It's been a busy week on the transaction wire. Here's my take on the trade deadline deals over the last week or so. I'll focus mainly on trades involving prospects, but will also weigh-in with my views of other key transactions as well, focusing on long-term impact.
Don't worry, Down on the Farm fans. Both the regular prospect profile and the mailbag report will appear later this week.
July 20
Reds trade Michael Tucker to the Cubs for pitching prospects Mike Booker and Ben Shaffar.
Tucker is useful, but no star and not really better, in fact, than some guys who don't have jobs. Check this out.
BA OBP SLG
Career Player A: .260 .342 .434
Career Player B: .246 .354 .469
Career Player C: .300 .349 .474
One of these players is Michael Tucker. The other two are looking for major-league jobs. I'll put the who's who at the bottom of the article.
As for Booker and Shaffar, they are decent prospects but expendable in a pitching-rich Cubs system. Booker can hit 95 mph, but has control trouble; he projects as a useful middle reliever. Shaffar was pitching great in the Florida State League and has a live arm, but doesn't have Booker's raw velocity and was behind other guys on the depth chart.
Tucker does add some bench depth, and since the Cubs didn't gut the system to get him, it could help both clubs. But if one of the pitchers develops for the Reds, it's a good long-term deal for them.
July 24
Rangers send Andres Galarraga to the Giants for prospects Erasmo Ramirez, Todd Ozias, and Chris Magruder.
Salary dump trade for the disappointing Rangers. The Giants hope that Big Cat has 100 good at-bats left in him, and he can likely do good work in a platoon role. In exchange, they give up three Grade C prospects. Ramirez has excellent control, but lacks the velocity to dominate and projects as a bullpen lefty. Ozias has a decent fastball, but has control trouble occasionally and hopes to get a job in middle relief. Magruder could develop into a decent fourth outfielder with pop and a good glove. All in all, a trade that could help both clubs, although the Giants need to be careful about exhausting their farm system.
July 25
Three-way deal between Athletics, Rockies, and Royals. Oakland gets Jermaine Dye while Royals get Neifi Perez. Rockies pick up three prospects from Oakland: Jose Ortiz, Mario Encarnacion, and Todd Belitz.
Oakland and Colorado are the main beneficiaries here. It's possible that Dye has already had his career year, but moving into the walk-packed Oakland lineup should help get his bat back on track. Ortiz should thrive in Coors Field, but I doubt Oakland will end up missing him, since Frankie Menechino is doing a fine job at second base and should be good for at least two or three more years. Encarnacion is a tools guy who may, or may not, develop, while Belitz is a LOOGY (lefty-one-out-guy).
I don't think Neifi Perez is as bad as some people think he is, but he won't hit .300 in Kansas City and his poor OBP will be a major drag on the offense. Still, he is great with the glove and is a better overall player than Rey Sanchez. As a stop-gap he is OK, but the Royals must address the need for hitting.
Devil Rays send Albie Lopez and Mike DiFelice to Diamondbacks for prospects Nick Bierbrodt and Jason Conti.
I think the Rays win this one. I see no evidence that Lopez is anything more than an average pitcher, and DiFelice is eminently replaceable. Bierbrodt has a great arm. He has had injury problems, but if he stays healthy he'll be better than Lopez in the long run. Conti is a useful spare outfielder should he get the chance to prove it.
July 26
White Sox send James Baldwin to Dodgers for minor leaguers Onan Masaoka, Gary Majewski, and Jeff Barry.
Baldwin is the personification of erratic. I've liked him in the past, but I think he may end up being a disappointment for the Dodgers down the stretch. On the other hand, they didn't give up a ton to get him, and the rotation did need help after the injuries to Kevin Brown and Darren Dreifort. Masaoka is useful in the bullpen when his control is together. Majewski (who came to the Dodgers from the White Sox last winter) has a great arm, but posted a 6.00+ ERA at Vero Beach with poor K/BB numbers. Perhaps going back to his original organization will help him. Barry is a spare outfield part.
July 27
Fred McGriff agrees to go from Tampa to Chicago, for Manny Aybar and a player to be named.
The PTBN is supposedly infielder Jason Smith, who has a good glove but can't hit Triple-A pitching. McGriff should help the Cubs, and as with their trade with the Reds, they avoided raping the farm system. Aybar has sleeper potential, but was well down the depth chart of Cubs pitchers.
I think the D-Rays could have done better for McGriff, but the market for old power-hitting first baseman with big contracts isn't what it used to be apparently.
Phillies receive Turk Wendell and Dennis Cook from Mets for Adam Walker and Bruce Chen.
A pair of useful relief pitchers for a pair of intriguing young pitchers. You know about Wendell and Cook; they bolster the bullpen. Chen has drawn mixed reviews from coaches and managers, even if sabermatricians believe that he'll be a fine pitcher in the long run due to his great K/BB ratios. Walker is a finesse lefty who was dominating Double-A, but has yet to face a full shot at higher levels.
I still believe in Chen, and I think in the long run this trade will work out very well for the Mets. If Walker handles himself well in the majors and develops into a number 4-5 starter, so much the better.
July 28
Twins send lefty Mark Redman to Tigers for reliever Todd Jones.
The development of Twins prospects Adam Johnson and Kyle Lohse made the injury-plagued Redman expendable. The Twins bullpen has been shaky at times this year, and while Jones probably wouldn't be much better as the closer than La Troy Hawkins, he does bring another option to the table. The Twins don't mind losing Redman, and the Tigers don't need Jones now that Matt Anderson has taken the closer role, so this is another trade that matches well for both clubs.
July 30
Giants add Jason Schmidt and John Vander Wal from Pirates for Armando Rios and prospect Ryan Vogelsong.
The main problem I see here is the continued drain on the Giants farm system. Schmidt is inconsistent, but pitching well lately and apparently recovered from previous arm woes. I've always liked him, even if he hasn't developed into the ace that I thought he would earlier in his career. Vander Wal essentially replaces Rios in the outfield, a short-term wash for both clubs but better for the Pirates in the long-run since Rios is younger.
Vogelsong is a strong Grade B prospect, one of the few bright lights in the Giants system. He reminds me of ... Jason Schmidt.
Cubs trade prospects Ruben Quevedo and Pete Zoccolillo to Brewers for Dave Weathers and Roberto Miniel.
I don't like this from the Cubs perspective. Weathers is having a good year, but is your basic journeyman and not someone to give up good prospects for unless you are desperate. Quevedo has been having a great year at Triple-A Iowa and was one of the best prospects in the system. He throws hard, and his K/BB marks have shown dramatic improvement this year. Zoccolillo is a mediocre A-ball outfielder without much long-term potential.
Miniel is a fair prospect, with a live arm and good control but has a mixed track record. He is actually rather similar to Quevedo in some ways, but two years behind him in the development cycle. Overall I'd rather have Quevedo than a Weathers/Miniel package, and I think the Brewers win this one.
Yankees trade prospects Brett Jodie and Darren Blakely to Padres for Sterling Hitchcock.
I think this one will help the Yankees. Hitchcock provides a veteran arm for the back end of the rotation. He seems over his injury troubles, and the Yanks didn't dip too far into their farm system to get him. Jodie has a major-league arm, but was blasted in his only start this year. His stuff is decent, but not good enough to get by if his command waivers. He looks like a fourth or fifth starter to me at best. Blakely has tools and runs well, but projects as a reserve outfielder and was expendable for the Yanks.
Twins trade Matt Lawton to Mets for Rick Reed.
I hate this trade. Rick Reed is a fine pitcher, but the Twins need hitting, and Lawton was one of their few OBP threats. I also hate to see someone like Lawton, playing for years with a lousy club, get traded just as he is starting to enjoy the taste of winning. Lawton will help the Mets, and while Reed adds to the Twins' good pitching depth, this does little to address the true needs of the organization.
July 31
Astros trade Scott Elarton to the Rockies for Pedro Astacio.
Hundreds of thousands of roto owners just had heart attacks. Hundreds of thousand of others just had, uh, shivvers of pleasure. I've always been a big backer of Elarton, but he's struggled this year and Astacio is a better bet down the stretch. The decline in Elarton's K/BB marks is very worrisome and possibly indicates that he is not healthy, while Astacio has been just fine in that category this year. Score one for the Astros.
Astros trade Tony McKnight to the Pirates for Mike Williams.
McKnight has a good fastball and a great curve, but has trouble staying healthy and has a very mixed track record. Williams is not an elite closer, but bolsters the bullpen and did not come at an excessive cost. Another good trade for Houston, although the Pirates can win too if McKnight develops.
Indians trade Zach Day to the Expos for Milton Bradley.
Day is a solid pitching prospect, one of the few bright spots in a dry Indians system. I don't like this exchange; I've been a Bradley booster and I think he'll still have a good career, but he doesn't address an immediate need for the Indians as far as I can see, at least at the cost of Day.
Royals trade Rey Sanchez to the Braves for Brad Voyles and Alejandro Machado.
Royals GM Allard Baird turns Sanchez into two decent prospects, despite a lack of leverage. Voyles has very good stuff and is a potential closer; at the least he should be able to handle a middle-relief role within a year. Machado is further from the majors, but is a fine defensive middle infielder with speed. Unlike many Braves (and Royals) prospects, he is willing to take a pitch.
What this means is that the Dye trade was basically Dye and Sanchez for Neifi Perez, Voyles, and Machado. That's not a great deal, but it's better than some of these other deadline trades, and isn't terrible if the Royals felt they couldn't keep Dye.
Expos send Ugueth Urbina to the Red Sox for Tomo Ohka and Rich Rundles.
Derek Lowe has been rather mediocre this year, so Urbina provides a useful fortification for the Sox bullpen. Ohka has been hit hard this year, but I still think he's going to be a good pitcher; my gut says he'll pitch well for the Expos the rest of the year, though I have nothing objective to back that up. Rundles is an A-ball lefty with a good arm and fine K/BB numbers (94/10) at Augusta. I love his strike-throwing ability, but he's at least two years and probably more from the majors. Still, he was one of the few bright lights in the Red Sox system, and they will miss him.
Pirates send Terry Mulholland to the Dodgers for Mike Fetters and Adrian Burnside.
Mulholland has been decent for the Pirates, not that it has mattered. He hasn't pitched since June 8 due to an injured left index finger, but is ready to be activated. He'll provide the much desired "veteran depth" that pennant contenders want, even if they really don't need it. Fetters is little more than a warm body at this stage.
The kid here, Burnside, pitches well when healthy but has trouble staying that way. He's a lefty with a 90-mph fastball, but rather erratic control. He could end up being a Mulholland-like pitcher if he sharpens his command a bit and stays away from the doctors. The Pirates had nothing to lose and something to gain if Burnside develops, while the Dodgers deplete their weak farm system even more.
Orioles trade Mike Trombley to the Dodgers for Kris Foster and Geronimo Gil.
I like this for the Orioles. Trombley is a useful middle man with closing experience for emergencies, but his long-term value is weak. Foster, on the other hand, is a fireballer who has made great strides with his control this year in Triple-A, and is seven years younger than Trombley. Gil is a catch-and-throw guy with bench value, but no future as a starter. Although Trombley should do OK for the Dodgers, they may have done just as well to stick Foster in the pen.
Cardinals trade Jason Christiansen to the Giants for Kevin Joseph and a PTBN.
Hyperactive Giants make another move, grabbing additional bullpen reinforcement in exchange for a Grade C pitching prospect. Christiansen can have his moments, but has just 19 innings pitched this year (in 30 games) due to La Russa Bullpen Whiplash. His adjustment to Dusty Baker's bullpen style may be rather interesting. Joseph is like a thousand other guys in the minors. He has major-league velocity, but doesn't blow the ball by people; his track record is mixed; sometimes he is very effective, sometimes he isn't. I don't see a major impact for either club here, unless the PTBN is someone important.
Who's Who: Michael Tucker is Player A. Jon Nunnally is Player B. Reggie Jefferson is Player C.
John Sickels is the author of the 2001 STATS Minor League Scouting Notebook. He lives in Lawrence, Kansas, with his wife, son, and two cats. You can send John questions or comments at JASickels@aol.com, or you can visit his homepage at hometown.aol.com/jasickels/page1.html.
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