Let the Games Begin!

As far as I’m concerned, Monday November 10^th might as well have been Christmas. I awoke in the early afternoon (I work nights so back off) and had my breakfast and what not before settling in at my computer to go through my e-mail and reading lists when I noticed a headline: Rockies agree to trade Matt Holliday to A’s. Upon reading this I burst out of my room, slid across the floor in my footie pajamas and opened the nearest window. A local boy strangely dressed like it was 1895 was walking outside.

“My good boy, what day is it today?” I asked.

“Why, it’s Christmas day sir!” he proclaimed.

Later I would come to find that I had passed out due to over-excitement and that I dreamt the whole CHRISTMAS CAROL thing, but what I didn’t dream was the trade. You see, here at McBlog! baseball is an open talking point 365 days a year. Baseball signings, trades, rumors, scandals and of course games never seem to end and as a gigantic baseball fan, I can’t get enough of it. Last year the baseball hot stove helped me provide regular content at a time when I had no idea what to write about. So you’ll have to excuse me if I get a little too pumped for trades between mediocre teams. Today we had not only one trade, but two. One was big, one wasn’t, but hey, that never stopped me before. So without any further ado, let’s crank up the heat and start discussing the hot stove:

Rockies agree to trade Matt Holliday to A’s

A lot of the details aren’t really out yet, but the three most common names I am seeing so far are Greg Smith, Huston Street and Carlos Gonzalez. On the whole seems like a decent but not great haul for MVP-esque Matt Holliday.

When you break it down for the Rockies, they’re getting a solid starting pitcher, a solid reliever and a potentially good outfielder. Smith, who the A’s got in the Dan Haren trade, posted a 4.16 ERA with 111 Ks in 190.1 IP and 32 starts. Not bad numbers at all, especially considering it was his rookie campaign. Smith is 24, a lefty and slightly more of a fly ball pitcher, but he’s definitely a good acquisition for a Rockies team that finished 26^th in ERA last year. Huston Street might end up being the closer if the Rockies ever trade Brian Fuentes, and even if the don’t it never hurts to have another solid reliever. As for Carlos Gonzalez, well, he was supposedly the prize in the Haren trade last year but he clearly did not live up to Oakland’s standards. Still, that’s not to say he isn’t or won’t be good. I saw him play a little last year. He’s definitely got a very good arm and will provide great D for Colorado, but his bat doesn’t seem to be up to par just yet. He’ll likely grab Holliday’s spot in left or possibly center depending on what else the Rockies have up their sleeves.

When you break this deal down for Oakland though, they are the clear cut winners. Here’s the thing with Oakland…I learned a while ago to just not even bother questioning their motives and to just accept their moves. Billy Beane clearly knows what he’s doing, as the A’s stay somewhat relevant even when they seemingly stink. This trade though, I wouldn’t even begin to question and here’s why:

- Greg Smith is a solid pitcher, yes, but if there’s one thing Oakland has never had problems with is finding and developing young pitchers. The A’s won’t miss him.

- Huston Street was done closing in Oakland and if you read the above sentence, you can apply the same logic here. The A’s will have no problem replacing Street for half the cost. They won’t miss him.

- I said earlier Carlos Gonzalez was the “prize” of the Haren deal but that he clearly wasn’t what Oakland thought. Gonzalez struck out 81 times in 85 games last year while only walking 13 times. That’s not exactly the kind of plate discipline the A’s cherish. While losing Gonzalez leaves a whole in center for the A’s, they certainly won’t miss his bat.

And the biggest reason why the A’s win this deal hands down:

Because they got Matt freaking Holliday. The guy is an absolute stud and even though he’s leaving Colorado, the humidor there has brought Coors Field down to normal baseball park standards. The guy can hit and any drop-off in numbers this year is more likely due to adjusting to the AL/playing in Oakland and not because of leaving Colorado.

One more important thing about this trade: Many pundits find it interesting that the A’s would take a chance and give up talent like they reportedly are giving for Holliday, who will become a free agent after the season’s end. Unless Oakland is turning over a new leaf, I doubt they are going to sign Holliday. So why trade for him now? Because trading for him now is cheaper, that’s why. The A’s got Holliday for a fairly reasonable price and at a time when the demand isn’t as high. In a few months though, when some teams are looking for that power bat to complete their lineup you’re going to see the A’s waiting to pick some team’s farm system pockets. Oakland could quite easily get a lot more back than what they gave up, and that’s really why I think they made this deal.

It’s a good business move, plain and simple. If Holliday produces like he can and the A’s get some other breakout performances, then they are contenders in the weak AL West. A name like Holliday will also help attendance a bit, or at least send the right message to the fans. And if after the all-star break the A’s aren’t contenders, then they just cut the Holliday cord. It’s not too far-fetched. Remember, this is Billy Beane. He won’t be overly stubborn like the Nats a few years ago with Soriano. He’ll get pieces he likes if he trades him, and if he doesn’t trade him or sign him, he’ll still get draft picks. It’s win-win-win for Oakland, because we all win for getting to talk about it.

Nationals acquire Josh Willingham and Scott Olsen from Marlins

The Nats traded away second baseman Emilio Bonifacio, who hit .243 in 49 games last season, and two minors leaguers in pitcher P.J. Dean and shortstop Jake Smolinski, sources told ESPN's Peter Gammons.

When I first saw this trade, I was like “wow, the Nats got Willingham and Olsen”. A few minutes later I was like, “oh, the Nats got Willingham and Olsen”. Needless to say, it’s a trade that sounds more exciting than it really is. The Nationals seemingly didn’t give up much. Emilio Bonifacio is a 2B who the Nats got in return for Jon Rauch this past season and he was frequently used as a lead-off hitter by both teams. He only hit .243 last year, but the Marlins must see something in him. I saw him a couple of times: he’s fast and it seems like he’s good defensively, so he’ll have use in Florida. The other two players were minor leaguers so I won’t concern myself with them.

In acquiring Willingham and Olsen, the Nats got a solid pitcher and decent hitter with good power. Olsen posted a 4.20 ERA in Florida last year, and he’ll definitely help bring some stability and consistency to Washington’s rotation. Willingham joins an already clogged outfield in the capitol and is yet another under-achieving hitter, much like Elijah Dukes, Lastings Milledge and Austin Kearns. All of those guys show promise at times and to be fair, Dukes and Milledge started to come on toward the end. Also to be fair, Willingham has the most power in the group and if he stays healthy (something he was failed to do), he can provide some good pop…he’s just not the greatest clean-up/5-hitter type.

One other thing I want to point out: With the addition of Olsen to a group that already has Milledge and Dukes, the Nationals will now have three lunatics. Both Dukes and Olsen have separate sections in their Wikipedia pages regarding off- and on-field incidents and Milledge is famous for rapping with extremely explicit lyrics and having the Mets post a sign in his locker telling him to “Know Your Place, Rook”. Needless to say, Washington could be a fun team to watch next year.

Oh wait, the Marlins made another trade last week. Yay!

Marlins trade Mike Jacobs to Royals for P Leo Nunez

By trading Jacobs, the Marlins are breaking up a historic infield. Last year the Marlins became the first team in major league history to have each infielder hit 25 or more homers. History aside, the Marlins are getting a very good relief pitcher in Leo Nunez. I was very impressed with him last year and wouldn’t be surprised to see him get the closing duties in Florida.

As for the Royals, well, they’ve needed help at first base and Jacobs will help in some way. He’s not a great hitter, but he’s definitely a good power hitter. Last year he hit 32 homers and .247. The biggest downside to Jacobs is that he does not walk. He drew only 36 free passes last year in 141 games…not good. Still, Jose Guillen led the team with 20 HRs last year, so Jacobs’ power will be a welcomed addition.

And while we’re here…

Mets pick up option on 1B Carlos Delgado

Delgado arguably had an MVP type of season for the Mets in ’08, and it was the right thing to bring him back. The Mets are going after free agents regardless this off-season, and if they let Delgado walk they might not have gotten good return at first. At the very least, you know Delgado is good for 25 homers and 90 RBI (and that’s at the least) so why not bring him back and hope he has another big year? It just makes sense.

Brewers exercise option on Mike Cameron

Another smart move. You can’t get much better than Cameron defensively and he’s another solid power bat and a good base-stealer. The Brewers aren’t going to get anyone better, so again, why not bring him back?

And because I have the time…

Longoria and Soto win Rookie of the Year awards

Both were good choices and the right choices. This was actually a very good year for rookies in both leagues, and it just makes sense to reward two guys who helped two of the best teams. Not only that, but they each had very, very good numbers and were clearly the most deserving. I would say “well done, voters”, but it turns out a few people put Edinson Volquez on their ballots, not realizing he wasn’t even a rookie. Apparently those votes still count and Volquez ended up finishing fourth in the NL voting.