Thursday, December 17, 2015

Hot Stove Update: Todd Frazier Traded to ChiSox, Dodgers Get In On Action

There was nothing terribly unusual about the Reds trading Todd Frazier for 3 prospects.  You pretty much knew they were going to do that this winter.  The odd part of this trade is the Dodgers trading 3 prospects for 3 prospects to make it a 3-way….well….apparently just for the sake of getting in on the action!  Here's a breakdown of who gets what:

White Sox get 3B Todd Frazier:  This moves Brett Lawrie to 2B and give the 'Sox another big bat.  It's not clear this moves the needle much in terms of contention for them, but it does appear to upgrade 2 positions.

Reds get 2B Jose Peraza, 3B/OF Brandon Dixon, OF Scott Schebler:  These players come from the Dodgers.  It's not clear why the Reds liked this group better than the 3 prospects who went to the Dodgers, but it's interesting they did, yet the Dodgers apparently liked the 3 ChiSox prospects better than this group.  Peraza is a speedy 2B with no power who came to the Dodgers in one of the trades with the Braves.  Dixon has shown some promise with the bat but has had trouble getting over the hump in AA.  Schebler has power and hit fairly well in a September callup with the Dodgers.

Dodgers get 2B Micah Johnson, OF Trayce Thompson, RHP Frankie Montas:  This ends up being essentially 3 separate straight up prospect-for-prospect trades for the Dodgers with 2B Peraza for 2B Johnson, OF Schebler for OF Thompson and RHP Montas for 3B/OF Dixon.  The first two appear to be washes.  I don't know much about Dixon but Montas is a hard thrower with some command issues who appears to be close to ready to pitch in a MLB bullpen.  The Montas for Dixon leg of the trade probably makes it a marginal win for LA.  Again, why on Earth did the Reds not just take the 3 kids from the White Sox and call it a trade?  And what on Earth are the Dodgers doing noodling around with marginal prospect trades like this when they still haven't come close to replacing Zack Greinke?

We'll give the White Sox a B on this one, the Dodgers a C+ and the Reds a C-.

11 comments:

  1. Trayce Thompson is the younger brother of GS warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson. There were rumors that the A's were going to trade for him.

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  2. LA Times suspected the trade was in part motivated by their lack of infielders and CFs (the guy they got in OF fills the latter). There was some suspicion that the pitcher acquisition gives them more ability to trade their front line pitching prospects to get a starter too.

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  3. The Reds apparently didn't want the almost ready pitcher (Montas)and the Dodgers did?
    Do they want Jay Bruce? 2 years left of control, fair amount of pop and hit well (for ave) at AT&T but not great in other NL West parks (6 hr's in AZ).
    Might be better if RH but could play well in RF and they are obviously looking for prospects, but not 3!

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    1. LF, not RF.
      2017 is club option so if Mac or JP get ready, could let him go.
      How about Chris Stratton?

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  4. The more moves this Dodger front office makes... I really hesitate to say this... But Dodger fans might be pining for the return of Special Agent Ned. Seriously. They appear to be building for a future 5 years out. Instead of blue chip contending. Wouldn't it be hilarious if Kershaw got sick of this and opts out? It makes no sense to me not to hang onto Todd Frasier, if you want to go traditional with the home runs or modern with the WAR scores, he makes your team better for 2 years on the cheap. Shiny prospects are fun and all, but when you have a core and you're competing, they are the currency to improve the 25, not bat the bunny around. I'd peg the Dodgers lower on that grade, and I don't understand what the Reds see in Peraza, I think their return is light as well.

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  5. My thoughts exactly DrB... I really couldn't have said it any better, especially from a Dodgers perspective. Yet there were a lot of baseball people online yesterday reporting this as a huge win for the Dodgers. I really don't see that. I also don't see how this deal helps them acquire someone like Jose Fernandez.

    For me, this deal feels very Billy Beane-esque from the Dodgers.

    Cove Chatter

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  6. I'd give the White Sox more like an A-. They didn't give up much for Frazier, who is a dramatic upgrade, and doesn't cost much from a salary perspective. Which gives them some more budget to work with to upgrade in the OF and in the rotation. That's a nice spot to be, because those markets are pretty full and they could get a couple nice bargains.

    Does that all work for them? We'll see. But they were an interesting team because they have some premium guys in Sale and Abreu along with some nice rotation pieces. Their problem was they had just terrible, replacement level production at a few spots that killed them. So I give them kudos for trying to win while you have those really good players vs trying to tear it down.

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    1. The reason for the B is I am not sure the ChiSox should be making this kind of trade at all. They have made poor decisions in the past that have left them in no-man's land as far as rebuilding vs going for it. Yes, they have a few nice pieces, but when you look up and down the roster, they are just not a deep team. They might be better off going for a full rebuild.

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  7. Off topic here, but I see Cueto gets his $5 M buyout even if he opts out after 2 years. The Giants are practically BEGGING him to opt out!!

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  8. Dr, I thought that as well when I saw that and it is actually pretty smart. They may pay a premium the first couple of years but in theory they are taking a lesser risk as someone else will be stuck with his older years. Look at it as basically a 2 year rental which will give the young guns some more time to develop. There is always the risk that he gets hurt but if he stays healthy,and two years is a much smaller window to stay healthy than 6, he will get a better deal elsewhere which may not be a bad thing for either. I read once where the Marlins had similar thoughts with Stanton's contract, the owner feels they won't have to pay him the full value of it as he will most likely opt out.

    The Giants have one of the smartest front offices in baseball IMO and it shows in the way they have rebuilt the minors, constructed the major league roster and managed their payroll. This truly is the Golden Era of Giants baseball

    Billy Baseball

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  9. This 2 yr rental also kept Cueto out of the Dodgers' hands.

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