Well, I'm not the first to comment on the Matt Garza, Delmon Young trade, but I hope that I'll give you all something to check out here. Here's how each piece of the deal ranks:
Delmon Young (RF) - Young is one of the most high touted baseball talents of the past ten years. He's drawn a lot of comparisons to Vlad Guerrero, though he hasn't hit for the power just yet. Still, he's young and has got Hall of Fame potential if he lives up to it and all in all is the best piece exchanged here. All in all, it's surprising to see Young dealt. Maybe it's the makeup issues that Tampa finally tired of. Maybe they know something we don't know. But all in all, Minnesota makes out well for themselves.
Matt Garza (RHP) - I'm a big Garza fan and this is possibly the biggest impact piece of the deal. Garza has the potential to be a very good Number 2 or 3 starter and slots in perfectly for Tampa behind Scott Kazmir and James Shields, giving Tampa it's first stable rotation since...ever!
Jason Bartlett (SS) - A solid defensive shortstop with a good enough bat, Barlett is a big upgrade over Brendan Harris, who's better as a utilityman or as a second baseman. Barlett will give Tampa a solid infield in the meantime, as they have a solid shortstop prospect in Reid Brignac that is coming up quickly.
Eduardo Morlan (RHP) - Regarded as a future closer, Morlan is one of the better relief prospects in baseball. He's got a mid 90's fastball that touches 98 and compliments it with a #### slider. WIth some refinement, Tampa could find a potential match for Boston's Jonathan Papelbon, and no, that's no #### either.
Brendan Harris (SS) - Harris is a cheaper, lower quality version of Bartlett. He's a decent defender with a little pop that is probably a better option to be placed over at second or third base, either place he'd offer a lot better option than the gastly Nick Punto.
Jason Pridie (CF) - A bit of a wildcard here, Pridie was originally taken two years ago by Minnesota in the Rule 5 Draft, but he didn't stick. Pridie's got leadoff potential with some pop and could probably evolve into a poor man's version of Torii Hunter in time, or become a very good fourth outfielder, provided he stays health.
All in all, a good trade for both sides. Tampa sacrifices a bit of offense in order to greatly improve at two other positions overall. Of course, part of that is also depending a lot on Rocco Baldelli returning to form, at least until one of Tampa's other top outfield prospects is ready for the show. In the meantime, the Twins gain a potential boost in the middle of the order, though they do lose a bit of heat in the middle of the rotaiotn with Garza gone, leaving a lot of command and control types after Santana and Liriano. But really, it's a small quibbling. When you have a chance to add a potential once in a generation bat in Young, you take the ball and run away.
I'm a long time Texas Rangers fan who has come to love baseball as a whole. I recently began this blog as a way for me to showcase my opinions, provide some analysis, and hopefully entertain those who happen to stumble upon my little soapbox online. I'll toss in an NFL, College, or NBA nugget every now and then. Enjoy the posts everyone, and yes, getting a little love in a Deadspin post was probably the highlight of the year, blogwise.
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