Smart deals by the Indians and A’s
Posted: Wednesday, July 09, 2008 4:08 PM
Mark Shapiro of the Indians is regarded as one of the game’s bright general manager. His trade a couple of days ago of CC Sabathia to the Brewers is a deal which reinforces that belief.
Remember the domino effect that affected Sabathia’s future. It was mentioned in this blog last winter. It started with Barry Zito’s ultra lucrative free-agent deal with the Giants in 2006, which effectively ended Johan Santana’s Minnesota career because the left-hander who was to become a free-agent-to-be after this season became too pricey for the Twins to re-sign given the loot Zito walked off with from the Giants.
So did the Mets deal with Santana end any hope of Cleveland retaining Sabathia. Shapiro had to wait and see if his team would fade. Once that happened, he moved the pitcher to a team that could tap a deep farm system in order to make the deal. Milwaukee dealt away young talent because it has an owner who wants to win and it needs to be talented enough no go to battle in a highly competitive division.
In return for Sabathia the Indians got four prospects that have already had their signing bonuses paid by Milwaukee. This sort of deal will become the pattern for
smart teams moving forward. Rather than accept compensation draft picks and be obligated to pay the bonuses that will be needed to sign those drafted, teams will trade for players who have already received some minor league training and whose bonuses have been paid.
Oakland general manager Billy Beane is another shrewd operator who took advantage of the NL Central race. The A’s finally got Rich Harden healthy for a short spell and maxed his value. One more injury and Harden morphs into Mark Prior. So Beane moved him for four players including a valued arm in Sean Gallagher and questionable outfielder Matt Murton. At the same time, the A’s strip, rebuild and continue to contend against a higher-payroll Angels team.
My flight home from Wimbledon afforded me a serious chance to catch up with some of the more interesting storylines in baseball as the All-Star break draws near.
So how are the Red Sox staying afloat without David Ortiz and with a struggling Manny Ramirez? Watched them on Sunday and Sean Casey was the DH? Who knows when Papi will return and wrist injuries require close monitoring. But when did Manny have trouble catching up to fastballs as Red Sox manager Terry Francona mentioned over the weekend?
The Yankees aren’t doing badly in the absence of Chien-Ming Wang but Tampa Bay’s first half forces New York to think about a streak. Do they have that kind of run in them?
How important has Andy Pettitte been to the Yankees? Outdueling Scott Kazmir in the first game of the Tampa Bay series last night sends a message. Remember that the Rays have enjoyed a home-heavy schedule in the first half. Winning on the road in a tight race will make their post All-Star break a challenge.
Among the All-Star selections are two relievers turned starters, Ryan Dempster and Justin Duchscherer. Two years ago Duchscherer was a top-flight set-up man for Oakland’s Huston Street. Trading Dan Haren opened a rotation spot and Duchscherer has taken advantage, another reason the A’s can continue to compete in the AL West.
The NL wonders why it is pummeled in interleague but look at the NL’s starting outfielders in the All-Star game: Ryan Braun, Alfonso Soriano and Kosuke Fukudome. I know fan voting is a popularity contest but how can Matt Holliday not be a starter? And Carlos Lee is not even on the team?
And how must the Mets feel at the validation of their status as massive underachievers? They had no players selected by the fans or other players. How can Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes and David Wright not be perennial All-Stars? Beltran, in particular, should be embarrassed to see those chosen ahead of him. And Reyes should get a wake-up call when Miguel Tejada gets the nod as a reserve.
Nice comeback story by Cristian Guzman, written off as a free-agent bust in Washington, he has overcome injury and indifferent play to represent the Nationals.
The NL also has a problem with 16 teams -- many of the league’s best players are forced to stay home. Here is the list of NL players who won’t be at Yankee Stadium as All-Stars: the Mets trio of Beltran, Reyes and Wright, Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard (the last two NL MVP winners), Jake Peavy, Carlos Lee, Johan Santana, Cole Hamels, and Aaron Rowand.
The NL Central has become the AL East and the NL West is shockingly mediocre. Why? I offer two reasons: Eric Byrnes and Troy Tulowitzki. Each was the key player for his team last year but each has been a non-factor in the first half of 2008.
The Tulowitzki of 2008? Evan Longoria of Tampa Bay. Tulo’s infield partner at Long Beach State, he has been the catalyst in Tampa Bay’s amazing first half of the season.
