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Trade Bait: Santana Saga Finally Ends
In what was originally just a two-team race, the Minnesota Twins traded vaunted left-handed starter Johan Santana to the New York Mets. This drama started long, long ago, in a galaxy….wait. Actually, the trade talks started in earnest after the season ended. The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox were vying for possibly the best left-handed starter in the game. Even though he played in the limited media market of Minnesota, the lefty’s prowess was known across the nation.
The Yankees and the Red Sox were in on it early, but the talks seemed to die down some and the Mets stepped in and provided most of what their farm system had left for talent. The Mets traded Carlos Gomez, Phillip Humber, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra to the Twins, setting up a 72-hour window to sign Santana to a long-term extension.
Carlos Gomez has been on the trade block for some time. This speedy centerfielder plays good defense and steals bases well. But his on-base skills are poor though and he lacks any power. Honestly, Carlos needs another year or two in the minors. As John Sickels says in an article about Gomez, he’s not ready for the majors yet. He could turn into a very good centerfielder one day, but if he’s rushed and plays in the majors next season, his development will be stunted and he may never reach his potential.
One of the three pitchers traded, Phillip Humber, had high potential coming out of college. But Tommy John surgery set him back. He climbed quickly through the Mets system in 2006, but stalled out in Triple-A in 2007. He flashes a low-90s fastball, a knee-buckling curve, a splitter, and a decent changeup. He still hasn’t gained back the velocity on his fastball that he once had and it is hurting him in the upper levels of the minors. Still, for many pitchers it takes two full years to regain arm strength and control when coming back from Tommy John. If he adds another 2-4 mph on his fastball from a potential solid 4th starter to a decent number two starter in the Twins rotation.
Kevin Mulvey has a fastball that is clocked around 90 most of the time, but he can rare back and hit 94 at times. He also has a decent curve and a very good slider. The last pitch in Kevin’s repertoire, his changeup, is fringy at best. This, combined with the inability to pitch his fastball in on lefties, causes him fits with lefties. If he can overcome this, Kevin can possibly become a third starter at best.
Delois Guerra is the most under-developed of the group, but he has such great potential that he was ranked 2nd on the Baseball America prospect rankings for the Mets. He has a low-90s fastball that can occasionally reach 96, and a great changeup. His feel for the pitch is very impressive for a 19 year old. Being that young though, he has a long way to go and much work to do on his curveball to be a viable starter in the majors.
Overall, it looks to be a decent haul for the Twins if they are patient enough to let these prospects develop in the minors and not bring them up before they are ready. How it stacks up to the rumored Coco Crisp, Jon Lester, Justin Masterson and Jed Lowrie package, I’m not sure, but I’d probably take a Phil Hughes or Jacoby Ellsbury package over this one. Sure, getting a team’s 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 7th prospects, as ranked by Baseball America, is a good pull for one pitcher. But it’s the Mets’ farm system, a system that has been gutted by trades in recent history. Gomez’s lack of plate discipline is VERY concerning and how Humber stalled out at Triple-A last year is not a good sign either. Additionally, Mulvey has trouble with lefties and Guerra is young and raw.
Twins Territory breaks down the players in this trade better than this article, giving a good synopsis of what the Twins obtained from the Mets, if the Mets sign Santana long-term as expected.
You never know though, this could be another A.J. Pierzynski trade all over again.
Trade Bait: Sox trade Aardsma to the Sox
David Aardsma was traded today to the Boston Red Sox for two minor league pitchers. He was drafted in the first round by the Giants, but has been traded to the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox, never really catching on with any of the teams. He’s always had decent stuff, but was never really able to put it all together. Control used to be an issue, but it seems to be getting better now. However, his long ball rate has gone up at the same time.
Maybe some time with a fourth organization can help him figure things out. Many teams will try to fix a pitcher that can sling a ball in the high-90s.
The first player that the White Sox grabbed was Willy Mota. This converted outfielder has a powerful fastball that reaches 95 mph, but lacks any real secondary pitches. But he’s only 22 and converted to a pitcher last season, so he has time to develop.
As for the second pitcher, Miguel Socolovich, TalkSox.com says that he’s one of the top five prospects likely to be on the rise in the Red Sox system in 2008. He has a 92-95 mph fastball, a good slider, and a changeup in the works. He could possibly be useful in the pen down the road if he improves his control.
It’s a relatively even trade as both sides didn’t give up much. They didn’t get much either.
Trade Bait: A Tale of Two Third Basemen
Due to the continued strife between Scott Rolen and Tony LaRussa, it was obvious that Rolen would be leaving soon. But new St. Louis Cardinals GM John Mozeliak would have to find a replacement for Rolen in the order as well. The Cardinals’ options were limited there too and the talent that was left on the free agent market was pretty ugly. But he did eventually find a taker for Rolen who could give him what he needed in return. That was the Toronto Blue Jays.
Supposedly Troy Glaus had asked Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi to trade him. He quietly (how it should be done) told J.P. that he no longer wanted to play on the Astroturf and that he wanted out for the sake of his body. Ricciardi granted his request, trading him to the Cardinals for Rolen.
Both players come with baggage though. Glaus had an injury last season with his foot that needed surgery to correct. He should be better by spring training, but you still wonder if it is something that will come back. He’s also not exactly Scott Rolen at third base either. Troy is actually more suited for first base these days, but can probably still play there for a little while longer.
Rolen was disgruntled in St. Louis and suffered through a myriad of injuries over recent years. But it has been mainly his shoulder that has been bothering him since a collision with Dodgers first baseman Hee-Seop Choi in May 2005. He had another surgery this off-season to clear it up and has been cleared to do hitting and fielding drills.
I believe that even though the Cardinals will miss Rolen’s defense at third, Glaus’ bat should make up for some of it. If healthy, he should give Albert Pujols more protection in the lineup. As for Rolen, I’d bet he will have back problems by mid-season. J.P.’s dream of having him and defensive replacement John McDonald on the left side of the infield with late inning leads may not last long.
Rivera Odd Man out for Angels?
The LA Angels have an absolute glut of outfielders. Right now, they have Torii Hunter, Vlad Guerrero, Gary Mathews Jr., Garret Anderson, Juan Rivera and Reggie Willits at the ready. But who will likely be traded to free up this entanglement?
Since he’s a centerfielder by trade and Hunter has recently taken the spot, Gary Mathews Jr. looks like he would be on the move. But his contract and his less than stellar play last season precludes another team’s interest in him.
The most tradable outfielder looks to be Juan Rivera. Although Rivera hasn’t proven he’s all the way back from his broken leg, his arm profiles him as more of a right fielder than as a left fielder as he has been with Guerrero around. Through a quick look through the majors, there is more of a need for right fielders than left fielders.
There are three good places outside the AL West that Rivera could be desired:
St. Louis Cardinals – As it stands, Ryan Ludwick will be the right fielder until centerfield prospect Colby Rasmus is ready to push Rick Ankiel over to right field. Although he’s one of the better prospects in the minors, there’s no garauntee that he will pan out, and Ludwick isn’t exactly an ideal starter. Rivera could start in right until Rasmus is ready and he will could be insurance if Rasmus doesn’t work out or Ankiel’s plate discipline catches up with him.
Pittsburg Pirates – The Pirates need another power bat and right field has been problematic for the team for quite awhile. They do have Steven Pearce nearly ready in the minors, but he came up as a first baseman and would be a better fit in left field that right.
San Diego Padres – Padres GM Kevin Towers recently stated in a chat session:
That is all the time that I have for this chat today. I now need to go find a corner outfielder for you all.
Brian Giles is not your typical right fielder. He’s be miscast since he was traded to the Padres as his arm is not strong enough for the position. The Padres could move him to a more comfortable left field position and have Rivera patrolling right.
With the Padres in the best position to make a run for the playoffs, they could use Rivera’s bat and arm in right field.
Clemens Goes Off!
Last Monday pitcher Roger Clemens held a press conference on the steroids issue that has been swirling around him since the release of the Mitchell Report. During which, Clemens played back a 17-minute telephone conversation with his former trainer, Brian McNamee. It was a conversation that could have been much worse if Roger wasn’t held back by his attorney on what he said to Brian.
Roger then took questions for a few minutes after stating that he was somewhat apprehensive about even looking at some of the reporters in the crowd, let alone answering questions from them. Apparently, some of the reporters that have followed his career closely and he’s been very open with have hung him up since the Mitchell Report came out.
The reporters started by asking decent questions until a couple of the last ones were almost badgering in the questioning. One essentially put him into the position of either condoning his good friend Andy Pettitte’s actions and saying it’s “ok” to take steroids or calling Andy a “cheater”. For any reporter to put a player that is so respected throughout the game into that position is clearly pitiful. He responded quite fiercely to her line of questioning, as many probably would if backed into a corner like that.
The conference ended after one reporter questioned Roger about how he thought the issue would affect his Hall of Fame candidacy. To which he replied:
“You think I played my career because I’m worried about the damn Hall of Fame?” Clemens said. “If you have a vote and it’s because of this, you keep your vote. I don’t need the Hall of Fame to justify that I put my butt on the line and I worked my tail off. And I defy anybody to say I did it by saying I cheated or by taking any shortcuts. OK?”
A short time later, he abruptly stopped answering questions and walked out of the room.
Trade Bait: Oakland Fire Sale Continues
Atlanta Braves GM filled one of the final holes in his team recently with the acquisition of Mark Kotsay from the Oakland Athletics. If healthy, Kotsay will fill the centerfield void created when Andruw Jones signed with the L.A. Dodgers. In return Oakland GM Billy Beane got reliever Joey Devine and prospect Jamie Richmond.
Kotsay, the former College World Series star, has had somewhat of a mediocre career in the bigs. He’s never flashed 20+ home run power, but his line-drive stroke was never intended to put up those types of numbers. Kotsay is more known for his defense and his all-out play. The Braves do inherit his problematic back though, an issue that could definitely pop up again this coming season. But Mark has been on the record as saying that he came back too early last season and that he should be fully recovered for 2008. The Braves also received a little over $5 million to cover all but $2 million of his salary for the year. The team also has centerfielder Josh Anderson to allow Kotsay to rest his back. Although Anderson isn’t expected to hit, it may be wise to let him start a couple times a week to get Kotsay some rest.
Joey Devine was a closer in college and was marked as the Braves ‘closer of the future’ since he was drafted by the team. But he never really panned out as the organization tried to revamp his delivery and injury issues arose. He seemed to starting to put it all together late last season though. If the hype around him by Braves fans and reporters is true, Beane could have found his eventual replacement for closer Huston Street.
Jamie Richmond is a control pitcher (only 25 walks in 138.2 innings) that carried a 3.05 ERA last season in A-Ball last season. He typically induces ground balls and needs a stable defense behind him to succeed. MVN lists him as the Braves #12 prospect. He may not turn into much other than a reliever, but he’s a decent throw-in.
Beane is continuing his fire sale as he looks to rebuild for the near future. Devine and Richmond are a nice pick up for an aging outfielder that doesn’t fit into the team’s future anyway. But he did have to pay a decent amount of his salary just to get Devine. Kotsay fills the final hole the Braves had and rounds out the team pretty nicely. But the Braves are probably hoping that top prospect Jordan Schafer will be ready by mid-season as they expect Kotsay to eventually get injured.
This looks like more of a win for Billy Beane, especially after Richmond was thrown in.
Trade Bait: Oakland Fire Sale in full Swing
The Oakland A’s continued their fire sale this week by trading away major offensive cog Nick Swisher. The White Sox took Swisher in exchange for three players, pitchers Gio Gonzalez, Fautino de los Santos, and outfielder Ryan Sweeney.
Nick Swisher is an on-base machine that should start hitting 30+ home runs regularly now that he’s out of the spacious Oakland McAfee Coliseum. Additionally, he’s signed rather cheaply through 2011, unless a relatively cheap option is picked up, taking him under team control through 2012. Nick provides an immediate spark to the White Sox lineup and can play at least a mediocre centerfield until they can find a centerfielder and another location for him on the field.
Gio Gonzalez has been a part of other trades, so other GMs have wanted this talented lefty. He pitches a devastating curveball and a low-90s fastball to go along with an improving changeup. His stuff is so good that he struck out 185 in 150 innings last season at Double-A. Now that his control is improving, he could become a #2 starter in the majors.
Fautino de los Santos could be even better than Gio Gonzalez. He has good stuff with a plus slider and a mid-90s fastball. He’ll have to refine his stuff and add another pitch to stay in the rotation once he gets to the majors in a couple years, but he has the stuff to be about as good as Gonzalez.
Ryan Sweeney has struggled to progress in Triple-A, but he’s only 22 still and the organization was once high one him. He could eventually become the A’s right fielder, but a 4th outfielder is more likely. Out of him and Aaron Cunningham, another new acquisition, the A’s should be able to develop one into a full-time player.
Although this is a good trade for both sides, I like this one more for the A’s if both the pitchers pan out. What’s more interesting is figuring out who’s next to go. Will Joe Blanton end up a Met? Rumors have circled in the past about Dan Johnson going to the Twins or one of the New York teams. Even Houston Street’s rumored extension could be up in the air as the Athletics may be looking to pawn him off for more young talent. Mark Ellis also put himself amongst some of the better second basemen in baseball last season, but the market for him would be rather limited unless the Mets or even the Mariners want an upgrade.
This is shaping up to be a wild off-season for Athletics fans. Although they are breaking apart much of the team, the A’s future looks very interesting.
