Category Archives: Trades

July 27, 2021

Odd Trade

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The Mariners and Astros make a trade, and at least one Mariners fan is not too happy. Seattle, now in contention for a wild card slot, traded away their closer, Kendall Graveman to the division leader:

What’s the idea here? I mean, I get it, at some level: the M’s are selling high from a position of depth – that’s just what I talked about in yesterday’s post on Jerry’s trade history. I think this cannot be the final deal before the deadline, as, on its own, this simply hurts the team. I know they were never going to mortgage the future to improve 2021, but I also don’t think it’ll fly with either the fanbase or the clubhouse to start stripping 2021 for parts in the middle of a wild card run. I can imagine there are some frustrated players pulling on M’s jerseys tonight.

USSMariner.com

The Mariners in return get a third base prospect in Abraham Toro and old relief pitcher Joe Smith. Maybe they have another deal to flip one of that pair to another team. I do find it odd for a team to make another club they are chasing better.

July 26, 2021

Pirates Process

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One reason the Pirates traded Adam Frazier to the Padres was their knowledge of San Diego’s minor league system due to the Joe Musgrove deal. Ben Cherington shows his knowledge of Tucupita Marcano abilities, for example:

“He’s a skilled player, always been really young for his levels,” Cherington said. “He’s young this year for Triple-A, and he’s performed really well despite being a young player everywhere he’s been. He’s got a good feel to hit, a good decision-maker in the box, controls the strike zone, has always had a good ability to make contact, line-drive approach. He’s grown into a little bit more power this year.

“He’s a versatile defender. We see him with the ability to play shortstop, second, probably move around the entire infield and outfield, if needed. So that versatility is appealing. And then all the work we’ve done on him suggests that the character and work ethic and the aptitude is strong, also, so we feel good about that along with the other two guys that we’re getting.”

Post-Gazette.com

On top of that, the article implies that this was the best deal the Pirates could make. There were similar offers, but the experience scouting SD players won out.

July 25, 2021

Down South Goes Frazier

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ESPN reports that the San Diego Padres will acquire Adam Frazier from the Pirates:

In exchange, the Pirates are acquiring right-hander Michell Miliano, shortstop Tucupita Marcano and outfielder Jack Suwinski, a source told ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel.

Frazier entered Sunday hitting .327 — the second-best average in Major League Baseball — with four home runs and 32 RBIs.

ESPN.com

Miliano relieves and strikes out 17.7 batters per nine innings at two levels of A ball this season. His seasonal age is 21. Marcano has not done much in 50 PA at the MLB level. In the minors his slash line stands at .278/.359/.361, so he profiles as a lead-off hitter, or maybe a number nine hitter with the pitcher batting eighth. Suwinski plays 2021 as a twenty two year old, and owns a .269/.398/.551 line at AA, although his career minor league numbers are not that impressive. If Suwinski’s improvement in 2021 turns out to be real, this looks like a good deal for both teams. It’s a great deal for the Padres as they try to make the playoffs and go deep once they reach them.

July 23, 2021

Rays Trade Again

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The Rays send Rich Hill to the Mets:

Hill pitched well for the Rays, trading walks for fewer hits and striking out a decent number of batters. Those number should work better when he doesn’t need to face the DH. Hunter is an old reliever who hasn’t pitched much in he majors since 2018. Dyer is just 22, but has old man skills as most of his offense comes from walks and extra-base hits.

July 22, 2021

Cruz to the Rays

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The Rays acquire Nelson Cruz from the Twins for two minor league pitchers:

The Twins received minor league pitchers Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman in exchange for Cruz and minor league pitcher Calvin Faucher.

ESPN.com

Cruz owns a career .272/.345/.536 slash line at Tropicana Field. Those are very close to his overall career averages. Rays designated hitters own a .219/.305/.389 slash line, so Cruz should be a huge improvement. Faucher looks like someone the Rays won’t be using soon.

On the Twins side, Ryan is hardly a prospect at seasonal age 25, but he owns a very high K rate and a low walk rate. He should be able to make the MLB team soon. Strotman is 24 with control problems, but a good minor league ERA nonetheless. He’s allowed just six home runs in 179 minor league innings.

It’s a good short-term trade for the Rays. Their probability of making the playoffs went up today.

July 15, 2021

Pederson to the Braves

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The Cubs start moving players as they send Joc Pederson to the Braves for Bryce Ball:

Bryce Ball just turned 23 was the Braves’ 24th-round choice in the 2019 Draft out of Dallas Baptist University — the same school that the Cubs selected reliever Burl Carraway from last year, and the same school attended by Ben Zobrist. Ball hit pretty well in 2019 split between the Braves rookie league affiliate and Low-A: .329/.395/.628 with 17 home runs. But he’s struggled this year at Advanced-A, though with a good OBP: .207/.354/.396 (35-for-169) with six home runs.

BleedCubbieBlue.com

Pederson’s strength was his power, as his career BA and OBP are low. His isolated power this season is good, as 24 of his 59 hits went for extra bases. With Acuna out due to his leg injury, Pederson will make up for some of that lost power.

June 29, 2021

Birds for Fish

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The Blue Jays and the Marlins made a trade Tuesday:

The Blue Jays get a good bullpen arm and some outfield depth, even though Dickerson is on the illjured list right now. The Marlins get a good arm in McInvale who needs to work on his control, but they also get an infielder that allows them to keep younger prospects in the minors working on their game:

The Marlins see Panik as a way to help the development of some of the young infielders they have in their system. Guys like Lewin Diaz and José Devers have been called up because of a flurry of injuries, despite not necessarily being MLB ready. General Manager Kim Ng said picking up Panik will allow the Marlins to keep guys working on their development in the minor leagues.

“When we bring guys up we want it to be when they’re ready,” Ng said.

FishStripes.com

It’s a minor deal as trading season gets underway, but one that probably helps both teams, the Blue Jays now and the Marlins in the future.

May 21, 2021

Time for a New Shortstop

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The Rays and Brewers made a trade on Friday:

In a rare May swap of significance, the Rays have traded shortstop Willy Adames and righty Trevor Richards to the Brewers in exchange for right-handed relievers J.P. Feyereisen and Drew Rasmussen. Both clubs have announced the move.

The immediate speculation in the aftermath of the news naturally surrounded Wander Franco, the sport’s top overall prospect and current shortstop for the Rays’ Triple-A affiliate. The trade of Adames clearly opens a spot for Franco in the long term, but Rays general manager Erik Neander announced to reporters that it’ll be top shortstop prospect Taylor Walls who gets the call to replace Adames for now (Twitter link via Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times).

Yardbarker.com

The Rays get two relief pitchers with high strikeout rates and control problems, but when the K rate is that high, there are not many hits to score the runners.

Walls is seasonal age 24 and gets on base. He owns a career .369 OBP in the minors, with a .468 mark at AAA this season. Looks similar, but is only 20 years old. He’s hitting .283/.333/.533 at AAA this season. It’s never a problem to employee too many shortstops, especially ones that can hit.

Milwaukee shortstops came into the day hitting .176/.287/.296, so Adames should improve that line greatly. It’s a good trade for both teams, as the Rays clear space for better players, and the Brewers improve a weak position.

February 11, 2021

Benintendi Traded

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The Red Sox finished their outfield purge as they trade Andrew Benintendi to the Royals in a deal that also involved the Mets:

The Red Sox traded Benintendi along with an unspecified amount of cash to the Royals for outfielder Franchy Cordero and two players to be named later. Boston also received minor league right-handed pitcher Josh Winckowski and a player to be named later from the Mets. The Mets received outfield prospect Khalil Lee from the Royals.

ESPN.com

Benintendi saw a drop in his performance in 2019, and was terrible in a handful of plate appearances in 2020. Benintendi changed his swing in 2019, which can be seen in his adoption of a steeper launch angle. That led to him hitting the ball hard, but also striking out more. The trade-off was not in his favor.

Both Cordero and Benintendi play 2021 at seasonal age 26, so they are both in their early primes. Cordero played eight seasons in the minors, with rather unremarkable stats. His .236/.304/.433 slash line in .315 major league PA seems about right to me. If you’re 26 and not a star, there’s not much chance of you becoming a star.

Winckowski could be a usable pitcher, but he’s pitched at low levels for his age. Unless the players to be named later are really good, the Red Sox don’t appear to have gotten much for a prime player with star potential. If the injuries heal and the Royals fix Benintendi’s swing, this could be the steal of the decade.

February 6, 2021

Elvis for Davis

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Athletics Nation does a nice job of covering the trade of Khris Davis to the Rangers for shortstop Elvis Andrus:

As for roster fit, this is an obvious match for each team. Oakland desperately needed a shortstop for their contending team and now they have an established veteran. They also had a logjam of both right-handed bats and outfielders/DHs, leaving little room for Davis to get playing time and break his long-term slump. The Rangers were flush with too many infielders, but could use a big righty bat to help with a DH spot that posted the lowest bWAR in the majors last year.

AthleticsNation.com

The roster fit seems to be the biggest reason for the deal. Each player fills a hole, but each will need to improve on offense to really help each team win.

February 2, 2021

Arenado Deal Done

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The Rockies get five players from the Cardinals for Nolan Arenado. The Cardinals get cash to offset Arenado’s salary, but how much is not clear. Arenado gets an extra year on his contract, and his opt out for 2021 is removed, replaced by two opt outs after 2022 and 2023.

St. Louis dealt left-hander Austin Gomber and four minor leaguers to the Rockies: infielders Elehuris Montero and Mateo Gil along with right-handers Tony Locey and Jake Sommers.

ESPN.com

The Rockies do get a major league player in Austin Gomber, who pitched very well in his minor league career, but has not been able to translate his outstanding control at that level to the majors. Three of the four players acquired are very young, so we won’t know for a few years if the Rockies got anything useful from this trade.

January 30, 2021

More on Arenado

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The deal in the works between the Cardinals and the Rockies in which St. Louis acquires Nolan Arenado seems to be tilted very much in favor of the Cardinals. Part of the deal moves $50 million to St. Louis. Since Arenado can opt out after one season, who gets to keep the excess salary if he Arenado exercises that option? In addition:

That’s the other great part of the trade, as if there needed to be another great part. It did not seem to do much to dent the Cardinals now, or in the future, at least as best as we can tell today. The Rockies’ priority to dump cash seems to have freed the Cardinals from including any of their most prized prospects in the deal. Another way to look at it? The trade is being skewered in Colorado, because the Rockies paid, potentially up to $50 million, to send a star player away in a deal that did not net any of the Cardinals’ top prospects.

StLToday.com

I believe this brings up the potential downside of the deal for the Cardinals. Maybe the Rockies don’t believe Arenado will bounce back from his 2020 season. If they keep him and his bat doesn’t bounce back, then Arenado doesn’t exercise his opt-out and the Rockies are on the hook for $180 million.

Trades tend not to occur if teams believe they are not getting equal value. According to Statcast, in 2020, Arendo did not hit the ball as hard or barrel the ball up as often as in the past. So his poor batting line wasn’t just hitting line drives at an infielder. The Rockies see a real risk here that would cost them a lot of money and make more difficult to build a team over the next half decade.

I’m reminded of Eric Chavez. Chavez played for the Oakland Athletics at the turn of the century, came up young, and was an outstanding offensive and defensive third baseman. In a five-year span from 2000 to 2004, he posted 23.5 rWAR. Going into his age 27 season, the Athletics signed him to a six-year deal. His WAR and playing time declined until the last two season he posted negative WARs. The small market A’s were stuck with a big contract (for them).

No one thought the Chavez contract was a poor deal. He was at the top of his prime, one of the top players in the game, and a fan favorite. The contract just didn’t work out. The Rockies have a player who is already past his prime, and shows signs of slowing down. The actual details, and Arenado’s play over the next couple of seasons will tell us if the Rockies were correct or not.

January 29, 2021

Arenado to the Cardinals

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It appears the Rockies traded Nolan Arenado to the Cardinals, along with a good chunk of cash, for multiple players:

Arenado, 29, is scheduled to make $35 million in 2021 as part of a $260 million, eight-year contract he signed with the Rockies in 2019. The deal includes an opt-out clause after the ’21 season.

A five-time All-Star, Arenado struggled at the plate during the abbreviated 2020 season, hitting .253 with eight homers before missing the final nine games with a left shoulder bone bruise. He also earned an eighth straight Gold Glove.

ESPN.com

The Cardinals third basemen hit .216/.348/.353 in 2020, so Arenado should improve on that. We’ll have to wait and see what the Rockies got in return.

January 28, 2021

Trading Matz

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The Mets trade left-handed pitcher Steven Matz to the Blue Jays for three pitching prospects:

In the deal, the Mets acquired right-handed pitchers Sean Reid-Foley, Yennsy Diaz and Josh Winckowski. Diaz was the highest-ranked prospect of the group, rated 26th in Toronto’s farm system according to MLB Pipeline. The move comes as the Mets are looking to replenish their farm system — which has become depleted, particularly at the higher levels.

NYPost.com

It is possible the Mets are trying to make room for signing Trevor Bauer.

As for the Blue Jays, Matz is a great rebound candidate. He posted a 9.68 ERA in 30 innings during the 2020 season, mostly due to allowing 14 home runs. It’s a freaky small sample size outlier. FanGraphs has Matz’s FIP at 7.76, and his xFIP at 4.15, indicating there might have been a great deal of bad luck involved. His strikeout and walk rates remained very good. He threw more change ups and fewer sliders in 2020 than usual for him, and he might not have had a good feel for either pitch. Hitters barreled up his pitches well last season.

January 24, 2021

Taillon Trade

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The Pirates and Yankees make a deal that sends pitcher James Taillon to New York for four players:

The deal is pending physicals and the Yankees will send four prospects to the rebuilding Pirates: RHP Miguel Yajure, RHP Roansy Contreras, 18-year-old infielder Maikel Escotto and 21-year-old OF Canaan Smith.

NYPost.com

Taillon last pitched in May 2019. He underwent a second Tommy John surgery after that. The Yankees are handing 40% of their rotation to starters recovering from major set backs. Taillon lives on control and keeping the baseball in the park, something that might be more difficult pitching half his games at Yankee Stadium. On the other hand, if you like a bit more contact in the game, Taillon might provide that.

As for the return to the Pirates, Yajure had a cup of coffee with the Yankees last season at age 22. In the minors he owns a low ERA thanks to low walk and home run rates, but for some reason gave up a ton of unearned runs. Contreras is two years younger. Smith does a great job of getting on base without much pop.

Baseball Reference has the young infielder with the spelling Maikol Escotto. As a 17-year-old in rookie league in 2019 he slashed .315/.429/.552 in 218 PA. Not much to go on, but it was good.

Once again, the Pirates are stockpiling talent, and in three or four years might look like a very good team.

January 18, 2021

Musgrove Goes Home

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The Padres acquired native son Joe Musgrove from the Pirates in a three-team deal:

The team acquired the Grossmont High alumnus on Monday in a three-team trade that resulted in Joey Lucchesi going to the Mets and four other players heading to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Padres sent relief pitcher David Bednar, outfielder Hudson Head (their No.7 overall prospect), left-hander pitcher Omar Cruz (No.17) and right-handed pitcher Drake Fellows, who was a sixth-round pick in 2019, to Pittsburgh.

SanDiegoUnionTribune.com

I’m not sure how the Mets figure into this, assuming they traded someone to the Pirates for Lucchesi.

Musgrove likely owns ERA upside, as his career FIP is much lower than his ERA. In 2020, he posted a 3.86 ERA with a 3.42 FIP and a .319 xFIP. The Pirates continue to stock up on young talent. They are obviously aiming three or four years down the road.

January 7, 2021

Lindor Shuffled

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The Indians and Mets completed a six player deal that sends Cleveland stars Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco to the Mets for four players:

The cash-strapped Indians sent Lindor and Carrasco to the Mets for infielders Andres Gimenez and Amed Rosario, right-hander Josh Wolf and outfielder Isaiah Greene — a move Cleveland hopes will keep it competitive and capable of ending baseball’s longest World Series title drought.

ESPN.com

The Mets pick up a projected eight WAR in the deal (according to FanGraphs) and one of the best slugging shortstops in the game.

Gimenez hit well for a 21-year-old rookie in 2020 and posted a .356 OBP in the minors. He could be a very good long-term solution at shortstop for the Indians. Rosario is a poor hitter but he gives Cleveland a major league glove at short if Gimenez needs more time to develop. Wolf is just 20 years old and has a scant stat line due to the loss of the 2020 MiLB season, and Greene was the Mets second round draft choice in 2020. Gimenez, Wolf, and Greene could form a solid core for Cleveland in 2024.

The Mets have a lot of nice pieces in place right now, which should make it an exciting year in the NL East. They will look to sign Lindor long-term. I suspect it will take at least $35 million a year.

December 29, 2020

Got To Get Yu Into My Life

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The Padres finished a frantic day of transactions with the acquisition of pitcher Yu Darvish from the Cubs. FanGraphs nails the headline:

Padres Give Up Prospects for Yu Darvish While Cubs Give Up

FanGraphs.com

The Padres also get a backup catcher in Victor Caratini. The Cubs get Zach Davies so they can still have a rotation, and four very young prospects for the next rebuild. The Padres are finally spending the money to win:

The Darvish trade also takes San Diego, which has historically spent at a lower level than the rest of the league, to a new tier financially. With Snell and the $11.1 million owed to him in 2021 added to the roster, the Padres were looking at a payroll of roughly $141 million. Tacking on Darvish and his $22 million salary for next season would spike that to around $163 million. That figure will come down some with Davies’ salary — MLB Trade Rumors projects him to make somewhere between $6–11 million in ’21, his third arbitration year — heading to Chicago (and the Cubs eating a portion of what’s left on Darvish’s deal), though that subtraction will probably be canceled out by San Diego’s other big move of the day, signing KBO infielder Ha-seong Kim to as-of-yet-undisclosed financial terms.

This is what teams should do. Build to get close to winning, then sign free agents and trade young talent to win now. Nice to see the Padres executing on the plan.

As for the Cubs, we now know why Theo Epstein left a year early. He didn’t want to be part of the next rebuild. I suspect if the Cubs wanted to make one more run with their core group, he would have stayed for that. Now, the new regime gets to start building the next championship club a year early.

December 28, 2020

Snell Game

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The Rays go into full rebuilding mode as they reach an agreement to trade Blake Snell to the Padres for four prospects:

Luis Patino appears to be the star of the deal. He’ll play 2021 as a 21 year old, and got a cup of coffee with the Padres in 2020. He strikes out a ton of batters but has yet to show good control anywhere north of rookie ball. He still has plenty of time to develop.

Blake Hunt replace Snell at first name. A year older than Patino, the Rays hope he can help at catcher down the road. So far in the low minors he did a decent job of getting on base. Given that Baseball Reference also lists him as a first baseman and DH, I wonder if he is that good a defensive catcher.

Cole Wilcox was the third round pick of the Padres this year, and has not played professionally yet. LIke Patino, he’ll play 2021 as a 21 year old. In college he demonstrated a high K rate and a high BB rate.

Francisco Mejia is a light hitting catcher who I assume provides the Rays with some depth at the position.

This is by no means a blockbuster. The Rays get no one they can use right now. While Snell didn’t repeat his outstanding 2018 season, his $10 million a year contract for three more years was perfectly reasonable given his performance. If this is a salary dump, the Rays must be financially in a lot of trouble. Instead of building on success, the Rays take a step backward.

The Padres get better as they try to unseat the Dodgers in the west. They now own four starters capable of sub 3.00 ERAs, and a power lineup to back them up.

December 24, 2020

Christmas Bell

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The Nationals acquired Pirates first baseman Josh Bell for two pitchers, Wil Crowe and Eddy Yean:

“We are thrilled to be adding a player of Josh Bell’s caliber to our team,” Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said in a statement. “He adds a switch-hitting power bat to our lineup. And we know Josh will be an outstanding addition to our clubhouse and our community.”

ESPN.com

I believe there is some question as to whether the term “power bat” really applies to Bell. His first three seasons in the majors, 2016-2018, he produced a good batting average and an excellent OBP, with a .260/.348/.436 slash line. He did not strike out much, which helped with the batting average, but did not help with the power. His home numbers blossomed in 2019 without a big rise in his K rate. In 2020 his strikeout rate went way up, his walk rate went down, and all his extra-base hit number plummeted. It’s almost as if in 2020 he was trying to hit home runs, and wound up striking out. His plate discipline numbers show him swinging less, but making much less contact on those swings.

The Nationals hope this is just a small sample size aberration, or a flaw that the Nationals coaches can fix. I suspect Bell will hit better than 2020 but not quite as good as 2019. He should be a solid player at the position for Washington, even if he just gets back his OBP.

Crowe at this point is too old to be considered a prospect. He posted a low for the era 7.5 K per 9 in the minors, but that didn’t lead to a lot of hits. He should be someone the Pirates can use right away. Yean will play as a 20 year old in 2021, and only has 90 professional inning under his belt. He did allow just four home runs in those innings, however. It will be a while before we know if this was a good trade for both teams.

December 8, 2020

Lynn to the White Sox

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The deal is not official, but the AP reports a trade between the White Sox and the Rangers, with pitcher Lance Lynn headed to Chicago:

The Rangers and White Sox reminded everyone that MLB’s Winter Meetings are underway by agreeing to a late-night trade Monday. Texas reportedly will ship right-hander Lance Lynn to the White Sox in exchange for pitchers Dane Dunning and Avery Weems.

SportingNews.com

Lynn gives the White Sox a solid third starter behind Lucas Giolito and Dallas Keuchel, although two and three are getting up there in age. Dunning and Weems will be around for awhile, and if just one of them develops into a dependable starter for a few years the trade will be worth it for the Rangers. Texas has the chance of finding themselves with two very good starters here, as both posted good three-true outcomes in the minors.

December 8, 2020

Bullpen Rebuild

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The Angels continue their bullpen rebuild by taking advantage of the Reds wanting to save money. Cincinnati sends closer Raisel Iglesias to the Angels for reliever Noe Ramirez. Ramirez is a back of the bullpen reliever with a high strikeout rate, but is prone to give up walks and home runs. Iglesias makes a good deal of money:

Iglesias will make $9,125,000 next season in the final year of his contract. The trade allows the Reds to save money while putting a cornerstone in the Angels’ bullpen, which is being rebuilt by rookie general manager Perry Minasian this offseason.

APNews.com

I can see where the Angels might be taking a page out of the Rays bullpen playbook. The Rays tend to remake their bullpen quite often, never really going long term on a reliever. All stats for relievers tend to be small sample sizes, so trying to stay away from long term contracts with these players is a good idea.

It could also be rather than fixing the starting pitching, the Angels will just shorten the time their starters stay in the game and depend more on the bullpen.

December 2, 2020

Iglesias to the Angels

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With Andrelton Simmons departing via free agency, the Angels take a one-year flier on Baltimore’s Jose Iglesias:

The Angels sent right-handers Jean Pinto, who turns 20 in January, and Garrett Stallings, the club’s fifth-round draft pick in 2019 out of Tennessee, to Baltimore in the deal.

HalosHeaven.com

Maybe Jean Pinto will break out of the string of poor major league performances by Pintos in MLB history.

Iglesias hit .373 in 2020, but did not qualify for the batting title. While no doubt that offense was a small sample size outlier, Iglesias is a perfectly good hitter for a soild defender at short. He’s not Simmons at his best, but Simmons last saw his best in 2018. Simmons is a good player at a very reasonable cost, and should give the Angels the monetary room to bring in other good players to complement Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon.

Note that due to the lack of a minor league season in 2020, Pinto and Stallings have little or no professional track record.

December 2, 2020 November 23, 2020

The Return on Lindor

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Daniel Hahn looks at potential trade partners for the Indians as Cleveland works on trading Francisco Lindor before he becomes a free agent at the end of the 2021 season. I don’t fully agree with this paragraph:

The challenge in any Francisco Lindor trade is that the return will not equal what Lindor presently brings to the Cleveland Indians. Chris Antonetti will be looking to cut costs, but since Lindor is probably a 1-year rental, don’t expect the significant hauls we’ve heard rumored this time last off-season. For the Indians to make a successful trade, any top prospect(s) and some multi-year controlled MLB ready assets will be a win.

AwayBackGone.com

From reading various posts about Lindor over the last few weeks, many teams expressed interest in the second baseman. In that way, the trade from the Indians point of view is really an auction. The highest bidder wins Lindor’s services, and in an auction, the winner pays too much. That is, they are willing to pay a price no one else will match. With that in mind, I suspect the long-term value of the trade will be very close to even for the Indians.

August 31, 2020

Let’s Make A Deal

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A number of big deals went down Monday afternoon. The one involving the most players involved the Cleveland Indians, who sent disgraced pitcher Mike Clevinger to the Padres for three MLB players and three minor league prospects.

Cleveland receives right-hander Cal Quantrill, outfielder Josh Naylor and catcher Austin Hedges, along with three minor league prospects — shortstop Gabriel Arias, left-hander Joey Cantillo and shortstop Owen Miller.

The Padres also will receive outfielder Greg Allen and a player to be named later.

ESPN.com

Both these teams hold long World Series droughts. The Padres get a potential ace, while the Indians get depth and build for the future. It’s rare that a team can improve itself for the stretch drive and trade for the future at the same time.

The Diamondbacks decided to rebuild. They traded Robbie Ray to the Blue Jays, Starling Marte to the Marlins, Andrew Chafin to the Cubs, and Archie Bradley to the Reds. Arizona did not seem to get a great return, so the rebuild may come in the winter and next spring when they decide how to spend the money they saved.

Here’s a nice discussion of the deals from ESPN.

August 30, 2020

Trades Happening

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Two clubs with championship hopes increased their hitting depth. The Padres acquired Mitch Moreland from the Red Sox:

In exchange, the Red Sox acquired a pair of prospects from San Diego, outfielder Jeisson Rosario and infielder Hudson Potts.

Moreland adds even more power to an already explosive San Diego lineup.

ESPN.com

Moreland gives the Padres a solid designated hitter who can spell Hosmer at first base and various outfielders. Rosario is just seasonal age 20 and posted a .372 OBP at A+ ball last season. Potts is a year older, played well at the A level, but not so much at AA. He could be a useful utility infielder.

The Cubs also went for a hitter, getting Jose Martinez from the Rays for two players to be determined:

The Cubs get a right-handed hitter who mashes lefties in Martinez, while the Rays now may get to give more at-bats to outfielder Randy Arozarena, whom they acquired with Martinez in a trade this offseason.

ESPN.com

Given Arozarena’s outstanding minor league history, it’s amazing he hasn’t had more time in the majors yet. He’s seasonal age 25, right at the start of his prime. Martinez was not hitting that well for them, they think they have someone younger and better, and also may get a couple of prospects. Tampa Bay, no matter the current status of the team, always thinks about what comes next.

August 29, 2020

Padres Get Another Trevor

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ESPN reports the Padres acquired closer Trevor Rosenthal from the Royals:

The Royals are getting outfield prospect Edward Olivares and a player to be named later if the deal, which is pending medicals, is completed as expected, sources told ESPN.

ESPN.com

Rosenthal pitched poorly in 2019 after recovering from Tommy John surgery. In fourteen appearances this season he struck out 13.8 batters per nine IP, but was a bit wild with seven walks in 13 2/3 innings. He did save seven games. The fill ins for the injured Drew Pomeranz have not done the job.

The Padres have never won a World Series, and this short season may be their best opportunity. Good to see them make a move that could help in that regard.

Olivares is a solid minor league player, but not a star. I suspect the unknown player is the bigger prize.

August 27, 2020

Walker to the Jays

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The Mariners traded Taijuan Walker to the Blue Jays for a player to be determined later. There’s an interesting twist to the unknown player:

The reason for the “player to be named later” in the trade is that the prospect the Mariners are acquiring isn’t part of Toronto’s current 60-man player pool that is participating in workouts this season. It’s likely a lower level minor leaguer with high upside that was not invited to the player pool.

Given the guidelines set in place for this unique 2020 season, any trade for named players must be players within a team’s player pool. Teams can circumvent that stipulation by trading for a player to be named later and finalizing it after the season. That player to be named later must be announced within six months of the trade.

SeattleTimes.com

After a good 2017 season, Walker made just nine starts since the beginning of 2018, five of those this season. He needed Tommy John surgery in 2018, and missed almost all of that season and 2019 recovering. The Mariners signed him for $2 million this year as a free agent. Now that he showed he’s healthy, were Seattle flipped him for a prospect. Toronto currently holds the final playoff slot in the AL, the Mariners are four games behind them. This trade makes me think the Mariners see themselves as out of the race, even after winning four in a row. Maybe they have another deal up their sleeve.

February 10, 2020

Grading the Trade

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Craig Edwards analyzes the Dodgers/Red Sox/Twins deal. Edwards’s opinion, and others I’m seeing this morning seem to indicate that the Red Sox and Twin both made out better in the revised deal, which shows how much the Dodgers wanted Mookie Betts on the team. It’s now World Series title or bust for Los Angeles.

The Dodgers now hold a surplus of outfielders, as they could not complete the trade to the Angels of Joc Pederson. I find that odd, as Pederson is a nice improvement to the Angels. There’s still plenty of time before the season starts, so I expect Pederson to play somewhere else.