S3F Tackles the 2008 Trade Deadline

[browntown653]

Has MLB ever seen a better in-season flurry of trades than 2008? A reigning Cy Young Winner, a 600+ HR hitter, a 500+ HR hitter/World Series MVP, a Hall of Fame catcher, a 1B good enough to want a 10-year contract (with help from Scott Boras)…you get the picture. We were going to ask for Steve Phillips’ expert opinion on the deals, but…we realized that, well, wasn’t exactly expert opinion. So Zito, mission, and I decided to take things into our own hands. Here’s your analysis of the big deals from 2008.


BROWNTOWN'S THOUGHTS

Dodgers get LF Manny Ramirez
Red Sox get LF Jason Bay
Pirates get 3B Andy LaRoche, P Bryan Morris, P Craig Hansen, OF Brandon Moss

The biggest deadline deal in years is arguably the biggest deal of the year. Manny Ramirez will go down in history as one of the greatest right-handed hitters ever and one of the best players in Red Sox history, but his “Manny being Manny” antics had clearly riled up everyone too much in Beantown. A change was imminent, and while at first glance it seems Boston gave up a hell of a lot to get Jason Bay, it’s a good long-term deal for them. Moss and Hansen are probably no more than B-level prospects, and Bay is already a star player. It’s a wonderful deal for the Dodgers though, who get Manny essentially free for the rest of the season. There’s no question in my mind Manny will be extremely motivated in LA, both to get a new contract and to stick it to the Sox. He’s already hustling out ground balls!! Stop the presses!! Throughout the whole Manny trade talks, I felt like Pittsburgh was the proverbial third wheel. I’d love to say they got some good prospects here, but the Pirates have been where ‘spects go to die far too often. Andy LaRoche looks very promising, but he’s the only guy here in the Baseball America Top 100 at #31. Morris is still in low A ball, Moss doesn’t look like much more than an OK 3rd outfielder, and Hansen’s control is all over the place. I like Neal Huntington, but until these guys do anything I’m not convinced that Pittsburgh made off great here, because, well, it’s Pittsburgh. Look for LA to ride Manny to an NL West championship and Bay to be a solid performer in Boston in the long-term, although nobody should expect him to be Manny.

Winners: Boston for getting rid of Manny, LA for getting Manny at no monetary cost, the Yankees for not having to face Manny 19 times a year anymore, LA fans for getting to see less of Andruw Jones and Juan Pierre
Losers: Pittsburgh for not getting great prospects, Andruw Jones, Juan Pierre, Matt Kemp, and Andre Ethier for losing playing time

Brewers get SP CC Sabathia
Indians get OF Matt LaPorta, RHP Rob Bryson, LHP Zach Jackson, PTBNL

Since joining the Brewers, CC Sabathia has dropped the periods from his first name, but more importantly pitched like the Cy Young he was last season. Here are his numbers in 6 starts: 5-0, 3 CG, 1 SHO, 48 IP, 35 H, 43 K, 1.88 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 231 ERA+. Yikes. The Brewers probably won’t re-sign Sabathia, but they still get two draft picks if they offer him arbitration. As for Cleveland, they get a stud prospect in OF/1B LaPorta, who has massive power potential. Jackson is destined to probably be no more than a AAAA left-hander. Bryson could be a very impressive closing prospect, with 82 strikeouts in 66.1 IP and a stellar .199 AVG against. He has a bit of control issues but at only 20 could still get those ironed out and become a great big league reliever some day. Plus there’s the fact that they weren’t going to re-sign Sabathia anyway.

Winners: Brewers for getting an ace, Indians for getting two solid prospects back for a guy they weren’t going to re-sign
Losers: Periods

Cubs get SP Rich Harden, P Chad Gaudin
A's get SP Sean Gallagher, OF Matt Murton, 2B/OF Eric Patterson, C Josh Donaldson

Ah, Rich Harden, one of the toughest players in baseball to analyze. On one hand you have the guy who’s absolutely dominant when healthy, on the other hand is the guy who’s practically never healthy. Harden has been nearly as good as Sabathia in the NL with a sparkling 2.10 ERA and 47 Ks in 30 innings with a 1.03 WHIP for the Cubbies. I like the move a lot for Chicago as it gives them a second legitimate front-of-the-rotation starter to go with the Big Z, not to mention Ryan Dempster who’s also having a career year. That’s an absolutely filthy Top 3 for the Cubbies if (when) they make the postseason. Almost an afterthought in this deal was Gaudin who is putting up some awesome numbers with Chicago to the tune of a 1.84 ERA in 13 games with a 0.81 WHIP. Gaudin sported a 3.24 ERA with Oakland last year and it’s shocking to see the A’s include him as practically a throw-in here. You figure Billy Beane usually knows what he’s doing, but this isn’t a particularly strong group of players he’s getting back here. The Cubs get a high-risk, high-reward player in Harden and give up guys who were pretty much blocked by other players. Oakland probably just got fed up with Harden being injury prone and figured they’d get something for him while they could. Gallagher could be a very good starter though and the bottom line is you should never doubt Billy Beane.

Winners: Cubs for getting a dominant starter for the postseason run
Losers: Matt Murton’s Chicago based fan club

Phillies get SP Joe Blanton
A's get 2B Adrian Cardenas, LHP Josh Outman, OF Matt Spencer

That’s the Billy Beane we know! Cardenas is rated the Phillies’ best prospect, even if he is in A ball. Sure, he was being blocked by Chase Utley at the big league level, but a lot can happen between A ball and the bigs. Besides, Blanton posted an OPS+ of 79 while pitching in the spacious Oakland Coliseum. What makes anyone think he’ll do better in the Great American Sandbox? By the way…is there a better last name for a pitcher than “Outman?”

Winners: A’s for getting some value for a below-average pitcher, Phillies fans in the outfield seats
Losers: Phillies

Brewers get 2B Ray Durham
Giants get LHP Steve Hammond, OF Darren Ford

Ray Durham may be pushing 37, but at least he was hitting above league average this year. A lot of people have always liked Rickie Weeks as a future star, but the future is certainly not now. Weeks’ numbers this year are ugly with an 89 OPS+ and a .223 average. Durham has been, well, pretty awful so far for Milwaukee with a .186 average and a 53 OPS+ in 26 at bats, but has always been a solidly above average hitter. San Francisco is probably just selling for the sake of selling here: neither Hammond nor Ford project out to be a great player, but there was really no point in them keeping Durham anyway.

Winners: Brewers for getting a solid second baseman to push Weeks
Losers: Giants fans against the rebuilding effort…so, nobody smart

Diamondbacks get RP Jon Rauch
Nationals get 2B Emilio Bonifacio

This is an under-the-radar, solid deal for Arizona. Rauch has a 2.96 ERA and a .099 WHIP in 55 games this season and immediately fills a bullpen void for the Diamondbacks. He could be the 8th-inning guy or closer by the end of the season and is only 29 years old, with many productive years ahead of him. Rauch was performing very well, very quietly with the horrific Nats. That begs the question: why would Washington unload him? Bonifacio is a 23-year old second baseman who’s already cracked the bigs (not hard to do with Washington), with good speed and defense. However, he’s got little power and may not be a good enough hitter to be a full-time player. You have to believe the Nats should have got a better haul with so many teams in the relief market.

Winners: Diamondbacks for getting a very good reliever
Losers: Jim Bowden (shocker) and the Nats

Yankees get OF Xavier Nady, RP Damaso Marte
Pirates get RHP Ross Ohlendorf, OF Jose Tabata, SP Jeff Karstens, SP Dan McCutchen

The X man may be having a career year, but he’s a monster of an upgrade over Brett Gardner or Justin Christian for the Yanks at the corner outfield. The addition of Nady allows the Yankees to probably take a pass on Bobby Abreu’s huge option for next season and stick Nady into RF for the foreseeable future. He has done nothing but mash since coming over with an OPS+ of 231!!! in 34 at-bats, including a couple clutch home runs. Overall, Nady is hitting at a .335 clip with a 150 OPS+ this season and is still only 29. Marte has struggled so far with the Yanks but has always been a fairly dependable lefty reliever. A career ERA+ of 137 and a 1.26 WHIP should let him slide into the setup role vacated by the now-departed Kyle Farnsworth. As for Pittsburgh, this was a much criticized deal for them with Tabata the only potential great player in the deal. However, he’s hitting worse than expected and is a head case with multiple off the field issues. Ohlendorf’s best-case scenario is probably a 7th inning guy or #5 starter, he has great stuff but is very inconsistent. Then you have Karstens, who just finished throwing 7.2 perfect innings against the D-Backs today. Still, he doesn’t project as a great or even good starter and will probably be at the back of Pittsburgh’s rotation. It’s a classic case of the Pirates selling for $0.75 on the dollar.

Winners: Yankees for adding two impact players, Nady for getting the reverse treatment from 2006 (out of a NY pennant race, now back into one)
Losers: Pirates, and their fans for seeing more good players go for little

Dodgers get 3B Casey Blake, CASH CONSIDERATIONS
Indians get RHP Jon Meloan, C Carlos "Black Magic Woman" Santana

The Dodgers get a solid player here in Blake to fill a void at third base. Blake is hitting .294 with a 119 OPS+ this year and 12 home runs, solid if not spectacular numbers. His problem is, according to Keith Law, “he’s a statue at third base.” Cleveland gets another good return here with Meloan who has a couple good pitches and could be a solid reliever, and Santana, a switch-hitting catcher who projects out to be an everyday player. Los Angeles definitely overpays for a solid veteran but we see with this and the Manny trade, they’re going for it this year, and in the NL, why not?

Winners: Indians, a couple solid prospects for an average player
Losers: Derek Lowe, this won’t help his ground ball defense

Angels get 1B Mark Teixeira
Braves get 1B Casey Kotchman, RHP Stephen Marek

The Angels made this move for one reason and reason alone, and that’s purely so they could win the World Series. They’ve got the AL West locked up but their only issue was a luck of run producers in the lineup. In Tex they get an excellent run producer who fits right into the middle of their lineup. It’s a bit out of character for Anaheim to make what is essentially a rental move here but it could be the move that puts them over the top. Casey Kotchman is a solid 25-year old first baseman who could become a pretty good player but he’ll never be the star that Teixeira already is. His OPS+ of 100 is squarely league-average and he’s off to an abysmal start with the Braves hitting .185 with a 51 OPS+. Stephen Marek is a near-25-year old in AA, and probably won’t be anything special, especially next year when he turns from prospect stars into overall stars…um, never mind.

Winners: Los Angeles, Anaheim, California, the United States, Earth, the Milky Way galaxy, and their hometown angels
Losers: Braves – Essentially they traded Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Beau Jones, Elvis Andrus, Matt Harrison, and Neftali Feliz for Casey Kotchman, Stephen Marek, and half a season of Ron Mahay. Eek.

Yankees get C Ivan Rodriguez
Tigers get RP Kyle Farnsworth

This was a completely out-of-nowhere move but a good one for the Yankees. The catching tandem of Jose Molina and Chad Moeller was an absolute offensive black hole and if nothing else Pudge gives them an average if not slightly better offensive catcher. His best defensive days are behind him but he can still throw out runners at a higher percentage than most. Farnsworth was the setup guy for New York but can be replaced by one of Marte, Veras, Bruney, Ramirez, etc. Detroit made this trade to try and bolster their bullpen, but Farnsworth has already blown a couple games for them. He’s been right around league average for relievers the last 3 seasons although he did enjoy some success in Detroit in the past. Both players are FAs at year’s end, and the Yankees will get compensation if they offer Pudge arbitration.

Winners: Yankees for getting a legitimate catcher,
Losers: Heart doctors of Tigers fans (just wait until Farnsworth takes the mound)

Mariners get OF Ken Griffey Jr.
Reds get RHP Nick Masset, INF Danny Richar

From an out-of-the-blue trade to…well, another out-of-the-blue deal, or out-of-the-red if you wanna go for the obvious pun. It’s hard to imagine that trading Ken Griffey Jr. could be considered a straight salary dump, but that’s pretty much what it is at this point. Neither Masset nor Richar are overwhelming and don’t project to be much more than OK major leaguers. As for Griffey, it’s really a bit hard to imagine what the White Sox are thinking here. LF Quentin, CF Swisher, RF Dye, 1B Konerko, DH Thome…where does he fit in? At this point I would say Junior is best-suited for part-time duty, but will he accept it? If he has to, I think so because he’ll be energized by the chance to chase that elusive ring, even if it is a bit of a longshot for Chicago.

Winners: Griffey Jr., he goes from the cellar to the top floor, or something like that
Losers: Nick Swisher, Paul Konerko, and Jim Thome

Marlins get LHP Arthur Rhodes
Mariners get RHP Gaby Hernandez

This is really a strange trade for the Marlins. This is the type of a deal that a buyer makes, trading for a 38 year old lefty reliever, yet Florida didn’t do anything else to solidify their buyer status. They have an intriguing team for the future (as usual) but it’s not like Arthur Rhodes is going to put them over the top this year. He’s having an excellent season so far but has been extremely up-and-down in his career. Hernandez has a couple decent pitches and could possibly be a solid player, and Seattle gets him in exchange for a 38-year-old situational lefty. That’s a good deal in my book.

Winners: Mariners, something that hasn’t happened often for them this year
Losers: Anyone expecting a 3rd big deal on deadline day

[BREAK=Kingdom_of_Zito's take]

KINGDOM_OF_ZITO'S TAKE

Dodgers get LF Manny Ramirez
Red Sox get LF Jason Bay
Pirates get 3B Andy LaRoche, P Bryan Morris, P Craig Hansen, OF Brandon Moss

So the new... well, news, is that veterans on the Boston Redsox went to managment wanting Manny to go (let's face it, the veterans were probably Kevin Youkilis and Jason Varitek, guys who in the past have had minor scuffles with the Man-Ram), I could be wrong on the who but it's the matter of fact that when teammates think he needs to go, it's that time. But I'm in this boat, the one that thinks Boston's pitching has got to improve for them to matter for the rest of the season. I think they have a good offense, Ortiz is back and one has to think Ellsbury is too talented to continue in a funk (wisely, they give more ABs to Lowrie and Cora than Lugo as of late). Bay is no knock off. He was hurt last year, so his numbers were down across the board. You're getting a guy who's deservingly repped the lowly pirates in the allstar game in the past, but also started for the N.L.. He has good power, it might be even enhanced playing at a really kind hitters park in Fenway, he gets on base a lot (big walks guy). In the past, he's also hit over .300, stolen 21 bases (he doesn't get caught much), and walked over 100 times. He's no slouch, he's just never been on a big market team. Boston still has David Ortiz and Josh Beckett, the pressure is not squarely on him. On the flipside, the dodgers gamble on a proven hitter and proven clutch hitter. And they need offense, they've been horrible for years, limited power and many underachieving bats. You put a slugger like Manny in with a mix of Martin, Loney, Kemp and Ethier, things are going to pick up. All of the attention, it's on him. It's a bold move that might backfire, or it might push them over the top. Arizona only managed to get depth, so they're not untouchable. The pirates, the poor miserable pirates managed to land 8 players through trades, about half with some major league experience, but a lot of things disappear forever in Pittsburgh.

Advantage: Manny's ego, and Boston
Disadvantage: Everyone, including me, that thought Brandon Moss was black.

Brewers get SP CC Sabathia
Indians get OF Matt LaPorta, RHP Rob Bryson, LHP Zach Jackson, PTBNL

You really have to feel disheartened if you're an indians fan. This season has been in every shape and form a major disappointment, perhaps one of the greatest in baseball. You've suffered injuries to top players, witnessed horrible hitting and horrible pitching. You also saw Sabathia dealt for about 45 cents on the dollar. But if you're a brewer fan, you're beside yourself with happiness. You avoided giving up guys like Escobar (let's face it, they have several LaPorta types as is, i.e. no defense/one dimensional sluggers) and you landed an ace to help carry the pitching staff. Sabathia eats innings and tends to put the team on his shoulders in big spots (okay, he kinda flamed out in the playoffs and the cubs got to him), but his presence alone inspires confidence in a team that hasn't been to the playoffs since I've existed. You know they'll likely lose Sheets and Sabathia, so it's pretty obvious that this rental is a mad dash to win the central and go deep into the postseason. It's a gamble, but they took a gamble on a guy with little baggage (in terms of character). It's a remarkable move actually. And the world sinks a bit when Sabathia runs to first with Fielder covering. For the indians, they at least got an ideal replacement for Travis "my hitting talent got stuck on an island on ABC" Hafner.

Advantage: Brewers
Disadvantage: Indian fans and everyone that's ever hoped Jackson would pan out in OOTP leagues

Cubs get SP Rich Harden, P Chad Gaudin
A's get SP Sean Gallagher, OF Matt Murton, 2B/OF Eric Patterson, C Josh Donaldson

9 times out of 10, one of us who are mere pawns in the world of baseball, i.e. we really don't know anything, are wrong after judging a Billy Beane deal. He hits on a lot of things, either talent he gets ends up better than people thought or something he traded that we absolutely had scathing remarks over for letting go, die. Make no mistake about it, he knows more than we do and it's pretty funny to see "we raped the A's" comments. The cardinals thought the very same thing years ago. As usual, this is a deal that initially, on paper, seems very underwhelming for the A's. They do get 3 guys with some major league experience but it doesn't seem like any of the players they got have a full reputation of being a premiere young player. Gallagher has generated the best buzz, Murton once had a decent season but seems destined as a 4th outfielder. You know what shocked more on this deal more than anything? The fact that they moved Gaudin in the same deal, the cubs bolstered the pen with him- while having an emergency starting pitcher in the wings. Harden is not durable, but when he's out there, he does great. His career numbers are impressive, it's just that the number of games pitched and innings are really.. nothing to write home about. But as we've seen, he's had four good starts with the cubs and has 39 strikeouts in 4 games. You probably wouldn't have expected it at the beginning of the season, but a trio of Zambrano-Dempster-Harden is highly formidable.

Advantage: Cubbies
Disadvantage: Corey Patterson, he's now further away from Eric

Phillies get SP Joe Blanton
A's get 2B Adrian Cardenas, LHP Josh Outman, OF Matt Spencer

This is a much better deal initially for the A's. Blanton is nothing amazing, and honestly, while he's an upgrade over Eaton and Kendrick, most pitchers at this point are an upgrade over Eaton and Kendrick. He might help, but he goes to a park that's home to a lot of homeruns. He'll also have to face the marlins bash first ask questions later lineup and pitch in New York. He's got a lot in store for him and I just don't see him factoring in much if the phillies are to win the division. But they had to do something, Brett Myers has mostly been awful and they're not going anywhere if Hamels support is 67 year old Jamie Moyer.

Advantage: Athletics
Disadvantage: Adam Eaton

Brewers get 2B Ray Durham
Giants get LHP Steve Hammond, OF Darren Ford

In short, the giants sold fairly high on a career overachiever who probably had his best months in the first half. I don't know of the guys the giants got but getting anything remotely useful out of Durham is a win win. This also speaks highly to how disappointing Rickie Weeks has been and that's a shame.

Advantage: Giants
Disadvantage: Brewers' optimism on Weeks

Diamondbacks get RP Jon Rauch
Nationals get 2B Emilio Bonifacio

This is a pretty solid pick up for the dbacks. They really need some good hitters, but all they could get was Tony Clark. If they're going to win, it's overwhelming pitching and they do have a pretty sexy front line in the rotation and good potential in the bullpen. Rauch had a nice run with the nationals, the Olympic hero has gone from unheralded pitching prospect to bust to changing his career path to be a reliable reliever. It's a journey, and I've always liked the guy. He literally sees eye to eye with Randy Johnson.

Advantage: Arizona
Disadvantage: Announcers sounding out the guy the nationals got

Yankees get OF Xavier Nady, RP Damaso Marte
Pirates get RHP Ross Ohlendorf, OF Jose Tabata, SP Jeff Karstens, SP Dan McCutchen

I realize the majority of reaction is that the yankees did not give up much to get Nady and Marte. That might end up the case, we don't know, but it doesn't inspire confidence in the pirate managment when they traded for a guy more worried about his Little Debbie intake (Tabata). Ohlendorf has major league experience, it just hasn't been that great of an experience for him or the yankees. The Untyer (Nady) has been pretty good this season, in fact, he's had a solid career, but he rarely stays healthy. But, he is hitting over .300 with 60 rbis this year, who wouldn't want that to join Jeter-ARod-Giambi? You know what I equate this to? Mntwinsfan trading away great talent for 40 cents on the dollar cause he took up the first guy offering to him. It feels like that's what happened here and it's unfortunate because the pirates are perhaps one of the saddest franchises around. It bothers me that I've been to their games, enjoyed them, but they just won't amount to much. Ever.

Advantage: Yankees
Disadvantage: Kyle Farnsworth, he's now public enemy #1 in the pen

Dodgers get 3B Casey Blake, CASH CONSIDERATIONS
Indians get RHP Jon Meloan, C Carlos Santana
Blake has had a pretty solid season so far for the indians. By comparison, he's had a great season next to the guys that the dodgers trotted out there. Nearly everyone they have used has hit the DL and Dewitt had sputtered in recent months. They did overpay for Blake, it's kinda sad that the indians got a better package for a solid role player like Blake than an ace like Sabathia. Dodgers panicked, but this could pay off as Manny and Blake do provide pop in a lineup that's been pretty empty for years. L.A. can only hope Meloan never full gains control of all of his pitches (this man has a gazillion strikeouts but a high ERA) and Santana never amounts to much. But in recent years, the dodgers are finding that several of the young players they have dealt have turned out fairly well.

Advantage: Cleveland
Disadvantage: Realmofotalk's emotions

Angels get 1B Mark Teixeira
Braves get 1B Casey Kotchman, RHP Stephen Marek

As a braves fan, this was painful. It was going to happen, especially with Teixeira/Boras' ridiculous demands for a new contract and how cheap Atlanta has become in recent years. One wonders if Teixeira would have pulled in more through compensation than what Atlanta got? I'm not entirely sure, that part of baseball has always confused me but I do feel they at least made a solid move in NOT trading Teixeira for Chad Tracy. Now, the angels are a team I can cheer for, they're ran pretty well with aggressive managment and one hell of a fine coach in Sciosca. We always talk about how much the cardinals tend to yank out of their pitchers, what about the angels coaching staff? I really don't think Weaver or Garland are any good but they've been fine for 4 and 5 types and look at the evolution of Ervin Santana. Scary part, the guy with maybe the best stuff of their starting pitchers, Kelvim Escobar, hasn't even been apart of the squad. Most the pen has changed since their world series victory (KRod and Shields remain though). With all of that said, they go get a monster hammer that's under 30 to boost an offense that has largely been mediocre. They play small ball quite effectively but they have to, with Vlad not thr 40 homerun guy anymore, Gary Matthews Jr. has been terrible, and the production from their catchers has fallen off in recent months. They absolutely needed someone to anchor the lineup and they got a switch hitting former Gold Glove 1B to do so. See that's what made the deal even more remarkable for the angels: Kotchman was a good defensive player and with him gone you figure that'll hurt things. But he's never even won a gold glove. Texy had great success in the A.L., especially in the West division, so I don't see him having any problems adjusting. Atlanta gets a hitter and a fine defensive replacement in Kotchman (but now he's due to get hurt). I wish they had gotten a little more since they gave up 5 players to get Teix.

Advantage: Angels
Disadvantage: Kendry Morales

Yankees get C Ivan Rodriguez
Tigers get RP Kyle Farnsworth
Give credit to the tigers for moving a disgruntled employee. It grew apparent that they favored Reefer's boy Brandon Inge. But then again, they shipped him to an immediate rival contender. They pulled out the hard throwing Farnsworth, who had previously flourished in Detroit but things have changed since then and Farnsy had progressively gotten worse since his first Tiger stint. You also throw another powder keg in the mix with Sheffield and co. For the yankees, it's simple, they needed a catcher that was reliable offensively. Look, Pudge is a hall of fame bound catcher who will go down as one of the greatest defensive catchers but right now he's not what he once was and Jose Molina has done a great job of handling pitchers. He just doesn't hit. Problem solved. I mean really, could you not script a better replacement for Posada on the season than Pudge?

Advantage: Yankees
Disadvantage: Sidney Ponson, now becoming public enemy #1 on the yankees

Chicago Whitesox get OF Ken Griffey Jr.
Reds get RHP Nick Masset, INF Danny Richar

Perhaps the white sox didn't really give up anything amazing, but that would be for good reason. They failed to address the glaring need of pitching, after Floyd-Danks-Buerhle, it gets dicey. You cannot defend Vazquez, he's terrible and after you watch him against most good teams, you see how worse he gets. The pen has been fantastic, but is battling injuries (Jenks was on the DL, Linebrink went on the DL, and Thornton was banged up). Junior may be hitting a little better than Konerko but face it, the defensive shuffle to start him weakens the defense. Either Swisher or Thome plays 1st, that brings it down there. Swisher is no marvel in the outfield, but wouldn't you prefer him over a guy who had to be moved to rightfield? I don't know, I hope Guillen doesn't get caught in the moment and just uses him as a specialist, cause that's about all Junior is at this point in his career.

Advantage: Reds
Disadvantage: Mike Cameron

Marlins get LHP Arthur Rhodes
Mariners get RHP Gaby Hernandez

I don't know how Hernandez will turn out, he seems to have struggled in the minors, but I'm not crazy about the marlins giving up an arm to get a 38 year old reliever who has had his share of up and downs in his career. Rhodes failed as a closer, but has returned to being a solid reliever. He's still nothing to dance over. Somehow that's still an upgrade cause Florida pitching has been pretty miserable, granted they're mostly really young pitchers and journeymen. Florida does have Johnson and Anibal Sanchez back, that's almost as good a pick up as any other team has made. But like the jump start Rays, the fish mostly stood pat and I say that's a pretty good call. I applaud them for not being apart of the Manny trade. They have so much youth, and a good bit is performing at a high level this season. They'll have Olsen, Nolasco, Sanchez, and Johnson ready to go next season, and they can work on catcher and pen in the offseason. They'll give chase to the phillies and mets, they'll play spoiler, but they'll fall short. But they won't stay down for long.

Advantage:No one right now
Disadvantage: Armando Benitez

[BREAK=Missionhockey21's take]

MISSIONHOCKEY21'S ANALYSIS

Dodgers get LF Manny Ramirez
Red Sox get LF Jason Bay
Pirates get 3B Andy LaRoche, P Bryan Morris, P Craig Hansen, OF Brandon Moss

I was initially a big fan of this deal for the Pirates, and I still am. However, despite Manny being the prima donna he is, he still brings one of the best bats that have ever graced an MLB field to the Dodgers. With Casey Blake, the Dodgers really did not need LaRoche (at least for this season) and gave up relatively little to add a guy who manages to continue to show his worth. Without discussing his play in the field and despite some slowdown, Manny has no way declined like some would have thought he had by now and he has earned every penny of that massive contract. The presence he adds alone will change how opposing pitchers view the Dodger lineup. The Red Sox got out of the Manny situation to get a guy like Bay who will put up comparable numbers but will not bring the Manny presence, however it is a smart move given his contract lasting into '09.

Winner: Dodgers. Got Manny on the cheap, in a division ripe for the taking.
Loser: Rays. The Rays lost out on a needed bat in Bay for prospects that they are over-valuing. I understand wanting to sustain the franchise, but when a team like the Rays have their first serious chance of competing and they not only fail to pull the trigger, but in doing so their rival benefits... that is just a hardcore loss.

Brewers get SP CC Sabathia
Indians get OF Matt LaPorta, RHP Rob Bryson, LHP Zach Jackson, PTBNL

This deal has been analyzed time after time and I am sure we are all familiar enough with CC's contract status, LaPorta's skills, etc. This move, more than anything, showed that the Brewers are serious about winning now. The clock is ticking in Milwaukee as Ben Sheets sets to test free agency and they as always sit on a boatload of talent. LaPorta projects to be a fine slugger, maybe even a really good one, but the Brewers know about drafting and about developing talent. They not only managed to keep their best prospects but trade one who is much better fitted for the AL and not the NL Central. Sabathia entered Milwaukee and will surely exit it as well to listen to offers from any and all interested; new teammate Sheets will certainly follow him. When you have the kind of development success that Milwaukee does and a core talent that they do at the MLB level, not pulling a deal like this to hopefully win the division and sustain life in postseason play would have just been stupid. This was not a bad deal for the Indians, but as Escobar was not included I still believe they should have waited on their hands for either a better offer or for the Brew Crew to get desperate enough to meet their demands.

Winner: Brewers
Loser: Brewers' catering team

Cubs get SP Rich Harden, P Chad Gaudin
A's get SP Sean Gallagher, OF Matt Murton, 2B/OF Eric Patterson, C Josh Donaldson

On the surface this deal appears awful given the association that comes with Rich Harden. Many, especially an NL fan like myself, think of the young dominant ace for the A's first and the injury plagued pitcher second. Harden is a risk, but a risk with a potentially huge payoff and in his brief time he has completely dominated while in the NL. However after more research into Gallagher after this deal was completed, I was liking it more and more for the A's as well. Gallagher, at 22, pitched well in every stop he made in the minors, has stuff that projects to be well above average with other pitches that project even higher, and seems to have the mental peripherals needed to succeed. The A's may have very well received a guy who should be among the top three starting spots as the A's begin to compete on the fruits of Beane's labor in their new stadium down the road. The other three in the deal are all solid, with Murton and Patterson both pretty good bets to be at least useful role players. There is no question that the A's could be royally jobbed in the end if Harden remains healthy and pitches to talent for years to come, but given his fat contract in 2009 and his risk, for a rebuilding team like the A's it was absolutely the right time to deal him. The Cubs, due to his risk, paid a lower premium and obviously improved their playoff chances assuming Harden continues to stay healthy.

Winner: Cubs and A's
Loser: Oakland based doctors

Phillies get SP Joe Blanton
A's get 2B Adrian Cardenas, LHP Josh Outman, OF Matt Spencer

The return for Blanton finally came and it was a pretty decent haul considering Blanton's talent level. Cardenas is a middle infield prospect who has ripped the cover off the ball in high-A ball and Outman, despite some control issues, is racking up close to a K per inning in AA. To get the Phillies top mid-season prospect as rated by Baseball America for a guy with stuff that at best would pass for a #4 is really quite a return, however Blanton does come as an upgrade to the junk the Phillies have been throwing out there. Blanton is what he is, a guy who projects to be league average and eat a lot of innings, and even if the return might end up being a bit higher than his value Cardenas is still a risky proposition at A-level ball. After Harden departed the coast of Cali, it only made sense to ship off Blanton, however Beane would have had a better haul had he aggressively dealt him at the end of 2007 with a season that was unlikely to be repeated again by Blanton. This deal helps out Philly in the immediate and Oakland in the long-term.

Winner: A's and Phillies
Loser: Beane, for not dealing Blanton at a peak value

Brewers get 2B Ray Durham
Giants get LHP Steve Hammond, OF Darren Ford

The Giants sold awfully low here, essentially trading for the sake of trading. Hammond is a finesse lefty who was too old for AA, and by early indications, not good enough for AAA; Ford is a speedy guy in the low levels who can't seem to hit. That was the haul for Durham, a solid OBP that could be counted on and a good amount of doubles. Durham is 36 though and more than anything this was a signal to Weeks that his job was not indefinitely safe due to his once prospect status and either he starts hitting or Durham starts playing more. Well, Weeks got the picture right away and start hitting to the tune of what most expected from him. The Brewers have still played Durham and increased his playing time despite Weeks. No matter who wins the battle in the end for the position, the Brewers are hoping that added depth like this will help them win the war.

Winner: Brewers
Loser: Giants, Steve Hammond for trying to win over the chosen hearts of San Francisco who will always compare him to legendary two year Giant Jeffery Hammonds

Diamondbacks get RP Jon Rauch
Nationals get 2B Emilio Bonifacio

Jim Bowden (Nationals' GM) has a vice. It's not bourbon, brownest of the brown liquors, or women or even leather pants, it is toolsy players. Bonifacio is athletic and is toolsy, but he doesn't project to be much unless A, B, C, D, and so on occur. To get that, Bowden gave up a fairly young reliever turned closer who can put up a nice K/9 and doesn't get hit too hard.... oh and he can throw a ton of innings too. While it is true that the Nationals do not project to be contenders this year or next year and Rauch might not be part of the overall plan, trading a guy with value and a positive contract status (cheap control lasting into 2010) just doesn't make much sense at all for the return. An even more positive note for Diamondback fans after getting yet another effective under 30 arm with a great contract status for not much at all (Haren being the last one of note) is that the dealing of Bonifacio might signal that the D'Backs have high hopes and or positive discussions with free agent to be Orlando Hudson.

Winners: Diamondbacks, Orlando Hudson's agent
Loser: Nationals

Yankees get OF Xavier Nady, RP Damaso Marte
Pirates get RHP Ross Ohlendorf, OF Jose Tabata, SP Jeff Karstens, SP Dan McCutchen

Look at the return for the Pirates and consider that early reports floated names such as top prospect Austin Jackson or Melky Cabrera would need to be in the deal given what the Yankees are receiving. To say that the Yankees made out like bandits would be putting it lightly. The Yankees received two of the Pirates most coveted treasures, both with reasonable contract statuses, for Tabata and others. It's true that Nady has had 1500+ MLB AB's and overall it has not been a spectacular ride, however he is having a career year and surely another team would have paid more for his services given what he has done. The Pirates just seem destined to build up some value with a player and sell him for pennies on the dollar to an empire team, like the Yankees. Tabata is a problem child and is not a sure thing, and certainly is not worth the risk that Nady might not be semi for real as a guy who puts it together late because he has certainly continued to be an impact once donning the pinstripes.

Winner: The Evil Empire
Losers: Pirates' fans, The Unevil Empire?

Dodgers get 3B Casey Blake, CASH CONSIDERATIONS
Indians get RHP Jon Meloan, C Carlos "Black Magic Woman" Santana

With Blake and a big sack of money going to the Dodgers, the question I was left with was "why?" The Dodgers had two in-house options at the time that I preferred to Blake. Obviously the young options were struggling so I get the need to bring in a veteran, I just really didn't like the cost expended to get a guy like Blake. At 34, going on 35, he is what he is and he isn't a star but a player who is going to hit for a decent average and be alright down in your order. Santana has tore up pitching in the FSL and a switch-hitting catcher hitting like that in a pitcher's league could be quite the fine, add in the fact that Meloan's value was diminished due to a switch in roles to being a starter and I think the Indians reload with a couple of nice prospects.

I just wanted to add that Blake has one of the consistent up and down seasons in OPS while with the Tribe. Here is his OPS from 2003 to 2008, all with Cleveland:
.723 - .840 - .746 - .835 - .776 - .830

Winner: Indians. Marte has a spot to play, Meloan is going back to relief.
Loser: Dodgers. Not a bad move given their playoff hopes and the struggles of the youngsters, but I think they would have been better off elsewhere.

Angels get 1B Mark Teixeira
Braves get 1B Casey Kotchman, RHP Stephen Marek

The Braves playoff hopes with Teixeira leading the charge never quite happened, last year or this year, but this was a solid haul. Teixeira is going to test the waters of free agency, and even if he wanted to resign with the Braves, it's doubtful that they would have been able to do so. So by trading away a very good player, a good player with two or so months left of playing time in a Braves uniform, the Braves were able to get a very talented relief prospect and a slightly above average 1B that plays good in the field and that they will be able to control for a few seasons. For a team who doesn't want to call it quits in the hopes of competing soon, taking a haul like that which will help them next season sure beats compensation picks. The Angels however are looking to get past their playoff woes, but oddly enough if they are to face Boston.... Kotchman is the superior player against the Red Sox. Nonetheless, Teixeira is another weapon to the arsenal and the kind of move to make when you are going all in.

Winner: Angels
Loser: Boras' airline; if Teixeira plans to entertain offers from a certain Maryland team, he is certainly going to be earning the frequent flier miles if Teixeira is resting in Anaheim after the season concludes.

Yankees get C Ivan Rodriguez
Tigers get RP Kyle Farnsworth

I don't know about you, but personally I am not too keen about giving a gun to someone who might have the desire to kill me and yet that is just what the Tigers did. Both Farnsworth and Rodriguez have been playing their best baseball as of late and both are free agents to be this offseason. Rodriguez has lost virtually all power but still brings a good contact bat to a team, and one surely more valuable than the inconsistent and at times hittable stuff of Farnsworth. If I was running either team, and sadly I have a restraining order from both, I'd prefer to keep an everyday position upgrade out of my potential October rival than to gain a shaky arm like Farnsworth.

Winner: Yankees, Brandon Inge fans
Loser: Tigers, Jose Molina fans, Paul Wilson if he lives in the Detroit area

Mariners get OF Ken Griffey Jr.
Reds get RHP Nick Masset, INF Danny Richar

We all know the Griffey story. Griffey, the face of the franchise for the Cincinnati Reds, was an unmovable object. The Reds feared moving him from his beloved #3 spot and took a few years too long in moving him from a position he could no longer play, centerfield. Griffey struggled early, due in part to the upcoming anxiousness for 600 and father time, but as of the trade he was one of the hottest hitters who was on fire after the ASG especially compared to earlier in the season. This deal came out of nowhere and to be honest, most Reds fans were shocked that anything of note was received for Griffey given his age, contract and overall lackluster performance from the #3 spot. Masset has pretty decent stuff and he seems like he could be stretched out into a starting role, and Richar is not terribly special but a decent prospect to be included in. However, the real winner is not either team but rather Griffey who is getting one of his last chances, if not the last, chance to be with a team in the thick of a race and possibly chase that seemingly elusive ring one more time.

Winner: Griffey and his chance for a ring
Loser: Those guys whose job was to update the 600+ homerun counter at Great American Ballpark

Marlins get LHP Arthur Rhodes
Mariners get RHP Gaby Hernandez

Arthur Rhodes is still playing? That's news to me, but the trade deadline seems to always bring up recently forgotten aging lefties to the forefront again. Rhodes however has had a pretty nice season, even at 20 odd inings, while dominating lefties by holding them to a sub .200 BA. He goes into Florida as a much more consistent bet to get the job done over the likes of Taylor Tankersley. Hernandez seemed like a decent middle of the rotation type of starter when the Marlins acquired him in the Lo Duca deal, but he has struggled mightily. I really haven't heard much on him in terms of actual recent scouting reports but I can't imagine a ton of positive things were said. Still, for a 38 year old lefty specialist, the Mariners couldn't have gotten a ton for him and perhaps there is some slight mechanical kink to be fixed with Hernandez to get him back on track.

Winner: Rhodes for still being alive (nice job), Marlins
Loser: Cynical Florida fans who didn't think the Marlins would give up youth to receive a veteran

[Kingdom]

It's official, we're having one every year now. 2 for 2!

[realmofotalk]

Casey Blake has been just fine at third base. And I didn't see a whole lot of groundball defense today. I saw a lot of flyball homeruns given up by Lowe.

[Porter]

I wish Griffey was in Seattle.

[missionhockey21]

I never got the chance to put it in my section (everyone, make sure to click over on the article for the other pages) but Jon Rauch had the best picture I encountered. Someone really needed to do a "Why So Serious?" edit:

[browntown653]

He practically already has a "Why so serious" edit.

[missionhockey21]

Yup, I am just talking about the paint on the face and such.

[Kingdom]

facebook has the joker graffiti application

[love_that_reefer]

I would have to say the Pirates were winners in the Bay trade. They got four usable players and freed up money for next year.
I don't think any Giants fans were sad to see Durham go but do think they could have gotten someone better.

[browntown653]

I guess I should give the Pirates an Incomplete in the Bay deal, as we will have to see if they do anything with that money. They're off to a good start though with Karstens pitching two gems in a row.

[Kingdom]

causing hank to go WHY DIDNT WE GIVE THEM PHIL HUGHES INSTEAD OF JEFF KARSTENS, WHO THE **** IS JEFF KARSTENS

[love_that_reefer]

I guess I should give the Pirates an Incomplete in the Bay deal, as we will have to see if they do anything with that money. They're off to a good start though with Karstens pitching two gems in a row.

Probably use that money to keep Doumit and McLouth.

[browntown653]

Locking up their good young players would certainly be a nice start.

[realmofotalk]

What needs to be mentioned is that Bowden restricted himself of what he could have received in exchange for Rauch by demanding that he receive a second baseman, and thus, he settled for Bonafacio. Not even the Pirates are this stupid.

[missionhockey21]

I'll admit, I didn't know that but I wish I did because I would have been even more harsh in my analysis. Rauch is a piece that would have gotten an offer a team would later regret and to limit yourself like that is to the point that words really don't describe. It's not like the Nationals are set everywhere EXCEPT 2B and would trade for need instead of overall talent because they are that stacked.... not to mention it was Emilio Bonafacio.