The 2008 MLB Trade Deadline Breakdown (Early Edition)

The Full Edition of the 2008 MLB Trade Deadline Breakdown is complete! View it here.

 

The MLB Trade Deadline Breakdown is how I got started writing on the Internet, 10 years ago. Like Peter Gammons, this is one of my favorite times of the year. Last year was the first that I did not publish a Trade Deadline Breakdown since I began in 1999. Being the baseball nerd I am, I could not allow another July 31 to pass without providing the most complete, concise and convenient recap of the notable deadline deals you don’t have to pay money for (though you are welcome to do so). The Acropolis blog allows me to break the detailed report into smaller, easier to read sections. With big trades taking place weeks before the trade deadline, it was time to get started on the 2008 edition.

 

Brewers Get:
LHP- CC Sabathia

Indians Get:
OF- Matt LaPorta
LHP- Zach Jackson
RHP- Rob Bryson
Player TBN

The Indians have been one of the biggest disappointments of the year (many predicted a Seattle/Cleveland ALCS). This trade was the official throwing in of the towel. Sabathia, who will be a free agent at the end of the year, is likely a rental for the Brewers, who are behaving like contenders for the first time in over two decades. He and Ben Sheets make for a nasty front-end of the rotation.

Matt LaPorta is a pure hitter. In the Brewers organization, he drew comparisons to another young star, Ryan Braun. I have seen LaPorta in person in the AA Southern League, and he looks like a star. Expect him to be in the Cleveland lineup next year – maybe even toward the end of this season, when the Tribe is 25 games out. Jackson is a 6′5″ lefty with pretty good stuff, but very shaky command. His brief major league stints have been disastrous, but he has a great minor league resume. He projects as a middle reliever. Bryson is extremely raw at this point. He possesses a mid-90s fastball and a high strikeout rate. In just a year and a half of pro ball, Bryson has started, closed, and pitched middle relief.

Milwaukee is now built to win, but they’ve got some work to do just to make the playoffs. I’m not sure they get in, and they certainly don’t re-sign Sabathia. It’s a risky rental, but the only player of consequence they lost was LaPorta who would have had trouble breaking into the bevy of young talent already in the Brewers lineup. The Tribe gets a potential 40 HR talent at the cost of a guy they were losing anyway. I hate to do it, but this is a win-win.

The Winner: Tie
Pennant Impact: 3 (out of 5)

Cubs Get:
RHP- Rich Harden
RHP- Chad Gaudin

Athletics Get:
RHP- Sean Gallagher
OF- Matt Murton
2B/OF- Eric Patterson
C- Josh Donaldson

Let the arms race begin! With the Brewers making a big move, the division leaders responded. The Cubbies pick up one of the five most dominant pitchers in the game (when healthy). Harden was 5-1 with a 2.34 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 77 innings for Oakland. In his Chicago debut, a dazzling 10 K effort in only 5.1 IP. But let’s go back to that parenthetical. Harden’s health is always a question mark and he has already missed a month this year. His 14 starts this season are one more than his total from the past two seasons. Gaudin is an above average reliever who can also spot start if someone gets injured (say, Harden).

Sean Gallagher is a promising young righty, who has been dazzling at times for Chicago this season. His control still needs work, but the move to Oakland’s pitching paradise should provide an ideal setting to improve. Murton was once a highly touted prospect, traded from Boston as a key part of a 4-team deal in 2004 that involved Nomar Garciaparra and Orlando Cabrera. He is just 26 years old, but it seems that we have been waiting on the red-headed wonder forever. Eric Patterson is the younger brother of draft bust Corey Patterson. Eric possesses much of the same skill set: speed, surprising pop, and unlike older brother, Eric walks from time-to-time. At this point, he’s riding the fence between AAA and the majors. Donaldson was a 2nd round pick out of Auburn in the ‘07 draft. He is athletic for a catcher, with an outstanding eye at the plate. Catchers are extremely hard to project, but Donaldson has plenty of positives.

Billy Beane does what he does. He dumps soon-to-be free agents and snags some promising prospects. It’s not necessarily a bad deal for the A’s, but the Cubbies are one step closer to breaking the 100-year curse.

The Winner: Cubs
Pennant Impact: 4

Phillies Get:
RHP- Joe Blanton

Athletics Get:
2B- Adrian Cardenas
LHP- Josh Outman
OF- Matt Spencer

Joe Blanton has not had the season Oakland was expecting when he took the mound as their opening day starter. 5-12, 4.96 ERA, and a 1.42 WHIP is not an ace’s stat-line. In his past five starts, Blanton has been bipolar, allowing 6, 1, 7, 1, and 8 runs. The Phillies are counting on more 1 days than 8 days. They have some reason to be hopeful. The former first-round pick was 14-10 with a sub-4.00 ERA in 2007. He certainly couldn’t hurt what is already a less-than-deep rotation.

Cardenas was a top prospect in the Phillies organization, and is one of the top 50 in the game. Trained as a second basemen for Philadelphia, Cardenas is versatile enough to play a handful of positions. Outman is a developing left-hander who was rising through the Phils’ prospect list pretty fast. Spencer was a 3rd round draft choice in 2007 out of Arizona State. Early in his pro career, Spencer is a power hitter with a knack for clutch hits.

The A’s continue to rebuild, even though they are in second place. It is starting to seem less about small-market economics and more about being cheap. Blanton has the track record to believe he can turn it around, and the Phils desperately needed another starter for their race with the Mets and Marlins.

The Winner: Phillies
Pennant Impact: 2

Yankees Sign:
1B- Richie Sexson

Not a trade, but still a noteworthy move. Sexson was released by the Mariners, freeing them from his enormous salary (over $13 million) and his miniscule batting average (.218). The Yankees pick up an extra right-handed power bat off the bench, a small, but important hole to fill. The question now becomes: how will Sexson handle being a platoon player for the first time in his career? Word out of Seattle was that the slugger did not take too kindly to being sat down when in a slump (which has been a pretty constant state for Richie over the past two seasons). Perhaps the biggest impact of this deal is that it quells the rumors of Hank Steinbrenner going after Barry Bonds.

Pennant Impact: 1

D-Backs Get:
1B- Tony Clark

Padres Get:
RHP- Evan Scribner

The Diamondbacks offense began the season hotter than the Arizona desert, but have cooled consiberably since – their team batting average has dropped 40 points since April 30. In search of a remedy, the D-backs welcome back an old friend. Clark spent the past three seasons with the club, as an occasional starter, reliable pinch-hitter, and clubhouse leader. A switch-hitter is always nice to have off the bench, and with such a young roster, the 36-year-old’s leadership could be beneficial.

Scribner is a developing closer in A-ball. Splitting time between high-A and low-A, he had a combined 2-4 record with 9 saves and an ERA around 1.50, and played in the Midwest League All-Star Game. He was his college’s all-time saves leader, despite spending part of his time as a starter. Averaging about two strikeouts per inning pitched, Scribner is certinaly on his way to putting his name in the race to replace Trevor Hoffman in San Diego.

The D-backs may like Clark, but it’s hard to imagine he’ll contribute too much at this stage of his career.

The Winner: Padres
Pennant Impact: 1

Flashback: 2004 Breakdown

Mets acquire RHP- Victor Zambrano and LHP- Bartolome Fortunato from the Devil Rays for LHP- Scott Kazmir and RHP- Jose Diaz.

Then: “Overall, I think the D-Rays robbed the Mets. Zambrano’s stock got inflated, and Tampa Bay managed to make New York part with their prized prospect for him. That team will be contending soon if their GM can continue to pull deals like this off.”

Now: Kazmir is the ace of a Rays team, minus the Devil, competing with Boston for the best record in baseball. Zambrano was disappointing for the Mets in ‘04, and was never noteworthy again. This remains the most one-sided deal I have ever covered in the Breakdown.