The Nationals announced that they have acquired reliever Kyle Barraclough in a trade with the Marlins. $1MM of international bonus availability will head to Miami in the swap, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports (via Twitter).
This transaction comes as a surprise, though the timing may well be explained by the Marlins’ well-known efforts to land top Cuban prospect Victor Victor Mesa. This’ll pad the team’s bonus coffers as it pursues Mesa — also a reputed target of the Orioles — and other talented amateur players who hail from outside of North America.
For the Nats, meanwhile, the move slots in a high-powered relief arm at a palatable price. The club was barred from spending more than $300K on the current international market regardless. And Barraclough projects to earn only $1.9MM in his first trip through arbitration.
Of course, there’s a reason that Barraclough was available for a return that doesn’t really sting his new club. The 28-year-old continued to show big velocity and swing-and-miss stuff in 2018 — he owns a career rate of 11.5 strikeouts per nine — but he continued to deal with major control problems and his results plummeted over the course of the season.
Indeed, after he held 170 opposing hitters to a putrid .126/.254/.217 slash to open the season, the next 75 to step in the box against Barraclough battered him to the tune of a .367/.486/.667 batting line. It’s hard to know just what went wrong, though some release-point issues seem to correlate with changes in the movement of his arsenal. This all occurred in the same general mid-season timeframe as Barraclough’s dip in effectiveness and trip to the DL for a shoulder impingement.
For the Nats, then, this move injects a rather volatile piece into the bullpen. There’s certainly some upside, though; indeed, Barraclough has delivered 218 2/3 innings of 3.21 ERA ball in his career despite the fact that he has consistently issued more than five free passes per nine innings. If he pans out, he’ll also be controllable for two additional seasons.
Surely, the Marlins hoped not long ago that they’d be able to get more for a controllable power arm with high-leverage experience. Unfortunately, though, they ultimately decided to cash him in at a moment when there was an opportunity to take a more future-oriented risk. In some regards, that’s not so different from the reasoning that brought Barraclough to Miami in the first place, when he was picked up in a mid-season deal that sent then-struggling closer Steve Cishek to the Cardinals.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Wha…?
Weird? Wonder what that guy is who thought Barraclough was the next Mariano Rivera. Told you than and I’ll tell you now, he’s just a guy. He got traded for “just a guy” fair market value.
Only slot money?? There better be more…
Bearclaw has declined each year of his career, and has major control issues.
Sure, control issues, but in a market overpaying relievers I cannot believe that trading within your division couldn’t merit more than slot money. He is just now becoming arb-eligible and comes with 4 years of control (FA in 2022).
And a negative fWAR b/c his declining K rate and negative rWAR
Unless its players with more upside, I’m starting to think trading in your own division wont require a lot as we saw with some deadline deals during the regular season. If the team offers a nice amount in return, the seller will take it. I guess it depends too on how much slot money the marlins get
Years of control doesn’t mean they’ll be productive years.
When you’re so far off contention like the Marlins, trading a reliever within the division isn’t much of an issue.
The push for the Mesa brothers continues…
OK, now Harper can walk & they’ll be fine!
Considering how hard they’re trying to get the mesa brothers. Slot money is likely all they are receiving. I hope we can at least get one and this doesn’t go to waste
I don’t think one is an option. It’s either both or none.
Victor Victor Victor Victor Victor Mesa must be really good.
No, No, No….Victor Victor Victor Victor Victor Mesa is a bum…..Victor Victor Victor Victor is a great prospect……get your vectors on your Victors right……and don’t call me Leslie…..
Can we call you Shirley?
Watch “Shirley” in Forbidden Planet, classic 50s sci-fi
Roger, roger. I’ll try to to get the right vector for victor and see if captain Over is over this whole deal. I picked a bad to stop sniffing glue.
Picked a bad huh? I remember Johnny Bench picking a good one.
Could have gotten a lot for him at the deadline. He fell apart in August and September
Ugh that’s what I said ! I was so mad. I watch almost all Marlins games and I knew he was not sustainable. He still can be very good but for one month he was the best reliever in baseball they could have for a major haul for him. But they kept him and he declined. Now just slot money? It better be all their slowly money they fan trade to get at least one Mess and the pitcher. If they get all 3 somehow them this doesn’t sting. I guess Steckenrider is the closer (his numbers were amazing it was just the Braves who owned him and ballooned his stats) looks like it’s Wittgren and Steck to end games….and who else?
Maybe Conley. But I see him more as a multi inning guy. I think it’s safe to say Wittgren and Steck are going to close out games.
Maybe, just maybe, MLB teams were smart enough to see what you saw on the TV.
If Bearclaw and the Marlins couldn’t pull the wool over a single fan’s eyes, then I don’t think he’ll pull it over talent evaluator’s.
Didn’t they want like a million top prospects for him at the deadline?
Yep. I think they were asking for Boston’s top 2 prospects AND more. But I could be wrong
I believe that was for Steckenrider
I think you’re right but I thought I remember hearing that they had an astronomical asking price on Barraclough at the time too
Nah, the reports were they wanted Swihart….but couldn’t get Marlins to include Realmuto for Swihart even up……
Swihart is worthless Realmuto is the best C in MLB.
It’s humor Justin.. Jeez even my old butt saw that..
You never know on these threads, sadly.
Sean Murphy, the A’s top 100 catching prospect might have something to say about that soon.
We have Vector, Victor
Roger, Roger
“Roger”
“Huh???”
Im not against trading barraclough but why now after his worst season?
Because it’s the Marlins
They watched the playoffs from home same as the Nats.
You’re right, but at least the Nats had a chance to begin with
If the marlins don’t get the Mesa brothers then they just sold a potentially decent relief pitcher for nada, which I’d be happy with lol
WOW! Nats got themselves a giant steal if it was just for international slot money. All teams better be calling Jeter right now offering their slot money for what ever assets they can vulture off of the decaying Marlins carcass.
This just in Realmuto to the Braves for 250K and a signed Jose Bautista Braves jersey.
If this is any indication, I can see why Derek Jeter doesn’t play poker. Everyone calls his bluff miles away and ends up walking away with barely the shirt on his back and a smug look of disinterest.
Jose Jose Bautista jersey.
Realmuto and whoever for Gary Sanchez and Miguel Andujar, then the Yanks sign Machado. Can see this coming from a mile away.
Ummm.. No.. You need glasses Justin..
Andujar is already on the outs with Boone, and Machado has been clamoring to join NYY for 5 years now. He plays 3B, and Realmuto+Machado are a MASSIVE upgrade over Sanchez+Andujar, one like, you know, might make the Yankees make it out of the first round next year?
While this proposal isn’t totally insane it is kind of dumb. Sanchez could very easily have a better year than Realmuto next year and is under control for two more years. Don’t think the Yankees would trade Sanchez straight up for Realmuto (conceivable of course.)
Then you’re throwing in Andujar as if they need to get rid of him to accommodate Machado. They could trade him for another good player, dh/part time him, or put him in the minors for a year until Didi hits free agency.
If there are any MLBTR members in the Panama City area, hope you’re safe. News says one mph less than a Cat 5. Live coverage on ABC
I went through the hurricanes of 04-05.. Seems like everywhere I went in Florida we got hit by one.. I think Charlie was the worst. Small but tough Cat 4..
Kind of suprsied to see the Marlins trade him before the teams in the final 4 were eligible to make a deal. HOU, BOS and LAD could all use pen help
They probably needed the bonus money sooner than the World Series so they can sign the Mesa brothers
Houston could use pen help?
Pretty much any contender could use pen help unless your on the brewers level. Houston is not
I can’t post the link to Fangraphs, but Astros pen had a 8.2 WAR and the Brewers had a 7.1. Astros pen also had a lower ERA, FIP and xFIP in 2018. Ranked behind only the Yankees and Padres in WAR. Lead the ML in xFIP…. you friend, are way off. Houston doesn’t need pen help. They will lose Sipp in the offseason. But that’s it I believe. Look it up!
The reliever market is going to be absolutely looney this winter…..time for some bright GM to run out and sign a 10 man starting rotation for cheap…..
All I know is, Barraclough is much better than Kelley and Solis, even if he walks a few.
Marlins should’ve cashed in before he fell apart this summer.
Hopefully Victor Victor signs and lives up to expectations.
While legal.. seems questionable in that the Marlins continue to sell off MLB assets towards a rebuild.
It’s worked twice before
I didn’t know MLB was allowed to make trades during the post season. I thought they required to wait until after the WS was complete.
Perhaps international bonus pool trades are classed differently?
I’m pretty sure trades can happen at anytime of the season. But a team still in the playoffs can’t trade for a player and use him in the playoffs.
Rofl amazing.now they trade him…I’m so glad I bought heat season tickets for the first time this year
The Marlins should have traded Carlos Marmol at least 3 previous times before this, and now they end up with just a little international bonus pool money for guys they wont be able to sign
Wow, that’s selling kind of low on a guy who might have just had an off year. Relievers are super volatile a lot of the time, this is the lowest his value is going to get. They could have easily gotten a top 50 prospect for him before 2018. Miami is making a lot of curious moves under Jeter.
He was dominant into July.
The Marlins were unwilling to part ways with Kyle during the trade deadline. Making this trade confirms to me that Derek Jeter and the front office hold these three Cuban prospects in high regard. I am excited to see how this all unfolds. Kyle had a terrible second half of the season after his injury, but he was still a dynamic part of the bullpen.