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Art Deco · 05-23-2022, 06:41 PM

With the trade deadline looming in 12 days and plenty of parity around MLB (no team playing .600 ball) I felt it was time to address a couple of the team's weaknesses and make a real run at things.

First we start with the bullpen, which has been up and down outside of closer Yasunari Uehara and perhaps lefty reliever Robinson Ortiz. To address that we picked up the closer for the fire-saling Dodgers, who are for a change out of it at 44-50:

Crespo was an international free agent out of Cuba a few years back, and he's been a mainstay of LA's pen. He's 31, making $2.8M and is projected at $4.1M next year in arbitration. He has 75 stuff, 55 movement and 50 control and has saved 16 games this year after spending his previous years as a setup man. That's the role he'll take with us, the 8th-inning guy to Uehara's closer. The price was not high at all in Mack, our 7th round pick in 2026 who looks like a 5th starter at best and pitched to a 6+ ERA at two stops this year and is recovering from a rotator cuff injury.

And now, the big one. It's no secret that after the departures of Adley Rutschman and Joey Bart over the last couple of years catcher has become a black hole for the team with touted rookie Diego Cartaya failing both with the bat (215/288/311) and the glove (a -6.1 frame rating and a catcher ERA of 4.23, which is a half-run higher than Corey Collins'). Collins meanwhile at least has some pop but isn't a full-time answer. So we went out and got one of the best catchers in baseball, even if he is a bit long in the tooth at 37:

Philly was another team out of the running this year, and they made Realmuto available. Of course he has a hefty contract that runs through 2029 with a vesting option for 2030, but the Phillies are picking up $9M of the $16M he's owed each season. That vesting option for 2030 kicks in if he gets 480 PA in 2029, so we'll see how he holds up next year to see if we want to risk that. For now though he's still rated at 75 defensively, and while his current 244/318/411 slash line isn't terribly exciting, it's a damn sight better than what we've received from our catchers and he's still rated 55 for contact and power. He does have 10 HR and 50 RBI. We can pay him $7M next year and see where it goes from there.

Cunningham and Clarke are a couple of B-/C+ starter prospects. Cunningham was our 6th round pick last year and he's a low-ceiling guy with 40 stuff and only 45 potential. Clarke meanwhile has excellent stuff and movement (60 in both) but only 35 control. The 2021 draft pick is a MiLB free agent after this year so the Dodgers will have to decide on him right away, but I can see him as an MLB lefty reliever.

To make room on the 40-man, we're waiving C Juan Mendez and RP Shane Baz, both at Durham, and to make room on the active roster we're optioning Cartaya and Elvis Garcia to Durham.

For what it's worth, the fan reaction to the Realmuto acquisition is "amazing".

05-23-2022, 06:41 PM	#656
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,495	A pair of significant trades With the trade deadline looming in 12 days and plenty of parity around MLB (no team playing .600 ball) I felt it was time to address a couple of the team's weaknesses and make a real run at things. First we start with the bullpen, which has been up and down outside of closer Yasunari Uehara and perhaps lefty reliever Robinson Ortiz. To address that we picked up the closer for the fire-saling Dodgers, who are for a change out of it at 44-50: Crespo was an international free agent out of Cuba a few years back, and he's been a mainstay of LA's pen. He's 31, making $2.8M and is projected at $4.1M next year in arbitration. He has 75 stuff, 55 movement and 50 control and has saved 16 games this year after spending his previous years as a setup man. That's the role he'll take with us, the 8th-inning guy to Uehara's closer. The price was not high at all in Mack, our 7th round pick in 2026 who looks like a 5th starter at best and pitched to a 6+ ERA at two stops this year and is recovering from a rotator cuff injury. And now, the big one. It's no secret that after the departures of Adley Rutschman and Joey Bart over the last couple of years catcher has become a black hole for the team with touted rookie Diego Cartaya failing both with the bat (215/288/311) and the glove (a -6.1 frame rating and a catcher ERA of 4.23, which is a half-run higher than Corey Collins'). Collins meanwhile at least has some pop but isn't a full-time answer. So we went out and got one of the best catchers in baseball, even if he is a bit long in the tooth at 37: Philly was another team out of the running this year, and they made Realmuto available. Of course he has a hefty contract that runs through 2029 with a vesting option for 2030, but the Phillies are picking up $9M of the $16M he's owed each season. That vesting option for 2030 kicks in if he gets 480 PA in 2029, so we'll see how he holds up next year to see if we want to risk that. For now though he's still rated at 75 defensively, and while his current 244/318/411 slash line isn't terribly exciting, it's a damn sight better than what we've received from our catchers and he's still rated 55 for contact and power. He does have 10 HR and 50 RBI. We can pay him $7M next year and see where it goes from there. Cunningham and Clarke are a couple of B-/C+ starter prospects. Cunningham was our 6th round pick last year and he's a low-ceiling guy with 40 stuff and only 45 potential. Clarke meanwhile has excellent stuff and movement (60 in both) but only 35 control. The 2021 draft pick is a MiLB free agent after this year so the Dodgers will have to decide on him right away, but I can see him as an MLB lefty reliever. To make room on the 40-man, we're waiving C Juan Mendez and RP Shane Baz, both at Durham, and to make room on the active roster we're optioning Cartaya and Elvis Garcia to Durham. For what it's worth, the fan reaction to the Realmuto acquisition is "amazing".