Baseball Tri-Weekly: July 2016

Read more!

Trade Deadline Success Stories

The 2017 trade deadline is quickly approaching, but no one seems to mind. History has shown however that the right deadline deal can push a fringe team to a championship, so why is the league so quiet? Will there be another Cliff Lee traded this year that pushes a team over the top?

Trade Deadline Success Stories by Max Powers / Baseball Tri-Weekly

The 2017 season is shaping up to be one of the quietest years on record for trades. With only four completed trades since the off-season began, it is on pace to take over the record for least trades in one season, currently held by the 2011 (6 total trades). Only two actual players have been involved in any of the trades, and only one trade coming on a non-draft day. Yawn.

Let's take a look at the top three deadline deals made by the teams that ended up winning it all that same year:

3.) Las Vegas / Golden and Las Vegas / Tijuana - August 1, 2008

Las vegas receives: Rickey Nolasco, Bronson Arroyo

Gives up: 2009 1st Round MaDP, 2009 2nd Round MaDP

Sometimes its the small things that make a difference. These trades were far from blockbuster status. Bother players involved were far from aces, but they made the difference for the Doggs when it counted. Arroyo, sporting a 5.97 ERA int he first half of the year, turn it up a notch in the final three months putting up a 3.47 ERA with 70 extra strikeouts (26 of them during the EHCC playoffs). Nolasco similarly wasn't anything special in the first half of the year except for his double digit wins. He sported a 4.12 ERA in the first half, and brought forth a 3.29 ERA in the second, striking out 31 batters during the EHCC playoffs. Both pitchers notched two wins in the playoffs as well.  

Only Nolasco ended up being a keeper for the Doggs the following offseason, but the draft picks given up for both players turned into Kenshin Kawahami and Micah Owings respectively. Both pitchers went 7-12 in 2009, totaling 173 K's combined. Kawahami never pitched past the 2010 season. 

Ya, pretty sure the Doggs would make these trades again, especially to help sure up their 3rd championship. 

2.) Santo Domingo / Tijuana and Santo Domingo / Weymouth - August 1 and August 15, 2013

Santo Domingo receives: Ryan Zimmerman, Cliff Lee

Gives up: Allen Webster, Mike Zunino, Nick Castellanos, 2014 1st Round MaDP, 2014 2nd Round MiDP

This trade was only 3 years ago, so you'd think the players involved would still have a place in the EHCC today. Well, in this case you'd be wrong, but it doesn't mean the acquisitions at the time didn't help propel a team to victory in September. Lee was the real difference maker in this one, and he netted the biggest return (for Weymouth) at the deadline. The ace posted up a 2.85 K in the first half of the season, and followed it up with a 2.89 in the 2nd half, allowing only 8 runs during the EHCC playoffs in 39 innings pitched (1.84 ERA). Oh ya, and he tacked on 54 strikeouts during the playoffs as well en route to claiming semi-final round MVP honors against Tijuana and the raising the EHCC championship plaque after demolishing Las Vegas in the finals. 

Where are they now you ask? Zimmerman is currently sits as a free agent, though does have double digit home runs in the first half of 2016. Zunino, also a free agent, can't quite say the same. Webster remains without any MLB affiliation, and Castellanos - oh, he mans the hot corner for, you guessed it, the All-Star Factory after Shaddupu traded him back to Santo Domino prior to the start of the 2015 season along with their 3rd round MaDP (which turned into John Lackey) for nothing more than Santo Domingo's 1st round MaDP, which they turned into Trevor Rosenthal. Go figure. 

The draft picks turned into nothing more than Andrelton Simmons, one of the better defensive shortstops in baseball, and Domingo German, who hasn't made it past single EH-ball, and missed the entire 2015 season. Just proves that draft picks are only as valuable as the person using them. 

1.) Quebec City / Las Vegas - July 31, 2011

Quebec City received: Brandon Morrow (SP)
Gives up: Chris Perez, 2012 1st Round MiDP, 2012 2nd Round MiDP

Easily the most lucrative deal of any deadline deal on record, and it's not even close, though you have to take into account the actions that happen after the trade to really measure this one. At the time it seemed like a great deal for the Doggs. Vegas was having one of their few off years, and ended up being a seller at the deadline. Morrow was really their only decent chip to sell off as he had amassed over 100 K's in the first half. Even with that he had an ERA over 4.50 and only 5 wins in the first half. Somehow the Doggs pried two MiDP from Quebec City, which in today's market would be unheard of. Win for Vegas, or it may have seemed at the time. Fast forward two months when Quebec City solidified their second championship after Morrow added in almost another 100 K's and 6 wins to the Piglet's stat sheet (2 during the EHCC playoffs). Was he the difference maker? Maybe not, but he didn't hurt. But QC gave up those draft picks for an average at best starter who probably wasn't the reason they won it all. Sure - but here's the catch: Quebec City, somehow, ended up with both those draft picks back anyway. 

Between July 31, 2011 and July 30, 2012, exactly 1 year's time, Quebec City and LV made three major trades, which after it was all said and done looked like this:

LV received Jonathan Niese, Ryan Dempster, Chris Perez (all pitchers, none of which helped the Doggs in any meaningful way)

QC received Randal Delagado, Kris Medlen, Brandon Morrow, 2012 1st Round MiDP, 2012 3rd Round MiDP, and a 2013 1st Round MiDP. (Those picks turned into Travis d'Arnaud, Daniel Corairo, and Kyle Crick respectively) 

None of the names here stand out in any meaningful way really, but the fact remains that LV had a good thing going after the Morrow trade, until they got short sighted and traded those picks away. One of the picks turned into Xander Boagarts, who currently mans shortstop for the Piglets, and the other into Francisco Lindor, who in regularly in the lineup for Quebec as well. 

Oh ya, and Quebec City has a championship to show for it as well, so they've got that going for themselves, which is nice. 

Max Powers writes for Baseball Tri-Weekly every 5 weeks. He likes to take time during the other 4 weeks to dance like no one is watching and sing like no one is listening.77

Read more!

EHCC 2016 Performance ⅔

Read more »

Read more!