September 10, 2008 at 12:24 am · Filed under AL West, Elvis Andrus, Eric Hurley, Ian Snell, NL Central, Nelson Cruz, Pittsburgh Pirates, Texas Rangers
One guy I left off my earlioer starting nine column was Ian Snell, who is currently in the middle of the shittiest year of his career for the Pirates. Though the Rockies attempted to acquire Snell during the deadline (and said no to the return price of Franklin Morales), that doesn’t mean that Snell isn’t for sale.
Let’s think about the Rangers’ predicament right now. Currently, the 40 Man Roster is ready to explode, with several other prospects in need of being added this off-season, or risk being lost in the Rule 5 Draft in November. Don’t think that the Rangers won’t be vulnerable, as several teams have asked for some Rangers prospects, only to be shot down.
Thus, it makes sense to use some of them in an attempt to get some pitching, notably young, cheap pitching.
Snell happens to fit that category.
The Pirates are looking to add depth all around, and are moving as many parts as possible in order to do so. And for the most part, Snell is qualified to become a potential Number One or Two member of the rotation, if he’s able to harness his command. At the very least, he’s been able to eat up innings.
And, Snell signed an extension not too long ago, meaning he’ll remain a Buc (or Ranger) for at least a few years. That’s more than enough to try and make a deal.
So, let’s start looking at needs.
The Pirates will need at least a pair of pitchers back in the deal, plus at least one bad ass prospect, and some filler. That’s no problem, as the Rangers do have some of that to spare.
In terms of the Grade A Prospect, the list is a small one: Neftali Feliz, Derek Holland, Elvis Andrus, Engel Beltre, and Chris Davis (already on the major league roster, but still young enough in service time to be lumped in there.) All but Beltre and Andrus are off limits.
Say the Pirates choose one of Andrus or Beltre. Is there one of the two I’d be more inclined to let go? Of the two, it would probably be Andrus, who I think has a lot of helium and hype. Not to say he isn’t a good prospect, but his lack of power numbers and his lack of plate discipline sadden me a bit on him. Beltre is a raw product, but one that many feel could have All-Star potential. Common comps being tossed out are Barry Bonds (Pittsburgh Era - Wiry Strength, Speed, Excellent Left Fielder) or J.D. Drew, which is probably a better one, though without the injury history.
Next, the pitchers. One of which would have to be Michael Schlact, a tall right hander similar to those gotten in the other trades that Pittsburgh has done, one that would probably have a better chance of being a capable starter in the NL. As for the other pitcher, it likely would have to be Eric Hurley, which isn’t a crippling loss, but it is one that I hate to make.
Types of Roster Filler would likely be Nelson Cruz, whom I believe is merely being auditioned for a trade, or maybe Joaquin Arias.
So, all in all, here’s the deal I would propose to Pittsburgh for Snell.
Elvis Andrus, Eric Hurley, Michael Schlact and Nelson Cruz or Joaquin Arias.
Some will say it’s too much. Others will say it’s too little.
My opinion? It’s the only move really that fits in getting a talent like Snell.
July 31, 2008 at 11:01 pm · Filed under 1, Andy LaRoche, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB, Manny Ramirez, Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
- Gain: Andy LaRoche (3B), Bryan Morris (RHP), Brandon Moss (OF), Craig Hansen (RHP)
- Loss: Jason Bay (LF)
First off, losing Jason Bay is a sad thing, as he’s served as the face of the franchise for a few years now. It didn’t have to come to this, not if the Pirates ownership had hired competent General Managers, not if they didn’t skimp on the draft, not if they made wise trades instead of salary dumps. It didn’t have to come to this. Unfortunately, it’s too little, too late for Bay, who will now be sacrificed to help the future of the Pirates.
It’s a solid package for the All-Star, dwarfing that of the Nady trade. Like the Nady Trade, it’s built around a central player, LaRoche, who is a capable third baseman that for some reason or another was never given the shot he deserved with the Dodgers. LaRoche should hit for average, get on base and hit for some power. He’s not a excellent defensive third baseman and could very well slide over to First Base once Pedro Alvarez arrives in Pittsburgh (don’t worry, he’ll sign. Boras isn’t stupid and knows that there is a huge chance that Alvarez’ stock could drop in a repeat year in college.) It also gives LaRoche the chance to play with his brother, though last I checked, that didn’t work out for the Giambi or Blalock brothers.
And also, like the Nady deal, there are a good deal of players that could help soon, and add some needed depth to the Pirates. Hansen is a live arm that could be a closer, but he wouldn’t be able to hit the fucking ground if it weren’t for gravity. He has a mid 90’s fastball and a slider that is hit or miss, but according to Keith Law, he also throws a curveball or a changeup that is very good, but never uses it. If that’s true, than Boston fucked up in that respect of his development. It may have been that the organization was unable to shake thoughts of Hansen’s frisbee slider in college (which may be, in fact, partially created by the baseball having higher seams in college.) Moss will likely start playing left field to replace Bay. He’s vulnerable against lefties and only has average power, which essentially makes him David Murphy (passable left fielder that is more valuable as a fourth outfielder.)
Unlike the Nady deal, however, the Pirates did gain one really good prospect that could be missed. Morris is in his first full year from Tommy John Surgery, is currently pitching in the Midwestern League (Low A), and is 2-4 with a 3.39 ERA in 16 starts, with a 70/29 K to walk ratio. Morris throws in the low 90’s, touching 96, and has a solid out pitch with his curveball. His changeup is coming along and has a chance to be solid. He’s got a chance to be a solid Number Two starter, with a chance at the very least to be a nasty closer if starting doesn’t work out.
All in all, while it sucks that Bay is gone, the Pirates have more pieces of the puzzle to fuck around with, and hopefully to build the next great Pirates team that fans have been dreaming of since Barry Bonds bolted for the money in San Francisco.
Boston Red Sox
- Gain: Jason Bay (LF), Outfield Defense
- Loss: Manny Ramirez (LF), $7 Million, Brandon Moss (FC), Craig Hansen (RHP)
Boston loses the best player in the deal in Ramirez, who is still one of the best hitters in baseball. However, the headaches were just too much for them to bear and finally, it came to the point where they decided to win without him than with him.
However, Boston itself does nicely in this deal. Bay isn’t that much of a downgrade from Ramirez and should hit for some power and should also take advantage of Fenway Park’s hitter friendly dimensions. He’ll also greatly improve the outfield defense, and should push Crisp and Ellsbury (both of which are providing below average offense for the outfield), into a quasi-time sharing role. The added benefit is that Boston will now have Bay for 2009, which is a great thing as the outfield market was looking piss poor.
Aside from the money involved, Boston really doens’t give up much in prospects. Moss never was going to have a long term impact on Boston and Hansen likely would have been designated for assignment this off-season if the Red Sox needed the roster space. So all in all, great trade for Boston as well.
One more added benefit is with the savings on Bay, plus the money coming off the books on Schilling, Varitek, and others, Boston could make a play for other spots of need, and perhaps even splurge on a Sabathia or a Sheets, depending on their confidence in their rotation.
Los Angeles Dodgers
- Gain: Manny Ramirez (LF), $7 Million
- Loss: Andy LaRoche (3B), Bryan Morris (RHP), Outfield Defense
Of the three teams, the Dodgers probably are the ones that made out the worst. Ramirez is still a great hitter and will be motivated after the trade to give the finger to the Red Sox. However, he’s moving not only to a stadium that isn’t conductive for hitting, he also is going to be losing the benefit of Boston’s short left field, which will further expose his problems defending.
There is also the question as to how the Dodgers are going to assemble their outfield. Assuming Manny plays everyday, the best chance for a defensive outfield would be to play Kemp in center and Andre Ethier in right full time. Instead, however, it looks like the Dodgers will isntead employ Juan Pierre in center and Kemp in right, which not only downgrades the offense, but sacrifices some defensive abilities as well. The need to justify the contracts the Dodgers have done is laughable, and is more of a symptom of Ned Colletti feeling the need to satisify his ego and perhaps defend his job by sending out his purchases in hopes of a turnaround.
And again, it cost the Dodgers something of value to make this deal. LaRoche should have been given the opportunity to play everyday. He wasn’t and if he becomes the player scouts and everyone else that follows the minors thinks he will be, the Dodgers will regret it. And Morris was one of their better pitching prospects. Should he develop, the sentiment will just be worse.
All in all, Manny makes them contenders in the NL West, but it was a high price to pay and one that didn’t make much sense really. I wonder why the Dodgers didn’t just deal with Pittsburgh directly. It would have been a better trade, with the Pirates perhaps getting something cooler than what they got from Boston.