Pirates Trade Reactions
Jack Wilson is unhappy with the deal that sent Nyjer Morgan and Sean Burnett to Washington, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Wilson argues that the majority of the Pirates' recent moves haven't worked out and says many current Pirates won't be around long enough to enjoy any positives from Neal Huntington's changes.
Recapping The Pirates Trades
The Pirates dealt their starting left-fielder, their most relied-upon reliever and a utilityman for a former top prospect, a power bullpen arm and a couple low-level prospects in a pair of deals today. Here's a recap of who the Pirates obtained:
- Casey Erickson – one of the players obtained in the Hinske deal, Erickson was pitching in A ball. He'll turn 24 in August, so he hasn't moved through the minors particularly quickly, but he struck out 37 in 44 innings without allowing many runs.
- Eric Fryer – this catcher/outfielder was also playing in A ball for the Yanks, though for a different team. Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus says neither player is anything special; they're just "bodies."
- Lastings Milledge – the 12th overall pick in the 2003 draft, Milledge shot through the minors, but has put up a pedestrian .261/.326/.400 line in the major leagues. He's just 24 and the Pirates should have him under team control through 2013.
- Joel Hanrahan – the 27-year-old reliever has been hit hard this year, but his strikeout rate remains high and he's actually lowered his walk rate from last year. Like Milledge, Hanrahan should be under team control through 2013.
- Eric Hinske – ostensibly he can play at any corner infield or outfield position and he hits righties well. The 31-year-old makes $1.6MM this year and the Pirates will send $400k to the Yankees to cover part of the cost.
- Nyjer Morgan – the former hockey player will turn 29 later in the week. So far he has 18 steals and an OBP of .351. He won't even be arbitration-eligible until after 2011.
- Sean Burnett – the Pirates have relied on the 26-year-old over and over this year and it's worked. He's allowed 37 baserunners in just over 32 innings, striking out 23. He won't hit free agency until 2012 at the earliest.
So how did Neal Huntington do today? We won't know for a while, but he got talented players without giving away major pieces of the franchise's future.
Odds And Ends: Hinske, Pirates, Astros
Links for Tuesday…
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post heard that Eric Hinske cleared waivers two weeks ago.This means the Mets, Yankees or any other team could have had him for the $800k remaining on his salary.
- Sherman believes the Pirates won the other trade they made today, acquiring Lastings Milledge and Joel Hanrahan from the Nats.
- Tom Verducci of SI.com names his All-Star team and it's heavy on youth.
- Astros first rounder Jiovanni Mier told MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo that the pace of the game is noticeably faster in the pros.
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle says Mike Hampton and Russ Ortiz are making Ed Wade look smart.
- Just one month to go until the trade deadline, so be sure to follow MLBTR on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.
This Week’s MLBTR Chat
Apologies to those of you who joined the chat today. It didn't work out (I'm still trying to figure out why). Come by tomorrow at 2pm CST and we'll get our weekly chat in then.
Pirates, Nats Agree To Multi-Player Trade
1:40pm: Kovacevic says the teams have agreed in principle to exchange Lastings Milledge and Joel Hanrahan for Nyjer Morgan and Sean Burnett.
1:39pm: Chico Harlan of the Washington Post and MLB.com's Bill Ladson agree that the Nats and Pirates are close to completing a deal.
1:35pm: The deal isn't complete, but Kovacevic has an update. It would also send Sean Burnett to Washington and Joel Hanrahan to Pittsburgh.
12:05pm: The Pirates already made one deal this morning, but that's not stopping them from talking trades. Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Pirates are close to dealing Nyjer Morgan to the Nationals for Lastings Milledge. However, nothing is final yet.
We first heard of the possible swap on the weekend.
Tim Lincecum Contract Update
As one of the best pitchers in the game, Tim Lincecum can expect a massive payday when he goes to arbitration for the first time after this season. However, as Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News points out, the Giants could have saved themselves millions by keeping Lincecum in the minors for another month early in his rookie season.
Yanks Considered Trading Rivera For Wells In ’95
Former Yankees GM Gene Michael told John Harper of the New York Daily News that he considered dealing Mariano Rivera to the Tigers for David Wells back in 1995. Rivera was still considered a starter then, and he was one of the players the Tigers had interest in. Michael, now a scout, says he held onto Rivera because of his control and mid-nineties fastball.
Olney On Felix, Reds, Dye, Indians
ESPN.com's Buster Olney imagines there will be a long lineup of suitors for Felix Hernandez when he hits free agency after the 2011 season. Players as good as King Felix will sign massive deals regardless of the economy, Olney says. Here are the rest of his rumors:
- The Reds, who are looking for a right-handed bat, will probably choose between marginal improvements and busting the budget for a pricier hitter like Matt Holliday or Jermaine Dye. They'd have to give up better prospects to obtain the salary relief they'd like, but they're reluctant to part with top talent.
- For those wondering if Jermaine Dye could fit in San Francisco, Olney says the White Sox and Giants don't match up particularly well.
- Olney suggests the Red Sox should trade for a first baseman and move Kevin Youkilis over to third if Mike Lowell has to miss much time,
- It makes sense for the Rockies to play Garrett Atkins more. Not only is he hitting better, teams will have more interest in Atkins if they see him perform well.
- Any deal that makes the Indians stronger for 2010 is worth making if they aren't going to contend this year. Cleveland's now 12.0 games out of a playoff spot.
Yankees Acquire Eric Hinske
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Yankees acquired Eric Hinske from the Pirates for two minor leaguers, Casey Erickson and Eric Fryer. Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Yankees are getting $400k in the deal, which is about half of what's still owed to Hinske. Sherman also offers eight reasons the Yankees made the deal.
Erickson, 24 in August, has 37 strikeouts and a 2.25 ERA in 44 innings of A ball this year. Fryer, who will turn 24 two days before Erickson does, has an OPS under .700 and 11 steals as a catcher and outfielder in A ball.
DeRosa Has A Shot At Type A Status
When we last checked, Mark DeRosa was ranked as a Type B free agent as a member of the Indians. At that time, he was grouped with the American League second basemen, third basemen, and shortstops. His 61.7 score put him about ten points below the lowest Type A in the group, Melvin Mora.
Now a Cardinal, DeRosa will be ranked with the NL 2B/3B/SSs by Elias after the season. I just ran the numbers with DeRosa as part of this group, and his score jumped to 67.9. He's still a Type B, but is now only three points from the lowest Type A in the group (Troy Tulowitzki at 70.9). The seven stats that go into DeRosa's ranking: plate appearances, batting average, on-base percentage, home runs, runs batted in, fielding percentage, and total chances at his designated position.
So the Cardinals may have received more than just three months of DeRosa; they also could end up with one or two draft picks as free agent compensation. For that to happen they'd need to offer him arbitration, then see him decline and sign elsewhere. Offering arbitration means the Cards would risk DeRosa accepting and landing a one-year contract for 2010 north of his current $5.5MM salary. As Ken Rosenthal alluded to today, some teams might prefer certain free agents ranked as Type Bs so that there would be no deterrent for another club to sign them.