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Trade Bait: Derrek Lee to Atlanta
Atlanta starting first baseman Troy Glaus‘ knee must be much worse than initially thought. He’s hitting just .196/.204/.304 since the All-Star break, creating an ugly hole in the middle of the Braves’ lineup. The Braves realized the need to patch this hole up in order to maintain their 2.5 game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East. The spackle for the hole turns out to be Derrek Lee, the first baseman for the Chicago Cubs.
D-Lee himself has been battling injury this season as his back has bothered him for much of the first half. But he’s been on tear since the All-Star break. He’s had a .313/.356/.583 line since then, knocking 6 home runs in 96 at-bats, up from the 10 in 322 he had in the first half. Lee will also be a marked improvement defensively at first base, rounding out an notable defensive improvement throughout the infield over the past month. The replacement of Glaus, Martin Prado, Escobar, and Chipper Jones with Lee, Omar Infante, Alex Gonzalez, and Prado should be noticeable to the Braves’ pitching staff.
As for Glaus, he will go onto the DL to rest his wary knee and rehab in Gwinett as a third baseman. Yes, a third baseman, there’s been doubt from many that he could return to the hot corner, but we’ll see how well it goes. A healthy Glaus could be a great addition to the bench, or if at least passable on defense, could spare the much more versatile Infante for an important utility role. This aspect cannot be under-valued in the National League as they race towards the finish line.
The Cubs receive three pitchers in exchange for Lee and a portion of his remaining salary. Righty Robinson Lopez is the most-highly touted player going to the Cubs. He has a low-90s fastball, an inconsistent slider, an a decent change-up. At 19, the Cubs can be patient with him and allow him to more slowly refine his stuff.
Tyrelle Harris is a righty reliever with a fastball that hovers around 90, a decent change-up and a breaking ball in need of work. He’s kept his hits below innings pitched at all three levels he been to this season, and his strikeouts above that same level as well. However, it’s his lack of control that could end up problematic as his walk rates are relatively high.
Jeffrey Lorick is another reliever, but from the other side. The lefty has baffled left-handed hitters at two levels this season and could eventually become a lefty specialist in Chicago.
This is a good deal for both sides as it sits. If Lee continues to hit and show the improved defense at first, the Braves have a good shot at holding off the Phillies to win the NL East. It also deepens the bench once Glaus returns. If the Braves make it to the post-season, especially if they win the division one more time under Bobby Cox, this will be a win for them.
The Cubs may also win. While the two relievers are fringy, Lopez at least has the potential to be decent at the back end of a rotation or in relief. If he refines his off-speed offerings, Lopez could possibly be a 3-4 starter.
Trade Bait: Jocketty Picks Up Edmonds Again
The Cincinnati Reds are pushing for a little more offense and a little more veteran stability in the outfield as they make a push for their first playoff appearance since 1995. Team GM Walt Jocketty has picked up old friend Jim Edmonds from the Milwaukee Brewers, marking the second time he’s traded for the veteran outfielder.
Edmonds is batting a very nice .286/.350/.493 in 240 plate appearances this season after sitting out all of 2009. He has been shielded against lefties in the process though, so he probably cannot be counted on as anything more than a platoon outfielder at the point. But matching him up with current right-handed hitters Jonny Gomes and Drew Stubbs should improve the team’s overall offense. He’ll also be a good defensive substitution for Jonny Gomes at times too.
In return, the Milwaukee Brewers receive Chris Dickerson from the Reds. In the limited playing time that he’s received in the majors, Dickerson has held high OBPs, but has struggled against left-handed pitchers. If he’s able to figure out lefties a little better, Dickerson could be a decent everyday center fielder and lead off hitter for the Brewers. Ideologically, you’d think he’d team up well with the right-handed Carlos Gomez in a platoon for center field, but Gomez hits lefties worse than right handers.
This trade looks good for both sides. Edmonds wasn’t going to net the Brewers anything after the season, so dealing him to get something of relative worth was a good move. Meanwhile, the Reds improve their offense and their defense in the outfield as they try to fight off the St. Louis Cardinals’ playoff march in the NL Central.
Trade Bait: Padres get Ludwick in Three-Way Deal
The St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, and the Cleveland Indians entered into an interesting 3-way deal on deadline day. The Padres in need of offense, picked up Ryan Ludwick, the Cardinals pulled in Jake Westbrook and a Padres prospect, and the Indians received one of the Padres pitching prospects.
Ludwick, 32, is hitting .281 with 11 home runs and 43 RBI on the season, but he is clobbering right-handed pitching this season (yes, completely opposite of convential splits). If teamed with a decent right-handed bat, the Padres would have a near All-Star production caliber platoon. He’ll likely get most of the playing time except for all but the tough lefties, letting Chris Denorfia sub in occationally. It’s a pretty good addition to the lackluster Padres lineup and to their clubhouse.
Veteran Jake Westbrook has been slowly coming back from Tommy John surgery this season. His ERA is the highest he’s had since 2002, but his WHIP is almost idential to his career average. He’ll slot into the fourth spot in the rotation and should eat innings well for the Cards. Pitching under Dave Duncan’s watchful eye should help him as well. Veteran pitchers like Westbrook have thrived under his tutiledge.
The Cardinals also receive pitching prospect Nick Greenwood in the deal. The lefty saw success his first season in the minors in 2009, but has struggled in A-ball this season. An eventual switch to the pen and concentration on only two pitches may help his track to the majors more likely.
The hot-hitting Jon Jay will take most of Ludwick’s at-bats for the rest of the season. He’s been a nice surprise for the Cardinals this season, providing the team a wealth of outfielders that they felt they could deal from to get better. b Ludwick was also going to get more expensive in arbitration after the season. With the team trying to save money were it can to attempt to sign Albert Pujols to an extention, dealing Ludwick was inevitable at one point or another.
The Indians meanwhile have shed Westbrook’s payroll and take in Padres pitching prospect Corey Kluber. The 24-year-old Kluber is having a good season in Double-A, leading the league in strikeouts, posting an impressive 10.0 K/9 rate overall. He has a four-pitch mix that some say could lead him to stay in the rotation, but he may excel out of the pen.
At first glance, it looks as if the Padres have come out ahead in this deal, but we’ll have to see what Dave Duncan can do with Westbrook as we head towards the playoffs. If he can make Jeff Suppan and Jeff Weaver look good, Westbrook could turn into a nice find for them.
Trade Bait: Pirates’ and D’Backs’ Head Scratcher
The Arizona Diamondbacks and the Pittsburgh Pirates have entered into a trade that is a bit of a head scratcher. The Diamondbacks will send catcher Chris Snyder, shortstop prospect Pedro Ciriaco and $3 million the Pirates for Bobby Crosby, Ryan Church and D.J. Carrasco. Two teams with the lowest winning percentages in the NL have hooked up in a deal that makes one raise an eyebrow.
Previous Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes signed Snyder to a $14.25 million contract after the 2008 season and he has failed to meet expectations ever since. But if you compare his 2008 stats to his current stats as a back up, they aren’t too far off. Defensively he has regressed though as he has dropped from a caught stealing rate of 31% in 2008 to 20% this season. Snyder has a little over $8 million remaining in his deal if his 2012 option is declined, but that will be offset a little by the $3 million that the D’Backs will hand over in the deal.
Pedro Ciriaco is a light-hitting shortstop at Triple-A. He has good defense and speed, stealing 40 and 38 bases in 2008 and 2009 respectively. But he also carries an ugly walk rate that will keep him from succeeding as a regular in the majors. Pedro could become a decent utility infielder if his walk rate improves a little.
Carrasco, Church, and Crosby were all cheap signings by the Pirates, but only Carrasco has fared well. The beleaguered Arizona pen needs Carrasco so Arizona will likely keep him around. Crosby and Church should be released before they put on a Diamondback uniform, but the team will likely see if they can get them to hit first. Good luck.
The Diamondbacks dump salary for next season, but that’s about all they get out of this deal. I’m not really sure what the Pirates get out of this. They haven’t been too happy with Doumit in recent history so they may deal him this winter and give Snyder the starting job. They’ve also been in love with light-hitting middle infielders, so why not add another?
Trade Bait: Yankees snag Berkman
The New York Yankees have been on the look out for an extra bat recently to ensure they have enough offense to pull away from the Tampa Bay Rays. They found a suitable bat in longtime Astro Lance Berkman. On Friday the Yankees snagged Berkman in exchange for two minor leaguers.
Berkman has had a very inconsistent season that makes one wonder if his knee is still bothering him or his age is catching up with him. His July statistics have been the most interesting of his season. This month he has hit .233/.404/.521 in73 at bats. Although the batting average makes you cringe, the OBP and the SLG (6 HR) makes your eyes pop. However, Yankees should not celebrate too early as Lance will probably not be pitched around as much in New York and he has had a .179/.385/.282 line since the break.
In the trade, the Astros will pay the Yankees $4 million of what’s left of what is owed to Berkman. In return for Berkman and cash, the Astros will receive minor leaguers Mark Melancon and Jimmy Paredes.
Melancon is a righty reliever that has enjoyed sub-1.00 WHIPs throughout much of his minor league career. But this season he’s been rocked to a 1.67 WHIP. Both his hit and walk rates have made major jumps. His walk rate is over twice his previous career high. But John Sickels ranked him as the team’s 6th overall prospect heading into the season, but he didn’t rank in Baseball America’s top ten.
Paredes is a switch-hitting utility infielder that has a very light power tower and poor walk rate. He’s posting a .282/.312/.408. He ranked outside of Sickels’ rankings in the “Others” area. Sean over at Yankees Daily profiled Paredes, noting his strong arm and soft hands. The Astros may be able to mold this raw infielder into something usable, but GM Ed Wade may be expecting too much from his minor league staff.
Unlike with Oswalt, it looks as if the Yankees will be picking up what is remaining on his contract. But they now have a veteran switch-hitting DH with power and the approximate $6 million is just a drop in the bucket to the Yanks. The rich just keep getting better without hesitation of the financial impacts.
But it is the Astros that are the story of this trade. They have just traded their two storied names since Bagwell and Biggio for very little. Although there were extenuating circumstances that have hurt the trade value of Berkman and Oswalt, it is sad that the Astros have fallen so far and are unable to rebuild their relatively pathetic farm system through the trades.
Trade Bait: Guzman to Texas
Washington Nationals GM Mike Rizzo continues to clean out the dead weight left for him from prior GM Jim Bowden. The latest piece, Cristian Guzman, was given an above market rate contract following a resurgent season in 2008. He has since fallen off offensively and defensively. But the Jon Daniels and the Texas Rangers have been agressive this season as they have a legitimate chance at making the playoffs in the AL West. With Ian Kinsler going on the DL recently, Daniels had to find a temporary replacement. He found it in Guzman.
The Nationals have worked with what they were given by utilizing Guzman around the diamond as a super-utility player, this may have actually improved his trade value as other teams have seen him adjust to other positions. Once Kinsler returns, Daniels and Manager Ron Washington have the flexibility of a veteran utility player off the bench. It’ll be a nice asset to have to rest their players down the stretch and it gives Washington more options in the playoffs.
The Nationals are sending $2 million in the deal in order to receive a little better prospects in the deal. With a deep farm system, Daniels has the flexibility to give up some of his lesser prospects to offset the lack of payroll space that he has to deal with.
The first player that Rizzo has received is righty Ryan Tatusko. Tatsuko is currently pitching at Double-A where is is enjoying the best ERA of his career, mainly due to a drop in his hit rate and a 0.5 drop in his HR/9. But the strikeouts are the lowest in his career and his walk rate has also increased. Trip Somers of TexasLeaguers.com provides a good profile on Tatusko, including a video to watch. Here’s a brief excerpt:
“Tatusko features a low-90s fastball that might cut, sink, tail, or even be a little too straight. He calls his breaking pitch a slurve, but when I saw it, it looked like a good, hard curve ball.”
Considering his mainly two pitch repitoire and how he seemed to fare better in the bullpen while warming up, Tatusko might be a better fit in a major league bullpen.
The second pitcher, Tanner Roark, is another righty that has been mediocre as a starter in the minors. He has a 88-92 mph heater, a curve, and an iffy change-up. Some are projecting him as a back of the rotation starter or a spot starter. However, he has excelled out of the pen when put there. In 2009 the Rangers had him in the pen at Bakersfield and Frisco where he had a 2.70 FIP, a 9.97 K/9 (up 2.55 from his rate as a starter), and a much lower HR/9.
Although neither pitcher looks like a starter in the long term, it looks as though at least one of them might become a decent reliever out of the pen. This trade looks good for both sides. Guzman provides a cheap temporary patch for second base until Kinsler returns, and a veteran bat off the bench afterwards. While Rizzo might actually get value for a player that would likely have been a salary dump otherwise.
Trade Bait: Capps to Close In Minnesota
It looks as though the Minnesota Twins are desperate to challenge the White Sox for the AL Central crown. Last night they acquired Washington Nationals closer Matt Capps in exchange for catcher Wilson Ramos and lefty prospect Joe Testa.
Capps has enjoyed a decent year closing for the Nationals after falling off the pitching wagon for the Pirates. In 2009 he posted a 5.80 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP, but the rebound has his ERA down to 2.74. He will immediately take over closing duties for the Twins, pushing Jon Rauch back to a setup spot. His 1.30 WHIP this season isn’t what you’d expect out of a closer, but he’s countered the ugly amount of hits he’s given up (51 in 46.0IP) with a decent walk rate. Hopefully, a better defensive infield in Minnesota will help cut down on his hits a little.
Wilson Ramos has been talked about heavily as a trade chip ever since he broke out offensively last season to the tune of .317/.341/.454. But he’s struggled some this season, hitting .241/.280/.345 for Triple-A Rochester. Although all the blogs have been drooling over him, I haven’t been AS high on the young catcher. He needs to improve his plate discipline to be a viable starting catcher in the majors.
Joe Testa is a lefty reliever who’s stats have been all over the place. Although he’s moved up mid-season each year since he started professional baseball, Joe hasn’t made it past Double-A and has really struggled this season. He did have very good strikeout rates and a decent WHIP last season though and the Nationals may be taking a flier on him in the hopes of getting him back on track.
Although I don’t like this trade as much as other analysts who drool over Ramos, this is a pretty good deal by Nationals GM Mike Rizzo. Not only did he get 26 saves out of a pitcher many thought was washed up, he sold high on Capps and received a couple decent upside guys as well. The Twins improve their bullpen marginally, but the Nationals win this one.
Trade Bait: Tejada to the Padres
The Orioles are rebuilding and the Padres are…..well you thought they’d be rebuilding right now too. But the Padres have been in the lead in the NL West for most of the summer and at times have had the best record in the National League. Now they are looking to improve their chances at winning a National League pennant by trading for Miguel Tejada.
Tejada isn’t the star hitter he once was, but he should be a decent role-player and veteran presence for the team. He’ll back up Chase Headley at third base and Everth Cabrera at short. This will put Manager Bud Black into a quandary of deciding about sticking with a good defense at short and putting up with a .199 batting average, or going with lesser defense and a bit better stick.
In return the Orioles made out well by convincing Padres GM Jed Hoyer to give them pitching prospect Wynn Pelzer, ranked by John Sickels as the team’s 5th overall prospect heading into 2010. Baseball America ranked Pelzer seventh. He has a heavy mid-90s fastball, but his walk rate is pretty high. A move to the pen could result in higher 90s on his fastball, allowing him to become a dominant closer.
This is a very good move by the Orioles. As for the Padres, typically I would say this is going to hurt for a low-payroll team, but they seem to grow dominant relievers in PETCO Park like crabgrass in my back yard.
Trade Bait: Cantu to the Rangers
Since joining the Florida Marlins, Cantu has been a major run producer. His resurgence in a Marlins uniform has helped a few Marlins teams to exceed expectations. But this season he hasn’t hit that well and his trade stock has plummeted. The Marlins aren’t that content to wait until next season to see if his trade value rebounds as they are trying to remake the roster. With Cantu traded, they can bring in slick-hitting prospect Logan Morrison to play left field, shift Chris Coghlan to second (after he returns from the pie injury) and Dan Uggla to third base.
The Rangers get a veteran corner infielder that will likely hit better than existing first baseman Chris Davis (.188 BA) as they race towards the finish. Hitting in a different league and in the hitter-friendly Ballpark at Arlington may help him offensively as well.
The Marlins get two pitching prospects for Cantu. Omar Poveda is the better known prospect of the two, but he has never pitched all that well and has recently gone under the knife for Tommy John surgery. With this lack of a quality fastball, it is unlikely that the Marlins will get much out of him.
Evan Reed is actually the better prospect of the two at this point. After a brief try at starting, the Rangers put him in relief and never looked back. He relies on a heavy, sinking fastball that gets strikeouts and ground balls. Reed has the ability to be a good late-inning reliever for the Marlins.
As the Marlins were going to lose Cantu to free agency, without compensation, this trade looks especially good for the Marlins. Cantu will have to really rebound to his previous hitting prowess these last couple months to equal the return.
Trade Bait: Oswalt to Philly
UPDATE: The Astros have flipped Gose to the Toronto Blue Jays for Brett Wallace. This makes the trade look a better as Wallace could become a Berkman replacement. He’s turned into a good power bat this year and could eventually be a good anchor to the middle of the lineup. Defensively, there’s some questions about him, even with his switch to first base. But he should be able to stay there.
Interestingly, they are two TOTALLY different propsects, as defensively, offensively, and overall refinement. But I do like the prospect-for-prospect trades. This is Wallace’s second in this type of deal. After being sent to Oakland in the Holliday deal, Wallace was traded again for Michael Taylor in a prospect-for-prospect deal.
The speculation on where Roy Oswalt will be traded to now can stop. The Phillies in need of deepening their rotation for the stretch run, have brought in Oswalt to pitch behind another Roy, Halladay. Roy has agreed to be shipped to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for three players.
Months worth of speculation have gone into this trade as numerous team have been rumored to be in on the trade for some time. Yet Oswalt has been picky as to where he wants to get traded to and whether or not the new team will be forced to pick up his 2012 option. However, Oswalt approved of the deal to Philly anyway.
He’ll likely slot in between Halladay and Cole Hamels in the not-so-deep Phillies rotation. With Jamie Moyer on the DL and Joe Blanton pitching horribly this season (though he does have a 3.60 ERA in the second half), Oswalt will be a much welcome addition to the rotation.
The first player coming to the Astros in the deal, pitcher J.A. Happ, is a lefty that had good success with the Phillies last season. He posted a 2.96 ERA in 166 innings, obtaining a 12-4 record in the process. He’s been out with an injury this season, but scouts have liked what they’ve seen in his return. Though I highly doubt that he’ll be a sub-3.00 ERA pitcher over a full season again, Happ should be a good #4 starter, or passible #3 on a rebuilding team.
The Astros will also receive outfielder Anthony Gose in the deal. Gose is a speedy outfielder with a strong arm that was taken by the Phillies in the second round of the 2008 draft. He’s currently hitting .263/.325/.385 in High-A. All of which are the “best” numbers he’s put up in his career, not exactly something to write home about. His calling card is his speed as he stole 76 bases in A-ball last season and has 36 stolen bases this season. However, he was caught 20 times last season and an appauling 27 times this season.
The third player is outfielder Jonathan Villar, another speedy 19-year-old. Ben Badler calls him a “SICK athlete with a cannon arm and good range”, calling him a solid prospect. Defensively, scouts rave about the shortstop’s skills, but his 42 errors this season are quite ugly. With the comments about his tools, those errors may be just due to inexperience and are likely to reduce as he ages and moves up through the system. Offensively the statistics aren’t really tantalizing either as he is hitting .272/.332/.358 in A-ball this season.
Although both prospects are very raw, they are also young, so they could still develop into solid offensive contributors. But I’m not sold on it.
When you take Oswalt’s trade demands and his contract out of the deal, the look horrendous for the Astros. But considering those two impacting factors, the deal doesn’t look as bad. Still, you’d think they’d get a little better prospects with the $11 million that they threw into the deal as well.
Oswalt had said a while ago that he wouldn’t leave the Astros unless the trade would make them a better team in the long run…..what happened to that thought?
