Saturday: The talks between the Rockies and Braves that centered upon Seth Smith going to Atlanta and Martin Prado heading to Colorado have gone cold, writes Thomas Harding of MLB.com. However, the Braves still appear to be interested in acquiring Smith.
Thursday: Seth Smith is drawing interest from the Athletics, Rays, Mariners, Braves and Mets, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Reds have also been linked to Smith this offseason and are looking for a left fielder, though Rosenthal and Morosi don't mention Cincinnati. The Rockies can afford to part with Smith, as they already have outfielders Carlos Gonzalez, Dexter Fowler, Michael Cuddyer and Tyler Colvin.
GM Dan O'Dowd would likely look for MLB-ready pitching or a second baseman for Smith, Rosenthal and Morosi write. Smith, a left-handed hitter, posted a .284/.347/.483 line with 15 homers in 533 plate appearances this past season, playing left and right field. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz estimates a 2012 salary of $2.6MM for the 29-year-old via the arbitration process.
why would the a’s want to get seth smith? that’d be the opposite direction they’re going, unless maybe it was andrew bailey for seth smith plus a prospect or two?
The A’s probably wouldn’t have to deal much, and could possibly deal Smith at the deadline to a contender.
If they Rockies were desperately looking for a closer, why did they just trade Huston Street?
exactly, i don’t think the a’s and rockies match up too well, plus seth smith is older and the a’s are trying to get younger
Sizemore for Smith with Colorado throwing an arm in
that doesn’t sound bad
Huston Street isn’t cheap, has some injury concerns, and still has some value, while COL has some closing candidates (Betancourt, among others). They could easily do what TOR has done in 2011 or NYM is doing this offseason and get a few guys with closing experience to have some depth at the position, while also finding their setup man. Of course, there’s some risk involved, but that might be worth the risk for a budget-conscious team.
This is your answer for DH, Friedman? Pass.
I think the Mariners are going to grab Smith, Just a gut feeling
for who?
Vargas and a prospect.
Or just Vargas.
make it Vargas and Figgins. Does CO have any salary they need to get rid of?
Vargas would get blown up in coors.
Shhhhh.
Is there a more overrated player this offseason than Seth Smith?
Adam Jones.
Nope, If these writers actually saw Smith play, their tune would change. I wouldn’t trade for Smith if I had a gun to my head
Yeah, and we (Rox) signed him for $31M
I hope someone trades for Smith before the Braves are dumb enough to trade martin Prado for him.
The only way he’d be involved is if Tim Wheeler is involved, and Wheeler would be the centerpiece, not Smith.
Very true. Martin Prado is an all-star with a 4.4 WAR season under his belt. Seth Smith is a platoon player.
I so hope it happens just to see you explode over it. You’re obsessed with this scenario. Saying you don’t want it to happen over and over really won’t impact whether it does or not.
Sorry for being a fan of a team and not wanting them to trade one of their best players for a scrub!!
I’m just sick of the Rockies beat writers making up this nonsense.
Haven’t we known teams were interested for months now?
Just how many GM’s does Seth Smith have incriminating photos of to be drawing this much attention?
“Many Teams Interested In Seth Smith”
I call BS
“Many [Minor-League] Teams Interested in Seth Smith”
Don’t the M’s have enough outfielders?
Smith would matchup with the Indians farely well. If the reports of the Indians interest in Nick Swisher are accurate. Not that they are the same player.
No thanks…
The only thing that’s annoying me is that I haven’t yet seen “Braves out on Seth Smith” If D’OD is too stubborn to relinquish one of those CFers he’s hoarding then he needs to go look elsewhere. He treats those guys like my pet hamsters treated their food. Took it away to their own little corner and flipped out if the other tried to come near it.
What are you talking about? We heard O’Dowd not wanting to split with Wheeler/Blackmon PRIOR to the Cuddyer signing which was very understandable with their potential. You act like O’Dowd is soooo eminent about not trading one of the two when there has not been a single report after the Cuddy signing saying O’Dowd wouldn’t split with one of them now.
I’m just as tired of the Prado/Smith rumors as you are but your so bias towards Wren/Prado/the entire braves organization that you only see the Rox organization/O’Dowd as the bad guy. Broaden your horizon and get away from overvaluing your players, you need to be more of a realist.
I’d be ok with Seth Smith, as long as Prado isn’t traded for him.
Seth Smith+ one of the Rockies top prospects for JJ+Hinske (Hinske wouldn’t make the roster in this case) isn’t that bad.
Here’s a question, why hasn’t D’OD ACTUALLY acquired REAL major league ready starters like he said he was going to?? ANd now he is trying to do it at the 11th hour after satisfying his fetish for PTBNL’s. When he could have used Ty Wigginton and Huston Street to acquire real pitchers like Volquez, Blanton etc. Seth Smith is not the type of player that brings back “major league ready” pitchers. To think that they had the audacity to even consider that Smith was worth Prado or Jurrjens is absolutely absurd.
I don’t understand the Street trade.
Street’s not the kind of player you dump just to dump the salary, which is what they did.
Seriously, Street + the Rox paying the salary for someone’s 5th starter would’ve been really plausible.
The initial plan was to wait out the free agent closer’s market and then move Street to a team that was after one of those guys but missed out. I thought that was an excellent strategy and was totally baffled when they sent Street to SD (of all places) for basically nothing in return.
Hey Braves fans, you might not want Smith, that’s fine, but stop crying and moaning about how Prado is so much more valuable than him. Bad news: it’s December 2011, not December 2010. Prado is now a year closer to free agency and coming off a crappy season. If this were a year ago and Prado was coming off his 2010 season, those among you saying “Smith and Arenado” wouldn’t be too crazy. As it stands you sound like lunatics.
Prado for Smith straight up is fair given the finances of the situation and the risk the Rockies would be taking that Prado cannot adjust to the league’s adjustment to him. While Smith might be a crappy fielder (or maybe not, who knows, I hate defensive metrics but at least they mostly agree about him) we know at this point that he’s a plus bat and probably will be for several years. Prado could be a year or two away from being a 25th man/utility guy if he can’t get his OBP back up to a respectable level.
Lunatics? Hardly. This one’s really not tough for any rational baseball fan…..Smith, a not so young platoon player from Coors Field, is not worth a versatile player of Prado’s caliber- who only played poorly after returning from injury last season. Match up their career norms….and make sure to check out their lefty righty splits…..
Unless a guy named Fowler or a high level prospect like Wheeler is included…..this is the most laughable rumor of the offseason….
“Prado for Smith straight up is fair.” Really? Take off your homer glasses.
Yeah, let’s take a look at their career numbers- Smith’s OPS+ (that’s park adjusted) is 110, Prado’s is 108. So there you go.
You’re right that Smith is basically a platoon guy (although he crushed lefties in limited PAs in 2009) and that Prado gets better value from his versatility. You’re right that Prado has had the better career and is probably the more talented player. Unfortunately none of that matters when it’s time to trade. Trades are about value, right now. And Prado’s value right now kind of sucks. Smith’s isn’t any better; Braves fans aren’t undervaluing him too much. They’re just comically overvaluing Prado.
Make all the injury excuses you want, but Prado was straight up miserable last year. Going forward, he’s a risk to keep doing that until he disappears. MLB is vicious, it weeds out guys who can’t adjust to adjustments all the time. I’m not saying Prado is definitely an example of that but at this point he’s a candidate. His value is right where Smith’s is. Fast forward to June 2012- if Prado is hitting like he did in 2009 and 2010, his value is way back up. Or if he’s still hitting like he did in 2011, he’s on his way out of the league. 2011 makes it hard to know which he’s more likely to do. But we can be pretty sure where Smith’s value will be- he’ll be crushing righties and getting crushed by lefties (or not playing against them), making him a sort of valuable guy. That’s what Prado is right now too, just with more variance. I know it’s hard to accept but that’s the way it is.
How does Prado’s value right now kind of sucks when no less than a dozen teams were interested in him during the winter meetings?
Hey Warren Buffett, let me give you a little tip about how asset value works: people tend to try to buy low. While Prado is a more talented player than Smith, his value is very low right now. That’s why teams are inquiring on him. No one is calling the Dodgers about Matt Kemp right now. Does this mean Prado is a better player? No, it means Prado has (much) less value. He might go back to his 2009/2010 self, or he might continue to tank. Teams are willing to take the chance that it’s the former, that’s why they’re asking.
You might be accurate if 1 or 2 teams were interested in him. The fact that there is so much competition for him would logically increase his value as teams that are genuinely interested in him would increase their offers to outdo the other suitors.
Competition inflates value
You’re right, competition for him will help Wren get a better package for him than if just one team were interested, but my point was that the whole reason he’s available right now is that his 2011 has lowered his value to the point where he’s worth trading (which was certainly not the case after 2009 and 2010, especially given his salary at those times).
WTH?
“Prado is a more talented player than Smith.”
“Does this mean Prado is a better player? No.”
“Prado has (much) less value.”
Sounds like you’re arguing with yourself now.
Keep spinning…..
Statement #1 refers to a comparison between Prado and Smith. Statements #2 and #3 refer to a comparison between Prado and Matt Kemp.
Sounds like you need to work on your reading comprehension.
Keep trying…..
Either way, you’ve stated that Prado for Smith straight up would be a “fair trade.”
That in itself is enough incriminating evidence to question your overall judgment.
I think teams are still interested. However, they won’t part with the prospects necessary to get him. They are trying to buy low.
Martin Prado would rake at Coors Field. They are really crazy not to be willing to give up a couple of solid minor leaguers to get him.
With the Rox adding Cuddyer and Colvin, I cannot imagine why they would not include either Blackmon or Wheeler (preferrably Wheeler, from my perspective) with Smith in a deal to get Prado.
As a Rox fan, I would do that in a heartbeat.
Your right there LD, but we have few positional player prospects and we need them kinda bad. I’d much rather have Arenado than Blackmon or Wheeler.
there’s another big reason the Braves are big on “do not want” Seth Smith.
The biggest weakness of the Braves: inability to hit left-handed pitching
Prado is good at that. Seth Smith has not proven at all he can hit LHP.
It’s not as much Prado is better (though he is), but because Seth Smith is a horrid fit.
I think with Cuddyer and Colvin now on the roster that O’Dowd may not be as reluctant to put Wheeler or Blackmon in a deal with Smith to get Prado and maybe a low-minors IF or OF prospect (someone not in the top 50 for the Braves).
Personally, I’m still hoping that O’Dowd increases the scope of the deal and lands Jurrjens along with Prado. There are only a handful of prospects that the Rockies shouldn’t be willing to talk about or include in such a deal, IMO.
Braves fans, we get it. No need to go suicidal over Seth Smith. At least it’s not Aaron Cook.
So sad that the “Seth Smith for Gio Gonzalez” rumors never started up. Would’ve been hilarious.
I hear the Nats plan on flipping him for Smith + Wheeler/Blackmon.
Smith + Blackmon + ? for Jurrjens instead, maybe?
The Braves are already too left handed with their lineup. Can’t see them trading one of their better right handed hitters to add another lefty hitter. That would also make their outfield all LHers as I can’t see (and desparately hope) Matt Diaz does not get significant playing time next year.
No need to make comparisons. Prado would play 2B for Rockies. Smith is now a PH/4th OF. He would be a platoon LF for the Braves. Prado is making more money but Smith’s value is less than Prado. Even the most uninformed person has to see that the Rockies are better with Prado…and the Braves maybe could be a little better offensively (assuming Diaz doesn’t decline and Smith doesn’t take a dive away from Coors- didn’t look up his splits) but with less versatitlity….even if you think Smith is a better hitter…its about value to the team.
damn, you guys talk about Prado like he’s Christ-in-Cleats.
If you had watched him play for four years you would understand why.
Prado’s OPS was in the .770 range just prior to getting the staph infection. In May, just before his injury, his OPS was .817. After going on the DL, his OPS dropped 75 points.
It’s pretty funny how highly the Braves fans speak of Prado, yet no one is questioning why he’ll be traded. You don’t trade Jesus unless you are rebuilding. Everyone knows he is available because he is Bobby Crosby.
Bobby Crosby from 2003-2010 had 1 year w/OPS over .800.
Prado had + .800 OPS 3 of last 4 years.
No comparison.
And if he never has an OPS again over .800 and is out of the league in three years, there is your comparison.
Yes, but he already has 3 years of doing it.
Also pretty hard to compare someone with lifetime BA of .293 to some one who never hit over .277. Prado has already had 4 years of SLG over .400 while Crosby had only two.
But, I suppose if you include ‘if’ you could compare him to anyone.
Please compare him to anyone who is such an impact youth who is being shopped by a team who isn’t rebuilding. This conversation would have been over before it started had you conceded that stats over sarcasm isn’t always the greatest way to converse, and said, “Jesus is too old for a long term contract.”
Huh?
My point is Prado is a good solid ML ballplayer, but in no way does he compare to Bobby Crosby as you suggest. The stats for Crosby don’t back it up. On the Baseball Reference site, they compare Prado to Jeff Cirillo, another solid MLer..
Last year was on pace for a typical if slightly down year for Prado when he got the freak injury of staph infection. His numbers plunged after his stay on the DL.
As far as why the Braves are considering trading him. He is slated to make in the 5-6 mill salary range this year and the Braves are not a team that exceeds their spending limits. Same for Jurrjens with his expected salary bump. And the Braves don’t want to trade their pitching prospects. It’s that simple.
Baltimore Orioles would be a perfect team for Seth Smith since he would be a better upgrade over Luke Scott (better being traded to the Mariners w/ JJ Hardy & Tommy Hunter in a three way trade sending Figgins and a minor-leaguer from Orioles to the Rockies on top of Justin Smoak, Shawn Kelley, and minor-league pitcher Paxton to the O’s). Smith can also hit well at Camden Yards in adition of Mariners also adding Prince Fielder for few years.