The ATR is back in action. So, I’ve decided that the 50th ATR, which will be the first one of 1991, should have a special theme or contest. After giving this more thought than it truly deserved, I decided the only interesting thing to do would be to have a Guess the ATR contest! The contest is open to everyone who doesn’t know the true identity of the ATR. Of course, to give the game some flavor, the ATR is allowed to participate in the contest, so as not to ruin the game for everyone by being conspicuously absent. Anyway, now that you are focused on learning who I am, I’m going to crank out a subpar ATR with none the wiser.
San Diego receives OF Chet Lemon.
Montreal receives OF Kevin Reimer.
This trade is helping me achieve my goal. I mean, Chet’s profile states that you should limit the number of games he gets into. And with his .193 batting average this season, that makes a great deal of sense. I understand that everyone wants to have a decent backup outfielder on their bench, but Chet Lemon wouldn’t know decency if it exposed itself to him.
What really makes the trade bad is that the Padres actually gave up something to acquire Lemon. Something other than a broken baseball bat held together with a railroad tie. Kevin Reimer is not a good player. He has the potential to be a decent bat off the bench, but he has yet to turn his strength into power on the baseball diamond. At 26, the time for him to do this is fleeting. Reimer is also a pretty poor outfielder, so unless you have every extreme groundball pitcher in the league available to you, I would avoid letting anywhere near a glove. That being said, I would still rather have Kevin Reimer than Chet Lemon. At least Reimer is on the upswing of his career, where as Chet Lemon is in the rotting corpse phase of his career. I don’t think that the Expos are worrying that trading away Chet Lemon is going to haunt them come playoff time.
Winner: Montreal
Pittsburgh receives CF Brett Butler.
Chicago (A) receives LF Phil Plantier and Pittsburgh’s second round Amateur draft choice in 1992.
The Pirates have the look of a team whose window of opportunity is about to close. They are a veteran team that has added a number of veterans in their walk year to try and push this team over the top before Murphy, Gwynn, Wallach and Baines all become graybeards.
Brett Butler is actually one of the very few outfielders the Pirates could have added and looked good doing. He is a first rate defender in centerfield. He gets on base as well as anyone on the Pirates and has enough speed to be used as a leadoff hitter. The Pirates have done a very good job of sneaking up on the league this year. They are as talented as any team in the National League and have all the necessary parts to be a real force in October this season. This could be the year the Skull and Crossbones hangs above the CDL.
To get Butler, the Pirates paid a very reasonable price. The second round pick in 1992 shouldn’t be all that good, as I wouldn’t expect the Pirates to fall apart next season. Phil Plantier is an interesting player. He isn’t much of a defender as he is only passable in an outfield corner. He has a tough time hitting for a decent batting average. But Plantier should draw about 70 walks a season once he makes it to the major leagues and has the potential to be a 25 home run, 25 double threat in his prime. His real upside though is that he is only 21 years old. He could quite easily learn how to hit the ball the other way and bring his batting averages up to a respectable level or if he doesn’t, he should make a decent fourth outfielder for a good team and a mediocre third outfielder for a bad team. (A lesson from the ATR, there is more value in a good third outfielder than a good first outfielder, since the third outfielder takes about 400 at bats from your worst outfielder.)
Winner: Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh receives SS Ozzie Smith.
Cincinnati receives RF Andre Dawson and P Jay Tibbs.
The Pirates continue their quest to win it all this year with this trade. Ozzie Smith has been one of the better shortstops in the league since 1980. He is quick, gets on base and plays great defense. Most teams would love to have a shortstop that can play like him. The Pirates were unfortunately unable to resign him for next season, so Smith is going to be someone else’s shortstop next season. However, this season, the Pirates have the most formidable lineup in the league with the addition of Ozzie and Brett Butler (see above).
Where this deal really doesn’t make any sense is for the Reds. Andre Dawson was probably a salary dump in this deal. The Hawk still has a great skill set and will be a good addition to some contender’s (or perhaps pretender’s) outfield next season. He isn’t the same offensive force of nature he was from 1981 to 1988, but he can still get around on a hanging curveball and deposit into the bleachers.
I guess that makes the real prize of the deal, Jay Tibbs. Tibbs is a journeyman starting pitcher who has spent most of his career being unable to make a go of things in Los Angeles before being dealt to Pittsburgh and now Cincinnati. He has a lively arm, but tends to tire quickly and seems to have a control problem. Tibbs has also been around long enough to just start being expensive. I can’t imagine that the best deal for the Wizard of Oz was a journeyman starting pitcher and an overpriced average outfielder.
Winner: Pittsburgh
St. Louis receives P Mark Fidrych.
Chicago (A) receives P Dickie Noles, DH Mike Diaz and St. Louis’s third round Amateur draft choice in 1991.
The Bird is the word alright, but I shouldn’t print the word that it actually is here.
Mark Fidrych was one of the better starters in the American League for a decade or so. Unfortunately, after his second All-Star appearance in 1986, Fidrych met the cliff and the cliff won. I’m not exactly sure why the Cardinals, a team coming off a World Series victory and looking strong while doing so, would want to trade for a washed up right-hander who has been a big part of why the defending champs are not headed to a return engagement in the playoffs.
The White Sox were able to convert Fidrych into some parts that might be useful in the future. Dickie Noles is an average starting pitcher and has actually been better than the Bird this season. Mike Diaz is a useful spare part off the bench. He doesn’t hit enough to be a regular at anywhere he is competent to play. And the draft pick might not amount to much, but neither was the Bird going to at this stage in his career. The Cardinals can only look back on this deal with regret heavy in their hearts.
Winner: Chicago (A)
Boston receives Ps Don Aase, Manny Hernandez, Dan Plesac and Randy Tomlin and SS Dickie Thon.
Kansas City receives Ps Floyd Youmans, Brad Lesley and Doug Corbett, SS Domingo Ramos, 1B Willie Aikens, Boston’s first and third round Amateur draft choices in 1991 and Boston’s second round Amateur draft choice in 1992.
You know, the Boston Red Sox have $42,000,000 committed to their top three starting pitchers in 1991. My five star guarantee is that the Red Sox won’t be making the playoffs anytime soon as this deal is the final nail in the coffin of an extraordinary run.
The Red Sox gave up the best lead-off hitter in the American League in Domingo Ramos. Ramos has this uncanny ability to get on base 45% of the time. I am of the opinion that Ramos is the key cog in the dominant Red Sox offense that managed to absorb the loss of key sluggers Tim Wallach and Harold Baines, but was unable to recover from losing mighty mite Domingo Ramos.
The deal just gets worse from here. Don Aase is overpaid and 36. He was once a pretty good starting pitcher who escaped into the free agent market and got a very large deal he can’t live up to.
Aase’s replacement in the future, Randy Tomlin, is what I like to classify as a pitching suspect. He won’t have the hit prevention needed to get the job done. He will be the perpetual tease, as he should be good, avoiding home runs and walks, yet somehow will always leave you dissatisfied with his performance.
Dan Plesac is an interesting pitcher. He should be a very good closer, yet always manages to disappoint. He has mediocre performance for a pitcher of such obvious talent and going to Boston has not made that any better. Though to be fair, Boston sent their own talented, yet unproductive hurler, Floyd Youmans back to Kansas City, so these two are a wash in the deal.
You know, the most useful player the Red Sox probably got was Manny Hernandez. Yeah, that’s what I said. Manny Hernandez was a fourth round pick, who managed to find some control and home run prevention and put together 50 quality innings in the Boston bullpen this year.
Finally for the Red Sox portion of the trade, they added Dickie Thon. Dickie was drafted 8th overall in 1978, which must have been a horrible year to draft in. Now, Thon is nothing more than a so-so shortstop who should be starting for a bottom tier team. Instead, he’s out there everyday, acting like an albatross around the once proud Red Sox offense’s neck.
Like I said this deal will be the death of the Red Sox for years to come. Why you ask? Because there were three draft picks that went west as well. The Red Sox are picking high enough this year, that they could have gotten a young talented player to add to their rapidly eroding core. To get back to the opening for a minute, you can’t afford to pay $42,000,000 to three players unless you can surround them with a bunch of talented cheap players, which means either getting good bargains in free agency (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, I amuse myself too much sometimes.) or having young talent on hand. Making the cupboard barren means no more playoffs for Boston until Fulgham retires.
Lesley, Corbett and Aikens are filler. I swear, they are bodies and salary the Red Sox sent away to get under the cap to take on Aase’s mammoth contract. But they are bodies the Red Sox don’t have anymore.
I think I’ve finished eulogizing the Red Sox. You may feel free to add any comments you like over on the message board, as if somehow you can convince me that you were really right in making that horrible deal you did.
Winner: Kansas City
The ATR keeps analyzing the trades as we get to the end of 1990. With only a month and a half left, anything can happen. Oh, I should come up with something spectacular for the first ATR report on 1991, since the ATR will soon be turning 50. If anyone has an idea, let me know. To the trades!
Houston receives P Jim Neidlinger.
Cincinnati receives RF Steve Finley and P Jeff Heathcock.
A swap of 25 year old prospects. Actually, before I begin, here is an interesting fact, no Cincinnati Red is qualified for the batting title.
Both of these prospects have the tools to be good players, but are interesting projects in their own right. Finley has one good skill, the ability to his righthanders for a good batting average. Otherwise, Finley has a broad base of average skills. So, far Finley has been living up to the downside guarantee of what he can be, as his one good skill has been dormant and there haven’t been enough other skills to pick up the slack. In a few seasons, Finley should be good for a .280 batting average with 25 doubles, 12 home runs, 25 stolen bases and good defense in Center Field. Not the player who wins you a championship, but definitely a player who pushes you in the right direction. In addition, the Reds picked up Jeff Heathcock, who is the definition of emergency/sixth starter. He pitches well enough to not blow your pennant chances in a short injury, but 30 starts for him means third place.
The Astros acquired Jim Neidlinger. Neidlinger is an interesting arm. He is 25 and injury prone. He is also prone to give up doubles. However, if Neidlinger can make a few small strides in the next season and doesn’t go down to injury, Neidlinger should be a solid number 2 starter in the league. He could have amazing control and keep the ball in the park. Combined with solid hit prevention, the future looks bright. Of course, one small step backwards could make him a rather pedestrian starter. A tough call for the future.
Winner: Cincinnati
Los Angeles receives SP Mike Witt.
Chicago (N) receives 3B Wade Boggs, SP Danny Cox and Los Angeles’s first round Amateur draft choice in 1992.
Chris Daley should be kept away from Wade Boggs at all costs. He makes the worst deals involving him. Rather than flog a dead horse, I’ve decided to post a blast from the past instead. Enjoy.
From Volume 8 of the ATR Report:
Oakland receives SP Doyle Alexander and MR Mike Jeffcoat
Houston receives 3B Wade Boggs and MR JR Richard
I could discuss the failed promise of JR Richard and that he finally landed in an Astro uniform, like in real life, but he never did get a uniform in Houston. (see below) But since the deal is really Doyle Alexander for Wade Boggs, I’m certain that you want to hear about those players. Well, if I was analyzing this trade on July 1, I would say that Houston was the winner. Of course, a month and a half later, Houston destroyed Oakland. Alexander has been just short of awful in the Green and Gold, while Boggs has not been his usual self, he has still been a good third baseman and solid hitter. Beyond that, Boggs is probably the best young hitter in the CDL not named Dave Henderson, whereas Doyle Alexander is a solid pitcher and a former Cy Young candidate whose star burnt out July 2, 1983. None of this had to happen, but Fulgham is a Giant, Boggs is an Astro and the Athletics are an old team. If Oakland doesn’t make the playoffs this season, it could be 15 more before they do. Oh yeah, the Athletics dumped the carcass of JR Richard and added Mike Jeffcoat, who is a decent relief prospect. Band-aid over a shotgun wound. Fun stat: In 63 innings as an Athletic, Doyle Alexander has given up more runs than he did as an Astro in 112 innings. Not pretty.
Winner: Houston
Winner: Chicago (N)
San Diego receives P Allan Ramirez and Atlanta’s second round Amateur draft choice in 1991.
Atlanta receives CF Alex Cole, P Ross Baumgarten and San Diego’s first round Amateur draft choice in 1991.
Here’s a little secret for those of you playing along at home: a draft pick at the end of the first round is only slightly more valuable than a draft pick at the beginning of the second round. That explains the draft picks away.
At first, I thought this was THE deal that put the Padres into contention, but I would like to move back from that position. Allan Ramirez is a fine pitcher, but he is not that different from Ross Baumgarten. Ramirez is a little younger, but they have similar enough arms that you wouldn’t think that swapping one for the other would be a bad deal. Ramirez has better numbers, but that could just be a park or defense illusion creeping into the numbers.
To acquire the slightly better, but mediocre win-loss record of Ramirez, the Padres had to deal CF/Burner Ice Cole. Cole looks like he is going to be a good centerfielder in the near future. He doesn’t have a lot of power, but he has blazing speed, the ability to hit right-handers rather well and can draw enough walks to convert his speed into being a top notch leadoff hitter. I think that if the Padres fail to win the World Series this season, giving up Ice Cole will haunt them for years to come. Well, it will haunt them even if they do, but the ring soothes many ills.
Winner: Atlanta
Milwaukee receives 2B Jeff Re-Treadway.
Seattle receives Milwaukee’s second round Amateur draft choice in 1992.
There is no god in Jeff Treadway’s world. He has been dealt four times this season. FOUR!!! It is so bad that Milwaukee is not even listed on the teams he has played for this season, because there isn’t enough room. He’s still a decent second baseman who can be good when he hits for a high batting average and bad when he hits for a low batting average. He is worth about a late second round pick at this stage of his career. The Mariners are still in the hunt, but Treadway probably wasn’t going to push them over the top this season.
Winner: Milwaukee
Chicago (N) receives CF Gerald Young and Houston’s fourth round Amateur draft choice in 1992.
Houston receives 3B Terry Pendleton and Chicago (N)’s second round Amateur draft choice in 1992.
Am I the only person who thinks that when people trade for fourth round draft choices, it is for spite? I mean, how many good players have come out of the fourth round in CDL history. I bet the number is lower than 5. It’s a way of saying, I’ve made the deal I want with you, but want you to kick in something nominal to soothe my wounds about the way you took advantage of me. Which is probably what happened here.
I think it is harder to find a quality 3B than a quality CF. Terry Pendleton is a three-time All-Star at the hot corner. He hits for a good average and can pound a lot of doubles. If he hits sixth or seventh in your lineup, you probably have a good team. If he hits second or third in your lineup, you are probably looking forward to the draft.
To get Pendleton and a second round draft choice of a team that does not appear to be making the big step forward any time soon, the Astros had to part with CF Gerald Young. Young is a great defender and blazing speedster. His hitting leaves a little to be desired as lefthanders eat him up and he doesn’t have any power to speak of. He’s a useful player, but not someone you go out of your way to acquire or build your team around. He also doesn’t have enough offense to be a true leadoff hitter, but most teams will miscast him in that role making him somewhat of a bigger liability than he really should be.
Winner: Houston
The Indians havnt looked this good since 1979. They are not the best team in
the leauge, but the power Cleveland has shown this year has turned a few heads.
The battle for the AL East will definately be exciting as the playoff races
start to heat up. Boston has been the dominant force in their division since
the start of 3 division baseball in the CDL, but injurys and age may allow other
teams to have a little bit of glory. Im sure many of us thought the battle for
the east was gonna be between the reloaded Blue Jays, and the playoff cursed
Red Sox, but halfway through the season we see another contender in the AL East.
At only 3.5 games back, the Indians might just see the playoffs for the first
time since 1975.
Pitching -
This is one thing thing Indians fans are praying improves. Cleveland has one
of the worst pitching staffs in the CDL, and by far the worst in a playoff contending
team. A team ERA of 5.11 wont win you any titles at all, and if the Tribe wants
to play baseball in October, some major improvement needs to take place.
Pitcher | ERA | W | L | IP | BB | K | WHIP |
SP B Kingman | 4.52 | 12 | 9 | 173.1 | 92 | 90 | 1.67 |
SP R Johnson | 5.49 | 8 | 13 | 162.1 | 82 | 145 | 1.48 |
SP B Swift | 4.50 | 7 | 9 | 134 | 33 | 85 | 1.44 |
SP G Mathews | 5.38 | 7 | 4 | 110.1 | 43 | 64 | 1.60 |
SP B Ojeda | 5.77 | 3 | 4 | 57.2 | 32 | 41 | 1.86 |
CL T Burns | 6.14 | 4 | 5 | 55.2 | 30 | 24 | 1.62 |
MR M Clary | 4.52 | 2 | 0 | 69.2 | 12 | 46 | 1.31 |
MR L Lancaster | 8.22 | 3 | 1 | 46 | 22 | 16 | 2.09 |
MR S Corbett | 2.98 | 4 | 2 | 45.1 | 18 | 20 | 1.48 |
MR R Monteleone | 6.25 | 1 | 0 | 44.2 | 16 | 36 | 1.6 |
MR M Stanton | 0.79 | 4 | 0 | 11.1 | 2 | 7 | 0.88 |
MR G Eave | 2.53 | 1 | 0 | 10.2 | 3 | 7 | 1.31 |
As you can see from the numbers these guys are putting up, is amazing that
the Tribe is still in the hunt. They have had to face some injurys though. The
Indians top 2 pitchers in my oppinion, Greg Mathews and Mike Stanton were out
for both out for over a month. Mathews should improve in the 2nd half of the
season, and definately prove to be the best starter on the squad.
The real downside to the Cleveland staff is CL Todd Burns. The Closer is probably
the most underated position in baseball. Every blown save your team gives up,
is a win that you would have had with a domination closer in your bullpin. Last
year Burns accounted for 12 blown saves, and he could be on track to do about
the same this year. If the Indians end the season 8 or less games behind the
leader. Place the dissapointment on the head of Burns. Although, the rest of
this staff isnt doing too much better. Burns may be the lesser of many evils,
but nevertheless, a dominant team needs a dominant closer.
Lineup -
Thie Indains strength lies right here. They have an explosive offence, capable
of keeping their underacheiving pitchiers in the game. The Tribe is 2nd in the
CDL in batting avg, 8th in HR's, 3rd in slugging, and 5th in runs. Cleveland
boasts 5 players in the lineup with 10 or more HR's halfway through the season.,
and 5 players slugging .470 or better. Cleveland brings the whole team up when
it comes time to hit the ball,. Even the 9 spot in the lineup is dangerous.
Batter | AVG | SLG | OPS | RBI | R | HR |
2B J Cora | .284 | .357 | .620 | 32 | 52 | 0 |
3B C Lansford | .242 | .344 | .694 | 39 | 55 | 5 |
1B J Thompson | .297 | .469 | .847 | 43 | 57 | 13 |
DH G Walker | .311 | .509 | .868 | 62 | 68 | 15 |
RF M Davis | .283 | .471 | .847 | 64 | 58 | 15 |
CF D Winfeild | .285 | .470 | .819 | 55 | 56 | 11 |
C R Baldwin | .280 | .395 | .701 | 54 | 30 | 6 |
SS T Fryman | .293 | .470 | .823 | 56 | 49 | 14 |
LF G Wilson | .281 | .406 | .699 | 37 | 39 | 7 |
Without the power of this lineup, Cleveland would be battling with Baltimore
for the bottom of the AL East, instead they have hit their way to success, and
find themselfs some playoff hope. Although an effective lineup, I think the
Indians would find it improving if they added OF George Wright over OF Glenn
Wilson. Wright has been great off the bench, 6 HR in only 150 AB, slugging .507.
Lansford's OBP is under the magic .330 mark, so should definately be placed
near the bottom of the lineup, instead of the number 2 spot were he is currently
at.
Minor Leauge System -
Not great, but not bad by any stretch of the word. Randy Johnson, an early
round pick a few years ago, hasnt quite been the ace Cleveland was hoping for,
but they have a few other decent guys to go to. CF Lance Johnson and 1B Tino
Martinez will join SS Travis Fryman on the ML roster soon enough, and become
the future of this team. Cleveland also has most of its draft picks, so incase
things to go bad for the Tribe in the future, more prospects will come.
Future Predictions -
At the start of the season, Cleveland was my pick for the AL East. Since then
both Toronto, and Boston have made some pretty big moves to improve their team,
and the Indians pitchers have been throwing the the ball like they were playing
softball. I dont know what to think about the AL East anymore. The power the
Indians have will start showing signs of age in years to come, and although
they haev a few decent prospects, the Pitching needs some emergency improvements.
A solid offence may get u playing in October, but without a decent staff, you
wont be going far. The Indians need pitching bad before they are a sure thing
in the AL East.
The ATR is back after a bit of a layoff. The trading deadline is just about to pass and luckily for me, that means some time to get bang out some trade analysis where the work isn’t piling up faster than I can write it. Anyway, I could write a good lead-in paragraph or I could in theory get 10 of these trades analyzed today. Considering the number of trades to go, I’m going straight to them instead. (My kingdom for a good editor.)
Seattle receives P Orel Hershiser.
Cincinnati receives 3B Floyd Rayford.
Alright, despite a most valuable player award to his name, I had to check how to spell Rayford three times before starting this article. Rayford is one of the better 3Bs in the league. He hits for a good power and a high batting average. He achieves this through his tremendous plate coverage. He doesn’t draw many walks, but he also almost never strikes out. His defense leaves something to be desired, which is a surprise in Cincinnati, the team that proved you can win a title if the other team never scores due to your defense. Nonethless, he provides good offense to a team that could really use a regular starter, despite being platooned for some reason.
To get Rayford, the Reds managed to convince the Mariners to take Orel Hershiser and his horrible contract. He’s making $7,000,000 to be a pedestrian starter. He’s the CDL equivalent of a hot potato. You might take him for a minute, but you really want to pass him along before people realize that he is not the Bulldog Orel Hershiser, but the so-so, overpaid starting pitcher Orel Hershiser. I think the ride is stopping in Seattle, until Hershiser can be bought out and sign for a more palatable $500,000 a year in 1992. This would be an amazing steal of a deal if Rayford played everyday.
Winner: Cincinnati
Cincinnati receives RF Alan Wiggins and LF Jeff Jones.
Houston receives C Jerry Goff.
Did I miss the memo about the Reds being a contender this season? Well, I think the Reds did. Seriously, why are the Reds trading for a couple of role players to fill out their bench? Alan Wiggins is a solid bench player. He has some speed, his bat won’t kill you off the bench and he can play a number of positions. Jeff Jones excels at drawing walks, but didn’t get his first taste of the majors until he was 31 and is a pretty poor option as a corner infielder, considering his lack of batting average and pop. The only good thing for the Cincinnati Reds is that they didn’t give up anything too valuable for these role players.
It’s rare you will see a player like Jerry Goff command two players in a deal, but that’s exactly what happened here. Goff is a catcher, so that gives him some value, since almost no one has a decent catcher in this league. He draws walks, hits right handers well enough to not be a total drain on the offense and is an average defensive catcher. Goff is only 25 and should eventually become a card carrying member of the Backup Catchers Club. A small time trade that makes a little sense for one team and no sense for the other.
Winner: Houston
Los Angeles receives CF Deion Sanders and P Rich Rodriguez.
Toronto receives RF Chris James and P Chuck Cary.
My favorite type of trade is the challenge trade. For those of you who are new to the ATR, let me refresh you on what a challenge trade is. Basically, you take a trade of an equal number of players on each side. Not only are the players equal in number, but the players play the same position. Here you have the Dodgers and Blue Jays swapping a reliever for a reliever and an outfielder for an outfielder.
The Blue Jays almost certainly ended up with the better end of the outfielder exchange. Chris James has been a force in the newly constructed Skydome for the resurgent Blue Jays. He has become a high batting average corner outfielder who is under a cheap contract for the next three years. The Dodgers haven’t exactly struck out with Sanders either. As a player, he is quite the speedster and at the time of the trade was a solid hitter, who might be a good fourth outfielder. But the Dodgers were blessed by the talent gods and Sanders managed to boost his talent in getting hits. This could make Sanders a viable option as an everyday centerfielder in a year or two.
The reliever swapped in this deal also favors the Blue Jays. Chuck Cary has really come into his own these last two seasons. The hard throwing right-hander has been a key component of the Blue Jays bullpen this season. As they cling to a slim lead in the AL East, the Blue Jays must be very happy with his acquisition. Rich Rodriguez has been anything but a pleasant surprise for the Dodgers. He threw a few innings for them this season, but they weren’t anything special. Plus, he lacks the physical skills to be a good reliever. And at 27, it is not likely that he will ever be anything better than the mop up man in the bullpen.
And the Blue Jays owner says that I don’t give him credit for his good deals. Realistically, I do. It’s not my fault that his early deals were very poor and his later deals are good. I call them as I see them. And I see this as a win for the Blue Jays.
Winner: Toronto
Los Angeles receives P Danny Cox, CF Brian McRae and Pittsburgh’s third round Amateur draft choice in 1992.
Pittsburgh receives P Jay Tibbs, RF Von Hayes and Los Angeles’s second round Amateur draft choice in 1991.
You know, both Jay Tibbs and Danny Cox have been swapped to different NL Central teams (Tibbs to Cincinnati, Cox to the Cubs) since this deal was made. Of course, Tibbs and Cox are very similar pitchers. Neither one is someone you want to depend on in a playoff game, but both are good enough to get you to the playoffs as a quality third or fourth starter who wins 12 games with an ERA around 4.
The real question is would you rather have the young outfielder or the old outfielder? Brian McRae looks like he will be the starting center fielder next season. He hits for a decent average, has doubles power and one of the best gloves around. Von Hayes is the opposite player offensively. Hayes draws walks, hits for power, but has trouble cracking .200. He’s a solid fielder as well, but only in an outfield corner. The Pirates would look better in this deal, if they were actually using Hayes this season, rather than letting him sit on the bench.
As an aside, I couldn’t figure out why the Dodgers weren’t winning the NL West until today. If you look at their trades, you see a trend. The trend is that the Dodgers keep getting younger, instead of adding for today. Next season, the Dodgers should win their first division title in 20 seasons and put LA back on the map. Having said that, the Giants will manage to pull it out next year to spite the ATR’s predictions of the next rising team. (For example, see Kansas City, 1986)
Winner: Los Angeles
Atlanta receives P Rick Aguilera, 2B Bill Doran, 3B Todd Zeile and OF Jim Lefebvre.
Toronto receives P Fernando Valenzuela, 2B Vance Law and 3B Skeeter Barnes.
Finally, a big deal where I get to rip the Blue Jays a new one. Jim Lefebvre is just bad money in this deal. And I only mention that, because otherwise, he isn’t getting a mention anywhere in this deal.
The only way you think this deal works is if you are certain that Valenzuela is the best pitcher in the league (He isn’t, see Robinson, Don (aka the second coming of Busby)) and you think that Aguilera is highly overrated (He is overrated, but he could be the number one starter for at least half the teams in the league.) Valenzuela also makes a lot more money than Aguilera, which has to be a consideration for the cash poor Blue Jays.
What makes it worse is that the Blue Jays gave up one of their best prospects in Zeile to get the deal done. He would have been a cheap option at either catcher or third base in a season or two. The Blue Jays also swapped down from Bill Doran to Vance Law as their starting 2B. I know I would rather have Doran at 2B than Law, but that’s just me. To be fair, the Blue Jays also received Skeeter Barnes, who is a complete zero on offense beyond his batting average.
The Braves should have been a contender this season and are probably the best team in the NL East this season. But this is a good deal for them, as they can retool, gain some much needed cap room and add a quality prospect. Whereas the Blue Jays had better make the playoffs this season, since they have already started to close the window at the end of their run with this trade.
Winner: Atlanta
Well the Cleveland Indians look to be playing competive baseball and are just 1 game back for the wildcard and 3.5 games from the divisonal lead. And with the trade deadline coming close. The Indians are getting some much needed support coming back. Coming off of injury Greg Matthews and Mike Stanton. Both will help the pitching staff hopefully come together. Getting promoted and hopefully will make a big hit and will give the Indians so speed to burn at the top of the lineup. Also the Indians ownership is being rewarded by the fans of Cleveland with them showing up to the ball park. Already the Indians have had more fans show up than they did last season. Mr Austin's goal is to finish ahead of the wannabe Cinderella Toronto team. Both teams have struggled to say the least lately but both seem to finally put it together.