Trade Thoughts, Volume 3

Sorry it has been so long.  I've been pretty busy with having to attend various sporting events as Principal of the school.  However, there is nothing going on this weekend so I caught up.




The Montgomery Scotts trade Orlando Tarasco to the Chicago Orphans for Wladimir Mercado and cash


Solid move for both sides.  The rebuilding Orphans clear a lot of money from this year and pick up a solid relief pitching prospect.  The Scotts fortify their rotation adding a solid #2 starting pitcher




The Montgomery Scotts trade Harry Lobaton to the San Francisco Fog for Yamil Cairo


A pretty clear win for the Scotts in abstract terms.  Cairo is a average starting 1^st baseman.  Lobaton is an innings eating relief pitcher.  Lobaton is a little younger, but not enough to matter.




The Philadelphia Erffdoggs trade JJ Lundquist, Corban Pierzynski, Enrique Eovaldi, and cash to the Houston Colt 45’s for Neil McGehee, Dallas Mann, and Glynn Howard.


What a move!!!!!  Philadelphia makes a move both for now and for the next decade.  Mann and Howard are ML ready youth.  Mann is a #2 starter that could become a low end #1 and Howard is a solid setup A guy.  Both will be key parts of the Philly staff for years.  McGehee is an average starting CF, nothing impressive, but useful.  Houston, on the other hand, must have seen themselves as not quite ready yet and turned their ML ready prospects into their equivalent, but 2-3 seasons away.  Lundquist looks like the younger version of Mann and Pierzynski is more of a #3/strong #4 type, but still a nice piece.  Eovaldi is just a bullpen guy. 

I like this deal because the thesis for both sides is obvious.  Philly wants to contend now, but give also give themselves years of running room.  Houston must think they are two seasons away.  This trade should be seen as a lesson for younger players.  All your moves should be pointed to same outcome.




The Oklahoma City Apocalypse trade Quentin McGowan to the Oakland A’s for Dennis Cox

Just OKC helping out Oakland with their roster issues.



The Jacksonville Fake ID’s trade Kes Bittle and Dick Roberts to Oakland A’s for Terrence Jones

Just Jacksonville helping out Oakland with their roster issues




The Oakland A’s trade Wayne Langerhans and cash to the Columbus Buckeyes Vic Guerrieri, Alex Lopez, and Achillies Hoffman


Not a big fan of this deal ;)

Kidding.  This is a tremendous deal for the Buckeyes.  Langerhans is a terrific 3^rd baseman.  Plus power, speed, and defense with no real weakness.  He is on a expiring so there is that, but seeing as how Columbus is a real threat to win the WS this season Langerhans is an ideal piece to add towards that effort.

Guerrieri makes a lot more sense on the A’s where he can start than riding Columbus bench if he is older and just a guy.  Lopez is an interesting young player.  If there can be an elite backup catcher he is.  If he had better durability he’d be an above average starting C, but he doesn’t so he isn’t.  It’s a little harder for me to place exactly what Hoffman will be, but he is young so maybe he will be a ML leave catcher or DH.  In the end he is probably a 24^th/25^th guy on a good team.  Nice bat off the bench who can play catcher if you need him to.  The A’s didn’t get a ton, but probably more value than the type A they would have gotten otherwise so a move that makes sense.

At the end of day Columbus got to rent an all-star for spare parts and will still get the type A.  I imagine their scouting budget is limited, but who knows.  Nice move!



The Jackson Mississippi Moonshiners trade Tony Leonard, Miguel De Aza, and Santiago Quintero to the Chicago Orphans Wily Osoria and cash


A nice move for Jackson who is on the edge of being a World Series contender.  Osoria is old (37), but a useful bullpen piece.  Chicago, on the other hand, gets a bunch of AAAA guys.  Not an embarrassing deal, but no real value for Chicago



The Chicago Orphans trade Addison Jamie to the New Orleans Voodoo for Ernesto Olivares, Wilin Asencio, and Eugenio Martain

I love this deal for Chicago.  Jamie is the rare hollow rating pitcher.  You see SS/3B types that will have an 85 overall rating, but are really below average starting ML players.  They will have high health/durability with having not quite enough glover for SS and not quite enough bat for 3B.  Jamie is kind of an overqualified long reliever.  He has the arm to be used for 3 innings 75 times a year, but not quite the stuff to make you want to use him that way.  His stuff is fine, but not the elite stuff you would think a guy with an 86 overall rating would have.  I would have done this deal for Olivares alone.  Olivares is young (20) high OBP RF’er.  Above average corner outfielder for sure.  Asencio will have to be used correctly as a platoon catcher, but he is ML level and to me just a bonus.  Martin was certainly a throw in and is just a bat off the bench.



The Scottsdale Cardinals trade Greg Everett and Gerald Gentry to the Montreal Shamrocks for Matt Shaban


Well I don’t really like Shaban, but he is the guy in the deal who will see the ML’s so I guess Scottsdale wins the deal.




The Jackson Mississippi Moonshiners trade Michael Higashioka and Tuck Walsh to the Chicago Orphans for Hack Palmer and cash

A pure salary dump.  Palmer is now Jackson’s backup catcher and Chicago gets out from his season 45 money.




The Oklahoma City Apocalypse trade Jeremy Desmond to the Chicago Orphans for Robin Raymond

I think someone accidently hit the offer button and someone else accidently accepted it.



The Chicago Orphans trade Hong-Chih Park to the Milwaukee Chedda for Thom Volstad, Duke Clinton, and Geovany Mateo

A weird deal.  Milwaukee picks up a solid ML starting level corner outfielder.  Not a real difference maker, but he’s fine.  Chicago picks up a guy I liked 5 seasons ago (Volstad), a guy who may never make the ML (Clinton), and a solid rp prospect (Mateo).  I guess if I just view the deal as Park for Mateo I like it for both sides.