Dealing Aces

There were were only 29 trades made in 2012, which doesn't seem like a lot -- compare that to last season, when there were 29 trades made before the end of spring training!

However, the last year -- and 2010 and 2009 -- really were anomalies when it came to trades. As you can see, over the last 15 years, the number of trades in 2012 is actually much closer to the historical average (27 trades per year) than the previous three seasons.

But while 2012 wasn't notable for quantity, it was a big year for quality. Of the 29 trades made in 2012, 12 involved an eligible starting pitcher -- almost all of them current or former aces, including three former Ben McDonald Award winners and the reigning Bud Black Award winner!

Let's take a look at the "dynamic dozen" who were dealt this season.

Vancouver got the ball rolling on December 9 when they dealt 2010 Ben McDonald Award winner Zack Greinke to Bridgewater along with a 4th Round pick in 2012 in exchange for Todd Helton, Ryan Zimmerman, and two picks in the 8th Round in 2012. Greinke, after his phenomenal 2010 season (21-3, 2.80 ERA, 1.03 WHIP) was solid last year (17-6, 3.34 ERA, 1.21 WHIP) but the Iron Fist needed offense and, with young guns Johnny Cueto, Mat Latos, Jamie Garcia, and Derek Holland, had starters to spare. Unfortunately for the Mallers, the 28-year-old Greinke took another step backward this season (5-4, 4.84 ERA, 1.43 WHIP), and at the moment looks no better than a middle-of-the-rotation guy for next season (3.57 ERA, 1.25 WHIP).

Philadelphia dealt a pair of aces on January 28. The Endzone Animals won the Morris Division last year but felt they wouldn't be able to compete this season. Perhaps it was a self-fulfilling prophecy as they immediately set about dismantling their team! The Endzone Animals sent C.C. Sabathia to the Rowdy Roddy Pipers (formerly known as the Carolina Mudcats) in exchange for 2nd and 3rd Round picks in 2013. Sabathia has been a workhorse throughout his career, topping 200 innings four times in 10 years, but has never had the kind of lights-out season that his owners have expected (106-91, 4.99 ERA, 1.46 WHIP entering 2012). It's been more of the same this year -- C.C. is on pace to pitch more than 200 innings again, but he's 8-8 with a 5.04 ERA, 1.55 WHIP. Aside from name recognition, the 31-year-old lefthander wouldn't be anybody special on next year's protected list (3.45 ERA, 1.27 WHIP).

That same day, Philly sent another big-name starting pitcher to his other brother, the owner of the Amityville Ant-Slayers. (Who says brothers can't play fair?) Philly dealt the well-traveled Jered Weaver -- who has played for four organizations in five seasons -- to Amityville along with Howie Kendrick and a 9th Round pick next year in exchange for Mike Trout, Ike Davis, a 7th in 2012, and a 1st and 4th in 2013. That's quite a haul for a 29-year-old pitcher who to this point has had just one good season (12-15, 3.15 ERA, 1.04 in 2011). Weaver has been so-so with Amityville this year (9-7, 4.82 ERA, 1.35 WHIP), but looks like an outstanding keeper for next year (11-1, 2.26 ERA, 0.95 WHIP).

On Draft Day (March 3), there were two deals that stretch the limit of the word "ace", but we'll include those deals as well. Bridgewater sent 29-year-old righty Jeff Karstens to St. Louis in exchange for a 7th Round pick (used to take reliever Josh Spence). Karstens has been mediocre for St. Louis -- 8-9, 4.55 ERA, 1.43 WHIP -- although, come to think of it, his numbers are comparable with Greinke, Sabathia and Weaver, so maybe he's an ace after all! It remains to be seen if Karstens will be a keeper for next year -- he has a 4.15 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP in seven MLB starts this season after missing two months with a shoulder injury.

That same day, Hoboken landed Jair Jurrjens and a 9th Round pick in 2013 from Blue Ridge in exchange for slugging third baseman Wilson Betemit. The Cutters already a third baseman in Jose Bautista and a designated hitter in David Ortiz, so dealing Betemit for a pitcher was a no-brainer -- especially Jurrjens, a 25-year-old righthander coming off his best MLB season (13-6, 2.96 ERA, 1.22 WHIP). Jurrjens has been solid this year (12-8, 4.29 ERA, 1.22 WHIP) but doesn't look like a keeper for next year (4.97 ERA, 1.66 WHIP).

The first starter to be moved during the regular season was Bridgewater's Wandy Rodriguez, sent to St. Louis on June 18 in exchange for Jeff Francouer. Rodriguez has had a pretty awful DMBL career (20-29, 5.94 ERA, 1.71 WHIP), and St. Louis is his fifth organization in five seasons. Wandy was bombed in his only two starts with Bridgewater (9 ER, 18 H, 7 BB in 10.0 IP) and, remarkably, has been even worse with St. Louis (11 ER, 18 H, 9 BB in 10.1 IP). The 33-year-old lefty has mediocre numbers for next season (3.51 ERA, 1.24 WHIP). Nothing to see here, move along.

Last year's Bud Black Award winner as the World Series MVP, 28-year-old Tim Lincecum was thought by many to be the face of the Rat Pack organization for years to come. But Las Vegas was in the midst of another rebuilding campaign, and the righthander didn't look like he was going to be a part of it next season (5.93 ERA, 1.52 WHIP). And while Lincecum wasn't having a great season for the Rats (9-5, 3.51 ERA, 1.36 WHIP), he's had three huge seasons in a row, including a truly remarkable 2009 campaign (19-3, 3.15 ERA, 1.25 WHIP). Lincecum was paired with Francisco J. Rodriguez -- a former two-time Eck Award winner -- and dealt to Bridgewater on June 23 in exchange for a 10th Round pick and 23-year-old lefthander Chris Sale (11-2, 2.11 ERA, 0.98 WHIP). Lincecum has been solid for the Mallers so far, with a 3.48 ERA and .600 QS% in five starts, though he has just one win to show for it.

Just six days later, another former award winner was dealt when Philly shipped 2009 Ben McDonald Award winner Roy Halladay plus a 6th Round pick in 2013 to Hoboken for Giancarlo Stanton. Halladay has been steadily moving up the career leaders list for several years now, beginning the 2012 campaign ranked 10th in wins (153), 5th in ERA (4.06), 6th in WHIP (1.32) and 10th in Ks (1,732). Doc was having an outstanding season for the Endzone Animals (9-4, 2.45 ERA, 1.17 WHIP) and the 35-year-old righthander looks like a probable keeper for next year (3.98 ERA, 1.15 WHIP), so in order to land him the Cutters had to give up a big chip -- Stanton, a 22-year-old outfielder who could be one of the league's top sluggers for the next 10 years. The results haven't been pleasant for Hoboken so far, as Halladay has gone 1-2 with a 5.02 ERA and 1.36 ERA in his first four starts.

Not satisfied with Greinke and Lincecum, the Mallers picked up yet another ace in Javier Vazquez, coming off a four-year run with the Sugar Bears in which he went 52-19 with a 3.99 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. But the soon-to-be 35-year-old missed all of last season and appeared to be at the end of his career. Sardine City surprised many when they took him with the 12th overall pick in this year's draft, but he proved the doubters wrong by going 8-5 with a 2.90 ERA and 1.09 WHIP and making the All-Star team. But Vazquez appears to be retired from MLB, and though the Straphangers are in the battle for a wildcard spot, they decided to deal him to Bridgewater for a 3rd Round pick next year, a 4th Round pick the year after that, and 29-year-old Doug Fister, who was 3-9 with a 4.83 ERA and 1.35 WHIP. Interestingly, Fister has gone 2-0 with a 3.48 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in his first three starts for the Straphangers, while Vazquez has gone 0-2 with a 7.53 ERA and 1.60 WHIP in his first three starts for the Mallers.

When you think "ace", you don't think Bartolo Colon. But the beefy right-hander has had some very good seasons in the DMBL. Granted, he hasn't pitched in the league since 2006. But Colon, who was drafted by Blue Ridge in the 5th round of the Supplemental Draft (#288 overall), was having a flat-out amazing season for the Bombers -- 2.95 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 61 K against just 16 BB in 73.1 IP. Alas, Blue Ridge never got going this year, and the 39-year-old's numbers are on the fence when it comes to being a keeper (3.80 ERA, 1.25 WHIP), so on July 12 they shipped him off to Rowdy for a 3rd Round pick. Bartolo was solid in his first start for the Pipers, picking up the win after allowing just one earned run despite giving up 10 walks and 2 walks in 7 innings.
Cliff Lee put up terrific numbers for a lousy Arkansas team last year, going 12-10 despite a 3.15 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. The 34-year-old left-hander was 6-5 with a 4.05 ERA and 1.38 WHIP this season for a Golden Falcon team that again appears headed for a high lottery pick, and is on the bubble as a keeper for next year (3.92 ERA, 1.22 WHIP). So on July 13, he was dealt to Rowdy -- the third starting pitcher they've acquired this season, joining Colon and Sabathia -- in exchange for young hurler Jonathan Niese, prospect Matt Harvey, a 4th Round pick next year and a 5th Round pick in 2014. He was pounded in his first start with the Pipers, giving up 6 ER on 10 hits in just 4.2 innings.

The final deal of the year, made minutes before the July 15 deadline, sent 37-year-old Tim Hudson from Rowdy to Amityville for a 5th Round pick in the 2013 draft. Hudson, a member of the Carolina/Rowdy franchise for his entire 12-year career, came into 2012 with a 128-112 career record, a 4.28 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP, numbers that put the 2004 Ben McDonald Award winner on the bubble for the DMBL Hall of Fame (13th in wins, 13th in ERA, 11th in WHIP). Although he wasn't having a great year by his standards (5.26 ERA, 1.54 WHIP), he was 9-6 for Rowdy this season, and is a borderline keeper (3.80 ERA, 1.23 WHIP).

Mighty Men streak ends at 10

Two more teams have been mentioned in trade rumors. Hoboken and Sardine City, both likely to be sellers, have put out announcements that several players are available. The Cutters have made it known that second baseman Ian Kinsler could be had, though we suspect that he won't be going anywhere. Meanwhile Sardine City has put up half their team, mostly role players and relievers.

Newark ended Marietta's 10-game winning streak with a 5-3 victory. Chien-Ming Wang improved to 17-3 on the season with a solid 7-inning effort. Chipper Jones hit a 2-run homer in the 7th to give the Sugar Bears the lead. Jones was 4-4 with 3 RBIs in the game. The Sugar Bears gain a bit of a cushion, pushing the Mighty Men out to 1 1/2 games.

Alex Rodriguez and Torii Hunter carried the Amityville Ant Slayers to a 13-3 win over Blue Ridge. A-Rod was 2-4 with 6 RBIs and Hunter was 4-5 with 5 RBIs, as both players hit two home runs each. Chris Volstad was the recipient of the run support, improving to 10-9 and holding the Bombers to 1 run on 4 hits in 7 innings.

Justin Verlander struck out 10 and yielded 5 hits in 8 innings of work as the Hired Hitmen took out the O-Bombers 7-3. Freddy Sanchez and Mike Lowell each hit 2 home runs and drove in 3 RBIs to lead the Hillsborough offense. The Hitmen are now up by 4 games in the Morris Division.

Derrek Lowe held the Buddahs to 3 hits in 8 shutout innings to lead the Rat Pack to a 2-0 final. Ichiro Suzuki was 3-3 as the Rats dealt Jamie Moyer his 5th loss in 5 decisions. The Rats are 5 1/2 games out of first.

Hoboken's Matt Garza had the other shutout of the night, pitching 8.1 innings of 5 hit ball, while striking out 7 Straphangers. Josh Johnson, returning from the disabled list, pitched 6 solid innings, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits and 4 walks, while striking out 8. Johnson fell to 3-14 on the season.

Looking forward: the Trade Deadline

With the trading deadline approaching (Sunday, June 19!), several interesting names have been hinted around the rumor mill. Let's take a look at some of the teams that might make some moves before the clock strikes Sunday.

Arkansas Golden Falcons - seller
The Falcons are only 3 games under .500, but are stuck in 6th place and have a ways to go to make the playoffs. One of the more interesting names floating out of Little Rock is closer Brad Lidge, who is a likely candidate to get shipped out. Infielders Cristian Guzman and Ray Durham have also been offered up as well as veterans Tim Wakefield and Kerry Wood.

Hillsborough Hired Hitmen - seller/buyer
Although the Hitmen hold a comfy 4-game lead in the Morris Division, the Courier News has reported that Mitchell Award frontrunner Aubrey Huff and lefty starter C.C. Sabathia are both available for the right price. Anxious fans, afraid that the rumors may signify that the Hitmen are throwing in the towel, were soothed when GM/Owner Brent Campbell announced that the club is not giving up on this season. "We are in talks to acquire some key parts to the championship puzzle" said Campbell, "but we are not afraid to shake up the team if we have to."

Philadelphia Endzone Animals - seller
One of the most active teams on the trade market this year, it's no surprise to hear the Animals in the thick of almost every trade rumor. The Animals are surely looking toward next year, despite a respectable 59-57 record. Ace pitchers Brandon Webb and Scott Kazmir are two of the bigger names that could be dealt before Sunday, but other, smaller cogs like Chris Young, Michael Cuddyer, and Justin Masterson could be gone as well.

Vancouver Iron Fist - seller/buyer
The defending champions are currently tied for the 5th spot overall, but could move some of their players as well. The Fist has a surplus of pitching and may move Hiroki Kuroda or Paul Maholm, and even longtime Fist Ben Sheets has been whispered about. Another interesting development has some teams asking about DH David Ortiz, the defending Kevin Mitchell Award winner. "These are players we can afford to lose if we can shore up some of our weaker areas" said GM/Owner Yaro Zajac. "We're not bowing out of this race by any stretch."

Other teams to look out for: Las Vegas and D.C. are always busy when it comes to the trade deadline and there's a good chance that Carolina and Amityville will be involved in at least one deal. Newark usually has at least one trade up their sleeve, so look for the Sugar Bears to plug some minor holes.

Trade deadline recap

It's all done. The Trading Deadline has passed and we can now focus on the playoff race. But first, let's take a look at how the rosters shook up over the past week.

Newark was pretty quiet, opting to stay the course. Only prospect Daric Barton was sent packing to make room for James Shields' return from the DL.

Atop the other division, Vancouver didn't do much more. The Fist only acquired reliever Akinori Otsuka from Sardine City to bolster the bullpen. The Fist were in the market for some starter help too, but none of their deals materialed.

The two second-place teams were probably the biggest upgraders. Las Vegas added All-Star slugger Vlad Guerrero and failed DMBL "ace" Josh Beckett. The Rats certainly have positioned themselves well to make a huge run for it this year, but they have also sacrificed a lot of thier future. The Rat Pack owes 9 draft picks to other teams, while only having one back. The Endzone Animals also added a little bit of punch by grabbing Adam Dunn from Arkansas and bolstering their staff with Blue Ridge's Aaron Harang. The Animals have also sacrificed 9 picks for this playoff run, but they at least have three coming back to them.

Stuck somewhere in between contention and the basement, some teams opted for different strategies. It was difficult to determine what D.C. was planning, as they chose to part with Carl Crawford and Francisco Rodriguez. Yet they acquired some pieces for next year in Dan Uggla and a couple of quality draft picks. D.C. still seems to be going for it as they turned down a rumored deal for Kelvim Escobar in order to stay in contention. Meanwhile Sardine City has been quietly making a creeping toward the playoffs, but they didn't make any huge moves one way or another. Acquiring starter Dustin McGowan will help with their pitching staff, but mostly the moves were made with the future in mind.

Three other teams in limbo decided that a playoff run wasn't in the cards though. Arkansas sold off Adam Dunn for promising pitcher Jonathan Sanchez and a pick. Carolina didn't make any deals but cut lots of players, including Marlon Byrd and Brian Bannister to bolster their keeper list for next year. But it was Blue Ridge who was making headlines all week, completely gutting their team. Altogether, the Bombers added 13 players or picks via trade and 1 via waiver wire.

The cellar dwellers were also busy...well some of them anyway. Marietta made two separate deals, acquiring players to bolster their keeper list. Hoboken sold off a couple of their players for draft picks, including Brian Giles. As many recall, Hoboken cried himself to sleep many a night recalling the first time he dealt Giles to the Mighty Men. Will this trade cut (pun intended) as deeply?

And I have to note that the Sugar Bears happily indulged DMBL fans everywhere in sending David Bush to face the Bushslappers. We can now gleefully report that "Bush was slapped by D.C." to the tune of 6 ER in 3 IP. Note: I'm not saying I am gleeful that the Sugar Bears were pounded, but that I am gleeful that I could finally use that long-awaited pun.

Deadline deals

Well the deadline came and went last night and there were a few deals that were made.

After shopping him for half of the season, Sardine City finally unloaded B.J. Ryan to Marietta. The Mighty Men get a significant boost to their bullpen which already featured DMBL greats Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera. The Straphangers get a fifth round pick which should help them net a decent player next season.

Vancouver was at the heart of the weekend's other two trades. It seems as though they are giving up hopes of contention, though it can be argued that they didn't really lose any players that had been contributing to any success so far.

The first shipped outfielder J.D. Drew back home to Philadelphia. Drew played the first six years of his career with Philly. But Drew was left off the protected list in '06 and went on to have perhaps his finest season with Vancouver. Now Drew is back to Philly to help the Animals secure the Morris Division, while Vancouver gets back a couple of fifth round picks. Philly cut Juan Cruz, who had made a spot start in place of injured Brandon Webb, to make room for Drew.

The second deal came just under the wire, dealing reliever Wes Littleton to Hoboken for an 8th round pick. Sources say that Hoboken came close to acquiring Chris Carpenter, but the deal fell through at the last second. Littleton had been a relatively decent member of Vancouver's disastrous bullpen this season and should help out with Hoboken's equally disastrous pen.

Vancouver continued a roster overhaul after the deals, sending several role players packing. Vancouver brought in veteran Scott Spiezio, who had played with two other teams so far this year, to help solidify their bench. Hoboken also made a few moves to shake up their roster, cutting atrocious Pat Burrell and Braden Looper, as well as farmhand Aaron Cook.

The only other team to make a non-DL related move was Las Vegas who cut Cliff Floyd in favor of the younger Cory Sullivan.

Cutters deal Wainwright to Gang

South Boston and Hoboken finalized a deal yesterday. Hoboken sent young starter Adam Wainwright to South Boston in exchange for role player Greg Norton and reliever Brandon League. Both players were not in the Gang's future for next year. South Boston has plans to convert Wainwright into a starter next season, though he'll continue to work out of the pen this year.

Hillsborough's winning streak ends at 11 games after a 6-1 loss to Jake Westbrook and the Buddahs yesterday. Westbrook pitched eight innings and surrendered only four hits and one run. Meanwhile, Hillsborough starter Justin Verlander also broke the streak of quality starts by surrendering five runs in 5.1 innings.

Francisco Liriano improved to 12-1 with an impressive performance against Carolina yesterday. Liriano shut down the Cats for seven innings, holding them to three hits and zero runs while striking out 8. The Mighty Men won the game 4-1.

D.C. scored six runs on five homers in a 6-1 victory over Las Vegas yesterday. All five home runs were solo shots. Anibal Sanchez pitched a brilliant eight innings, holding the Rats to only three hits and one unearned run over eight innings.

Hoboken held on to win a tight 3-2 win over Vancouver. Once again the Iron Fist came up just shy of tying the game up in the ninth. Hoboken had led the game 3-0, but Vancouver scored two on a David Ortiz homer in the ninth. Former Vancouver reliever David Riske, who was recently recalled from AAA Weehawken, retired the final batters for his first save of the season.

Final reminder! This weekend is the last chance to make any trades this year or to claim any players off waivers who will be elligible as keepers next year.

Sugar Bears win 11 straight again

Andy Pettitte made his season debut for Carolina, earning the win despite a mediocre performance. Pettitte, starting for the injured Carlos Zambrano, allowed five runs in six innings in a 9-5 win over South Boston. Paul Konerko was 4-5 with 3 RBIs and Travis Hafner also contributed 3 RBIs.

D.C. has finally cooled off, losing four straight after yesterday's 6-5 loss to Hillsborough. The slump coincides with the recent injury to second baseman Luis Castillo. "Luis is the heart and soul of this squad" said teammate Carl Crawford. "Sure he only has 9 extra base hits in 77 games but he has intangibles....intangibles!" The Hired Hitmen scored all six runs in the last three innings, including a 4-run eighth that featured a 3-run Ryan Howard shot.

Newark won their 11th straight game with a 9-6, 18-hit slugfest victory over Marietta. Newark batters are now hitting .323 on the season with a .408 on base percentage and .592 slugging. Newark also became the first team to win 80 this season (Philadelphia is the next highest with 62 wins!).

Chris Carpenter pitched a solid game to help Vancouver stymie Philly 3-1 yesterday. Carpenter improved to 6-3 for Vancouver (9-7 overall) with an 8-inning performance, holding the Animals to five hits and one earned run. Moises Alou drove in all three runs in the game.

The trading deadline is approaching. Sunday July 15th will be the last day to make any deals or to claim any free agents that will be elligible as keepers for next season.