The Brewster

In what is one of the ripple effects of the Mad Popes acquiring Lou Bayou in the big trade last season, Amphibian Johnson is now moving up the coast to Vancouver. Let's discuss this trade and take a look at what this means for both teams. I don't have any inside information about this trade, and all predictions could age very badly.

The Trade:
Mad Popes Send:
(BBA) CF Amphibian Johnson

Mounties Send:
(IC) CF Mohanakrishnan Sankrant
(R) P Toby Barham
(R) P Alfonso Hernandez

What Does This Trade Do For The Mad Popes:
Once Shoeless swung the trade to get Lou Bayou, it was clear that Johnson would be the guy losing his place. Johnson was pretty solid for the Mad Popes, but if you have the chance to get Bayou, you have to make it work. No matter what happens to the prospects in this trade, the biggest win for Shoeless is that he has a positive cash flow to work with. That means that he can get someone at the deadline if he thinks it would be an upgrade.

The big prize among the three prospects is Sankrant. He is likely going to be a DH at the BBA level should he fully develop, but looks to be a very good contact and power hitter. It is no secret that the Mad Popes are designed to be a contact hitter, and Sankrant could have more power hitting potential then we have typically seen from Shoeless. The major question in mind about Sankrant is that he was a minor league signing, and we have no stats at any BBA/BBA affiliated level to judge him. The only thing that we can say about him for sure is that he did have a great dev lab experience for Vancouver to improve his defense. Don't get me wrong, I think Sankrant is going to be good. How good is a stab in the dark at this point.

Barnham is rated to be 40 overall at his full potential, and does have a plus fastball. His mentals are pretty good, and while he isn't going to be a star, he could be a fringe BBA player or be flipped for someone else down the line. Barnham has performed solidly in rookie ball, and will be given some time to reach his full potential. I could see Shoeless look at Barnham as a possible conversion candidate, but that is his choice.

Hernandez is someone who I project to be slightly better than Barnham. Hernandez has a couple more pitches that could play well at the BBA level, and the mentals are a huge positive. He showed some nice improvement in 2061 after being demoted from A ball, and could be a bullpen filler or fringe BBA rotation member. He could play well with Shoeless's philosophy.

How Does This Trade Impact the Mounties?
Based on what Aaron said in his TN about the trade, Johnson is going to provide a shot in the arm to his outfield. Johnson is also going to play in center field which is more of his natural position dating back to his days in Louisville. This move does make the Mounties stronger by adding a player that is still young and will provide a very good glove and a good bat. The Pacific has been tight to this point, and I think that this places the Mounties in a stronger position to make the playoffs. The Mounties still have some cash flow to work with, so if the Mounties need an extra arm or bat at the deadline, they could be bidding for the prizes of the deadlines.

What Is Your Verdict?
My verdict is that Johnson does make sense for Vancouver, and I think that Shoeless got a return that could work out for him. How well Sankrant develops is going to be interesting to watch, and is going to decide the trade in my view. While the two pitchers Shoeless got could help him, I think that he is likely going to flip them for something or have them be more of a supplement then a star. Though I could be wrong. All in all, an interesting trade.

The real winner of this trade is Louisville. This shows they they traded Amphibian at just the right time

For Sacramento it was a "cut bait" deal. They managed to react quick and get a decent looking prospect back before Amphibian became an albatross. While I'm not super high on Sankrant. I believe he is a raw corner outfielder that a lot could go wrong with, the quick pivot frees up a lot of payroll for shoeless to work his magic and keep the baby behemoth rolling. In the end Sankrant" probably gets flipped for a more shoeless player.

For Vancouver, I like the buy low. They have plenty of cash to absorb the contract. At worst, Amphibian is still a 7 contact, top 5 fielding CF. At best, he hits .300, rebuilds value and Vancouver can retain salary and flip him next season for what could be a better much better haul.

So I feel this trade is a win/win/win.

Great analysis, Ben. I do agree with Alan, to a point, on Louisville being the true winner of the Amphibian moves, as it stands today.

From my perspective (and removing the wins/$$ gained by Amphibian roaming CF in Sacramento for roughly a season instead of Bob Hills, who was my only option after the severe lumping of Don Keagle), here is what I gained and lost in the moves:

Lost:
SP Ethan Bricknell BBA
SP Seiichi Suzuki BBA
LF Ricardo Capeles BBA
LF Justin Weatherford BBA
$11,500,000 cash

Gained:
CF Mohanakrishnan Sankrant (R)
SP Toby Barham (R)
SP Alfonso Hernández (R)
One year of Amphibian in CF (details above)

Thoughts:

Looking at only the pitchers involved, I'd much rather have Barham and Hernandez as potential starters than what Bricknell and Suzuki are. All four look to be very run-of-the-mill starters, easily replaceable. The upside for Barham and Hernandez is they could still be visited by the bump-fairy.

This leaves the outfielders... which is not great as it sits now. Capeles will always hit for a high average and can run (very much my kind of players). I very much liked him and he was a late add to the initial trade who Louisville required. The downside for him is his inability to really play in the OF whatsoever, resulting in him being primarily a DH or poor defensive 1B. Weatherford, on the other hand, is a top tier defensive COF or poor CF, with a power bat and the ability to draw walks (and strikeout ... a lot). I could use him now, but he's not a massive loss to my team.

Despite preferring having Capeles and Weatherford over the very raw Sankrant, I did get a year out of Amphibian which likely resulted in a Pacific division title. Like Ben stated, if Sankrant grows into his ratings, I'll have won the Amphibian ordeal. If not, I lost, but not in drastic fashion.

Cash is cash. Obviously, I'd love to have that in the bank, but money in the bank doesn't win championships (although, it seems, neither does Sac, anymore)

Barnham is the better pitching prospect IMO. Don’t get dazzled by all the pitches on the other guy.

@shoeless.db you won the division comfortably last year. I don’t think Johnson’s 2.9 WAR had much to do with it. You could have won the Pacific with me in CF.

BaseClogger wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 19, 2025 9:31 am

@shoeless.db you won the division comfortably last year. I don’t think Johnson’s 2.9 WAR had much to do with it. You could have won the Pacific with me in CF.

I had Lou Bayou last season. I should have clarified the 2060 division crown. But I understand your point, looking back at it I could have won without him, but it sure made it easier with him.

shoeless.db wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 19, 2025 9:24 am

Great analysis, Ben. I do agree with Alan, to a point, on Louisville being the true winner of the Amphibian moves, as it stands today.

From my perspective (and removing the wins/$$ gained by Amphibian roaming CF in Sacramento for roughly a season instead of Bob Hills, who was my only option after the severe lumping of Don Keagle), here is what I gained and lost in the moves:

Lost:
SP Ethan Bricknell BBA
SP Seiichi Suzuki BBA
LF Ricardo Capeles BBA
LF Justin Weatherford BBA
$11,500,000 cash

Gained:
CF Mohanakrishnan Sankrant (R)
SP Toby Barham (R)
SP Alfonso Hernández (R)
One year of Amphibian in CF (details above)

Thoughts:

Looking at only the pitchers involved, I'd much rather have Barham and Hernandez as potential starters than what Bricknell and Suzuki are. All four look to be very run-of-the-mill starters, easily replaceable. The upside for Barham and Hernandez is they could still be visited by the bump-fairy.

This leaves the outfielders... which is not great as it sits now. Capeles will always hit for a high average and can run (very much my kind of players). I very much liked him and he was a late add to the initial trade who Louisville required. The downside for him is his inability to really play in the OF whatsoever, resulting in him being primarily a DH or poor defensive 1B. Weatherford, on the other hand, is a top tier defensive COF or poor CF, with a power bat and the ability to draw walks (and strikeout ... a lot). I could use him now, but he's not a massive loss to my team.

Despite preferring having Capeles and Weatherford over the very raw Sankrant, I did get a year out of Amphibian which likely resulted in a Pacific division title. Like Ben stated, if Sankrant grows into his ratings, I'll have won the Amphibian ordeal. If not, I lost, but not in drastic fashion.

Cash is cash. Obviously, I'd love to have that in the bank, but money in the bank doesn't win championships (although, it seems, neither does Sac, anymore)

https://tenor.com/view/dave-chappelle-c ... 9619350870

If he can bridge the gap to Hector Ruiz I'll be happy