The Diamondbacks have acquired Matt Gorgen from the Rays, according to a team release. The move completes the July 31st trade that sent Chad Qualls to Tampa Bay, with Gorgen representing the player to be named later in the deal.
Gorgen, 23, acted as the closer for the Rays' Double-A affiliate in Montgomery this season. In 42 outings, he compiled a 1.65 ERA to go along with 8.6 K/9 and 22 saves.
Prior to the season, Baseball America ranked the right-hander as the 28th-best prospect in Tampa Bay's system, describing him as a "classic hard-charging reliever" who projects as a middle reliever or set-up man in the bigs. Baseball America's scouting report also noted that Gorgen needed to work on improving his pitch command before he'd be ready to take the next step toward the majors – he walked 3.9 batters per nine innings for Montgomery this year.
If this guy is as good as his stats suggest, than we have definitely won this trade.
I considered this a win for the D’backs when I found out they were getting anything at all for Qualls and his 8.29 ERA. Now it looks like a steal…
Maybe.
I’ve always liked Gorgen and his brother Scott all the way back since the AFL, but honestly, unless the Rays win the World Series, the Diamondbacks win this trade.
Don’t make 3.9BB/9 sound that high. Just look at who they gave up to get 3.9BB/9.
Okay, but this is a minor leaguer who they will have long term against another relief pitcher who they will have until the end of october. So unless the Rays win the World Series, the DBacks win.
He’s their 28th best prospect, don’t think the Rays care. They don’t need to win the world series for this to be a good trade. They needed Quallls to be a solid BP arm for them & he has been. Sounds like a win win to me.
I’m just saying he is a free agent after this year, and they acquired him to help the bullpen help the team win the world series. So if they don’t, dbacks win.
Unleash the Gorgen!
I really wish the Rays would give chances to Bateman, Ekstrom and Abreu in the minors instead of wasting opportunities on clearly washed up guys like Chad Qualls.
You need to look a bit further than ERA to assess Qualls’s effectiveness. When the Rays acquired him, his K and BB rates were still close to what he had had at his most effective. Since getting him, he has done a good job for TB, especially important as they missed Balfour who had been very good until his injury.
As a matter of fact, in 11 of his 16 appearances with TB, he has done exactly what they wanted. He has walked a few too many, but he has also struck out 8 in his @11 innings and given up just 1 home run in that time. He has also gotten 3 double plays in crucial situations while allowing just 3 line drives to go with 20 ground balls.
It is not a question of winning or losing this trade for the Rays. They acquired Qualls to deepen their bullpen for a run at the division title or at least to ensure the wild card, and so far he has been a useful factor in doing just that. So long as he continues to be effective in this manner, the Rays will be satisfied to have sacrificed a promising middle reliever to get him.
That should say “5” line drives, not “3”. In any case, he has been a useful addition to the bullpen and shows no sign of being washed up.
The real value for Arizona, as we all know, was when we shed Qualls’ salary. I wouldn’t hold my breath on Gorgen being a ‘pen fixture.
Matt Gorgen had a 47.3% FB% for Montgomery last year. He only survived by also lucking into a 3.2% HR/FB rate. That is not something that’s going to continue above Double-A, particularly if he’s hoping to pitch at Chase Freaking Field.
Looks like a sixth- or seventh-inning guy to me, albeit a cheap one, of course. But it’s a far cry from the closer that Chad Qualls was for us prior to his BABIP exploding this year.