Oh, what could have been
08/03/2007
Stalter Home / Sports Channel / Bullz-Eye Home
Instead of breaking down, overanalyzing or handing out grades for this year’s MLB deadline trades like 451 other websites already have, I decided to do something a little different, baseball fans.
Earlier this week the Atlanta Braves sent prized catcher prospect Jarrod Saltalamacchia, along with other prospects Elvis Andrus and Neftali Feliz, to the Texas Rangers in exchange for first baseman Mark Teixeira.
So I got to thinking, what if Saltalamacchia (who is an embroider’s and journalist’s worst nightmare, by the way) turns out to be an absolute stud? Which then got the mouse wheel turning even more: What other prospects where shipped off in trades in order to bring in a big-name veteran? What no name prospect did we as fans first say, “Who?!” when our favorite team first completed the deal?
Below are 10 of those prospects, all from the past 10 years, who were drafted or signed as an undrafted free agent by one team, but eventually wound up contributing on another club after a deadline or offseason trade. Have more names? Send them to me at astalter@bullz-eye.com and I’ll post the best ones at The Scores Report.
1. Brad Penny in the Matt Mantei deal
Not many folks know that the Diamondbacks drafted Penny (above) in 1996 and even fewer realize he wasn’t even selected until the fifth round. After two roller coaster years in the minors, the D’Backs shipped him to Florida along with Abraham Nunez and Vladimir Nunez in exchange for reliever Matt Mantei in 1999. The rest is history, as Penny went on to win series-deciding games for Florida in the 2003 NLCS against the Cubs and again in the World Series against the Yankees to give the Marlins their second championship in six years. Of course, Penny was eventually dealt to the Dodgers in one of the Marlins’ many fire sales and currently owns a 13-1 record and dazzling 2.51 ERA, but Florida still got their money’s worth from him.
2. Grady Sizemore in the Bartolo Colon deal
Maybe if the Expos had held onto Sizemore after drafting him in the third round of the 2000 draft, they’d still be in Montreal to this day. Okay, so Grady had little to do with why the Expos aren’t north of the border anymore, but it’s crazy to think that they gave up yet another young talent for next-to-nothing. In 2002, the Expos sent Sizemore, Brandon Phillips, Cliff Lee and Lee Stevens to Cleveland in exchange for Bartolo Colon and Tim Drew. Colon had an unbelievable year, finishing with a combined 20-8 record and a 2.93 ERA, but he was shipped to the White Sox immediately after the season. Conversely, Sizemore is a major fan favorite in Cleveland and has been a rock both offensively and defensively for the Tribe since 2005.
3. Hanley Ramirez in the Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell deal
Neither the Marlins nor Red Sox can be considered losers in the 2005 trade that sent Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell and Guillermo Mota to Boston in exchange for Hanley Ramirez, Anibal Sanchez and two other minor league prospects. However, BoSox fans must cringe a bit when they watch Julio Lugo consistently go 0-for-4 at the plate while the former Rookie of the Year Ramirez – whom they signed undrafted in 2000 –strokes extra base hits into the gap on a nightly basis. Beckett and Lowell have been good for Boston, but it’s hard to find a five-tool player like Ramirez, especially considering he plays a coveted position and is still only 23 years old. Jose Reyes gets all the hype, but Ramirez may be just as good.
4. Josh Beckett in the Hanley Ramirez deal
It’s only fair to throw Beckett on this list if we’re talking about Ramirez, even though he was the big name in the deal. The key for the Red Sox here was that they were able to extend Beckett’s contract after they made they deal with Florida. If that hadn’t happened, we might be talking about one of the biggest trade blunders in baseball history. In 2006, Beckett wasn’t exactly a Cy Young candidate, going 16-11 with a 5.01 ERA. However, he’s been fantastic this year, posting a 14-4 record and a more reasonable 3.27 ERA. What takes the sting out of losing an amazing talent like Ramirez is that Beckett is still only 27 and has plenty of wins left in him.
5. Francisco Liriano in the A.J. Pierzysnki deal
Every time this trade is mentioned, another Giant fan gets an unexplainable pain in the pit of his or her stomach. San Fran signed Liriano as an undrafted free agent in 2000 and then inexplicably sent him to Minnesota as a thrown-in along with (eventual) premier closer Joe Nathan and starting pitcher Boof Bonser in exchange for headache A.J. Pierzynski. The shoulder surgery that has shelved Liriano for the entire 2007 season is certainly troubling, but if he returns to top form, you’re talking about a kid who went 13-5 last year with a 2.74 ERA and was just edged out by Tigers’ flamethrower Justin Verlander for Rookie of the Year honors. A healthy Liriano along with ace Johan Santana should give the Twins a 1-2 punch that would rival any team in baseball. Of course, the Giants could have had a starting rotation of Liriano, Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito and Noah Lowry – an entire staff of arms all 29 and younger – but hey, who’s keeping track, right?
6. Adrian Gonzalez and Chris Young in the Adam Eaton and Akinori Otsuka deal
First and foremost, Gonzalez was drafted first overall by the Marlins in the 2000 draft, but was shipped to Texas in exchange for Ugueth Urbina. Then the Rangers sent him and Young (who was drafted by the Pirates and also spent time in the Expos minor league system) to the Padres for Eaton and Ostuka. While Gonzalez has seen both good and bad times for San Diego the past two years, it’s been Young who has really come back to bite the Pirates, Expos and Rangers. He’s currently 9-3 with an outstanding 1.82 ERA and finished 11-5 last year with an ERA of 3.46. Meanwhile, Eaton only played one year in Texas before signing a free agent deal with the Phillies and even though Otsuka has been decent, he alone can’t offset the major blunder the Rangers made in moving both Gonzalez and Young in the same trade. The Rangers, Pirates, Marlins and, to a lesser extent, the Expos were all fleeced in trading these two players.
7. Aaron Rowand in the Jim Thome deal
This trade is kind of tricky, because the Mets were actually the first team to draft Rowand, selecting him in the 1995 draft and therefore placing him outside the 10-year period I’ve been dealing with. However, Rowand elected to go to college and thus wasn’t a major league prospect until the White Sox took him in the 1998 draft. Regardless, Rowand was a key contributor to Chicago’s ’05 championship, demonstrating consistent play and leadership within the clubhouse. He was shipped to Philadelphia the following offseason, however, along with minor league prospects Gio Gonzalez and Daniel Haigwood in exchange for Thome and $22 million. He struggled a bit in his first year with the Phillies, but this year he’s hitting a solid .329, made the All-Star team and, worse for the Sox, he’s still only 29.
8. Scott Kazmir in the Victor Zambrano deal
One word for the New York Mets: whoops. The Mets drafted Kazmir in the 2002 draft, but infamously dealt him to the Devil Rays for Zambrano, Bartolome Fortuanto and a package of sunflower seeds. While I’m sure the sunflower seeds were delicious, Zambrano turned out to be a complete bust over the next three years, including a 2005 season in which he went 7-12 with a 4.17 ERA. Kazmir, on the other hand, has been by far the best D-Ray starting pitcher over the past couple years and is still only 23. On a better team – like, let’s say, the Mets – he’d probably be a consistent 12-game winner.
9. Jeremy Bonderman in the Jeff Weaver deal
You know those “players to be named later” that rarely get revisited years after trades happen, because they wind up being lifelong minor leaguers? Well meet Jeremy Bonderman, a one-time PTBNL in a trade involving the Tigers, Yankees and A’s in 2002. Oakland drafted Bonderman in 2001 when he was still only a junior in high school, so it’s a surprise general manager Billy Beane gave up on him only a year later. Even though “Bondo” has had some rough years in Detroit – including a 6-19 2003 season – he has won 10-plus games in five of his six major league seasons. He went 14-8 last year as the Tigers made a surprise run to the World Series, and currently is 10-3 even though he has a rather high 4.33 ERA. Weaver, by the way, never pitched for the A’s, instead getting dealt to the Yankees for a couple of minor league prospects that included current Cubs’ pitcher Ted Lilly.
10. Andre Ethier in the Milton Bradley deal
The A’s drafted Ethier in the 37th round of the 2001 draft, but he instead enrolled at Arizona State University. Oakland again selected him, this time in the second round of the 2003 draft, but just two years later sent him to Los Angles in exchange for Milton Bradley and Antonio Perez. Ethier is still developing, but he’s showed he can hit for average and power, and he’s a solid defender as well. Bradley – a fellow outfielder – was recently dumped by the A’s and one has to wonder if they’re not kicking themselves a bit for giving up on the 25-year-old Ethier.
Questions or comments? Send them to astalter@bullz-eye.com.