Welcome back, dear readers to the fourth season premiere of This Week In Trades! Prepare to be dazzled with fancy language filled with deep meaning like “Ok.” and “Sure.” as our team of crack experts dissects and disseminates each deal in devilishly delicious fashion. Gaze upon our words with awe and wonder and prepare for the feast that is once again TWIT!
The unstoppable and inevitable Chros returns for his fourth straight season as TWIT champ while last year’s newcomer Tuna attempts to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump as they slog their way through the murk and find the nuggets of nuttiness that lay hidden within. Once again, I, the lazy Cheese, has passed off my duties in evaluation to those more capable and better equipped to interact with actual human beings. But fear not, gentlereaders, this season is filled with all the drama one could wish for…and we haven’t even left the offseason yet! Enough of my B.S. and on with the show! Please make sure to give Tuna and Chros an extra big hand for reviewing every single trade this offseason. They are the real heroes and this doesn’t happen without their continued effort.
| NV | LF Mauro Jasso (AAA) | MON | SS Rio Mence (AAA) |
Mence is the type of player Davey loves. Jasso won’t ever become what I paid for, but has decent power potential and might be useful one day in the 3L.
Wake me up when September ends. AAA for AAA, this does nothing for me.
| BUF | SS Sergio Nunez (R) 2043 BUF 1st Round 2043 BUF 2nd Round 2043 BUF 3rd Round 2043 BUF 4th Round 2043 BUF 5th Round | NV | 3B Ryder Ringor (90%) |
Ringor is a game changer if he can stay healthy. His injuries have been freak accidents, and are not recurring in any one area. Even if he doesn’t, he should still outperform what Lazcano provided the past 2 years. I wouldn’t write him off against lefties – his ratings there are above average although his results have been mixed.. terrible last year, but very good the two years before that.
Poor Nunez, well maybe poor Chros. Paid that guy what 25 million to sign with him and all he did was get fat and happy. Davey loves players who are broken. I bet Davey would sign Kellen Winslow or Aaron Hernandez if he could. Just like my love for Roersman, I love Ringor. He has the flaw of not being able to hit LHP. I like this deal for Buffalo though.
| NO | 2043 NO 1st Round 2043 NO 2nd Round 2043 NO 3rd Round 2043 NO 4th Round 2043 NO 5th Round | CLE | CF Leon Castillo SP Buzzy Grossman (AAA) |
Castillo isn’t a true CFer, but you can get away with playing him there if he hits. He’s a good player and worth the late picks.
All of these picks for a corner OF who has a great Gap. I like Buzzy too for a good 4/5th Pitcher. I always say I hate the draft so I like this for both teams.
| MISS | LF Tural Bishara | MON | 2042 NASH 3rd Round |
Fair enough.
A 3rd round pick for a HR hitting corner OF. Why not.
| STL | Salary Relief | MON | 2042 MON 2nd Round 2042 MON 4th Round OF Michael Malloy (AAA) |
Ok.
Sure.
| LI | 2043 LI 3rd Round 2043 LI 4th Round 2043 LI 5th Round | PORT | SP Clarence Jones (100%) |
Jones has been god awful and I’m not sure why. With that said, LI didn’t give up much and I really like this for trade them, getting a young pitcher with solid ratings. Not sure why Portland was eager to move him.
Clarence Jones has a lot of pitches and I like that about him. He is a dick and that would cause me to stay away. A 3rd, 4th and 5th for him covered though is fine.
| ACKC | 2042 CHS 3rd Round 2043 CHS 5th Round $2,000,000 | PORT | SP Steve Gourin SS Karel van Capelle (AAA) |
This is the same deal as the one for Clarence Jones. Port discards a solid young SP for only a 3rd rounder, for some reason.
Unpopular or popular opinion…… I like this trade for ACKC. Not saying it does not work for Port but I really like it for ACKC.
| LI | 2043 LI 2nd Round | MISS | RF Iiri Haapajarvi (100%) |
Another nice deal for LI. Haap is young and looks very solid all around. Is everyone thinking LI is going to suck? Cause they’re getting a ton of value for these mediocre picks.
I like this for LI is what I started to write. Looking into it a little more I am not huge on Iiri but having him covered at 100% has to be worth a 2nd.
| PIT | OF Gerrie Bond | NO | DH Danny Trautman |
Trautman had a great year last year, but it looks like NO has a replacement DH in Seco. CF isn’t Bond’s best position but he’ll be ok there. Only question is if he’ll hit enough.
Bond is a good fielder how may hit a little. Trautman is good hitter who will not field at all. Trautman will be strong in the middle of the Pitts lineup. If I had to say someone won this trade…eh probably Tyler.
| PORT | 2042 POR 2nd Round Pick 2042 POR 3rd Round Pick 2042 CHS 3rd Round Pick 2042 CHS 5th Round Pick 2043 POR 2nd Round Pick 2043 POR 3rd Round Pick 2043 POR 4th Round Pick 2043 POR 5th Round Pick 2043 LI 3rd Round Pick 2043 LI 4th Round Pick 2043 LI 5th Round Pick | MON | $20,000,000 |
Dafuq?
Sure.
| NO | OF Dean Shamakani (AAA) | MISS | 2B Tony Calhoun |
This might be a steal for NO, I don’t know. Calhoun has really outperformed his ratings and is a potential gold glover. We’ll have to see if he can do it over a full season.
I like Tony and he likes me. Dean looks good and maybe Beau did not have a place for Tony.
| PORT | SP Luis Sastre (AAA) | COL | 2043 COL 4th Round |
This is fine.
Buck got a 4th round pick for a guy he might have cut. Good work. Colorado paid a 4th round pick for a guy who might make the rotation. Good work.
| MISS | 3B Richard Jost SP Zaki Fakhiri (75%) | PORT | 2043 PORT 1st Round 2043 COL 4th Round |
This seems fair. Jost is old and I guess throwing in Fakhiri was needed to secure a 1st in return.
I like this trade for both. I really like Fakhiri and Jost should do well in that lineup. I will be shocked if Beau still has that 1st round pick when its made.
| MON | CF Martin Talia 2043 PORT 2nd Round 2043 PORT 3rd Round | COL | Salary Relief |
This is fine.
According to Panda this only happened because of the Boston Tea party….. I like the dump he was able to make.
| MON | RF Alfredo Martinez Big Bag o’ Scams | TOL | RP Eugene Kinney (R) |
It’s only right that Alf retires in Toledo.
I feel so bad for Alf. The guy signs a contract thinking he can spread his wings….well he should have known better. He signed with Montana and they did not even let him get off the plane.
| STL | SP Jim Steel (A) OF Tokaji Mizuno (A) | MON | 2043 MON 1st Round |
I got scared reading Tuna’s comment and felt bad because I anticipated ripping this to shreds, but I actually like Mizuno a lot. Steel sucks, but Mizuno looks pretty good and might end up being better than what would be available in the draft.
I either love the draft when I comment or hate it when I comment. If the Draft is anything decent in 2043 (chances are it wont be) than Mon should hold onto this pick. Jim Steel was taken in the 5th round and looks like a 5th round prospect to my scout. Mizuno looks like he could be decent. So are these two worth a Mon 1st. Your guess is as good as mine.
| BOS | RF Bharti Mona (AAA) RP Pavle Simic (AAA) RP Adrik Muhalushkin (AA) | MON | 2043 MON 2nd Round 2043 LI 3rd Round |
I like this for the Pandas. Mona looks like a decent platoon bat with power, Simic appears to be a decent reliever.
A 2nd and a 3rd for some prospects. Sure why not.
| NV | RF Rob Brooks 2043 BUF 1st Round | PIT | SP Jason Starkey SP Paco Gomez (AA) 2043 PIT 3rd Round 2043 PIT 4th Round |
I don’t understand the fascination with Paco Gomez.
I was not a fan of the Starkey signing when it happened and he had a bad year in the 3L. I don’t think he will do better in the PL but NV probably just took him to help with money. I don’t really understand this deal but I am not sure I am supposed to understand it. Paco for being the #2 overall pick has crashed so hard…… I don’t understand anything.
| NV | 1B Rylen Roersma | MISS | 2043 MISS 1st Round 2043 MISS 2nd Round |
This is fine. I like Roersma. I wish I had more stuff to trade so that I could have gotten him along with Ringor.
I really like Roersma and thought about him during the night hours when its dark. Having said that he has a big flaw in hitting agianst LHP. Having said that I do think he is worth a 1st and a 2nd. Having said that I like this trade for both teams.
| ACKC | 3B Guillermo Alessandrini (AA) | COL | RP Butch Cummings |
Butch’s name is a few letters away from being highly inappropriate.
I think I am a Butch Cummings fan. Good deal for ACKC.
| PIT | RP Nolan Bullock (AAA) RP Waylon Fraser (AAA) | MON | 2043 PORT 4th Round |
Panda got a lot of value for a 4th rounder. Both RPs have good stuff and decent movement, but bad control. Might be useful in the 3L.
Late picks for AAA RPs. This tastes like a bland spaghetti dinner.
| LI | SP Aldo Raine | PIT | C Barend Huijbregts (AA) 3B Ramon Gabriel (AA) SP Jacob Sincalir (A) |
Raine has declined a lot and LI was wise to move on from him. My scout loves Gabriel and I think this is a steal for LI if he pans out.
I am with Chros on this. I would not have traded Gabriel for Raine straight up. LI making some good moves.
| ACKC | SS Noel Lancaster (AAA) CF Shoo-xin Quain (AAA) | MON | 2043 LI 4th Round |
Decent bench pieces.
See trade above for late picks for AAA players.
| HOL | 2043 HOL 1st Round | NV | 2B Mario Castillo |
Castillo has declined but is still worth the late 1st rounder. Seems fair enough.
Cheese is banking on Castillo from a couple of years ago. I feel Davey is getting the best of this deal by not only getting rid of that contract but getting a 1st as well. WIN.
| ACKC | SP Kullervo Hostikka (AAA) | BUC | 2043 BUC 2nd Round |
Sure. 2nd rounder for a 2nd round talent.
A second might be a bit much but this seems ok.
| BOS | $1 | MON | LF Tural Bishara |
Salary dump, Bishara is ded.
This was something that failed for Panda. He traded a 3rd to get Tural only to move him for $1. You don’t always hit them out of the park.
| NV | DH Scott Kerin | MON | DH DeMarvion Overshown |
Nice move by Panda to dump that bad contract. Overshown is not good. Kerin isn’t a great DH but will free up money for the Pandas after this season.
I am a Kerin fan so I like this deal for Panda. Kerin can get on base and besides last year, has shown he is good in the 3L.