Trade Reaction: Carlos Lee to the Marlins

Carlos Lee and cash(rumored to be all but the league minimum on the remaining $9 million) to the Marlins for  3B Matt Dominguez and LHP Rob Rasmussen
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The Marlins acquire another big right handed bat to start at first over struggling Greg Dobbs and Gabby Sanchez. El Caballo will also serve as insurance for the Marlins just incase Giancarlo Stanton happens to go down with an injury and will serve as lineup protection for him. They gave up light hitting third baseman Matt Dominguez and left handed prospect Rasmussen, who has been pitching well this year in the High A level.


The Astros acquire defensive wiz third baseman Dominguez, but he has been very inconsistent with his bat and many don't see him as ever being a big league hitter. The Astros have Chris Johnson at third with Matt Downs, so Dominguez will have to fight for playing time. Rasmussen has been pitching well for the lower Marlins levels, and at 23, he still has more room to improve. He has been pretty consistent though, and may be in the major leagues by age 25 or late next year. 


Overall Verdict: Tied as of Now


The Astros ate pretty much all of Lee's contract to trade him, and some might see it as a quick, irrational reaction to him denying a trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this week. The Astros get a new third base "prospect" and a pitcher that may be a dependable start from the 3-5 slots in the rotation. The Marlins now have more lineup protection with Lee and insurance for the situation if Stanton goes down with injury. 

Trade Idea Series PT 1: Cole Hamels Blockbuster to the Rangers

Cole Hamels is the best pitcher on the trading block right now. He is only 28 and in a contract year, only 5 months away from signing a contract worth well over $100 million. He has some great stuff combined with determination and the old school pitching style and grit. When the Phillies start actively shopping him, they are assured to be berated by offers from other teams that want Hamels leading them down the last stretch of the season. Some teams may want to complete a trade only if Hamels signs an extension, so that may hamper the trade package that the Phillies will receive for him. In my opinion, there are 6 teams that will actively pursue and try to acquire him. I am only excluding the Nationals because of the incident with Hamels earlier in the year with Harper. The teams include the Rangers, Dodgers, and the Yankees.

Rangers:
The Rangers are always in the market for improvements even though they have the most formidable team in the league. It is already rumored that they have scouts at the games of the top market stocks in Zack Greinke and Cole Hamels. The Phillies are getting close to the point where they might be selling off their aging stars that are about to hit free agency and maybe even the ones that are under contract for a couple more years(ie Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Placido Polanco, Carlos Ruiz, Joe Blanton)

Here is my trade proposal...

LHP Cole Hamels to the Rangers for LHP Martin Perez, 3B Mike Olt, RHP Neil Ramirez, RHP Tanner Scheppers, C Jorge Alfaro

This is a pretty hefty package for what might only be a half season rental of Cole Hamels, but the Rangers are not afraid to make big impact moves to improve their ball club down the stretch and make moves that will matter mostly in the playoffs. They have made a move similar to what I have proposed for Hamels when they traded for Cliff Lee. The Rangers are itching for their first World Series championship, and they will make sure every facet of their team is as solid as can be going into the playoffs so they do not falter again as they have the past two years.

The Phillies are starting to age, and the chances of them resigning Hamels seem to get smaller and smaller as each day passes. The Phillies are getting old, and this year is showing what weaknesses they have and what they need to improve to keep in the running with the NL East, which seems to get more competitive every week. They have said that they want a 3rd basemen, catcher, and high upside pitcher, and this trade brings in all three. It would be wise for them to trade Hamels and shore up their franchise instead of waiting until the offseason where there is a high chance that they will not resign him.