There wasn't a lot of trade action between the start of the season through May, so I think June 1 is a good time to pick this up. On this day there were a few minor deals, one former All-Star packed his bags, and there was one (two) huge trade(s).Halifax/Louisville
Halifax receives:
RP Jesus Hopkins - overpowering fastball, more inconsistent than one would like
Louisville receives:
RP Robert Hansen (AAA) - Potential LOOGY that is ML ready
LF Dennis Holley (A) - bat-first prospect with power and speed, will need a bump or two to be a MBBA regular
Analysis:
This one looks like a rare win-win trade. Halifax gets a power righty arm that will lessen the workload for Guthrington in the middle innings in their quest for a division crown, while Louisville gets a couple of decent prospects on their quest for a top 5 draft pick.
Hawaii/Las Vegas
Hawaii receives:
SP Manny 'Little Bull' Bautista - once one of the top lefty starters in all of baseball, Bautista had fallen out of favor in LV
Las Vegas receives:
3B Juan Tapia (R) - Long-shot prospect
Analysis:
While it is always difficult to cut ties with a long-time great player, Las Vegas has to feel extra sting as it seemed the actual trade market for Bautista turned out to be very narrow. They pick up a young prospect that has lumped hard this year (he showed 7/6/9/6/7 potential on Dec 31, he's now a 5/5/7/4/6 potential prospect) and I will be shocked if Tapia ever makes any kind of impact in the MBBA. Meanwhile Hawaii picks up a player that just turned 30 and was one of the top pitchers in the league just two years ago. The Tropics do need to look at extending Bautista (which certainly won't be cheap), but even if he walks, this is a win for Hawaii. The big question on Hustlers fans is if Swanson or Morris are next.
Halifax/Greenville
Halifax receives:
SS Mario García - swings early, swings often, but makes a lot of contact (being a Braves fan, seeing 3 HR in 1700 AB makes me think back on Rafeal Belliard)
Greenville receives:
1B Eugene Rodgers (AAA) - AAAA lefty power bat
Analysis:
Halifax bolsters the roster further by upgrading over Vicente Trevino (at least offensively). Rodgers isn't someone Greenville would want starting at 1B (without improvement) down the road, but they are going nowhere fast so it makes sense to trade off a middle of the road SS for future value.
Birmingham/Vancouver (1&2)
Birmingham receives:
SS Frederic Morel (ML) - Vacuum shorstop with limited range for the position, makes a lot of contact but will never do damage at the plate
RP Andy Cantrell (AAA) - Potential to be devastating against lefties, not a rotation prospect
CF Steve Jefferson (AAA) - Legit CF prospect with power, OBP, and speed. May not end up making enough contact to matter though
OF Octavio Corral (AA) - Fast and can take a walk, but he's a poor CF
SP Carlos Olvera (AA) - Would be a potential rotation prospect if he can keep the ball down and limit HR more (would be a really good EBA player)
SP Will Franklin (A) - Power righty with Emergency starter/solid middle reliever written all over him
CF Tommy Green (A) - Should be great defensively in center, but will the bat ever play?
OF Cristo Perez (R) - More of a corner OF, not much here
SP Abe Colbert Jr (R) - 95 mph fastball, knee-buckling kunckeball. Dangerous combination if he can improve his consistency
C Andres Martinez (R) - Potential to be a very good backup C, or a below average starer at the position
Vancouver receives:
SP Juan Lucero (ML) - mid-late rotation arm
SP Emilio Nabo (ML) - mid-late rotation arm, may play up in the bullpen
DH Pedro Burgos (ML) - solid all-around hitter with 35+ HR power, may not know which hand to put his glove on
SS/2B Juan Rodriguez (AAA) - can play either MI position, below average bat
Analysis:
Birmingham gets two solid, middle of the rotation starters (though it appears Nabo will be used exclusively out of the pen), a power bat, and a MI glove-first player. Vancouver gets Colbert and a bunch of lottery tickets, some of which may actually hit on something.
