Hey all, basebalguru is back with your trade reviews! Here we go:
The New York Tough Guys and the Minnesota Skeeters kicked off season 26 in World Camp with a blockbuster of a deal. The Tough Guys got all around 3B Butch Reliaford. He is coming off a stellar season with 43HRs and driving in 120RBIs. He also hit a career best 312 and had an OPS of 912. The Tough Guys are hoping he had duplicate those numbers. The Skeeters got SP Alex Astacio. Astacio has had some bad luck with wins and losses as hes only 3gms over 500 in his career but hes got about 50more innings pitched in his career then hits allowed and his ERA is at a very respectable 3.36. The Skeeters also got 3B slick fielding and swift base running Tripp Heiserman. Heisermans range has diminished as hes getting older but anything he gets to he should make the play with an above average glove for 3B. The Tough Guys are banking Reliford keeps up what he did last season. I dont think he does. This deal favors the Skeeters but not by much.
The San Franciso Fish Tacos cut a deal with new ownership, the Houston Dessert Sluggers. The Fish Tacos needed an upgrade at SS defensively and they got Keith Beliz. His range is off the charts and his glove is a little below par but he can get the job done. He wont hit much but hes not their to hit, hes their to field. In Houstons first move of the franchise they got long relief pitcher Allan Wheeler and prospect starting pitcher Tony Lee. If Tony Lee can help out on the big league squad then Houstons first deal of their franchise is a winner.
Cheyenne Cherokees made a deal with another new franchise in Camp this season with the Arizona wranglers. The Cherokees got SS John Dong. Dong is a power hitting SS who should probably play 3B as he is a liability defensively as a SS. He has gold glove potential at 3B but if he is used as a SS expect a lot of errors as hes below par for every defensive rating for a SS. Arizona got prospect C RJ Paredes. This boy can hit but he should never see the major leagues as a catcher. hes more suited for the AL as a DH or play 1B where he cant hurt defensively as much as he can hurt a team behind the dish. Arizona also got future SP Max Flores. Flores has all the tools to be a number 2 or 3 starter at the ML level. Hes only 20 and still has a few years to develop properly if allowed to and not rushed to the bigs to quick, like a lot of new owners like to do. He should have pinpoint accuracy when all said and done and will have legit ML fastball. The Wranglers also got closer Tomas Andino. He probably wont develop much more as hes has been in the minors for 4yrs. Hes got 1 of the best knuckleballs you will ever see and on top of that he throws it with such velocity it makes hitters off balance. He also has above average control of it which is the hardest pitch to control. Alot of people have had some issues with the wiley vet getting over on some of the new blood in the world but honestly, Arizona wins this deal. Dong is consistant and will hit arond 30hrs and drive in close to 100rbis but his defensive skills for a SS are really bad and he will also strikeout consistantly more then he drives in runs. for a guy to hit close to 30HRs and have a career OPS of just at 800 is not that great to be honest. If the prospects Arizona got pan out the proper way this was a steal for them. Paredes is a better all around hitter then Dong. Flores should be a middle of the rotation guy for many years. Andino is a run of the mill relief pitcher, nothing special. Flores and paredes can be special.
Syracuse Orange iguanas and previously owned Helena which has moved their franchise to the great aloha state, capital Honolulu Fighting Pineapples have made a deal. Syracuse got two prospects from Honolulu in exchange for 3B kaito Zhang. The Fighting Pineapples stockpiled talent last season. Zhang is gold glove caliber at 3B. His glove and arm are above average and his range right where it needs to be. Syracuse recieved SS Bill Weston. He probably wont play much SS at the big league level as hes projected to beunder par defensively for a SS at all of the key ratings. Syracuse also got 2B Greg Boehringer. Boehringer was in a lose lose situation with Honolulu as they have so much talent at 2B with players at the ML level and the minor league levels all made it a logjam at that position for them, it made someone expendable. Boehringer should project to be a really good all around hitter and is capable of playing 2B at the ML level. I would say the Fighting Pineapples got the better of this deal as both prospects wont be better then Zhang and honestly weston, I feel is way overated and they didnt have to give up any of their top of the line prospects to recieve Zhang.
Cheyenne cut a deal with the Fish Tacos of San fran. Cheyenne got speedy CF Red Hill. Hill can play multiple positions but is mainly a CF. He might be the fastest player in the world. rumor has it that he can shut off a light switch and be out of the room before the light goes out, thats how fast this guy is. If the Cherokees unleash his speed, hes capable of swiping 90+ and possibly hit the 100 mark. He needs to get on base more as hes a career 275hitter but his OBP is a little low as its a career 321. The Fish Tacos got the future ace in Bob Kaufman. The sky is the limit for this kid. The only flaw, and this is nitpicking at the very least, he wont give you many CGs as his stamina will get you 6-7 great innings day in and day out. Hes not built to finish games. Kaufman has alot of developing still as hes only 19 but his fastball and velocity are off the charts. He has a great changeup and curveball as a second and third option if the 95+ fastball isnt working that day. The Fish Tacos front office must think their a bunch of theives as they stole kaufman right under the Cherokees noses. Cheyenne must have been desperate to get a leadoff CF. The only way this deal can be justified for the cherokees is if Hill gets his OBP up to around 335 and he gets nothing short of 80SBs. pitching is a premium and the Fish Tacos clearly win this deal by a landslide.
Persistance pays off. After a lot of controversy, the Arizona Wranglers finally found a new home for Bruce Dunwoody, with the Cleveland Criminals. This one was a blockbuster folks, they also sent relief pitcher Ismael Ethier with Dunwoody to Cleveland. Dunwoody is an absolute hitting beast. He might be the best power hitter in the world. His tape measure shots are measured by NASA. He should easily contend for MVP year in and year out. Ethier is no slouch by any means. He recorded 147innings pitched last season as a relief pitcher. Hes one of the few relief pitchers who can take the ball and pitch in 90 to 100 games. Guys like him just dont come around that much. Obviously Cleveland had to give up something to acquire guys like Dunwoody and Ethier. The Wranglers got middle infielder Tris Grudzielanek, hes an all around slick fielder and an all around complete package hitter. He can hit lefties and righties equally well. He has an eye that can rank him in the top 10 in walks consistantly every yr. He should be in the league leaders in OBP when hes fully developed. He doesnt have elite speed but hes got enough speed and base running prowess to swipe 20-25SBs if allowed. Very smart baserunner. Cleveland also sent LF Jack Uribe to Arizona. Uribe might be better off as a 1B or DH as the guy just is a complete liability on defense. He wouldnt know what a glove was if u slapped him in the face with one, but lets face it, hes not there to play defense. The bat is all around ready right now to play in the bigs. He should get a little more time to develop his craft of hitting as i wouldnt rush him anywhere. He can hit righties and lefties equally well. He can easily swipe 50+ bases in his sleep and hes capable of possibly driving in over 100RBIs a year and hit 30+ HRs a year. This guy can contribute in a lineup like very few can with his versatility of power, contact, and speed. he can bat leadoff or he can bat cleanup. If ya got a lineup with a lot of depth in it, he can help it out by batting in the lower part of the lineup. The Wranglers also got 2B Bill Ott. With an OBP of a whopping 350 career, this guy is the prototypical leadoff guy. He has a little pop in his bat, he can hit ya around 15 dingers a year. He also can get 20 to 25 stolen bases a year. He has great range in the field but hes below average glove and arm for any infielder, and outfielder for that matter. I think Cleveland wins this deal convincingly. Arizona should have found away to acquire some sort of pitching of any sort as pitching is the premium in any world and to deal MVP caliber player like dunwoody, you got to find away to get a young ml pitcher ready now or get a top pitching prospect. I think the Wranglers got the best deal they possibly could have got considering they are a new and up and coming franchise, they decided to make a deal with a veteran front office and the Criminals front office took advantage of that by not dealing any pitching what so ever in this deal. Chalk this one up as a learning experience for the Arizona front office. The Criminals lived up to their namestake on this deal.
Cheyennes front office sure stays busy. this is their 3rd deal of the offseason and found the Charlotte Tobacco Growers as a dance partner. They got back of the rotation starting pitcher Lance miller. Miller is coming off elbow surgery and only started 8games last season. He is somewhat of an overachiever but Cheyenne is hoping he can return back to his normal form. Hes got a career ERA of 3.51 and a career OBP of 301. those are phenominal numbers. He is due over 10mil over the next 2years, which after coming off surgery thats a risk. This must have just been a cash dump for Charlotte as they just wanted to get rid of the damaged goods. They got prospect relief pitcher Don Suzuki. Suzuki has one of if not the best slider in the game. One problem is he cant really control it that well. Charlotte probably wasnt looking for much inreturn to get rid of millers contract. Suzuki might not ever see the big leagues. This deal is a high risk, high reward for Cheyenne and if Miller can return to form, they hit a homerun with this deal. They clearly win this one.
Written By: basebalguru
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