Category: NL

Catching Up With The Trades: NL Edition

A few deals slipped by without comment in recent weeks.

June 28, 2013
Mike Gianella gets: Jordany Valdespin NYM from Phil Hertz
Phil Hertz gets: Wilmer Flores NYM from Mike Gianella

Comment: Gianella gets a vexing, argumentative, underachieving player on the active roster. Hertz gets a minor leaguer with some potential, though without a defensive position that makes sense, and probably not for a year or two.

June 30, 2013
Derek Carty gets: Wilmer Flores NYM from Phil Hertz
Phil Hertz gets: 2 FAAB dollars from Derek Carty

Comment: Hertz is tireless at trying to get something/anything for the pieces he’s going to unload.

July 5, 2013
Tristan H. Cockcroft gets: Ben Revere Phi from Scott Wilderman
Scott Wilderman gets: Ryan Howard Phi from Tristan H. Cockcroft

Comment: When it happened it was a classic power for speed move. The next day Ryan Howard went down, out until mid-September. Six days later, Revere broke his foot and is out for the season.

July 12, 2013
Scott Pianowski gets: Paul Maholm Atl from Steve Gardner
Jean Segura Mil from Steve Gardner
Steve Gardner gets: Adeiny Hechavarria Mia from Scott Pianowski
Adam Wainwright StL from Scott Pianowski

Comment: Gardner upgrades his pitching, while Pianowski upgrades his offense. The gem here is Wainwright and Gardner has a lot of points to gain in ERA, WHIP and K, while Segura, regardless how much power he shows, will help Pianowski in BA and SB especially.

July 16, 2013
Mike Gianella gets: Everth Cabrera SD from Scott Wilderman
Starling Marte Pit from Scott Wilderman
Tyler Clippard Was from Scott Wilderman
Travis Snider Pit from Scott Wilderman
Scott Wilderman gets: Carlos Beltran StL from Mike Gianella
Aaron Hill Ari from Mike Gianella
David Freese StL from Mike Gianella
Matt Belisle Col from Mike Gianella

Comment: Gianella gets the best basestealer in the game to add to his lowest-ranking steals squad in the league, while Scott converts the cat he’s far ahead in first in for some additional power. For teams like Scott’s (and my 11th place team), the goal is to get to 60 or more points, to avoid the FAAB penalty, and to pass as many teams as possible to move up in the 2014 reserve draft.

July 17, 2013
Peter Kreutzer gets: Gerrit Cole Pit from Phil Hertz
Todd Helton Col from Phil Hertz
Carlos Villanueva ChC from Phil Hertz
Phil Hertz gets: Brad Ziegler Ari from Peter Kreutzer
Drew Storen Was from Peter Kreutzer
Jose Constanza Atl from Peter Kreutzer

Comment: I found myself with the Dbacks’ putative closer, a status that could work out or could be undermined at any moment. Since I’m 20 some odd saves behind the 11th place team, holding onto Ziegler had almost zero value (apart from the innings). I offered him up to the league and fell into productive talks with Phil, who is looking to strip his staff of average (or worse) innings, looking to bring his ERA and WHIP down. While I’m wary about adding mid-level starters, for the same reason, Cole’s ERA improves me, and so does Villanueva’s WHIP, and I do have points to gain in K. Phil gets two lottery tickets for saves, plus significant reliever strikeouts. I also get a hitter who should have a decent average and a few RBI in 15 or so AB per week. That’s a lot better than I’ve been playing.

July 18, 2013
Mike Gianella gets: Taylor Jordan Was from Phil Hertz
Phil Hertz gets: 2 FAAB dollars from Mike Gianella

Comment: Hertz sheds guys he doesn’t want, gets a little something back. Jordan is a risky guy to play, he’s not been overpowering, but while he fills in for Ross Detwiler he could be helpful to a team that could use some innings. Mike points out that he’s got two starts next week, versus the Pirates and Mets. After that he may well be gone.

Do breakouts help?

I just posted a story on the Askrotoman.com blog called The Overachievers (or are they?): What to expect from the first half’s most surprising hitters. It occurs to me that maybe we would learn something by looking at who drafted the year’s monster offensive profit generators and see where they are in the standings:

The Top 12 Hitters By Profit, Their Cost, The Drafting Team, Its Place In The Standings

Jean Segura, 15, Steve Gardner, 4th
Chris Davis, 20, Wolf/Colton, 2nd
Josh Donaldson, 10, Jason Collette, 7th
Nate McLouth, 3, Andy Behrens, 11th
Everth Cabrera, 17, Scott Wilderman, 12th
Daniel Nava, R, Larry Schechter, 1st
Manny Machado, 14, Joe Sheehan, 4th
Domonic Brown, 15, Phil Hertz, 3rd
Matt Carpenter, 14, Steve Gardner, 4th
James Loney, 7, Wolf Colton, 2nd
Yasiel Puig, 1, Lenny Melnick, 10th
Carlos Gomez, 25, Tristan Cockcroft, 1st

One thing for sure is that it’s good to have two of these guys.

Tout NL Trade: Elite Pitcher for Elite Hitter

THE WHAT

Peter Kreutzer trades Cliff Lee to Tristan Cockcroft
Tristan Cockcroft trades Jay Bruce to Peter Kreutzer

THE WHY

I (Kreutzer) drafted a team of starting pitching, with Lee, Greinke, Minor and Lynn. I bought hitters but made a fatal gaffe paying $8 for Dee Gordon. His subsequent demotion left a sizeable hole in the lineup, one exacerbated by an early injury to Ryan Zimmerman and a more recent one to Angel Pagan. Plus, until Ryan Sweeney’s recent explosion, none of the flyers I added on draft day or on waivers have paid off on offense. This is a team that needed another big hitter.

Cockcroft, the league’s 2012 winner, has a commanding lead in HR and RBI thanks to explosive seasons from Paul Goldschmidt and Carlos Gomez, but despite excellent ERA and WHIP it is middle of the pack in Wins and Strikeouts. Adding an elite pitcher should bring up both cats.

WHAT HAPPENED

I was trying to figure out how to make a trade with some of the teams that are strong in hitting but weak in pitching, when Tristan sent out a note to the league offering a hitter for a pitcher. I offered him Lee for Bruce (better for me than anything else I could find) or Lynn for Howard (lesser impact, lesser risk). I contemplated offering the troubled Greinke for the troubled BJ Upton, but felt Greinke was too big a price to pay to take on the Upton risk (even though Greinke carries similar risk). Call that handicapping.

Tristan got back to me after a bit, saying he’d do Bruce for Lee, but would add his Pettibon for my Matt Adams if I wanted to mitigate the pitching hit some. I did not, I’m looking for offense and if a spot opened in St. Louis Adams could be a big help, so we went with the simple one for one deal.

ANALYSIS

My hope is that my recent acquisition of Roy Oswalt and the rejuvenation of Chris Capuano, plus my sizeable (six over third place) cushion in Wins, means that giving up Lee doesn’t cost me too many qualitative and K points. The return of a healthy Marco Estrada would help here, too, I dream. Meanwhile, Jay Bruce should gain me a few points in HR and a couple more in RBI, and more importantly get me into position where another hitting add via FAAB or reserves might make a big difference (and a handful more points). As it stands right now, I have the most FAAB money.

Deducting Bruce’s stats from Tristan’s HR and RBI totals would cost him one point total at this point (though some more in Runs), so giving him up is almost like free money. He was nine wins and eight strikeouts behind me in pitching, however, so I’m going to lose there, but Tristan was sure to make a trade with someone, so those points were likely gone anyway.

The bottom line, we both shore up a weakness and balance our teams a bit. I have more upside and downside at this point. while Tristen secures his position in first place and should be much harder for everyone to catch.