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The date of July 31st for baseball fans is either one that holds many pleasant memories of hope and optimism for you or horror stories you save to tell around a campfire. Either way it’s an exciting time, one that often can cause grown men to consider taking off work to see the up to the minute trades and rumors. But personally I feel like it’s similar to going to a place like Disney World, you know it’s going to be entertaining but unless you really go for the gusto of experiencing all that you can, it can feel like a letdown. The 2006 deadline is pretty similar to that, we saw a lot of what we expected, but we didn’t get the ‘wow factor.’ Maybe some moves were a bit surprising as to why a team would want that player or even need him, but all the majors trades were expected in terms of a player moving (somewhere). Where was the Orioles oft-rumored blockbuster with Tejada or the team that came out of nowhere to snag Soriano in a career year? We just didn't see the surprises I had hoped.
Were there too many teams in the hunt at the deadline that they didn’t want to risk a significant prospect to blossom elsewhere for a veteran that may or may not help their playoff chances? Or vice versa. It could be, or perhaps given the limited market for pitchers and other quantities, general mangers were holding out for an unreasonable amount. I think given this subpar effort we’ll see more waiver wire deals, but only time will tell. The only thing that is a given was that there were a lot of deals this year, too bad they weren't all that exciting. But Fishercat, Kingdom, and I will talk about those deals anyways. Because we can. -missionhockey21, up to the last small bit
Yankees acquired outfielder Bobby Abreu and pitcher Cory Lidle from the Philadelphia Phillies for shortstop C.J. Henry, pitchers Matt Smith and Carlos Monasterios and catcher Jesus Sanchez.
Missionhockey21: Perhaps in one of the few surprise deals, the Yankees acquired outfielder Bobby Abreu and starting pitcher Cory Lidle for practically nothing from the Phillies. Making good use of Mr. S’s pool of cash (yes, he does have a diving board, ala Uncle Scrooge), the Phillies dumped about 22.5 million dollars (assuming the Yankees buyout Abreu’s 2008 option.) Many are quick to point out Abreu’s decreased homerun power since the 2005 Homerun Derby (14 since then), but power or not, he’s an impact player still. Is he worth his 15 million dollary salary? Of course not, but he still provides a valuable service, his .425 on-base percentage (good for 4th best in the AL) and his MLB leading 4.50 pitches seen per plate appearance. He’s an effective threat on the bases (20 for 24) and provides a defensive upgrade over the likes of Bernie Williams and others. If Sheffield does return this season for the Yankees, it will likely be shortlived now that his replacement is lined up and he’s a soon to be free agent.
Cory Lidle is what he is, a marginal pitcher in the NL who is likely to see his ERA over 5.00 in the AL. +1.35 WHIP and +4.50 ERA has been the story of Lidle the past four seasons. He’ll provide a decent amount of innings and is an upgrade over Sidney Ponson or Aaron Small and whatever else the Yankees have been running at the backend of the rotation. This helps to shore up the Yankees for the playoffs on both ends and at a little cost (talent wise people, calm down.)
As for the Phillies side, they admittedly got quite a bit less than one might expect, but then again they aided the Yankees in their cause to have a payroll similar to a NASA program. About the only brightside to this deal (other than the payroll decreasing) is prospect CJ Henry, who is overrated given his lack of production, and raw from my standpoint. But he’s a promising athlete and could have a plus bat down the road. That is very unsure at this point however, but it is some ray of hope. Matt Smith will be a cheap, somewhat effective lefty arm for the pen for the next few seasons. The other two prospects I really do not know much about other than the Yankees signed them outside of the Amateur Draft. This is very much a deal that reverts back to money quite quickly as that is what the soul of this trade really is.
End result: Have Cash, Need Perennial All-Star.- Winner Yankees
Kingdom: In some cultures, acquiring Jesus would be enough to offset the loss of Bobby Abreu. But let's face it, Jesus doesn't have a career .425 OBP. Which may not mean much to a casual fan, one in which hopes Abreu hits 40 homeruns and becomes the next great yankee. Well, maybe not. Abreu doesn't have to hit another homerun this year in order for this trade to still really suck for the fightin-less Phills. Maybe it's just that Bobby Abreu is that much under appreciated. Take 2004 for example, he hit 30 homeruns and stole 40 bases. His OPS was .971 and he walked 127 times. Who wouldn't want that on their team? Sounds like he is worth his lucrative contract to me. He's also proven to be durable, having played at least 150 games each of his full seasons throughout his career. But what Abreu doesn't do is pitch. Sure Lidle got off to a solid start, but is he the answer to a world series title? No. As proven in the past, New York can come armed with the best offense in baseball and still lose.
Now on the flip side of things, Henry has barely played much minor league ball for any of us to actually judge the kid. But it is likely he won't see playing time for a long.. long time. It'll be tough to live up to expectations after being dealt for a 5 tool veteran.
End result: The City of Philadelphia suffers yet again, but New York's pitching still sucks.
Fishercat: The Bobby Abreu trade demonstrated one fact about baseball: money talks. And the trade demonstrated that fact in so many ways.
The most obvious way was that Abreu has an extremely large salary and few teams could afford to take it on. Basically, Bobby turned into a salary dump. The Yankees were a group of a select few teams who could handle and were willing to handle an eight-digit acquisition. The salary also lowered Abreu’s value as a trade piece, allowing the Yankees to get him at a great price, to Cashman’s credit. He traded four players, the only notable one being prospect C.J. Henry. Certainly a small price for a man who hits and runs the way Abreu does.
Still, the monetary factor gets larger when two of the prospects were international acquisitions. The Yankees acquired both Sanchez and Monasterios on the international free agent market, a market in which both scouting and signing cash play key roles in the process. Those two players were the only other prospects included in the deal, and such a find can be attributed to the vast resource of funds Steinbrenner is willing to spend on his team.
End result: the Phillies took a discounted price in player talent to get financial flexibility, and the Yankees surely got the better end in terms of talent, a talent that was too expensive in terms of money and trade flexibility for most teams to take.
New York Mets acquired pitchers Roberto Hernandez and Oliver Perez from the Pittsburgh Pirates for outfielder Xavier Nady.
Missionhockey21: Ah, there we go. Now while not a shocker, it was a quite curious deal. Due to the injury of Duaner Sanchez (taxi cab drivers really aren’t helping to restore a brighter image for themselves), the Mets had to rush to find an arm to fill the void left in their bullpen come the 8th inning. Roberto Hernandez I was surprised to hear was still playing. At 41 years young, though he still possesses surprisingly still strong velocity, Hernandez is still working. He is walking a few too many (24 in 43.0 IP), but he hasn’t become too hittable and is still posting a strong strikeout rate (considering his age and all.) He had similar success in New York last season (albeit a bit more dominating) and perhaps a move to a team in the hunt to make the playoffs will get whatever is left in that tank out.
Oliver Perez is surely a nice add-in, and a worthwhile one considering the price the Mets paid. Perez will soon be 25 and he’s posted one of the most dominating seasons in recent memory with his 2004 campaign, the problem is that he’s been utter trash since then. His control has gone to hell and whenever I’ve seen him pitch, he seems to be lost on the mound. Perhaps the right teacher will fix him, I am not for sure. But as far as gambles go, he’s both a high risk and a high reward. And he’s Latino, which is always a plus with Mets general manager Omar Minaya. The leaving of Nady also opens up the chance for Lastings Milledge to get a shot once again to prove himself this season.
If I was a Pirates fan, I would be thinking “Why?” at this moment. Why would Pirates general manager Dave Littlefield give up on Oliver Perez this soon, especially for a player like Xavier Nady. Nady is a fine player, but a lefty killer for the most part with adequate defense. He’s versatile and has shown the most power of his career with a .483 slugging percentage. But at his best, he’s not worth Oliver Perez at half speed. It just seemed foolish and short-sighted in my eyes. Is it just me or does anyone else think for the long-term that the Pirates would have been better off with Oliver Perez and Craig Wilson? I would hope so. Perez may never pan out again, but unless the Pirates know something that we do not (other than the horrendous stats), they could regret this one badly when they see Nady posting a .775 OPS to .825 OPS while Perez finds his old touch.
End result: The Trade Where The Mets Get Older, Potentially Younger and More Latino. – Winner Mets
Kingdom: Let's work on potential for a moment. Oliver has shown once he can be a dominate force and New York has had lackluster pitching past the old, feeble guys so maybe, maybe one day Oliver becomes the lefty Pedro. And the moment is up. I would try to be light on Oliver, he's a lefty and I like the guy, but, shit I can throw harder than him right now. Where has all that talent gone, Ollie? In light of events, it is sad that the mets lost a player to a car accident. I hate the New York teams, but seeing an important cog to any team get injured like that is, just, kind, of, sad. There, I said it. But face it, Duaner Sanchez was pulling a Tom Gordon. Neither of those pitchers right now are a Tom Gordon. Hernandez is capable of holding his own here and there, for half a season. He did have a good year for the mets last season and when he was dealt this season, he had a mid 3's era. While he may be 41(I say may cause he could really be 48), he's proven his career is still functioning. On the other side of the equation, many will say dealing Nady was a mistake. The only mistake about it was his versatility (plays infield and outfield). Past that, they can replace his offense. Endy Chavez, for example, is hitting a .293 with a decent OBP. They also have Victor Diaz and Lastings Milledge in the wings. Now, for me, I'm wondering if Nady should have just been in the Giles deal originally and Nady moving a couple of times would have been avoided. It's so much easier that way! I give some props to Pitt for getting a young-ish bat to replace Craig Wilson and Sean Casey. Much like NY, the pirates will benefit from his versatility.
End result: New York is gambling on Perez. I have no doubt the talent is still there, he just needs the right tutoring. Who the hell was going to do that in Pittsburgh, the ghost of Mike Fetters? Until old Ollie returns, pirates actually win out on a trade.
Fishercat: The Nady trade was a very interesting move for the Mets, and is a deal that makes sense for both teams.
With the Duaner Sanchez accident, the Mets were left with a hole in their bullpen. While the likes of Darren Oliver and Pedro Feliciano have been pleasant surprises for the Mets, gaining another bullpen arm at the deadline gives a solid bridge from Pedro and Wagner in a Game 1 or Game 5. Roberto Hernandez was that arm. They also gained a wild card in Oliver Perez: a supremely talented SP who has simply been unable to put his skills together into a major league pitcher. The original centerpiece of the Giles-Bay deal has struggled with the Pirates, and the Mets hope to mold him. For a piece that was not needed by the Mets with Floyd, Milledge, and Beltran, they got two solid pieces back for Nady.
Likewise, the trade makes sense for the Pirates. Essentially, they traded an RP that should be long retired by the time they are competitive and an SP who their coaches were unable to help for a nice, young, OF/1B to use for the next ten years (if they keep him).
End result: No complaints from either side, as it is the rare deadline deal that is fair and makes sense for both teams.
St. Louis Cardinals acquired second baseman Ronnie Belliard from the Cleveland Indians for infielder Hector Luna.
Missionhockey21: Not a trade of huge implications, but a fairly even one for both sides. The Cardinals receive a defensive upgrade to both Aaron Miles and Hector Luna with Belliard. Ronnie Belliard may not have the best bat, but it's not so horrible to bat towards the bottom in many lineups (even though it appears the Cardinals will bat him 2nd.) He will be a free agent after this season though. Luna on the other hand is 5 years younger, locked up through 2010 and was actually out-hitting Belliard (overall similar numbers though.) He plays several positions, just not very good at this point(2B, 3B, SS, LF, RF, even some 1B.) It didn’t make sense for the Indians to keep on a player they had no intentions of re-signing and the Cardinals upgrade their defense while keeping their run production similar to with Luna. Since Luna's upside is probably around Belliard's, I like it for both teams as it actually makes sense for both sides.
End result: A Trade Where No Side Gets Fleeced. – Everybody Wins!!!
Kingdom: 2005 was a pretty strong year for Belliard. He did have 17 homeruns and drove in almost 80 runs, which is strong power production for a 2B. Luna on the other hand, not very much power from this guy, at least he's never shown it, but he has a better OBP and OPS than Belliard. Ok, honestly, Belliard does nothing for me. Sure, he's capable of some power and steady defense, but, he doesn't walk much and he really doesn't have good power to make up for the fact he's pretty average as a hitter. Plus there's the whole "I think I'm Manny" with his dress code and cockiness. When you become a feared hitter, then you have the right to be cocky like that. But, this is all because St. Louis could not keep Mark Grudzielanek (hey, how's taking more money working out for ya Grudz?). Granted, Grudz was never much on the offensive side of things. He never had to be in the cardinals' lineup, not with who hit behind him. He was still a steady contact hitter. More importantly, he teamed up with David Eckstein to form a tenacious double play combo. In fact, many will say Grudzie was a gold glover in 2005. It's just that Luis Castillo had stronger cred and stuff. And stuff it is.
End result: St. Louis would be just as good with Luna/Miles at 2B, because their problem is not at 2B. This was pointless, no winners.
Fishercat: It was a standard trade on the Luna/Belliard swap for both sides. The team in contention trades for a more experienced and trained second baseman to put on the other side of Eckstein. The team not in contention gets five years younger with a similarly producing player.
End result: Carry on.
Los Angeles Dodgers acquired pitcher Greg Maddux and cash from the Chicago Cubs for infielder Cesar Izturis.
Missionhockey21: Another interesting trade, but made a whole lot less sexy and interesting due to Maddux’s age of 40. Maddux has been what we’ve come to expect old Maddux to be, a hittable, non-dominating, but somewhat effective pitcher. He should benefit from the move to Dodger Stadium and see an increase in run support with the new look Dodgers. He should also be happier closer out to his home on the West Coast and the fact that he is now in a playoff race. Cesar Izturis is an overrated and overpaid player. That doesn’t mean the Cubs could of gotten (nor expected) much more for Maddux, or that Izturis is without his charms. A career .635 OPS hitter, he won’t be expected to do much with the bat, but his defense would be a welcomed addition to almost any club. And at 26, I suppose there’s a chance he could slightly improve on the offensive front with the move to a more hitter friendly ballpark like Wrigley. It was a move to dump Maddux for what they could prior to him being a free agent. And for the Dodgers, I think it makes sense as they get a fairly capable starter to help their rotation and one where a new situation could bring upon improved results. And as much as I like a kid like Chad Billingsley and his future, if the Dodgers make the playoffs, I would feel much better as a fan with Maddux pitching given Billingsley shaky control.
End result: Don’t Go Hollywood On Us Maddux- Fair Trade
Kingdom: By going to the Grand Canyon of a park in LA, the homerun count might drop for Maddux. God knows the hokey winds at Wrigley did the former great no favours. But honestly, you can't expect Maddux to go back to being great. The leadership is there and maybe a good outing here and there, but expecting a Cy Young whirlwind is ludicrious. His best attribute might be pouring cold water on Brad Penny when Penny is suffering from another PMS bout. I blame Alyssa Milano. The cubs, well, cubs' fans should learn to be grateful for Ronny Cedeno's bat because Izturis has never really had one. You get an outstanding defensive player and that is about it. He gets caught stealing half as much the time he successfully steals a base, so that's not going to help his cause. Amazingly, he once had 193 hits in a season, in 670 ABs. Is it possible to have empty hits, like Alex Rodriguez has empty RBI's?
End result: Maddux might help the dodgers in the long run, and Izturis at least keeps Neifi Perez on the bench more. It's kind of a win win for both teams, but not really.
Fishercat: I like the Maddux deal for the Cubbies. Typically, when a pitcher is traded with ERAs ranging from 5.21 to 6.25 in his most recent three months, the team trading him does not get a lot back. However, this was not just any mediocre SP, this was Greg Maddux, one of the greatest starters ever. He has fallen upon difficult times as a starter, but the Cubs were still able to get a decent return for a player of Maddux’s caliber. He’s struggling a bit this year, and even if he wasn’t, he still is not going to hit. But Izturis has a slick glove and he’s not totally useless at the plate, hell, he made the all-star game once (somehow). Still, you don’t typically see 26-year old SS that don’t completely suck get traded for an over-the-hill pitcher, albeit still capable.
End result: At the very least, the Cubs should have a backup for the next couple years, and with the way they’re going in the standings, even a sub par 26 year old is better than Maddux.
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Originally Posted by Kingdom_of_Zito
