Post by TJ (former White Sox) on Feb 15, 2019 18:15:28 GMT -6
White Sox send:
SP Mitch Keller (Pirates) - spec
LHP Joe Savery $300,000 (2019)
RHP David Buchanan $300,000 (2019)
Chris Johnson (MIA - 1B).....$500,000 (2019)
Dustin Ackley (LAA - 1B) $500,000 (2019)
Jose Tabata (FA - RF).....$500,000 (2020)
Erik Cordier (MIA - RP).....$500,000 (2019)
Kyle Kendrick (BOS - SP).....$500,000 (2020)
David Hale (BAL - SP/RP) $300,000 (2019)
Jhan Marinez (MIL - RP).....$300,000 (2021)
RP Randall Delgado (FA) $1,000,000 2021
DBacks Trade:
SP- James Paxton- $300,000 (2019)
RP- Neil Ramirez- $300,000 (2020)
----
Another fairly straight-forward trade for the White Sox. Pulling value from the future into today in order to make a run at a title before the Angels evolve into their final form.
Keller is perhaps the highest-floor pitching spec in baseball, and has been for a couple years now. He may not have the sexy upside of the guys like Taillon and Glasnow that he chased on his way through the minors. But there's never been any question that a healthy Keller would make the big leagues and contribute. As I have mentioned in other trade posts, I am "the Pirates" in both a 30-team and a 28-team and follow the team's farm more closely than any other. If I were currently in a rebuild there is zero chance I would make a deal like this, because Keller is a mortal lock to spend the next 6 years pitching at PNC. But I am chasing a title, and that means selling some future for the present.
Paxton is an elite SP. He was a popular Cy Young pick going into last season, and while he didn't produce at quite that level, he still finished 20th in pitching WAR, 6th in K/9, and 6th in xFIP. He's a legit ace, who was just traded from a team that is projected to win 73 games in 2019 to a team projected to win 96. The Mariners had some crazy good luck last year, somehow finishing 16 games over .500 despite a -34 run differential. The 2019 Yankees are projected for a +142 run differential, and all those extra runs turn into wins. While there would be some concerns about Yankee Stadium being the #2 park for home runs (and therefore a risk for declining pitching ratios) left-handed Paxton shouldn't fear the short porch in right field all that much.
While Paxton has just one arb year left, I've lined up my Re-Sign tags to make keeping Paxton long-term a comfortable proposition. I certainly won't need Miggy's tag next season, and there are no other expiring 2019 contracts in need of a fresh tag. Barring a massive injury, I fully expect to keep Paxton for the next 2-3 seasons and then trade him as I begin my rebuild around 2022, when he should still be a top-50 SP worthy of a nice return. Even if he puts up a Fantrax 100 this season, he will still only be $11.9 as a re-sign, making him an obvious fixture in my 2020 rotation.
I'm also getting back Neil Ramirez. When it comes to holds, I prefer a strategy of having several options and playing the hot hand. Ramirez gives me another arb-controlled guy who will occasionally be a setup man.
I'm also moving 10 more contracts, the players they are attached to are essentially irrelevant.
Thanks for the deal, DBacks. Won't be our last.
SP Mitch Keller (Pirates) - spec
LHP Joe Savery $300,000 (2019)
RHP David Buchanan $300,000 (2019)
Chris Johnson (MIA - 1B).....$500,000 (2019)
Dustin Ackley (LAA - 1B) $500,000 (2019)
Jose Tabata (FA - RF).....$500,000 (2020)
Erik Cordier (MIA - RP).....$500,000 (2019)
Kyle Kendrick (BOS - SP).....$500,000 (2020)
David Hale (BAL - SP/RP) $300,000 (2019)
Jhan Marinez (MIL - RP).....$300,000 (2021)
RP Randall Delgado (FA) $1,000,000 2021
DBacks Trade:
SP- James Paxton- $300,000 (2019)
RP- Neil Ramirez- $300,000 (2020)
----
Another fairly straight-forward trade for the White Sox. Pulling value from the future into today in order to make a run at a title before the Angels evolve into their final form.
Keller is perhaps the highest-floor pitching spec in baseball, and has been for a couple years now. He may not have the sexy upside of the guys like Taillon and Glasnow that he chased on his way through the minors. But there's never been any question that a healthy Keller would make the big leagues and contribute. As I have mentioned in other trade posts, I am "the Pirates" in both a 30-team and a 28-team and follow the team's farm more closely than any other. If I were currently in a rebuild there is zero chance I would make a deal like this, because Keller is a mortal lock to spend the next 6 years pitching at PNC. But I am chasing a title, and that means selling some future for the present.
Paxton is an elite SP. He was a popular Cy Young pick going into last season, and while he didn't produce at quite that level, he still finished 20th in pitching WAR, 6th in K/9, and 6th in xFIP. He's a legit ace, who was just traded from a team that is projected to win 73 games in 2019 to a team projected to win 96. The Mariners had some crazy good luck last year, somehow finishing 16 games over .500 despite a -34 run differential. The 2019 Yankees are projected for a +142 run differential, and all those extra runs turn into wins. While there would be some concerns about Yankee Stadium being the #2 park for home runs (and therefore a risk for declining pitching ratios) left-handed Paxton shouldn't fear the short porch in right field all that much.
While Paxton has just one arb year left, I've lined up my Re-Sign tags to make keeping Paxton long-term a comfortable proposition. I certainly won't need Miggy's tag next season, and there are no other expiring 2019 contracts in need of a fresh tag. Barring a massive injury, I fully expect to keep Paxton for the next 2-3 seasons and then trade him as I begin my rebuild around 2022, when he should still be a top-50 SP worthy of a nice return. Even if he puts up a Fantrax 100 this season, he will still only be $11.9 as a re-sign, making him an obvious fixture in my 2020 rotation.
I'm also getting back Neil Ramirez. When it comes to holds, I prefer a strategy of having several options and playing the hot hand. Ramirez gives me another arb-controlled guy who will occasionally be a setup man.
I'm also moving 10 more contracts, the players they are attached to are essentially irrelevant.
Thanks for the deal, DBacks. Won't be our last.
