29 Trades 29 Teams - Washington Nationals
by Jokes & Burns on Feb 17, 2012 10:52 AM EST
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PrintI'm going to go ahead and do something a little different. This is my first Fan Post, btw so wahoo. Anyway, every other post in the 29-29 series I have read, which is almost all of them I believe, has gone about it like the trade was happening that very day. I am going to claim artistic license and go ahead and propose a trade that will happen this July at the trade deadline! Dun,dun-na!
Go ahead and check it out after the jump!
So a little info on how I came about this trade. This trade is assuming all of the following things occur between now and July.
1. The Orioles do not sign Adam Jones to an extension.
2. Adam Jones is putting up numbers equal to, or better than, his previous season through the first half.
3. The young pitchers on the team have shown no signs of becoming legit MLB starters.
4. The Orioles are in no realistic shot of making the playoffs (I can't see that happening, especially if number 3 happens)
Alright, so that is the situation. Now we look at the Nationals, former laughing stocks of the NL East, keeping pace with the Phillies and Braves and hoping to make a strong push down the stretch. All while having a combination of Roger Bernadina and Rick Ankiel start in center on a regular basis. They put together one of the best rotations in baseball in the offseason and have been dying to add that CF piece for a long time. And Mike Rizzo is not shy when it comes to making big moves.
So to make that last push to fight for the NL Wild Card or NL East title, Mr. Rizzo will be willing to make this offer to the Baltimore Orioles:
Orioles Receive:
Anthony Rendon - 3B - 21 years old
Sammy Solis - LHP - 23 years old
Taylor Jordan - RHP - 23 years old
Nationals Receive:
Adam Jones - CF - 26 years old
Joe Mahoney - 1B - 25 years old
So, Who Are These Guys?
The following scouting reports are from MLB.com's Prospect Watch list, with a little of my opinion thrown in as well:
Rendon was the top college bat in the draft last year, according to MLB.com. He posted an .801 SLG% at Rice in his sophomore year and has the ability to hit .300 at the major league level. He was hurt last season so hasn't played pro ball yet, but with his college experience could shoot through the system. Trading him also allows the Nationals to extend Ryan Zimmerman who has stated he is willing to sign a team friendly deal (MLBtraderumors.com).
Solis is a big (6'5") hard throwing lefty who tore up the Carolina League last season. He had an incredible 4.89 K/BB ratio last year and throws a hard fastball with a very good curve ball as well. With Steven Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman, Gio Gonzales and Edwin Jackson, he will not likely see any MLB action this year, and could even not see any next year either.
Jordan isn't a star prospect. Hard throwing sinker baller who has a 3rd-4th starter ceiling according to MLB.com. He had Tommy John Surgery in July and didn't pitch the 2nd half of the season. Some question his ability to come back fully healthy. That coupled with the above statement regarding the Nat's rotation makes him expendable.
Mahoney adds depth to a 1B postion that isn't very good for the Nats with oft-injured Adam LaRoche and and Michael Morse likely taking over when Bryce Harper gets his call up. Joe Mahoney has been injured his minors career but some say he still has a lot of power that hasn't showed up yet completely. At this point, this is my opinion, it looks like he will become a power threat off the bench as a PH candidate. Making him a valuable in the NL.
To Conclude:
The O's receive two top 100 prospects (MLB.com) and a third guy with upside who are all near MLB ready. This adds a lot of depth to the O's top level of the farm system. That Nationals go on to contend for, maybe win, the NL East, make the playoffs, get hot and win the World Series. Meanwhile all casual O's fans are so mad for shipping out AJ they'll hop on the Nats bandwagon claiming, "Hometown team!" and the O's attendence suffers further and they end up moving the franchise to El Paso really excited for these new prospects.
So that's what I think. There are a lot of "ifs" but thats the point of this series, is it not? What are your thoughts?
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Wait.
When did the Nationals sign Edwin Jackson?
"We weren’t playing for the playoffs, but we were playing for pride, and we showed it tonight."
a few weeks ago. it was a one year deal worth $13 million.
by Jokes & Burns on Feb 17, 2012 12:58 PM EST up reply actions
------>
head
Just because you know how to read, doesn't mean you'll like the book.
by arlingtonOsFan on Feb 17, 2012 4:03 PM EST up reply actions
Mahoney and Jordan are basically filler
Basically this is the Nats #2 prospect (who isn’t eligible to be traded, but who cares about that exactly) and another strong prospect…I dunno, I just don’t see the Nationals selling on Rendon to get two years of Jones, and then throwing something else good on top of it. Their farm system is already pretty wrecked after the Gio trade.
But then, they might easily believe that Jones puts them over the top in the short run. They certainly have a strong run prevention unit but need the bats.
Your cannonball trajectory, it always gave me hope
That was my feeling
They may think Jones’ will improve their defense and offense enough to swing that wins column in their favor and push them into the playoffs.
I also had the same thoughts regarding how their Gio trade hit their system. But are they willing to sacrifice one of Ryan Zimmerman or Danny Espinosa to give Rendon a place to play in the majors?
by Jokes & Burns on Feb 17, 2012 1:02 PM EST up reply actions
If you were the Nats right now would you trade Rendon straight up for AJ?
Just because you know how to read, doesn't mean you'll like the book.
by arlingtonOsFan on Feb 17, 2012 4:04 PM EST up reply actions
No...
Pre-injury Rendon was viewed as a MLB-ready #1 overall player. If Mike Rizzo is half as smart as I think he is, he’s probably not convinced that Ryan Zimmermann will be the everyday third baseman on a contending Nationals team. Rendon, on the other hand, could very well be that player.
by TerroristFistJab on Feb 19, 2012 5:28 PM EST up reply actions
I would.
Thats obvious though, since i’m the author of this trade. But i honestly think of Zimms signs an extension, they would have to seriously consider trading him because there would be no where for him to play.
And the biggest hole in their roster is CF. They’ve been trying to get everyone since last July from BJ Upton, to Michael Bourne, to Denard Span. So I think they would make that deal, and then sign AJ to a modest extension.
by Jokes & Burns on Feb 21, 2012 10:25 AM EST up reply actions
If Zimms signs an extension, he and Rendon can cover 1B/3B once LaRoche is gone.
Kevin Gregg-"You obviously haven't acquired my taste for pitching yet"
interesting thoughts
I think you are right about the Nationals only doing something like this around the trade deadline. Seems like they would be giving up alot, but in this case may be totally worth it. Nice work!
Why would the O's want Rendon
With Hardy, Machado, and Schoop already filling the 3B and SS positions? Only viable if he plays 2B, which normally good hitters don’t do b/c of risk of injury.
And OF is a crowded spot for the Nats, I don’t think they would have any use for AJ.
right
why would you want another top-tier prospect when you already have two guaranteed godsend HOF prospects and another only halfway through his career and not at all an injury risk? It’s lunacy!
I assume you are being sarcastic
But the O’s have sooo many other holes, especially at pitcher that it would be lunacy to use one of the trade pieces they do have on a position where it looks like they are set.
So having three, Hardy makes four, potential 2013/14 MLB caliber SS’s on the same team makes sense?
You're never likely set when you're just talking about prospects.
You go for the best available prospects and ignore current team needs. And it seems silly to factor Hardy into the Orioles’ future plans.
Why is it silly?
why the hell would you ignore the “current team needs,” obviously pitching, in order to deepen a position that already is filled for awhile?
Hardy is under contract for 3 more years. Yes, it is likely he will get traded at some point, but until these young pitchers show they can get it done in the big leagues I don’t think the O’s need to trade their biggest chips for anything but pitchers (unless the offer is too good to be true).
Are we talking about pitching prospects?
Because if we are, I think this team has already shown us the volatility of trusting in pitching prospects to save an org. Everyday player prospects are also a risk, of course, but less of one. Rendon was a consensus top overall pick before his injury, and still went top 3, iirc. I think they (the Orioles) would be foolish not to trade a good but disappointing Adam Jones for a potential stud at 3rd.
Even assuming all three prospects worked out, you could conceivably have Rendon at 3rd, Machado at short, and Schoop at 2nd. Or shift around as needed, shipping Hardy out if he’s not already gone by that point. But that’s looking so far ahead, it’s silly.
It’s a good problem to have regardless, and makes more sense than holding onto AJ until he leaves for FA before we’re ever any good, or shipping him out for half a year for middling prospects or average MLers.
Rendon was a consensus top overall pick before his injury, and still went top 3, iirc.
Nope, he went 6th.
Kevin Gregg-"You obviously haven't acquired my taste for pitching yet"
He went 6th...
But he dropped in the draft, if you can call 6th overall a drop, because of his injury problems his last year at Rice.
Wada Wada Wada.
I'm on twitter, fool: @pbless29
by Jokes & Burns on Feb 27, 2012 9:32 PM EST up reply actions
If he would have stayed healthy, I'm sure the M's would have loved to take him given their offensive struggle.
Kevin Gregg-"You obviously haven't acquired my taste for pitching yet"
I agree to a certain extent.
That’s why i put those conditions at the beginning of my post. This trade only happens if the O’s don’t sign Jones.
I see your point, but the O’s have a top 5 pick this year in a pitcher top-heavy draft and are getting a solid pitcher (Solis) in the trade i suggested (even though it seems most agree the Nats wouldn’t offer this trade). They will almost certainly draft a pitcher 4th in the draft as a future top of the rotation guy to match with Bundy.
So getting a payout like the one i suggested for AJ would be almost impossible to decline. Regardless of the top return player being a 3rd baseman.
Wada Wada Wada.
I'm on twitter, fool: @pbless29
by Jokes & Burns on Feb 27, 2012 9:38 PM EST up reply actions
yea
we could go back and forth all day on this. considering it will never happen we should just agree to disagree, haha.
i'm fine with that.
Wada Wada Wada.
I'm on twitter, fool: @pbless29
by Jokes & Burns on Feb 28, 2012 9:01 AM EST up reply actions
Because you don't know what the team needs will be a few years down the road.
It’s far from a guarantee that either of Schoop or Machado will develop as hoped. And Hardy may be under contract for 3 more years, but there’s no way the Orioles will compete in those three years. I can’t foresee it being a good idea to extend him then.
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