Recapping The Pirates Trades
The Pirates dealt their starting left-fielder, their most relied-upon reliever and a utilityman for a former top prospect, a power bullpen arm and a couple low-level prospects in a pair of deals today. Here's a recap of who the Pirates obtained:
- Casey Erickson – one of the players obtained in the Hinske deal, Erickson was pitching in A ball. He'll turn 24 in August, so he hasn't moved through the minors particularly quickly, but he struck out 37 in 44 innings without allowing many runs.
- Eric Fryer – this catcher/outfielder was also playing in A ball for the Yanks, though for a different team. Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus says neither player is anything special; they're just "bodies."
- Lastings Milledge – the 12th overall pick in the 2003 draft, Milledge shot through the minors, but has put up a pedestrian .261/.326/.400 line in the major leagues. He's just 24 and the Pirates should have him under team control through 2013.
- Joel Hanrahan – the 27-year-old reliever has been hit hard this year, but his strikeout rate remains high and he's actually lowered his walk rate from last year. Like Milledge, Hanrahan should be under team control through 2013.
- Eric Hinske – ostensibly he can play at any corner infield or outfield position and he hits righties well. The 31-year-old makes $1.6MM this year and the Pirates will send $400k to the Yankees to cover part of the cost.
- Nyjer Morgan – the former hockey player will turn 29 later in the week. So far he has 18 steals and an OBP of .351. He won't even be arbitration-eligible until after 2011.
- Sean Burnett – the Pirates have relied on the 26-year-old over and over this year and it's worked. He's allowed 37 baserunners in just over 32 innings, striking out 23. He won't hit free agency until 2012 at the earliest.
So how did Neal Huntington do today? We won't know for a while, but he got talented players without giving away major pieces of the franchise's future.
Odds And Ends: Hinske, Pirates, Astros
Links for Tuesday…
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post heard that Eric Hinske cleared waivers two weeks ago.This means the Mets, Yankees or any other team could have had him for the $800k remaining on his salary.
- Sherman believes the Pirates won the other trade they made today, acquiring Lastings Milledge and Joel Hanrahan from the Nats.
- Tom Verducci of SI.com names his All-Star team and it's heavy on youth.
- Astros first rounder Jiovanni Mier told MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo that the pace of the game is noticeably faster in the pros.
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle says Mike Hampton and Russ Ortiz are making Ed Wade look smart.
- Just one month to go until the trade deadline, so be sure to follow MLBTR on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.
This Week’s MLBTR Chat
Apologies to those of you who joined the chat today. It didn't work out (I'm still trying to figure out why). Come by tomorrow at 2pm CST and we'll get our weekly chat in then.
Pirates, Nats Agree To Multi-Player Trade
1:40pm: Kovacevic says the teams have agreed in principle to exchange Lastings Milledge and Joel Hanrahan for Nyjer Morgan and Sean Burnett.
1:39pm: Chico Harlan of the Washington Post and MLB.com's Bill Ladson agree that the Nats and Pirates are close to completing a deal.
1:35pm: The deal isn't complete, but Kovacevic has an update. It would also send Sean Burnett to Washington and Joel Hanrahan to Pittsburgh.
12:05pm: The Pirates already made one deal this morning, but that's not stopping them from talking trades. Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Pirates are close to dealing Nyjer Morgan to the Nationals for Lastings Milledge. However, nothing is final yet.
We first heard of the possible swap on the weekend.
Tim Lincecum Contract Update
As one of the best pitchers in the game, Tim Lincecum can expect a massive payday when he goes to arbitration for the first time after this season. However, as Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News points out, the Giants could have saved themselves millions by keeping Lincecum in the minors for another month early in his rookie season.
Yanks Considered Trading Rivera For Wells In ’95
Former Yankees GM Gene Michael told John Harper of the New York Daily News that he considered dealing Mariano Rivera to the Tigers for David Wells back in 1995. Rivera was still considered a starter then, and he was one of the players the Tigers had interest in. Michael, now a scout, says he held onto Rivera because of his control and mid-nineties fastball.
Olney On Felix, Reds, Dye, Indians
ESPN.com's Buster Olney imagines there will be a long lineup of suitors for Felix Hernandez when he hits free agency after the 2011 season. Players as good as King Felix will sign massive deals regardless of the economy, Olney says. Here are the rest of his rumors:
- The Reds, who are looking for a right-handed bat, will probably choose between marginal improvements and busting the budget for a pricier hitter like Matt Holliday or Jermaine Dye. They'd have to give up better prospects to obtain the salary relief they'd like, but they're reluctant to part with top talent.
- For those wondering if Jermaine Dye could fit in San Francisco, Olney says the White Sox and Giants don't match up particularly well.
- Olney suggests the Red Sox should trade for a first baseman and move Kevin Youkilis over to third if Mike Lowell has to miss much time,
- It makes sense for the Rockies to play Garrett Atkins more. Not only is he hitting better, teams will have more interest in Atkins if they see him perform well.
- Any deal that makes the Indians stronger for 2010 is worth making if they aren't going to contend this year. Cleveland's now 12.0 games out of a playoff spot.
Yankees Acquire Eric Hinske
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Yankees acquired Eric Hinske from the Pirates for two minor leaguers, Casey Erickson and Eric Fryer. Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Yankees are getting $400k in the deal, which is about half of what's still owed to Hinske. Sherman also offers eight reasons the Yankees made the deal.
Erickson, 24 in August, has 37 strikeouts and a 2.25 ERA in 44 innings of A ball this year. Fryer, who will turn 24 two days before Erickson does, has an OPS under .700 and 11 steals as a catcher and outfielder in A ball.
Odds And Ends: Halladay, Yankees, Rangers
Links for Tuesday morning…
- Today's chat will take place at 2pm CST.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports looks ahead to the end of next season when Roy Halladay becomes a free agent if the Jays don't lock him up before then.
- As Diamond Leung notes, the Dodgers traded minor league pitcher Brian Mazone to the Phillies for future considerations. Mazone already spent three years in the Phillies organization.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post speculates on an imagined deal: Luis Castillo for Milton Bradley.
- Peter Abraham of the Journal News reports that the Yankees signed two independent leaguers: third baseman Yurendell DeCaster and lefty Edwin Walker.
- Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe offers five possible solutions for the Red Sox in case Mike Lowell has to miss much time.
- Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun asks Orioles fans which player they would pluck from the Red Sox roster if possible. Kevin Youkilis and Jon Lester would sure be nice additions.
- Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post answers his readers' trade questions.
- Anthony Andro of the Dallas Morning News reports that the Rangers signed second rounder Tommy Mendonca.
Rosenthal On Tejada, Rockies, Mets
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports argues that the Cubs don't need to make a trade, they just need their hitters to start producing. Here are his most recent rumors:
- Ed Wade says Miguel Tejada's impending free agency is part of the reason the Astros aren't asking him to move from shortstop to third base. Tejada would probably move, but Wade would rather not ask him to.
- The Rockies are looking hard for relief help. They were interested in Joel Hanrahan earlier in the season, but he's much less appealing now.
- LaTroy Hawkins, Chad Qualls and Takashi Saito are all more appealing than Hanrahan, but Rosenthal says they're "longshots."
- The Rockies aren't that interested in Cla Meredith and Danys Baez.
- One GM said the Royals are under pressure to win as many games as possible this year.
- The D'Backs believe Doug Davis has more value as a trade chip because he projects as a Type B free agent. Check out the latest Elias rankings here.
- One official believes the Mets are better off with Daniel Murphy than Nick Johnson.
- When the Cardinals inquired on Matt Holliday they heard the A's aren't looking to move him and would require a strong offer to part with him.