to cross our fingers and hope that he's able to handle it and perform well. The money he's making through the remainder of the season really isn't a factor (I think it's $2.7 million, but the Yanks can afford it), and at the end of the year, the team should offer him arbitration and either take the compensatory picks or have a high-priced set-up man for 2004. No matter what, the Yankees didn't give much up here and have improved the team by shoring up its greatest weakness...so it's a job well done by Brian Cashman and the rest of the front office.
posted by VZW Watcher at 3:34 PM -

 
Urbina to Florida for three good minor leaguers

Florida Marlins get: Ugueth Urbina.
Texas Rangers get: Adrian Gonzalez, Will Smith, Ryan Snare.

As I mentioned recently in this space, I've become somewhat enamored with the Marlins in the past few months. They've got a talented pitching staff (led by the awesome young duo of Dontrelle Willis and Josh Beckett) and a good young offense that includes the likes of Mike Lowell, Pudge Rodriguez, Luis Castillo, Derrek Lee and, my favorite, 20-year old Miguel Cabrera. They've been playing pretty well despite the painful loss of their ace starter entering the season (A.J. Burnett), and have gotten themselves into the Wild Card hunt despite playing in one of the tougher divisions in baseball. Aside from their obvious ability to play and contend on some level now, one of the big reasons to buy into this team is their youth. Not only are there really young guys contributing at the major league level presently, but the Marlins' minor league system has a bunch of prospects who should be ready to help at the major league level within the next few seasons.

And then they go and do something like this. Perhaps I was foolish to put any faith at all in a Loria-owned enterprise, but I really don't see how this makes sense for anyone in the Marlins' organization. I'm not sure how much of Ugueth Urbina's contract the Rangers are picking up, but it doesn't really matter - they could be paying the entire thing and this deal would still be a major loss for the Marlins. Usually when you hear about a trade billed as "star for X number of minor leaguers", there's a name or two I recognize and then I've got to dash off and find out who the other players are. Like most of you I suspect, I've heard of all three prospects headed to Texas in this instance, but in case you'd like a quick rundown of who they are...here it is:

Ryan Snare is a 24-year old lefty starter who came over from Cincinnati (for whom he was a second round pick in 2000) last year with Juan Encarnacion and Crappy Brother Guerrero in the deal for Ryan Dempster. He's been pitching at AA Carolina this season, compiling a 5-4 record with a 3.67 ERA in 18 starts there. Over 103 innings thus far, he's allowed 98 hits while walking 37 and striking out 77. Basically, he's a middle-of-the-road starting pitching prospect who probably didn't have a tremendous future ahead of him in the Marlins organization and will benefit by moving to one with serious pitching needs. He's probably not a tremendous loss for Florida, but he's pitched reasonably well at every level thus far and will likely be given opportunities to succeed with the Rangers.

Will Smith is a humorously-named 21-year old outfield prospect who's spent the season as Snare's teammate with the Mudcats. He's been on the disabled list for much of the year (but he's back now), but he's played in 34 games (136 plate appearances) and hit .293/.346/.374 with five doubles, a triple and a homer so far. He's still young and performing reasonably well at AA, so there's no reason to believe that if he develops as expected, Smith can't be at least a major league bit player at some point within the next few years.

And Adrian Gonzalez is the stud of the deal. The top overall pick in the 2000 draft, he's a not-yet-21-year old first baseman who, admittedly, has had a disappointing season and been demoted to AA Carolina after a poor showing at AAA Albuquerque. That said, he's coming off two pretty good years in the organization and has done a nice job in his return engagement at AA this year (hitting .307/.368/.409 in 152 plate appearances over 36 games), and remember...he's only 20. There's no evident power to speak of yet, but as with many young players, he's got projectable moderate power, as some of the doubles he's been hitting turn into homers over the next few years. He's been passed on the organizational depth chart by mashing first base prospect Jason Stokes...but with neither ready to help immediately, there's really no urgency to act on any kind of perceived logjam just yet. There's an awful lot of potential here, and to give him up in a deal like this seems awfully premature. I read an article in the New York Post in the past few days that indicated that the Mets were asking the Marlins for Gonzalez in exchange for Armando Benitez...straight up...and I thought the Marlins would be getting the shaft in that deal. Urbina and Benitez are very similar in terms of what they bring to a team, I think, and it's pretty clear to me that the Marlins got screwed.

I don't see where the Marlins needed bullpen help anywhere near this desperately, and to get Urbina they sacrifice three young players who could well see the major leagues to stay in some capacity in the next few years. While I realize there's a lot of speculation built into that statement, all three minor leaguers are guys with significant upside who were on the map for the Marlins in the future, and who are now gone for a guy who won't even pitch 50 innings for the team. Terrific deal for John Hart, and awful job by the Marlins. This isn't even a real good move for the present (the potential Wild Card chase), and is terrible for the future. As with any deal involving minor leaguers, we'll be able to more fully evaluate this trade in a few years, but it's pretty clearly in the Rangers' favor right now.
posted by VZW Watcher at 7:49 AM -

 
Observations on Jason Davis & Sidney Ponson
I watched two excellent pitching performances tonight. The first was by big (6'6"), hard throwing 23-year old Indian Jason Davis vs. the Yankees. He finished up having allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 6 hits while walking two and striking out two over six innings, but he pitched quite a bit better than that line would indicate. While his control appeared to leave him at times leaving him behind in the count, he had excellent stuff tonight and made things tough on one of the best offensive teams in baseball. He's 6-6 this season (no decision tonight, the Indians would ultimately win 3-2 in the 10th) with a 4.60 ERA, but that's taking into account an April which saw him accumulate a 6.67 ERA over 27 innings. I shouldn't put too much stock in what I saw in one start and I'll have to go back through the MLB.TV archives and watch some of his other outings, but I was really impressed tonight. I should also point out that he's got the best right handed pickoff move I've ever seen, as he's got ridiculously quick feet. Alfonso Soriano was picked off twice tonight - once at first, once at second - and while he fell asleep on the pickoff at second base, it's fair to say that Davis has a legitimately great move.

The second fine performance I was fortunate enough to see was by Oriole righty Sidney Ponson. I was well aware that he's been having a fine year (now 12-5, 3.64), but I hadn't yet seen him this season. His name's been bandied about in trade rumors quite a bit recently, and now I know why. Being a Yankee fan and watching a lot of their games, I've seen Ponson several times over the past few seasons, but he looked like a completely different pitcher tonight. Against the Mariner lineup - certainly no slouch - he completely controlled the strike zone and got ahead of virtually every hitter. Tonight's effort was a complete game, accomplished in only 89 pitches...and only 23 balls, four of which were in a semi-intentional/pitch around four-pitch walk of Ben Davis, the only guy who really hit him tonight. As with (Jason) Davis, I look forward to digging into the archives to see more of the work he's done this season, but he was extremely impressive this evening, and would be a nice fit on a number of contending teams.
posted by VZW Watcher at 1:19 AM -

 
32nd man vote results
Either Frank Thomas or Jason Giambi should have won this vote - they're both much better players, even according to Varitek's mother - but I guess I can live with Jason Varitek, who is legitimately having an excellent year, because Giambi is going to be there anyway with the subtraction of Mike Sweeney from the roster due to injury. The thing I'm most disappointed about is the last place finish of Luis Castillo in the NL vote. The Marlins are a hot team right now...I'm certainly enjoying watching them every opportunity I get...and Castillo's been a big part of it. He hits second in their lineup behind Juan Pierre, but he'd be a terrific leadoff hitter for just about any team, combining speed (14 steals this year, which is actually way down for him) and the ability to get on base (.382 OBP this season, .366 lifetime). He's even added a bit of power to his game this season, slugging .419 with 6 homers (his career highs for a full season are .388 and 2).

Geoff Jenkins is a damn good hitter having a fine season. I don't quite understand how he was able to win this vote, as these things are generally more a popularity contest than anything, but he's not a bad choice...certainly better than Kenny Lofton or Benito Santiago would have been. For the purposes of practical roster composition (which should be important, if we are to believe that the game is being taken seriously by those involved this year), the NL outfield is absolutely stacked, so the final player should probably play a different position. As much as I like Marcus Giles, he's struggled recently (he hit just .234/.308/.351 in June), and while he's paired with Jose Vidro at second, it looks to me like the weakest position for the NL team. For what it's worth (and realizing that that's nothing), I think Luis Castillo should be an All-Star.
posted by VZW Watcher at 6:17 PM -

 
Giambi and the triangle/32nd man voting
We're getting an awful lot of hits from people looking for information on the Jason Giambi segment on Sportscenter that featured him playing the triangle (the instrument, in case there's any confusion on that). Unfortunately, we don't have a clip or anything like that (just a post by Dan on July 4th, which I guess contains more information than you're likely to find elsewhere). This isn't directly related, but if you're here for Giambi information, please consider voting for him in the 32nd man vote (the ballot is easily accessible at mlb.com). Sure, the All-Star Game is probably going to suck, the selection process is bad and the fact that it's going to have an impact on the World Series is very unfortunate, but it's going to happen and it's in contending American League fans' best interests to get the best players represented on the AL team.

Right now, Jason Varitek is in the lead. I like Varitek and he's having a real nice season, but there are already two catchers on the roster (admittedly, one is worse than him - Ramon Hernandez - and should've been left off in his place, but that's beside the point), so the focus has to be on getting the best hitter, regardless of position. I'm convinced that Giambi's the best at this point in his career of the five guys available to be added to the roster and that he should certainly have made the team in the first round of selections, along with fellow 32nd man candidate Frank Thomas (who is actually having a marginally better year-to-date than Giambi). So if you've got a minute, consider going to mlb.com in the next day (voting ends tomorrow at some point) and cast a vote or two or three for Giambi...or Frank Thomas, I'd take either.
posted by VZW Watcher at 4:47 PM -

 
We're okay/Weekend+ recap
It's been a busy few days for us. Pete and I took a trip to Philadelphia yesterday to see the Marlins-Phillies game, as I'd never been to Veterans Stadium and really wanted to see a game there before it closes. Mark Redman was on the hill for Florida (he pitched well and was named the NL Player of the Week for his fine work), so this was, coincidentally, the third time I've seen him pitch live this season, with the other two games coming at Shea. He gets worked awfully hard (140 pitches yesterday, he's also thrown 138 in a game this season), so we'll have to hope he holds up alright.

While it's not Yankee Stadium, Camden Yards or Jacobs Field, all the complaining I've heard about the Vet over the years seems a bit unwarranted. The press accomodations may not be the most comfortable in the league and, for that reason, broadcasters complain about it...but it's a much nicer ballpark than Shea to watch a game at as a fan. The scoreboards and screens leave something to be desired (they're kind of small and impossible to see from some angles, particularly if you're sitting on the outfield side), but it was definitely a positive experience. That said, the currently-under-construction Citizens Bark Park looks like it's going to be gorgeous, so I can't imagine that the Vet will be missed all that much.

Today Dan and I went with some friends of ours to try to get into Yankee Stadium to see the Pedro-Mussina duel, but it didn't work out. As you certainly know by now, it was a beautifully pitched game that saw the Yanks earn a split with the Red Sox and regain a four-game lead in the AL East. Disappointed as we were that we couldn't get in...it was a hell of a game to watch and we were very pleased with the outcome. Not much analysis on this one, just a great game.

posted by VZW Watcher at 10:17 PM -

 
Leskanic to Kansas City for Obermueller and Machado

Kansas City Royals get: Curtis Leskanic.
Milwaukee Brewers get: Wes Obermueller, Alejandro Machado.

I guess this signals that the Royals will be buying and not selling as we approach the trade deadline, and for a franchise that's been mired in many consecutive losing seasons, that's a good thing. Curtis Leskanic's an upgrade to what's been a pretty lousy bullpen, and he'll certainly help. As much as some people have fallen in love with Mike "Mac the Ninth" MacDougal and his lofty save total (he's got 21 so far), he walks an awful lot of guys (20 in 37.1 innings while allowing nearly a hit per inning), and for my money, the Royals just acquired their best reliever and he's the guy I'd use in high leverage spots. Fortunately, since he's unlikely to be installed in the closer role, Tony Pena will be free to use Leskanic as needed, not just when the team's up by three or less heading into the ninth inning.

As far as the two new members of the Brewers' system are concerned, there's some upside here as these aren't worthless players. While Wes Obermueller is getting a little long in the tooth for a guy who's pitched just 7.2 innings in the major leagues (he's 26), he's performed adequately for AAA Omaha this season (10-5, 4.40 ERA, 108 hits and 42 walks allowed in 106.1 innings while striking out 62). Okay, that's not wonderful, but he's going to an organization that can use AAAA pitching and is in a position where they can give this kind of guy a chance to see what he can do in an extended tryout at the major league level.

That said, Machado's probably the more interesting of the two. He's a young (21-year old), fast shortstop out of Venezuela with limited power but decent plate discipline. Currently at AA Wichita, he's posted a .287/.368/.377 line thus far in 78 games, including 13 doubles, 5 triples and a homer while stealing 20 bases in 29 attempts. This doesn't appear to be a finished product by any means, but there's some reason to be optimistic, especially when you consider who the man is currently holding down the position on the major league level (Royce "Waa-ce" Clayton).

Leskanic's a good pitcher, but he's also a waste of resources (especially considering his $3.7 million salary, though I'm not sure if there's any money changing hands in this transaction) on a crappy team like the Brewers. A free agent at the end of the year, Machado's probably a better and more advanced prospect than you'd have gotten had the Brewers elected to let him become a free agent and gotten compensatory picks. At the same time, this clearly bolsters the Kansas City bullpen in the short term, and while they may yet regret giving up Machado (Angel Berroa's having an adequate year, but I'm not sold yet), it's defensible if they're committed to making a run at the AL Central title this season.
posted by VZW Watcher at 9:08 PM -

 
Carl Everett to the White Sox.
It's hard to judge a trade when all parties involved aren't yet known, but I'll do so under the assumption that whatever the Rangers are getting in return for Carl Everett (at this point, known only as "two minor leaguers and future considerations") are no great shakes. If they are...and whenever it's announced, we'll take a look at that too...there's more to be said about this trade. For the time being however, the White Sox have added a pretty productive offensive player who can play a needed defensive position for nothing off their major league roster. And that's good.

While he struggled some in June (just .211/.273/.389), Everett has put up pretty solid numbers thus far this season (.274/.356/.544 is actually better than just "solid"), and apparently has behaved and endeared himself to Rangers management with his hard work. While Jerry Manuel is no Buck Showalter, you'd have to assume that he'll retain at least some of his focus and continue to be reasonably productive.

Aaron Rowand's been much better lately (.375/.429/.719 in June), and apparently will get to continue playing center, splitting time with Willie Harris, who can no longer get time at second with the arrival of Roberto Alomar. I don't know that this is a great idea, seeing as you could use the more consistent, established guy in center in Everett and not shunt him to DH, where he'll be taking the place of a better hitter than either Roward or Harris has been. If this takes at bats away from Paul Konerko, at least until he shows some signs of life in reduced duty, that's a good thing, as he's been, amazingly, the worst regular in baseball this year.

The White Sox have a chance to make this a really good deal (again, assuming they're not giving up much) if they utilize Everett properly and play him everyday in center. This doesn't look like it's going to happen, but it can't hurt to add a bat of Everett's quality at virtually no cost, particularly if you're in the position the White Sox currently are, making a run at a very attainable division title.
posted by VZW Watcher at 12:15 PM -