On Jul 25, 8:48 pm, CandyFan <candy... DeleteThis @AOL.com> wrote:
> On Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:23:03 -0400, "Brian Allen" <b... DeleteThis @blah.com>
> wrote:
>
> >Let's be honest, the Yankees got fleeced. Nady has missed as many games
> >this year as he's played, and Marte is about as average a middle reliever as
> >there is out there. In return, the Pirates got the Yankees top two
> >prospects along with two other good ones. All four players they received
> >have a chance to be successful major leaguers by this time next season. I'm
> >impressed as hell with the new brain trust this season. First time I've
> >been hopeful about the Pirates in years!
> >----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> You better take another look at this thing. Your reaction is not
> shared by one of the top sports writers at the Pitt Tribune. See
> below.
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Nady, Marte traded
> Posted July 25, 2008 10 :28 PM
>
> Today is my day off, and I was playing "Rock Band" on the Wii with my
> wife and daughter when my cell phone rang. I did not hear it, because
> we were jamming to "Rockaway Beach" by the Ramones.
>
> But when my land line began ringing, along with every other phone in
> the house, I quickly figured what was up.
>
> Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte, perhaps the best outfielder and lefty
> reliever, respectively, on the market, are about to become New York
> Yankees. In return, several sources tell me, the Pirates receive four
> minor league prospects -- outfielder Jose Tabata and pitchers Ross
> Ohlendorf, Phil Coke and George Kontos.
>
> It all will officially go down once everybody passes their physicals.
> The Yanks want to ensure Nady's hamstring and shoulder are OK. The
> Pirates are taking a close look at Tabata's hammy (he's been on the DL
> since early this month, and could be done for the season). Tabata also
> missed time last year because of a hand injury (the hamate bone, the
> same thing that felled first-round draft pick Pedro Alvarez this
> year).
>
> Tabata -- a 19-year-old playing in Double-A ball -- has a huge upside.
> If he makes good on it, then this trade could be worthwhile. Tabata
> has not flashed much power so far in his career, but Baseball America
> ranked him the Yanks' third-best prospect.
>
> In May, Tabata was suspended for three games after he struck out and
> angrily bolted from the stadium ... during a game. He later apologized
> to his teammates, saying he was frustrated by his sluggish start to
> the season.
>
> A couple of weeks later, Tabata got into a shouting match with a
> teammate. He was removed from the game, but not suspended. So, there
> appear to be maturity issues here, which must be dealt with by the
> Pirates.
>
> Coke is 26 years old. Ohlendorf is 25. Kontos is 23. So, there's the
> young pitching depth, which is so desperately needed in the Pirates'
> farm system.
>
> Yet, none of these guys projects to a No. 1 or 2 starter, or a
> late-inning hammer in the bullpen. Ohlendorf has been just so-so in
> two stints in the majors. Coke needed six years to make it to
> Double-A. Kontos was 3-9 this year for Double-A Trenton.
>
> I trust general manager Neal Huntington waited for the best possible
> deal for Nady and Marte. I do not believe he jumped on the first offer
> that came along or jumped too soon.
>
> At least at first glance, the Pirates seem to have given up more
> talent than they've received. But young talent has never been more
> prized, even by teams such as the Yanks, than it is now. This deal is
> what it is.
>
> Steve Pearce is on his way from Triple-A Indianapolis to Pittsburgh,
> and will take Nady's spot in right field. Ohlendorf probably will wind
> in the rotation. Coke, Kontos and Tabata will be assigned to the
> minors, and we'll see them in a year or two or five.
>
> I'm back on duty tomorrow, and we'll begin to see how this all
> unfolds.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Stil think the Yankees got fleeced?
>
> How about the Pirates are back to their old tricks under owner Bob
> Nutting, ie, running a C H E A P operation and not putting any money
> into player development - drafting Daniel Moskos last year instead of
> Matt Wieters, still not signing Alverez this year (will they ever sign
> him before Aug 15th?) and in this case today, DUMPING high salaried
> players for cheaper ones in the minors?
>
> Let's face it, Steve Pearce will not cost nearly what Nady was
> costing. Bob Nutting likes these kind of deals.
>
> Why didn't they carry these guys until the end of season and then make
> deals prior to next Spring when teams REALLY get anxious and deal good
> minor leaguers?
>
> Just some thoughts?
The final deal is worse than that one. Kontos and Coke, two guys with
at least a chance to be good major league pitchers, are gone. They are
replaced by fringe pitcher Jeff Karstens who probably will never be
more than that, and good prospect Dan McCutchen.
Here's some stats on the guys they got and the guys they didn't get:
ats.
Name: Ohlendorf
YR Level W L IP H BB K ERA
04 SSA 2 3 29 22 19 28 2.79
05 A- 11 10 157 181 44 144 4.53
06 AA 10 8 178 180 29 124 3.29
06 AAA 0 0 5 6 0 4 1.80
07 GCL 1 1 16 13 1 17 3.94
07 AAA 3 5 66 86 24 48 5.02
07 NYY 0 0 6 5 2 9 2.84
08 AAA 1 0 17 19 4 20 3.24
08 NYY 1 1 40 50 19 36 6.53
Name: Coke
03 GCL 0 0 12 13 3 5 3.75
04 GCL 0 1 11 18 3 13 3.97
04 SSA 0 0 8 9 3 7 6.75
05 A- 8 11 103 122 34 68 5.42
06 A- 0 1 17 10 4 19 0.53
06 A 5 7 110 100 35 88 3.52
07 A 7 3 99 93 37 76 3.09
08 AA 9 4 114 103 38 109 2.60
08 AAA 0 1 3 8 1 4 9.00
Name: Kontos
06 SSA 7 3 78 64 19 82 2.53
07 A 4 6 94 95 30 101 4.02
08 AA 3 9 107 97 43 103 3.77
Review: Ohleandorf looks like a last man in the bullpen type for the
majors. The kind of pitcher who splits major league and minor league
time and ptchers briefly for many teams. He could do better, but based
on his career thus far that is how I would rate him.
Coke was a low draft choice who barely pitched his 1st two seasons. He
is 26 now, but since 2006 he has done quite well. He might be a
surprise or he might never pitch in the majors. He looks like a guy
worth a flier in a trade.
Kontos was drafted out of Northwestern in the 5th round despite ERAs
over 5 in each of his 3 seasons there. I think scouts noticed that he
threw hard. As a pro he has more than one K per IP and much better
ERAs. He could develop into a decent major league starter.
The outfielder: Jose Tabata 8-12-88
Year Level BA OBP SLG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB K
2005 GCL .314 .382 .417 44 156 30 49 5 1 3 25 22 6
15 14
2006 A- .298 .377 .420 86 319 50 95 22 1 5 51 15 5
30 66
2007 A .307 .371 .391 103 411 56 126 16 2 5 54 15 7
33 70
2008 AA .248 .320 .310 79 294 40 73 9 0 3 36 10 2
26 49
Tabata was listed in the Top 10 most disappointing prospects of 2008
in an article I recenly read. Still, no doubt he was the key player
for the Pirates in this deal. He was playing full time in the Gulf
Coast League at 16 and hit .314. That is major talent. He continued to
hit well at 17 and 18. Now this year at 19 and a regular in AA ball he
is struggling. That isn't enough to write him off as a top prospect.
he doesn't have a high K rate and his walk rate is adequate, which is
good for a young latin player. (He was signed out of Venezuela).
Karstens is, like Ohlendorf, probably filler at best. On the other
hand McCutchen (9-26-82) might be a good one and likely will be
pitching in Pittsburgh by September..He pitched 3 years in college for
Okhahoma.
McCutchen
Yr. Level W L IP H BB K ERA
06 SSA 1 0 9 5 1 12 2.00
06 A- 1 0 21 13 5 18 2.14
07 A 11 2 101 86 21 67 2.50
07 AA 3 2 41 30 12 36 2.41
08 AA 4 3 53 43 18 52 2.55
08 AAA 4 6 70 73 11 58 3.58
Karstens
Career Minors 43 31 634 636 159 528 3.51
Career Majors 3 5 57 67 20 21 5.65
Overall the changes to the trade gave the Pirates even less. Two
pitchers with at least a chance to be good were replaced with one with
a chance to be good and another fringe pitcher.
>> Stay informed about: Gotta love that trade 
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