Trader Rater 3.0: TEX, PUDGE, MANRAM, AND JUNIOR!

Just when you thought the Trade Deadline was looking a little slow, BAM! MANRAM! One of my favorite players was moved right at the deadline and is now going Hollywood! Another one of my favorite players was also moved from Ohio to Illinois.

Even though the day as a whole did not produce much in the means of quantity, I think you have to look at the whole time period leading up to the Deadline and consider it a blockbuster transaction period, beginning with CC Sabathia.

First, let's just note the minor moves that took place:

- The Seattle Mariners traded RP Arthur Rhodes to the Florida Marlins for a prospect
- The Washington Nationals traded RP Jhonny Nunez to the New York Yankees for SS Alberto Gonzalez
- The New York Yankees traded LaTroy Hawkins to the Houston Astros for infielder Matt Cusik
- The Washington Nationales released C Paul Lo Duca and SS Felipe Lopez

- EDIT: The Minnesota Twins released SP Livan Hernandez and OF Craig Monroe, and recalled SP Francisco Liriano and 1B Randy Ruiz

Now on to the BIG Stuff....

The Atlanta Braves traded 1B Mark Teixeira to the Los Angeles Angels for 1B Casey Kotchman and P Steve Marek
This was definitely a deal that had to be done fo the Atlnta Braves and the Angels for that matter. The Braves got a solid young first basemen who will be under their control for the next few upcoming years and compliments their lineup well. Kotchman has some pop and will fit well with the Bravos. For the Angels I think it was an extreme necessity for them to add a bat. Teixeira will be a free agent after the season and I hope that the Angels plan on resigning him. But to slot him in front of Guerrero and Torii Hunter, that is a solid lineup to go with the best rotation in baseball. The Angels will have a lot of offseason issues to deal with, but you gotta love when a team puts it all on the line to win NOW.


The New York Yankees traded RP Kyle Farnsworth to the Detroit Tigers for C Ivan 'Pudge' Rodriguez
In a move that single-handily represents that the Yankees are back, they did exactly what they needed to do to win the division this year. Sure, Pudge doesn't have the power he use, but he can still hit for a solid .300 average and play a sturdy defense. Recently, the Yanks have obtained Pudge, Sexson, Marte, and Nady and were heavily rumored to go after Jarrod Washburn. Farnsworth has been better as of late and will help the end of the Tigers bullpen. I think this was a great deal for the Yanks to help replace Posada for the stretch run.


The Chicago White Sox traded P Nick Masset and infielder Danny Richar to the Cincinnati Reds for Ken Griffey Jr.
I love this deal for the fact that it puts Junior back in the pennant race in the American League. Other than that though, I am not quite sure how it will work out. Prior to the trade, Quentin was in LF, Swisher in CF, Dye in RF, Konerko at 1B, and Thome at DH. Where exactly does Junior fit in? There is talk that Swisher will move to 1B and Griffey will play in CF again. That leaves Konerko on the bench, who is their team leader and captain and was the key to the World Series win in 2005. Like I said, I am glad that Griffey is back playing meaningful games, but the whole idea of him back in Center is a question mark in itself.


3-Way Deal Special! The Los Angeles Dodgers received LF Manny Ramirez, The Boston Red Sox received LF Jason Bay, and the Pittsburgh Pirates received OF Branden Moss, P Craig Hansen, 3B Andy Laroche and another prospect
So ManRam (Manny Ramirez) does indeed get traded and it is to the Dodgers. Rumors were running wild that this 3 team trade would take place but involve Manny going to the Marlins instead of the Dodgers. The Red Sox were able to accomplish getting Manny out of the AL and to be able to get a very capable replacement in Jason Bay. Bay will be slotted right into where Manny was, Left Field and middle of the order and provide significantly less headaches. I am not really sure why the Pirates felt the need to deal Bay, they never seem to want to win and continue to be in rebuilding mode. They received some decent prospects in the deal who for the majority have Major League experience. Manny brings a BIG bat to the middle of the Dodger lineup and yet another Red Sox personality to the team who already have Derek Lowe and Nomar Garciaparra. ManRam will be in LF every game and that will mean that Andruw Jones, Juan Pierre, Andre Eithier, and Matt Kemp will fight for 2 spots in the remaining games. I think this was a great move for the Red Sox and Dodgers, but for the Pirates...not so much.


Don't forget deals can still be done through out August, players just have to clear waivers.

Trade Deadline Madness

As previously mentioned, the Trade Deadline in baseball will take place on Thursday, July 31, so let's take a look at some of the bigger names who are rumored to be out there on the market, and where they may land.

Mark Teixeira - Atlanta Braves - 1B
Teixeira has not been completely placed on the market according to the Braves, but with Florida, New York, and Philadelphia all in front of them in the standings it will be tough for the Braves to pass three teams. 6.5 games is still a doable deficit in the division but unless Atlanta plans on resigning him, why shouldn't they trade him? The three teams that come to mind right away are the Angels, Diamondbacks, and the Red Sox. I think the most logical choice would be the D'Backs. They have the pitching and the young talent to make the deal. In a weak West, the Diamondbacks need some pop in their lineup and Teixeira would be the ideal choice.

Adam Dunn & Ken Griffey Jr. - Cincinnati Reds - OF
In the annual rumors of Dunn and Griffey being moved to a contender, once again I think that neither of them will be moved anywhere. I did once believe that Junior would be moved to Seattle for a final farewell tour, but once the Mariners season went south, I do not see either outfielder being moved.

Greg Maddux - San Diego Padres - SP
Maddux is 3-8 this year with a 4.18 ERA, but still may be of some value to teams looking for a veteran Starter with Cy Young credentials! Maddux has been rumored to say that he would only accept a trade to a National League team, preferably on the West Coast. I am sure Mr. Maddux would have been ok with a trade to the Cubs, Braves, or Brewers (where his brother is pitching coach), however for one reason or another all of those teams do not necessarily need him. The only logical scenario I can see is that if the Dodgers feel the need to re-aquire Maddux.

Brian Fuentes - Colorado Rockies - RP
The most coveted reliever on the market has been rumored to multiple teams including the Marlins, Mets, Phillies, Cardinals, Red Sox, White Sox etc. etc. The Rockies current asking price may be to high, but I guess it all depends on what exactly the team who receives plans on doing with him. Some teams are looking for a closer, some are looking for a set-up guy, and others are just looking for another left-handed arm in the 'pen. Early word was that the Marlins would look at Fuentes, but may be balking at the asking price. The word now is that the Cardinals are the front-runners.

A.J. Burnett - Toronto Blue Jays - SP
Burnett is one of the most interesting names on the market, talk about a hit or miss player. At times Burnett looks like a dominating pitcher, but typically in his next start he gets lit up for 6 runs in 5 innings. Burnett also has the interesting contract situation. He can either opt-out after this season or stay in the contract for another 2 season. So the catch-22 is that if you land Burnett and he pitches well, he leaves, if he is awful than you are stuck for 2 more seasons. My guess is that no one takes a flier on Mr. Burnett.

George Sherrill - Baltimore Orioles - RP
Sherrill is the 2nd most popular reliever on the market behind Fuentes, who is having an All-Star season as a closer for the O's. The latest word is that the Orioles are intent on keeping him. My question is why? With Chris Ray on his way back, who did an excellent job as closer for the O's, why not trade Sherrill while his stock is very high? I predict that Sherrill does indeed get moved, but to where? Not quite sure...

Other names rumored to be moved, but not very likely at all are Roy Halladay, Matt Holliday, Roy Oswalt, and Erik Bedard.

Stay Tuned!

EDIT: Thanks to PJ, and I do apologize for not updating this faster. But in a report in the New York Post, Manny Ramirez' days with the BoSox appear to be over again. Manny has said that he would not object trade (Manny is a 10-5 player therefore giving him a no trade clause) to another team. The big rumor in the Post, was that the Phillies would be the ideal fit, because of the history Manager Charlie Manuel and ManRam have previously.