Trades that Matter: MLB 2011

"Soon I'll have your rotation spot, Miss Iowa!"

Every year in Major League Baseball, there are a few trades that shake up the whole league and make a big difference in the playoffs.  Be it Cliff Lee pushing Texas to the World Series or Carlos Beltran hitting like a thousand homeruns, trade season is always exciting.  Of course, now that rosters are about to expand, no traded players from here on out can be on the playoff roster, meaning that moves are just about done for the year.  Of course, this gives us a chance to look back at the least important trades of the season, excluding any trade that only involved one player and cash and/or PTBNLs.



Detroit traded Scott Sizemore to Oakland for David Purcey: Don't get me wrong, Scott Sizemore is a solid MLB player.  Anybody that can play second base semi-adequately (fangraphs is none too high on his defensive abilities) while hitting .250 with a teensy bit of pop (nine homers in 250 at bats) is usable.  Of course, that's just it: Scott Sizemore is entirely usable.  If he starts for you, eh, you're probably not a good team.  If he plays for you?  Well, nobody really cares.  David Purcey is of note as I thought he was David Pauley.  Also, he has a 5.61 ERA.

Washington traded Jason Marquis to Arizona for Zachary Walters: Let's start this off by saying I have no idea who Zachary Walters is.  Apparently he is a baseball player, though fangraphs has no record of this.  Of course, Jason Marquis is about as notable, existing for the last eleven years being nothing but decidedly average.  A 4.01 xFIP and 1.5 WAR in 11 years tells you that Jason Marquis just matters less than just about any player who can be in the Majors for 11 years.  11 years for God's sake!  Who the hell even knows Jason Marquis exists!?

Atlanta traded Rodrigo Lopez to Cubs for Ryan Buchter: Rodrigo Lopez is essentially Hispanic Jason Marquis.  When a team goes "oh shit, [insert above-average starting pitcher] hurt himself," Rodrigo Lopez is there to answer the call.  Unless he is on a bad team, in which case he's given the 5th spot for the whole year and people act like they care (see: literally every year of his career except 2009).  Ryan Buchter, on the other hand, is a 24-year-old minor league pitcher who seems to be Rodrigo Lopez of the minors.  His stats exist (4.87 FIP this year in AA), and there isn't really any good reason NOT to have him around.

Baltimore traded Derrek Lee to Pittsburgh for Aaron Baker: Derrek Lee used to be damn good.  He was a beast for the Marlins and Cubs for the better part of a decade.  Now, he is one of those guys that you kind of shrug when realizing he is still in the majors.  Shawn Green, Darin Erstad, and Fernando Tatis are all members of the same club in fairly recent years, and now Derrek Lee is here to have a .315 OBP and drive in maybe 80 in a good situation.  Aaron Baker is the minor league version of Derrek Lee (see a pattern here?), in that he could easily have a solid year as an MLB starter, but he might as well just be a pinch hitter on your roster.  It's telling that immediately after trading for a new first baseman to be their "power guy," the Pirates also acquired Ryan Ludwick to do the exact same thing, but for a PTBNL and he is better at it.

St. Louis released Miguel Batista: Only notable in its hilarity: not that Batista would be released, something that seems like it should have happened every year for the last 15, but that anybody would bother to sign him.  Ever.  The guy is behind Rodrigo Lopez in usefulness, and I think we just established how useful he is.