new york yankees receive : of xavier nady and p damaso marte
pittsburgh pirates receive : of jose tabata [#3], p jeff karstens, p ross ohlendorf [#9] and p dan mccutchen
analysis : by trading for xavier nady and damaso marte, the yankees actually make a sensible move, instead of their usual one based on name power. nady will help an aging and injured outfield, while marte will solidify their bullpen as their main set-up man. by trading away nady and marte, the pirates, at first glance, look like they got fleeced yet again. but by getting two of the yankees better prospects and a fourth or fifth starter in karstens [in addition to another prospect in mccutcheon] did well in helping a rebuilding process stay on course for their goal to be over .500 by 2018.
the grades : new york [a-] | pittsburgh [b]
milwaukee brewers receive : 2b ray durham
san francisco giants receive : p steve hammond and of darren ford
analysis : i'm not sure how much of a difference maker ray durham will be for the milwaukee brewers for rest of the season, except that it will push rickie weeks to play better. with that being said, the brewers didn't trade away much to get him. the giants received two players who are not ready to make an impact at the major league level yet, but like most teams out of contention, they don't need an aging player in a contract year.
the grades : milwaukee [c] | san francisco [c]
los angeles dodgers receive : 3b casey blake
cleveland indians receive : p jon meloan [#8] and c carlos santana
analysis : the dodgers have found a veteran third baseman to take over a position that has been a hole all season long, although casey blake isn't anything close to a long term solution [or even a short term solution]. but he will bring stability and experience to a position that has lacked both this season. with their playoff hopes all but gone, the indians decided to expedite the rebuilding process for the future. by trading blake, they received a notable prospect and a young catcher who will need time to develop.
the grades : los angeles [b] | cleveland [b]
anaheim angels receive : 1b mark teixeira
atlanta braves receive : 1b casey kotchman and p steven marek [#6]
analysis : the anaheim angels addressed what many considered the one thing that they needed, which was one more good hitter. by getting/renting mark teixeira, not only have they addressed that need, they exceeded it. teixeira will give vladimir guerrero the protection that he has been lacking [or vice versa], thus strengthening an angels lineup that seems to rely too much on small ball [although their record would suggest otherwise]. on the other side of the trade, the braves were able to get an everyday player in casey kotchman, who peter gammons ridiculously says is just as good as teixeira, and a decent pitching prospect for a player who was probably going to leave as a free agent [most likely to baltimore].
the grades : anaheim [a+] | atlanta [b-]
new york yankees receive : c ivan rodriguez
detroit tigers receive : p kyle farnsworth
analysis : i have no idea what the tigers were thinking. yes, they needed relief pitching to bolster a bullpen that has either been ineffective or oft-injured, or both. but is kyle farnsworth that much of an improvement? history says no. on the other hand, the yankees were able to get a considerable upgrade at the catcher position. although ivan rodriguez is in the twilight of his career and no longer the player he once was, he can still make a considerable difference during the yankees' playoff push. furthermore, the loss of farnsworth is barely a factor since the acquisition of damaso marte made him expendable.
the grades : new york [b+] | tigers [c-]
chicago white sox receive : of ken griffey jr
cincinnati reds receive : inf danny richar and p nick masset
analysis: i'm not sure as to why the white sox would want to add ken griffey jr to a crowded outfield, except that gm ken williams is still trying to figure a way to win the 1997 world series. instead, they should have traded for either starting or relief pitching. true, the white sox didn't give up much, but it could've been towards one of those needs. as for the reds, they clear ken griffey's contract and aging body from the team as well as add more pieces to the rebuilding process.
the grades : chicago [c+] | cincinnati [b-]
florida marlins receive : p arthur rhodes
seattle mariners receive : p gaby hernandez [#5]
analysis : left handed relievers are always a valuable commodity, as this trade proves. the marlins traded a promising pitching prospect for a journeyman reliever. are the marlins getting equal value based on talent and/or potential? probably not, yet it was a move they felt that they had to make. meanwhile, the mariners received a player who could be far more valuable than arthur rhodes was to the team.
the grades : florida [b] | mariners [b+]
los angeles dodgers receive : of manny ramirez
boston red sox receive : of jason bay
pittsburgh pirates receive : 3b andy laroche [#2], p bryan morris, of brandon moss and p craig hansen
analysis : in getting manny ramirez, the dodgers may have had the steal of the trading deadline, with many thanks to peter gammons' fury. all they gave up to receive one of this generation's greatest hitters in manny ramirez was two prospects in andy laroche, who so far has disappointed in his chances at third base, and bryan morris, a low-a ball pitcher. not only that, the dodgers don't have to pay any of manny's remaining salary. they have finally found a legitimate bat in a lineup that is bottom third of the major leagues in almost all offensive categories. does this mean the dodgers will win the nl west? not necessarily, but it does improve their chances significantly. in exchange for manny AND two prospects, the red sox received jason bay, and as mentioned above, will be paying the rest of manny's salary this season. clearly switching manny ramirez for jason bay straight-up is a downgrade from a strictly numbers perspective, yet the red sox were the ones who gave more to get the deal done. despite manny's recent behavior, it's still a curious decision. though on the bright side the red sox will be able to keep bay until 2009 at a third of the cost and bay will be able to replace most of manny's numbers. they were also able to keep jason bay away from the tampa bay
the grades : los angeles [a+] | boston [b] | pittsburgh [b+]
1 satanic worship no longer available
2 speaking of rocco baldelli, with his latest injury simply being fatigue, is he aging faster than he should be? i seriously wonder if he has the same disease that afflicted robin williams in the movie jack.
1 comment:
i was going to do a similar post but basically since you've done a good job covering all this, i might just write some other post and link to this one. (but i will say, however, sorry, but no way does a team giving up two legit prospects for two months of casey blake get a B, i don't care how big the hole at 3B is.)
that said, i think the manny deal was a godsend for the dodgers. unfortunately, it may still not be enough to overtake the d-backs. but it's a move they had to make, and a smart one, since laroche really isn't much, and i already forgot who the second guy was.
from the sox perspective, this was puzzling. manny has been manny forever, so why this trade now? (also, i like how espn spun it that jason bay will be more affordable at $7.5M next year than manny would have been. right, except they gave away 2 prospects for that right, plus they're still paying roughly that amount this year in the rest of manny's salary.) but supposedly he had become the biggest ass in the world over there and they were simply tired of dealing with it. so i guess they did what they had to do, because this deal obviously makes zero sense for them otherwise.
as a braves fan, i certainly would've liked to see them get more for tex. i think what ultimately hurt them the most was the trade market for a power-hitting 1B was unexpectedly weak, so they had little leverage. but i do think that kotchman (under team control through 2011) and the other guy is more than they could've reasonably hoped to get in what would've likely only been one extra draft pick (assuming tex signs long-term with baltimore, which i think is a reasonable assumption). so, in conclusion, meh.
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