Bucholz to Phils for prospect

[JohnBriggs12]

Bucholz to Phuillies for middling class A level prospect. Interesting only in that it might clarify what the market is for Garza. Bucholz is owed similar money in 2017 and his performance has been quite Garza-like over the past 3 seasons. They are also close in age.

[MadThinker88]

Interesting note via MLB Trade Rumors (about Boston perspective)

 

For Boston, the move came now in large part because the organization wasn’t sure whether there would be a market for Buchholz (and his $13.5MM salary) if it waited until the spring, as Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald was among those to report. While holding onto the depth or seeking a greater return could’ve been pursued, Dombrowski explains that the team “had to be a little bit conservative.” With what he views as adequate depth in the potential MLB rotation and upper levels of the minors, he felt comfortable striking a deal. The organization intends to “sort through” its final back-of-the-rotation mix this spring, per Dombrowski (via Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald, on Twitter).

 

Consider the part I put in bold...

Trade opportunities open & close all the time. An interested trade partner one week might not have interest the next week.

This is important to remember regarding not only Garza, but Braun and any other Brewer trade chips.

[MadScientist]

Boston was motivated to dump salary to get under the tax, so they wanted to make sure they could get a deal. While it would be great if the Brewers could trade Garza, but the money isn't the issue. If there is no return, letting Garza pitch for half a year is a better option, in the hope of getting a decent return.

[JosephC]

Will be interesting to see if this deal works out. Assuming 1 WAR = 8.4 million dollars in 2017, Bucholz has to perform at a 1.6+ WAR level to make this deal worth it in terms of dollars. He was a 2.7 WAR player in 2015 but dropped off to 0.2 WAR last year. He is 32 and still talented so will likely rebound, although getting back to 2015 form is pretty unlikely.