Trades Of The Decade: Teixeira To The Braves
Once the Braves acquired Mark Teixeira before the 2007 trade deadline, they started thinking of themselves as a World Series contender. They were 4.5 games behind the division-leading Mets and 3.0 games behind the Phillies, but there was still a sense of excitement when GM John Schuerholz made the move.
"We've got the team to win the World Series," Brian McCann told the AP. Tim Hudson and Edgar Renteria echoed McCann's comments, and why not? The Mets added Luis Castillo and the Phillies added Kyle Lohse, but the Braves acquired a premier bat who was still a year and a half away from free agency.
Scott Thorman had been playing first regularly before the trade, so Teixeira was an immense upgrade. To acquire Tex and and Ron Mahay, the Braves sent Beau Jones, Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz, Matt Harrison and Jarrod Saltalamacchia to the Rangers.
The Braves gave up their top three prospects in the deal – Saltalamacchia, Andrus and Harrison – so Baseball America called it a a "good haul" for GM Jon Daniels.
Saltalamacchia had potential to "blossom into one of the game's best catchers," but he was expendable to the Braves, who had Brian McCann. They could also afford to deal Andrus because of shortstops Edgar Renteria, Brent Lillibridge and Yunel Escobar.
Saltalamacchia had already arrived in the big leagues at the time of the trade, but Andrus was just 18. Baseball America considered him a "classic projection prospect" because no one was sure he would hit enough to become a major league regular. He was still raw, but Daniels said he had to obtain more than draft choices for his first baseman.
"We said we were not going to allow ourselves to run the course on [Teixeira's contract] and not have anything to show for it," Daniels told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The Braves were willing to give so much up because Teixeira was one of the best all-around first basemen in baseball. They finished 84-78, 5.0 games behind the Phillies, but it was in spite of their big acquisition; Teixeira hit .317/.404/.615 down the stretch, with 17 homers.
They traded him to the Angels a year later for Casey Kotchman and Stephen Marek. Not much, in comparison to the bounty they gave up for Teixeira. Kotchman was later flipped to Boston for Adam LaRoche, who is now a free agent. One other remnant of the trade is lefty Brett DeVall, who the Braves drafted last year with a supplemental pick for the loss of Mahay.
- Harrison has been hittable in parts of two major league seasons and he missed the second half of this season with an injury, but he's 24 and just two seasons removed from top prospect status.
- Andrus hit .267/.329/.373 as a rookie this year and was one of the best defensive shortstops around, according to UZR. He just turned 21 in August.
- Saltalamacchia hit .233/.290/.371 this year before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. He hasn't come close to actualizing the 25 homer potential he had a couple years ago and questions about his defense linger.
- Feliz, 21, astounded in his major league debut this summer, striking out 39 and walking just eight in 31 innings. The incredible part? He allowed a mere 13 hits. He's not likely to sustain those rates, of course but he is a top prospect and could crack the team's rotation as soon as next year.
- Jones has yet to play in the majors, but the 23-year-old struck out 11 batters per nine innings in the Rangers' system this year.
That's better than a "good haul." Without the Teixeira trade, the Rangers wouldn't have such a highly-regarded farm system and might not be as well-positioned to contend annually. Before the trade, the Rangers offered Teixeira $140MM to sign long-term. Looking back, they must be thrilled he didn't accept.
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Bailey, Coghlan Win Rookie Of The Year Awards
The Rookie of the Year awards are in; it's A's reliever Andrew Bailey in the American League and Marlins outfielder Chris Coghlan in the National League. Your thoughts? Who was robbed?
Bailey, 25, posted a 1.84 ERA, 9.8 K/9, and 2.6 BB/9 in 83.3 innings. He took over the closer job and saved 26 games. Coghlan, 24, hit .321/.390/.460 in 565 plate appearances, playing mostly left field. He'd played second and third base in the minors.
Vernon Wells Extension Reactions
On December 15th, 2006, Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi signed center fielder Vernon Wells to a seven-year, $126MM extension. The heavily-backloaded contract included a full no-trade clause and an opt-out clause after the 2011 season. At the time of the signing, Wells was a year away from free agency.
With five years and $105MM remaining, the Wells extension is now widely regarded as the worst contract in baseball. I thought it'd be interesting to see what sportswriters were saying at the time of the signing.
Jerry Crasnick, ESPN: "Depending on your viewpoint, Wells' new deal with Toronto is either a heartwarming tale of loyalty or yet another sign that major league baseball owners never learn."
Keith Law, ESPN: "By deferring most of the payments due, Ricciardi keeps more payroll in the 2007-10 years available to pay other players, even if it means killing the team's financial flexibility in 2011 and beyond."
Peter Gammons, ESPN: "If you're going to give $18 million to somebody, you want them to be as diligent and as reliable as Vernon. If he went out in the market next year, with Andruw Jones, and Ichiro, and Torii Hunter, I really believe that at his age he might be #1."
Jeff Blair, Globe and Mail: "The dollars involved in Wells's extension are an accurate reading of a system flush with cash because of new media riches, labour peace and solid attendance in big markets. Wells would have received $20-million a year as a free agent next year without breaking a sweat. His on-field production – a Gold Glove, .300 batting average, 30 home runs and 100 runs batted in – would not be replaced in time to compete this year in the hypercompetitive American League East."
Nate Silver, Baseball Prospectus: "Toronto did a good job of assessing Wells's value in the short term. As for the risks associated with a contract that stretches past the player's 35th birthday? Consider it a necessary evil for securing a premium player who likely would've fetched at least $150 million in next year's market."
J.C. Bradbury, Sabernomics: "Wells needs to hurry up and sign the Blue Jays contract offer of $126 million over seven years. My most optimistic projection (assuming no decline in play from 2006) has him at $107 over seven years."
I didn't offer much opinion on the extension, but I did note that it was crazy that the $18MM salary was seen as a loyalty discount. Click here to read the opinions of MLBTR commenters.
Reds Re-Sign Ramon Hernandez
12:06pm: MLB.com's Mark Sheldon tweets the contract details: $3MM in 2010, with the vesting option worth $3.25MM.
9:59am: The Reds re-signed catcher Ramon Hernandez to a one-year deal, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal says the deal includes a 2011 option that vests with 120 games played in '10. The dollars are not yet known, but the Reds had declined Hernandez's $8.5MM option for next year.
Hernandez, 33, hit .258/.336/.362 in 331 plate appearances this year for Cincinnati after coming over in a December trade from the Orioles. He missed time with arthroscopic knee surgery. Hernandez was out-hit by his backup Ryan Hanigan, and I was surprised to see the Reds' eagerness to re-sign the veteran given their tight payroll.
Eric Bruntlett, Tyler Walker Become Free Agents
Four Phillies – Eric Bruntlett, Tyler Walker, Andy Tracy, and Paul Hoover - were removed from the 40-man roster and became free agents today, according to Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Bruntlett, 32 in March, hit .171/.224/.238 in 118 plate appearances, spending time all around the diamond. He came over in the November '07 Brad Lidge trade with the Astros.
Walker, 34 in May, tossed 35.3 innings of 3.06 ball in the Majors as well as 19.3 fine innings in Triple A. He was used in low-leverage situations this year with the Phils.
Tracy and Hoover spent most of the year at Triple A.
Lyon Aiming For Multiyear Deal
ESPN's Buster Olney spoke with Brandon Lyon's agent Barry Meister, who believes his client can land a multiyear deal this winter. Lyon is flexible with his role, whether it be closer, set-up man, or something in-between. Olney believes the Phillies, Angels, Yankees, and Mets make sense. Will the Tigers feel safe offering Lyon arbitration? They could gain a draft pick from the Type B free agent, as it doesn't sound like he'd accept an offer.
Lyon, 30, posted a 2.86 ERA, 6.5 K/9, and 3.5 BB/9 in 78.6 innings this for the Tigers, earning $4.25MM. He posted his best groundball rate in years – 47.2% – which helps soften the blow of his career-worst walk rate.
Dan Uggla Rumors: Sunday
A roundup of the day's Dan Uggla rumors:
- An NL GM tells Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald that the Marlins' top priority this offseason is trading Uggla for cheap, young players.
- We heard this week that the Orioles are interested in Uggla. Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun suspects that the O's will opt for a defense-first third baseman instead. Pedro Feliz, Chone Figgins and Adrian Beltre all have reputations as strong defenders, but Figgins and Beltre may be too pricey for the Orioles.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law says it's a good time to trade for Uggla, whose approach at the plate is improving.
- Frankie Piliere of AOL FanHouse says the Marlins can afford to deal players like Uggla because they replenish their roster with top young players. Mike Stanton isn't far away from making an impact in the Majors, Piliere writes.
Odds & Ends: Morillo, Bay, Cabrera, Gonzalez
Some links to read before the weekend draws to a close…
- Juan Morillo, who pitched briefly for the Twins this year, has signed with a Japanese team, according to Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker.
- Tyler Hissey of Around the Majors argues that Jason Bay fits best in the American League because of his suspect defense. Bay is a productive hitter, but questions about his ability to play the field may limit his appeal to NL clubs. His agent insists that Bay plays solid defense, but advanced metrics suggest that's not the case.
- Here, Hissey argues that the Yankees should consider signing Mike Cameron for a year until Austin Jackson is ready.
- Steve Kornacki of MLive.com reminds us that the Miguel Cabrera trade talk is just speculation at this point. It's fun to wonder about, though.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney doesn't think the Padres will face pressure to deal Adrian Gonzalez until next summer, so he doesn't expect them to be in a rush to deal their superstar. Instead, they'll wait to be overwhelmed.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic predicts where some big-name free agents will sign. He has the Yankees signing Matt Holliday.
Valverde Could Return To Astros
The agent for Jose Valverde says there's mutual interest between the Astros and their free agent closer, according to MLB.com.
The Astros have communicated to Jose their desire to bring him back," Gene Mato explained. "He really enjoyed his time there and is open to the idea of returning."
Valverde wants to explore free agency, so the Astros are just one of his options. As a Type A free agent, he'll cost a top draft pick if the Astros offer arbitration. That's not a sure thing, since the reliever could cost about $10MM next year, but rival GMs tell ESPN.com's Buster Olney that the Astros should offer arbitration.
Astros GM Ed Wade said in September that he'd "love" to bring Valverde back. The righty saved 25 games and allowed just 40 hits in 54.0 innings this season, striking out 56.