2009 Trades Graded

My Thoughts:

Victor Martinez Trade – I thought it was a fair trade for both sides. Getting 3 quality arms in this day and age, with 1 potential TOR guy in Hagadone, is a heck of a deal. Masterson can be tried as a mid-end of the rotation guy, and if he fails, to move him to the pen to shore that area up. The Indians really added to their arm depth. For the Red Sox, heck of a move as well, getting an impact bat without parting with their top arms or bats. Giving up 3 arms is a tough one to swallow, but Boston is one of the few organizations that can handle a move like that (along with Oakland earlier this year in the Hairston deal). Not sure how Boston gets a C – Varitek is wearing down, Kottaras never panned out. This was a big need and they kept their top prospects. I don’t really grade trades, but the C makes it sound like a bad deal for Boston. I don’t see it that way – an organization is supposed to help you win, and this was a good gamble.

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Jake Peavy trade: I think I loosely agree with the grades here, though I’d give San Diego a bit higher of a grade probably. Peavy’s a good gamble. People point to the H-A splits, but 2005/2007 they were fine, last year he was injured. He becomes the White Sox most talented pitcher. What’d they give up? Poreda and Richard both feel like future pen arms (I like Poreda as a late inning arm). Don’t like either as a starter. Russell seems like a middle reliever. Carter’s very intriguing, but it isn’t a big loss. In San Diego’s defense, though, getting 4 arms is a coup in this market. Furthermore, considering Towers starting position in the winter, this was about as good as he could get. He managed to expand the market. The process managed to convince Peavy to agree to expand his market, as the Cubs/Dodgers weren’t likely to get back into it. This was probably equal, if not better, than the rumored Cubs deal. Carter’s very interesting – don’t sleep on that one. Carter might be more interesting than the fast moving Dan Hudson, but he’s just further away.

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 Orlando Cabrera deal – Disagree here on the Twins grade, and I think the A’s grade is too high. The A’s were shooting high, hoping for Valencia, but they got an intriguing talent, and Cabrera wasn’t going to get a huge return. Twins upgrade at short – calling that a C-, I’m not sure. O-Cab’s been hot as well.

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Jarrod Washburn trade – This one was hard to figure out. I think the Tigers deserve better than a C+ – Washburn is more dependable than some of their other options, even if he is overachieving. They didn’t give up much … or did they? That’s the question that has to be answered. French is a young Washburn in a best case scenario, so whatever. The question is Robles, who is very intriguing as a smallish lefty with plus fastball/plus breaking ball/improving change. He’s made strides this year, and love that his BB rate declined as he went up a level. Still … is he that good? Anything for Washburn made sense, so there was no way it would be a bad trade for the Mariners, but giving that an A when they were demanding the moon from the Brewers/Yankees, I’m just not sure on. Btw, French as a stud? I’m not so sure on that one. Even the reports today suggest Robles was the key to that deal.

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Braves-Red swap first basemen – I like it for both sides actually. LaRoche offers them some badly needed pop in the lineup, pop that Kotchman wasn’t going to provide. Boston rids themselves of LaRoche for Kotchman, and that isn’t a bad swap either. Kotchman can likely do alright off the bench, whereas LaRoche needs AB’s to stay in form. Let’s be honest, both guys are average hitters.

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Nick Johnson trade – I’d give the Marlins an A as well. Perfect fit there, giving them the top of the order bat they needed, and Aaron Thompson wasn’t at the top of the minor league charts. It’s not a bad trade for Washington – Johnson was going to leave, and Thompson still has some intriguing qualities about him. Thompson’s had a fairly solid year this year and he could probably still slot as a mid-end of the rotation lefty if things break right.

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Joe Beimel deal – Are we really going to use W-L records to define all the pitching prospects? This is 2009 … and it is still the minors. Mattheus can be a decent pen arm, probably middle relief with a shot at borderline setup (if things break right developmentally). Fabian’s a decent arm, your mid-end of the rotation/middle relief type. Look, it’s not a great return, but calling that a F, when Beimel was the guy who left, is a bit ridiculous, nothing personal. They got two young arms for a LOOGY. Adding any sort of young pitching depth makes sense for the Nats, when Beimel isn’t a part of the future. Btw, Rizzo runs the Nats basically, although the Lerners are rumored to interfere a lot. Rizzo’s a good personnel guy, at least his track record is.

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George Sherrill trade – I’d flip the grades, well, I’d give the Dodgers a B+ and the Orioles a B+/A-. I understand the move from the Dodgers perspective, and Sherrill makes sense for Torre considering how Joe runs through the pen. But they gave up an awfully good talent, while they had Hong-Chih Kuo back in the bigs. Understandable move, not bashing it by any means, but I wouldn’t call it an A personally. Bell is a good looking third base prospect with power, and Johnson might fit in as a pen arm. GREAT return for the Orioles. Sherrill isn’t going to be a key part of their future and they have young pen arms to try. Jim Johnson will get first crack, and Chris Ray could work his way back. One of their extra starters could be a thought. They needed a young 3rd base talent, and they got a good one. They also got a local kid in Steve Johnson. Excellent deal for the O’s.

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Cubs Grabow/Gorzelanny trade – That’s about right. I might give the Pirates a B-. One thing to consider – Grabow was having an inconsistent year and Gorzelanny was in the minors. That deflates value a bit for Pitt. But it was a good gamble on the Cubs part to fill a void and add depth. They didn’t give up much either. Harrison could be a possible 2 hitter that plays 2nd … but he was groomed as an utility guy. Hart’s a decent middle relief/rubber arm option. Ascanio could be a late inning arm if he gains a bit more control. Overall, not a bad return, considering the circumstances. Just eh.

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Freddy Sanchez deal – I would give the Giants probably a C+ ish grade. I’m not sold on Sanchez maintaining his performance, and I hate trading for 2nd basemen unless the player is a top guy. They gave up a good arm, but Alderson was a bit overhyped. He’s still got a lot of development to do to become the top arm some had him as. Gotta respect the gamble … though I don’t like it. For the Pirates, this was probably max value for Sanchez, so I agree with that grade.

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Cliff Lee deal – Initial reaction was negative as well, but I’ve done a 180 on that. I think the Indians did well for the market. I compare this to the Harden deal in terms of return structure. Simply put, elite upper level pitching prospects simply rarely get moved anymore, and the Carrasco’s/Gallagher’s of the world, guys with number 2 potential, are probably the top shelf of pitching talent that gets moved. They added a ridiculous upside arm in Knapp, and two stopgap pieces. Don’t love the Donald/Marson fits (they have Shoppach with Santana in the wings, although Santana could use a bit more time, and Asdrubal Cabrera is set at short). I’d give the Indians a B+ I guess.

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Jack Wilson-Ian Snell trade – What? A F? Why? The Mariners gave up end of the rotation arms, a guy in Clement that looks like he’s tapped out, and an utility infielder in Cedeno who is passable starter at short if your team is solid elsewhere. They get a better shortstop and gamble on a high upside arm in Snell. How’s that a F? Don’t see that one. I wouldn’t call the Pirates return an A either, but it was a good move on their part, as Wilson wasn’t a part of the future, and Snell quit on the team basically. Again … how did the Mariners overpay, outside of quantity? This is their way of looking towards 2010. They shore up short for 2010 and hope that Snell finds his form.

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Ryan Garko deal – Eh. Garko’s a major league hitter, but at first base, he’s very average. An upgrade, but eh. Barnes is an intriguing prospect, and the Indians had to make room for LaPorta to get AB’s. They got a good piece back.

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Holliday trade – I agree on this one. Well, maybe a B+ for St. Louis. Wallace didn’t have much of a future in St. Louis. He’s not a 3rd baseman, he’s not a corner OF. That said, that’s 6 years of Wallace, who is close to ready. I’m not sure Holliday was the best use of that, but there wasn’t really another piece out there that made that much sense. Oakland gets a great return, basically because of Wallace. Peterson and Mortensen seem average to me, with Mortensen reminding me of a slightly better Justin Berg.
          
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Rafael Betancourt trade – Um … I disagree on this one. You do realize that Betancourt has had a very solid year, right? Sure, he’s not the pitcher he once was, but he’s still a solid pen arm. Connor Graham looks to have solid pen potential – a solid enough return for Cleveland, but for the Rox, it’s a good play, IMO.

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Julio Lugo move – This one made sense for both sides. Sox had to move on from Lugo, and Cards could use the depth.

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The Red Sox landing Adam LaRoche – Disagree on this one as well. Red Sox gave up very little for some early insurance. Sure, they moved LaRoche in the end, but Dias doesn’t have much bat, and Strickland profiles as a middle relief type. No big loss for a deep system. It was a protection move, and a gamble on LaRoche having his usual 2nd half move. Not bad for the PIrates, considering LaRoche was a struggling rental.

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Felipe Lopez deal – I’d grade the D-backs return higher than a C, and I’m not a Gillespie fan. He’s got some potential to be a starting OF, though, and Roque could be an intriguing pen type. For Lopez, that’s pretty solid.
           
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Hannahan deal – This one made little sense, but they got a stopgap, bench piece for a middling pitcher. Let’s not read too much into it. They needed to find someone with Beltre on the DL.
 
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Frenchy-Church swap – It was a good move for both sides, IMO. Church had worn out his welcome there, and Frenchy needed a change of scenery.

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Tony Pena deal – Huh? Allen was a solid prospect, and Pena was a decent pen arm. About an even swap – I don’t see the A/C split you have. The Sox gave up one of their better prospects.

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The Hairston deal – Nothing personal, but that’s ridiculous commentary. Hairston was a productive, cost-controlled OF. That’s a good commodity. It’s a good bat for an Oakland squad desperate for offense. At first, I wasn’t high on the return for San Diego. Now that we know it’s Gallagher, it’s a solid return. Oakland (according to A’s fans) abused Gallagher’s arm, pitching him when he was hurt. We have to see if he rebounds, but if so, it’s a good gamble from Towers. They got two other arms along with that, both profiling as pen arms. Italiano could be a late inning arm. Getting 3 arms in a deal is a solid get, although I like this move better for the A’s, who didn’t give up their top pitching talent and got a productive player.

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Hinske deal – Made sense for the Yankees to get some depth when Nady was done, and they didn’t give up much. For the Pirates, it’s not a bad return on a guy who wasn’t a part of the future and didn’t have huge value, but the prospects don’t look to be guys to watch out for, at least, as of now.

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Nats/Pirates swap OF/P – Understandable move for the Nats – Milledge had worn out his welcome. Not a bad gamble for the PIrates, as they are looking to the future. I like it better for the Nats, but if Hanrahan settles and Milledge develops, this could look bad. Not sold that will happen, but it was a good trade for both sides. You do realize that Morgan isn’t exactly young, right? For the Pirates, it’s about when they will compete, and Huntington is looking about 3 years down the line, when Nyjer will be in his 30’s.

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Mark DeRosa deal – The PTBNL was Jess Todd, and that was a huge return for the Indians. Great trade on their part, getting two top arms, although both are pen types. That said, the pen is their problem. Good gamble on the Cardinals, who were playing for this year. They’ve stripped the system quite a bits though.
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Nate McLouth deal – It was a smart move for both sides. Braves didn’t give up key pieces. Pirates got a quality pitching prospect in Locke (last I checked, I think he was struggling), a potential top of the order type OF, and a decent ready arm. I liked how Neal is constructing his deals – some ready help, and some gambles. A nice balance for the most part.

Jim Hendry did very well in getting Grabow and Gorzy for a marginal return. I still can’t get over that Peavy deal to the White Sox….a 5th starter at best type (Richard), a promising relief pitcher (Poreda) and two pitching prospects with question marks attached. Phillies literally stole Lee from Cleveland.