2060 - Trade Analysis: Jacksonville Trades Lara and Top Prospect For Gertrude

[lordtoffee]

Jacksonville is feeling confident that they can improve on their Cartwright Cup appearance last year, and making a trade like the Aaron swung with Phoenix signals that the Zombies are very much all in this year. Let's take a closer look at what this deal means. As a disclaimer, I don't have any inside information on this deal.

The Trade:
Phoenix Talons send:
SP Takehide Gertrudes (ML) - Retain 30%

Jacksonville Zombies send:
LF Pablo Lara (ML)
DH Thomas Blanchard (AA)

What Does This Trade Mean For Phoenix:
Phoenix probably won't win the division at this stage, and are in a wild card race that projects to be fairly tight. But there are good reasons why I feel that Sean is comfortable with making this trade. Gertrudes is of course on an expiring contract, so getting something from a team that is looking to take the next step helps. Sean also improves his farm system, which is sitting 3rd according to the in game rankings.

Lara isn't going to play a single inning for the Talons this year, and is on an expiring contract. Sean could choose to bring him back, but it's going to be interesting to see what the free agent market looks like given that there are some opt outs and various options that are going to be decided on. What that means for Lara is anyone's guess. Lara was probably included in this deal on Sean's side for salary reasons, and should Sean bring him back, then we can get a better look on what Lara's impact on the deal is for Phoenix.

Blanchard was the top prospect in Jacksonville's farm this year, and it's not hard to see why. He played well in A ball last year, and still has some room for improvement both at the plate and on the field. Blanchard is going to give Phoenix another really good prospect, and helps improve the Talons outfield going forward. Ultimately, Blanchard is going to be a good piece for Phoenix to have, and makes this trade make sense from Phoenix's perspective.

What Does This Trade Mean For Jacksonville:
This deal is something that Aaron doesn't do a whole lot, but one that does make a lot of sense. The Zombies starting pitching this year hasn't gotten the job done, and getting Gertrudes back is going to help shore up that side of the deal. It's obvious that Jacksonville wants to take the next step and play for a BBA title, and swinging a trade like this instantly fits a need. Gertrudes is in all likelyhood going to be a rental, but having his experience and skills back in Jacksonville is a big boost to what Aaron is going for.

The risk for Jacksonville is obvious, as Aaron pointed out in a recent TN he did. But I do like that the Zombies have some other good prospects in the outfield, and if one of them turns out to be good or Jacksonville goes all the way, then this trade will have worked out for the Zombies. I think that given who was likely on the board to be traded, Gertrudes was one of the better options. So it's very hard to argue against Aaron's logic here.

[aaronweiner]

A little annoyed that my team decided to disintegrate in the next sim - a 1-5 effort and a month-long Holcombe injury are far from ideal.

Oh, and don't count out Gertrudes being re-signed.

[jiminyhopkins]

Thanks for the write-up!

Yeah, I signed Gertrudes for the express purpose of trading him mid-year. At one point, we were looking like the 4th Wild Card might be in play, and I thought about going for it, but I've fallen for that trap too many times before.

Lara was just to even out the salaries, and yeah I don't expect him to take an at bat for PHX no matter what happens.

Thanks again for the analysis.