The Great PEBA Trade Frenzy of 2007
Trade Frenzy Recap
Monday, November 19, 2007
By Phil Zimmons, New Jersey Sports Weekly
A brief recap of the 13 trades recently consummated in the PEBA 2007 offseason. Grades are subjective and should not be taken as the definitive answer on the true competency of the GMs in question; rather, they are a true reflection of the ineptitude of the sportswriter.
Aurora Borealis (87-75, 3rd)
Acquisitions:
MR Ángel Lara, SP Ryuichi Yamauchi (Canton)
1B Lonnie Davis, 2B Scott Brown, C Ching-Hsia Chin (Omaha)
CL Mel Kennedy, SP John Roach (Yuma)
Losses:
C Luis Navarro, MR Jose Lugo, MR Norberto Ruiz (Canton)
3B Ambrose Fensome, MR Samuel Reed, MR Shigeaki Miyamoto, SP Chris Grinnell (Omaha)
1,500,000 cash, MR Bang-xao Shuo, SP Rafael Matos, SS Daniel Groves (Yuma)
Aurora has made several new moves but has removed almost as much in new salaries as it has taken in. The big splash was made by picking up all-star closer (and former 3rd overall pick in the Inaugural Draft) Mel Kennedy along with high-potential starter John Roach from Yuma. To get those players, however, Aurora gave up 15-6 Rafael Matos and Daniel Groves, the 34-year-old shortstop coming off of a 10 month DL stint for torn ankle ligaments.
The trade with Omaha was all about picking up journeymen, as Brown joins his 4th team in the last year and Chin his third. Single-A 1B Davis will provide minor league depth. However, to get those players, the Borealis gave up 4 AAA players, including 3 pitchers. That may put a stress on the minor league system to develop more pitching depth in a hurry.
Under the radar, Aurora picks up a 3-11 reliever from Canton, but some scouts believe Lara has a high upside. Minor League all-star Yamauchi jumped from A-ball to AAA ball to eventually pitch almost 15 innings in Canton in 2007. The cost? Dumping the $5 million contract of 29-year-old catcher Luis Navarro, and a couple of resilient relievers. Lugo appeared in 46 games for Aurora, while Ruiz provided 56 appearances for AAA Thornton.
Grade: B+. Aurora didn’t give away any key players besides Matos, and picks up some ML ready pitching help to go with some young depth. However, the possible decimation of the AAA pitching corps will be something to watch.
Bakersfield Bears (108-54, 1st)
Acquisitions:
RF Jude Pew (Manchester)
1B Jack Price, CF Joseph Lane, CL Edward Johnson, MR Brian Simmons (West Virginia)
Losses:
2B Mitch White, LF Mauro Martinez, SP Ed Mosley (Manchester)
CF Charles McGuire, CL Mathys Crete, LF Lorenzo Ramirez (West Virginia)
The Bears are hoping to rebound from their disappointing playoff loss by reloading, even with a cash crunch in the front office. Their moves so far have been basically budget-neutral, but that hasn’t stopped them from landing Jude Pew from Manchester. However, pundits wonder if the signing of Pew will force Royal Raker Pat Lilly to move to LF, a move that some say the All-Star will resist. Bakersfield also picked up some cheap, high potential depth in the outfield with Lane and in the bullpen with Johnson and Simmons. Price was expected to provide some depth at 1B, but just hours ago was traded to Canton.
Nevertheless, the Bears have given up some talent in return. White, Martinez and Mosley are all quality minor leaguers that provide immediate depth to Manchester. West Virginia also got solid performers. McGuire is a great defensive OF that hit .312 last season; Lara struggled with a 3-11 record but many scouts rave about his potential; and the Coal Sox plan to move Crete into their starting rotation and picture him as a future staff ace.
Grade: B. Bakersfield didn’t need to do much to improve on the field, but they do need to improve their bottom line. The odds are great that the Bears will continue to wheel and deal to continue their crawl from their severe budget crunch of 2006.
Canton Longshoremen (62-100, 5th)
Acquisitions:
C Luis Navarro, MR Jose Lugo, MR Norberto Ruiz (Aurora)
SP Tim Smith (Connecticut)
SP Robert McGillivantic (Omaha)
LF Ruben Valentin, RF Jason Jackson (Yuma)
Losses:
MR Angel Lara, SP Ryuichi Yamauchi (Aurora)
2B Reynaldo Diaz, C Miguel Vargas (Connecticut)
C Eric Morse (Omaha)
8th round draft pick (Yuma)
Canton’s biggest loss will be Eric Morse, the young catcher who hits for average. His expected replacement from Aurora (Navarro) makes slightly less (although Morse will certainly make more in the future, and Navarro is signed through 2010). While their trade with Aurora seems to favor the Borealis, their trade with Connecticut seems to tilt ever so slightly towards the Longshoreman. For a couple of young A-ball players, Canton picks up a serviceable, end-of-the-rotation pitcher in Tim Smith. And their trade with Yuma is solidly in Canton’s column, as they get a couple of outfielders who play defense, and Jackson even has some offensive pop as well.
The Longshoremen are another team that is trying to climb out of a deficit from 2007, so it’s a safe bet that they will continue to look for value to improve upon last year’s record while also improving their financial position.
Grade: C. Nothing amazing, nothing terrible. Kudos to the GM for working hard to find value and field a competitive team for 2008.
Charleston Statesman (96-66, 2nd)
Acquisitions:
1B Domingo De Jesus, 2B David Sneddon, 2B Francisco Aguinago, LF Scott Moss (Manchester)
Losses:
MR Jose Antonio Garcia, MR Orlando Ramos, SP Eric Butler, SP Jose Morales (Manchester)
The Statesman actually saved a little salary with this trade, picking up an All-Star 1B in the process. De Jesus’ 31 homers will be a welcome addition to the Charleston offense, and he is joined by high-upside players Moss and Aguinago. Sneddon may blossom into a serviceable infielder, but will probably spend 2008 in AAA.
However, to get these position players, Charleston did relinquish some of its pitching depth. Losing a solid starter like Morales and a workhorse in Garcia will have to be offset somehow, and AAA prospect Ramos, expected to be a Statesman bullpen mainstay, was included in the deal to Manchester.
Grade: A-. Saving some salary only increases the massive budget room Charleston has, and the remaining pitching staff is solid, if not deep. Expect the Statesmen to make a big free agent signing and pick up some depth from the lesser names that others may pass over.
Connecticut Nutmeggers (64-98, 5th)
Acquisitions:
2B Reynaldo Diaz, C Miguel Vargas (Canton)
Losses:
SP Tim Smith (Canton)
The Nutmeggers haven’t made a lot of noise yet this offseason, but league GMs are watching to see who becomes available off of the Connecticut roster. The Nutmeggers are rebuilding, in a desperate financial hole, and while the return for Smith was negligible, the deal did save nearly $3 million in salary and helps the team get younger.
Grade: C+. A lot more needs to be done to get back on solid ground on and off the field. It’s a tough market for the Connecticut GM, and he is no doubt working feverishly to improve his team’s outlook for 2008 and beyond.
Fargo Dinosaurs (54-108, 6th)
Acquisitions:
C Javier Rodriguez, CF Dan Lewis, CF Tommy Fowler, MR John Ellis, RF Esteban Flores, RF Luis Lopez, $5,000,000 cash (New Orleans)
Losses:
RF Ernest Conard, SP Alfred Pinto (New Orleans)
The Dinosaurs saved at least $11 million in the upcoming season, and when you factor in the additional $34 million that would have been due to Conard over the succeeding 2 years, Fargo is definitely looking to the future. While the All-Star RF will be missed, Fargo got several serviceable veterans and minor leaguers in return to help start the rebuilding process. Shipping Pinto off to his 3rd team this year leaves no rotation issues behind as the Dinosaurs have plenty of talent to help pick up the slack, not that an aging thrower leaving behind a 5-18 record should be too hard to replace.
Though the Dinosaurs may be two or three years away, they have tons of players with great potential, and savvy moves like this trade should only increase their chances of making noise sooner rather than later.
Grade: A. It hurts to move a guy like Conard, but once the budget is under control, Fargo has plenty of options to develop and/or trade high-ceiling prospects to return to respectability.
Manchester Maulers (63-99, 6th)
Acquisitions:
2B Mitch White, LF Mauro Martinez, SP Ed Mosley (Bakersfield)
MR Jose Antonio Garcia, MR Orlando Ramos, SP Eric Butler, SP Jose Morales (Charleston)
SP Jesus Gonzalez, SS Ernest Mathis (San Antonio)
Losses:
RF Jude Pew (Bakersfield)
1B Domingo De Jesus, 2B David Sneddon, 2B Francisco Aguinago, LF Scott Moss (Charleston)
SP Kirby Gibson (San Antonio)
The Maulers saved close to $15 million in salaries, and though they traded away their All-Stars and some prospects with high upsides, the cash savings alone make these deals high value. But when you add the players the Maulers receive in return, what looks like a fire sale on the outside turns into shrewd budgetary management by the Manchester GM.
Losing Pew, De Jesus, and Gibson will leave holes in the roster without a doubt, but exchanging those established stars with young prospects and a young All-Star like Mathis will pay big dividends in the future. White, Martinez and Mosley are all top minor leaguers that can make an immediate impact on the Maulers, while the young pitchers received from Charleston will help to plug the holes left behind by Gibson. While the youth of the Manchester lineup and bullpen will no doubt give fans pause, the future will look bright once those youthful inconsistencies vanish. Assuming the Maulers can hold on to their young talent once their budget woes are fixed, this team could be set up to win and win big in the future.
Grade: A+. Getting Mathis plus a pitcher for Gibson was a steal. Getting 3 significant prospects for Pew is outstanding. And gaining pitching depth for De Jesus and some expendable minor leaguers was necessary. There’s nowhere to go but up, it will just be a question of how quickly these moves pay off.
New Jersey Hitmen (108-54, 1st, PEBA Champions)
Acquisitions:
2B Alejandro Ortega, C Manuel Gonzalez (San Antonio)
Losses:
1B Carlos Aquino, CF Luis Hernandez, MR Ron Coture, SP Yukio Fujita, SS Marcos Sotelo, SS Stephen Everett, 2nd round draft pick (San Antonio)
The champion Hitmen didn’t rest long, taking on some arbitration salaries to get young stars Ortega and Gonzalez in exchange for Sotelo, Fujita, and a pack of talented minor league prospects. The puzzling aspect was trading for All=Star Ortega when the Hitmen already have outstanding young talent at second base in Artie Marsh. However, rumors have it that Ortega will move to 3B.
Aquino, though talented, was expendable because of the depth of ML talent at 1B already in New Jersey. Everett’s loss may be felt down the road, but the more one looks at this trade, the more one comes away with the impression that both sides did well.
Grade: B+. Adding offense to this team should help take some stress off of the starting staff, but the Hitmen will see the downside of having a number of great young players – they go to arbitration or file for free agency around the same time, and the budget swings could be huge. Even a big market team like New Jersey will have to take stock of their financial situation and look to develop future talent in-system, and not simply look to buy 4th or 5th year stars.
New Orleans Trendsetters (103-59, 1st)
Acquisitions:
RF Ernest Conard, SP Alfred Pinto (Fargo)
Losses:
C Javier Rodriguez, CF Dan Lewis, CF Tommy Fowler, MR John Ellis, RF Esteban Flores, RF Luis Lopez, $5,000,000 cash (Fargo)
Disappointed with their playoff exit, the Trendsetters decided to look for some more offensive help, no matter the cost. And while it didn’t cost much in ML-ready talent, bringing in Conard definitely will affect the New Orleans books for the next 3 seasons. But, you get what you pay for, and All-Star RF Ernest Conard can hit. And with the loss of Cal Edwards to free agency, the Trendsetters will need someone to fill the offensive void left behind.
The main loss felt will be Lewis – with Edwards gone, Lewis was perhaps the best defensive outfielder remaining on the roster, although Todd Hansen will try to fill the gaps from CF. None of the prospects appeared to be headed to New Orleans any time soon, though their departure may cause some depth issues for AAA Fayetteville. Overall, New Orleans was willing to risk its bottom line to cover the departure of Edwards and attempt to return to the IL playoffs in 2008.
Grade: A-. Yes, Fargo got an A for the same deal, but the concern for New Orleans has to be their budget right now. However, they had to get a replacement for Edwards bat, and Conard fits the bill for less money, even with his $17 million plus salary.
Omaha Cyclones (85-77, 3rd)
Acquisitions:
3B Ambrose Fensome, MR Samuel Reed, MR Shigeaki Miyamoto, SP Chris Grinnell (Aurora)
C Eric Morse (Canton)
Losses:
1B Lonnie Davis, 2B Scott Brown, C Ching-Hsia Chin (Aurora)
SP Robert McGillivantic (Canton)
RP Tom West, SP Jonathan Hebert (Yuma)
Omaha didn’t dump much salary, but was one of the few teams that had no need for such actions. As a member of the first three-way trade in PEBA history, the Cyclones traded away some expendable players and not only picked up some prospects, but added an outstanding catcher in Morse. While some scouts worry that the prospects they received are impatient though unready for ML time, it remains to be seen if the Cyclones GM caves in and promotes them to the big club.
Grade: A-. None of the prospects or players traded away were expected to make a huge impact on Omaha in the next few years, and getting a catcher like Morse drastically improves the Omaha lineup (and may make Jacques Fillion expendable in return for some help in the rotation.) If the Cyclones can turn another trade for a top line SP, this grade jumps to A+.
Palm Springs (97-65, 2nd)
Acquisitions:
Michael Smith (San Antonio)
Losses:
3rd round draft pick (San Antonio)
The one move the Codgers made during the Trade Frenzy of 2007 was huge. In what appears to be a straight salary dump, San Antonio offered up the young highly-rated left fielder for a 3rd round draft pick, and with the budget room to spare, Palm Springs quickly took advantage of the opportunity. Smith should quickly adapt to the dimensions of his new home stadium and scouts expect his power numbers to improve dramatically.
Grade: A++. It is highly unlikely that any 3rd rounder in the next draft has the upside of a guy like Smith, and when you have budget room and can take advantage like this, you get the double plus.
San Antonio Calzones of Laredo (95-67, 3rd)
Acquisitions:
SP Kirby Gibson (Manchester)
1B Carlos Aquino, CF Luis Hernandez, MR Ron Coture, SP Yukio Fujita, SS Marcos Sotelo, SS Stephen Everett, 2nd round draft pick (New Jersey),
3rd round draft pick (Palm Springs)
Losses:
SP Jesus Gonzalez, SS Ernest Mathis (Manchester)
2B Alejandro Ortega, C Manuel Gonzalez (New Jersey)
LF Michael Smith (Palm Springs)
The Calzones had one of the most interesting trading sessions, trading away some young arbitration-eligible players while bringing in some pitching and shortstop help along with prospects and draft picks. Gonzalez and Ortega may have scared the San Antonio GM with their arbitration expectations and future free agent demands, and to get some starters and top prospects from the Hitmen was a great deal for both sides. They also picked up Gibson, though the cost was a bit steep; losing a young All-Star like Mathis, especially at his contract, was not an easy decision and the jury is still out on who will end up better off.
By picking up a couple of draft picks as well, the Calzones spent the Frenzy not only maneuvering some salaries around but also building towards the future. While there is no doubt San Antonio will look to improve upon their 3rd place finish in 2007, the crafty Calzones GM has also worked hard to extend their success into the foreseeable future.
Grade: A-. If Mathis ends up being a hot shot wonder and Gibson can continue to perform for the next 3 years, this would jump to an A+. For now, we just worry about the age difference in that deal.
West Virginia Coal Sox (82-80, 4th)
Acquisitions:
CF Charles McGuire, CL Mathys Crete, LF Lorenzo Ramirez (Bakersfield)
Losses:
1B Jack Price, CF Joseph Lane, CL Edward Johnson, MR Brian Simmons (Bakersfield)
The Coal Sox added to their budget and added some solid performers in this trade. For 3 minor leaguers that the scouts rate highly, plus the oft-traveled Price, West Virginia added starters in the outfield as well as in Crete, a former closer that will move into the frontline of the Coal Sox rotation. Ramirez and McGuire both play defense and show some pop, and some scouts rate Crete as a future staff ace. For the West Virginia GM, he no doubt hopes that those predictions come true sooner rather than later.
Grade: A. Giving up high-rated prospects isn’t easy, but West Virginia needed some ML-ready impact players and has managed their budget well enough to set them up for more impact moves later on.
Yuma Bulldozers (67-95, 5th)
Acquisitions:
MR Bang-xao Shuo, SP Rafael Matos, SS Daniel Groves, $1,500,000 cash (Aurora)
8th round draft pick (Canton)
RP Tom West, SP Jonathan Hebert (Omaha)
Losses:
CL Mel Kennedy, SP John Roach (Aurora)
LF Ruben Valentin, RF Jason Jackson (Canton)
Unfortunately, Yuma finished last year in the red, and has been dumping salaries to try to recover. Dumping their All-Star closer and a high-potential starter in Kennedy and Roach may not have been the way to go though. Yuma was also a participant in the 3-way trade with Canton and Omaha, and snagged a draft pick to go along with a couple of pitchers with some potential.
The real concern is with the Aurora deal. While Matos certainly improves the rotation and the cash never hurts, the key to the deal will be how high-priced 34-year-old SS Daniel Groves reacts after his devastating 10-month stint on the DL. If Groves’ torn ankle ligaments have completely healed in time for spring training, he is an outstanding offensive and defensive player. If, however, the shortstop doesn’t return to form, Yuma will be left holding the bag on a $34 million dollar contract for an aging middle infielder.
Grade: B-. Giving up Kennedy isn’t too bad when you figure that with a poor rotation, the closer won’t be of much help. But if Groves doesn’t come through, this drops to a C-. If he returns to the form of his prime, this jumps to a B+.