Pirates Acquire LaRoche For Gonzalez
UPDATE: A source tells me the Pirates included shortstop Brent Lillibridge in the trade, and it’s a four-player deal. That’s quite a price – Baseball Prospectus’s PECOTA system indicates that the college product would be baseball’s ninth best shortstop in 2007 (based on projected WARP).
The above info is now confirmed by John Perrotto of the Beaver County Allegheny Times. The Braves are sending outfielder Jamie Romak to the Bucs to complete the deal.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates have agreed to send Mike Gonzalez and another unknown player to the Braves for first baseman Adam LaRoche. Nice to finally put the daily LaRoche rumors to rest. Given the inclusion of Lillibridge, I’d say the Braves won another deal here.
Check out RotoAuthority to read the fantasy implications of this deal.
Pirates Still Chasing LaRoche, Tracy
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tells us that Pirate GM Dave Littlefield is under pressure to acquire a power bat before the season begins. The two main targets are still Adam LaRoche and Chad Tracy, but will Littlefield include a second Major Leaguer along with Mike Gonzalez? And if Kovacevic’s report of Littlefield’s mandate is true, isn’t that leak detrimental to the GM’s efforts?
The Bucs still refuse to include Chris Duffy or Paul Maholm in a two-for-one deal. Kovacevic speculates that another reliever might represent a compromise; if the Pirates need to include Salomon Torres they should do it. While it would decimate the bullpen it still makes sense to trade relievers for sluggers.
The article also mentions that trading for Ryan Church or signing Trot Nixon wouldn’t fulfill the team’s goal and seems unlikely. Options such as Geoff Jenkins or Jacque Jones could be pursued, however.
Bucs Still Looking For Hitter
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Pirates are mulling options other than Adam LaRoche, as talks have stalled somewhat. Trot Nixon appears to be off the radar as a free agent signing. No more Melky Cabrera talk either.
Existing possibilities include Chad Tracy for Mike Gonzalez and another player, or a deal for Ryan Church, Casey Kotchman, or Geoff Jenkins.
Meanwhile, Bucco Blog weighed in on the team’s need to keep Chris Duffy and also suggested Kotchman as a realistic possibility. Jake "heard through the grapevine" that Kotchman could one day entertain a long-term deal with the Bucs. I haven’t spoken to Jake on this topic recently, but just connect the dots a bit here.
Pirates, Braves Still Talking Swap
The Mike Gonzalez for Adam LaRoche trade rumor lives on. However, as we’ve read at Bucco Blog numerous times, John Schuerholz has always wanted to add Paul Maholm or Jose Castillo to the deal.
Bucco Blog recently sat down with an NL East scout to discuss LaRoche and whether he’d be a good fit in Pittsburgh. Take a look.
Pirates/Yankees/Braves Deal About Complete
Bucco Blog is reporting tonight that the oft rumored three-team trade between the Yankees, Braves, and Pirates is all but complete.
Mike Gonzalez is taking a requested physical for the Yankees today and, if he passes, it looks like he will be a Yankee for Christmas. The Pirates will be getting Adam LaRoche and the Braves will get Melky Cabrera and at least one unidentified Pirate who is thought to be either Nate McLouth or Jose Castillo. There are a couple versions of this trade running according to Bucco Blog so more as we hear it.
Latest On Adam LaRoche
This thing just won’t die. John Perrotto reports that the Pirates’ talks with Atlanta about Adam LaRoche are "picking up steam again."
The Braves originally wanted Paul Maholm, but are backing off and could go for Mike Gonzalez and Jose Castillo/Chris Duffy. Bucco Blog has been on this one for a long time. Perrotto writes that the Bucs want Kyle Davies in there if it’s going to be a four-player trade.
Meanwhile, the Yankees wouldn’t include a second player for Gonzalez and the Red Sox aren’t offering anything interesting.
Adam LaRoche For Brian Roberts?
The AP is reporting that the Braves and Orioles have discussed a straight-up swap of Adam LaRoche for Brian Roberts. They further indicate that Mark Loretta‘s agent has spoken to Baltimore; he could replace Roberts at 2B.
LaRoche’s power numbers would benefit from a switch to Camden Yards, though not significantly. Turner Field suppresses home runs for left-handed hitters by about 11% while Camden suppresses them by around 4%. The figures come courtesy of the Bill James Handbook.
LaRoche turned 27 recently and offers three full years of service time. Roberts turned 29 this year and has two years of service time left. LaRoche made $420,000 in ’06 while Roberts made $3.075MM. According to WARP, LaRoche was worth 6.2 wins in 2006 and Roberts 4.7. Fan favorite or not, the O’s should swap Roberts for LaRoche if given the chance.
Melky Cabrera To Braves?
Ken Davidoff of Newsday has amended yesterday’s Melky for Mike Gonzalez rumor. The latest one is Melky Cabrera to Atlanta, Mike Gonzalez to the Yankees, and Adam LaRoche to Pittsburgh. See, everyone’s happy. Melky could handle LF for the Braves in 2007 and then switch to center after that.
Davidoff mentions that such a deal could pave the way for one more year of Bernie Williams. Not sure if the Bucs could get more, but I think snagging LaRoche and his 35 HR potential would be a fine return. LaRoche would still have three years of service time under the Pirates’ control. The team could return to contention in 2008 if the young pitchers come along.