The Diamondbacks announced that they have acquired Addison Reed from the White Sox in exchange for third baseman Matt Davidson. MLB.com's Steve Gilbert first reported that the trade was on the verge of happening (on Twitter).
Reed, 24, has saved 69 games for the White Sox over the past two seasons, posting a 4.20 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 126 1/3 innings in that time. Sabermetric stats such as FIP (3.38) and SIERA (3.33) feel that Reed's ERA should have been substantially lower in that time. The Diamondbacks will control Reed through the 2017 season and he is not arbitration eligible until next offseason, making him a highly affordable piece to add to the back-end of their bullpen.
Davidson, 23 in March, made his big league debut in 2013, slashing .237/.333/.434 with three homers in 87 plate appearances. The 2009 supplemental-rounder entered the 2013 campaign ranked as Baseball America's No. 88 overall prospect and MLB.com's No. 77 overall prospect. Davidson delivered on that praise by slashing .280/.350/.481 with 17 homers in 500 plate appearances prior to his promotion to the big leagues. He is controllable through the 2019 season and can't reach arbitration eligibility until at least the 2016-17 offseason.
Reed will step into the ninth-inning role for the Diamondbacks, relegating J.J. Putz and Brad Ziegler to setup duties. Arizona GM Kevin Towers has added some youth to his bullpen while shedding the salary of Heath Bell over the past week.
Davidson, meanwhile, can fill a long-term need for the White Sox, ideally solidifying third base for the South Siders for years to come. White Sox third basemen batted .249/.294/.352 last season, so Davidson should eventually displace the projected platoon of Conor Gillaspie and Jeff Keppinger. He will join an increasingly young core for the White Sox consisting of Avisail Garcia, Adam Eaton and Jose Dariel Abreu.
Arizona's acquisition of Mark Trumbo last week (a trade on which Towers and White Sox GM Rick Hahn also lined up) pushed Martin Prado back to third base on a full-time basis for the Snakes, likely leading to the belief that Davidson had become expendable (Prado is under contract for three more seasons). The White Sox could look to the free agent market to add any number of closer-types available, or they could elect to stay in-house and use flamethrower Nate Jones in the ninth inning.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Wow! That was unexpected.
Is it just me or does it seem like the ChiSox just did real well in this trade?
WhiteSox really starting to put together a great young core for their future. (Garcia, Abreu, Eaton, and now Davidson).
and Beckham.
Haha good one
That Rick Hahn…he’s soooo hot right now.
Plus Semien and Gillaspie. Viciedo is still very young too.
D-backs too
The Sox did real well. This guy is going to be a masher.
not bad
Wonderful trade for the diamondbacks here.
Great deal for the Sox. A closer is irrelevant on a non-contending team and they get a guy with tremendous power potential. Hahns building a really nice core.
Yup (see Sergio Santos and Bobby Jenks)
Yeah, seems like a Billy Beane closer trade of old, where saves artificially bump up trade value. Reed is good, but his 3.77 xFIP ranked 88th in the majors last season.
I agree, I don’t love Davidson but unless Reed becomes the next Mariano Rivera (which is highly unlikely) the White Sox can’t really lose this trade. They’ll be good in a few years.
I thought this was a steal. While Davidson has potential to hit 20+ HRs, Reed is cost controlled closer with 40 saves last season and more room to grow and mature
Closers are all but worthless on last place teams. The Twins need to do the same with Perkins.
I totally agree that the Twins need to trade Glen Perkins and they should have done it last July when his value was really high but they didn’t unfortunately
yes but he had 8 BS and 4 losses last season feels just like a cost controlled Putz or Bell
W/L record means little to a reliever, he’s 24, if he got 40 saves and blew 8 when the sabermetrics show his pitching was negatively affected by the defense behind him, than every stat I see looks good.
xFIP 3.77 — that’s a pretty darn important stat and it’s pretty pedestrian; if a team can’t find a reliever to post an xFIP of 3.77 for a cost of less than a “really good prospect”, then they’re probably not a very adept front office. Of course, they just traded 2 “really good prospects” for a poor fielding 1B-man with no on-base ability so that they can play him in the OF. So… I guess the “adept front office” ship has sailed already…
Post of the year!
Can someone explain XFip to me. I am not familiar with how sabermetrics work.
Saves? You’re doing it wrong, bro…
I like this for both teams.
CHW gets a 3b/1b prospect who can kind of rake, Zona gets a closer that they need (they can win the West, IMO…enough talent to do so).
I’m not sure how i feel about this. I like Davidson a lot, but Reed is a pretty good closer
It’s nice to fill one hole, but feels like they just opened up a new whole. Who closes now?
Lindstrom? Or maybe they will go after Balfour or Benoit now. That part should be easier to fill then filling third base. The only problem I have with Chicago is that they have reaped in a ton of potential young talent, but most (if not all) is unproven talent.
Nate Jones
Yeah, I see either jones or a vet FA. Most of the time if you go rebuilding the talent will be unproven. They have a fantastic young core that can compete in the next few years, as long as catcher isn’t the black hole it has been.
You are kidding about the Sox going after Balfour or Benoit right?
Webb, jones, or lindstrom can all close. Again the whitesox deal from a position of depth for a position of need. Reed is nice and a very good closer but at the same time. They needed a third basemen more than they needed a closer.
*Hole. But Don Cooper can turn just about anyone into a closer. Lindstrom can close, Nate Jones maybe. The White Sox are expect to lose 90 games this year. They don’t need a closer right now. The White Sox have some pitchers in the minors but nothing for 3B prospects. Plus Davidson is under team control two years longer then Reed.
I am not totally sure they will lose 90 games this year. I think they will be better than expected.
Even if it’s not 90 losses, the point is still valid — even if they lose 80 games, it still doesn’t matter who the closer is.
That is a fine point , I just don’t think they will be that bad.
Can probably get a Free Agent on a 1 year stop gap deal. The market is flooded with closer types, there are bound to be bargains.
Papelbon …please?
How about Dunn and kepp for him?
dunn? you realize they have ryan howard right.
It was a joke, don’t see that trade benefiting either side
This is actually not a bad idea. If the Sox can find away to pay ALL of Paplebons deal and also get someone like Dom Brown or some lottery ticket prospects, it might be a great addition for their core.
Don’t see brown fitting into their outfield. Hard to see them giving up on Dayan just yet.
plenty of options still left in FA
Who cares? Closers are a dime a dozen. Power hitting 3B at a cost-controlled price are not.
Who cares who closes? Relievers are a dime a dozen. You can find a reliever; Davidsons don’t grow on trees.
Daniel Webb.
How bout Nate Jones. Technically he was a better pitcher than Addison Reed last year. Unless your big on the “Save” thing.
Completely agree, though some relievers don’t adjust well to the 9th inning roll.
Wow. I actually like this deal for Arizona.
Good trade for both teams.
Tanaka is the key for the dbacks.if they get him they did well this offseason.otherwise we didnt do nothing to help our staff.maybe garza.but we need a big time pitcher to help corbin and bradley coming up.cahill mccarthy delgado all suspect.miley is a coin toss.
I am not totally sold on Tanaka, i am not sure that he will even get posted soon. Do you really want to spend all that money on an unproven talent.
Sorry, but Tanaka is coming to the Cubs 🙂
…..I can wish, right?
Not sure he’ll even get posted. If he does, would Arizona really beat out all bidders? I see it ranked like this:
NYY
CHC
SEA
LAA
TEX
ARI
SF
HOU
It’s not likely $18M AAV for 6 years would even win. Maybe Yanks or Cubs go 20M+ per for 7 years? That’s 7/160M total.
Even if everyone posts $20 million and he had his choice, why would he even choose ARZ. Logically speaking i think NYY,SEA, or LA would be the choice since they do have a large Japanese population that would make transititioning to the States alot easier.
He’s not getting posted, but with the new posting system really a team just has to woo the player being posted, really doesn’t depend that much on location. That being said several teams have the ability to offer Tanaka much more than the Dbacks.
Is this a good trade for the White Sox? As a Royals fan I got to see Reed quite a bit and knew he had 40 saves last year with a 3.80 era. Wondering if they could of got a way better deal or if Davidson has a lot of upside that stats don’t really show?
Sox always seem to be able to spit out RP or SP without even trying, but they cant produce any positional players from the farm. This should work out in the White Sox favor, although it is more of a move for 2015 and beyond than it is for the 2014 season.
You are right. The Sox never seem to develop any hitters. Brian Anderson, Josh Fields, Jerry Owens, and Joe Borchard just to name a few. Big time flops.
Solid analysis. White Sox have almost no guarantees in their farm for position players, but are somehow able to find pitchers left and right. I mean for example, how the hell did they come up with Jose Quintana out of literally no where to become a VERY solid pitcher?
Two words, Don Cooper.
Davidson is extremely undersold in this post. Of course, I have ties to him and the DBacks so I am a little biased. He was blocked by Prado at 3rd, otherwise I don’t think the DBacks would have made this deal
Is martin prado truly the long term answer
I could go either way on this. Why wouldn’t he be? Especially if he bounces back. But even if you want to argue no, the DBacks have 3B prospects that are a few years off
Davidson was the 77th ranked prospect in all of baseball last season. You don’t rate that high if their isn’t a ton of potential. Plus, his minor league number’s are actually pretty impressive and his stint with Arizona last season showed he doesn’t appear to be overmatched.
dbacks prospects dropping like flies. But reed has nasty stuff
Davidson had no place to play now that Trumbo will play LF Prado will play 3rd. Plus, D’Backs still have 2 good 3rd base prospects in minors in Lamb and Drury.
I understand.its not about trading him or prospects.just a few years ago are farm system wasstacked.its getting very thin very fast.these guys are worth much more.towers is a gambler.hes putting all his chips in.he knows if they lose this year hes gone.
And that’s always a scary concept — guys with their finger on the trigger and their head on the chopping block don’t always make the most objective evaluators of talent and value.
Exactly. Fans get the worse of it
Dbacks will be just mediocre enough not to fire Towers. Unfortunately.
I cant see another 500 season . Sick of inconsistent play
Then avoid Fox Sports Arizona starting in March.
Both teams get better in this deal. Chicago needs youth and gets a lot of potential in Davidson and Reed becomes Arizona’s new closer.
Both sides calling it a win. You don’t see that everyday. D-backs will love Reed at the back of their bullpen though.
Hahn is doing an excellent job with the White Sox this offseason. That farm system is still brutal, but he has managed to add several nice, ML ready core pieces on offense. I imagine a Ramirez trade is next.
I am a Cubs fan but I have to admit that I really like the deals that Hahn has made so far.
Yup. Us Cub fans are starting to bite our collective lips at Mr. Hahn.
The Cubs have Jed Hoyer and Theo running your team. What more could you ask for?
It’s transaction envy at its worst. I’d ask for something a little more than George Kottaras, Wesley Wright and Justin Ruggiano. Each a decent move, just missing impact really.
On the bright side at the rate that Hahn is making moves both teams in Chicago might have playoff aspirations by 2016.
It is amazing as a sox fan to see action to rebuild. Hopefully the next draft or 2 can bring more depth to the lower levels since they have 4-5 really nice prospects and the system can balance out
I agree. With the solid position player core, along with Sale and Quintana, this team can contend in a few years
Their OF is already over crowded. They do need some help at C though, so I wonder if Centeno could interest them.
It is only over crowded for one year. After that both Dunn and Konerko are gone. You can move Viciedo to DH and De Aza to LF if you keep either of them that is.
hopefully to us 🙂 i imagine they have no interest in davis or murphy so maybe someone from the outfield? MDD? Lagures? Captain Kirk?
I wouldn’t trade Lagares for Ramirez (age/cost/etc), I doubt they’d want MDD, and no one wants Captain Kirk.
yea who would trade for an improvement in a position of need for a decent player in position of have. alexi is better, cheaper and will be signed for less than drew. id pull the trigger on a 1 for 1 salary dump in a second. toss young in center grandy in right and platoon left. gets more value out of young. and solves ss for 2 yrs.
Lagares and Ramirez had nearly identical WAR last season despite 30 fewer games and they’re projected almost identical next season. Lagares is 24, is making league minimum, and isn’t a FA until 2020.
Ramirez is 32 and has 2 years, $19.5MM left. By the time the Mets are a playoff team, Ramirez is a FA (unless the Mets would pick up another $10MM option). Next year’s SS FA class has Hanley Ramirez, Asdrubal Cabrera, Yunel Escobar, J.J. Hardy, and Jed Lowrie. Last year’s first rounder was a SS, too.
There’s no reason to give up an asset to short-term fill a hole on a non-contending team.
Also he’s not had to give up any draft picks, which was a large part of why he pursued Abreu earlier this year.
ChiSox really starting to put together a great young core for their future. (Garcia, Abreu, Eaton, and now Davidson)
Yep, to go along with Sale and Quintana in the rotation. I like it!
Rebuild could be faster than people originally thought.
really could be! can’t forget about semien and micah either. I feel like micah could be a very nice no. 2 hitter
Wasn’t Semien going to be their 3B of the future? I don’t understand this from the CWS point of view..
Semien is more of a 2B/SS type of player. He was only playing 3B last year to cover for the stench that was playing there all year long.
Semien is more of SS than a 3B. He can play all 3 skill infield positions well but I believe if they trade alexei he’s the SS from now on
I agree with Steve and Jordan. You need more pop from the corner infield spots, but Semien will fill in nicely somewhere in the middle
I know young closers are “sexy,” but Reed posted a 3.79 ERA (versus a park-adjusted 113 ERA+). I’d rather have a 22-year-old third baseman with a high power ceiling.
ERA means very little to a guy who faces 3 batters a game.
There’s truth to that. But considering Reed only owns a career 32.3% GB% and is moving to a hitter’s haven, I’m not sure that high-ERA will reduce in size.
U.S. Cellular Field is a hitter’s haven…
Right. So the move to another one doesn’t help his cause.
The Cell is a better hitters park then Chase Field. Relax, he’ll be fine.
Why not keep Davidson, a top hitting prospect, and just sign one of the many available relievers to close?
Probably cost control. Reed is a successful major league closer who is under team control through 2017 and is going to cost basically league minimum this year and maybe next year. I’m not sure about next year to be honest. With Trumbo and Prado in the majors and as I understand it hot shot 3B prospects in low A ball there really wasn’t a need for him.
Rick Hahn making moves baby. Good deal!
A worry of mine is Reed’s extremely low ground ball rate in a stadium where Chase Field digs XBHs and the long ball.
I’m guessing these names may have come up during the three team trade discussions last week but were tabled in order to seal that deal. This probably didn’t take long to come back to and wrap up as well.
Is this the guy George Sanders played in “All About Eve?”
Although, I hate to see Davidson go, but Reed is a great addition to the bullpen. We still have Jake Lamb who I believe may be the better 3B of the two, as well as Brandon Drury, who did very well his first year in the organization.
“Let’s trade cost controlled closer for someone with a K% over 25 in the minors. That’ll pan out.”
Davidson is dead in the water. I can’t see him being more than a Mark Reynolds redux with passable defense.
What good is a closer to a team that isn’t competing? Because he’s cost controlled doesn’t make him a superstar closer
He still has more value than this. Reed has a very good arm.
He has more value than a cost controlled young potential good 3rd baseman? Yeah how about no
Oh yea, a guy who is a superior power hitter that can’t post a +.900 OPS in the hitter friendly PCL and strikes out wayyy too much should be lauded here as some sort of uber valuable piece.
At least Reed has established ML value.
but teams know the sox don’t need him so they aren’t gonna get 2-3 prospects for the guy. I’m a sox fan but you have to be realistic about it
He’s dead in the water at 22 while also being the best power hitter in the Diamondbacks system? You dont need a cost controlled reliever for a team in transition.
And that’s completely relative.
Not my fault you value a closer over a young position player with huge power on a rebuilding team. Keep in mind…the White Sox have done pretty well developing young arms in the bullpen.
Its not my fault you overvalue a closer on a rebuilding team.
my point exactly. There is no need for him on the team, trade him while the value is high and get a top prospect and that is what they did. It’s a win-win for both clubs
I see much more of a win in Chicago. Is Addison Reed going to provide that much more for Arizona than Brad Ziegler? Is it worth giving up a guy like Matt Davidson?
Why is that even a point? He’s worth less because he’s on a worse team?
Complete fly by I see….you dont need a closer on a team thats going to struggle to win many games. If this team competes next year(not likely but possible) they have a pretty good track record of developing relievers.
It sure is. And relative to the non-contending White Sox, a cost-controlled closer is more of a luxury than a need.
So because the White Sox are dealing from a position of strength, it doesn’t matter that the player they got is completely flawed?
Team’s wont give up players when they know for a fact the team has no use for him. He is worth less because he has no immediate impact on the future. 3 outs does no equate to a rebuild. If thats the case why aren’t the astros trading for closers every year.
Most people see this as a fairly even trade. Is there risk? Sure, just like every other prospect. You’re the only person I’ve seen say that Davidson is ‘completely flawed’, so I’m not sure how to argue against your point.
His constantly improving defense, age (22), power potential, and above .300 OBP say that he isn’t completely flawed. More to the point, if as the article above says, Reed losing velocity indicates possible injury in the near future. Won’t be able to trade him for a bag of balls after that. The White Sox had a luxury in Reed and traded him for a desperate need in Davidson. How hard is that to understand?
Last year Napoli had the 4th most K’s in the league. He also lead the league in pitches seen per AB. My point is I’m starting to find K% for a hitter to be an overrated stat to look at. I don’t know much about Davidson but he seems to have decent power and a good OBP. Suggests to me if patience is emphasized by the ChiSox hitting coach then he’d be a frustrating player to face. I rather like this deal on both sides. White Sox don’t need a closer and got a good piece for one.
K% might be less of a concern when you’re talking about established ball players. But when you’re acclimating yourself to the big leagues, strikeouts are a very critical part of development.
It’d be one thing if he were a high BABIP guy that can grind out extra hits, but he’s a power guy that relies on that almost completely outside of an average walk rate.
You cannot compare K% at big leagues to K% in minors. I mean you can, but I don’t think it is meaningful.
Reed is not cost-controlled.
The guy was the 77th ranked prospect in all of baseball last season. He didn’t get that ranking because he sucks. He has to have a huge upside. Plus, don’t look too much into K rates in the minors. The vast majority of power hitters currently in the majors had higher K rates than Davidson in their minor league careers.
Jared Mitchell was the #55 prospect in 2010.
Yes, Davidson deserved that ranking when he got it, but he’s certainly not on the same track he was before.
Davidson doesn’t have 35-40 HR potential. He MIGHT be able to hit 30. He doesn’t have the bat speed to generate the kind of consistent power to break that echelon.
Reed was good pick up by Arizona. Reed has been hurt by very high BABIP, high HR/FB and high HR/9 while in Chicago. Chase field should help his HR rate as it is not nearly as homer prone a park as US Cellular.
Troy Glaus Jr will enjoy hitting for the south siders I think :D. I think that’s a good comparison for the kid. Big time power.
I would love to have a baby glaus on the southside!
Davidson has shown some power but he’s no Troy Glaus. Glaus only spent 1 year in the minors, hit 35 HR and slugged .640. Then went to the MLB and hit 29 HR/.450 SLG and 47 HR/.604 SLG the next two years. Davidson has had 4 years in the minors has never topped 23 HR or slugged higher than .505. Glaus was a beast. Davidson has not earned a title of Glaus Jr. yet, he’s got a long way to go.
Does that mean it balances out when you factor in that Davidson isn’t taking steroids?
Maybe… does Davidson not taking steroids balance out when you factor in that the pitchers are no longer taking steroid and amphetamines?
Time in the minors meaning what exactly? Glaus just spent that time in college instead. The initial comparison is flawed but your reasoning is not sound.
Troy Glaus… gosh, I miss that guy being in baseball.
Both sides win. Chi Sox building a core and Arizona trying to make a contender.
For all the dumb moves the White Sox have pulled in the past, they are looking pretty good for the future. All their position players are in their 20’s after these recent trades and they still have Sale/Quintana.
I have real mixed emotions on this one…It seems the Sox always get a bit less than they should — a proven player for a wannabe; why can’t we get 2 or 3 hopefuls and increase the odds that something good will come of the trade?…if all the young talent pans out, Hahn is a genius…if not, he’s no better than KW was…
Love the infusion of youth into a franchise that desperately needed it. Next step is finding rotation depth behind Sale. Not a lot of upside in the rotation past that point but at least they are heading in the right direction. Quintana would be a solid number 5 on a decent team as well. They may want to swap him while the value is still above his ability as well.
no.5? on what team?
Quintana a solid number 5? Quintana is doing just fine as a 2-3 right now…They have Danks/Johnson/Paulino and even Rienzo behind that. Certainly not terrible.
Has changed his approach since signing as a Minor League Free Agent that I agree, however his arsenal is still pretty limited. Increased his K rate, but reality is it isn’t sustainable. They were able to sell high on Santiago, I just think they need to follow the Billy Beane Model and sell high also on Quintana
He doesn’t crack the top 4 of any of the playoff teams last year. He is a solid number 5 who performed above that last year. He is exactly the type of guy you sell high on
Peavey was the #4 starter for the WS winner’s last year, 2013 Quintana>>> 2013 Peavey, so he would have cracked the top 4 of the WS winner last year..
He isn’t better than Peavy. If any team has him valued better than Peavy Hahn needs to be on the phone now. Teams will pay for the cost control
why do you hate quintana? or not think hes good?… its very strange….
coachofall knows what he is talking about. It’s nothing personal against Quintana, but he is what he is….a back of the rotation SP. More importantly, Quintana is cost-controlled for several years, which has huge value by itself. For a rebuilding team like the White Sox, trading JQ can bring about a return that can help the organization down the road, not just in 2014.
I could not agree more!! Hopefully Hahn knows this as well. Quintana is the prototypical soft-tossing lefty with a low walk rate and an average K rate. With the bloated salaries out there in the free agent market for SP, Quintana is a much less expensive option in trade than Price, Hamels or Bailey. I can see Jack Z (Seattle’s GM) willing to part with Nick Franklin plus another SP prospect for Qunitana. Franklin would fit in nicely at 2B or SS,(yes, he was drafted as a SS and played there as recently as 2013) which will allow Hahn to have another trade chip in Ramirez or Beckham.
Quintana is definitely a #2-3..
By fWAR, Quintana was ranked 25th in all of baseball at 3.7. Cole Hamels was at 4.2, Madison Bumgarner at 3.7, Patrick Corbin at 3.7, Mike Minor at 3.4. All arguably comparable lefties.
And yet, not one of them would likely be labeled as a number five starter. Quintana’s not an ace, certainly, but his FIP and xFIP were at 3.81 and 3.86 last year, respectively, which is not a mark often posted by a number five starter.
You’re welcome to hold your opinions, of course, but given the nature of your statements, statistics that back up your opinions would be wonderful.
Based on 1 year? Heck Damian Moss posted a very similar year to Quintana at the same age. Doesn’t this support the claim that they should probably sell high? And I agree, opinions are nice but stats can be manipulated to be a lot of different things especially if you are using only a 1 season sample size
It was his first full season as a starter. But fine, look at his numbers from 2012 and you’ll see a guy whose WAR is still well above league average and way too good to say he is a #5 guy. Give me a break.
Correct…..Quintana is a good no.3 SP
Wrong Quintana would be a solid no.3 SP
I know they have absolutely no minor league depth but the moves they have made equate to the promotion of prospects. We still have Semien and Micah Johnson who both are beginning to receive high-regards from scouts so this team could go through a very exciting short youth movement
no minor league depth for positional players….but we do have several Pitchers
What can the White Sox get out of Alexei Ramirez? Do they need/want to trade him?
As an outsider (by that I mean NL Fan), I like what the White Sox are doing. Davidson is a huge piece and CWS could have great corners in Abreu and Davidson. The outfield is coming together as well.
Again, I wonder if shipping out Ramirez could benefit the Sox?
I hope so you are seeing a player hitting his ceiling and starting to decline IMO. His power has gone down dramatically and even though he’ll hit for average, his OBP is dreadful (never higher than .333).
You also see a bunch of boneheaded plays in the field. He has the potential to be a nice AVG and defender at this point in his career, but at age 32 you aren’t going to see much more than you have.
I say deal him to a contender since SS is a thin position and get at least 2 decent prospects.
The sox should really convince the Yankees to take Ramirez. He can and has played ss( gold glove caliber with exception to last year) 2nd, 3rd, and cf. He makes a lot of sense for them. Maybe for bentances or Pineda who seemingly has fallen out of favor with the team.
I see it happening next, hopefully. The Sox have Beckham/Semien who can play 2B/SS to cover for Ramirez if in fact they decide to trade him.
Yep there are definitely some benefits to trading him. Getting Semien on the field is a plus.
Or vise versa. They could deal Beckham and put Semien at 2nd. Who knows. Keppinger has to go ASAP.
I’ve been saying it this whole time, Keppinger’s bat vs. LHP and ability to play anywhere in the IF is a plus for most teams. However, his age will deter suitors and won’t likely be useful for much more than clearing 4.5 mil off the books. At that point, he’s worth more than the return you’d get.
The Sox have Leury Garcia and Marcus Semien who I’d rather see play than Keppinger. Both very solid defensively and both are I believe 22 years old. Might as well give them a chance.
But I think you’d be better served letting Garcia and Semien play everyday in AAA until June….see if Keppinger can increase his trade value and trade him then. May get something more for him then and allow the young guys to get everyday AB’s. I really don;t want Semien rotting on the bench playing 1-2X/ week. That’s not how you develop a young un.
The White Sox aren’t trading Alexi for at least one year since that was one of the big reasons Abreu came to the White Sox. There are already two other Cubans (Alexi and Viciedo) along with De Aza in the starting lineup.
Hopefully Daniel Webb is ready, he’s a better in-house option than Nate Jones. Either way, good moving dealing from a surplus to grab a touted prospect in a position of need.
Don’t the White Sox already have a (like) 23yr old top 3B prospect with very similar numbers? I thought that guy was a base-stealer too? I don’t understand this from their point of view…
No?
Semien or something? Isn’t he 3B?
Semien is more of a 2B/SS type player. He only covered 3B last year because the Sox had absolutely no one worthwhile.
They like him better at second.
Got it. His numbers would play very well at second. I was wondering why he was marked as a 3B the last time I looked.. I see now that it was just a stop-gap solution as they had noone else that could play productively there last year.
He had the ability to play 3rd, but is really a middle infielder.
I see. Thanks!
Mainly 2B and SS…..not 3B
no…. sox have nothing above A ball. Maybe youre thinking of Semien or Micah Johnson because those are the only positional prospects above AA
Good trade for both sides. Addison Reed is a proven closer and I love Davidson’s bat. Great potential. Needs to cut down on the strikeouts. Loving the youth infusion on the Southside. Probably means Gillaspie’s getting his walking papers.or a Keppinger trade is coming.
Keppinger won’t bring anything other than fractional salary relief. They’re better off keeping him & hoping for a bounce year.
His bat vs. LHP and his ability to play multiple positions is a big plus for Kep. Good guy to have for when starters need rest/injury relief.
Yankees?
I think he’d be a benefit to NY.
He has some value, however at age 34, scheduled to make $4MM & coming off a 2013 slash of .253/.283/.317/.600 with -2.0 WAR he really has no trade value. As I said, the Sox can hope he bounces to his 2012 stats of .806 OPS & 2.4 WAR. He should get plenty of opportunity to do so.
I’d take the fractional salary relief.
Not sure I’d want to send substantial $$ to make him go away. The denominator in that fraction is likely to be a big number.
Seems like a low sell on Matt Davidson. Reed is an “ok” closer, but is he really worth parting with a young, cost controlled, power hitting 3B? I know the D-Backs have Martin Prado to play 3B, but they should’ve been able to get more than an “ok” closer.
Okay? He saved 40 games last year on the 3rd worst team in baseball…
Yeah, he also blew 8 and has a career ERA over 4. He’s an okay closer.
Above average ERA+, high K/9, and a dropping ERA because his first full season was above 4… I’d say he is an above average closer.
And his 2nd full season was 3.79, kinda average. He’s okay at his job, that’s not an attack. He’s just not in the upper echelon of closers.
Don’t bother Jeff, some people just refuse to acknowledge how worthless relievers are.
Citing ERA I see. Bet you think batting averages and RBI’s are still worth while stats too huh?
Time to trade Keppinger, Beckham, and/or Ramirez. The way things are going, it definitely looks like Hahn will. Best offseason for the Sox in a long time. I’m loving it.
Nobody wants Keppinger
That’s not true at all. Keppinger bats very well against left-handed pitching. Any team struggling against LHP and needing a utility IF would love to have Keppinger.
Would have been good fit for Cards if they hadn’t just signed Ellis.
I kind of agree that no one wants Keppinger. Or Dunn. But hey, if Hahn could move them (for cheap) and open up spots for some youngsters, that would be awesome.
I think Hahn wants Keppinger. The guy can play any position in the IF, which helps for when starters need days off or when you’ve got a LHP on the mound. Kep’s age will deter many suitors, but you’ll get him off the payroll, if that’s what Hahn desires… I don’t think Hahn wants to get rid of him.
As sad as this is gunna sound, the Astros would take Dunn off your hands. We have nearly zero power in our lineup so I wouldn’t put it past Luhnow to make that move. But I don’t see it happening.
Viceado has a bit of value, DeAza even less. Alexei little due to age, salary & diminishing skills. Without touching the SP it’s going to be tough to trade for a decent catcher.
The White Sox aren’t trading Alexi for at least one year since that was one of the big reasons Abreu came to the White Sox. There are already two other Cubans (Alexi and Viciedo) along with De Aza in the starting lineup.
Correct…they won’t trade Viciedo or Alexei this year because of Abreu.
So, Kevin Towers & Arizona basically swap infield offense (Davidson) for outfield offense (Trumbo), Bell for Reed, and Punto starting at 3B? All this *basically* costs them Skaggs, Holmburg, cash, and top position prospect Davidson? As a Giants fan, I’ll be interested to see Reed’s 33% ground ball rate and over 45% fly ball rate play in the second highest ballpark ranked by elevation. Oh, and Coors Field too.
Can the Giants now get Marcus Semien, bring him to the team he rooted for growing up in the Bay Area? White Sox are getting better, I look forward to seeing what Pito Abreu brings in 2014 and beyond.
I think we’ll keep Marcus, unless you’re willing to offer posey…
Prado is starting at third
You do realize Reed is coming from a better hitters park then Chase Field right? People call U.S. Cellular Field “Coors Field East” for a reason.
I like this deal more for the Sox, but like it for both teams.
Being a Sox fan, I do not think they will compete this coming year but Hahn is setting us fans up for the future quite well. It’ll be better watching a bunch of promising youngsters learn on the field than a bunch of aging mediocre players who don’t care about whether they win or lose.
So true. I am sick of watching 30+ year old guys hit .250 every season. Now there is some hope and potential.
We’ve been saying that in Minnesota for many months. Plus, we already called dibs on 2015.
Arizona swaps infield offense (Davidson) for outfield offense (Trumbo), Bell for Reed, and Pun to is starting at 3B? All this basically costs them Sk4ggs, Holmburg, cash, and top position prospect Davidson? As a Giants fan, I’ll be interested to see Reed’s 33% ground ball rate and over 45% fly ball rate play in the 2nd highest ballpark ranked by elevation. And at Coors Field too.
Can the Giants now get Marcus Semien, bring him to the team he rooted for growing up in the Bay Area? White Sox are getting better, look forward to seeing what Pito Abreu brings in 2014 and beyond.
you’d have better luck getting beckham.
No thanks.
Hahn and company’s moves are making complete sense. We’re all gonna see this thing through for better or worse. The Chi Sox are really puttin’ in great work to piece everything together in order to have sustained success. This is all a process and it’s looking great thus far.
I like this deal for the Snakes. They get some much needed bullpen help. Davidson was expendable because of Prado. They also save money by not spending on Balfour or another free agent reliever. They can use this money to sign Santana or Garza. Win- win for both teams in my opinion
Nice trade for the White Sox.
Minnesota has dibs on 2015. Get your own division title!
Hey, as long as it is not Detroit 🙂
Haha. Deal! I just don’t like visiting there for games…
If you think Comerica Park is in a bad area, what do you call the area around Cellular Field??
Chicago.
It’s not as bad as people say. Your in Bridgeport that being said on the other side you have the projects. It’s a lot better than it use to be.
The only area I call anything (“home”) is a mile away from Target Field. Furthermore, I never said anything about Detroit the city. I was referring to the drive to get there.
Settle down, buddy. It’s gonna be alright.
So you haven’t been to 35th and Shields since the 90’s?
So you haven’t been to 35th and Shields since the 90’s?
…. What?
I really like what the White Sox have been doing since the trading deadline. Not only was their lineup ridiculously bad, it had no potential to improve. They’re building a good group of young hitters to go along with their talented pitching.
I’m cheered by the fact that FanGraphs reports Reed’s average fastball is 94 mph and he strikes out a batter per inning. After suffering through the Health Bell Experience last year, Reed could be a big part of stabilizing a D-backs bullpen that blew 29 saves for a woeful 57% success rate in 2013. Davidson may turn out to be a nice player that the D-back would regret dealing but he was going to languish on the bench or be stuck in Reno getting AAA ABs waiting for an injury to open a slot. Good luck to him in Chicago where he has a more direct path to an everyday role. I like the move for both teams.
Then perhaps don’t read this: Heath Bell had a much better xFIP than Addison Reed in 2013.
This is the problem with having a one dimensional player like konerko on the bench. It’s looking like Conor is going to be moved. Which isn’t horrible but isn’t good in my opinion. He is a lefty bat with a bit of pop that can play 3rd and 1st. He is a good bench bat. And unless kepp, Dunn or alexi are traded it’s looking like semien will he sent down. Which is a shame.
Problem solved. Get rid of Dunn and keep Gillaspie! haha
Can you send Semien down to SF? We could start him at least 50 games between 2B, SS, and 3B I’ll guess. Then by 2015 he can likely have one of the starting spots.
“Sabermetric stats such as FIP (3.38) and SIERA (3.33) feel that Reed’s ERA should have been substantially lower in that time.”
Now sabermetric stats have feelings? Next, we’ll being hearing about same stats marriage.
Got to be a typo, Sabermetrics don’t “feel” they “know!”
As a White Sox fan, I’m starting to really appreciate Hahn’s work. And as someone who loves irony, I’m starting to appreciate Kevin Towers as well.
Kevin Towers is basically a jump start to our rebuild I love it
The Sox have done a great job adding major league ready position players. Considering where they were at just a few months ago with a bad major league roster and a weak farm they have done well positioning themselves for the future with Garcia, Abreu, Davidson, and Eaton.
This is a solid deal for both teams the Diamondbacks are a team attempting to contend and need a closer they can count on, the ChiSox are a few years away from contending and they now bring in a power hitting corner infielder to develop.
I agree with the White Sox making great deals. I’m not sure if this was as good as you state for Arizona… is Reed that much of an upgrade from Brad Ziegler? For one of your top 3-5 prospects in your system? I don’t see this one being of benefit for Zona.
Well, ARI probably doesn’t love having 29 blown saves in 2013. But replacing 7 BLSV by Bell for 8 BLSV by Reed? Davidson seems a mighty cost for Reed. CWS did good on this one.
That’s my point. Overselling on a closer for a top prospect is a huge failure in my book.
Agree. But then, I have to figure Kevin Towers has a different definition of “winning” on his trades. By my standards, he’s none too good at this stuff. But, I’m a Giants fan. So, I can work with that.
Keep in mind that Bell was much older and much more expensive though
True, I do understand all that- reallocation of monies and such. But geez. If the value of a reasonable closer is a top prospect, can the Giants get George Springer for Santiago Casilla?
That’s a very concise and accurate way of putting it. Towers has some ridiculous criteria for “winning” that has no basis in reality. Why was this man ever hired?
3 team trade proposal
Yankees aquire Brandon Phillips
Reds aquire Alejandro De Aza and Slade Heathcott
White sox aquire JR Murphy
Thoughts?
I think the white sox are gonna see what adrian nieto can do
That is a terrible trade proposal unless you are the Yankees.
Why would the Reds give up Phillips and only get De Aza in return? What a horrible trade idea.
And I guarantee they don’t want to take on the cancerous personality and play-style of Heathcott.
Kevin Towers makes Ruben Amaro look like Billy Beane.
Not quite, but he’s on his way. He’s given up a lot to add a power hitting, but terrible defensive corner outfielder and an okay closer. Trumbo and Reed are both cost controlled, so there is that.
Love what the White Sox are doing. Have been annoyed by Hahn/Williams for a while but it looks like they are starting to make some very solid moves. Solid rotation headlined by a top 5 ace, suddenly youthful outfield with speed and pop, and an infield that has at least 2 core pieces in Abreu and Davidson, plus potential pieces in Beckham, Anderson, Semien, and maybe Garcia. A few holes left (catcher) and the Sox could suddenly look very good.
I assume because it was ken Williams/Hahn now it’s Hahn/Williams, but to be fair the kenslinger does have a ring
Mighty big assumption these two prospects, and that’s what they are, make the club. If Hahn was going to rebuild and tear the team down he should have just said it. Dumping your closer is not the brightest thing to do.
What!?! This comment really makes no sense.
Good job by the Chi Sox, considered them the winners of the Trumbo deal, now making this trade. Keep fooling Towers.
This might be a win win for both teams.
This…was a very unexpected ninja move by Rick. I’ll definitely take it though, Davidson is an excellent prospect and for Reed he’s a steal. No knock against Addy, he’s got good stuff, but as others said, he just doesn’t fit a team like this. We sold high on him and he’ll do just fine in Zona. Another caveat is that Eaton will probably be glad to have a fellow prospect back with him.
Davidson wasn’t number one on my wish list, would have prefered a LH bat, but if the HRs are there and glove is good, I’ll take it. Jason Castro next?
So…what are some fun things to do during baseball season? Looking for something to do now that watching the Dbacks will be painful.
This move actually makes the Dbacks better next year. So does the Trumbo trade… it just cripples the farm system in the future.
None of the moves KT made cripples the Dbacks farm system. Both Eaton & Davidson were MLB ready & were all ready up to the majors. Sending Skaggs & Holmberg away in trades only puts a small dent in the stock pile of arms in the minors.
Moreover their #1 prospect is a pitcher, not Davidson. They have a 3B in Prado.
What you mean, this season isn’t gonna be painful, years 2-5 will be the painful ones
I didn’t say those years in the future would be anything other than painful, I was indeed implying long-term pain. I think they’re relatively the same as they were this last season though so having about 80 wins and no hope for next year will still be fairly painful.
This is a good trade for both teams. Davidson had nowhere to play in AZ once Trumbo was acquired, thus keeping Prado @ 3B for the next 3 years. And the Dbacks had a glaring need for a closer & young cost controlled BP arms. Chicago got a good young 3B that has the potential to hit for power.
As a Tiger fan I’m not happy the White Sox have gotten Abreu Eaton and Davidson this off season and Garcia at the deadline. Not looking forward to seeing those guys 20 times a yr for the next several yrs…..
Well you can’t expect the rest of the AL central to just sit back and let Detroit dominate the division forever 🙂
Very true. As a baseball fan in general I do like what the white sox and royals have done this offseason. I wish Avisail Garcia the best in Chicago. His awful walk rate in the minors is somewhat concerning but he could be a great player in a few yrs. The Iglesias/Garcia/Peavy deal helped all 3 teams considering what each team needed.
Reed is a young closer under control for a while. I like this move for Arizona.
The diamondbacks overpaid, reed gets shaky, I have had the displeasure of watching 90% of the white sox games last year. They actually would have been better off getting nate jones than Addison.
He’s young and under control, but he’s pretty average. Should’ve gotten more in return for a top 3B prospect.
Sadly this might be Towers best trade in the last calendar yr…..and he still lost in most peoples eyes. Kind of telling, no?
Yeah, but did Towers set some sort of MLB record with four separate 3-team trades within a calendar year? That’s not nothing. lol.
I usually hate giving up assets for relief pitching , but this isn’t horrible considering how cheap he is.
Reed won’t come cheap in a couple of years… not with the closer market only get more and more expensive.
For the Sox, this makes sense. Their strength for the past decade has been their ability to turn out solid RP/SP from their farm, or take in rebuilding pitcher projects and build up their value. Churning out positional players with solid bats…not so much. Sox should trade every RP they have if it means they can get some guys that can put contact on the ball or run the bases without looking like an idiot.
The Dbacks will enjoy Reed and be a better team this year because of him, although he will make you nervous every so often by loading the bases or cutting your team’s lead in half before getting that final out. But his stuff is down right filthy when he is feeling it.
I wonder if the sox would have done this deal if last years free agent answer to the hot corner (Jeff Keppinger) had fared better in 2013? That said this is a win for the sox.
D’Backs got a great young closer for the future and the White Sox finally get their next Joe Crede for the future. I like.
Addison Reed is great? Really?
40 saves in his second year as a closer. He’s still only going to be 26 coming in to 2014. He has great stuff. He can get a little out of control and obviously has a lot of room for improvement but he’s definitely a good one. I liked him here with the Sox but it’s time to move him from a team that isn’t going to contend for a few years.
40 saves, but he blew 8 and had an ERA closer to 4 than 3.50. I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree.
Blew them due to pitching or due to subpar fielding behind him?
Couldn’t tell you, only saw a handful of White Sox games. But 8 blown saves and a 3.79 ERA kinda tells the story.
You did not see enough games. It was criminal how bad the Sox were last year fielding the ball, including a lot of errors that were ruled as hits, I guess to make the players feel better about their on field gaffs. Did he blow saves himself with no help? Sure, but his stats are skewed a bit.
His FIP was 3.20 vs his ERA of 3.79. His Fair Run Average was 3.38 (FRA rewards pitch sequencing) which puts him at 8th among closers, right behind Mariano Rivera.
Jeff, every closer blows a game once in a while!!! Arizona saw value, if they didn’t they wouldn’t have traded their #2 prospect.
Obviously they saw value. I’m not saying they shouldn’t have traded for him. I’m saying they didn’t get enough in the return.
I think they got plenty. Major League tested and ready versus 76 MLB at bats.
Major League tested, but he’s been pretty average. Sure Davidson only has 76 at-bats against MLB pitching, but how many guys get mid-season call-ups and dominate right away? Mike Trout didn’t reach .200 until 55 at-bats. Miguel Cabrera was hitting .222 after 90 at-bats. Most guys don’t come up and hit .350 their first month in the big leagues.
Again a 3rd base prospect that batted .237 in the majors ( and
unknown as to how their fielding will be), for a upper echelon closer. A
closer is not that easy to find regardless of what some say. Hahn is REALLY rolling the dice this off-season and he better hope Eaton and this Davidson kid pay off in the majors. If Gillispie plays better at 3rd and sends this kid to the minor Hahn is going to look mighty ridiculous to give up a good closer for another ‘maybe’ player.
Addison Reed isn’t in the upper echelon of closers.
If you think an upper echelon closer is hard to find, you should check out the 3B market
I have, and I also see the Sox already have a kid at 3rd who can bat .237 in Conor Gillaspie. Gillaspie’s numbers in the minors also seem eerily similar to Davidson’s as well. At least Gillaspie is a lefty. And do not bother trying to say that Davidson is a better fielder either, according to the minors stats, they appear to be very similar
Davidson is 22……
.237 in all of 76 at-bats. Davidson has hit well at every level.
Gillaspie also hit .280 in his last year in the minors.
I’m willing to bet Davidson can put up an OPS over .700 in his first full season…
Addison Reed is no where close to an upper echelon closer
Upper Echelon???? I like Addison Reed and I think he had value, however closers have very small windows with the exception of Mariano Rivera. It’s a good trade for both teams. The Sox farm system has experienced a shot in the arm (no pun intended). More importantly until they get more fannies in the seats at the Cell, you can expect players that are under control for more years at less money. The Sox have picked up 3 top 100 prospects, and signed a top international player for six years in one offseason. Plus they held on to their Ace. Now I know why Rick Hahn was considered one of the top GM’s to be just a couple of years ago.
Oh and all players under 26 yoa!!
Why are you judging a supplemental first-round pick from four years ago, that’s just 22 years old, and has hit everywhere along the line in the minors, off of the small sample size he had at the major league level? Davidson has a great upside and can blossom into a very solid and serviceable third baseman. Eaton and Davidson are both ideal players for the Sox. Major league ready talent that was held in high regard in minor league baseball. I can sacrifice a good young closer and starting pitcher for some nice looking position players that plug in to positions the Sox needed to address after this catastrophic 2013 campaign. Hahn did just that and I applaud his efforts.
I’m sure Gillaspie did at some point too. And Gillaspie has an upside still as well. Why do you trade you closer for another guy like Gillaspie?
Given the state of the White Sox right now, having a good young closer that will keep growing in talent doesn’t fit with them right now. With increasing talent comes an increase in pay…timing is everything in professional sports. The Sox can certainly find someone within the next couple of years to fill that void if it’s really an issue. Right now though, it’s not the greater issue, since they have a lot of depth in their pitching department.
You can’t predict the future anymore than I can. You can’t preclude that Davidson is just another Gillaspie without having even played one full year yet in the majors.
Can someone explain Reed to me? I see the 40 saves but there really isn’t much else that makes me feel like he’s impressive or even good enough to displace Putz. His ERA is very high (I understand that ERA isn’t a good indicator of relievers but 3.79, and 4.15 for his career is higher than you want for a closer regardless of the outside circumstances). I see 8 blown saves, a low 83% save percentage, and 4 losses. All indicators other than his 40 saves tell me this guy simply is not that good but I haven’t seen anyone else doubt his abilities. Is there something I am missing?
No you are correct, and if you watch him, he got lucky he didn’t blow more saves
He was on a team last season that could not field to save its life?
ERA is earned runs. If they made errors it wouldn’t effect his ERA. I seriously doubt that they made so many non-error bad plays that it contributed to an entire run, because that’s about how much higher his ERA is compared to a reasonably effective closer
errors are in the mind of the scorer in the booth. Many errors are not ruled errors.. the Sox were REALLY bad fielding.
Right, but a bad fielding team has a lot of errors, thus not effecting his ERA. I seriously doubt that an official scorer misses that many errors to effect his ERA that much. There are checks and balances in MLB to make sure scoring is relatively consistent throughout
You’re insanely off here. Errors don’t take into account range or arm strength. Look at the Cardinals. Terrible fielding team but pretty good fielding percentage. The white sox D is atrocious.
“I seriously doubt that they made so many non-error bad plays that it contributed to an entire run, because that’s about how much higher his ERA is compared to a reasonably effective closer”
I already addressed this. It helps if you read the entire thread
Obviously, you didn’t watch enough White Sox baseball last year. Seriously, a Tee ball team could have fielded better last year.
I understand that there are bad defenses but it takes more than that for it to have a huge effect on ERA. Bad defenses boot balls and throw offline. Unless your SS, 2B, and CF have the range of David Ortiz, you can’t tell me that a defense can have such a huge impact on the amount of earned runs that cross the plate
Also, the Chi Sox as a team had a 3.98 ERA. Are you suggesting that a better defense would have brought that to the 2.90-3.10 range, making them #1 in the MLB? Because basically that is the argument you are making for Reed…
I am okay with you assuming that. But I would also argue that ERA is a really poor stat for pitching evaluation. Get some better ones.
I don’t need a better stat to make that particular argument. Also, dissing the stat I use is a cop out
Well, if you remove the 10 games in which he gave up runs, his ERA is 0.00.
Are you just trying to troll my comment? Because he has 18 appearances where he gave up at least one earned run….
Now I’m gonna wait for the adam Dunn for Archie Bradley trade….. Thanks to Arizona the white sox bottom 3 team with bottom 3 farm all of a sudden have a young talented core for years to come
Low, what? Eaton and Davidson are projected as average major league players. Hardly players you build around.
I wonder if Nick Cafardo is going to be upset this didn’t happen last week…
Too many people drinking kool aid. It will be far more likely that Reed
saves 40-45 games for Arizona (and has a 3 or less ERA) than this Davidson kid comes to the Sox and even puts up Crede type numbers at bat and in the field. I see what people think of Eaton cause he was crushing the ball in the minors. I’ll give people that, but Davidson hits .280 in the minors and (and a a lot of errors) it sounds like everyone is saying he is the next great 3rd baseman of all time. Is Reed Mariano Rivera? No, but he is darn better than what most teams have. I just think that you give up your closer and you better have a plan B or you are going to lose a lot more than win regardless of who your 3rd baseman is.
Considering Reed has never posted a sub 3.50 ERA and is moving to another park where the ball flies, not sure how you came a 3 ERA or less.
Guess what? He was pitching in the AL, where most pitchers generally have 1 run higher ERA, and he is in one of the worst parks for pitchers, so yeah I think around 3 is not much of a stretch.
The park he’s moving to isn’t much better. His secondary pitches need improvement, which is part of the reason why his ERA has been high in the past.
I’ve read that it’s maybe at most a .5 run between the leagues, but Chase Field isn’t exactly a pitcher’s paradise.
I don’t agree with your decision to discount hitting .280 in Triple-A while getting on base at a .351 average. I think dealing a good young closer to acquire a position player that looks promising, and will be under team control for the next five years, is a fine move. You have to piece the puzzle together when building a team. Arizona’s needs have been accommodated as well as Chicago’s. The off season isn’t over, so this doesn’t go to say the Sox will be entering the season without a definite closer. We’ll just have to see how the rest of the winter unfolds for the Sox.
First off, nobody is expecting Reed to be Mariano Rivera. No one is saying, or even pretending, Davidson is the best ever. No one. Anywhere. Get over yourself. If anyone made an egregious over-sell on someone, it was your selling Reed as a sub-3 ERA guy… until he proves it, it’s an oversell.
Second, is Addison Reed THAT MUCH of an upgrade over Brad Ziegler? I don’t think so. He might be better, but not worth the price of giving up a guy like Davidson, who is one of their top prospects in their system.
Third, is it any coincidence that 9 of the top 15 teams with the most blown saves last season were at or above .500? (Or that both WS teams were in the top 15?) Most of those teams had closer issues all season long, many of them had “non-conventional” closers or guys who just filled the role to help out… and yet, they had the right guys in the field and at the plate to get the job done… funny how that works…
Davidson could take on the role Joe Crede had a few years back. He has the potential to deliver 20-25 dingers and flash some leather at the hot corner.
I don’t know if Matt has that sort of defensive ceiling but I don’t think it’s a bad comp offensively.
Reed can also be one pitch away from Tommy John surgery. Pitchers are far more likely to get hurt then third basemen. Sergio Santos was a guy who had upside when Toronto grabbed him and he got hurt almost immediately. Davidson is 22 years old. As far as the Sox are concerned what good is it to have a great closer for a 70 win team???? Restock the minors, get controllable players with high upside for less money. Going young is no guarantee of success, but having s great closer on a bad team isn’t either.
I bet white sox gets him but they rid of their starters and closers
Not a bad grab.
if Matt Davidson’s top comparable is Mark Reynolds. is that good or bad?
I have never heard this comparison.
I’m going to miss Reed. A solid closer. Mind you the Sox needed a 3rd baseman… but who will close now???
That is what I am concerned about. I know the argument is well if you are not going to compete then trade your closer. Well the Sox cannot really make that statement without losing ticket sales. So they say ‘no rebuilding’, but then they trade a starter and closer for two minor league prospects, regardless of how vaunted they are by others. Hahn better hope that Eaton and Davidson make an impact, or hope the Sox are not out of the playoffs due to too many blown saves for not having a closer. Nevermind that Looking at Davidson’s minor fielding stats he is not much better than Gillaspie is now and the Sox need a good glove at 3rd more than anything
First off, no fan is staying home because Reed and Santiago got traded. The idea of this is preposterous. Hector Santiago would have made our starting lineup have potentially 4 LH pitchers, which is a problem. Pitching is currently one of the only strengths the White Sox have, so using pieces to leverage for position players, which we have very few, only makes sense.
As for blown saves, like someone mentioned above. Five playoff teams from last year were in the top 15 for most blown saves (BLSV), one of them won the World Series. Obviously the closer roll is important, without a doubt, but I think you may be putting too much emphasis on it.
The comparison of Gillaspie and Davidson isn’t a very good one and dismisses a lot of statistics.
They need someone at 3rd who can hit his weight more than a good glove. 3rd base has been a black hole on offense for the Sox for years
I think the pitchers and the amount of unearned runs given up at third last year would tend to disagree. Tighten up the D and this team gets better without the help of a bat. Do they need a bat there? Sure, but Defense is much more needed,
That is what I am concerned about. I know the argument is well if you are not going to compete then trade your closer. Well the Sox cannot really make that statement without losing ticket sales. So they say ‘no rebuilding’, but then they trade a starter and closer for two minor league prospects, regardless of how vaunted they are by others. Hahn better hope that Eaton and Davidson make an impact, or hope the Sox are not out of the playoffs due to too many blown saves for not having a closer. Nevermind that Looking at Davidson’s minor fielding stats he is not much better than Gillaspie is now and the Sox need a good glove at 3rd more than anything
Good Move for both teams