Monday, August 1, 2022

Draft Deadline - Ongoing Blog Post

 OK, here is where I will be putting all my comments about trade deadline deals.  There may be separate posts about specific deals that involve the Guardians but most of my comments will be here.

1. Josh Hader to Padres - Wow, this is interesting.  The Brewers get a less superior closer, a former top prospect and two current prospects for 1+ years of Hader.  Makes the Padres a lot better but the Brewers are clearly playing the long game here., even though the closer they are getting back offers no more long term control than Hader.  Looking at the Castillo trade, I think the Padres got Hader on the cheap, relatively.

2. Scott Effross to Yankees - While this isn't a huge move it very interesting. Effross has LOTS of control left but is a gimmick guy, a side-arming righthander.  The Cubs get the Yankees #6 prospect (now slotted by MLB as the Cubs #8 prospect) who is at AAA and doing well as a starter.  Seems like a steep price for the Yankees to pay.

3. Luis Castillo to the Mariners - The Mariners traded their two best prospects and another of their top 10 prospects and a lower ceiling prospect for 1+ years of Castillo.   This really sets the bar high for what teams can ask for in return for these star players who have more than one year of control.  Imagine what Soto is worth in prospects if that is what Castillo is worth.

4. Minor trades - Edmundo Sosa, Chris Martn, David Peralta, Ehire Adrianza, these are all minor trades where the trading team didn't get much back and the team they were traded to might have gotten a small piece that can help them in certain situations win a couple of games down the stretch.  Nothing to talk about here except that the return was very small, in my opinion, compared to what the Cubs got for Effross.

5. OK, its Deadline Day and, in fact, we are 3 hours from the deadline.  Some amazing stuff has happened as San Diego has placed itself firmly in the WS championship driver's seatm although the Yankees helped themselves in the Montas trade.  The Twins have made themselves better and the White Sox are incrementally better.  Other teams who may impact the Guardians ability to make the playoffs have also helped themselves, especially the Mariners with their acquisition of Luis Castillo from the Reds.  The Rays think they have helped themselves by obtaining Jose Siri.

6. As of this hour the Guardians have not acquired anyone.  They have made a significant move that I suggested they make, sending Franmil Reyes to Columbus instead of DFAing him or giving him away for almost nothing in an addition-by-subtraction trade.   So there is that.   It is a catch 22.   The Guardians need to condense their good prospects into great prospects or young, controllable veterans at positions of need.  If they can't do that, why trade?  That is why the Sean Murphy trade talk is such an issue.   Bo Naylor is nearly ready and do you hold the fort and bring him up next spring or do you pull the trigger to that deal giving up prospects who could net you needed pieces.   This is really a problem that I have identified before with this front office.   They have been burned before (Yandy Diaz, for example) by giving up on prospects too soon and I don't think they want to get burned again.  I love a little analysis paralysis but you have to be able to make trades like this.  After this year's draft we have like 27 (exageraton) left-handed hitting outfielders with speed, good hitting ability and no power.  That plus the 2021 draft where we netted a bunch of college pitchers means that if everything works out we will be creating a logjam soon.   We need to find creative and efficient ways to use that excess to get to a place where we have a more balanced system.

7. We have our one trade: Sandy Leon for Ian Hamilton.  No, not Ian Happ, Ian Hamilton.

8. Noah Syn

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