Well, the trade deadline has come and gone... I effectively killed an hour of work checking cnnsi.com & listening to KFAN waiting on pins and needles for news.
I had some ideas for the Twins pre-deadline, but I knew they were long-shots, mostly "pie in the sky" type of deals... And as I stated in Cuzzifer's blog, I did not expect any twins related notes, beyond Lohse being shipped off.
Well that opinion proved to be true as my beloved Twins dumped Kyle Lohse on the Reds, obtaining a decent minor leaguer with a 7-0 record with a 2.5 ish ERA in Single A Durham.
In this deal I think the Twins come out smelling like roses, dumping a terrible clubhouse presence, with no future in the organization (and no production) for a minor leaguer with a chance to be something in the majors.
Maybe Lohse's demotion to Four A (the NL) will allow him to find some confidence he has sorely lacked in the AL... but I doubt he does anything but implode for the Reds. The Reds GM should have known better, he is a former Twins assistant GM and he knows what Kyle Lohse is, but like an alzheimer's patient he decides he would love to see what Kyle can do again.
But enough Twins talk here, this blog is intended to branch out into all of the deals. So without further adui, I bring to you Trade Deadline: Winners and Losers.
New York Yankees acquire OF Bobby Abreu and Corey Lidle from Phillies for Four Minor Leaguers.
The Yankees once again have proven themselves to be the evil empire. Taking on outrageous contracts no other team in the league could take on. Abreu's contract is ridiculously high, and the Yankees have no problems paying it because of how desperate they are in the outfield (Sheffield, Matsui down with injuries).
The Bigger story on the Yankees side of this deal is starter Corey Lidle. He may not look like much... 4.5 ish ERA, but he gives the Yankees definite consistency at the bottom of their rotation, and allow the Yankees to go 5 deep with starters who will give the Yankees chances to win games.
Lidle's value at the deadline is a great illustration of how weak the pitching market was this year. Everybody wanted pitching, but nobody had it to give because of the relative mediocrity of the NL, and the AL West.
The Phillies do not come out very well in this deal... Smith is a good prospect, but SS CJ Henry has shown absolutely nothing so far in his career. Monasterios also looks like a decent pitcher, but none of these players will make up for the talent lost in this deal.
The only saving grace the Phillies have is the amount of money they will be saving by getting rid of Abreu. The Phillies now have flexibility to make some additions to their roster to improve a couple of positions.
The Winner: Yankees
The Loser: Phillies
Yankees Trade SP Shawn Chacon to Pirates for OF/IF Craig Wilson.
The Yankees made another solid move, getting rid of a 5th starter who will be supplanted by Corey LIdle, and picked up a versatile player in Craig Wilson. Craig Wilson is nothing to go crazy about, but will give the Yankees a solid first baseman. But his acquisition is not all golden. When Sheffield and Matsui comes back, there will be some serious problems about playing time, and in the end a good player is going to wind up on the bench.
What are the Pirates thinking here? Craig Wilson should be one of the players they try to keep around, and build a contender with. In exchange they get Shawn Chacon. Chacon's ERA is in the 7's. The pirates have thrown in the towel for the next 2 or 3 years based on the moves they have made.
Winner: Yankees
Loser: Pirates
Pirates Trade SP Oliver Perez and RP Roberto Hernandez for OF Xavier Nady
The Mets have picked up a couple of solid pitchers for Nady in this deal. Oliver Perez is having a terrible year, but has lots of potential, and has shown that potential in the past. Given time Oliver Perez may make the Mets fans forget about the deadline deal that sent away Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano. But the key component of this deal for 2006 is Robert Hernandez. In 24 appearances for the Pirates, Herneandez has posted a sub 3 ERA and has earned a couple of saves. He will step in and be an excellent set-up man for the Mets.
Nady Takes some of the Sting away from the Craig Wilson Deal, and will give the Pirates a good young outfielder for several years. He has decent pop, but really won't turn many heads in the batters box. I think the Pirates will regret this deal as well because they are sending off a quality young arm in Oliver Perez, who I believe given time will get back to his previous form and live up to potential.
Winner: Mets
Loser: Pirates
Pirates trade SP Kip Wells to Rangers for Minor Leaguer Jesse Chavez.
The Pirates finally made a move that made some sense. Kip Wells is a struggling, aging pitcher, and acquired a relief prospect that has recently made the jump to AAA. Chavez is nothing spectacular as far as relief pitchers come, but in the future he could be a decent middle reliever for the Pirates.
The Rangers made a smart move and added pitching. Even the 1-5 6+ ERA Wells is an upgrade over the pathetic staff known as the Texas Rangers. He should step into the rotation, and if he improves slightly keep the Rangers offense close enough to score some runs and get a win. Kip is by no means a game changing player, but he gives the Rangers yet another boost to make a charge in the AL West.
Winner: Pirates (Bout time they came out better in a trade)
Loser: Rangers (Kip Wells is a good move, but likely wont' make much difference in the rotation.. this trade is close to even)
Rangers acquire OF Matt Stairs from Royals for Joselo Diaz.
Matt Stairs will provide the Rangers with a good bench player, improving their depth. The Rangers gave up two Outfielders to get Carlos Lee, leaving a gap for Stairs to fill.
Joselo Diaz is another Rangers pitcher who has recently made the jump to AAA. He is averaging over one strike out per inning, and has seen time as a starter and as a reliever giving the Royals a versatile Arm in their system.
Winner: Royals
Loser: Rangers
Royals Trade SP Affeldt and Bautista To Rockies for Shealy and Dohmann
The Royals made a smart move here building for the future. It's obvious the Royals aren't contenders in the AL Central, and won't be for a considerable amount of time and the Royals are using the deadline to load up on prospects in hopes of a few panning out. Shealy seems to be a legit prospect, with 15 HR in AAA so far this year he could see some time with the big league squad soon. Dohmann hasn't pitched much this season, but has posted a 2ish ERA at both AAA and AA. The Royals got a lot of value for a couple of players who really haven't performed well for them.
The Rockies have traded for a couple of Royals pitchers with 5+ ERA's. Nothing out of the ordinary considering the lack of talent on that royals roster, but the Rockies gave up a lot to get these two. I think the Rockies will be disappointed in the talent they have received and will likely end up regretting this deal.
Winner: Royals
Loser: Rockies
Padres receive IF Todd Walker and 350K from Cubs for Jose Ceda.
Walker is a versatile infielder who can play 3 infield positions (badly). He is more known for his offensive #'s which haven't been up to par this year, but he should provide the Padres with a player who could hit #2 for them.
Jose Ceda is a small price to give up for a veteran presence like Walker. Ceda has posted a 5+ ERA in the minors, but averages over a strikeout per inning. The Cubs are far from contenders at this point, even in the pathetic league we call the NL. They are doing the smart thing and looking to the future.
Winner: Padres
Loser: Cubs
Dodgers Acquire Julio Lugo from D-Rays for Joel Guzman and Sergio Pedroza
This trade works out well for both squads. The Dodgers are receiving a quality SS to replace Izturis. This should improve the Dodgers lineup dramatically and they should make a strong push for the playoffs despite being 5 games out of the race.
Joel Guzman and Sergio Pedroza are legit prospects in the Mets organization. Pedroza has struggled in the advanced A league, but posted some solid #'s at the lower of the two A leagues. Guzman is a great prospect for the D-rays he should be the 3rd baseman of the future for them.
Both teams made out well in this deal. The Dodgers have gotten themselves closer to a playoff appearance, and the D-rays bright future has gotten even brighter. Both teams are Winners in this deal.
Dodgers acquire SP Greg Maddux from Cubs for IF Cesar Izturis
Greg Maddux doesn't have much left in the tank, but he should give the Dodgers some help at the bottom of their rotation, and provide them with some veteran leadership. Izturis is one of the more disappointing players in baseball, he was a player I thought would do big things in his career, but he hasn't panned out. Izturis should provide an a replacement for Walker, and will help out the Cubs build for the future. Another good deal for both teams.
