CarterHud

Only the greatest athletes in the world get to represent their country in the Olympics. On top of that, they all dream of winning a gold medal. I was fortunate to be able to speak with someone with five of them.

At the age of 21, American swimmer Katie Ledecky has already won five gold medals and a silver. One of those golds came in 2012 in London, at the young age of 15. The other four gold medals and the silver came in Rio 2016. She also has won 14 World Championship gold medals, the most ever by a female swimmer. She is the current world record holder in three events, the 400, 800 and 1500 meter freestyle. She has broken her own records so many times she actually has 14 of them.

I had the privilege to speak with Ledecky, who\’s uncle, Jon, is a co-owner of the New York Islanders.

Me: How long have you been swimming?
Katie Ledecky: Since I was six years old. I\’m 21 now, so 15 years.

Me: Did you play any other sports as a kid?
KL: I played basketball, soccer, I did Irish dancing. I did skate a little bit, but not seriously. Basketball, soccer and swimming for the three sports growing up.

Me: What\’s it like having your uncle as the owner of a professional sports team?
KL: It\’s awesome. When I was little I went to pretty much every Caps game, so I became a hockey fan really quickly. Now I\’m a huge Islanders fan. I keep track of every game. My parents watch pretty much every game. It\’s fun to have a team to cheer for. I get to hear a lot of the stories about the team, different stories that my uncle has. It\’s a lot of fun to watch it and be a part of it, and to be able to come to some of these games when I get the chance.

Me: Will we see you in Tokyo (2020 Summer Olympics) in a few years?
KL: I hope so. It\’s very tough to qualify for the Olympics. There\’s the Olympic trials in June of 2020. That will decide if I get to go again. I\’m training really hard for it. Hopefully I\’ll get to swim in a number of events in Tokyo and do really well.

Me: What are your goals for 2020?
KL: I\’d like to bring home more medals for Team USA, and just do my very best. I have some time goals that I won\’t share, It\’s not just you, I won\’t share them with any one (laughs). I have some times in mind that I\’d like to hit, and some places that I want to hit and achieve. So, hopefully it will go well.

          The New York Yankees have acquired LHP James Paxton from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for LHP Justus Sheffield, RHP Erik Swanson and OF Dom Thompson-Williams.

           With J.A. Happ, Lance Lynn and C.C. Sabathia hitting free agency, plus Jordan Montgomery not expected to return from Tommy John surgery until June, the Yankees had three open rotation spots. They re-signed Sabathia, leaving them with two spots. They could have given one to top prospects Sheffield or Chance Adams, or failed trade acquisition Sonny Gray, but GM Brian Cashman stated that their plans where to trade Gray. So, they went out and traded for a big time starter in Paxton. Paxton has injury issues and has never pitched a full 162 inning season, but has been great the last few years. They give up their top prospect, Sheffield, for two years of Paxton, but it will be worth it if Paxton pitches even better in New York. Swanson is a prospect that they needed to put on their 40-man by tomorrow, but didn\’t have the space. Thompson-Williams is a prospect that looks like a throw-in.

              Paxton, 30, had a 3.76 ERA, 3.23 FIP and 208 strikeouts in 160.1 innings in 2018. His best career season came in 2017, when he posted a 2.98 ERA, 2.61 FIP and 156 strikeouts in 136 innings. In his MLB career, all for the Mariners, Paxton has posted a 3.42 ERA, 3.13 FIP, 617 strikeouts in 582.1 innings.

              For the Mariners, it looks like they are starting over and aiming for 2021, which would be the 20th anniversary of their last postseason appearance. They get Sheffield, who could become the Mariners top starter by the time Paxton hits free agency. He was acquired by the Yankees from the Indians along with OF Clint Frazier and RHPs JP Feyereisen and Ben Heller in a 2016 trade deadline deal for LHP Andrew Miller. Swanson is a prospect coming off a breakout year in the minors. He was acquired from the Rangers along with RHPs Dillon Tate and Nick Green for OF Carlos Beltran, also in 2016. Thompson-Williams is an outfielder coming off a decent minor league season.

               Sheffield, 22, allowed three runs in 2.2 innings (10.13 ERA), striking out none in a very short September MLB stint. Between AA Trenton and AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Sheffield had a 2.48 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 123 strikeouts in 116 innings in 2018.

               Swanson, 25, posted a 2.66 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 139 strikeouts in 121.1 innings between Low-A Staten Island, Trenton and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. His stint in Trenton was the most notable, as he displayed a 0.42 ERA in 42.2 innings.

               Thompon-Williams, 23, had a .299 batting average, 22 home runs, 74 RBIs and 20 stolen bases in 415 Plate Appearances between Single-A Charleston and High-A Tampa.

                 I think this trade is very hard to judge. The Yankees get a star, but the Mariners get a prospect that could be a star. So, you can\’t judge the trade now.

                The Houston Astros have acquired SS Aledmys Diaz from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for RHP Trent Thornton.

                 For the Astros, U Marwin Gonzalez is a free agent, and in case Gonzalez isn\’t signed, Diaz might be their fallback plan. After a trade from the Cardinals, Diaz regained his value in 2018 with a career high 18 home runs in 130 games, despite not getting close to the .300 batting average mark, 2018 was still way better for Diaz than 2017.

                 Diaz, 28, hit 18 home runs with 55 RBIs and a .263 batting average, plus three stolen bases in 452 Plate Appearances for the Blue Jays in 2018. In his MLB career for the Jays and St. Louis Cardinals, Diaz has a batting average of .275, with 42 homers, 140 RBIs and 11 stolen bases in 1213 Plate Appearances.

                  For the Jays, they still have Troy Tulowitzki at short, but more importantly, Richard Urena and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. coming up. At third, they have Brandon Drury and the MLB\’s top prospect, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. So, there was no spot for Diaz in the infield. They get a prospect in Thornton, who has struggled in the minors and is Rule 5 draft eligible.

                  Thornton, 25, had a 4.42 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 122 strikeouts in 124.1 innings for AAA Fresno in 2018. In his minor league career, he has a 4.23 ERA with a WHIP of 1.26 and 396 strikeouts in 446.1 innings.

             The New York Rangers have acquired C Ryan Strome from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for C Ryan Spooner. The Rangers also have retained $900K of Spooner\’s contract, to match Strome\’s $3.1 million cap hit.

             For the Rangers, I really don\’t understand this trade. Both players have the same amount of points this year. Strome is just one year younger than Spooner, and has struggled since his rookie season. The Rangers are hoping a second change of scenery can help him.

            Strome, 25, has scored one goal and one assist for two points in 18 games this season. In his NHL career for the Oilers and New York Islanders, Strome has scored 59 goals and 103 assists for 162 points in 358 games.

            For the Oilers, they made a terrible trade acquiring Strome for Jordan Eberle a summer ago. While Eberle scored 25 goals in New York, Strome put in just 13. Spooner has struggled at the start of this season, but scored 16 points in 20 games after a trade to the Rangers last season. Things like that make you think he didn\’t fit well with new coach Dan Quinn.

            Spooner, 26, has scored one goal and one assist for two points in 16 games for the Rangers this year. In his NHL career for the Rangers and Boston Bruins, Spooner has scored 46 goals and 114 assists for 160 points in 289 games.

             I think the Oilers win this trade. While the players are very similar, and have similar production rates, Spooner\’s strong end to 2017-18 makes me think he can succeed in Edmonton.

                The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired LW Tanner Pearson from the Los Angeles Kings for LW Carl Hagelin. The Penguins also have retained part of Hagelin\’s contract to even out the salaries.

                For the Penguins, both players have been struggling, and the Penguins are 1-5-1 in their last 7 games. Looking for a wakeup, they get a younger player under contract for this season and the next two, for a pending free agent, who has never eclipsed 40 points in a season and 20 goals. Pearson scored 24 points in 2016-17, and the Penguins are hoping he can get back to producing like that.

               Pearson, 26, has scored one point, an assist, in 17 games this year. In his NHL career, all for the Kings, Pearson has scored 69 goals and 75 assists for 144 points in 325 games.

              For the Kings, they were looking for a shakeup, after a 5-11-1 start. But this wasn\’t the right move. I think they should have asked for 21 year old winger Daniel Sprong, who is stuck in a logjam in Pittsburgh, and has potential. Instead they get Hagelin, a speedy vet in the final year of his contract with next to no potential.

              Hagelin, 30, has scored one goal and two assists for three points in 16 games for the Penguins this year. In his NHL career for the Penguins, Anaheim Ducks and New York Rangers, Hagelin has scored 89 goals and 136 assists for 225 points in 504 games.

             I think the Penguins win this trade. They get a younger, better player, with extra years left on his deal, and someone with a better chance of turning around than Hagelin.