Day 1 Trade Blitz Continues

The afternoon of Winter Meetings' Day 1 has seen another flurry of trade activity.   The Started from the Bottom (gotta find a short version of that) hit pay dirt again in a big trade with the Jayhawks, and Huntington moved more pitching in a deal with the Sewer Gators.

Indianapolis gets C Pablo Rosado, CF/2B Matt Buddie and 1B Bruce Klingenbeck from Kansas City for IF prospect Miguel Ramirez.  Intriguing trade...you don't often see a team that is so clearly rebuilding move a #2 draft pick (Ramirez was #2 in the Season 27 draft).  But the Started (that's NOT a great shortener) picked up a good-hitting (if not power-packed), above-average defense C who's only 27, a solid CF/2B defender who's been a .760 OPS hitter in the minors, and a 3rd piece who at least has an outside shot at a ML role (guessing just based on Klingenbeck being last year's #55 pick...my scouting is worthless). And there's possibly the perception that it was time to sell high on Ramirez...that he hasn't lived up to his draft-day hype.  From KC's perspective the payroll's getting up there, roster's getting a little older, they add a number 2 pick without giving up anything that would play a big role for them, and oh yeah...there's that glaring vacancy at 3B.  Seems like a near-perfect trade.

Huntington must have a lot of confidence in its pitching staff or its ability to find/develop pitchers...it traded enigmatic closer Enerio Tatis to the NY Sewer Gators for promising IF 
Hanley Chase.  Another really interesting deal.  Tatis is a fascinating study in the inconsistency that seems so prevalent in 1-inning specialists.  Tatis won the FOY in Season 24, closing out 33 of 37 save ops and posting a 3.29 ERA.  He was even better the next year, going 33-of-37 again with an eye-popping .460 OPS-against and 0.77 Whip.  Then, inexplicably, he became human Comp B for 2 years with ERA's of 6.06 and 5.75.  Only to turn around in Season 28 and become truly unhittable - .409 OPS-against, 0.68 Whip, 0.73 ERA.  Meanwhile. the Gators have assembled one of the league's best defenses with Mendoza at SS (GG last year), Alvarez at 3B, James in CF (GG Sea 28), and Loretta at 2B (GG last year).  That's a lot of gold flashing, so Chase was available.  Originally drafted by the Fire Blitz (Seas 24 #39) and traded to NY last year, he'll never win any on-base contests, but he has rare power for a an IF, is a ++ defender at 3 positions (2B, CF, 3B) and can hold his own at SS.  Good deal for both teams.