The trade deadline has come and gone (it’s been almost a month now) and legendary blogger and Oakland Athletics fan Aaron Cameron and myself look at some of the major trades that happened.
The Cardinals get Matt Holliday from the Athletics for Brett Wallace, Clayton Mortensen, and Shane Peterson.
Aaron Cameron: As an A’s fan with the MLB Extra Innings package, I watched Matt Holliday every night until he was traded to St. Louis. As a baseball fan living in San Diego, I watched a lot of Holliday with the Rockies whenever they’d play the Padres. With Colorado, Holliday had a superstar’s skillset – admittedly helped by his home park – who played the game like Eric Byrnes, but with actual talent. In Oakland, Holliday played without that passion and seemed to be counting the days until free agency.
While I’m pleased that the A’s were able to get anything for Holliday, I’m disappointed – to put it mildly – that A’s GM Billy Beane is still stockpiling the lumpy, unathletic on-base/marginal power profile like Brett Wallace. His ceiling seems to be .300/.400 BA/OBP with an eventual position switch to first base. Hey, another Daric Barton! Thanks, St. Louis! Shane Peterson is just another fourth OF for the A’s to add to their Ryan Sweeney/Rajai Davis/Scott Hairston pile. And, Clayton Mortensen started vs. the Royals on Saturday night. He had no control of his fastball and seemed to lose his release point after 10 pitches. Arrgh.
Eugene Tierney: I’m also against this one, but from the Cardinals standpoint. I think Wallace can stay at third and would have been an upgrade for the lineup now (Wallace is as good or better than Holliday outside of Coors, and DeRosa would have been the left fielder). Like I’ve mentioned in the past, this deal was made to appease Tony LaRussa and, to a degree, Dave Duncan.
Unlike Barton, Wallace has had a track record at a level higher than HS baseball. He’s also moved up to AAA in less than a year after being drafted. While both have good OBP, Wallace has legit power. Mortensen still needs a little time, but I think he would have been in the rotation next year for the Cardinals; they need all the cheap starting pitching they can get with Wainwright, Carpenter and Lohse tied up.
The Phillies receive Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco from the Indians for Carlos Carrasco, Jason Knapp, Jason Donald, and Lou Marson.
AC: New Phillies GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. was sabermetrically shoved around all winter for his decision to sign Raul Ibanez to an expensive three-year deal before the free agent market established itself. But, with Ibanez’s insane start to the season AND Amaro’s refusal to give in to JP Ricciardi’s ridiculous demands for Roy Halladay, me thinks someone might be polishing an “Executive of the Year” plaque in a few more months.
Philadelphia doesn’t give up any of their top-tier blue-chip talent and gets a pitcher in Cliff Lee whose around-the-plate style is an infinitely better fit in the Senior Circuit. I watched Lee’s first start for the Phillies against the Giants and while it was just one start, Lee had the look of someone who would just throw the other 24 guys on his back and not be denied. 25 years ago, Rick Sutcliffe was dealt from the Tribe to the Cubs and went 16-1, leading the Northsiders to the playoffs.
Save for the 16-1 part, it’s deja vu all over again.
ET: I think the Indians got a pretty good package for an overrated pitcher and a 4th outfielder. Carrasco is a solid prospect who may help out this year. His stock has fallen a little over the last 2 years due to concerns about his health. Kyle Drabek is the only other Phillies Prospect I like better than Carrasco. Marson will be able to take over for Kelly Shoppach when they decide to deal him in the next couple of years. Donald will possibly give them more flexibility in the infield. Knapp was a nice throw in.
I don’t think Lee will be a great pitcher in Philly. The ballpark will kill him in the long run — it’s the complete opposite of the Jake. The atmosphere is also completely different. I think they’ll get better production out of Pedro Martinez.
The Red Sox acquire Victor Martinez for Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone, and Bryan Price.
AC: Good to see the Indians continuing their tradition of handing wins to the Red Sox. They’ve been so good at it since the 2007 ALCS. I don’t get this haul for Cleveland. Victor Martinez is signed through 2010. The Indians aren’t making the playoffs this year, but they didn’t have to deal Martinez. Why not wait until the offseason and see if a fringe contender could do better than Boston’s offer of a serviceable arm in Masterson and two guys who a lot of scouts project as middle relievers? Meanwhile, the Red Sox bring in Martinez who can play everyday and spell Boston’s geriatric talent at three positions (C,1B and DH). This one’s not quite 1960s New York Yankees/Kansas City A’s-level of uneven, but Boston’s the far and away winner in this deal.
ET: I’m the opposite on this one. I liked that the Indians got Masterson. They wanted MLB ready pitching and Masterson was one of the better ones available. He’s better than anything they’ve already got.
Martinez is overrated in my opinion. They took a player that’s really limited to first base/DH and injury-prone and turned him into a quality starter, a potential mid-rotation starter, and another pitcher who’s still a little bit away. Most scouts think that Martinez only has another season or 2 as a catcher. First baseman/DH types are easy to come by, especially when they profile like Martinez.
The White Sox acquired Jake Peavy from the Padres for Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda, Adam Russell, and Dexter Carter.
AC: I’ll take nothing away from White Sox GM Kenny Williams. He’s kept the Pale Hose relevant for most of this decade and has a 2005 World Series ring to his credit. Still, I think he gets a little too much love from people who oversympathized with his buffoonish portrayal in “Moneyball” and who privately love the fact that he’s got a ring and Billy Beane – as a GM – doesn’t.
Williams has been systematically scorching the White Sox’s farm system in recent years and this deal is no different. Poreda’s a strikeout/groundball machine who can hit the high 90s. Richard – while lacking Poreda’s pure stuff – is extremely polished and one of the more underrated prospects around. And, Carter has simply overwhelmed the low minors with crazy strikeout totals and not a hint of the control issues that scouts worried about when he was drafted.
As for Peavy, you’re looking at the best of him, right now. The problem is that he’s enjoyed his peak in one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in all of baseball. In PETCO Park, Peavy could be aggressive with his fastball and challenge hitters anywhere in the zone. That approach won’t fly at US Cellular Field. Well, actually, it will fly. Out of the park. Throw in a disturbing injury trend and I think the White Sox will be regretting this one by the end of next season.
ET: You nailed it on the head. Peavy’s a high effort pitcher who will tax the bullpen as well. The league and ballpark switches will be what does him in. The package the Padres received was pretty good, although they may have been better off to wait until after the season — depending on Peavy’s health.
This deal may also hurt the Sox in the wallet too, since he’s making a lot of money and they took on Alex Rios’ contract as well. Add in the arbitration raises to Danks and Quentin, their payroll may keep them out of the free agent market (the only significant contract they are shedding is Jermaine Dye). Rumors are circulating that they may have to deal Bobby Jenks to create some flexibility.
The Giants get Freddy Sanchez from the Pirates for Tim Alderson.
AC: This was one of my favorite deals at the deadline – not so much for the players or teams involved, but for the ginormously range of opinions on Tim Alderson’s prospect status. At the time of the deal, Alderson was 13 starts into a run at double-A. He’d allowed 76 hits in 72 innings with a K/9 rate of 5.7. Is Alderson overrated? Perhaps. But, he’s only 20 years old and it could just be that the gap between the Giants’ top pitching prospect Madison Bumgarner and everyone else in the system is farther than originally thought.
Sanchez, on the other hand, IS overrated. He’s a league-average bat, which has a place in any lineup, but his fluke 2006 batting title has been his calling card even as he’s never reached those numbers since. I think the Pirates are the winners here.
ET: I thought it was a coup of the Pirates to get a player of Alderson’s potential for a scrub like Sanchez. Alderson is much better than most of the pitching prospects that the Pirates currently have.
Sanchez is, at best, a .300 hitter who got lucky in 2006. Sure, he was an All Star this year, but who else was going from the Pirates? This was another sign that Brian Sabean has no clue what he’s doing (see Edgar Renteria).
The Mariners receive Jack Wilson and Ian Snell from the Pirates for Jeff Clement, Ronny Cedeno, and 3 minor leaguers.
AC: This is a weird deal for the Mariners. Wilson fits in with the team’s renewed emphasis on defense, but he’s overpaid for the unspectacular skillset he brings to the plate. I like Snell – and I think it’s unfair that so many have piled on his emotional challenges – but he remains a question mark who’s moving to the tougher league.
Clement is a former top prospect who had fallen out of favor in Seattle with his second upper management regime in two years. He mashes RHP, but doesn’t do much else well. The three minor league arms Pittsburgh acquired (Brett Lorin, Aaron Pribanic and Nathan Adcock) aren’t on anyone’s radar yet, but the scouting reports I’ve read indicate that all three have room to become serviceable quantities. Call it a push for now.
ET: I really liked what Pittsburgh did – took some pieces that they didn’t need and restocked their weak farm system. They did the same thing last year, but traded the guys this year were overrated and overpaid.
If Wilson played any position other than shortstop, he wouldn’t be in the majors. Snell has shown flashes of putting it together, but his time is running out; much like many pitchers that have pitched in Seattle (Pineiro, Franklin, Washburn, etc).
Clement could still be useful. With Doumit as catcher, he’ll probably play first base. Ronny Cedeno is no different than Wilson, just cheaper. As you said with the prospects, the jury is still out; they at least have the chance to do something more than Snell or Wilson would.
