Huntsville Trade Revisited 6 Months Later; 2029, V17

[Bumstead]

So, right after the draft, the River Monsters almost immediately traded off the "now" players that they drafted in both the EBA draft and the "expansion" draft. Some would argue that some of the players were both now and future players. The Twin Cities front office appears to have a differing opinion. Let's take a look at the blockbuster that started the fireworks.

Jean-luc Lacaze, the reigning EBA MVP and 2nd pick overall in the EBA draft, was dealt to Huntsville for several minor league players: SP Jessie Stewart, OF Leon Beaucage, SP Alejandro Alvarado, SP Jessie Howard, and P Ramon Garza.

I look at this deal and I wonder if Huntsville would do this deal today and I keep coming back to the conclusion that he probably wouldn't. Not because Lacaze has been bad, because he's been really good. No, he's not hitting for a great average, but he's sporting a .862 OPS and playing very good defense in Centerfield. That has created a 4 WAR to this point in the season. Plus, he's still just 23 years of age.

No, what I think would change cagey Kyle's little mind is the talent bump that Alvarado has received since the trade. Let's all remember that the absolute jewel of this deal for the River Monsters was supposed to be Jessie Howard. Nothing has changed with Howard's potential or his development to point to that not being the case: currently his ratings sit at 6/6/5 with potential of 8/8/8. He works in the mid-90's with 4 really good pitches and has a 9 stamina.

Alvarado had a talents of 6/8/8 when traded as a 16 year old prodigy and kind of a wildcard as to whether his stuff would be good enough when he got to the BBA (his wart). I felt at the time and I still do, that at 6'8" and 195 pounds that he had a lot of projection that he could realize on his way to Twin Cities. His ratings currently sit at 4/7/4, nothing special other than the movement is already at an acceptable level, while his potential ratings bumped to 8/8/8. He's still just 17 years of age and basically throws his fastball at 100 mph with 7 stamina. His remaining wart, other than talent realization, is that his 3rd pitch, a change-up, sits at a 5 potential. Is that unusable? Some would say yes. I'm not one of them, but I realize it's not ideal. I still believe there is a lot of projection here and he's a player that I think is set up to project favorably.

The rest of the players involved in the trade are making their own marks:

Jessie Stewart: 7/6/7 (8/7/7) just got promoted to the Twin Cities. His numbers at AAA: 16-4 with a 3.47 ERA and a 1.22 Whip. His FIP stands at 4.05. 7.2K/9 and 2.7 K/W. Those are pretty solid numbers. He's 24 now and he still has some development that he needs to realize. I see him in my rotation going forward into next season. We will see what happens, but I think he will be a decent 3/4 starter type.

Leon Beaucage: This guy just keeps hitting the ball and putting up solid numbers. He also plays solid defense in Left and right field. I imagine we will see him in the outfield in Twin Cities next season. Long term? He's probably a very solid 4th outfielder type that get 300 AB's for a number of seasons.

Ramon Garza: I don't know. This guy was kind of a throw in, in this deal. He has a decent chance to become a usable middle reliever type. He's a bit better than a lottery ticket, but in the end, if he pitches for Twin Cities (or they can trade him) through his controllable years, that will be icing on the cake in this deal.

In the end, while I might not feel Kyle would make this same trade now, I do feel we both did well in the deal. Obviously, Twin Cities has to wait a bit longer to realize the benefit of this deal, but I have confidence that 4 years from now, we might just have to look at this deal again.

[udlb58]

I'd think Kyle would still do this trade. It is still good for TC, but center field looks to be locked down for him for 5 years (or more) and though Alvarado got a bump, he's still a teenage wild card; plus Stewart is someone he's been trying to move for 2+ seasons.

CF has been a weakness for Huntsville for a few years and now he has a 23 year old, 30 HR, plus defender manning the position.

[Bumstead]

I'd think Kyle would still do this trade. It is still good for TC, but center field looks to be locked down for him for 5 years (or more) and though Alvarado got a bump, he's still a teenage wild card; plus Stewart is someone he's been trying to move for 2+ seasons.

CF has been a weakness for Huntsville for a few years and now he has a 23 year old, 30 HR, plus defender manning the position.

You may be right, but there would be a lot more moaning over it. To be fair, Stewart wasn't really that big of a piece in the trade.

[Bumstead]

As to Stewart though, he could be about to pop that last cherry in the Stuff column. Last 6 starts: 44 IP, 27 H, 39 K, matched up with 12 walks. Promoting him now may be just what he needs to finally reach his potential. Him and Reese Raynor are 2 guys that could turn out to be really good here in the very near future.