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Trades and Other Offseason Moves

The offseason brought about a variety of changes, both in the locations of some well-known prospects and the future outlook of others. This week, we’ll take a quick look back at some of the notable offseason stories, covering trades, injuries, and other miscellaneous tidbits.

First, the trades. Listed below are a few of the significant trades of the offseason, all of which deal with at least one prospect with starting-caliber potential.

A’s receive SP Kirk Saarloos
Astros receive SP Chad Harville

This was one of the more interesting trades of the offseason, and a change of address could do both these guys well. Saarloos is an ideal Billy Beane project, and the team had been looking to acquire the young right-hander for quite some time. Saarloos is short, doesn’t throw hard, and uses a deceptive delivery, all of which make him a perfect candidate for the A’s organization. Scouts don’t like much about his game, but he’s shown the ability to succeed in the minors. Saarloos is a good bet to succeed out of the bullpen, as his sub-3.00 ERA in such a role on the major league level tends to suggest.

Chad Harville is two years older than Saarloos, but is more of a prototypical starter/closer prospect. He throws in the low-90’s with solid movement, with injuries proving to be his biggest impediment. The Astros have a number of talented end-of-the-bullpen arms, and although that would be his most likely destination in most organizations, Harville projects as more of a middle reliever with Houston.

Dodgers receive OF Milton Bradley
Indians receive OF Franklin Gutierrez, player to be named later

Milton Bradley has always been somewhat of a headcase, and it finally caught up with him. He failed to run out a fly ball that dropped for a hit, proceeded to enter into an argument with manager Eric Wedge, and the rest was history. Speaking from a purely production-oriented standpoint, Bradley is a fine talent. When healthy, he’ll provide a high average with double-digit power and speed. Apparently, though, the baggage is a bit too heavy.

Gutierrez has drawn comparisons to Juan Gonzalez and Raul Mondesi, and he could very easily surpass Bradley in terms of future value. He’s also less of a clubhouse problem and more of a power-hitting threat, which is one area in which the Indians are lacking. If all goes well, Gutierrez will develop into the middle-of-the-order threat that the team has been lacking over the past few years, and the player to be named later will serve as an extra bonus. The Indians have a list of three legitimate prospects from which to choose, and early speculation is that SP Joel Hanrahan and OF Reggie Abercrombie could be amongst those on the list.

Braves acquire RP Chris Reitsma
Reds acquire SP Bubba Nelson and SP Jung Bong

The Reds were able to acquire solid value for Reitsma while retaining the majority of their bullpen depth. Both Nelson and Bong have bounced between starting and relief roles, but the rotation figures to be the final destination for both.

Nelson was one of the Braves’ top prospects, and he could eventually develop into a very solid starter. His biggest problem is control, but that’s an area that can be improved with time. While Nelson has never been an overpowering pitcher, his movement can be devastating. He typically throws in the low-90s with a hard slurve and improving changeup.

Bong is likely better suited for a relief role, but he has some issues to sort through before he can warrant consideration for any role in the majors. His performance over the second half of 2003 was atrocious, as he allowed more than run per inning. The early returns this season have featured much of the same, leaving his long-term future in doubt. The K/BB ratio is encouraging, and he’d likely be best served with a move back to the bullpen.

And onto the best of the rest. A couple big-name prospects were hampered with injuries or personal problems over the past few months, causing a big drop on their prospect status. Both situations warrant increased attention in the short-term future.

Josh Hamilton suspended for season

It’s becoming more and more obvious that baseball is the least of Josh Hamilton’s worries, as he will miss the entire 2004 season due to a drug-related suspension. Hamilton has reportedly failed several drug tests over the past few years, leading to speculation that his chances for a regular spot in the majors are quickly dwindling towards the slim-to-none category.

The most concerning part of this whole situation is that Hamilton has had several chances to turn things around, after failing previous tests and taking extended personal absences for “personal reasons.” It’s important to note that a player cannot be suspended for marijuana use or possession; rather, a player must take a drug of more significant status and fail multiple drug tests in order to draw a season-long suspension. Two drug failures result in a 30-day suspension, three failures in a 50-75 day suspension, four failures in a season-long suspension.

This situation is very serious, and one can only hope for the best. Baseball is obviously the least of concerns in this type of situation; hopefully, things will fall into place for the young slugger who was once viewed as a “can’t-miss” prospect.

Greg Miller sidelined with shoulder problems

Considered by some as the best pitching prospect in the game, Miller’s path to the majors came to a sudden stop after he experienced pain in his throwing shoulder. He was shut down on numerous occasions throughout spring training, and eventually had arthroscopic surgery performed on that shoulder. During the procedure, Miller had a bursa sac removed from his shoulder.

The surgery was performed in late March, and it was expected to take four-to-six weeks before he began throwing again. If all goes well, Miller should be back on the mound again around midseason. The good news is that there was no damage to the labrum or rotator cuff, leading to speculation that the surgery could put an end to these shoulder woes. The injury concerns have a legitimate impact on Miller’s prospect status, so the success of this surgery will go a long ways towards restoring his blue-chip value.

We're back on a regular schedule with the start of the regular season, so check back next week for more prospect analysis!

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