We have another trade consummated, let's break it down.
Bordeaux (21-22) receives 28-year old minor league 1B Benjamin Pihl (free agent at end of year).
Stockholm (23-20) receives 24-year old IF Pauli Wilhelm (2 years beyond this one remaining.)
With both teams in the thick of playoff races, we have another trade by Cristian Benea, the free-wheeling GM of the Falcons.
Grades:
Bordeaux (D) - Pihl makes no sense as an acquisition for this team. It is understandable that they might want to add an impact bat to their lineup, and Pihl has been tearing the cover off the ball at AAA. But there's a reason Stockholm never promoted him, his bat probably can't hold up as being much more than average in the majors. He also pushes Frederik Visser out of the lineup, who is hitting a respectable if unexciting .288/.339/441. Pihl doesn't even have big platoon splits. Trading away Wilhelm from a position of depth is a good move, but the return is weak.
Stockholm (A) - Stockholm pulled off the sort of move that makes you respect their GM: turning a AAA journeyman into a young talent. Wilhelm is probably not much more than a bench player, but he's a very useful one, with a league average bat and positional skill everywhere in the infield. The Austrian infielder had been playing pretty well for BDX too, although they have adequate replacements in the infield.
