EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted November 26, 2004 Various news outlets are reporting that a deal sending Pirates catcher Jason Kendall to the Oakland Athletics for Mark Redman and Arthur Rhodes is close to reality. Oakland fans have got to love this trade, as they merely dump two pitchers they didn't need anyway. Oakland's lineup for next season... C- Jason Kendall 1B- Scott Hatteberg/Dan Johnson 2B- Mark Ellis SS- Bobby Crosby 3B- Eric Chavez LF- Bobby Kielty/Eric Byrnes CF- Mark Kotsay RF- Nick Swisher DH- Erubiel Durazo Johnson and Swisher both posted .400+ OBPs in Sacramento last season. Eric Chavez found his bat against lefties. There is some serious sock in this lineup now, and hardly a weak spot. Now the pitching staff. Mark Mulder Tim Hudson Barry Zito Rich Harden Joe Blanton Mark Mulder may very well be only their fourth best starter. That's insane. I really like the A's chances next year with this squad. The Pirates? They're idiots. They will save a chunk of change on Jason Kendall. Will they use it to improve the club? It's unlikely. The club finished 13th out of 16 NL clubs in runs scored, and they just traded their second or third best hitter. Apart from Jason Bay and Craig Wilson, there is little punch in their lineup right now. If J.R. House isn't ready to take over at catcher, it could be a long season. But this trade COULD go right for Pittsburgh, if House develops, Rhodes rebounds, and Redman solidifies the pitching staff. It is a longshot, but this trade might work. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest The Winter Of My Discontent Report post Posted November 26, 2004 I love it. The Redman experience didn't work out at all last year. But the A's will really need Zito to pick it up again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bored 0 Report post Posted November 26, 2004 C- Jason Kendall 1B- Scott Hatteberg/Dan Johnson 2B- Mark Ellis SS- Bobby Crosby 3B- Eric Chavez LF- Bobby Kielty/Eric Byrnes CF- Mark Kotsay RF- Nick Swisher DH- Erubiel Durazo Mark Mulder Tim Hudson Barry Zito Rich Harden Joe Blanton Byrnes is the left fielder as he's proven himself to be a solid everyday player. Kielty was god awful last year. There's no guarentee Durazo will be back but it seems likely. He's arb eligible and I believe I heard a rumor that they will be offering him a multi-year deal. Whether he signs it or not is another story but he should at the very least be back on a one-year tender. If they do reach a long term deal on him I think they will try to trade Hatteberg. Because of their budget Beane always has to go with the younger, cheaper palyer and Johnson seems ready. His big problem is defense though but the third base coach Ron Washington, the A's defensive guru, turned Hatteberg into a solid defensive first baseman after being a catcher so I think he can do the same with Johnson. There's also no guarentee the pitching staff is set. One of the TAFKA Big Three could still be traded although that might be less likely now with Redman dealt. The A's were going to trade a starting pitcher this offseason to open up a spot for Blanton and they've done that now. There was the rumor about Marcus Giles and big time pitching prospect Dan Meyer coming to the A's for one of the TAFKA Big Three but those rumors never seemed very concrete. Even though Hudson is a free agent after this season, if they don't sign him to a new deal, I really hope he won't be traded as I think there is a lot of questions about Zito (inconsistent, maybe just a league average pitcher now) and Mulder (What the hell happened those last two months?) going into next year. Harden I think will definently supplant himself as the team's #2 starter in 2005 and if the right deal is there I wouldn't have any problem dealing Zito or Mulder. Oh and as for the actual Kendall deal, it's hard not to like it. Obviously if Kendall suddenly hits the wall on his career the deal could backfire but he's been one of the most consistent and durable cacher's in baseball. They are doing a smart thing by taking the salary hit on his contract in 2005 and 2006 but having the Pirates pick the half of his $13 million in 2007. By 2007 either Landon Powell or Kurt Suzuki will be ready and by the Pirates picking up half of the last year of his contract it will make trading Kendall after 2006 fairly easy as long as he's still productive. If they were paying him the full $13 million in 2007 it might be hard to flip him. Also by having Kendall the next couple of years it makes John Baker expendable to use in a midseason trade although it's possible he could end up being Kendall's back up this year as Adam Melhuse apparantly wants to be traded now because of the Kendall trade. Redman could have a bounce back year in 2005 but Blanton at worst should match Redman's numbers of last year. Rhodes signing was a calculated risk that blew up in their face and they had to dump him. He's just not a good pitcher anymore. Jose Mesa and Arthur Rhodes in the same bullpen? The horror...the horror. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted November 26, 2004 I think Blanton could easily eclipse Redman's numbers this season. Particularly since Redman's K rate took a plunge this season, while Blanton looked dynamite at times in the Oakland bullpen. Look at Blanton's 4:1 K/BB ratio in AAA, and its hard not to like. I think the key for Oakland is the bullpen. It was awful for half a season, and it might have cost them the division. Dotel, Bradford and Rincon form a nice starting three. Justin Duchscherer should contribute again, and indications are that Huston Street will make the big club soon. The A's have a ton of pitching depth, so they should be able to piece together a decent bullpen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimmy no nose 0 Report post Posted November 26, 2004 Apparently the Pirates are planning on offering up Rhodes as some part of a deal with the Dodgers for Milton Bradley. I don't have a lot of details, but I've seen that reported a couple places loacally. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkktookmybabyaway 0 Report post Posted November 26, 2004 The Pirates? They're idiots. That's about all you needed to say, instead of going into your normally detailed observations of trades/teams/etc. The Pirates should have not signed him to a contract they couldn't afford, but I was a big Kenall fan. He gave it his all, and you can't ask for anything more. I would say that I'm never going to a Pirates game ever again because of this trade, but I don't go to Pirate games anyway so that's kind of an empty threat. And how the hell can Oakland afford Jason?... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the max 0 Report post Posted November 26, 2004 I'd guess that Pittsburgh is picking up part of the contract and having Rhodes/Redman's contracts off the books makes it easier. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bored 0 Report post Posted November 26, 2004 Although this isn't official my understanding is when you take off Rhodes and Redman's contracts the A's will essentially be paying Kendall $3.5 million in 2005 and $4.4 million in 2006. The Pirates will then be taking on half of Kendall's $13 million in 2007. As I mentioned in my other post this will make it easier for the A's to deal Kendall after 2006 when their catcher's in the minors are ready. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanadianChris 0 Report post Posted November 26, 2004 $8 mil for 2 years of Jason Kendall? That's a steal. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bored 0 Report post Posted November 26, 2004 Well $8 million over two years more than they would have been paying Redman and Rhodes. They still are going to be paying $20 million+ to Kendall the next two years. It's still better though to take the hit now then be on the hook for the $13 million in 2007 which would have made him almost impossible to deal. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted November 27, 2004 http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?i...tory?id=1932968 Looks like the deal is official. Oakland lands a solid catcher for spare parts. Pittsburgh gets raped up the arse. Some of my favorite portions of the article... The deal saves the Pirates about $15 million over three years, money they can use on a rebuilding effort that showed promise in 2004 with good seasons from Perez, NL Rookie of the Year Jason Bay, All-Star shortstop Jack Wilson and rookie second baseman Jose Castillo. $5 Million a year. That's nice. The problem is, they still need a catcher. There's no way you replace a .390+ OBP AND fill the spot at catcher for just $5 Million. "The formula of one player eating up a significant portion of the payroll just doesn't work," Pittsburgh general manager Dave Littlefield said Saturday. "The easiest example and most recent is A-Rod [Alex Rodriguez] in Texas. When one player makes up a significant portion of payroll, it's not a formula for long-term success." Feelings about A-Rod aside, Texas did not take the savings and splurge on pitching. If they did, they would've won the West. Texas won because their pitching ceased to suck, and Teixeira and Blalock blossomed into all-star caliber players. So the Pirates lose the best catcher in franchise history for a pair of average lefties. Nice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KingPK 0 Report post Posted November 27, 2004 So do the Pirates enter the Jason Varitek Sweepstakes now? By how they readily accepted this swap, they'll probably overpay and give him that contract Boras wants for him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NoCalMike 0 Report post Posted November 27, 2004 I love it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
