Trade Analysis: Phoenix Adds Some Veteran Pitchers

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Trade Analysis: Phoenix Adds Some Veteran Pitchers

Post by Ted » Tue Nov 17, 2020 6:57 pm

Sean Marko Seems to ahve decided to learn into the win now situation that developed in the desert late last summer. He's added a couple big name veteran presences to the rotation. Hopefully this works out better for him than the last time he went this route. Let's look at the moves.

Phoenix/Edmonton

Phoenix gets:
SP Jubal Troop

Edmonton gets:
SP Antonio Gonzales

This is an interesting trade. The simple part is Edmonton moving Jubal Troop. Edmonton had cap issues and Troop's name has come up as a cap casualty multiple times in recent years. Phoenix, buoyed by a late season run last year, has looked to add pitching. So Troop from Edmonton to Phoeix makes sense in that light. In Troop, Phoenix is getting a proven commodity. Troop will play 2045 at 34 years. He has 10.6 mil x 2 left on his deal, with two slightly higher team options after that. You might expect a little caution in acquiring a player at Troop's age, but the big lefty has show little to no signs of slowing down and is an iron man.

The player going the other way is what makes this deal a bit odd. 23 year old Antonio Gonzales (9/6/7 as SP) looks like a solid starter and is younger and cheaper. OSA scouts see him as a mid rotation starter, and he'll be on minimum contracts until 2047. His ERA in his rookie season was an ugly 6.45, but his underlying metrics support something more in the upper 4's. He also has a little room to grow on his change, which would put him right about league average as a starter.

From that standpoint, this looks like a bit of a curious move for the Talons to acquire an older, more expensive player for a younger, minimum salary one that is not significantly worse. On the other hand, Gonzales is fragile where Troop is an Iron man. Gonzales hasn't had any shoulder or elbow injuries yet, but given recent events in Phoenix, I could understand Marko's hesitance about depending on a fragile pitcher.

Still, talent for talent, this seems like a bit of a loss for Phoenix. If however, the Talons manage to make the playoffs in what seems like a "win now" position, this could be a decent enough move.

For Edmonton, this is a nice replacement for a player they had to lost to get cap compliant.



Phoenix/Omaha

Omaha Receives:

C Sang-duk Sim (ML)
C Ichizo Sugiyama (AAA)
P Augusto Sanchez (INT)
P Takashi Nakamura (INT)


Phoenix Receives:

P Aki Kondo (ML)
C John Todd (ML)

We all know who Aki Kondo is. He put up a 4.3 WAR season with a 4.04 ERA last season, compared to 2043's 7.7 WAR, 2.54 ERA campaign. He's due 33 mil this year before an opt out, and then has 33, and 30 mil still guaranteed after that. That might be overpaid, but it's not too horrible if you can fit the salary. There's reason to think he might improve after leaving Omaha's band box as well. Kondo allowed 29 homers at home as opposed to only 9 on the road last year. Like Troop, he is an iron man, a trait Marko is certainly happy to see.

Phoenix didn't get much out of the catcher position last season, and Todd is an upgrade over Sim. Todd has been up and down in his career. He's probably a little better than he was in Wichita, worse than he was in a short amount of time on Omaha last year. Let's call him a 1-1.5 win catcher, an okay if unspectacular starter.

The additions of Kondo and Troop instantly make Phoenix's rotation, along with Don Smith, legitimate, and considerably less rickety than prior years. It will be interesting to see if the curse of the Talons strikes this season.

Omaha on the other hand regained a good deal of payroll flexibility without Kondo on the books. They'll need this with all the good young players they have on the roster, although it hurts them in the short term. Sim isn't really a starting catcher, and they don't have another option unless Sugiyama is ready. Losing a 4-5 win starter with no replacement hurts, but they do have other pitchers.

However, the return for Kondo, given his massive contract, is nice. Sugiyama has intriguing power for a catcher, but will be inconsistent due to his very low AVK in a high strikeout league. He'll be a nice starter, just a frustrating one to watch. Augusto Sanchez is a 19 year old left with a nice development pattern that makes him look like a solid mid rotation arm. He could be a little better. Nakamura, at 16 is too far away to feel good about. He's your typical international complex dream, but he at least has the makings of another mid rotation piece.

All in all, this is a solid deal for both teams. Omaha did quite well in a deal they had to make, moving a very unwieldy contract. Phoenix is definitely going for it, and with the Troop acquisition, ahs made moves that make sense in that light. If I were Marko, I might choose to accelerate a rebuild rather than go for it, so it's hard for me to like this too much. But what's he's done is fine for his apparent plan.
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Re: Trade Analysis: Phoenix Adds Some Veteran Pitchers

Post by jiminyhopkins » Tue Nov 17, 2020 7:40 pm

Wait... we're supposed to have a plan????
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Re: Trade Analysis: Phoenix Adds Some Veteran Pitchers

Post by Ted » Tue Nov 17, 2020 7:41 pm

jiminyhopkins wrote:
Tue Nov 17, 2020 7:40 pm
Wait... we're supposed to have a plan????
Only if you want to be perpetually frustrated.
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Re: Trade Analysis: Phoenix Adds Some Veteran Pitchers

Post by jiminyhopkins » Tue Nov 17, 2020 7:44 pm

Yeah but your analysis is basically right. I didn't expect to compete for the WC last year so I figured might as well try something. I've never been able to complete a full rebuild (and it shows) so this is par for the course lol. Thanks for the article!
GM, 2051 and 2053 JL 4TH WILDCARD Phoenix Talons (2029-??), BBA
CARETAKER GM, 2053 GBC CHAMPION Tokyo Pearls (2053 - 2056)
GM, THE GREATEST MINOR LEAGUE TEAM OF ALL TIME Toledo Liberty
Vic Caleca Team News Award Winner: 2051, 2054, 2057

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