What a Waste.....
>> Thursday
Yesterday, I was foaming at the mouth because of the rumor that the White Sox were going to trade Freddy Garcia to the Phillies for, among others, Aaron Rowand. Aaron was always one of my favorites back in '05, and, considering the book can be closed for now on the Brian Anderson experiment, the notion of bringing Rowand back to the South Side was very enticing. This rumor was hot and cold all fall, with the latest being that it was going to fall through because the Sox would not give up a starting pitcher. Now, it looked like the Sox were finally ready to move Freddy, and Sox Nation could pull the Rowand jerseys out of mothballs for next year.
Then, I watched the local news last night. Freddy Garcia dealt to the Phillies...I gradually moved further to the edge of my seat. In return the Sox get Gio Gonzalez, a prospect they dealt to Philly last year in the Rowand for Thome swap. Also, the Sox get.....further on the edge of my seat now.....GAVIN FLOYD?!?!? Who is Gavin Floyd?????
Naturally, I went online to do some further research into this new young pitcher. On the way to the computer, I got a phone call from a friend and fellow Sox fan, all he had to say was "Who is Gavin Floyd?????"
Your answer? Gavin Floyd is a 23 year-old pitcher who had a 7-plus ERA last season in only a handful of starts, as well as being knocked around a little in the occasional start or two the couple of season before. Who is Gavin Floyd, indeed.
OK, so the Rowand deal fell through, I'll live with it. But why this? I love the idea of moving Garcia to make room for Brandon McCarthy and the 12 tons of potential he brings with him, but Freddy was still somewhat of a commodity. Why would the White Sox waste precious trade bait like this on Gavin freakin' Floyd? Gonzalez is nice to have back, and he will be ready to go in the next season or two. With Buehrle and Vasquez next on the expiring contracts list, he'll be good to take one of their spots once they're gone (and let's face it, they're gone).
It appears that Kenny Williams' attitude is to not negotiate with the current starting rotation, trade them when they're contracts are up, and acquire new young guns to take their place. Frankly, this is the mentality that landed the Cubs in the cellar the past couple of years, and for the Sox to think they can just shuffle things around every year and still feield a contender is ridiculous. Sure, Garcia's inconsitencies and McCarthy waiting in the wings make him a sensible trade, but get something in return....and everyday offensive guy, especially a Centerfielder would have been nice.
It's clear that Buehrle's out the door, maybe even before the seaosn starts. The fact that he was wearing a Cardinals hat at the World Series shows where the St. Louis native really wants to be. As much as I love the guy (though I lost a lot of respect for him after hat-gate), trading him now, while he's worth something, is not such a bad idea, and this time Kenny, let's get something in return.
In closing, what's scariest about this post is that it puts me in full agreement with Jay Mariotti's column this morning. I'm off to take a cold bath to wash away the dirtiness I feel about that.
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7 comments:
Without even knowing much statistically about Gavin Floyd, I'll tell you what should have been the thesis of the post: The White Sox dealt a certain thing for a prospect and A 23 YEAR OLD pitcher with major league experience. He's really young, and the faith that you had in KW during '05 should be in the same spot on this deal.
It's a good move, Garcia's overrated, inconsistent and aging and Aaron Rowand stinks in the David Eckstein-Darin Erstad-You love me because I'm gritty and therefore forget that my numbers suck-mold.
Yeah, I expected them to get a little more for Garcia, especially seeing as guys like Ted Lilly, Adam Eaton, and Vicente Padilla are now supposedly worth $8-10mill. I haven't read up on Floyd, but I'm guessing he was highly rated out of the minors and that the Sox organization really likes something about him. Of course, the value they perceived from these two guys and the value the rest of the league perceived are never the same thing. If the latter ain't shit, then the Sox might've still undersold themselves.
That being said, I agree with Matt that Rowand is overrated (never offensively productive besides '04), and I don't think Brian Anderson is, by any means, a failed experiment. He's still just 24.
I also think Garcia still has some good seasons ahead, but I do think he'll be overpaid at $9mill for the next two seasons (though this offseason has made me rethink that statement more so than expected). Plus his hits are up while his Ks are down, which likely means he's seen a permanent dropoff.
So basically, I agree with both of you, but Matt does have a point about Kenny's history with trades. I'll trust that he had some idea what he was doing this time also.
I'll give a different perspective, since my knowledge of baseball prospects is way too high considering how much actual baseball I watch. When I had first about the trade, I was very excited. I remembered Floyd being a very highly ranked prospect, and that many Sox fans bemoaned giving Gio up in the Thome trade last offseason. While I didn't know Floyd has yet to succeed at major league level, I would be surprised if he doesn't develop into a 3rd-4th starter at worst. Also, if you give up on Brian Anderson, you're a damn fool. He's an elite defensive outfielder, and has very good plate discipline for a young player. Plus, I'm very happy the Sox look to be ahead of this salary crazed market, which will rear its ugly head in a few years when many of these overspending teams will be in a mad rush to dump contracts.
Ted Lilly.
Also, guess who made a lame-assed joke ripping the trade this morning. That's right--Jim Lynam.
That confirms it's another winning deal by KW.
You realize Aaron Rowand isn't on HGH any longer.
2004: .291 EQA
2005: .253 EQA
2006: .250 EQA
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