The best seat in the house is the view from the couch

2007 MLB Trading Deadline

Holy crap - I might be the most incompetant sports blogger in the history of the whole InstaWebs. Seriously, we're in the middle of an historic run of sports stories, and I can only find the time to post here once?

Like I said last week, there's Mike Vick and his nomination for PETA President, Tim Donneghy and his 15 minute Goodfellas cameo, and Barry Bonds' chase at history (just as long as he can do it at home with no chance of being booed or scrutinized. Pretty please? He'll even "donate" stuff to the Hall of Fame...)

Now, add to that this week is the MLB Trading Deadline (I have no idea how this snuck up on me) and the persistent rumor that the Boston Celtics may have just traded their way into the 2007/08 NBA Finals (with a legitimate shot to stop the Spurs/Suns).

I mean, where the hell have I been? (Besides Vegas and Atlantic City...)

I'm devoting the rest of this post to the MLB Trades and Rumors (including rumors that I'm starting...) Maybe I'll even come back tomorrow and discuss the Celtics, assuming anything happens.


So, tomorrow is "Trading day" in Major League Baseball (or it's today, if you're reading this post along with your morning coffee at your desk...) There have been a number of trades made in the past three weeks in MLB, and obviously the biggest name on the move appears to be Mark Teixeira going to Atlanta, pending physicals. To me, this move is good if, and only if, one of two things happens for the Braves - they win the World Series in '07 or '08 (or both), or Big Tex signs an extension before his deal expires next season.

The Braves are giving up a ton of talent in this trade, which is amazing considering the Rangers really had to move Teixeira given all the publicity they've received this month. Jarrod Saltalamacchia is the only current major leaguer on the move, but the other prospects Atlanta is giving up - SS Elvis Andrus and pitchers Matt Harrison and Neftali Feliz - all rate at top prospects in their organization.

Now, far be it for me to question a man as brilliant about the game of baseball as John Scheurholtz. This is the same man who turned former "top prospect" Andy Marte into Edgar Renteria, and still managed to get the Red Sox to pay $3M yearly to offset Renteria's salary.

In fact, for the most part, I believe that unless you have an absolute can't miss young prospect (Cole Hamels, Jonathon Papelbon, Jose Reyes, etc.) you don't think twice about trading them when given the chance to get a top level, high quality, proven player. However, you don't necessarily move prospects for guys that are having career seasons at the right time (Victor Zambrano to the Mets, Heathcliff Slocumb to the Mariners and Jeff Suppan to the Red Sox all come to mind).

But in a situation like this, where everybody with any understanding of baseball knew that Mark Teixeira would not be a Ranger by season's end, I think the Braves still overpaid. The Rangers were originally asking for a ridiculous amount of talent from other teams (case in point - Texas asked Boston for Jon Lester, Manny DelCarmen and minor league prospect Jacoby Ellsbury). There's no way that any team would pay their top three prospects in exchange for a very good player having a down year with only one more year on his contract.

But that's exactly what the Braves did. We'll never know how much they would have had to give up if they'd waited another 18 hours or so. But if they win it all in '07 or '08, or Teixeira falls back in love with the Atlanta area after leaving Georgia Tech, then it will have been worth it.


Now, as for the other moves made and rumored...

To me, the most significant move made so far (aside from Big Tex) was the Phillies grabbing Tad Iguchi from the White Sox. When Chase Utley broke his hand last week, Philadelphia fans nation-wide (alright... state-wide) (alright... city-wide) gasped as they thought that any hope of catching the Mets or staying in the Wild Card race went right out the door. In stepped Kenny Williams and the Chicago White Sox, trading away Iguchi for a Low A-Ball prospect (?!?) and saving the Phillies' chances.

Iguchi might not duplicate Utley's numbers - let's be honest, Utley is a top-3 second baseman in the majors - but he will at least provide them the best possible option to replace what they lost in Utley. With him in the infield, the Phillies at least stand a chance.

Of course, as I write this, I'm watching the Phillies lose two right fielders to leg injuries - Shane Victorino and Michael Bourn - within two innings of each other. So who knows, maybe they'll have to go grab Jermaine Dye too if they want to stay competetive. Injuries are the best way to level a playing field - the Mets are reeling with players on the DL - the teams on top usually get there by not only playing the best, but staying the healthiest.


As for the other deals... well, two more moves have been made today since the Teixeira story broke. The Mets grabbed Luis Castillo (very, VERY good pickup) and the Phillies added Kyle Lohse (?!?) to their rotation. The Castillo trade makes a lot of sense - the Mets needed help their blackhole at second, and the Twins are always looking to add more young, cheap prospects - in this case, a catcher and an outfielder. But the Phillies picking up a pitcher with career numbers of 60-74, 4.83 ERA - including this year's stellar 6-12, 4.58 in the NL Central - is a deal that rivals the D-Rays/Astros Dan Wheeler for Ty Wigginton head-scratcher.

But again, what do I know - I'm just a fan and a writer. These guys get paid to make these kind of mistakes - I'm spending hours writing about it just for fun. Maybe they've got it all figured out.


Quickly, before I end this, I had a nice day and a half in Atlantic City this weekend, playing cards and drinking beers with some friends that I hadn't seen in awhile. Perhaps more than anything else, the beers led to a fantastic Quote of the Week from my buddy Knob while we ate dinner in the Hooter's restaurant in the Tropicana casino:

"It's like I'm on the world's greatest safari - I just can't stop looking around..."

Lata.

Labels: 2007, MLB, Trade Rumors, Where the hell have I been?

posted by Big D @ 7:41 PM