-The Mets traded outfielder Xavier Nady to Pittsburgh in exchange for starter Olivier Perez and reacquired reliever Roberto Hernandez. Initially, we like this move. The 24 year-old Perez has the potential to be an ace. A couple of years ago after being acquired from San Diego as part of the Brian Giles deal, he won 12 games with a 2.98 ERA allowing just 145 hits in 196 innings and fanned 239. The southpaw looked like he was headed for stardom but an injury plagued 2005 saw him win only seven games and give up 23 home runs in 20 starts along with a 5.85 ERA. This year has been even worse. In 15 outings, he's 2-10 with 88 hits and 13 long balls allowed in 76 innings. Complicating things, Perez has walked 51 and has an ERA of almost 7.00 (6.63). Opposing batters are hitting .296. Things were so bad that he was demoted. Now he'll get a fresh chance to rediscover the stuff with Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson. If he turns it around, this could go down as a great trade.
-A car accident to setup man Duaner Sanchez forced GM Omar Minaya to act quickly. Sanchez separated his shoulder and will miss the rest of the season. He was 5-1 with a 2.60 ERA. Replacing him will be the 41 year-old Hernandez. Last year, he was decent in the same role but wore down. This is definitely a downgrade. If batters can get around on his fastball, the Mets pen could have problems. Hernandez is 8-6 this year with a 2.58 ERA and four saves. Solid numbers. But he's more hittable and also walks guys (46 hits and 24 BB in 43 IP). The Amazin's will need Aaron Heilman to pitch well down the stretch.
-The Mets gave up rightfielder Nady. It's amazing what can happen in a few weeks. I distinctively remember Minaya boasting to WFAN's Mike Francesa that "they thought he could hit 35 home runs." He had 14 HR and 40 RBI in 75 games after being acquired for Mike Cameron before the season. He became expendable because Mets brass thinks prospect Lastings Milledge can come up and replace him. He has a lot of raw ability but is a headcase and must be watched closely. If he struggles, look for supersub Endy Chavez to play more regularly.
-The Yankees also made one more move by getting utility man Craig Wilson from the Pirates for pitcher Shawn Chacon. This was a no-brainer because they needed to upgrade their bench and the 29 year-old can play the infield or outfield. He was hitting .267 with 13 HR and 41 RBI's. That kind of pop off the bench is something the Yanks didn't have. Factor in that when Hideki Matsui returns, rookie Melky Cabrera will come off the bench as well which should drastically improve their depth. Suddenly, a glaring weakness could be a strength. Especially when Robinson Cano returns to second and Miguel Cairo also returns to a backup role. A year after helping the Yanks reach October, the 27 year-old Chacon struggled badly with a 7.00 ERA. He needed a change and now will get it. It's addition by subtraction for the Bronx Bombers.
-Here's a quick breakdown of the other deals that have gone down:
1.The Cards acquired second baseman Ronnie Belliard from Cleveland for Hector Luna. St. Louis gets a little more offense while the rebuilding Indians get a player five years younger with potential.
2.Tigers acquire first baseman Sean Casey for pitching prospect Brian Rogers. A day after losing a game partially due to Chris Shelton's error, Detroit significantly upgrades their D at first while Pirates GM hopes that Rogers develops into a solid pitcher. Also of note: The Tigers demoted Shelton to make room for Casey. He had 16 HR and 45 RBI's but slumped badly after a hot start. Still, it might be an overreaction to send him down.
3.Reds deal minor league pitcher Zach Ward to Twins for starter Kyle Lohse. The Reds are banking on the 27 year-old Lohse turning it around and helping their rotation while Minnesota rids themselves of salary and frees up a spot possibly for their top pitching prospect. Yes, they have another waiting in the wings. Other good part for the Twins: Ward was dominating in Class A. Down the road, this could be a great move.
4.Padres acquire infielder Todd Walker and cash from the Cubs for pitching prospect Jose Ceda. Walker mostly has played second but will be asked to shift to third in San Diego. That might be an interesting experiment. The Cubs get rid of Walker's salary and acquire a pitcher for the future.
5.Texas deals minor league pitcher Jesse Chavez to Pittsburgh for SP Kip Wells. Wells should upgrade the Rangers' rotation in their playoff push while the Pirates free up some salary and get younger. That seemed to be the theme in most of GM David Littlefield's moves except for the Nady trade in which he unloaded Perez. That's one deal which could comeback to haunt him.
6.Texas acquires DH Matt Stairs from Kansas City in exchange for minor league reliever Joselo Diaz. The Rangers add some power in Stairs, who can DH or come off the bench while the Royals get an almost major league ready reliever.
7.Reds trade pitcher Justin Germano to Phillies for reliever Rheal Cormier. There's a 16-year difference in age. So you know what the Reds are trying to do here in acquiring the reliable lefthander who's having a great year. The Phils unload another vet and get much younger.
8.Dodgers trade shortstop Cesar Izturis to Cubs in exchange for SP Greg Maddux and $2 million. Why fading LA is taking this route is kind of hard to fathom but also makes sense in the wacky NL where anything can happen. After starting 5-0, the 40 year-old Maddux has slumped badly dropping to 9-11 with a 4.69 ERA. The Dodgers are hoping the seasoned vet can bolster their staff. The Cubs get a bonafide shortstop in Izturis who improves their defense and adds speed. If he stays on the field, it's a great trade.
9.Dodgers acquire infielder Julio Lugo from Tampa Bay for minor league prospect Joel Guzman and Sergio Pedroza. Los Angeles replaces Izturis at second with the versatile Lugo who is having a career season with double digits in homers (12) and steals (18). Definitely should bolster their top of the order until Jeff Kent returns from an oblique injury. Meanwhile, the Devil Rays get good value for Lugo in 21 year-old prospect Guzman. The third baseman was hitting .294 with 10 HR in Triple-A and should be ready soon. This is a good deal for both clubs but it could benefit Tampa long term.
-While the activity was busy, one player who didn't relocate was Alfonso Soriano. The former Yankee is having a great first season with the Nationals, hitting .286 with 32 homers, 64 RBI's and 26 stolen bases. He was the biggest name on the market but apparently, Washington GM Jim Bowden didn't like what he saw and opted to retain him. And if you were nine games out of the wild card in a weak NL and couldn't get a maximum return for your best player, you would hold onto him too. The Nats will now try to re-sign the 30 year-old five-time All Star who has successfully shifted from second to left field after uncertainty surrounding whether he'd even play due to sitting out a preseason game. He's played alright. Here's Bowden on why Soriano is still in the nation's capital:
"We felt the best deal we could make is no deal. He wants to stay in D.C. and did not want to be traded...There wasn't a deal out there that would have helped our farm system in our opinion as much as not making a deal...At the end of the day, it was a very simple decision for us: Keeping Alfonso was the best thing for the Nationals."
If they are able to re-sign him, they'll have to be willing to give Soriano a no-trade clause. If he does bolt in November, the Nationals would receive two draft picks as compensation including a Sandwich pick. We note this cause if you're a diehard Mets fan, David Wright was a Sandwich selection back in 2001. Sometimes, you really can luck out.
-In an afternoon tilt in which his team got trounced 15-2 to the Marlins, Phillies second baseman Chase Utley singled in his third plate appearance to extend his hit streak to 32 games- the second longest in team history behind teammate Jimmy Rollins' 38 which spanned the end of last season and first two games of this year. Utley's streak is about the only good thing happening lately with the club which shedded a ton of payroll at the deadline. The 27 year-old former 2000 first round pick is certainly a building block for the rebuilding Phils. He's followed a breakout 2005 season in which he hit .291 with 28 dingers, 105 RBI's and 16 steals with a splendid 2006- hitting .327 with 21 homers, 69 RBI's, 11 steals and 90 runs scored. Hopefully, he'll be part of a renaissance in the City of Brotherly Love.
-In NFL news, Reggie Bush and the New Orleans Saints will make it official today. The former USC Heisman winner selected second overall by the Saints in the NFL Draft agreed to a six-year deal worth reportedly in excess of $60 million due to incentives. Top overall pick Mario Williams inked a six-year $54 million deal with the Texans last week. We're glad to see Bush signed. Now we'll get to see how much of an impact the talented running back can make with the Saints. It should be fun to watch.
-Meanwhile, Bush's former teammate and 2004 Heisman winner Matt Leinart was a no-show at camp and still holding out. Guess he's not as anxious to familiarize himself with his new surroundings in Arizona. Either that or maybe he didn't take too kindly to coach Dennis Green wanting him to compete for the backup QB job with John Navarre.
-In NHL news, Dominik Hasek signed a one-year contract with Detroit. The 41 year-old six-time Vezina winner will try to recreate the same magic he had in '01-02 after being traded from Buffalo to the Red Wings when he helped them win a Stanley Cup. My question to GM Ken Holland: Why? While the Dominator proved he could still play well in net for Ottawa, he also was very injury prone. After going 28-10-4 with a 2.09 GAA in his first 43 games with the Senators, he never played another game due to suffering a groin injury at the Olympics in Torino. This makes him a very risky gamble by Holland. Hasek will share the number one goaltender duties with vet Chris Osgood. One guarantee: If and when either breaks down, look for goalie prospect Jimmy Howard to get into some meaningful action.
-In an NBA trade, the Bucks shipped center Jamal Magloire to Portland for guard Steve Blake, forward Brian Skinner and center Ha Seung-Jin. The 28 year-old Magloire should help the Trail Blazers in the middle while Blake should help Bucks at the guard position. He could team up with Maurice Williams to form a solid backcourt or maybe come off the bench to spell him. One question for Portland GM John Nash: With Joel Przybilla still there along with Zach Randolph and Raef LaFrentz, isn't that a bit of a logjam up front? Expect another deal soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment