2048.1: Offseason Transactions - The Trades

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2048.1: Offseason Transactions - The Trades

Post by Rubaboo » Thu Sep 02, 2021 10:41 am

The Mexico City front office was uncharacteristically busy during the winter months of 2047-48, reshaping a roster that was in a strong playoff position until falling flat over the last two weeks of the season. The team is hoping that 2048 can wash the bad taste of 2047 out of their collective mouths. Mexico City is chasing BBA champion Las Vegas (no small task) and trying to keep pace with Calgary who spent the offseason strengthening their roster to make a run at the same spot the Aztecs have their eye on.

First, the trades. Aztec GM Fred Holmes made several small-ish swaps and one blockbuster, involving a couple of big names, potentially shoring up a couple of positions that needed reinforcement (CF, bullpen) in an effort to get across the line ahead of their division rivals. Let's look at what came in and what went out.

November 9
Mexico City sends veteran 2B/OF Jorge Aranda to the Charlotte Cougars in exchange for OF Dennis French

What the Aztecs lost:
Aranda is kind of a tough one to gauge. His glove is above average both at second and in the outfield corners but his bat is, at best, a tick below league average. Versatility is important though, and when you can find it in a player who can hit enough to justify his existence it makes creating a roster much less of a headache, especailly at $4.3M. In trading Aranda, the team also loses it's only 2B with extensive ML starting lineup experience.

What the Aztecs got:

Dennis fricking French. Ok, so some of his luster has worn off over the last several years, especially with the bloat in offensive talent around the league but, come on, he's still a household name and can still do the job. He's also great in the clubhouse. Acquiring French allowed the team to clear out Stuart Illingworth and replace him with a player who arguably has a higher ceiling, even if he can't hit lefties.

December 16
The Aztecs send P Carlos Camacho to the Mad Popes in exchange for RP Jose Galvan.

What the Aztecs lost:
Uhh... the burden of carrying Carlos Camacho in their minor leagues? Seriously, have you not read the press on the OG Camacho? I don't want any part of that...

What the Aztecs gained:
A Rule V eligible RP that they... immediately lost to Chicago in the Rule V draft. Whoops... Nothing to see here, move along please...

January 1
The Aztecs trade P Armando Dominguez to the El Paso Chilis in exchange for P Reynold Voermans

What the Aztecs lost:
A lottery ticket lefty. Dominguez is a semi-interesting prospect who could bump into a BBA contributor but will likely not be missed.

What the Aztecs gained:
A roster swingman with options. Voermans could be interesting out of the 'pen or, with a little luck, could be a decent back end starter. This is a straightforward trade, with the Aztecs sending a low-minors prospect for a guy who has a shot to be a contributor from a team with a 40 man crunch. A low risk win-win.

January 27
The Aztecs trade OF Dennis French, SP Harold Newbold, SP Carlton Day, and C Gani Birdal to the Valencia Stars in exchange for OF Aaron Haney

What the Aztecs lost:
Goodbye, Mr. French, we hardly knew ye. You'll be a bar trivia answer someday. All of the things I said about Dennis F. French above apply here as well but he needed to move to make money work to continue to build the team [sad face]. The Aztecs also send a handful of prospects, as one would expect, to Valencia here in Newbold, Day, and Birdal. Out of these three, Day has the highest ceiling. A soft tossing lefty with a 5 pitch arsenal, he seems primed to bump into a mid-rotation big league starter, and probably sooner than later (and, of course, MOV and CON have both gone up since the trade). Newbold broke into the majors in 2047 and got a pretty rough welcome, posting a 0-5 record with a 9.91 ERA and -1.3 WAR in 36.1 innings over 8 appearances. He'l be fine long term but was a price the Aztecs could pay considering the group of pitchers at his age and level. Should be a solid back end starter for quite awhile. Birdal is a total wild card. He fills an organizational need for Valencia and could literally be anything by the time he's done developing. As ever, trades involving prospects are never clear at the time of the deal.


(bleh, I wish I had kept Day...)

What the Aztecs gained:
One of the prime CF in the BBA over the last 5-7 seasons. He's not going to win any Zimmers in CF anytime soon but Mexico City CFs combined for -0.7 WAR in 2047. That little dash there is a minus sign. Minus signs are bad. Calling the Mexico City organizational outlook at CF bleak would be a wildly kind exaggeration so that team pulled the trigger and got one of the best around. Haney's bat speed was the slowest it's ever been in 2047 but one could assume that his arms were just tired from carrying around all his money. It's alot of money. The Aztecs will be hoping that his down season is a temporary blip caused by his deep depression caused by being marooned in the Frick Pacific and that a leap to a brighter, more competitive situation will help him rebound and crush faces again.

Trading is always an inexact science. Valuations placed on positions and prospect profiles vary wildly from team to team. One thing that can't be argued though is that the Haney deal at least is a prudent move for the Aztec front office. Could Mexico City have done more to find a quality infielder or an elite RP instead of blowing their wad on Haney? Sure, but the bullpen wasn't the gaping, seeping, pustule that the middle of the Aztec OF was last season. The team will now have to sit and hope that bringing back a large portion of their starting lineup and supplementing with Haney and the kids will push them past the Calgarys and the Edmontons of the world in 2048.
Fred Holmes
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Re: 2048.1: Offseason Transactions - The Trades

Post by scottsdale_joe » Thu Sep 02, 2021 10:52 am

Good analysis
Enjoyable reading.
Good luck this year.
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Re: 2048.1: Offseason Transactions - The Trades

Post by bschr682 » Thu Sep 02, 2021 11:51 am

Minuses are good in golf
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Re: 2048.1: Offseason Transactions - The Trades

Post by RonCo » Thu Sep 02, 2021 1:21 pm

Interesting set of deals.
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