CarterHud

                The Buffalo Sabres have acquired forward Scott Wilson from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for a 2019 5th round pick.

                 This marks the second time Wilson has been traded this season. He was in the Riley Sheahan trade and went from the Pittsburgh Penguins to Detroit. He\’s a solid depth forward.

                 Wilson, 25, has scored no points in 20 games for the Red Wings and Penguins this year. In his NHL career for the two teams, Wilson has scored 13 goals and 19 assists for 32 points in 123 games.

                  In related news, forward Matt Moulson was placed on waivers by Buffalo.

                  Moulson, 34, has scored no points in 14 games for the Sabres this year. In his NHL career for the Sabres, New York Islanders, Los Angeles Kings and Minnesota Wild , Moulson has scored 176 goals and 193 assists for 369 points in 650 games.

                 For the Wings, Wilson was pretty cold for them, not scoring in 17 games. Since he\’s only a depth forward and is very expandable, they could easily trade him.

           The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired SS Aledmys Diaz from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for OF J.B. Woodman.

           The Blue Jays have lots of infielders, but since Troy Tulowitzki has been injured often since becoming a Blue Jay in 2015, Ryan Goins recently being non-tendered and Darwin Barney not being the best starting option, the trade makes sense. Diaz may not be a starter, or he could DH. He could play 2B if Devon Travis goes down.

          Diaz, 27, hit .259 with seven homers, 20 RBIs and four steals in 301 Plate Appearances in 2017. In his MLB career, all for the Cardinals, Diaz has a batting average of .283, 24 homers, eight stolen bases and 85 RBIs in 761 Plate Appearances.

          I guess the Cardinals didn\’t like Diaz. It\’s basically a dump-off, since Woodman doesn\’t have much potential. They have a lot of players, so I can see why they made the trade, but barely.

         Woodman, 22, hit .240 with seven homers, 45 RBIs and eight steals in 414 Plate Appearances in 2017 for Single-A Lansing. In his minor league career, Woodman has a batting average of .262, 11 homers, 74 RBIs and 18 stolen bases.

         I think it\’s clear: the Jays win this deal. They get a major league shortstop for a single-A player who\’s not that young for a single-A player. They could of gotten more.

           Hot Stove season is heating up, as the second best catcher (in my opinion) is off the market. Today, the Chicago White Sox signed C Welington Castillo to a two year, $15 million deal.

          I originally didn\’t understand the signing for either side, but  after looking into it, it makes more sense. Castillo is a veteran, and wants to help the young White Sox develop. He came up with the Chicago Cubs, so he\’s back in the Windy City. And, he is reunited with Rick Renteria, who was his manager with the Cubs. It\’s not a bad deal.

         Castillo, 30, had a .282 batting average, 20 homers and 53 RBIs in 356 Plate Appearances for the Baltimore Orioles in 2017. In his MLB career for the Orioles, Cubs, Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks, Castillo has a .259 batting average, 80 homers and 283 RBIs in 2269 Plate Appearances.

             The New York Rangers have acquired forward Peter Holland from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for forward Adam Cracknell.

             Both players were in the AHL at the time of this trade… and still are. I guess both teams just like the other player more, so that\’s why I\’m not including a paragraph for why both teams made the trade.

            Holland, 26, hasn\’t played in the NHL this year, and actually never suited up for the Habs. In his NHL career for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Arizona Coyotes and Anaheim Ducks, Holland has scored 35 goals and 46 assists for 81 points in 243 games.

           Cracknell, 32, has no points in five games for the Rangers and Dallas Stars this year. In his NHL career for the Rangers, Stars, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, Columbus Blue Jackets and St. Louis Blues, Cracknell has scored 21 goals and 22 assists for 43 points in 208 games.

           I think the Rangers win this trade. Holland is six years younger, and has had the better career via the stats. That\’s why they win.

           The Los Angeles Angels have acquired RHP and former closer Jim Johnson, plus international signing bonus pool money from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for LHP Justin Kelly.

          Johnson isn\’t the best reliever, but he can eat up innings, especially with Yusmeiro Petit, Huston Street and Jesse Chavez gone. Also, the international signing bonus pool money is about $1.1 million. They\’ll use that to go after Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani.

           Johnson, 34, had a 5.56 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 22 saves and 61 strikeouts in 56.2 innings in 2017. In his MLB career for the Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles, Oakland Athletics and Detroit Tigers, Johnson has a 3.79 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 176 saves and 486 strikeouts in 641.1 innings.

          Looking at Johnson\’s 2017 numbers, they were horrible. This is pretty much a dump off.

         Kelly, 24, had a 3.53 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 57 strikeouts in 63.2 innings in many different leagues in 2017. In his minor league career, Kelly has a 4.59 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 90 strikeouts in 100 innings.

         I think the Angels win this trade. Johnson isn\’t a good major leaguer, but at least he is a major leaguer. Plus, the international signing bonus shows the that the Braves don\’t want Ohtani, and were willing to sacrifice that to dump Johnson.