SO……. going forward I reserve the right to review trades WITH LESS WORDS only in like a monthly format or something BUT I will also review trades at a bit more length and in a bit more timely fashion when they are of interest to me or when I am bored (or I will not review them at all, or someone else can review them, eat me). AND IN THIS CASE the review is necessary because it has merit (also I don’t feel like working), a perhaps HISTORIC number of players acquired by the Garden State Warriors all in one day all (one must assume) due to feeling miffed about his BLOG TEAM PREVIEW. Just another reason to start charging a subscription service for you people to read this stuff. ANYWHO let’s look at the Warriors day, or more accurately night, and decide how we, or more accurately I, feel about it.

 

 

 

 

THE TRADE?

• Mar 21, 8:49 PM
• RCBD traded Craig Kimbrel, Bos RP to GSW
  RCBD traded Yusniel Diaz, LAD CF to GSW
  GSW traded Andrew McCutchen, SF CF to RCBD
  GSW traded Carlos Rodon, CWS SP to RCBD

The Warriors also get the right to Rights Player Jo Adell, OF in the Angels organization.

 

THE WHO?

Bad Dudes Return

ANDREW MCCUTCHEN, 31.45 year old GIANTS RF but only CF eligible at the moment but will be RF eligible after playing 10 games. Formerly one of the best players on the planet, now still very good but moving towards an uncertain aging process and moving to a home park where HRs go to die (as they say)(TELL THAT TO BARRY LAMAR BONDS). Had 28 HRs last year though, also 30 2Bs, 2 3Bs, 94 Rs, 84 RBIs, 11 SBs, .363 OBP.  REALLY turned it around after a disappointing 2016 that made a lot of owners nervous, I will give him that. Now it is just a matter of seeing how he ADAPTS to a new locale and a new home park and new opponents and yada yada. If he can stay healthy I see him delivering alotta value out of an OF slot, I do not see him hitting 28 dongs again.  

CARLOS RODON, 25.25 year old White Sox SP that just CANNOT fucking stay healthy. 2-5 (6 QS), 76 Ks (9.87 K/9) and a 4.15 ERA (4.69 FIP) in 69.1 IP last year. So wasn’t very healthy, wasn’t all that great when he pitched as walks remain a concern, and SURPRISE SURPRISE not healthy again this year and probably out until June at least. No goddamn idea what you’re getting outta this guy, a realllll flyer if there ever was one.

 

Warriors Return

CRAIG KIMBREL, 29.75 year old Red Sawks closer and prrrrobably your second-best closer in all of fantasy and real baseball. 5-0, 35 Saves, 126 Ks in 69 IP (16.43 K/9), 1.43 ERA (1.42 FIP). Simply put Kimbel was about as good as he has ever been last year and I am sure in other places you can maybe make the argument he is the best fantasy closer but NOT ON THIS BLOG. The Sawks should be good and he should be great, best AVAILABLE closer and the Warriors went out and got em.

YUSNIEL DIAZ, 21.45 year old Dodgers OF prospect.  As of today, Baseball America Top 100 – NO LONGER RELEVANT cuz those cockaroaches want people to pay to see it now, as if they are even that accurate; MLB.com top 100 – NR; Fangraphs top 100 – NR; Baseball Prospectus Top 101 FANTASY- NR. Yusniel ain’t on too many radars as the Dodgers 5th ranked prospect but he DID slash .333/.390/.491 in 33 games in his first taste of Double A last season. Do something like that across a full season next year and OH folks will notice, and there’s also some buzz he could debut in the show in 2018, but right now tough to project and I’m not sure there’s more than a MLB reserve OF here. GONNA PROJECT ANYWAYS.                                                                                                                     Rose-y 2017 MLB Comp:  Mikie Mahtook     Thorn-y 2017 MLB Comp:  Alex Gordon

JO ADELL, 18.90 year old Angels OF prospect.  As of today, MLB.com top 100 – 62; Fangraphs top 100- 66; Baseball Prospectus Top 101 FANTASY- 33. Adell doesn’t have much pro ball to go off of but THE RUMOR IS this is a potential 5 tool star if he puts it altogether, although that IF is a fairly large one. He’s demonstrated some pop though, and has gotten some ink in various places (see that BP fantasy-based rating), and has been given a future FV 70 Raw power which is VERY good, and hit 4 HRs and stole 5 bases with a .351 OBP in 31 games of rookie ball last season. Another wait and see type thing, but if he has himself a year expect him to shoot up prospect lists. and MAYBE even get listed on ESPN dot com.                                                                                                        Rose-y 2017 MLB Comp:  Justin Upton    Thorn-y 2017 MLB Comp:  Drew Robinson

 

 

THE WHY?

The why here is obvious:  Ryan read my team preview instructions specifically stating “Additional Assembly Required” for his bullpen and he went out and did additional assembly. Or I dunno Lobman inquired about McCutchen or something, which would seem OUT OF CHARACTER, but these “WHY” sections are always heavy on speculation. I am speculating I am righter about the first one. Also the Bad Dudes seem to have no issue doing a real reliever carousel year after year so that helps.

 

 

THE WINNER?

THE WARRIORS. Basically I think Kimbrel is the best player in this deal and it just didn’t cost a particular lot to get him. McCutchen should be solid though there is certainly some risk to go around there, Rodon I think will be mostly useless. Rodon was once traded straight up for Raisel Iglesisas basically and NEITHER work as a starter is what I am saying, Rodon just hasn’t realized it yet. Injuries can be cruel. But yea Kimbrel over everything else and THEN the Warriors even get one very good OF prospect and one who the hell knows OF prospect thrown in. Warriors pretty easily here IMHO.

 

 

 

 

THE TRADE?

• Mar 21, 9:05 PM
• GSW traded Buster Posey, SF C to T
  GSW traded Chris Sale, Bos SP to T
  T traded Wil Myers, SD 1B to GSW
  T traded Gleyber Torres, NYY SS to GSW
  T traded Jose Berrios, Min SP to GSW
  T traded Sean Doolittle, Wsh RP to GSW
  GSW dropped Blake Rutherford, CWS CF to Waivers
  GSW dropped Bobby Bradley, Cle 1B to Waivers

Also the Isotopes receive rights to Rights Player Shane Baz, SP in the Pirates organization.

 

THE WHO?

Warriors Return

JOSE BERRIOS, 23.80 year old Twins SP and a realllll up and comer. 14-8 (12 QS), 139 Ks in 145.2 IP (8.59 K/9), 3.89 ERA (3.84 FIP). Fastball/Curveball/Changeup pitcher and the potential to be a realllll good one, last year he had some trouble with lefties and ran out of gas late but he is fully ready to be an ace and likely gets there this season. Should very likely be a top 20 SP by years end, or higher.

WIL MYERS, 27.25 year old 1B/Soon-to-be RF for the Padres and a realllll multi-cat contributor. .328 OBP, 29 2Bs, 3 3Bs, 30 HRs, 80 Rs, 74 RBIs, 20 SBs in 2017. Quite frankly there aren’t many 20-20 threats out there in a given year and Wil Myers has been 20-20 two years in a row (28-28 in 2016), and 30-20 last year, and that is VALUABLE. It was very valuable out of a 1B, it shall remain valuable as a 1B/RF. I see a third 20-20 season in 2017, guy just turned 27 he is right in the olllll’ sweet spot.  

SEAN DOOLITTLE, 31.45 year old Nationals closer with a history of injury troubles. 2-0, 24 Saves, 62 Ks in 51.1 IP (10.87 K/9), 2.81 ERA (2.59 FIP). A VERY NICE YEAR split between the As and Nats, and now he enters his first full season in Washington penciled in as their closer. The pencil is not a pen mostly due to injury concerns, if those aren’t there what you have here is a fine reliever in fine position to rack up a lot of saves for a probable contender.

GLEYBER TORRES, 21.25 year old middle infield prospect for the Yankees and a guy that might have made the Opening Day roster before the Yankees went out and signed old man Neil Walker.  As of today, MLB.com top 100 – 5; Fangraphs Top 100- 12; Baseball Prospectus Top 101 FANTASY- 6. SO YES, we are dealing with a tippy top prospect here. Baseball Prospectus gave him a ceiling of Jose Ramirez minus some steals and a floor of Starlin Castro, Fangraphs declared him to have no flashy tools but plenty of solid tools but they’re kinda the low man on him (I believe Baseball America had him top 5 or 10 or something). The general consensus is he gonna be good. Probably would have debuted last year if he didn’t end up getting TJ surgery but uhhh, he ended up getting TJ surgery. His AAA slash line in the 23 games prior to said surgery:  .309/.406/.457. I expect him to debut this summer and I expect Neil Walker to get out of his way one way or another.                                                                                                                                          Rose-y 2017 MLB Comp:  Jose Ramirez minus some steals    Thorn-y 2017 MLB Comp:  Starlin Castro     😉 PHONED THIS ONE IN BUT GLEYBER IS GOOD

 

Isotopes Return

CHRIS SALE, 28.95 year old Sawks SP and a top 3 or 4 pitcher in the Backyard (4th according to last year’s player rater but that dumb thing made Ervin Santana 2nd). 17-8 (23 QS, 1 CG), 308 fucking Ks in 214.1 IP (12.93 K/9), 2.90 ERA (2.45 FIP). Good lord those Ks. Now I am mad at the White Sox for trading him all over again. On the bright side, if you root against the Red Sox, Sale’s delivery is so goddamned violent that he may split in half on the mound at any moment. On the downside that probably won’t happen and he will probably be top 3 or so again this year, vying with Scherzer for the Backyard league lead in strikeouts. Mikey T should be ashamed of himself for trading for the Red Sox ace, but I get it all the same.

BUSTER POSEY, 30.95 year old backstop for the Giants and a guy the Rays could have drafted if they didn’t instead draft Tim Beckham. .400 OBP, 34 2Bs, 12 HRs, 62 Rs, 67 RBIs, SBs in 140 2017 games. Buster had a longggg and respectable run as the top catcher in fantasy baseball, but that is over now, but he is still very solid. The issue with him is you don’t have to squint too much to see him getting forced off catching duties in the nearish future and turning into Joe Mauer……like EXACTLY like Mauer (high OBP low HR first basemen). So that has to be a concern these days for anyone in fantasy paying for the Buster Posey name value, but at least for 2018 and possibly a few years after he seems set to sticking with catching and that makes him valuable in the fantasy world. That is, unless he gets ran over at home at some point. We here at the blog feel Buster Posey can only survive 2.2 more home plate collisions.

SHANE BAZ, 18.75 year old righty SP prospect with the Pirates.  As of today, MLB.com top 100 – 67; Fangraphs Top 100- NR ; Baseball Prospectus Top 101 FANTASY- 57. Six foot three inches tall, fastball can hit 98 and has sat comfortably in the mid 90s apparently. Also has a “power breaking ball” and a cutter. BUT as with all pitching prospects he has the whole “needs to improve control or he ends up in the bullpen” thing attached to his name. For what its worth Baseball Prospectus gave him a ceiling of their top pitching prospect in 2020. Also for what it is worth he pitched 23 innings in Pirates rookie ball last year. Doesn’t feel like enough innings to really analyze, his FIP was bad he walked too many guys it was 23 innings whatever.                                                                  Rose-y 2017 MLB Comp:  Drew Pomeranz    Thorn-y 2017 MLB Comp:  Wade Miley

 

THE WHY?

For the Warriors, this one was likely about Wil Myers being shopped and their desire to get in on the Wil Myers sweepstakes. FOR WHATEVER REASON the ‘Topes were long known to be making that guy available and the Warriors surely saw him as an upgrade to RF after trading McCutchen (or even before, as both these two are in a similar waiting for RF eligibility type place). There may also have been a desire to shed Posey and EMBRACE JT Realmuto, there may also have been a desire to further shore up the bullpen. And getting a consensus top middle infield prospect to boot doesn’t hurt.

For the Isotopes, this one is about getting Chris Sale back after trading him to Ryan in the 11th hour of a 2015 midnight trade deadline. There was also the whole desire to move Wil Myers thing, and one must figure Chris Sale was about the best player they could have gotten back for Myers…. even if it included a larger package (gay) to make all the peices fit.

 

THE WINNER?

THE WARRIORS. Gotta give it to the Warriors once again, even though I don’t fault the Isotopes at all for going and grabbing them some Chris Sale. And Buster Posey is no slouch but is a threat to become Joe Mauer at some point in the not too distant future, A GUY READILY AVAILABLE in the waiver wire. And Shane Baz who fucking knows. ANYWHOM I simply feel Wil Myers is a pretty premier bat and there is a good possibility Gleyber joins him there eventually so that’s a nice get to begin the package. AND FURTHERMORE, while Berrios probably doesn’t reach Sale’s value he can very easily make a leap into the top 15 SPs as soon as this season with room to go higher. And then Doolittle could be a top 10 closer given health with the amount of saves the Nats may afford him. Good deal for both sides, but gotta give it up for that pretty package (gay).

 

 

 

SO THERE IT IS, A HISTORIC FLURRY BY THE GARDEN STATE WARRIORS AND NOW I CAN’T CRITIQUE THEIR BULLPEN ANY MORE. TUNE IN NEXT TIME KIDS, WHENEVER THAT MAY BE…..