All The Guardians Trades

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Re: Detroit Dealings

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166. Kyle Young to Los Angeles (NL) for Greg Holland

Just a move to help for the rest of 2018. Holland has one of the better reliever projections at a 3.61 ERA and strong ERA+, but he has no team after a disastrous 2018 following a pretty bad second half 2017. He may be hurt and is really only useful if he signs somewhere. I have to think he will.

In exchange, Shawn gets an intriguing prospect in 6'10 lefty Kyle Young, who has killer command and that's without throwing hard. The Phillies are working on the 2016 draftee's pitches before unleashing him and he's still striking out 8-9 per 9 innings. He's going to take a while, but could be a really nice get.
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Re: Detroit Dealings

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167. Oneil Cruz, Gabriel Arias to Miami for Miguel Amaya, Sandy Leon, Marlins Draft Pick 3

This could be one of those trades I look back on and realize I totally screwed up, but that's part of the fun. Cruz is fun to dream on -- he's lanky and gangly with massive raw power scouts love. They're also completely confused about where he might play. He's currently a 6'8 SS, which is hilarious. He also has 29 errors this year. He has a cannon for an arm and great quickness/speed, so he could end up at 3B, but more likely RF. Either way, there is a lot to like about him.

Equally impressive has been the Cubs' No. 1 prospect, Amaya. Scouts have loved his framing and defensive abilities behind the plate along with a cannon arm for several years. He also gets marks for his leadership skills, but this year has managed to figure out how to hit in the Midwest League. He has a respectable .264/.346/.428 slash line with 12 HR and 47 RBI. Both players really broke out this year -- Cruz with the louder skillset, but Amaya the clear ability to climb the ranks as a legit catching prospect with a bat.

In the rest of the deal was adding a little 2018 depth with Leon, who's not great, but who can spell Perez against righties and provide above average defense and Arias, a young 2B who has some upside but who has struggled mightily in his first stateside season. The third rounder added a little value in and gives me four picks in the top three rounds of the draft.
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Re: Detroit Dealings

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168. Tigers Draft Pick 4 to Chicago (AL) for Brian Clark

Who's Brian Clark? Some White Sox guy Jim collected at some point. Why am I trading for him? He's a lefty RP with an OK projection and some very good results. He's got a 1.94 ERA over 83.2 IP with 69K to 26BB. He will get some work in September against lefties and, who knows, might work his way onto the postseason roster if we have issues.
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Re: Detroit Dealings

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169. Christian Arroyo and Adolis Garcia to Minnesota for Carlos Santana

I don't really need another 1B, as I already have arguably the best two in the league, but Carlos Santana has a perhaps playable defense in RF with a very playable .371 OBP with EX/VG power and AV running across the board that won't kill you. Domingo Santana wasn't the boon I had hoped for with his big projection, so when Gudim posted Carlos Santana as available and saw he could play somewhere other than 1B, I reached out. This one didn't take long. At stoplights on my way to Chick Fil A, we banged this one out.

Adolis is a very powerful 25-year-old Cuban OF who crushed it in Spring Training and struggled hard in AAA until he went nutso this summer. He doesn't like to walk, but hits bombs and steals bases. If he can take a pitch, he could be nasty. I imagine he'll find himself in St. Louis next month. Arroyo is a former top 100 prospect SS turned 3B. He's got a solid hit tool, but has battled some injuries this year. The main reason I was willing to deal him is I had another deal for a backup SS lined up. Unfortunately, that fell through. But I still like the talent return. Santana will slot use his OBP at the top of the lineup, which will give me some additional length offensively.
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Re: Detroit Dealings

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170. Franklyn Kilome, Domingo Santana, Kelvin Herrera to New York (NL) for Brett Phillips, Tony Santillan, Austin Beck

This one began with John's love for Mets after he realized Kilome has blossomed since the Phillies dealt him to the Mets for Asdrubal Cabrera. 102 IP 83K/51BB 4.02 ERA pre-trade/31.2 IP 35K/9BB 3.13 ERA post-trade. The 23-year-old has always been a fringe top 100 guy, but just hasn't gotten over the hump. He might be getting closer. It started with him and Phillips. I wanted a little CF depth and Phillips fits the bill. He's a solid former top 100 prospect with great speed and defense in CF (or any other OF spot). He's got power. He just needs to stop striking out so much. I think even if he continues struggling to hit, he can have a major league career.

As John continued exploring the roster, he spotted Herrera, who had another solid year before injuring his foot. So, he doesn't help me this year, but likely will project well next year, another nice piece for our needs. Santana was a guy I was ready to move on from due to his ineffectiveness for me in a fairly small sample size, but enough for me to not feel too confident. He's only 26 and while he got bumped out of Milwaukee when Yelich came to town, he still has some upside.

So, with those four guys in the mix, I took a look at John's roster and found some guys I liked. Santillan stood out. I tried pretty hard for a long time to get him from Tampa Bay earlier this year. We just couldn't land a deal, but I really thought he would break out this year and he has. He's a 21-year-old 6'3 240 beast who's had no problem with AA hitters. He's cruised through two levels and looks like he's on the rise. The third piece was Beck, the 6th overall pick in last year's draft. I was thrilled to snag him. He's a CF who shows a good bat and nice power. Kiley McDaniel had this to say about him last week: "Yep, he was always gonna take awhile and his main issue was contact rate. Power can always come later. I’d look for walk rate to be the next thing to improve before he starts swinging for the fences."

Overall, John gets three guys who can improve his team next year. I get a speedster/defensive replacement for the playoffs who's young and two prospects I'm happy to add to the system.
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Re: Detroit Dealings

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171. Cam Bedrosian and Arquimedes Gamboa to Tampa Bay for Matt Barnes

Blockbuster to kick off the off-season. This is more of a homer deal since I liked what I saw from Barnes this postseason. In reality, Bedrosian and Barnes are fairly similar, though Barnes had a better 2018. Bedrosian's k rate dropping and walk rate climbing isn't a killer, but it's not preferable. Gamboa not only has the best name in the minors, he's a decent shortstop prospect. Scouts love the skills, but he was bad at the plate last year. He needs work there to be more than a utility player.
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Re: Detroit Dealings

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172. Marcell Ozuna, Lance McCullers, Luis Castillo, Ian Happ, Johan Camargo to Philadelphia for Max Scherzer, Ender Inciarte, Zach Eflin, Nick Williams, JoJo Romero, Yankees Draft Pick 2

How about that to pick up the hot stove action this late November? These negotiations started almost exactly six weeks ago and moved about as slow as you might think six weeks of negotiations would take. I didn't enter the offseason looking for a pitcher like Scherzer, but I also didn't expect to lose one of my best young pitchers for the next 12-18 months. However, Nick and I began talking before news of McCullers having any long-term injury issues arose.

The original format of the deal included Schwarber with Scherzer with a combination of most of the players who ended up going to Philly. But I was holding out on McCullers. Nick really wanted him in and I really didn't want to deal him. Then, on Oct. 26, AJ Hinch said McCullers would likely miss a large part of 2019 due to his elbow issues. This was a big blow to me and while it didn't make me want to deal him more, it made it easier to move him in a deal. Nick then said he wanted to keep Schwarber, which was another problem on my end if I was moving Ozuna and Happ, both of whom were my 2019 LF options. But Nick budged on Inciarte, which kept things moving. Ultimately, we landed on this structure.

I now have one of the best -- on-paper -- playoff rotations that could be compiled. This obviously means nothing to DMB, but if these three are healthy in October, I will be very confident in my chances. In Inciarte, I pick up a Gold Glove CF, which allows me to shift Mookie to his rightful place in right field. I will have two amazing OF of the three, both likely with EX/EX ratings. I think Inciarte's offensive projection will drop some from 2018, but I think he'll still be in the .280/.330 range with 10 HR and 25 SB, which is very valuable. LF remains an offseason project, with Williams seemingly the front-runner. He's still only 25 and has all that hype and potential behind him. His bat was decent enough last year, so we'll see what ZiPS projects. Eflin I wanted back for some additional depth given that I gave up two pitchers in the deal. He had an above average 2018, but I will need to see more consistency before I'm uber-confident in him. As a #4, he will be fine. Romero is a Phillies top 5 SP -- lefty with some good stuff and mixed results. Upside is a #3 pitcher and I added pick #80, which is nice value.

Nick's haul is a bit unpredictable. For a guy who has shunned youth in all forms over the years, I was surprised he was interested in pursuing this kind of deal. But several of the pieces he got were hard to move. Ozuna I picked up last year for Lester and I was thrilled to pick up his strong projection. He had a great year considering he was hurt all year and he finished strong after a DL stint. I think he could easily return to his Marlins 2017 form, which I'm sure Nick is hoping for. Happ was one of my favorite pickups last year. I got him from Nick last May and while he was tough to pry, I loved the versatility, power and OBP that he provided. Unfortunately, his bb rate was about the only positive stat in 2018. That said, he's only 23 and has a ton of potential. He'll be down in projection, but I think will ultimately be a nice piece for Nick (until he trades him back to me). Castillo has a problem with the long ball, but not with striking people out. He dropped his BB/9 to under 3 last year and maintained a steady K/9 ratio. He changed to throwing more 2-seamers and gave up a ton of HR, but he had some brilliance mixed in with some bad starts. As a 26-year-old, I think he's got #2 upside. Camargo was a great free agent pickup in June 2017 after the Braves began playing him more. He was ok, but not great in 2017 and had a monster 2018, hitting 19 HR, .272/.349/.457 and 3.3 fWAR as a 24-year-old no one had heard of. With the Braves signing Donaldson, he will become a super utility, which fits him since he plays SS, 3B and 2B already. I wasn't sure if the Donaldson news would hamper the talks, but it didn't come up. McCullers -- well, we'll see in 12-18 months if he's the same.

Nick gave up the best player in the deal without question. And I got several other good, young players who will help. Nick also got 5 pretty solid young players who could all become the foundation of his youth movement moving forward. Ozuna needs to be more of his 2017 self, Happ needs to be more consistent and McCullers needs to return to #2 status for this to work out well for Nick, but I think those things could happen. He will get more WAR over the life of the deal than I, but if this helps get me closer to a championship, I'll never complain. That's certainly no guarantee, but I think I'm better positioned with Scherzer and Inciarte than without.
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Re: Detroit Dealings

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[quote=Tigers post_id=72920 time=1543470734 user_id=7]
With the Braves signing Donaldson, he will become a super utility, which fits him since he plays SS, 3B and 2B already. I wasn't sure if the Donaldson news would hamper the talks, but it didn't come up.
[/quote]

I didn't bring it up because I like him more in that role. A guy that young, hitting the way he does, and being able to play 6 positions was more attractive to me.

Good analysis on the deal. Only thing I'll add: giving up the best player in a deal is always a gamble and ALWAYS comes with criticism. I like the deal and everyone knows it won't be my last.
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Re: Detroit Dealings

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173. Zach Eflin, Nick Williams, Detroit Draft Pick 1 to Cleveland for Jose Berrios.

I very rarely deal my first round pick, but this was a situation that would justify such a move. Eflin had a strong 2018 and my opinion still holds on him from the trade with Nick -- I think he was good for a 24-year-old pitcher but I need to see more to be completely sold. Williams is an athletic, young left fielder who will gain a lot of value if he can put in some practice on the defensive side. He still has plenty of potential to improve and has always been highly touted. The first rounder could certainly have value as a pick or a trade tool.

In return for the haul, I get a better young pitcher in Berrios. I have really admired him for some time, so it's exciting to add him to the rotation. I think he's a level above Eflin even though they're the same age and Eflin had a better FIP in 2018. I suspect the difference in projection will be between 0.5-1 win for this year. The real question will be whether Berrios can learn from his rough patches to become more consistent in 2019. I have to think he can, but time will tell whether the payment of Williams and the first rounder will be worth it in the long run.
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Re: Detroit Dealings

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174. Kevin Pillar to New York (AL) for Miguel Hiraldo, Edward Olivares

I've had Pillar for three years and he's been a great stand-in in center field as a backup or occasional starter. He's consistency been viewed as more of a defense-only player, though he is typically good for close to 15 home runs and 15 stolen bases. That said, he's now 30 and I think his perfect role is backup outfielder who can crush it as a defensive replacement. So, he's got value. JB has about 5 starting outfielders, so I can only assume he's either got another deal in the works or is planning on Pillar being one of a handful of EX in centerfield players since none of his players are really center fielders.

But with Inciarte starting, Betts as a backup and Brett Phillips (and others) coming, Pillar was a guy I could move when he asked. In exchange, I picked up a couple fun young players in Hiraldo and Olivares. Hiraldo, 18, is 3b prospect for Toronto with a penchant for strong contact and a bat that scouts see having some potential power in the future. In a small sample size in rookie ball, he only struck out 30 times while walking 23 times in 54 games. He could be a shortstop, but I think he ends up at 3B, though he has the arm for either position.

Olivares, 22, is an outfielder traded from Toronto to San Diego last year. He had a really exciting year last year in A+, slashing .277/.321/.429 with 12 home runs, 11 stolen bases, 62 RBI and 79 runs. His 2017 numbers in A ball were in line with that and scouts like his speed, power, and arm. He had a projection last year, so he could be a useful player pretty soon.
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Re: Detroit Dealings

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175. Carlos Santana, Draft Pick 60 to Chicago (AL) for Silvino Bracho, Draft Pick 38

This was the first part of essentially a two-part move for me, shipping out Santana for the younger, more versatile Flores. I picked up Santana last year at the trade deadline for Christian Arroyo and Adolis Garcia. While he only played 25 games during the regular season, plus the playoffs, he was a solid contributor. He manned right field and had a .278/.377/.557 slash line with 7 home runs, 22 RBI and even 5 steals. His ZiPS projection came in a little light, though with a solid OBP as always. But given my team as it stands now,, Santana, 32 and turning 33 soon, will likely return to his 25 HR/85 RBI situation now that he's back in Cleveland, but I always like to deal players I don't have to have. He will put up solid numbers on the South Side, giving Jim steady production where Bobby Bradley currently sits.

Bracho, 26, brings some needed youth to my bullpen, which is anchored by the likes of Miller, Davis and Harris. He's got a 122 ERA+ projection with a 3.60 ERA and a great k/ip ratio. He's had issues with consistency, but I think he is a solid 7th inning reliever. And while he's got a nice 2019 projection, I almost always value a regular over a reliever. Jim was willing to upgrade my second from the last in the round to the eighth in the round, which gets me back closer to the first round after I moved mine earlier this off-season.
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Re: Detroit Dealings

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176. Sherten Apostel, Draft Pick 80 to Miami for Wilmer Flores, Draft Pick 140

With Santana heading out of town and despite having the best two first basemen in the league, Flores was a guy I thought was a good value get. He's only 27 and while his D won't blow you away, he can be playable at probably three positions. And once I saw his ZiPS were better than Santana's, I felt like he would be a nice potential platoon option at DH with Choo or a solid bench piece, at a minimum. He's always been a fun player to watch and I recall wanting to trade for him several times as he hit top 100 lists as a prospect. With a 7 percent k rate last year and a propensity to hit for pretty decent power given the playing time, he is a nice addition.

Unfortunately, he costs me a prospect I've grown to really like. Apostel isn't a household name, but his bookmark outlasts many others in my browser. He's a beast of a man at 6'4, 215 and he's got amazing patience for a 19-year-old. The Rangers snagged him as a PTBNL in the deal that sent Keona Kela to Pittsburgh last year and for good reason. In rookie ball, he had a .400 OBP over 41 games, with 7 home runs and a .201 ISO. He's obviously young and while he has a cannon for an arm, there's mixed reports on his glove. If he moves from 3B to 1B, there's a lot more pressure on the bat, but I think he's definitely a player to watch. This deal also cost me a late second round pick, which was mitigated by the Santana trade.
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Re: Detroit Dealings

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177. Paul Goldschmidt, Tony Santillan, Lazaro Armenteros to Colorado for Kyle Tucker, Brent Honeywell, Luis Garcia

Holy crap. I am not nervous about many trades. But it took a lot to get to pulling the trigger on Goldschmidt, whom I acquired seven years ago nearly to the date (2/27/2012). The deals that mostly made me terrified like this were dealing Josh Johnson (remember Josh Johnson?) when I first re-joined the league that year and he had the best SP projection in the league with a 2.66 ERA and when I dealt the real 2011 MVP Matt Kemp for a package headlined by Cole Hamels and not some prospect named Mike Trout I could have gotten. So, dealing an All-Star, consistent 35-HR threat, 5-win player is a very tough decision, especially since I'm in win-now mode.

I got Goldschmidt from Nate in that 2012 deal, where I shipped All-Stars Howie Kendrick and Jordan Walden to get an unknown, non-prospect 1B who went to Texas State University. My entire premise for getting him was that he was one of the few power threats who wasn't a known name at the time. He absolutely obliterated AA in 2011, hitting 30 home runs, driving in 94, scoring 84 runs and stealing 8 bases, while slashing .306/.435/.626. He got a decent shot in the majors that year, hitting 8 home runs with 26 RBI and hitting .250/.333/.474 in 48 games. That led to a projection that was probably a little under underappreciated because his name wasn't Pujols, Teixeira, Fielder, Longoria, or Tulowitzki, but he projected at 30 HR, 92 RBI and .250/.340/.472. He was about the only player I could actually try to get with that kind of projection and we struck a deal. He is right-handed, so there was plenty of doubters that he could actually make it and despite the early success (2.8 wins as a rookie, 6 wins the next year, 4.3 the next despite only 109 games), people in this league thought he was going to bust. That made me like him even more as he developed into my franchise player for most of the last decade. But all along, Nate and I have toyed with the idea of a reunion. And despite his great success, this felt like the right time if it was going to happen.

For most of what is probably the last two years, Nate and I have kicked around various ideas given his dearth of young/prospect talent and a maturing roster that seems poised to start making some noise in a division ripe for upward movement. In full disclosure, I agreed to a deal with Nate around the trade deadline and then backed out, something I regret and try to avoid at all costs. The package ultimately didn't feel right and I couldn't do it. But Nate's young players have always been tempting, so we kept pursuing and it always felt like we'd eventually get something done. Goldschmidt is going to be a very good player in Denver and given that he plays a position with minimal wear and tear, I have to think he's got 4-5 high-level production years ahead of him. In 2018, he started off atrociously, and I have to think the looming humidor issue and predictions of power reduction had to have been a mental setback. But he stormed back in the second half and landed where he usually does with 33 HR 83 RBI, 95 R and 7 SB, which is a bit low, but also .290/.389/.533 slash line that led to a third-straight 5-win season. So, in order to get there, we had to land on a general framework.

This offseason, I dealt away several LF options, leaving me with a gap. I had a couple in-house, low-budget options that could have been plugged in, but I had been pursuing other options. I also have had this great problem of having the league's best two 1B for the last couple seasons. So, while they formed a formidable 3/4 in my lineup, that was also a position of strength from which to deal. Kyle Tucker looks to be an amazing prospect. I think had he busted onto the scene and led the Astros to postseason glory, this deal doesn't happen. That he came up and looked overwhelmed is somewhat of a concern, but for a 21-year-old who just destroyed AAA, I have to think that is something that can be overcome. And the Astros signing Brantley gives him time to get another season under his belt before a full-time gig. And, as we know, Brantley misses 33-50 percent of all seasons anyway, so he'll play. He hit 24 HR, 93 RBI 86 R and 20 SB while slashing .332/.400/.590 at AAA, while most others his age are in A+. There is a lot to like here, and if ZiPS is nice, I've got my 2019 LF.

In addition, I snagged Honeywell, who looks like a #2 IF he successfully recovers from TJ. That's a huge if, but given modern medicine and physical therapy techniques, that is increasingly probable. Pre-surgery, he looked like he would be in the Rays 2018 rotation, mixing in five pitches, including a high 90s fastball, screwball, and change as part of an array that led to plus plus control. He has tools to keep hitters off balance and he doesn't give up many free passes. There is a huge upside here should he put in the work. I expect his ETA sometime around August.

The third piece is also pretty exciting. Luis Garcia (of the Nats system) is an up-and-coming SS prospect who, at 18 years old, successfully navigated A and A+ to hit around .300/.335/.400 with 7 home runs and 12 SB in about 130 games. Scouts report that he adjusts in-game to pitches, has untapped power and the ability to steal 20-30 bases. A lot of people write about Juan Soto in articles about him. I'm not upset about it.

Despite Nate's interest in Goldy, he quite often discussed his age, which is 31 going on 32 this year. Our league is particularly jaded by age, which is likely brought on by the fact that we're all now old and broken down and understand what it means to be in our 30s. So, despite him getting the best player in the deal who is also the only who has successfully mastered the highest level, I was going to have to give up something.

Nate loves his Reds, so it wasn't a surprise that Santillan was on his short list. He's a FV 50 pitcher and had a breakout 2018. I think he's got a great chance to end up as a #3 SP, but it will probably take a few years. He's only 21 and has a top-notch fastball and a solid slider. If he improves his change up, he's in a rotation. The third piece was nearly as painful as the first piece. I was so excited to get Lazarito at the end of the first round in 2016 and have waited patiently for his tools to take effect. Scouts still really love what he is expected to become, but he has struggled a bit to adjust to minor league pitching, with a high K rate and an arm that likely pegs him to LF. But the power/speed/hitting is really fun to dream on. He was not a guy I wanted to include, but ultimately there weren't many other options that Nate presented. So, if it was going to happen, he was going to be included.

The bottom line is I was working from a position of strength and had an opportunity to acquire three very good young players who, if they turn out, will help anchor my team by an additional 7-10 years beyond Goldy. If only one pans out, it's probably a loss. If two perform at a high level, but Lazarito matures into a star, it may also be a loss. There are plenty of scenarios in which this doesn't look good in a few years, but there is also the dream scenario that Tucker and Honeywell make ZiPS impacts in 2019 as well as make leaps forward that position them as stars moving forward and Garcia continues a rise through the system to give me a teenage star in the making. The odds of all those things happening may be low, but hey, it's a dream scenario. From Nate's perspective, I think he's getting a rock solid middle order bat who's going to line up nicely with Suarez and Olson around him. If Nate can get some starting pitching around Taillon, he's got a good chance at making some noise and he's got a stable full of young players he can either keep developing or move to get better sooner. He's got options and an opportunity for quick improvement. That said, it's always tough to deal your cornerstone player, which Goldy has been for most of the last decade. Now it's Mookie's team with support from a great number of young stars and hopeful soon-to-be stars.
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Re: Detroit Dealings

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178. Andrew Miller, Gerson Bautista to Pittsburgh for Corey Knebel

This was a very quick trade without much planning. JP asked about Miller, a new Cardinal, and while I had no plans to deal him, I had no plans to consider him off-limits, either. That said, he was my planned closer, so I'd only deal him for another closer. Knebel came into play due to him having a similar projection. The main issue was the age gap, as Knebel is 27 and Miller is 33. Bautista, a flier of a pickup after the Mets/Mariners Cano deal, turned in a pretty solid projection for a minor leaguer and became the piece to finalize the deal. I've continued to work to make the pen a little younger and this worked in that direction. Meanwhile, JP gets himself a Cardinal and one of the league's better closers.
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Re: Detroit Dealings

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179. Seth Romero to New York (AL) for Russell Martin

Pretty simple concept here -- Salvador Perez forced my hand. Blowing out his elbow leaves me without a starter and even though his slash line is horrendous, he would have provided excellent defense and above average power. Instead, I'm left with Omar Narvaez, Sandy Leon, and Jhonny Pereda. Not that inspiring. And not that Martin makes it more inspirational, but he adds a righty bat with almost a .330 OBP and some power (11 HR in 94 games). If he's average/average and stays healthy, I'll be pretty happy. It will likely be a rough year offensively out of the catcher spot for the Tigers. Romero is recovering from TJ and while he has upside, he's a moron. We'll see if he can keep it together.
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Re: Detroit Dealings

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180. Ronny Rodriguez, Austin Beck, Miguel Hiraldo to Oakland for Billy Hamilton, Wilmer Difo, Riley Pint

After a couple offseason trades, my outfield depth had become a bit of a concern. Rodriguez became a quick fix and a nice sim find, as he is VG at 32 positions, has some power and some speed. But Hamilton is a guy I have wanted to snag for a while, providing VG defense, an EX arm, and blazing speed on the bases. He came up an IBC Tiger and I was happy to get him back. Sadly, the dude can't get on base. If he could hit just a tad better, he'd be a superstar, but alas.
I reached out to Jag making an offer of Beck and Hiraldo for Hamilton. Given that Hamilton's value is tied solely to speed and D, I felt that a couple 40-45 prospects would work. But Jag and I never make an offer that is accepted right away. Jag countered with the current deal, which I felt was a good compromise. Adding Rodriguez for Pint and Difo wasn't enough to make things problematic from my side.
I take away the player I wanted to get that gives me a solid fourth OF and while the projections aren't too far off, the sim probably will treat Hamilton better than Rodriguez. That said, Rodriguez has played well so far this year. We'll see how that works out. Difo essentially provides the gap in defense that losing Rodriguez would create (middle infield coverage) and Pint is a hugely talented/no results player. The #4 overall pick just 3 years ago, Pint gets monster grades for his stuff, but the numbers are gaudily bad. He's got time.
Jag gets back a couple interesting pieces as well. Beck is better than his results, too, and I think could develop into a plus D CF with power. Hiraldo is way far off as a young 18 year old, but the scouting looks good and he could develop into a good hitter at the hot corner. The aforementioned Rodriguez has some sim magic given his D all over and should be a useful piece this year. Whether he develops further remains to be seen.
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Re: Detroit Dealings

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181. Blayne Enlow, Heriberto Hernandez to Philadelphia for Randal Grichuk

Pretty straightforward deal here. With a piling up of injuries and a year-long need for another right-handed power hitter, getting Grichuk checks some boxes. While he doesn't comprehend on base percentage, he knows how to hit home runs and has a cannon in right field. He's going to provide some much needed down-order help, especially given the injuries that have piled up so far this year. And, he is an above average defender, which gives me even more flexibility.
In return, Nick got one of my favorites from the 2017 class in Enlow. He's a #3/4 SP prospect in the Twins system. I actually traded up to get him because I believe in his stuff. He's been good, not great, but in a small sample size. I think he can be a major league pitcher. Hernandez I don't know as much about. I created him based on video game stats in the DSL. As an 18-year-old, he slashed .292/.462/.635 with 12 HR and more walks than strikeouts. He's maybe a first baseman or a catcher. Who knows if he has a future, but the numbers look great.
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Re: Detroit Dealings

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182. Edward Olivares to Chicago (AL) for Carlos Santana.

For every good trade, there is a bad trade and Santana reminds me of that. In the off-season, I needed a late inning reliever, so I traded Jim Santana for Silvino Bracho. Then Silvino Bracho blew out his arm in spring training, so I got nothing out of the deal.

Fast forward to June and the Tigers have about seven guys on the DL, so it would help to have useful bodies. Santana will slide into a DH role until Wilmer Flores returns and he provides an OBP producer with some power. As I predicted to Jim during the original trade negotiations, a return to Cleveland has helped Santana's production and he's having a great season.

In return for the 33-year-old, Jim picks up Olivares, who's having a solid season in AA, showing speed and increased power. The average is down a tad from his breakout April/May, but he could finish with 20 HR and 25 SB and a .350 OBP and he's already VG/VG in the sim.
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Re: Detroit Dealings

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183. JoJo Romero to Cincinnati for Shawn Armstrong

A bit of a sell low here on Romero, who entered the season as a clear Phillies top 5 prospect. He started the year at 22 in AAA and got hammered, so they sent him to AA. He hasn't been amazing in AA and when Nick didn't want him, I knew something was up. I still think a 22-year-old lefty pitcher has value and Ken will take the gamble on a 28-year-old reliever who's not very good but has a strong projection. This will hopefully help offset some of the injuries I'm dealing with currently.
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Re: Detroit Dealings

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184. Aramis Ademan to Oakland for Keone Kela, Ronny Rodriguez

I'm not usually in the business of dealing for injured players, but here we find ourselves. After Jag dealt away Chapman, I figured I'd inquire about Kela, who's been on the shelf for a month with shoulder issues. That's not usually an injury I want to pick up, but Kela has a very stout 145 ERA+ projection and great counting stats (2.82 ERA 67K/18BB 38H in 51 IP), which positions him as a potential closer down the stretch, if he can come back. I'm making this deal essentially banking on him being active by September. Otherwise, it's probably a loss. I also re-acquire Ronny Rodriguez, whom I dealt to Jag earlier this year. As mentioned in May, Rodriguez is VG at 32 positions in the sim, which again provides some much-needed depth. He's the perfect backup who can be a defensive replacement everywhere and may get a key hit here and there.
Heading to Oakland is a solid prospect in Aramis Ademan, whom I picked up in October after a drop. I pounced on him knowing that while he was struggling, he had been a touted infielder for the Cubs. And he continues to carry FV 50 grades with a top 10 prospect billing. He's somewhat close to the top 100, but he's got a solid bat and perhaps can get to below average power. So far this year, he's not shown much power, but has done a great job getting on base for a 20-year-old in A+. If he continues to develop, he has plenty of opportunity with not a ton in front of him in the Cubs' system. So, the deal costs me one of my better prospects, but I added infield depth and hopefully a 26-year-old still future closer.
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Re: Detroit Dealings

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185. Anthony Kay, Kevin Cron, Jonathan Ornelas to Atlanta for MIguel Sano, Jeremy Jeffress

It's been about a month since I last made a deal, mainly because I'm still trying to figure out what I'll need for the postseason rather than the regular season. But one of the areas I've identified is third base. Travis Shaw has a pretty nice projection with EX/VG power, good defense at three positions and a .254/.340/.472 slash line. Yet, like in real life, he has struggled for me. It's not as if Miguel Sano is lighting the world on fire, either, but with EX/EX power, eligibility at three positions (albeit two usable), he should represent some right-side power that is usable in a platoon situation. Jeffress has a nice 3.12 ERA projection and gives me a nice amount of bullpen depth for the rest of the season.

In return, Brett picks up a couple nice players to help him into the future. First up is top 100 prospect and rising pitcher Anthony Kay of the Mets. The UConn product has had a great season, dominating AA and working his way up to AAA at 24. The lefty has a real chance to crack the MLB roster in September. And even if he doesn't, he looks like a guy who will project well as soon as next year, as ZiPS loves most Mets pitchers. Cron has 34 home runs as of this writing between AAA and MLB. He has hit at least 22 home runs a year each year in the minors since 2015, so the power isn't a surprise. He has crushed AAA with a great K/BB ratio and an uninflated BABIP, which tells me he's trending in the right direction. He got two dozen games in MLB so far this year, popping six home runs, but with a high K rate. Next year, I think he's going to have a better projection and probably pretty close to Sano, as he is this year (.240/.292/.450 vs. .226/.321/.460). The third piece is Jonathan Ornelas, a toolsy SS prospect in the Rangers system who has gotten some Javier Baez comps for this athleticism. I'm a huge fan and the scouting says he can stick a short with power and speed. If he

One never knows how deals with prospects will turn out, but Kay and Cron are relatively low-risk and while Ornelas is 19 and far off, he could be a solid piece moving forward. I am hoping Jeffress can give me some innings late in the year and into the playoffs and Sano can add some right-handed power.
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Re: Detroit Dealings

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186. Noah Syndergaard, Miguel Sano, Detroit Draft Pick 1, Alexander Mojica to Houston for Nolan Arenado, Eric Lauer, Houston Draft Pick 3

Nothing like a monster trade to prep for the rest of the season, right? This conversation with Jake last night started with a "Yo," simply because I was seeking his advice on another offer. That offer included Syndergaard, whom I had offered to Jake in the past to try to pry Arenado away. As with most attempts, they didn't work and I had no expectation anything would change. As I was considering the other offer, Jake made a comment about how Soto and Arenado would be off-limits even though I wasn't asking about them.
Of course, that caused me to inquire further and ask whether he would consider a deal involving Thor, Sano, a prospect and a pick. From there, Jake made the offer that would become the final deal, much to my surprise.
It's been no secret I've been after a third baseman for a while. Shaw fell off a cliff this year after two-straight 30-home run seasons and there's not much immediately available to help. Sano was a nice acquisition to plug in a slugging righty who could extend the lineup and play average defense, for now.
But the opportunity to get one of the truly elite third basemen with Gold Glove defense was something I had to try. Giving up Thor is a huge loss, given that he is one of the true potential young aces in baseball with amazing stuff. He has a 6-win season under his belt and has the ability to ascend to the upper echelon of starting pitching. That said, the rumors of him being traded don't help given that Citi Field is a great pitcher's park. His past health issues also gave me some pause.
The addition of Lauer really helped this deal for me. While Thor is two years younger than Arenado, they were the clear headliners and I could wrap my head around Thor/Sano and Arenado. While Lauer isn't a stud, he's having a nice season and could get to 2 wins on the year. He's young, lefty, and in San Diego, which always helps. He will help me moving forward.
The first was tough to move because I love drafting, but it was an asset that's probably a FV 45 guy who hopefully I can find elsewhere. Mojica is a heck of a fun guy. He's super young and very far off, but the numbers are amazing in the DSL. Let's see if he can keep things going as he moves up the chain.
Jake now has a really fun Thor/Giolito top of the rotation and given how tough it is to find great pitching, that will help. Soto now anchors his lineup with Sano providing protection for the foreseeable. I now get to dump Arenado into the middle of my lineup and let his defense help me into the playoffs.
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Re: Detroit Dealings

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187. Lenny Torres, Chris Vallimont, Detroit Draft Pick 2 to Minnesota for Jon Lester, Kai-Wei Teng, Joey Murray

It's never an exciting prospect of trading for a veteran to make up for the loss of another veteran, but here we are. I actually had asked Jason about Lester a week ago and we began discussing a framework. Ultimately, I had hoped that Gio Gonzalez could provide some stability as a #4 for the rest of the year. Turns out I didn't want Gonzalez to be a #3 after the loss of Chris Sale, so in comes Lester as the new #3. Lester has a lot of positive attributes. For one, he's had success in Detroit in the past, particularly in 2016, when he was 18-2 with a 2.46 ERA over 234 innings. He was solid in 2017 as well, but sensing that he had lost something, I traded him to Washington last July. His numbers this year actually look very similar to his 2017 Cubs numbers, which may mean 2018 was an outlier. He could hit 3 wins on the year, which would bode well for a usable projection next year. For now, he's my Game 3 starter. Teng is a 20-year-old Taiwanese pitcher now in the Giants system (Hi Jake Hamilin) who FG gives a FV 40. He's 6'4 240 and has a mid-90s fastball, average curve and a potential plus change. Joey Murray is a Blue Jays pitcher with massive swing and miss stuff. He's amassed 149 strikeouts over A, A+ and AA this year vs. only 44 walks in 119 innings. He's achieved the success as a 2018 draftee due to deception and great backspin on his low-90s fastball. He's starting to get recognized.

In return, Jason picks up a late second round pick, my 2018 first round pick in Torres and a fast riser of his own in Chris Vallimont. Vallimont was a guy I created in the system due to his k/bb ratio and stature to stay in the rotation. At 6'5 220, I felt he could have the durability to remain as a starter if his stuff continued developing. He's moved up from A to A+ this year and was dealt at the deadline to Minnesota. He's got 141 strikeouts to 39 walks in 122 innings over two levels. Torres is recovering from Tommy John Surgery, but the reports on him out of high school in New York were great. I loved the pick last year and was bummed to hear he was undergoing surgery. But as a 17-year-old in the draft with a mid-90s fastball and top notch slider, he seemed like a good gamble. Unfortunately, it will take a little longer to see how he does, but Cleveland develops pitchers well.
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Re: Detroit Dealings

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188. Travis Shaw, Kai-Wei Teng to San Francisco for Willians Astudillo

This is essentially a selling of Travis Shaw, who was coming off two straight 30-home run seasons and age 29 looked like a bright spot as a #6 hitter for me this year. Unfortunately, DMB and MLB were on the same page related to Shaw, who hit .222 over 88 games for me and under .200 for the Brewers. This feels like a similar situation to Kole Calhoun from a couple years ago, who was absolutely atrocious and needed a few years to recover. While Shaw could provide some power off the bench, potentially, I think it's going to take some time -- and probably a new MLB team -- to get some regular playing time and be able to come back around. Teng was recently acquired from Minnesota in the Lester trade. He's a Taiwanese pitcher who's pretty massive and has nice stats in the low minors. But now he's on San Francisco, hence Hamlin.

Astudillo is a fun experiment. He's the chubby catcher-turned-utility for the Twins. He's currently on the IL with a strained oblique because he tried to jump and catch a ball, but he's short and fat. But the dude never strikes out and has a .280 average projection, playing five positions. He provides some nice cover at catcher and can play around the field. He's not going to steal bases, but he can hopefully fill in around the diamond. At 27, he has a little life in front of him and Twins fans love him, so he could stay on the field.
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Re: Detroit Dealings

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189. Keona Kela, Matt Barnes to Miami for Roberto Osuna, Hector Rondon

This ends up being kind of a minor swap of RP. Osuna is the youngest and best of the four, in my opinion, so the payoff is to give up players 2 and 3. This was a deal Nils and I discussed a couple times during the playoffs and decided to wait until after the postseason to execute. I'm a big Kela fan. I think he can end up being a solid late innings reliever. But the long-term injury in 2019 is a tad scary. I hope he can come back strong in 2020, but his ERA/FIP were a bit backwards. Barnes had a solid year in terms of WAR, but 5.3 walks per 9 is a little terrifying at the end of a game. Rondon is probably at this point a solid 7th inning guy. I would hope his projection makes him a usable option. He's had a solid career and is only 31, so I hope he's got a little juice left.
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