The name says it all. With all the transactions in the HRBL, sometimes we don't get to look at every trade. This page will examine each deal to see why each team might have made the deal and what the gains and losses are.
8/13/2001
Trade: St. Louis receives PFA P Ugueth Urbina. Cleveland receives PFA LF/3B Phil Nevin and 1B Brad Hawpe.
Last season, the Cardinals seemed to be well on their way to staging an upset of the Diamondbacks in the playoffs, when the bullpen imploded, costing the Cardinals any chance at finishing off the Diamondbacks died in the bullpen. There seems to be no better way to fix this problem than adding 2008 AL Rolaids Reliever of the Year Ugueth Urbina. To acquire Urbina, the Cardinals sent Nevin, who has been a solid offensive presence the last few seasons, but has been replaced in the lineup by Lyle Overbay and on the roster by OF Terrence Long, who was acquired in a minor deal with Minnesota. Also, the Indians added Brad Hawpe who looks to be a solid first base prospect in the Mark Grace mold. Considering that Urbina was not going to be around for the next Cleveland run at the playoffs, this was a smart deal for the Indians, but this deal fills a huge hole for the Cardinals. Winner - St. Louis
Trade: Arizona receives LF Clint Johnston and PFA 2B Victor Rodriguez. Tampa Bay receives PFA P Curt Schilling, PFA Rich Aurilia and Arizona's second round Free Agent draft pick.
The defending champions are not standing pat by any means. This is the best time to trade away Curt Schilling, as he is 40, a PFA and is in what is almost certainly his last season. Johnston is a big improvement at first base over Shoemaker and is really the entire deal. Schilling is still one of the 20 best pitchers in the league and when combined with the newly arrived Hermansen and Matt Harrington, who is becoming one of the best young arms in the game, the Devil Rays have the best rotation in the American League, though for only a season. Aurilia is a solid acquisition as well, since he could play one of the infield positions if Mike Young does not improve at the plate this season. Winner - Tampa Bay
Trade: Oakland receives P Bobby Jones. Baltimore receives PFA 3B Chipper Jones and a conditional draft pick in the Free Agent draft.
An early favorite for rip-off of the season. Chipper Jones is one of the best third baseman in the HRBL. Bobby Jones is a third or fourth starter at best in this league. To think that Oakland would have to send a draft choice along with Chipper Jones for Bobby Jones is going to set the Athletics back a bit. While Dave Kelton is a more than adequate replacement at third base, the Athletics are in a division with the toughest regular season team in the HRBL and under those conditions, you have to make every deal count. Winner - Baltimore
Trade: Texas receives P Jaret Wright, PFA SS Mike Caruso and Oakland's second round Amateur draft choice in 2009. San Francisco receives PFA P Beau Hale, P Chad Cordero, 1B Justin Morneau and Texas's first round Amateur draft choice in 2009.
Obviously, Texas thinks that this is the occasional year that the Mariners are weak, which might be the assumption that I would make if I saw my biggest competitor trade away their two ace pitchers. Caruso is one of the best infielders in the league and Wright is a very good starting pitcher. Still, the Rangers ended up giving away way too much talent to acquire these two players. Beau Hale is a young number one type starter, who is a wash for Jaret Wright. To give up the next great relief pitcher, a good first base prospect in Morneau AND a first round Amateur draft choice for Caruso, who is a PFA makes no sense what so ever. Getting back a second round draft choice does not really soften the blow of this deal. If Texas doesn't win it all this year, this will go down as an absolutely horrible deal for the Ranger franchise. Winner - San Francisco
Trade: St. Louis receives PFA P Craig House. Arizona receives RF Ruben Sierra and the New York Yankees' first round Amatuer draft choice in 2010.
This deal is an overreaction to the hole in the Cardinals bullpen. Ruben Sierra looks like he should be a quality outfielder who will get a good amount of playing time in Arizona this season and while the Yankees are known for having end of the round draft picks, this season may lead to an earlier draft choice than would normally be expected. Craig House was one of the very best relievers in the National League last season and it looks like the Cardinals are prepared with a deep bullpen to avoid the collapses of years past. Winner - Arizona
Trade: Tampa Bay receives 1B John Gall. Seattle receives Tampa Bay's first round Amateur draft choice in 2009.
He who forgets history is doomed to repeat it. By trading away John Gall, the Mariners are showing that they have learned nothing from seasons past. John Gall was the only legitimate bench player who isn't a rookie for the Mariners this season. A thin bench has always been a problem for the Mariners, especially come playoff time when invariably one of the Mariner regulars is injured, leaving a gaping hole in their lineup, which partially explains the Mariners absence from the World Series since 2001. The Devil Rays, knowing that Schilling is a rental did the right things by moving a first round draft choice to acquire a big bat like John Gall to replace Clint Johnston. The Devil Rays could go far this season. Winner - Tampa Bay
Trade: San Francisco receives P Justin Wayne and OF Gabe Gross. Atlanta receives Ps Mike Hampton and Danny Patterson. If Patterson retires, Atlanta also receives San Francisco's first round Free Agent draft choice in 2009.
Atlanta is a team that is going to make one last run at glory. Wayne and Gross were the last two trade chips that the Braves had to get veterans to make a big push this season. Wayne is an excellent starter and equal to Hampton in terms of their respective abilities to push you towards the pennant. Patterson has been the best relief pitcher in the league for many years now, but he is nearing the end of the road. Gross and Wayne add to the young talent base of the Giants, which is rapidly becoming the best in the entire HRBL. Winner - San Francisco
8/3/2001
Trade: St. Louis receives PFA P Adrian Hernandez. New York Mets receive PFA P Bartolo Colon
Nothing like opening up the trading season of 2009 with a blockbuster trade involving two aces. Hernandez is returning to the Cardinals, after being sent to the Mets last season with the 20th pick in the 2008 Amatuer Draft for the 3rd pick in the 2008 draft and C Josh Phelps. Hernandez after a slow start put together a great season last year finishing second in the Cy Young award race. Hernandez at age 27 will lead a rotation that features youngsters Nick Neugebauer, Christian Parra and Dewon Brazleton that will be one of the best in the National League. Colon, the 2004 Cy Young Award winner, also had a fine season in 2008 split between Baltimore and New York, finishing fourth in the NL Cy Young Award voting. He will lead an older rotation in New York that has propelled the Mets into the playoffs the last two seasons. One of those rare deals that makes sense for both sides dealing star talent. Winner: St. Louis (By the slimmest of margins)
Trade: New York Yankees receive PFA 3B Troy Glaus and PFA P Alan Benes. New York Mets receive PFA 3B Paul Konerko, PFA P Matt Anderson and Texas's second round Free Agent Draft choice in 2008.
Essentially this deal boils down to a two for two swap involving a pitcher and a third baseman. The Yankees, trying to rebuild after losing three fifths of their starting rotation to retirement add a quality starting pitcher in Alan Benes, who fills a gaping hole and Troy Glaus, who is one of the best third basemen in the league, though he was injury prone last season. Still, Glaus is an excellent middle of the order hitter for any team including the Yankees. The Mets, on the other hand get younger, with Konerko being only 31, but he is not nearly the hitter that Glaus is. Anderson is another good choice for a team's closer, but losing Benes opens a hole in the Mets rotation, while losing Anderson allows Santos to become the new closer for the Yankees. Every year we write the Yankees off, saying that this is the year that they will collapse and every year management finds a way to get one more year out of them. Deals like this the reason for that. Winner: New York Yankees
Trade: Atlanta receives PFA P Carl Pavano and PFA P Kasuhiro Sasaki. Seattle receives P Mark Prior, PFA P Mark Roskowski and Atlanta's first round Free Agent Draft choice in 2008.
I doubt we've ever seen this many ace pitchers move within one week's time, with the two above and a deal for Hermansen still waiting to be discussed. It appears that Mariner's management is smarting from being swept by the wild card Orioles in the first round of the playoffs. Dealing away Pavano under most circumstances would not normally make sense, since it is impossible to replace the best starting pitcher in the HRBL, but this deal has some merit. First, Pavano is a PFA and Seattle is loaded to the gills in PFAs. Second, Pavano is not quite as dominant as he was in Montreal, but is still good for 20 wins a year. Third, Prior is supposed to be the best young pitcher coming out of last year's amateur draft. Prior didn't exactly show any kind of polish coming out of the draft, though he was a good deal better than Colt Griffin of the Mariners, he was a good deal worse than Dewon Brazleton of the Cardinals. Roskowski is the other key piece of this deal, though last year was his worst in the HRBL getting lit up like a Christmas tree in August and to a certain extent September. Sasaki is also a very effective relief pitcher who the Mariners also used in the rotation last season. If Atlanta can keep Pedro Martinez healthy and finish in the upper half of offensive production this season, they should have no problems returning to being the elite team in the NL East. Seattle, on the other hand, is very vulnerable to a good charge from the Rangers this season and may have traded away too much veteran talent. Winner: Atlanta
Trade: Arizona receives PFA OF Randy Winn, PFA P Jason Isringhausen and P Mike Jerzembeck. Los Angeles receives PFA OF George Lombard and PFA P Billy Wagner.
Quite a large number of challenge trades early on this season. The defending champions are not standing pat, dealing away Lombard for for former Diamondback Winn. Both of these players have extremely similar skill sets and will most likely be the leadoff hitters for their new teams. Wagner has developed into a top flight closer after being a decent reliever for a number of years. Perhaps Wagner will revert to pumpkin status once he leaves Arizona. Replacing him in the bullpen is Jason Isringhausen, who is a relief pitcher similiar to Wagner when he first arrived in Arizona a few seasons back. Jerzembeck is a solid pitcher that can fill out many staffs around the league. Winner: Arizona
Trade: Tampa Bay receives PFA P Dustin Hermansen. Seattle receives SS Michael Garciaparra and a conditional first round Free Agent draft choice.
If there was one team that needed a pitcher like Dustin Hermansen, it was the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Having Harrington and Hermansen anchor their rotation maybe enough to get the Devil Rays their first playoff appearance. Personally, I think this is going to be the year that the guard changes for the next decade. New powerhouse teams are emerging, such as the Cardinals, Devil Rays and Twins, while traditional powerhouses like the Yankees and Diamondbacks are starting to slip back towards the pack. The Mariners appear to be losing ground in the present, but are stronger in the future with this deal, since Garciaparra is likened to a young Mike Caruso. Still, this is the best deal that the Devil Rays have ever made for their playoff hopes. Winner: Tampa Bay
Trade: Houston receives P Joe Nathan. New York Mets receive San Francisco's first round Amateur draft choice in 2009 and Houston's second round Free Agent draft choice in 2009.
The Mets are rapidly seeing how fast they can dismantle a rotation, which appears to be about two weeks, since they have added one starter and lost three. Trading away Nathan for so much is quite the coup, especially considering that Garciaparra was the 18th pick in the 2008 Amateur Draft and that he was able to fetch Hermansen, who is a far better pitcher than Nathan. Nathan is a solid middle of the rotation starter, but he's 30 and the Astros need to draft some young players to get their moribund franchise going in the right direction again. Winner: New York Mets
Trade: Texas receives PFA C Mike Tonis. New York Mets receive PFA P Garrett Stephenson and SS Joe Funaro.
Wow, what a horrible deal for Texas. Giving up an above average
starting pitcher and a shortstop that will start for the Mets and could
start for most teams in the league for a mediocre PFA catcher is a horrible
decision. If one stops to consider Texas's woeful lack of depth,
this makes this deal even worse. The Mets will be able to get similar
production from Ben Davis and bolster a depleted rotation and add a much
better shortstop than Renteria. Every year a very deserving National
League team does not make the playoffs, while can anyone remember the last
deserving American League team didn't make the playoffs. Winner:
New York Mets
6/8/2001
Trade: Atlanta receives PFA SS Elrod Gonzalez. Baltimore receives PFA 2B Steven Heredia and a conditional second round Amateur Draft choice.
Well, I can't tell you what's conditional about the pick or what year it's in, so I guess we'll just have to look at Gonzalez and Heredia. Gonzalez is young, but is already looking like a major bust. He's yet to hit in the HRBL and this is his third season in the Majors. He's not my idea of a regular starter, but he seems to have lucked into the larger half of a second base platoon in Atlanta. Heredia, who has since been dealt again, is older than Gonzalez, but a steadier performer who is off to hot start to this campaign. Winner: Baltimore
Trade: New York Yankees receive PFA 1B Damon Minor and PFA C Adam Mulhuse. Arizona receives 2B Carlos Hernandez and PFA C Paresh Patel.
Swapping four minor PFA players is no more exciting that swapping two. Winner: Arizona
Trade: St. Louis receives PFA P Alan Embree. Arizona receives PFA P Mike Grace.
PFA for PFA swap. Winner: Arizona
Trade: Kansas City receives PFA P Paul Abbott. Arizona receives P Joey Hamilton and Kansas City's second round Amateur Draft choice in 2009.
Well, Hamilton's days as a useful pitcher are long passed, though that doesn't mean team after team doesn't keep plugging him into bullpens and rotations hoping for a few more decent outings. Abbott is a solid pitcher, but by no means a very good pitcher. The pick that Arizona has obtained most likely has more value than Hamilton and Abbott combined. Winner: Arizona.
Trade: New York Mets receive DLed PFA SS Hiram Bocachia. New York Yankees receive St. Louis's first round Amateur draft choice in 2008 and the New York Mets' Free Agent draft choice in 2011.
This seems like an awful lot to give up for a PFA infielder, whose stats have not lived up to his bat. The Yankees come away with a very good deal for them, dealing away an extra infielder, who most likely would have walked at season's end, for another desperately needed kid and a future pick that could be anywhere in the draft, since 2010 is later rather than sooner. If Bocachia helps the Mets get into the playoffs again, this isn't a horrible deal for the Mets. Winner: Yankees
Trade: New York Yankees receive SS Derek Jeter. Philadelphia receives St. Louis's first round Amatuer draft choice in 2008 and P Ben Sheets.
If you thought the Mets looked bad a minute ago, they look ten times worse now. The Yankees were able to get a better, non-PFA shortstop in Derek Jeter and non-prospect in Sheets. Now, some of you may be thinking that Ben Sheets won the gold medal game in the Olympics, how could he be a bad prospect. Or he throws hard with reasonably good command, how could he not be a prospect. Well, he doesn't have great stuff and great stuff is more important than good velocity. As his numbers indicate, HRBL hitters are blasting his changeup. The Yankees pull off an excellent set of deals. Winner: Yankees
Trade: St. Louis receives P Eric Milton. Philadelphia receives CF Wilmy Tavares.
Milton has been one of the better starters in HRBL history, being a consistant winner in Philadelphia, even though he is off to an atrocious start this season. Tavares looks to be a solid center field prospect with above average speed and the potential for a decent bat. Still, starting pitchers with Milton's records are hard to come by. Winner: St. Louis.
Trade: Philadelphia receives PFA LF Aaron Guiel. New York Mets receive CF Jeffery Hammonds.
Only late last season, Aaron Guiel was being dealt for Michael Tucker and Manny Ramirez. Now, he's being dealt for Jeffery Hammonds. That's some very exclusive company for a man with his mediocre to poor track record. Hammonds on the other hand, is a dynamic OF bat for the Mets, who need all the offense they can get, especially with ace Joel Piniero on the DL. Winner: Mets
Trade: Seattle receives PFA 3B Scott Rolen. Philadelphia receives 3B Scott Hodges, Seattle's first round Amateur draft choices in 2008 and 2009.
Rolen is one of the best offensive players in the league and he plays
a tough position to get quality offense at. That is what justifies
giving up a top of the line 3B prospect in Hodges, as well as two first
round Amateur draft choices. It appears that the Phillies are giving
their all to their rebuilding effort and trading Rolen will go a long way
in helping them. Winner: Philadelphia.