Yankees Get:
Eric Hinske: A very good bench bat, the Yankees did good to acquire another hitter who should help fill a little bit of the void left by Xavier Nady being done for the year. For the price, the Yankees did very well in this analyst's opinion.
Nationals Get:
Nyjer Morgan: a 27 year old OF, Morgan is having a strong season for the expectations that were set in front of him. Hitting mostly 2nd, Morgan is hitting .277-.351-.356 with 18 stolen bases, though he has been caught 10 times. He will immediately (hopefully) play centerfield and allow Elijah Dukes to move to a corner. Morgan is playing at his highest potential however. He is a slap hitter who will never provide a ton of power and I am somewhat wary of him continuing his production. He is a guy who wasn't part of the Pirates future and now moves to a team where he may be the starting CF for quite awhile (more because of their system then his talent).
Sean Burnett: A lefty reliever, Burnett has shown some potential this season with an ERA of 3.06. Burnett is just an extra arm and I don't understand why the Nats want him when 2 of their best relievers this season (Ron Villone and Joe Beimel) are also left handed. Might we be seeing a possible conversion to a starting pitcher?
Pirates Get:
From Yankees
Casey Erickson: Wish I could tell you something about him. Is a 23 year old pitching in Low-A and has appeared in 21 games (3 starts) and is 3-3 with a 2.25 ERA and 13 walks against 37 strikeouts in 44 innings.
Eric Fryer: A 23 year old who is on his 3rd organization this season, he led the SAL in average last season but I never got to see him. In High A, he is .250-.333-.344 and is likely an OF, though there is some talk about catcher. He has good speed, as he has stolen 11 of 16 bases.
From Nationals:
Lastings Milledge: The enigmatic 24 year old has struggled at AAA this season (.253-.277-.316), but is a good risk. The youngster has 5 tool potential and now that he has a change of scenery, he may be ready to break out. I am not sure if he will start in the majors with the Pirates, but I would start him there ahead of recent call-up Garrett Jones (who I saw in Rochester 2 years ago and is just a place holder at best. Solid above average power, but can't hit off-speed stuff inside and changeups give him some trouble). The Pirates need to talk to him and tell him this is his last chance and to work your butt off and we will reward you with major league playing time. If you work.
Joel Hanrahan: Yes, he has struggled, but there is no denying his stuff. This should help him and he just needs to find a way to bring back his old slider.
Analysis:
Yankees: Get a bench bat for a couple mid level prospects. Good deal and Hinske is a tough out hitter who will make pitchers work.
Nationals: I really like Mike Rizzo, but I fail to understand this deal. He got back a MLB outfielder (which they don't really need) and a reliever and gave up a younger OF who has more tools and a reliever who has better stuff then the one they got back. This deal could really come back and bite them if Milledge turns it around.
Pirates: They got as much as they could have for Hinske. I will be surprised if either makes the majors, but at least they continue to stockpile the previously depleted system with some talent and I haven't seen either play, so maybe they are diamonds in the rough. Meanwhile, I really like their package for Morgan/Burnett. Milledge has the chance to be a special talent and will now be allowed to play (corner outfield) and hit (between 5th and 7th), which is where he is a better fit as opposed to CF and leadoff. Hanrahan still has the stuff to be good and I think he will really pitch well in Pittsburgh. If not, it cost them two pieces who weren't in their future anyways.
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8 years ago
My general reaction is "ho-hum". Just rearranging the deck chairs. The Pirates have no use for Hinske, so having him move on is good - and the Yankees pick up a cheap spare part.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the Nationals moves are mystifying. The player with the most postential of the four, IMO, is Hanrahan. I suspect the Nats got sick of Milledge, so maybe addition by subtraction.
I like this deal quite a bit for Pittsburgh (the Milledge one). Morgan won't ever be better than he is right now. Even if Milledge doesn't even pan out, they didn't give up much to take the risk.
ReplyDeleteI also have no idea what Washington was thinking here. It's one thing to give up on Milledge, but it's another not to get younger player(s) with a future in your organization.
I thought the addition by subtraction would have been the option to Syracuse. But, I do agree that he may have painted the Nats into a corner with his #'s at AAA.
ReplyDeleteYea, no young players back for Washington when they clearly are the ones taking the risks with the players they are giving up. Why not take a chance on a hitter like a Miles Durham or some other type of throw in? A guy in A ball or AA should be a throw in that wouldn't blow a deal up.
I also am a big Hanrahan fan, but boy has his slider flattened out. But, you can't teach his velocity.