When Do We Trade Prince?

[homer]

Tampa Bay's stats at the end of last year probably was in line with the number of games they won, but I'm guessing that no statistion or saber metrics could have predicted before the 08' season started that they would win 97 games.

Maybe not 97 but some sites projected between 85 and 90 if I'm not mistaken. I thought there was a thread here about that but I can't find it.

[The Truth]

The Brewers could overpay for stars like Fielder if they never, ever overpayed for players like Hardy, Hall, Suppan, Gagne, Hart, Cameron. Once a player like Hardy, Hart and Hall reaches arbitration, they should be traded for pitching. You take Hardy, Hall, Hart, Suppan, Cameron off this roster and with the arguable exception of Cameron this team is no worse in terms of win-losses. (Except there would have been a lot of pitching talent brought back by trading Hart, Hardy, Hall at their peaks, and alot of salary cap room by never signing Suppan, Cameron or Gagne in the first place)

 

Thats how a small market team needs to operate. You deal like that and then you can offer huge money to Prince Fielder. You draft smart, you trade for young pitching, you only keep the very best players for arbitration, (not someone like JJ Hardy who is replaceable by the likes of Counsell, or Hart who is easily replaced by journeymen outfielders in a platoon). If we had significantly better pitching we could be OK with Tony Gwynn in CF until Cain or someone else is ready...

[endaround]

Given that they haven't overpaid for Hardy, Hart or Cameron your point makes little sense.

[The Truth]

What I mean, is that by paying Hardy or Hart anything above league minimum as opposed to trading them in their arbitration years after good seasons (in order to aquire good young pitching), the Brewers have done a disservice towards their goals of building a contender. Just think of the return they could have had for Hardy last winter or for Hart after the '07 or '08 season. And they absolutely have overpaid for Cameron. Not in terms of his value in dollars to most teams but in terms of what he brings to the Brewers as compared to a similar investment in pitching.

 

Considering the Brewers payroll of $80 million, it is a disgrace what they are getting for that investment. Especially for a small market team. Even moreso for a team that might consider trying to extend Prince Fielder

[Ennder]

The Brewers had one of the best payroll vs wins of any team in baseball last year. This season has pretty much been a complete bust with a large portion of the team underproducing in general. You average the two out and we are probably pretty average in what we are getting for our investment.

[kramnoj]

is not going to be the Red Sox everyday catcher for very long maybe for the rest of the season but he will be either their 1B or DH next year.

 

He will be C, as well as 1B and DH. The Red Sox don't trade for him if they don't plan on using him as a catcher. He won't be the everyday C, but he will see significant time there.

 

trade pitching away when you have two equally as good players in Martinez and Youk?

 

Martinez is only equally as good as Fielder at C. There is no way that Martinez would be equally valuable as Fielder at 1B or DH.

 

As far as why trade away pitching to get Fielder: if Fielder would be available this offseason (I don't think he would. but that's one of reasons this thread exists), there wouldn't be a better hitter available. If Theo thought that Fielder was the best way to improve his team, he could trade pitching away to get Fielder and sign FA pitchers like Lackey, Harden, etc to replace pitching they trade away.

 

At the beginning of the season, this idea wouldn't even be worth talking about, because it was thought that Lars Anderson would be ready to replace Ortiz, whenever that would have been neccessary. But with both Ortiz and Lars struggling, I don't think it's inconcievable this could happen, if Melvin could extract enough from the Sawx.