|
MLB Trade Tracker (July 24th Update)
July 24
Rockies get:
Rafael Betancourt, RHP
Indians get:
Connor Graham, RHP
Analysis:
The Indians get a potential bullpen arm for a late reliever in a year when they aren’t in contention. Betancourt is a free agent after this year, and likes Cleveland. Graham is a pitcher with a big frame, strikes out more than a batter an inning in A ball, but walks a lot of batters. A future bullpen arm?
Winner:
Draw. The Rockies make a small move to help them remain in contention, while the Tribe gets a projectable project pitcher who tops out as a bullpen arm. If Betancourt returns to Cleveland in the offseason it’s a moderate win for the Indians.
Cardinals get:
Matt Holliday, OF
Athletics get:
Brett Wallace, 3b
Shane Peterson, OF
Clayton Mortenson, RHP
Analysis:
The A’s needed one of two things from the team that acquired Holliday to accept a trade: either the ability to dump salary or two top prospects. Instead they got one top prospect and will only pay $1.5 million of Holliday’s remaining salary.
Winner:
Athletics. Brett Wallace fits their mold perfectly. He may end up at first base eventually, but for now he’s the heir apparent to the oft-injured Eric Chavez. The other two prospects in the trade could be major leaguers soon.
July 22
Red Sox get:
Chris Duncan, OF
Cardinals get:
Julio Lugo, SS
Analysis:
The teams both unloaded under-performers. In the case of Lugo though, he’s expensive, but the Red Sox will pay his salary. Duncan has power from the left side. More Big Papi insurance?
Winner:
Red Sox. Duncan is cheap and under team control until 2012. He could step into left field if the Sox fail to sign Jason Bay.
Red Sox get:
Adam LaRoche, 1b
Pirates get:
Hunter Strickland, RHP
Argenis Diaz, SS
Analysis:
The Red Sox pick up another left-handed bat. LaRoche’s acquisition could mean that Kevin Youklis moves to third, is Mike Lowell’s time limited?
Winner:
Draw. It would have been the Pirates, who unloaded some salary and got a few players with potential to contribute. However, Strickland has the type of mediocre, garden variety stuff that the Pirates tend to fall in love with after a solid debut in September and rookie season.
July 11
Mariners get:
Jack Hannahan, 3b
Athletics get:
Justin Souza, RHP
Analysis:
The Athletics ditch a late-20s utility infielder for a future bullpen arm in all likelihood. Souza’s no top prospect, but Hannahan is no starting third baseman, ultimately.
Winner
A’s. At least down the road if Justin Souza contributes people will be looking back at the band-aid for the Mariners Adrian Beltre wound he was traded for.
July 10
Mets get:
Jeff Francoeur, OF
Braves get:
Ryan Church, OF
Analysis:
If somebody read league-entry scouting reports, and looked at the ages of the two players in this trade, they’d call the Mets huge winners. However, Francoeur has been historically bad at the plate in the past two seasons.
Winner:
Braves now, Braves later. Church is older than Frenchy, but not old. He’ll be a solid bat for a few more years, and if he recovers from his 2008 concussion he could be very good.
July 5
Athletics get:
Scott Hairston, OF
Padres get:
Ryan Webb, RHP
Craig Italiano, RHP
PTBNL (Sean Gallagher, RHP)
Analysis:
The Athletics, despite being the cellar-dwellers of the AL West pick up a veteran outfield bat. Typically it may not make sense, but the A’s will likely allow Matt Holliday to leave either via free agency or trade, and will need a replacement. Hairston is a career .256/.313/.468 hitter, and despite playing in the pitcher-friendly confines of PETCO Park this season he’s actually improved on those numbers.
The Padres have been looking for pitching depth since this season’s inception, and in Webb and Italiano they’ve found it. Webb will join the big league club, while Italiano will take his unrefined physical tools to the minors. The PTBNL is also likely to be a pitcher.
PTBNL update: Gallagher is another potential starter on the Padre’s, great deal for the fathers.
Winner:
Padres. They may have picked up a back of the rotation starter, a solid reliever, and a to-this-point unknown commodity in the PTBNL, all without trading Jake Peavy.
July 2
Cubs get:
Jeff Baker, IF
Rockies get:
Al Alburquerque, RHP
Analysis:
The Cubs have trotted an abundance of names through their infield this year, shuffling people around to help make up for the injury to Aramis Ramirez. Baker is a late-20s utility infielder with some patience at the plate and some power. His size better fits the paradigm for third base than second, where he’s spent most of his career, and his defensive metrics point to adequate range at third, with below average range at second. Like any Rockies trade, it is hard to determine the role Coors Field played into Baker’s success. He’s posted a .205/.266/.335 average away from Coors, compared to a .293/.346/.546 line at the spacious slugger haven.
Winner:
Cubs. Essentially by default, they gave up a decent single A reliever for solid infield depth.
June 30
Nationals get:
Nyjer Morgan, OF
Sean Burnett, LHP
Pirates get:
Lastings Milledge, OF
Joel Hanrahan, RHP
Analysis:
The Nationals have begun an organizational cleansing. They are attempting to alleviate the club house and farm system of all players with character issues. Morgan and Burnett do that, but they also should make the team better in the immediate future. Morgan can lead off, is patient at the plate, and has the speed to steal bases and stretch singles into doubles, and doubles into triples. Burnett, once a highly touted lefty, has been successful after a bullpen conversion.
The Pirates continue to liquidate their team. Milledge was the key speed bump in the Mets trading for Barry Zito a few years ago, then was traded for two backup-quality position players, and is now on the bile end of an organizational enema. He’s got a ton of talent, labeled with the oft-ominous five-tool player tag, but if he can put it all together he could be one of the greats.
Winner:
Nationals. Morgan is a better player right now, and Burnett is a far better reliever than Hanrahan. The Nationals traded near equal commodities from a talent perspective, but both the players they got in return are left-handed, which increases their value.
June 30
Yankees get:
Eric Hinske, UT
Pirates get:
Casey Erickson, RHP
Eric Fryer, OF
Analysis:
In Hinske the Yanks acquire a left-handed bat who can play both corner infield and outfield positions. He’s going to be the team’s replacement for Xavier Nady, who will go under the knife for his second Tommy John surgery. This trade may forecast another, as Melky Cabrera is having something of a breakout year in limited playing time. Cabrera’s .786 OPS is tops for his career to this point, and his seven home runs are one shy of his career high. All in only 269 plate appearances. But the 24-year-old switch hitter was the subject of trade rumors last year.
The Pirates pick up nothing more than a few throw-in prospects and get to dump Hinkse’s salary. After a promising start the Bucs fell off, traded Nate McLouth, and appear on the verge of trading or waiving Ian Snell.
Winner:
Yankees. Pirates baseball has become a mockery.
June 27
Cardinals get:
Mark DeRosa, UT
Indians get:
Chris Perez, RHP
PTBNL (Jess Todd, RHP)
Analysis:
The Indians traded Jeff Stevens, a righty reliever who is tearing up Triple A in the Cubs organization right now, for DeRosa in the offseason. In Perez the team replaces what they lost in Stevens, and may be able to net a positive return depending on who the PTBNL is. The Cards are pitching rich in their farm system, and the Indians are in need of pitching, so in all likelihood the PTBNL is another one.
If DeRosa elevates himself to Type A free agent status, the Cardinals will view him as a major coup. However as it sits, the Cards have little budget flexibility left and their postseason hopes could rest on the elbow of Chris Carpenter, regardless of how well DeRosa performs. DeRosa fills a season-long need at third base for the Cards.
Winner:
Indians by a slight margin.
PTBNL update: Todd is another potential bullpen arm, solid haul for DeRosa.
June 3
Braves get:
Nate McLouth, OF
Pirates get:
Jeff Locke, LHP
Charlie Morton, RHP
Gorkys Hernandez, OF
Analysis:
The Braves add a left-handed bat and a solid defensive center fielder. The team hasn’t found an adequate Andruw Jones replacement, and has struggled offensively with Jeff Francouer scuffling for the better part of two seasons. McLouth is insurance, and will be a solid player going into the future.
The Pirates pick up three solid prospects in an unpopular trade. McLouth was going to become increasingly expensive though, and as they have been for a decade-and-a-half, the Pirates are a few years away.
Winner:
Braves. Not giving up Tommy Hanson to acquire McLouth is key, Hanson could be an ace in the future.
|
