Instant (not really) trade analysis: Adam Dunn to the Diamondbacks
JE, you got your wish! That the Diamondbacks claimed Dunn and got him in a trade, for what looks like very little, means that someone out there appreciates the trade-off of homers and walks for strikeouts. We'll never know if the Mets would've claimed him, since the Diamondbacks have a worse record and therefore had priority over the Mets.
Although, unless Dunn can pitch out of the bullpen, the Mets have greater problems right now. Yeesh.
The Diamondbacks clearly had a need for a bat, and Dunn fills that need. Arizona would be in second place in the NL West right now if not for Jonathan Broxton, the Dodgers' fill-in closer, who blew ninth-inning leads over the Giants Saturday and Sunday.
So let's see how Dunn does in his first bona fide pennant race, if he makes the J.P. Ricciardis of the world look smart or proves them wrong. And we'll see, this winter, what kind of deal Dunn gets on the open market.
As for the Reds, they save money, and that's probably as good as it'll get for them.
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Comments (6)
Joe Nathan donated $500,000 today to Stony Brook Univ., our mutual alma mater. Some of it will be used to construct a new field for the D-I team there. His coach, who I have known since we went to high school together and the Stony Brook AD were in MN for the announcement. Nice to see Nathan giving back a significant chuck of change to help a program that helped him make the big time. Nathan is one of the good guys in baseball today. So as much as some people want to portray players as greedy, many are extremely generous.
Hey, longtime reader, even longer-time no commenter!
Have I ever told you how much I love your use of "Yeesh!" and Good Lord?"
You are a genius! And so was the guy who inspired you to use those exquisite phrases!!!!!!!
Excellent call, also, on Pudge not doing anything for Yankees chemistry.
And your comments on Girardi? Freaking brilliant! Lupica wrote how he has been so great for the Yankees this year, but you accurately point out that now is he real time to judge him.
Yes!
And the verdict will be, to quote the late great Red Foley:
NOT GOOD!
Nah, think Girardi's probably gotten as much as he could hope to out of the pitching staff until the last week or so. Maybe facing better competition and having to play some road games (which the Yanks didn't have many of in June or July) finally told.
Offense has been an issue for most of the year, but even that hasn't been something he or Kevin Long could do a huge amount with. Some older players, injuries, bad contracts from the 2000-2005 era, or a combination of all three have all but done them in. Truth is, Girardi's actually promoted some more aggressive and Angel-style baseball (I hope that phrase doesn't become in vogue like Moneyball!) and it's worked a few times this year. But the Yanks do not have the team to fully implement that right now; maybe they will come the end of the winter.
Actually, I'd look to upgrade speed and defense (especially on the infield) before signing a power hitter. Exception is centerfield, where they do need to upgrade on Melky, who probably has reached the best he can be (sort of like Endy Chavez on the Mets).
M-Crash, I think the managers primary role is how he handles the clubhouse and his pitchers. With the Yanks though, the pitchers roles are defined so its more the clubhouse.
Especially for veteran teams like the Yanks. I'm not sure I can say Girardi is the best manager in the history of the world for Mussina's resurgance, just like I cant blame him for Hughes and Kennedy. And I dont think he's the reason A-Rod and Jeter are having down years.
But I think Girardi has done a really good job with the clubhouse. The guys seem to be playing pretty hard and honestly, with all those injuries I cant believe they have the record they have. They still believe in themselves and I thik Girardi should get high marks for it.
Thanks, Ken. If the Mets do not play baseball in October but Arizona wins the NL West, I will gladly re-root for the D-Backs.
Guys, I know that we have had conversations, scream sessions, and late-night cuddles on the issue of relief pitching. Maybe we're thinking too way too much about the topic?
Please click on this link if you have a moment:
http://productiveouts.blogspot.com/2008/08/reliever-performance-is-volatile.html
Don't worry: this excellent post is not all about statistics. In discussing the Mets' current woes (of course, the Yankees have their own issues), "Judge Roughneck" discusses the predictability of most relief pitchers.
Here is a useful snippet:
"Therefore, it isn't really fair to expect relievers to be, well, as good as starting pitchers. They are going to have bad outings, bad months, sometimes bad seasons. Closer performance, especially among the elite members of that fraternity, tends to be consistent. Other than closers, you can probably count the number of consistently effective middle relievers in MLB on two hands. Those few relievers who can put together solid years over and over again throughout the course of their career generally "graduate" to closer status anyway."
What do you think?
By the way, Jim, thanks for reporting on the Joe Nathan donation. That was really classy of the guy. Even better that he earmarked (see, it's not always a dirty word) part of the check for the building of a new field. I hope that you are able to attend the presentation of the check to the school, assuming that there is one.
Thanks for the kind words, JE. I saw some unique hits from this page on the sitemeter from my blog and found your comment.