CarterHud

  
        
            After making a push to acquire bullpen help, the Seattle Mariners have finally acquired a reliever. In the same deal, the Miami Marlins started their fire sale by trading RHP David Phelps to Seattle for four prospects. They are CF Brayan Hernandez, RHP Brandon Miller, RHP Pablo Lopez and RHP Lukas Schiraldi (son of former MLB pitcher Calvin Schiraldi). According to MLB Pipeline, Hernandez was the M\’s sixth best prospect, Miller was their 16th, Lopez was number 22, and Schiraldi was not in their top 30 list.

            The Mariners and GM Jerry Dipoto have been looking to acquire relievers, and have reportedly had interest in other relievers such as Brad Hand (Padres) and Justin Wilson (Tigers). This trade doesn\’t confirm they are out of the hunt for Wilson and Hand, but at least they got one reliever. I think they gave up a little too much for Phelps, even though he\’s been effective the last two seasons. And, they have him for one more season until he becomes a UFA in 2018. Also, Phelps is one of the 14 relievers who have pitched 100 or more innings since the start of 2016 with an ERA under 2.70.

             Phelps, 30, has a 3.45 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 51 strikeouts in 47 innings this year. In his six year career with the Marlins and Yankees, Phelps has a 3.90 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 509 strikeouts in 545 innings. He has additional value because he can pitch more than one inning. This is his first year as a full-time reliever, after being a starter-reliever guy for five seasons. He was traded to the Marlins along with Martin Prado from the Yankees for Nathan Eovaldi before the 2015 season.

            The Marlins are at the start of a rebuild, and getting four prospects for one veteran is definitely a win. The get three of the top 22 prospects on Seattle, and might get more prospects from other teams if they can deal closer A.J. Ramos. Also, Hernandez was recently promoted to AAA, so he might be close to the MLB. Miller is in A-Ball, and Lopez and Schiraldi in High-A.

            I think the Marlins win this trade. Phelps has had a good last two years, but isn\’t worth those four prospects. Maybe he\’s worth Lopez and Miller, but not Hernandez. So, I think it\’s clear they win this trade.

            After a blockbuster trade including RF J.D. Martinez earlier today, we have another blockbuster trade in the MLB. This time it\’s the Chicago White Sox (again) and the New York Yankees making headlines. Three White Sox with good value in 1B/3B Todd Frazier and RPs David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle are heading to the Bronx, and prospects Blake Rutherford (OF), Ian Clarkin, reliever Tyler Clippard and CF Tito Polo are headed to the \”ChiSox\”.

             With 1B Greg Bird out for a while, the Yanks have been looking for a first baseman. They\’ve tested with Chris Carter, Tyler Austin, Ji-Man Choi, Garrett Cooper and many more, but no one has been really successful. Bird should be good to go for 2018, so the Yanks have been looking for rentals like Lucas Duda (Mets) and Yonder Alonso (A\’s). Frazier is also a possible rental. He\’s mostly a third baseman, but has experience at first base. Him or current third baseman Chase Headley could play first. The bullpen has struggled lately, and getting two old friends that have been successful in Chicago helps. Robertson was drafted by the Yanks in 2006, and played his first seven MLB seasons with them. Kahnle was drafted by them in 2010, but was picked up by the Colorado Rockies in the 2013 Rule 5 draft. Both could fit in well. They Yanks already have Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances and Chad Green in their bullpen, but all three have struggled lately. If they can get going, the Yanks will probably have the best bullpen in the MLB.

             Kahnle, 27, has a 2.50 ERA in 36 innings this year. In those 36 innings he has 60 strikeouts! That\’s a K/9 of 15! In his four year MLB career, Kahnle has a 3.70 ERA with 187 strikeouts in 165.1 innings for the White Sox and Colorado Rockies.

              Robertson, 32, has a 2.70 ERA with 47 strikeouts and 13 saves in 33.1 innings in 2017. In his 10 year MLB career, Robertson has an ERA of 2.95, 732 strikeouts and 131 saves in 552.1 innings for the White Sox and Yankees.

              Frazier, 31, has a .207 batting average, 16 homers, 44 RBIs and four steals in 335 Plate Appearances this year. In his seven year MLB career for the White Sox and Cincinnati Reds, Frazier has a .247 batting average, 164 home runs, 466 RBIs and 62 stolen bases in 3525 Plate Appearances.

              The White Sox are sellers. In this trade, they give up three names that have been rumored to be on the trade market for months.  They get two good prospects in Rutherford and Clarkin. The White Sox need rotation help after trading Chris Sale and Jose Quintana. Clarkin can help their rotation in the future. After trading CF Adam Eaton in the offseason, the White Sox need a center fielder for the future. Luis Robert is in their organization, so they now have two big outfield prospects in Rutherford and Robert. Polo isn\’t a big prospect, but still has a change at the big leagues. They also get a reliever in Clippard to replace the two relievers they gave up.

              Clippard, 32, has a 4.95 ERA with 42 strikeouts and one save in 36.1 innings this year. In his 11 year MLB career, Clippard has a 3.05 ERA. He has 726 strikeouts and 57 saves in 661.1 innings. He\’s played for the Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Mets, Oakland Athletics and Washington Nationals in his career.

               Clarkin, 22, has a 2.74 ERA with 57 strikeouts in 72.1 innings this year for the Tampa Yankees (High-A). In his minor league career, he has a 3.20 ERA with 208 strikeouts in 250.1 innings. Clarkin was drafted in the first round (33rd overall) in 2013. Clarkin isn\’t a top 100 prospect, but was the Yankees 19th overall prospect.

                Rutherford, 20, is in his first year in single-A Charleston. He has a .281 batting average, two HRs, 30 RBIs and nine stolen bases in 304 Plate Appearances this year. The Yankees drafted him in the first round, 18th overall in 2016. According to MLB pipeline, Rutherford was the Yankees 3rd best prospect, and is the 30th best prospect overall.

                Polo, 22, has slashed .298/.358/.446 with five home runs 36 RBIs and 25 stolen bases in 316 Plate Appearances between Tampa (High-A) and Trenton (Double-A). The speedy Polo was acquired from Pittsburgh for starter Ivan Nova last season. He was the starting center fielder for team Colombia in the 2017 WBC.
                          
               I think the Yankees win this trade. They get three quality players in Frazier, Robertson and Kahnle, and don\’t give up too much, even though Rutherford and Clarkin are good prospects. Polo isn\’t a big prospect, so they can afford trading him. Clippard has been struggling this year, and Kahnle and Robertson are both way better than Clippard. That\’s why they win this deal.

      The next pre-trade deadline blockbuster in the MLB has become official. Today, the Detroit Tigers and Arizona Diamondbacks announced a four player trade, making the D-backs lineup scarier, and the adding more potential to the Tigers farm system. The Diamondbacks acquired RF J.D. Martinez, sending three shortstop prospects in Dawel Lugo, Jose King and Sergio Alcantara to Detroit.

        The Diamondbacks won\’t catch the Los Angeles Dodgers for the lead in the NL West, but they are currently in the first Wild Card spot in the National League. Acquiring a big bat in Martinez helps them score more runs and win more games. Martinez will be a UFA after the season, so this is clearly a rental. They give up some prospects, but if it helps them win, it\’s definitely worth it.

         Martinez, 29, has a batting average of .305, 16 home runs, 39 RBIs and two steals in 232 Plate Appearances this year. In his career, he has a .283 batting average with 123 HRs, 411 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 2861 Plate Appearances. In his MLB career, he\’s only played for the Tigers and Houston Astros. He won a Silver Slugger and played in the All-Star Game in 2015, where he set career highs in homers (38) and RBIs (102). He was pulled from his final game as a Tigers with back tightness, but it doesn\’t seem to be a problem.

         The Tigers are now officially a rebuilding team. Martinez is an upcoming free agent, and they might not have re-signed him, so getting him for prospects was a good idea. Lugo, 22, was the 4th rated prospect in the D-backs system by MLB pipeline. Alcantara, 21, was ranked 15th. King, 18, wasn\’t in their top 30 prospect list.

          I think the D-backs win this trade. They get a potent bat to add to Paul Goldschmidt and Jake Lamb, and the didn\’t give up a top three prospect. In my opinion, this was a good value to give up, but they got a plyer with good value. That\’s why they win this trade.

          After a few months of offseason time, defenseman Brian Campbell has announced his retirement from the NHL. Campbell, 38, last played for the Chicago Blackhawks.

          The Strathroy, Ontario native was drafted in the sixth round, 156th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1997 NHL draft. Two years later in 1999-00, Campbell made his NHL debut for the Sabres. He spent half of his career in Buffalo, and the first eight years. At the 2007-08 trade deadline, Campbell was traded along with a 7th round draft pick in 2008 (the pick became Drew Daniels) to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Steve Bernier and a 2008 first rounder (that became Tyler Ennis). Campbell played 391 games for the Sabres, scoring 176 points (32 goals and 144 assists) and had a plus-minus of -7.

          At the end of that season, Campbell signed an eight year deal (with an AAV of $7.1 million) with the Chicago Blackhawks. Campbell played just 20 games with San Jose, scoring 19 points (three goals and 16 assists), and was a +9.

          Campbell played three seasons for Chicago, and won the Stanley Cup in 2010. At the 2011 NHL draft, the Blackhawks traded him to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Rostislav Olesz. In four total seasons with Chicago (he later returned to the Windy City), Campbell scored 134 points (24 goals and 110 assists) in 295 games. He also was a whopping +63.

          Campbell stayed as an elite caliber defenseman in the Sunshine State. He played a total of five years there, playing in 376 games. He scored 28 goals and 147 assists for 175 points in those 376 games. In total, he was a -2 there.

         Campbell then signed a one year, $2 million deal with the Hawks before the 2016-17 season. He played in 80 games that season, scoring 17 points (five goals and 12 assists).

          In all, he played in 1,082 NHL games. He scored 87 goals and 417 assists for 504 points in his career. He was a +63. Also, he has joined the Blackhawks front office, where he will assist with marketing, community relations and youth hockey initiatives, the team announced.

          \”I\’m excited to transition into the next step in both my professional career and life,\” Campbell said in a statement. \”I\’m grateful to countless number of teammates, coaches, team staff and fans that I have crossed paths with throughout my playing career in Chicago, Florida, Buffalo and San Jose. The Blackhawks organization has allowed me to take on this challenge and I\’m thankful for this new opportunity\”.

         After a long wait, the Washington Nationals have finally addressed their need for bullpen arms, after acquiring LHP Sean Doolittle and RHP Ryan Madson from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for RHP Blake Treinen, 3B Sheldon Neuse and LHP Jesus Luzardo.

          It\’s been awhile since the Nationals had a legitimate closer for at least a year. The past two years, they\’ve acquired closers at the trade deadline. They got Jonathan Papelbon in 2015 and Mark Melancon in 2016, but both Papelbon and Melancon did not return to the team the following season. So, they were looking for more late relievers in 2017 after bullpen struggles earlier in the year. Madson doesn\’t become a UFA until 2019, and Doolittle doesn\’t become one until 2021. With Doolittle and Madson, the Nats don\’t need Treinen. The give up two top 10 prospects in Neuse (6) and Luzardo (10), but not any top five prospects, which is good.

          Madson, 36, has a 2.06 ERA, 39 strikeouts and one save in 39.1 innings this season. In his 12 year MLB career, Madson has a 3.40 ERA, 693 strikeouts and 86 saves in 797.1 innings. He\’s played for the A\’s, Kansas City Royals and Philadelphia Phillies in his career.

          Doolittle, 30, has a 3.38 ERA, 31 strikeouts and three saves in 21.1 innings for the A\’s this season. He\’s got a solid career ERA of 3.09, to go along with exactly 300 strikeouts and 36 saves in 253 career innings. When he plays for the Nats, it\’ll be the first time he plays on a MLB team not the Athletics.

          For the A\’s, the get a solid reliever in Treinen who\’s just struggling this season, but has had previous success. They also get two solid prospects for an old reliever and a solid reliever, but it\’s still an ok return.

           Treinen, 29, has a horrid 5.73 ERA with three saves and 32 strikeouts in 37.2 innings this year. He has a good career ERA of 3.39, 190 strikeouts and four saves in 223 career innings. The only MLB team he\’s ever known is the Nats.

            Both Neuse and Luzardo have never played in the big leagues, but might one day. You never know with prospects.

            I think the Nats win the trade. They get a big need in bullpen help. Their pen is dead last in ERA (5.34), opponents OPS (.825), 26th in K/9 (8.2) and 23rd in blown saves (14), according to ESPN.  Doolittle has a 13.1 K/9 (10.7 career K/9) this season. Madson has a 8.9 K/9 in 2017. And, they don\’t give up any top five propects. That\’s why they win.