Brewers trade RHP Badenhop to Boston for LHP Luis Ortega

[MVP2110]

from Tom H, I Know nothing about Ortega, anyone got any opinions?

[patrickgpe]

2011 international free agent. will be 21 next season and hasn't gotten out of rookie ball yet.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=ortega005lui

[torts]

haha i was just posting that but the thread "no longer existed"

 

seems like moving badenhop is to make 40-man roster space

[patrickgpe]

i believe this is his last year of arbitration, so it saves the club some cash.

[brewmann04]

2013 stats make him look like a reliever.

[brewmann04]

Cash and a Roster spot not to bad of a move.Maybe a rule 5 pickup

[pogokat]

I think they are just saving cash---must feel like they have enough low k rhp's

[brewcrewdue80]

You look at the ERA and think oh under 2.5 maybe there's something there. But of the career 38runs allowed only 24 are ERs! May be a poor sign of his ability to pitch from the stretch or mentally with men on base?

He's not even ranked in the Sox Prospect page top 60?!

As well as, as a Starter his game logs show he pitched more than 4ip once in 9starts.

 

I think I seen a line stating he throws 88MPH? This is a head scratcher? Maybe the name is wrong on who the Brewers got back?

Just Wow to give up a cheap RP for...what exactly?

 

Searching for something on Ortega. From some Sox Forum when they signed him:

It has been reported that both Perez (17 yrs) and Ortega (18 yrs) signed around the July 2 2011 signing period. Perez (reported 5-11 160) and Ortega (reported 5-10 165) aren't very projectable and not highly ranked both where pass by at the 2010 early sining period in 2010 (Ortega was also pass by in 2009)

[markedman5]

Tom ‏@Haudricourt 4m

Many reasons for #Brewers trading Badenhop: was non-tender candidate, have cheaper alternatives and opens up 40-man roster spot.

[JohnBriggs12]

Badenhop wasn't used much in the last month so likely wasn't in their plans. Anything for him is a bonus. The first hitter faced in his 63 appearances hit .333/.349/.517 off him. That's not getting it done out of the pen.

[torts]

Badenhop wasn't used much in the last month so likely wasn't in their plans. Anything for him is a bonus.

 

yup. seemed to come in to games with RISP and then let them score.

[brewcrewdue80]

For what Badenhop was projected to make. I don't get why the team makes the move today? For what appears to be a Minor League player with maybe AA Ceiling? You can't find anything on Ortega there's nothing of high praise towards him. That is the best Melvin could do for Badenhop?

 

Rule 5 Draft is the 12th nearly 3 weeks away and that is the only thing I can see this move does currently is to maybe protect a player from it? But still why not negotiate for someone who maybe has any kind of ML potential?

[djoctagone]

Rule 5 Draft is the 12th nearly 3 weeks away and that is the only thing I can see this move does currently is to maybe protect a player from it?

the deadline to protect players from the rule 5 draft has passed. the removal of badenhop from the roster does allow the brewers to claim a player in the rule 5 draft, make a waiver claim or sign a free agent.

[Baldkin]

Great. Now I have to buy a new brand of Salsa.

[And That]

For what Badenhop was projected to make. I don't get why the team makes the move today? For what appears to be a Minor League player with maybe AA Ceiling? You can't find anything on Ortega there's nothing of high praise towards him. That is the best Melvin could do for Badenhop?

 

Rule 5 Draft is the 12th nearly 3 weeks away and that is the only thing I can see this move does currently is to maybe protect a player from it? But still why not negotiate for someone who maybe has any kind of ML potential?

 

I'm sure Melvin asked for David Ortiz, and Ben Cherrington rebuffed him. The nerve!

 

Rule 5 protection had to be finalized by last Wednesday.

 

I find it interesting to read the "Luis Ortega sucks" posts when we know nothing about Luis Ortega.

 

The Brewers saved a few million on a very replaceable bullpen part. As long as they don't throw it at a different replaceable bullpen part, or Yuniesky Betancourt, probably a good move.

[Outlander]

Wished they maybe would have done this a few days so they could have protected somebody else or potentially picked somebody up in Rule V draft. However, not sad to see Badenhop go, the Brewers did pick up De La Torre from the Red Sox in September so I guess I would rather have him than Badenhop at this point.

[trwi7]

A 5-foot-10 lefty signed for $45,000 out of the Dominican Republic, Ortega completed his first season in the U.S. in 2013 after debuting in the Dominican Summer League in 2012. He’s short but has a strong, well-built frame, a quick arm and throws strikes with an 87-92 mph fastball. He doesn’t have a swing-and-miss secondary pitch, with a changeup that’s more advanced than his slurvy breaking ball, which could eventually morph into a true slider down the road. He’s a longshot guy who fits best as a reliever.

 

—Ben Badler

[Mass Haas]

The Brewers can still pick up somebody in Rule 5, it's as long as you're under a full 40-man, yesterday's limit has no implication.

 

Nice insights on Badenhop here from Adam.

 

Baseball America on Ortega

 

The ultimate nit-pick -- it isn't and never has been "Rule V". No Super Bowl Roman numerals ever associated with the draft formally. Please don't take it personal .

[brewcrewdue80]

For what Badenhop was projected to make. I don't get why the team makes the move today? For what appears to be a Minor League player with maybe AA Ceiling? You can't find anything on Ortega there's nothing of high praise towards him. That is the best Melvin could do for Badenhop?

 

Rule 5 Draft is the 12th nearly 3 weeks away and that is the only thing I can see this move does currently is to maybe protect a player from it? But still why not negotiate for someone who maybe has any kind of ML potential?

Rule 5 protection had to be finalized by last Wednesday.

 

I find it interesting to read the "Luis Ortega sucks" posts when we know nothing about Luis Ortega.

 

The Brewers saved a few million on a very replaceable bullpen part. As long as they don't throw it at a different replaceable bullpen part, or Yuniesky Betancourt, probably a good move.

 

Signs of Ortega likely sucking....He's not even listed on Boston's top 60 Prospect. I already posted the written part when he was signed being a 2time turn down only to be signed the 3rd time around. Nothing reads Hidden gem. I went through the Bosox minor league roundups and his first half of this year it read of him having control problems. Then he had a nice stretch. But still. Numbers wise at 20 in rookie level ball a 3.7BB/9 6.4K/9 1.445 Whip And I must have been right reading about his FB being 88ish with Badler's 87-92 statement. Long Shot Indeed.

I'm sure Melvin asked for David Ortiz, and Ben Cherrington rebuffed him. The nerve!

 

Yeah because while voicing my disappointment over who we got in return means I was expecting a Perennial All-Star for Badenhop?

Ortega is 5'10" so not a power framed build that could have one wonder will he go from 88MPH FB and grow in to a 95-97MPH FB? Reaching in to the depths of a Teams Rookie League it would have been decent to think theres some projection to maybe look forward to. There's a reason nobody knows nothing on this guy, because he's going to amount to nothing. I'll bet $50 now he never progresses in to AAA level.

 

Now, to spin this positively, maybe the team has their sights on a Rule 5 Player who is left unprotected and this move was to give them the space to draft that player? A Yankees RHP Tommy Kahnle that reads as a guy used as a closer at AA. Sounds like the type of reclamation Closer project the Brewers are up to task to take on. Who knows maybe Melvin said you can have Badenhop we'll draft this Yankees Pitcher in Rule 5 and that was a done deal.

[Mass Haas]

A bit of trivia --

 

Only once before today's trade (LHP Luis Ortega for RHP Burke Badenhop) in his Brewers tenure has Doug Melvin traded for a minor leaguer who had not yet seen full-season ball, and the player he acquired has managed to carve out a productive major league career.

 

03/30/2004 -- He was traded by the San Francisco Giants with RHP Glenn Woolard to the Brewers for RHP Leo Estrella and LHP Wayne Franklin.

 

His name?

 

RHP Carlos Villanueva

[JohnBriggs12]

Another possibility is the interest in Hart has driven up his price over what they had budgeted by about the amount they are saving on Badenhop. Badenhop is fine as the 11th or 12th man on a staff, but you don't need to pay $2+ million for that spot.

[torts]

badenhop was nothing great, nothing bad, he was middle of the road and forgettable (i cant remember any game he pitched that was a "wow" appearance). all this does is open a spot up on the 40 man and give a shot to one of our plethora of AAAA arms a shot to prove themselves in the pen. I dont see anything wrong with this, and who knows, Ortega could turn into a serviceable bullpen arm in the future.

[And That]

And I must have been right reading about his FB being 88ish with Badler's 87-92 statement.

 

Another way to read it is we got a lefty who can throw 90+ MPH and gets some ground balls. Sucks to be him. I guess.

 

I'm not saying he's a hot prospect or anything, and frankly I don't think it matters whether or not he makes it to the big leagues some day or not. The Brewers were only going to get so much for Burke Badenhop, and Luis Ortega was it. Exactly who else should they have received for Badenhop? Be specific.

[molitor fan]

I think 80 was very specific already, saying that he wanted a player that was sooner than 4 years away from perhaps contributing....a non top 60 rookie leaguer with sub 6 foot height is as close to a bag of baseballs as you can get.....Badenhop was a non-tender candidate but this type of give away speaks to what I see as some serious problems with roster construction

[And That]

Badenhop was a non-tender candidate but this type of give away speaks to what I see as some serious problems with roster construction

 

Similar to the Rays' problems? They did the exact same thing the Brewers just did, and Badenhop had a lower salary then.

 

I'd rather have Ortega than Mondesi.