Brewers deal for Sabathia tough act to follow
Posted: Friday, July 25, 2008 11:02 PM
Less than a week to the trade deadline and we know one thing: Milwaukee is the winner.
Credit to Brewers general manager Doug Melvin for striking first and fast. Acquiring CC Sabathia early in July may prove a masterstroke and a new trend in midseason trades.
Why wait to the non-waiver July 31 trading deadline to make a major move? A team will pay the same price if not more in a last-minute bidding war. And by getting Sabathia before the deadline the Brewers gained five extra starts from him and he is already 4-0 with his new team.
The Cubs reacted to the Brewers landing Sabathia by acquiring Rich Harden from Oakland in a similar manner. St. Louis has waited and may pay a huge price after an overachieving first half. The Cardinals are the kind of team that badly needs an infusion of reinforcements after pushing so hard and manager Tony La Russa will have his motivational skills tested if the team’s front office can’t get something done.
Pittsburgh is intriguing as the July 25 deal with the Yankees in which the Pirates parted with outfielder Xavier Nady and left-handed reliever Damaso Marte for top outfield prospect Jose Tabata and three other minor leaguers begins to form a scouting report on new Pirates general manager Neal Huntington, who has the major league team on an upswing. His actions will resonate with fellow general managers.
Moves have been made in smaller shifts on a near-daily basis. In the next week, look for relievers to move in bulk. Any team with a left-handed breathing reliever (Brian Fuentes, Alan Embree, Jack Taschner among others) will get called.
Oakland may try to move closer Huston Street but his recent performance likely dims his value. Street has impressive numbers in many areas and is still a week shy of his 25th birthday but lefties have hurt him with extra-base power.
Three players stand out as ones to watch in the remaining days leading up to the trading deadline.
MATT HOLLIDAY: How could Colorado consider trading one of the best hitters in the NL? Two words: Scott Boras. Holliday earns over $13 million next season – the final year of his contract. With Boras as Holliday’s agent, it is unlikely the Rockies could strike a pre-emptive deal to lock him up and keep him from testing the free-agent waters so this smacks of the Johan Santana scenario. The question is not if the Rockies will move Holliday but when?
A.J. BURNETT: Toronto has faded in the AL East and Burnett has an opt-out clause after this season. If he exercises the clause, Burnett walks away from a guaranteed $24 million over two years. Given the recent market, though, Burnett could expect to easily better that deal. Does Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi pull the trigger on dealing Burnett? And does another team have the stomach to part with prospects for what well could be a two-month rental?
MARK TEIXEIRA: Atlanta is like Toronto, fading and not a realistic contender.
Teixeira is like Holliday, represented by Boras, but he becomes a free agent this winter. The Braves should move him and a team like Arizona, in serious need of a bat, is a logical landing place. Can Atlanta wrest away a young player(s) to offset the lode they sent to Texas last July? And is another team willing to rent a Boras client knowing he will test the open market?
THREE MORE SWINGS:
1.Texas is a team to watch. General manager Jon Daniels traded well last July and may look to repeat that with the Angels pulling away in the AL West.
2. Does housecleaning continue in Cleveland, San Francisco and San Diego? Casey Blake’s name is being bounced around while Giants general manager Brian Sabean told me it is unlikely that he will move Randy Winn.
3. Olympic baseball had some interesting last-minute maneuvers. Over the weekend two players, San Francisco pitcher Geno Espinelli and Texas catcher Taylor Teagarden, were called to the majors. Both had to return to the minors by Tuesday to be eligible to compete in Beijing.
Texas sent Teagarden back down despite his game-winning homer last Sunday, while the Giants kept Espinelli in the bigs. That could be an indication that San Francisco is moving Jack Taschner while another Giants farmhand, outfielder Nate Schierholtz, was added to the Olympic roster, a sign that Winn is staying put.
