Results tagged ‘ Giants ’
Transaction Review of 1/5/09 to 1/16/09
Sorry we haven’t
been able to keep up on the trade review but here it is. The past two weeks of
the biggest moves in b-ball right here.
CASEY KOTCHMAN TO THE MARINERS. BILL HALL, PTBNL AND CASH TO THE RED SOX: The Mariners have needed a first
baseman since Russell the Muscle left the team. Russell Martin had 33 homers
and then got injured for the last month. The Red Sox have Victor Martinez and
Kevin Youkilis so they don’t need Casey Kotchman. The Mariners got one of the
best defensive first baseman in the league in exchange for a struggling Bill
Hall, cash, and an unknown minor league player to be named. I consider this a
great move for the Mariners, getting a good first baseman, for something that
they can care less to lose.
BRETT MYERS SIGNS WITH THE ASTROS: The Astros, hoping to contend for
the playoffs, signed an above average starting pitcher in Brett Myers for 1
year, 5 million dollars. Brett Myers had an injury plagued 2009 and he didn’t
pitch much. He pitched in the playoffs but only once or twice. We won’t know
how Brett Myers will pitch for the Astros, but 1 year 5 million is a very good
deal for both sides. The Astros get a good pitcher for just 5 million and Brett
Myers gets to pitch and he is glad he is actually making 5 million because of
his injury so nobody knows how his year will be.
SCOTT PODSEDNIK SIGNS WITH THE ROYALS: The Royals needed a center fielder
after Coco Crisp signed with the Athletics. So they signed Scott Podsednik who
had a very good season last year after signing a minor league deal with the
White Sox. He hit .304, had 7 homeruns, and 30 stolen bases in 132 games. He is
definitely a stolen base threat. He had 43 in 03, 70 in 04, 59 in 05, and 40 in
06. The Royals need that speed and can easily help the Royals contend this year
with his speed and his above average defense. The Royals got him for a cheap
1.75 million which is a steal for the Royals. Podsednik can easily hit over
.300 and can steal 40-50 bases a year.
ERIC HINSKE SIGNS WITH THE BRAVES: Every Yankee is going to the Braves;
Hinske, Melky, Mike Dunn, and possibly Damon. Hinske was good with the Yankees.
After hitting 1 homerun with the Pirates he hit 7 with the Yankees. He is also
versatile because he can play any outfield position and the corner infield
positions. He can provide pop but it will be interesting to see how he will hit
in Turner Field which is a pitchers park. Plus, he has done very well in the AL
while struggling in the NL. The Braves got him for 1 million which seems like a
reasonable amount for 1 year especially for someone who can provide your team
an important pinch hit homer.
VLADIMIR GUERRERO SIGNS WITH THE
RANGERS: After Marlon Byrd
signed with the Cubs, the Rangers needed a bat. Vladimir Guerrero was a good
choice for Texas. He would come cheap and could definitely give them much more
than 5 million dollars worth. Just back in 08 he hit .303 and had 27 homers. In
09 he had a .295 average which isn’t bad along with 15 homers which isn’t Vlad
like but he did have many injuries. As Yankee fans knew, he came up clutch in
the playoffs which the Rangers need. I like this move by the Rangers.
KHALIL GREENE SIGNS WITH THE RANGERS: After Omar Vizquel left the Rangers
needed a back-up infielder. Greene can play short and third base. He has pop
especially for a shortstop. Greene used to be good but has never had a good
average, and has gotten injured a lot the past 2 years. The Rangers only got
him for 750,000 dollars but I would chose to sign someone else if I was the
Rangers. Greene only hit .200 last year and that was with a starting role. I
think the Rangers could have used homegrown talent for that or they could have
signed Mark Loretta or at least consider a return of Jerry Hairston.
AROLDIS CHAPMAN SIGNS WITH THE REDS: One of the biggest free agents of this
offseason finally signs. The Cincinnati Reds of all teams sign him for 6 years,
30.25 million dollars. The Reds didn’t seem to be interested at all. I
personally thought the Angels would sign him. Also he can earn up to 16 million
dollars in bonuses. I would not shell out 48 million for a guy who we have
never seen play in MLB before. Scouts say he can throw up to 102 MPH but we
don’t know that. The only bullpen session he threw was indoors with sneakers
on. Not a very good way to find out how well he throws. I would have tried to
sign Chapman, but not for that much money.
AUBREY HUFF SIGNS WITH THE GIANTS: The Giants were looking for a
left-handed bat most preferably a first baseman or outfielder. They signed 08
Silver Slugger Aubrey Huff who hit .304 with 32 homers in 08. He had a down
2009 in which he hit .241. Aubrey Huff can come back in the NL. They signed him
for 1 year, 3 million which would be a very good deal if Huff can have a good year. But that is all up to Aubrey Huff
having a good year. Huff will take Bennie Molina’s spot in the lineup.
RYAN CHURCH SIGNS WITH THE PIRATES: The Pirates signed Ryan Church signed
to be a starting left fielder alongside youngsters Andrew McCutchen and
Lastings Milledge. Church has always been right on average, and could be a very
good outfielder. He doesn’t have much pop but hits an average .270. He has a
good arm as well. The Pirates could have gotten a better outfielder but Church
signed cheap (2.72 million, 1 year) and can give you a good season like I said
before.
ADAM LaROCHE SIGNS WITH THE
DIAMOND-BACKS: I
knew the D-Backs needed a first baseman to get back to their 07/08 playoff
state. Adam LaRoche had a pretty good
season last year with 3 teams. The Pirates, Red Sox, and Braves. He hit 25
homers, hit .277, and had 85 RBI’s. He is much underrated defensively as shown
by his .999 fielding percentage and 108 assists. I like
this move for the Diamond-Backs and will be a good fit in the 6th
spot.
JOSE VALVERDE SIGNS WITH THE TIGERS: After Fernando Rodney signed with the
Angels and Brandon Lyon signed with the Astros, the Tigers needed someone in
their bullpen, especially at the closer role. Jose Valverde was on the market
after a good season and it was a good signing for Tigers. They get a very good
All Star closer for 2 years and 14 million. He could possibly rack up 100 saves
in these two years if he adjusts to the AL which would be nice for the Tigers.
KEVIN KOUZMANOFF, ERIC SOGARD TO THE
A’S. SCOTT HAIRSTON, AARON CUNNINGHAM TO THE PADRES: Scott Hairston is going back to the
Padres. Kinda weird right? Half a year and he is back to the same team. The A’s
traded for defensive wizard Kevin Kouzmanoff to take the place that Eric Chavez
would have if he wasn’t injured. Kouzmanoff is not an Albert Pujols when it
comes to hitting, but he can do something every once in a while. He hit .255
last year with 18 homers. He only made 3 homers last year which is certainly
better than the 17 the Gold Glove winner Ryan Zimmerman did. They also got the
17th best prospect in the Padres system in Eric Sogard. The Padres
got Scott Hairston whom they traded to the A’s earlier this year. Hairston is
Jerry Hairston’s brother. Hairston had a good average and decent power. The
Padres also got rising outfielder Aaron Cunningham.
MIGUEL OLIVO SIGNS WITH THE ROCKIES: This move happened a while ago, but we
forgot to analyze it. Miguel Olivo will either platoon with Chris Ianetta or
back him up. Most likely back him up. Ianetta is young and has power so they
will give him a chance. Olivo was a starter with the Royals and was average.
The veteran batted .249 with a career high 23 homers. 23 homers would be a lot
more in the hitter’s park Coors Field. He also had 5 triples which is relatively
good for catchers who are slow and big. Olivo did have 8 errors last year and 4
of them were passed balls.
There are still many more free agents on the market like Johnny Damon and
Bengie Molina who is close to signing with the Mets. We will see at the end of
the postseason. Many of these free agents might not even sign till the season
is over. Lots of A’s and B’s still out there and it will be very interesting to
see where they will sign.
Any comments, questions, disagreements? Feel free to comment.
TRANSACTION REVIEW WEEK OF 12/20/09-12/28/09
Another week has come and gone, and we hope you all had a safe and merry Christmas. While you guys were at home tearing open presents, some GM’s around baseball were making some big moves. This week, there were no trades made, but some pretty big free agents were signed, and Yankeeholics is here to tell you all about them.
TROY GLAUS SIGNS WITH THE BRAVES: The 33 year old Glaus will play first base for Atlanta. He was limited to 14 games with the Cards in 2009 (because of shoulder surgery in January), but in ’08 he did pretty well, hitting .270 with 27 homers and 99 RBIs. A good move by the Braves: Glaus is a solid, dependable player who will hit well for them and do the job with the glove at 1st base. He is also quite cheap, as the Braves will not lose and significant draft picks because of him on Draft Day. The downside: in the 14 games he played after returning from his surgery in September 2009, he could only manage a .172 average, with no homers and 2 RBIs. He might not hit the same way he did in 2008.
DARREN OLIVER SIGNS WITH THE RANGERS: The Rangers signed 39 year old lefty reliever Darren Oliver for 1 year worth $3.5 million. This move will bolster the Rangers bullpen. Oliver had a 2.71 ERA in 63 games pitched for the Angels in 2009. A smart move by Texas to cheaply pick up a good addition to their bullpen.
COCO CRISP SIGNS WITH THE ATHLETICS: The Athletics signed outfielder Coco Crisp to a 1 year deal worth 5 million dollars. The 30 year old hit .228 last year with 3 homers, 14 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases in 49 games with the Royals before undergoing surgery on both shoulders. Crisp is a switch hitter with very good speed, and he should provide some aid to an ailing A’s lineup (now that’s a tongue twister!). In 8 seasons in the bigs, Coco has a .277 average and a .377 OBP to go along with 59 homers, 327 RBIs, and 137 steals in 832 games. This is a nice move by the Athletics to add some speed and average to the top of their lineup. The signing of Crisp will likely move Rajai Davis to a corner outfield spot.
FERNANDO RODNEY SIGNS WITH THE ANGELS: The Angels signed right handed reliever Fernando Rodney to a 2 year deal worth 11 million. He will likely serve as set up man to Brian Fuentes, but do not be surprised if he takes over the closing role from Fuentes, considering how much Fuentes struggled in 2009 (3.93 ERA and 7 blown saves). The 32 year old Rodney also struggled in the closing role with the Tigers last season, only managing a 4.40 ERA. Still, he seems a better option than Fuentes, and Rodney does have one of the best fastball-changeup combos in the bigs. Though control has always been an issue for Rodney, this is a clever move by the Angels in an attempt to bolster their weakened bullpen.
BRIAN ANDERSON SIGNS WITH THE ROYALS: The Royals signed former top prospect Brian Anderson to a 1 year deal. In 2009, the 27 year old outfielder struggled to a .243 average with 4 homers and 18 RBIs in 202 at bats with the White and Red Sox. We feel this is an incredibly dumb move by the Royals: Anderson has never shown that he has any talent, and the Royals already have a fairly strong outfield, with David DeJesus, Jose Guillen, and Mitch Maier. Anderson will compete with Maier for the job in center field, but unless he does something incredible in 2010, Kansas City fans will be left rueing this signing.
MATT CAPPS SIGNS WITH THE NATIONALS: The Nationals signed right handed closer Matt Capps to a 1 year deal. In his 5 years in the bigs (all with the Pirates) the 27 year old has been very average, collecting 67 saves while putting up a 3.61 ERA. He is coming off a torrid 2009, in which he blew 5 saves and he posted a 5.80 ERA. The Nationals are desperate though; before this off season they had almost no bullpen, but now with the acquisitions of Bruney and Capps, they have a set up man and a closer. Capps is not a great player; but he is good enough and cheap enough for the Nats.
KELVIM ESCOBAR SIGNS WITH THE METS: The Mets signed Kelvim Escobar to a one year deal. Though the 33 year old worked mostly as a starter with the Angels, going 43-36 with a 3.60 ERA in 101 starts, the Met’s GM, Omay Minaya, said the club plans on using Escobar out of the bullpen. Escobar has had success out of the ‘pen before, most notably in 2002, when he saved 38 games for the Blue Jays. He is an injury risk though; due to shoulder issues he has been limited to 1 start over the last 2 years. With him a Francisco Rodriguez in the back of the pen the Mets (yes the Mets) will be a threat to win games thanks to the end of their bullpen.
BOB HOWRY SIGNS WITH THE DIAMONDBACKS: Relief pitcher Bob Howry has signed a one year deal with the D-Backs. It’ll be a homecoming for Howry, who was born in Phoenix. Last year, Howry did decently, posting a 3.39 ERA in 64 appearances with the Giants. The 36 year old is a real workhorse and is a low injury risk; in the 4 seasons before 2009, he made over 70 appearances a season, and in 2009 in posted 64. Not bad. He will serve as setup man to Chad Qualls. Smart move by the D-Backs to sign an underrated player who obviously has some talent.
MARK DEROSA SIGNS WITH THE GIANTS: The Giants signed 34 year old Mark Derosa to a 2 year contract. This happened 20 minutes ago, so I don’t have much information about it. The versatile Derosa had a below par 2009, stroking .250 with 23 homers and 78 RBIs during stints with the Indians and Cardinals. In 3 season before 2009, the lowest Derosa’s average dipped was to .285, so he obviously can hit. He will likely start at third base for the Giants, with Pablo Sandoval moving to first. However, his versatility will allow manager Bruce Bochy to use him virtually anywhere on the diamond. Regardless of his position, Derosa will bolster a Giant’s lineup in desperate need of power. A smart move by San Francisco to grab a versatile and sweet swinging player.
And that’ll do it for this week’s transaction review! Join us next Sunday for another weekly wrap up of the trades and signings in MLB! Have a safe and happy New Year.
Questions, comments, disagreements? Your comments are appreciated!
TOP 10 REGULAR SEASON TRADES OF 2009
Introducing a new addition to the Yankeeholics blog: a Top 10 section. Every single Saturday we will have a top 10 list. This week, we will be covering the TOP 10 TRADES OF THE 2009 REGULAR SEASON. Let’s get to it.
10.
|
RHP Rafael Betancourt to Rockies |
|
RHP Connor Graham to Indians |
Rafael Betancourt is one of the best middle relievers in baseball, and he played a significant role in helping the Rockies to an unlikely playoff berth. His 1.78 ERA in 25.1 innings with the Rockies was quite impressive, but the question begs to be asked: was having him for half a year worth giving away a talented prospect to the Indians? Cleveland too will be feeling pretty good about this trade. They had no shot at the playoffs, and Betancourt was probably not going to re-sign with them, so they managed to trade him away for a talented young pitcher in Connor Graham. This trade was a fair one, and it ended up panning out well for both teams, but you get the feeling that the Indians benefited more from this swap.
9.
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2B Freddy Sanchez to the Giants |
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RHP Tim Alderson to the Pirates |
In an interesting move by the Pirates, they gave away the talented Freddy Sanchez for the pitching prospect Tim Alderson. This isn’t the last year of Sanchez’s contract; the Giants will benefit from a full season more of him. In the 25 games he played for San Francisco this season, he hit a respectable .284. But in return, the Pirates are picking up “the next big thing” in Tim Alderson. The Giants had no need for him, since they have Lincecum, Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, and Joe Martinez for the future, but the Pirates will greet him with open arms. This is another fair trade: both teams are getting a quality player.
8.
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OF Nyjer Morgan, RHP Sean Burnett to Nationals |
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OF Lastings Milledge, RHP Joel Hanrahan to Pirates |
An unbelievably stupid move by the Pirates. Though they received two
talented players in Lastings Milledge and Joel Hanrahan, they gave up the 29-year old Nyjer Morgan, who has the potential to become one of the best in baseball. In 49 games with the Nats, he hammered .351 and stole 24 bases. As well as this, he is not at the end of his contract, so the Nats will enjoy his services for another season. Though Milledge (.291 in 58 games with the Bucs) and Hanrahan (1.72 ERA over 31.1 innings with Pittsburgh) did quite well, Nyjer Morgan is much more talented than both of them combined, and it is hard to fathom why the Pirates gave him away.
7.
|
IF-OF Mark DeRosa to Cardinals |
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RHP Chris Perez, player to be named later to Indians |
This is a trade the did not work out for either team, but in the long run, is better for the Indians. It was unlikely the Derosa would re-sign with Cleveland at the end of 2009, so the Indians went ahead and traded him for young pitcher Chris Perez. Perez has a bright future, projected to be a future star closer, but this year he had a 4.32 ERA over 33.1 innings pitched. Not too impressive, but he is a prospect. The Indians will also be receiving a player to be named, who is likely to be a prospect. The Cards on the other hand got nothing out of this trade. They picked up a 34 year old third baseman (who can play many positions) and he struggled, hitting .228 over 68 games in St. Louis. And his contract is up: he is currently a free agent. The Cardinals got nothing out of this trade, and they lost a talented prospect to the Indians.
6.
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RHP Ian Snell, SS Jack Wilson to the Mariners |
|
C Jeff Clement, SS Ronny Cedeno, P Aaron Pribanic, P Brett Lorin, P Nathan Adcock to Pirates |
A very interesting trade, one in which it is difficult to determine a team that
benefited more. The Pirates gave up two of their stars, in Ian Snell and Jack Wilson, to the Mariners. Neither player is at the end of their contract, so the M’s will get one more year of service out of both of them. Wilson only managed .224 over 31 games with the Mariners, but he will likely do better next year. Snell struggled as well, with a 4.20 ERA over 64.1 innings with Seattle, but he also will probably improve in 2010. In return, the Pirates picked up a host of talents. Jeff Clement is considered one of the best young catchers in baseball, and is considered a HUGE prospect. Cedeno is one of the best defensive shortstops around, and he can hit as well: in 46 games with the Bucs, he hit a respectable .258. If his talent is honed, he could turn into a top class infielder. Nathan Adcock is also considered a pitching prospect. The other two are relatively unknown, and it will be interesting to see how they fare. This trade seems quite even, but we will have to wait and see how it pans out. This is a trade that could influence both ballclubs in a major way.
5.
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LHP Scott Kazmir to the Angels |
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2B Sean Rodriguez, LHP Alex Torres, IF Matt Sweeney to the Rays |
Kazmir was struggling HUGE with the Rays (5.92 ERA over 111 innings), so they traded him away for 3 prospects. None of the players the Rays received are particularly talented; Alez Torres and Matt Sweeney are both minor propects, and not much is known about Sean Rodriguez. Scott Kazmir went to Anaheim and dominated: he recorded a 1.73 ERA over 36.1 innings. Kazmir isn’t at the end of his contract either; the Angels will have his services for another season. This trade clearly benefited Anaheim, but you can not blame the Rays for trading away Kazmir when he was struggling so much. Who could have guessed he would heat up so much?
4.
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RHP Jake Peavy to the White Sox |
|
P Clayton Richard, P Aaron Poreda, P Adam Russell, P Dexter Carter to the Padres |
At the beginning of the season, Jake Peavy said no to going to Chicago; but as the trade deadline grew closer, Peavy agreed to be shipped to the White Sox. He only played very little with them (because of an injury) but when he played, he starred with a 1.35 ERA over 20 innings. His contract has not expired yet either, so he will be pitching for Chicago next season as well. The Padres did not get much in return: Clayton Richards and Adam Poreda are both minor pitching prospects, and the other two are unheard of. This trade clearly favors the White Sox, and the Padres won’t be too pleased with the prospects they got for Jake Peavy.
3.
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OF Matt Holliday to Cardinals |
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3B Brett Wallace, P Clayton Mortenson, OF Shane Peterson to Athletics |
Oakland knew that there was no chance that Matt Holliday would re-sign with
them at the end of this season, so they gave him to the Cardinals. In exchange, they picked up a MASSIVE prospect in Brett Wallace, who is projected to be the next Evan Longoria. The acquiring of Brett Wallace makes this trade an excellent one for Oakland. This trade also worked quite well for St. Louis. Holliday gave Pujols some protection in the lineup, while slugging .353 with 13 homers and 55 RBIs in 63 games with the Cardinals. He helped the Cards get to the playoffs, but once there, he made a crucial error in Game 3 of the NLDS that lost the game for his team. He most probably will not re-sign with St. Louis, and though he excelled in the regular season with them, the Cardinals had to give up their biggest prospect just to get half a season from Holliday, who could not slug the Cardinals into the World Series. This trade favors the Athletics.
2.
|
1B/C Victor Martinez to the Red Sox |
|
RHP Justin Masterson, P Nick Hagadone, P Bryan Price to the Indians |
The Red Sox reaped huge rewards from this trade. They picked up the talented 31-year old Victor Martinez to takes over Jason Varitek’s spot in the lineup, and he worked wonders: V-Mart slugged .336 with 8 homers and 41 RBIs in 56 games for the Sox. Brilliant for any player, espacially a catcher. He also has a year left in his contract, so he will be catching for Boston in 2010. The trade doesn’t make much sense for Cleveland: they traded away a brilliant catcher with a year left in his contract, who probably would have re-signed with Cleveland after the 2010 season (since he publicly announced he was sad and disappointed to be leaving the Indians). They didn’t get much in return; Justin Masterson can be good if his talent is harnessed, but he struggled in 2009 with a 4.55 ERA over 57.1 innings pitched with Cleveland. The other two are unheard of, and this trade helps the Indians in now way at all. On the other hand, the Sox picked up a high quality player without giving anybody important away.
1.
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LHP Cliff Lee, OF Ben Francisco to the Phillies |
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RHP Jason Knapp, RHP Carlos Carrasco, SS Jason Donald, C Lou Marson to the Indians |
According to us, the Cliff Lee trade was the biggest trade of the 2009 season.
Another debatable move from the Indians, since Cliff Lee has a year left in his contract; but all the better for Philadelphia, who will have Lee in their starting rotation in 2010. He was brilliant for the Phillies this year; he had a respectable 3.39 ERA over 79.2 innings with Philadelphia in the regular season, and in the playoffs, he was brilliant, sporting a 1.56 ERA over 40.1 innings. Without him, the Phillies might not have got to the World Series at all. Ben Francisco wasn’t too shabby either: in 37 games with the Phillies, he hit .278, and he has a year left in his contract as well. In return, the Indians got talented pitcher Carlos Carrasco, who is quite a prospect, but other than him, they acquired no one of note. So that is why, mainly because of playoff brilliance, the Cliff Lee trade was the most important one of the 2009 regular season.
There were a couple other major trades that could not make this list: Jeff Franceour went to the Mets, Yuniesky Betancourt went to the Royals, Felipe Lopez went to the Brewers, Tom Gorzenally went to the Cubs, Jarod Washburn went to the Tigers, Orlando Cabrera went to the Twins, Nate McClouth went to the Braves, and Scott Rolen went to the Reds. Though these were all significant trades, they were not important enough to make our list.
And that will wrap up our first ever Top 10 list! Tune in next Saturday for another another Top 10 article. Do you have questions, comments, or disagreements? Feel free to leave us a comment!
Say It Ain’t So Tim…
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Say it ain’t so Tim…
All the people from San Francisco who like the Giants had
finally thought they had a good player to look up to and be proud of having on
the team sorta like Derek Jeter. That man was Tim Lincecum for the Giants. But now when you say Tim Lincecum’s name
here is what would happen. An adult would curse and a kid would cry. Most of
you bloggers know why. But for you guys who don’t, Mr. Lincecum was caught
speeding and then the police officer smelled something. He searched Tim’s car
and what did he find? A pot pipe. Yes a pot pipe (for all you people that don’t
know what pot is, it is marijuana. For all you people that don’t know what
marijuana is, start listening in school.) So Tim Lincecum will be fined $622
for having 40 grams of marijuana for personal use. Say it ain’t so Tim, say it
ain’t so…
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