Pie to Orioles for Garrett Olson + a relief prospect

[PeaveyFury]

From number one organizational prospect to a different organization in less than two years.

 

http://msn.foxsports.com/...s-trade-CF-Pie-to-Orioles

[hauser42]

Pie, Adam Jones, and Markaisis could form a very string OF for a long period of time. O's are starting to make moves so that the near future the will have a lot of talent on the field.

[Cracked Bat Collector]

I thought Jones already played CF for the O's?

[JoeHova]

The Cubs are great at devaluing their top prospects to the point where they are worthless. If you aren't going to give Pie a fair shot, why not trade him before it's obvious you don't think enough of him to do so?

[endaround]

Ask the Angels how Dallas MacPherson and Kendy Morales are working out...

[TooLiveBrew]

FanGraph's take (by R.J. Anderson):

 

 

Free Felix Pie! When the Cubs acquired Juan Pierre prior to the 2006 season, the 21-year old Pie went to work in Triple-A Iowa. Seemingly the plan was to use Pierre as a bridge from Corey Patterson to Pie. Instead, the Cubs handed the 2007 center field job to Alfonso Soriano, and later Jacque Jones. Kosuke Fukudome, Reed Johnson, and Jim Edmonds would be signed during last off-season, leaving the Cubs yet again with a stacked outfield and leaving Pie on the outside looking in.

Only 260 at-bats into his pro Cubs career, the Cubs have traded Pie to the Baltimore Orioles for Garret Olson and a prospect. Since 2007, Pie has hit well in the minors and has a knack for playing solid defense. It's easy to forget that Pie will only be 24 this coming season, but the question is how he'll fit in with the Orioles. Baltimore features a number of talent outfielders in Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, and to a lesser extent Luke Scott.

Olson is an unspectacular starter with average stuff and below-average stats. Olson's minor league strikeouts have yet to carry over neither has his control in the minors. A 5.13 FIP isn't overly encouraging, and neither is the homerun problem, but CHONE foresees a better season in 2009 for Olson, 153 innings and a 4.96 FIP. The Cubs might use Olson in relief, or in the back of the rotation, and that is the problem here.

Sure, Olson could later be dealt, but as of right now this trade is questionable for Chicago. Pie has lacked opportunity in Chicago and by dealing him for Olson the Cubs are not only selling low on a high potential player, but also potentially hurting their 2009 team. You can argue that the Cubs are in no position to rely on potential rather than known performance, but again, Olson is hardly a pillar of success.

The alternative option, placing Pie on the bench as the fourth outfielder in place of Reed Johnson or Joey Gathright does not give Pie an incredible opportunity. However, with Milton Bradley's ever wavering health, there is a chance the Cubs would need a fill-in outfielder for some time. At the very least, the Cubs wouldn't be seen as giving Pie away. Then again, the Cubs seem to lose interest in prospects quickly.

Even if Pie busts, you have to like the move for the Orioles, who have amassed a ton of young talent since Andy MacPhail took over control. In any other division the Orioles would be a future power.

 

 

The O's certainly have done a nice job of stockpiling young talent. The Bedard trade already looks like a win, and this deal seems to be pretty low-risk/high upside for them.

[endaround]

Except Lou seems to hate Pie so even if the Cubs kept him he wouldn't have played anyway.

[razzzorsharp]

The question is, what would it take for us to get Pie?

[monty57]

Another question is: "Do we have any blocked prospects we can trade to get a starting pitcher?" I realize that Olson could fizzle and Pie can be a good player, but I'd love to have another SP with major league experience in the Brewers' system.

[GAME05]

The Cubs are great at devaluing their top prospects to the point where they are worthless. If you aren't going to give Pie a fair shot, why not trade him before it's obvious you don't think enough of him to do so?

this immediately made me think of a certain Brewer center-fielder.

 

I don't dislike Pie. He'll make an awesome 4th outfielder. one of those guys who doesn't get on base enough, but when he does he's scary.

 

boy, the DeRosa trade was already a real head-scratcher, and the reason for this one i can't really figure, either.

[jjfanec]

Another question is: "Do we have any blocked prospects we can trade to get a starting pitcher?" I realize that Olson could fizzle and Pie can be a good player, but I'd love to have another SP with major league experience in the Brewers' system.

Olson already has fizzled to the tune of a 6.87 ERA and a nearly 1/1 K to BB rate along with a high 80's fastball. Sure he could figure everything out but a Pie for this guy trade is great for Baltimore.

I do not know if you meant you would love Olson or just a different starting pitcher. I obviously would love a someone with experience but a guy like Olson does nothing for me. I would have just as of rather have a guy like Zach Jack.

[RU Rah Rah]

I'm a very grudging O's fan (B'more native, lifelong fan who detests Peter Angelos), I like this move a lot. Pie could still develop into something good at the MLB level.

[JohnBriggs12]

Why is this thread headlined "for two prospects"?

 

This deal on the surface could end up a plus for both teams. The O's might have gotten the bigger upside, but Pie is no sure thing. He'll help that woeful Oriole pitching staff with his defense though.

 

Olson isn't a prospect. He was arguably the worst starter in MLB last year, though anywhere but Baltimore, he'd have been in AAA. Still he's just 25 and his minor league numbers have been very good, so he gives the Cubs some potential rotation depth. Pie wasn't in their plans after acquiring Gathright and Bradley.

[joepepsi]

I'm a very grudging O's fan (B'more native, lifelong fan who detests Peter Angelos), I like this move a lot. Pie could still develop into something good at the MLB level.

I've been an Orioles since I was 6. Only became a Brewer fan in the last few years. I hate this trade. Pie will play left field. His K rate in the minors is 21%. In the majors it's 28%. That's 154 K's in 550 at bats. That's fine if you're Jim Thome and going to hit 45 homers a year. But there's no way he can keep up his minor league .353 obp in the majors with 150 K's a year.

 

I actually liked the idea of a Luke Scott/Freel platoon because it could provide good obp with decent power and speed numbers. Pie and Freel almost certainly guarantees the worst offensive LF in the league. Now Scott becomes DH. Pie was out of options, so he was going to be released before Opening Day anyway. Pie is fast, but has a rotten SB%. Career minor league OPS: Pie: .823; Corey Patterson: .835.

 

What's the over/under on the date Pie is sent to the minors to work on his batting approach and Freel becomes the everyday LF'er? I say June 10.

 

Olson is a 25 year old lefty; a first round pick in 2005. He averaged a K per inning in the minors, a 1.16 WHIP, a 3:1 K:BB ratio. a 2.96 ERA.

 

But now he's done? They give up on him just like that? After his first 33 major league starts?

 

This is a terrible trade. Olson may never be more than a 2nd lefty in a rotation, but even at that he's more valuable than Pie. Especially for a team that was going to rebuild around young pitching.

[Yeti73]

I am probably stating the obvious, but it seems that the Cubs have gone off and made the front part of the Peavy trade and have saved themselves from getting the Indians or O's to back out from the trade that was in place in December. Rather than being a four team deal, it will just be a two team deal and Cub will have gotten Peavy for Pie, DeRosa and I guess Marquis. If Peavy deal doesn't pan out, they will be stuck holding a bag of random pitching prospects, but the only player they lost of any value for their 2009 team was DeRosa, who they believe they have adequately replaced with Bradley. I still think we're looking at a team with a shelf life of 2 years max, but can't fault Hendry for laying it on the line while A-Ram, D Lee and Soriano are still decent.

[fondybrewfan]

I still don't see how this trade increases the probablility of a Peavy trade. Olson was the missing piece in the Peavy trade, really? I mean who the heck are the Cubs going to trade to the Padres for Peavy at this point? Their depth at the MLB level is already incredibly thin and they have no prospects to speak of unless you count Vitters who is still pretty far away. They can't possibly trade Marshall or Smardjza (SP) now that they know that Harden has a shoulder issue. I guess I just don't see it happening.

[jjfanec]

I still don't see how this trade increases the probablility of a Peavy trade. Olson was the missing piece in the Peavy trade, really? I mean who the heck are the Cubs going to trade to the Padres for Peavy at this point? Their depth at the MLB level is already incredibly thin and they have no prospects to speak of unless you count Vitters who is still pretty far away. They can't possibly trade Marshall or Smardjza (SP) now that they know that Harden has a shoulder issue. I guess I just don't see it happening.

I completely agree with this. Fontenot and Marshall were the MLB guys rumored in the trade but neither can be traded right now without losing the little depth they have. Unless they can unload spare parts like Cedeno and now some of the pitchers they got with Vitters, I do not see what they have to get this deal down. If they made these trades with the hope of getting Peavy I think it is a huge risk, because they could be left with a bunch of avegae prospects and little depth.

[endaround]

Actually it doesn't seem like they have the money anymore either. Didn't signing Bradley basically eat up what they cleared with Marquis and DeRosa?

[jjfanec]

Actually it doesn't seem like they have the money anymore either. Didn't signing Bradley basically eat up what they cleared with Marquis and DeRosa?

They saved 5 million total in the Marquis deal and saved about 2 million reportedly in trading DeRosa but adding Miles. It that is true and Bradley is getting 10 million this year they not only ate the net saving up but spent an extra 2 million. Now I guess they could still have the money to do the Peavy deal once the ownership thing is finalized, but I don't know how much they have left right now.