Trade Series PT 3: Cole Hamels Blockbuster to the Yankees

Yankees:


As always, the Yankees are one of the top teams in baseball. Their offense is nearly unstoppable, and despite an injury to Michael Pineda before the season and Mariano Rivera, their pitching staff has been putting it together, with only a few headaches. The Yankees have been known to make big splashes in trades, but this year may be different because of Brian Cashman's declaration that he will not be making big moves at the deadline this year. The Yankees may not pull the trigger on Hamels because they aim to get under the luxury tax threshold next year, and having Hamels on the payroll may cost them an additional $22-26 million per year that they won't be able to spend. As stated in earlier posts, the Phillies are starting to age and it seems that they may be getting closer to the point of selling as each day progresses.

LHP Cole Hamels to the Yankees for LHP Manny Banuelos, RHP Dellin Betances, C Gary Sanchez, OF Slade Heathcott


The Yankees get another big name to put into their rotation, and Hamels would fill a huge spot for the Yankees, who are missing CC Sabathia and Pettitte with injuries right now. If the Yankees were to trade with him, they would be fully capable of signing him to an extension. The only thing that may keep them from doing this is if they do not want to go over the luxury tax threshold next year. The Yankees do not need to drop big on Hamels to keep themselves in the race and secure their playoff spot, but he sure as hell would help.

The Phillies, once again need to get prospects for Hamels, as their chances of resigning him are getting smaller. This trade would net them two near-ready pitchers to put into their rotation and a great catching prospect in Sanchez, who might ready in time for when Ruiz might leave in free agency or not be good enough to start. Heathcott is a good talent to have around for the future, as his ceiling is pretty high, and he might develop into a good hitting outfielder to eventually replace Victorino.

It has been stated in different blogs that the Phillies asking price might already be too high for the Yankees, who are reluctant to part with prospects and increase payroll much this year.

Trade Series PT 2: Cole Hamels Blockbuster to the Dodgers

Dodgers:

The Dodgers have been a surprise contender this year, patching together some of their pitching staff and a good section of their roster with a bundle of 2 year deals. The started the season red hot, but have cooled down as of late, dropping to a game behind the division leading Giants. With their ownership situation resolved, the Dodgers may be comfortable to make big moves to improve and willing to spend large amounts of money to keep their team on top. The Dodgers are in the market, looking for a good pitcher to put behind Clayton Kershaw, who has been good as he always has been. If Zack Greinke becomes available, the Dodgers should also be considered a suitor for him as well. Since the Phillies started having rough times this year, the Dodgers have been named as possible suitors, considered the favorites for Hamels if he is dealt. The Dodgers may also be in play for some of the other players that may be made available by the Phillies. The only thing that may block the Dodgers from acquiring Hamels would be if the Dodgers want Hamels to sign an extension to complete the trade.

Here are the trade offer(s).....

LHP Cole Hamels to the Dodgers for RHP Nate Eovaldi, RHP Allen Webster, LHP Chris Reed, 1B/3B/OF Jerry Sands

LHP Cole Hamels, OF Shane Victorino to the Dodgers for RHP Zach Lee, RHP Garrett Gould, OF Alfredo Silverio, RHP Chris Winthrow, C Gorman Erickson


1st Trade- The Dodgers will acquire the marquee pitcher that they want to couple with Clayton Kershaw. They will have to give up a good amount of talent, but Hamels is the best pitcher available and has shown that he is a gamer willing to pitch when needed and will always throw a tough game.

The Phillies acquire a good quad of pitching prospects, which should help them in the near future, and a position player in Jerry Sands, who might be able to play at third for them in the future and at age 24, is almost major league ready. This is a solid package for Hamels, but the Phillies may want more value if they have to leverage the deal on a trade-n-sign.

2nd Trade- The Dodgers need an outfield bat and a good pitcher. I don't think Tony Gwynn Jr. should be starting on a contending team, and they might want to package together Hamels and Victorino to fill their roster holes. They are giving up a plethora of prospects, but shoring up their roster. This move would easily put them in contention for the World Series, making their lineup stronger and putting a second dominant left hander into the rotation.

The Phillies are getting a titanic haul in this trade. They receive 3 premium pitching prospects and 2 very good position prospects to help give their farm system depth. The chances are becoming smaller everyday that they wait to resign Cole Hamels, and Victorino is going to become a big expensive on a team that may not want to pay him $10-12 million to start.

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.

Trade Idea: Ryan Dempster to the Orioles

The Orioles have become one of the highest contending teams in the AL East almost overnight from last year. In many baseball circles, they weren't even in talks for finishing in third place, let alone being one of the betters teams in the AL East this year. The two things keeping the Orioles up this season are their relief pitching, but most of all, their hitting. If the Orioles plan on competiting all season long and having a chance to go deep into the playoffs, they are going to need a solid starting pitcher to help anchor the staff for the long run. Since this is their first season competing in a very long time, they might not want to empty the farm on what might be a fluke season, so if I was Dan Duquette, I would try and add a somewhat easy to obtain, proven starter.

The Cubs are in the midst of one of their worst seasons in a couple of years, leading the National League in losses. They need to gain prospects, and they have a couple of good pitchers reaching free agency. Ryan Dempster is in the middle of what seems like a career year, but may only be an illusion since he is 35. He is owed $14 million this year, which will make the asking price on him lower unless the Cubs pick up a significant amount of money. He also has 10 and 5 rights, giving him more leverage in trade talks. Although he may want to remain in Chicago, it might be in his interest to try and win a ring before he retires, so he might be open to being traded to a contender.

Here is my trade proposal....
RHP Ryan Dempster and $6 million to the Orioles for RHP Parker Bridwell, OF L.J. Hoes, RHP Kyle Simon

I think this a fairly even trade. The Orioles get a proven starter and the Cubs get a trio of prospects that may be part of the future team. Ryan Dempster may get what he wants by being traded to a contender, but may exercise his 10 and 5 rights so he doesn't have to go to Baltimore. Also, if the Cubs extend Matt Garza, Dempster may one, if not, the best starter on the trade market, driving the price up on him, maybe making him too expensive for teams like the Orioles. If the Orioles make it to the playoffs after acquiring Dempster, they might extend him an offer for a 2 or 3 year deal to keep him around, providing them with the valuable veteran presence in the rotation and what might be 200 innings of 3.50 ERA ball.

Trade Idea: Matt Garza to the Tigers

Whether Cubs' fans and management want to say it, the Cubs are on full rebuilding mode right now. Epstein has made a point that he wants to keep Garza, but if the right trade comes along, he will pull the trigger and send Garza packing.

The Tigers have made it to the playoffs and are making a big impact and developing their team into an AL Central Dynasty. They added one of the biggest and baddest slugging first basemen, Prince Fielder, and may be looking to consolidate their rotation to make another push and guarantee a playoff spot. They might also want to add a bullpen piece in this trade and the Cubs have many that they can salvage for prospects.

The Cubs want to add depth to their minor leagues and get some legitimate prospects to fill their farm system. As mentioned above, they have both starting pitchers and bullpen pitchers that they can send away for a couple of prospects. This makes them and the Tigers almost perfect trading partners. Matt Garza has $9.5 Million on his contract for next year, but the Cubs might not have to eat much, if any, to the Tigers, because they are going all in now, and might not really mind adding that much for a strong starting pitcher. The Cubs might want to absorb some salary to get more prospects in the trade.

Here is my trade proposal(s)...

Matt Garza and $4 Million to the Tigers for Jacob Turner, Kevin Eichhorn, and Adam Wilk
or
Matt Garza, Jeff Samardzija, and $4 Million to the Tigers for Jacob Turner, Don Kelley, Casey Crosby, and Adam Wilk

I think both trades would be fairly even considering the amount that Epstein is asking for each and the equal want of Mike Illitch to win a World Series before he dies. The Cubs free up a little money, and acquire good pitching prospects in both trades, and even get a very useful utility man in Kelley if they include a bullpen piece. If the Tigers want to make more strides, I think they really need another starting pitcher to consolidate and make a 1-2-3-4 punch in their rotation. They will have to make a commitment to Garza after the season if he performs well, and they might get burdened with the asking prices that Edwin Jackson had demanded earlier this offseason.

Trade Idea: Brandon Belt to the Red Sox

I know that many people aren't very high on trading young talent for young talent, but I think that this trade should be an exception.

The Red Sox have recently gone to high spending ways and have not developed many players well. They need to go a little younger instead of keeping up with the astronomical spending Yankees. They have a void in right field and could use a nice young player to stick in everyday that has high upside and team control. Belt is only 23, so he will be able to play passable right field defense for quite and while, and his bat would be an improvement over Darnell McDonald and Ryan Sweeney.

I know the Giants fans won't like this trade much, but I think that they could net some good prospects, and maybe even cash for the extensions of Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum(After his 2 year extension is up) that will come up. Brandon Belt is blocked in all positions, and another prospect in Brett Pill, is ready to take the leap and be a full time first basemen. If they looked ahead, they will notice that they have a perfectly viable first basemen in Pill and if he recovers, Aubrey Huff. Buster Posey may also have to make a permanent move to first base to not risk long term injury and the derailment of his career. The Giants lack quality catching prospects behind him and the most skilled backup is Eli Whiteside.

Here is my trade proposal....

Brandon Belt to the Red Sox for Ryan Lavarnway, Brandon Jacobs, Stolmy Pimentel, and $6 Million.



I think that this is a fair trade from a neutral standpoint. Giants fans will not want to give up Belt, but they might be acquiring their next catcher if Posey moves to first base, and a good outfield prospect to go along with a starting prospect with high upside. They also get a little money in the deal, which could go for the future extensions of Cain and Lincecum. Red Sox executives might not want to part with the money because they are tight in budget, but they have a good catcher in Jarrod Saltalamacchia ahead of Lavarnway. I think an overall even trade for both teams, the Red Sox are getting a strong rated outfielder that can hit, and the Giants are getting some good prospects, cash, and they still have two first basemen that can produce.

Trade Idea: Wandy Rodriguez to Angels

The Angels have added most to their team this offseason, but they still have a question at the end of the rotation, Jerome Williams. They are ready to make a big push and contend for the next decade, with a rotation that rivals that of the Phillies. They could consolidate their rotation to having the number five spot filled with a good lefty, Rodriguez.

The Astros are coming off a season in which they won less than 60 games! They really need to restock their impoverished farm system, and they have no need for a number 3 lefty starter when they have no chance of contending. They should restock while they still have value in Rodriguez.

I think Rodriguez would be a good addition to solidify the last spot of the rotation. The Angels have the ability to pick up most if not all of Rodriguez's contract, so they might not have to give up as many good prospects than if they Astros picked up a good chunk. His 2014 option goes from being a team option to a player option if he is traded, so the Angels would have to hope that he remains productive to be able to actually use $13 million of their money.

Here is my trade proposal....

Wandy Rodriguez and $7 Million to the Angels for Daniel Tillman, Alexi Amarista, Donn Roach

I think this is a fair trade, and for 3 of the top 20 prospects in the Angels system, this might be even, because none of them have an eta of beyond 2014, so they will be producing for the Astros soon. Rodriguez is getting towards the latter years of his career, and he might want to play for a contender that has a legitimate chance for the next 7 seasons to go to and win the World Series. 

Trade Idea: 3 Team Blockbuster

Building on my idea of the AJ Pierzynski trade yesterday, I was thinking of a trade that might be good for the deadline this year IF the White Sox are out of contention, the Pirates are fighting for the title, and the Red Sox are tight in on the race. Some of the players I mention are mostly involved if they rebound well enough this year to add some value.

The Red Sox always need pitching at the deadline, and the Pirates might need to fill a few holes to make a push. The White Sox will be needing to add some depth to their farm system and maybe just shed some salary if they are not drawing enough to pay their players. The Pirates would mostly be going for depth while the Red Sox are looking for pieces to make the push.

Here is my proposal...

Red Sox get Gavin Floyd, Adam Dunn(If he rebounds), cash($6 Million), Clint Barmes, Casey McGhee

Pirates get  AJ Pierzynski, Alfredo Aceves, Jesse Crain, Kevin Youkilis, cash($3 Million)

White Sox get Jose Iglesias(Red Sox), Pedro Alvarez(Pirates), Daniel McCutchen, Sean Coyle(Red Sox), Tony Sanchez(Pirates), Bryan Morris(Pirates)

I think that this is a fair trade considering that this would occur at the deadline and the Pirates might be at the first opportunity to go for a division title in a long time, and the Red Sox will want to ensure that they get a playoff spot after the horrible collapse last year. The White Sox get some goods prospects, although most of them are the age to go to the major league roster instead of spending more time in the minors. The White Sox get unburdened from some big salaries, and have some good young players to take roster spots.

Trade Idea: AJ Pierzynski to the Pirates

The Pirates had a breakthrough season last year, actually leading the division for a couple days midsummer. This was a huge improvement over 16 straight losing seasons, and way better than their 57 win season the year before. They crash and burned for the remaining games after taking the division lead. This offseason they have improved their team, adding A.J. Burnett yesterday and by adding mediocre free agents. The one place that they lost the most talent though, is catcher. They didn't exercise the option on Ryan Doumit, and didn't resign Chris Snyder. The free agent market didn't have many good catchers, but they didn't exactly pick up a game changing catcher in Rod Barajas. I think that they shouldn't be content with a 35 year old journeyman catcher behind the plate.

The White Sox had a pretty bad season this year. They were consistently out of first place by a few games, and the fans had to suffer through Alex Rios and Adam Dunn's horrible season. It will be almost impossible for Dunn to repeat his performance, and no one knows how good Rios is going to be. This offseason, the Sox had not added many players, the big pickup being Kosuke Fukudome. The Sox have been unloading some talent for salary relief rather than prospects, which does not make much sense considering the state of the team and its farm system. The Sox are not going to the playoffs this year and maybe for the next couple of years also. One of the players that is in his contract year, and probably not going to get resigned in the upcoming offseason, is AJ Pierzynski.

Pierzynski would be a good fit for the Pirates because he is a solid left handed bat and very rarely is unhealthy enough to take the field. He hasn't batted below .270 the last 4 years and has consistently been cutting down on his strikeout totals. He would be a good fit on the team that needs a good left handed bat and a good catcher. I don't think that with what the Sox have been doing in trades, that the Pirates would have to give up much, but I think if the Sox had the potential to get a decent prospect, they might eat a large portion of the $6 Million owed to him.

Here is my trade proposal....

AJ Pierzynski and cash($4 M) to the Pirates for Tony Sanchez and Kyle McPherson

Might be a little much, but if the Pirates are able to get a division title and Pierzynski bats .300 again, it might seem like an OK deal. Sanchez and McPherson are both 23, so this might be a move for a the Sox if they are able to compete in 4 years, which should not be out of the realm of possibility with their payroll.