Trade review 2022 #2 - The Madison firesale edition

[Ted]

Chris finally throws in the towel after years of fighting off father time. Four trades later the rebuild process is in full swing. Let's see what the Wolves got and see how their trade partners improved themselves.

Chris already did a good job with the press releases for his own trades, and others often do as well. The point of this is not necessarily to agree or disagree, but to take another look at the players and teams involved. I always like hearing another opinion, and hey, if you don't like mine, I'm a rookie with no track records so who cares what I think.

Indianapolis/Madison
Indianapolis receives:
3B Doug Glover

Madison receives:
SP Jose Cisneros
P Emilio Sanchez (prospect)
P Juan Madrigal (prospect)
LF Julio Castillo (prospect)

Glover is a beast, no doubt. Like Madison, the 34 year old showed the first signs of maybe giving into his age a little this spring, but he's still an elite middle of the order bat. Indy already had a middle of the league offense that was fairly solid top to bottom. Glover is a great fit, giving that middle of the order punch they lacked. He'll replace 3B Paul McKinney, who while being a decent player himself, is by no means a consistent offensive threat. Although he is only average at SS, it may be worth trying Glover at short, where Lancaster is basically a free out. Indy had a surprising run last year, but does appear to be a team on the way up. They have stumbled out of the gate, and could probably use another starter given that the departed Cisneros was holding down the 4 spot after replacing an ineffective Jose Aicon. Glover also has a frightening 36 mil on the books for 2023 and 2024. He's stayed potent longer than most, so it's hard to project what those years will bring. Frankly, these are the types of moves I never have the courage to make, and kudos to Ben for having the guts to go for it.

For Madison, there's a lot to like about Cisneros. He's young, has a live arm, and has already had some success as a starter. Perhaps unlikely at this time in his development, but he's one bump away from being a very dependable starter. The Wolves hope they got a stud in Emilio Sanchez. He throws awfully hard for an 18 year old, and has the right stuff to become a dominant starter with some luck and good coaching. As mentioned, he's 18 and has a looooooong way to go, so who knows. Another youngster, Julio Madrigal is not very developed at 19 but has consistently improved since being signed out of the Dominican by Indy in 2020. He doesn't have the well rounded package look that Sanchez does, but this early in development it's hard to tell who will have the better future. Most likely however, one of these two will be a solid contributor for Madison at some point. Julio Castillo looks like a AAAA player. He is left handed though and has a good glove in left, which may be enough to keep him in the bigs for a few years.

Madison had an empty minor system and needed to start the rebuild. Any time you can get a young SP and 3 prospects all of which have a 50% or better chance at playing on the big league roster some day, you did yourself a service. Indy gave up its top three prospects and a young starter for a shot a division title. The cushion in losing those prospects is that the pitcher likely wouldn't have been ready while the current group of young guys peaks. Time will tell if they made the right choice


Grades
Indy: Talent A-, Organizational B-
Madison: Talent B-, Organizational A

Halifax/Madison
Halifax receives:
DH Drew Zod
cash

Madison receives:
RP Cesar Rodruigez
P Jesus Paez (prospect)
P Earl Agguire (prospect)
P Marcos Villegas (prospect)

There seems to be some information missing regarding the Zod pickup by Halifax. They already have all world Bo Jordan at the DH spot, and while he could slide over to 1B and Jorge Castillo could go to the bench or be traded, Zod's not such a huge improvement over the way Castillo is playing his year. Given that reports indicate Zod will be at DH, it begs the question as to whether something is in the works with Jordan. Zod will also soon be on the wrong side of 30 and is due 25 mil over the next two years. Rumors had Halifax selling, or buying, or selling, or possibly buying depending on how things looked. Unfortunately, they are currently a .500 team and it still seems unclear what direction this franchise will take. I have no idea what is going on here, but there are some good minds in the Hawks front office, so we will have to wait for the picture to develop.

Cesar Rodriguez has been an up and down middle reliever over the last few years. He's probably overpaid for the value he gives and is signed for 2023 at 5 mil. Madison GM admitted he's a salary move to facilitate the Zod trade, and for a rebuilding team, that isn't too damaging a payroll hit. Someone has to give the middle relief innings. Paez has been mentioned in this space before and appears to be the big prospect pickup in this trade. He seems to have the makeup that would turn him into a decent back end starter, but could also likely be converted to a very talented reliever. He has some control issues for his age, but probably will work through them. Agguire is probably very close to his ceiling. He has tremendous stuff, but has some control issues and his ball flattens out a bit at times. His cutter/curveball combo sets him in good stead against lefties and may help him be good reliever, or he could walk guys and give up homeruns. 18 year old Villegas is another decent starter prospect. He'll need to improve his velocity to have a big league career, but otherwise has a good set of skills.

For Madison this is another sell off to accumulate prospects. A solid organizational move at this point. Gonna need some input from Halifax on this one. Maybe I'm missing something obvious.

Grades
Halifax: Talent B-, Organizational incomplete (I usually don't give out incompletes but I have no idea what is going on with this trade)
Madison: Talent C, Organizational B

Huntsville/Madison
Huntsville receives:
CF Carlos Gabriel

Madison receives:
P Konstantin Dankers (prospect)

What would one of these write-ups be without good ol' Huntsville. The Phantoms find themselves in the unenviable position of leading their division with a losing record in what was supposed to a rebuild year. It appears they made a move to shore up an outfield the consists of the underwhelming duo of Rob Cramer and Lou Woodward in the corners. The Phantoms have little depth on the active roster after the starters. The best spot for Gabriel would be in right, which he of course doesn't know how to play. Schutters seems to have the job in center, and while Cramer in left is a swing and miss machine, he also features a slick glove and a ridiculous .379 iso power. This seems to be a depth move for the Phantoms, and didn't cost them much, but I'm not sure it makes them much better, but it does make their rival a bit worse.

Dankers is another decent 21 year old pitching prospect. He has the right stuff to be a back end starter, and at 21 could still have some surprise development, but his struggles with fatigue and getting deep into games may relegate him to a career as a reliever.

Grades
Huntsville: Talent C+, Organizational C+
Madison: Talent C+, Organizational B-

Montreal/Madison
Montreal receives:
SP Mark Burns
CL Luis Tiant IV
P Julio Madrigal (prospect)

Madison receives:
OF Dusty Light Jr (prospect)
SS Derek McLaughlin (prospect)
SP Alberto Vargas (prospect)
IF Ben McLaughlin

As a team with a good offense and decent starting pitching, in a divison races in the tough FLA, Montreal couldn't afford a poor bullpen. Tim Pacheho did a decent job as a reliever last year but doesn't appear ready for the closer role. Enter Luis Tiant. Door shut. Nuff said.

Burns has lost a bit in his late 20's, and appears headed for the pen, but could still start given injury and is a good depth pickup. Madrigal was already discussed and appears to be an "even out the talent" casualty. This is a great move by Montreal to address their biggest weak spot in a marquee way without dipping into the farm system too deeply.

In return for Tiant et al, Madison gets another smorgasbord of young talent. Light is a 23 year old adequate defensive CF with decent contact, power, and pitch judgement, but he doesn't stand out in any one area. (Correction: he is a burner) As a corner OF his glove might give more upside. I don't know if I would want to go forward with him as my CF of the future. SS McLaughlin's butterfingers will likely ever keep him from being a truly elite defender, but he does have great range and a great glove. He's quick as well and may have a shot as a slap hitter. 20 year old Alberto Vargas is another decent starter prospect, a little better than the departed Madrigal. A little more velocity and he may turn into a good prospect. At 20, his is a bit more reliable than some of his younger counterparts, but still needs a lot of development. Ben McLaughlin is a backup 2B/3B.

Grades
Montreal: Talent A, Organizational A
Madison: Talent B, Organizational A-

[aaronweiner]

I didn't really understand the Zod move either. It might work long-term though, as Castillo is a free agent after this year.

[7teen]

Good write-up Aaron Ted....

I had to undergo a similar rebuild about 15 seasons ago where I parted ways with some good players. Didn't necessarily get what a lot thought I should have in return back then, but after 2 losing seasons I was back competing for the post-season. I did not acquire any Zods, Glovers, or Tiants in any of my trades, but I added a lot of depth, especially pitching depth which I'll take all day long. I've said since early on in the league, if a staff is loaded with 5 #3 pitchers, you'll win a LOT of games in this league. You won't win many playoff series without an ace or two, but you'll win regular season games. I feel I now have plenty of potential #3 starters down the road now.

Offensively, I still have nothing of great value. But I have some role players. It'll be my job down the road to start finding (whether through draft or FA) a few power hitting options to fill out my lineup. I'm optimistic I'll stay competitive through all this (my division obviously helps)

[aaronweiner]

This wasn't me. It's Ted. The new guy.

[7teen]

This wasn't me. It's Ted. The new guy.

Whoops. Sorry. Saw your reply and assumed you..

Good write-up TED, "the new guy".

Ted wasn't around, but I can safely say the Career Ending Injuries to Kooijman and Flores forced this as well. I can't help but think I'd have a championship caliber team had those two guys not gone down.

Filling a bullpen out with guys like Grux King and Roy Nevel, Jr is a big drop off from Flores. Kooijman, well.... I lost an ace. You give me Kooijman, Bryant, and Briggs in rotation with Tiant, Flores, and Morales in the bullpen and I'll take my chances.

[crobillard]

I've liked Zod for awhile and I think he can crush it in Halifax. Moreno than I think Castillo could. I like Castillo, he's good and cheap but I don't trust the production he's given me thus far. You hit the nail on the head too. If I deal Jordan then I'll still be able to compete with Zod aboard. Castillo will be in a role coming off the bench too. I flirted briefly (and everyone here will surely go berserk when I say this) with putting Jordan in left field despite no experience there, but I decided against it and will just carry on without Castillo in the lineup.

I'll admit I got a little carried away with acquiring Zod, but I need this offense to get in gear. He should be able to help.

[agrudez]

I wasn't crazy about their first 2 deals (Zod/Glover), but I think MAD KILLED it in the MON deal. Any time you can trade a reliever for someone that will play every day it is a win. When that return will be an above average CFer for the next decade, it is a landslide.

As for the HSV-MAD deal, you nailed it with the last part of the last sentence of the 2nd paragraph. Based on career stats, Gabriel has 2-3 WAR left in him this season, so the move (in very basic terms) represents a 4-6 game swing in the JLM race for a prospect that I have about a dozen equivalents of in my system (who knew building an abundance of mediocrity in the farm system would pay off!).

I'd like to hear GRE's thoughts on the Glover deal, btw. Even though I'm not overwhelmed with the return (and thought he could fetch more for him), at least Chris didn't get NOTHING for him.

[Ted]

Kyle, that's interesting. I felt Madison made lemonade out of lemon in the first two deal. Calling the situation lemons, not the players. Madison made a quick shift to rebuild and aging vet bets on big contracts arent the easiest to move, even if they are of high quality. I like his haul on lots of prospects with solid bases. If ONE of those 6 or seven guys bumps, it's essentially trading two expensive vet bats that have no value to you for a future all star.

I think our difference of opinion on the Montreal deal is Light. I don't really like him. I want my CF to either mash, or catch everything in all three OF positions that's not down the line. Light does neither. He's one of those 5 tool guys, but none of the tools are exceptional.

[7teen]

I wasn't crazy about their first 2 deals (Zod/Glover), but I think MAD KILLED it in the MON deal. Any time you can trade a reliever for someone that will play every day it is a win. When that return will be an above average CFer for the next decade, it is a landslide.

As for the HSV-MAD deal, you nailed it with the last part of the last sentence of the 2nd paragraph. Based on career stats, Gabriel has 2-3 WAR left in him this season, so the move (in very basic terms) represents a 4-6 game swing in the JLM race for a prospect that I have about a dozen equivalents of in my system (who knew building an abundance of mediocrity in the farm system would pay off!).

I'd like to hear GRE's thoughts on the Glover deal, btw. Even though I'm not overwhelmed with the return (and thought he could fetch more for him), at least Chris didn't get NOTHING for him.

I love how we have an eclectic group of owners who view players differently. I got a PM last night about how I sold Tiant on the cheap. But then Kyle views it as a win for me. The key to that move will obviously be whether Light can be a solid player and an above average CF.

Gabriel has been a solid player his entire career. Even with dipping ratings, hes managed to produce a solid WAR and was having a very productive 2022 season. His move dealt with mainly he's gone at the end of the season. I wasn't going to re-up on him and Huntsville was the only team I think that showed any interest. The prospect I got in return is a dime a dozen type of guy but he added depth and was a dime I didn't have.

As for Glover, his contract made him harder to move. I think he's likely worth the salary for what he'll produce, but not a lot of teams looking to take on the money and dish out prospects. I think had he made 15 million or less, I would have likely been in a better bargaining position with him. The number of teams that could add that 19 million to their payroll limited the number of teams that could acquire him. Again, I took what I could get while I could.

[bschr682]

Kyle, that's interesting. I felt Madison made lemonade out of lemon in the first two deal. Calling the situation lemons, not the players. Madison made a quick shift to rebuild and aging vet bets on big contracts arent the easiest to move, even if they are of high quality. I like his haul on lots of prospects with solid bases. If ONE of those 6 or seven guys bumps, it's essentially trading two expensive vet bats that have no value to you for a future all star.

I think our difference of opinion on the Montreal deal is Light. I don't really like him. I want my CF to either mash, or catch everything in all three OF positions that's not down the line. Light does neither. He's one of those 5 tool guys, but none of the tools are exceptional.

Light will not be a very good CF. His bat isn't good enough to warrant a corner OF spot either. So in all honesty I think Madison lost out big on that trade in particular. The rest of the moves were better.

[aaronweiner]

You guys are all crazy. Light is 100% a starting centerfielder - he's just not a superstar. I'd take him in a heartbeat.

[agrudez]

He's very likely not finished getting experience at CF and is a career positive ZR in the minors there. He's also going to be at least an average bat for the position (90-100 OPS+) since he is left-handed and will steal a ton (30-40) - an easy 2-3 WAR player.

[Ted]

Hooray, disagreement! Let's not forget about this so someone can gloat later.

[7teen]

Hooray, disagreement! Let's not forget about this so someone can gloat later.

Kyle and I will....