Kuzul

Yesterday, Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. cemented himself as one of the greatest GMs in Philadelphia history with the acquisition of former Astros right fielder Hunter Pence.

Since taking over for former GM Pat Gillick, each July has produced a top tier non-rental talent for the Phillies.

Last year it was Roy Oswalt, the year before Cliff Lee, and now this season Hunter Pence.

With the acquisition of Pence, the Phillies—on paper—have one of the most beautiful team makeups I’ve witnessed since the Oakland A’s of the late ’80s and early ’90s.

They have pitching in their four aces and a surprisingly effective bullpen.

They have speed in Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, Pence, Dominic Brown and John Mayberry.

They have power with Howard, Utley, Pence, Rollins and Ibanez.

And the team already has the fewest errors committed defensively in the majors to this point in the 2011 season.

What Pence brings to the Phillies is invaluable.

When I think of a ballplayer like Pence, I compare his grittiness, work ethic and love of the game to that of Chase Utley’s.

In my mind, the acquisition of Pence gives the Phillies virtually a second Chase Utley—only from the right side of the dish with a rifle arm in right field.

There was no other deal for Philadelphia to make that could have improved the overall everyday ability of the ball club.

Sure, it would be great if they were able to nab another bullpen piece, but the team’s offense clearly needed an upgrade and with this move the Phillies plugged every offensive need they had with the acquisition of Pence.

Prior to the trade, I was a little concerned Pence might not be happy in Philadelphia because he seemed so happy and comfortable in Houston.

Pence going four for his last 31 at-bats concerned me.

After hearing his remarks following the trade, my disposition has changed—it seems Pence is genuinely excited to play for a great team and to get out of an organization clearly in a rebuilding phase.

With Polanco coming off the DL, Lidge pitching effectively from the bullpen and the arrival of Pence, the trade San Francisco made to acquire Beltran seems a whole lot less scary than it did for that one day in Philadelphia fan’s minds.

More to come in a few days after watching this revamped lineup.

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The 2011 MLB Trade Deadline is just over 24 hours away, and some big moves have already happened. This week alone, the New York Mets traded Carlos Beltran to the San Francisco Giants, and last night, Hunter Pence was traded by the Houston Astros to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Today, the Milwaukee Brewers made a move as they acquired utilityman Jerry Hairston, Jr. from the Washington Nationals in exchange for Double-A prospect Erik Komatsu.

Yet, the biggest name on the trade market that still appears to be floating around is that of Colorado Rockies pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez. Earlier today, ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian tweeted that the New York Yankees were “all over” the right-hander. This is certainly an interesting development as it was rumored earlier this week that the Rockies’ asking price for Jimenez was too high for Yankee GM Brian Cashman.

Still, with the Boston Red Sox reportedly interested in Jimenez, don’t be surprised if the Yanks end up making a deal for Jimenez as the deadline approaches. The Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays have also shown interest.

It’s sure to be an exciting weekend, folks. Stay tuned for more updates on deals involving your favorite teams and players over the next two days!

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The Philadelphia Phillies saw how easily and quickly valuable trade pieces can be swept up off the market, when the Giants nabbed Carlos Beltran earlier this week, and followed suit by acquiring the next best outfield option in Hunter Pence.

Its hard to disagree with the idea that Pence may have come with an advance ticket to the World Series as the Phillies now have frightening depth at every facet of their lineup, and are looking to continue pursuit of relief pitching on the trade market to even further strengthen their stacked lineup.

Philly will certainly take on the label of World Series favourites after this move, and for the remaining division leaders, haste will have to be made in the next 24 hours to bolster their lineups in an effort to compete with Philly in the offseason.

Here are deals that each division leader will have to make to stand a chance against the herculean roster of Philadelphia in October.

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Ubaldo Jimenez trade rumors have been showing up everywhere on the web the past few days. Jimenez is without a doubt one of the biggest names available on the trade market this year.

It is uncertain if the Colorado Rockies will trade Jimenez before the 2011 MLB trade deadline, but there are certainly many suitors coming after him. The Rockies have said that they need to be overwhelmed with an offer and every team after Jimenez could do that.

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The July 31 Major League Baseball trade deadline is looming, and it is clear that the Boston Red Sox biggest need is pitching. 

Rumors are swirling about a possible deal for Colorado Rockies ace, Ubaldo Jimenez.

At first glance, Jimenez would seem like a great piece to add to the first-place Red Sox, but when you look more into it, the deal becomes less and less appealing. 

For one, the asking price for Jimenez is very high. The Rockies are asking for two to three top prospects from any team in return. 

The Red Sox would have to clear out their farm system just to get Jimenez. 

Jimenez also seems to be a shell of the pitcher he was in the first half of the 2010 season, when he was as dominant as a pitcher could be. His velocity is topping out in the low 90’s in 2011. He was hitting triple digits with some pitches in 2010. 

In his last 38 starts, Jimenez is just 12-15 with a 4.17 ERA, including a 6-9 start this year with an ERA of 4.20.

Another thing against Jimenez is that history has shown that pitchers ERA’s jump when moving from the National League to the American League. 

Before C.C. Sabathia was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008 he had a 3.83 ERA with Cleveland. Sabathia went on to post a 1.65 ERA in his time with the Brewers. When he jumped back to the AL with the Yankees, Sabathia’s ERA moved back up into the three’s. 

It seems that there is just too much risk to be comfortable making a trade for Jimenez.

Maybe he is hurt. Maybe the first half of 2010 was a fluke. But the stats show that Jimenez is not a top of rotation pitcher—and is not worth the prospects that would have to be parted with in a trade.

The Red Sox best move at the deadline would be to pass on a deal for Jimenez. Let him be another teams’ problem. 

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On the same day that the White Sox, Blue Jays and Cardinals made their huge deals, the Atlanta Braves made a monumental trade that will guarantee them success for years to come.

Not really. They sent $1 to the Milwaukee Brewers for catcher Wil Nieves.

On July 27, Nieves packed his bags and headed from Nashville, Tenn., the home of the Brewers’ Triple-A team, the Nashville Sounds, to Lawrenceville, Ga., where the Braves’ Triple-A team, the Gwinnett Braves, plays its home games.

Due to the injury to Brian McCann—he will be out for a few weeks with an oblique strain—the Braves picked up Nieves as insurance, in case their two active catchers, David Ross and J.C. Boscan, perform poorly or tire from their increased workloads.

Nieves hit .140 in 50 at-bats for the Brewers in 2011 and was subsequently sent to Triple-A after his poor big league showing—where he hit only .170 for Nashville. He has appeared in one game for Gwinnett thus far, collecting one hit in four at-bats for his new team.

Nieves is a typical backup/third-string catcher. He does not hit for average or power and he does not walk a lot—in short, his offensive skills are lacking. He won’t blow anyone away defensively, however, he calls a good game and has a strong arm behind the plate.

Despite his apparent lack of credentials, he keeps getting jobs year after year as catchers are always in high demand. The Braves are just his most recent suitor.

Perhaps the most interesting part of this deal is what the Brewers received in return: $1. They better spend it wisely.

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According to the latest reports, the Seattle Mariners‘ Doug Fister was dealt Saturday morning to the Detroit Tigers, in addition to reliever David Pauley.

In a tweet, Danny Knobler of CBSSports reported that a deal between the two teams was on the verge of completion, which would send Fister and Pauley to Detroit for outfielder Casper Wells, pitcher Charlie Furbush, third baseman Francisco Martinez, and a player to be named later.  

Okay, first, let me get this off my chest. No Fister or Furbush jokes (Casper is a funny name though).

The Tigers needed a starting pitcher badly and could’ve used another bullpen arm. What they got was a tall 27-year-old lefty in Fister with club control through 2015 with a 3.33 ERA and impeccable consistency.    

For the Mariners, a trade was imminent for one of their pitchers. With one of the league’s best rotations, it was a commodity that needed to be taken advantage of. And while the return was a bit light, it addressed some positions of concern.

The centerpiece of the prospect package is 26-year-old Casper Wells, who fills an immediate need in the outfield and can play all three outfield positions. With 206 at-bats in the majors in two seasons combined, Wells holds a .286 average with eight home runs and 29 RBI.

Wells is by no means a polished hitter and has his share of issues at the plate, but he provides decent pop and an average that if replicated, would instantly make him among the best hitters on the Mariners.

Casper “the friendly ghost” is a young player who should hang around the M’s as a part-time starter for the rest of the season.

The next part of the deal, you could see it as a bit of a swap. The Mariners dealt Pauley and got 25-year-old lefty Charlie Furbush in return. Furbush is currently a reliever and has a 3.62 ERA in 32.1 innings pitched, but with the potential to be a future starter.

The Tigers have even tried him as a starter where he performed respectably well, allowing three runs in 4.2 innings to the Angels and none in five innings to Boston.

The last part of the deal provided the Mariners some potential at third base with 20-year-old Francisco Martinez. Ranked as the No. 6 Tigers prospect but not expected to be up until 2013, Martinez is a speedster with a nice bat but questionable defensive skills.

In Double-A Erie, Martinez was hitting .282 with seven home runs and 46 RBI. The strategy going forward could be throwing Kyle Seager, Alex Liddi and Martinez against a wall and seeing who sticks.

For the Mariners, the prospect package wasn’t terrible but you would have liked to see them get a bit more in return. I’m excited about Casper Wells long term, though, and he should be in our lineup very soon.

“Mister Fister” will certainly be missed, but he gains the opportunity to go to a legitimately contending ball club that can improve his 3-13 record.    

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With the trade deadline only a few weeks away, there are rumors flying left and right, some of which involve all of the Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals being traded to other teams.  And there is one team that needs to make a move right now.

That team is the Detroit Tigers.

Yes, I am fully aware that they play in a medium-sized market and a city in decline, and they probably won’t fare well in the free-agent market.

Other sportswriters have claimed that the move the Tigers need to make is for Jose Reyes. I think that is wrong for four reasons:

1. The price would be too high, as they would be trading for Reyes at the apex of his success.

2. The Mets would be daft to give up Reyes—they could contend this season or next once they get Wright and Santana back.

3. If the Mets do give Reyes up, it will probably be to a team other than the Tigers.

4. Most importantly, it’s not on the offensive side that the Tigers’ troubles lie.  

The Tigers give up 4.33 runs a game, half a run more than the league average and 0.4 runs more than any team currently in a playoff spot. 

This might not be good enough to win the AL Central and certainly won’t wash in an era in which the playoffs clearly favor pitching. 

Detroit’s No. 2 starter is Max Scherzer, who, with a lackluster 4.47 ERA, is hardly in a league with the No. 2s of last year’s playoffs.  Porcello and Penny are worse…they’d be No. 5 starters on most other teams in the league.

And the Tigers bullpen could still use some help, especially since their knight in shining armor, Al Albuquerque, is hurt.

With regard to starting pitching, rumors have been surfacing that the Mariners want to unload Felix Hernandez or one of their other starters.  I had been hearing Hernandez to the Yankees, but now that the Yankees’ starting lineup is getting it together, that seems unlikely. 

A better fit for King Felix or fellow Seattle pitchers Michael Pineda (who is having a breakout season) and Erik Bedard (who is finally healthy) would be to be dealt to Detroit in a batting-for-pitching deal that would give Seattle’ remaining pitchers much-needed run support. 

Hernandez or Pineda would help get Detroit playoff wins, and could each go for seven or eight innings (as Verlander—with 135 IP in only 18 starts—is doing) and provide relief to the bullpen. 

If the Tigers can’t get an arm from Seattle, they could always try Kansas City…    

And to my point about the bullpen, with Albuquerque hurt and Joakim Benoit tanking all season, it would behoove the Tigers to add another reliever. 

There are several teams that have or potentially could have two closers, namely Minnesota with Matt Capps and Joe Nathan and, soon, Seattle with Brandon League and David Aardsma. 

Aardsma and Capps are widely regarded to be on the trading block, and either would make a good setup man for the Tiger’s Jose Valverde. 

A long shot, but perhaps worth a gamble, would be to claim Ryan Franklin off waivers.  Despite his 8.46 ERA with the Cards, Franklin probably deserves a second chance somewhere, and his previous performance as a starter back in Seattle means that he could be converted to long reliever if need be.

In summary, the Tigers might win the AL Central with the team they’ve got, but if they want to go anywhere in the playoffs, they need better arms.

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During the last weeks of July there will be major trades coming for MLB.  This article will provide some answers as to why major league teams trade away certain players; whether it is to make a playoff push or if they have run into some financial trouble, there is always a reason why teams in MLB trade athletes.

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The offseason trade for Dan Uggla created a hole on the Braves roster. Okay, maybe it created two holes considering how poorly he has hit thus far, but the hole I was referring to was the departure of utility man Omar Infante.

When the trade was official, I applauded Wren for nabbing a slugger for the mere price of a super utility player and a lefty specialist. Yet, there was a small piece of me who cringed thinking perhaps the bench’s most important spot, it’s utility infielder, would be left in the unsure hands of rookies or minor league journeymen. 

During the 2011 season, the Braves have given chances to Brandon Hicks, Diory Hernandez and now Julio Lugo. While the jury is still out on Lugo, there isn’t much to hope for considering he is a 35-year-old who left his best days back in Tampa Bay in 2006.

With that in mind, the Braves may be seeking utility players at the trade deadline, preferably a right handed hitting one. Following are the top three which I would personally target if I were in Frank Wren’s shoes.

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