Just for Sport

A lot has been made over the last couple of days about the blockbuster trades that the Cubs and the Brewers made.  In case you haven’t been near a television in the last 24 hours, the Brewers acquired CC Sabathia, and the Cubs got Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin.  It seems only natural to compare the two trades since they happened so close together and since both teams are in the NL Central.  So let’s do that, starting with the Brewers.  Stats listed are career stats.

The Brewers got:

CC Sabathia
107-71(.601), 3.82 ERA, 1.266 WHIP, 7.45 K/9
Postseason: 1-2, 7.17 ERA
2007 Cy Young Award Winner
27 years old (turns 28 this month)
Free Agent in 2008 offseason

The Brewers gave up:

Matt LaPorta
AA - 82 Games, .291 BA, .404 OBP, 20 HR, 66 RBI
23 years old
Former #7 overall pick 

Robert Bryson
A - 3-2 (.600), 5 SV, 4.25 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 11.95 K/9
20 years old 

Taylor Green
A+ - 78 Games, .297 BA, .381 OBP, 10 HR, 50 RBI
21 years old 

Player to be named later (likely Zach Jackson)

The Cubs got:

Rich Harden
36-19(.655), 3.42 ERA, 1.244 WHIP, 8.69 K/9
Postseason: 0-2, 6.43 ERA
26 years old 

Chad Gaudin
24-23(.511), 2 SV, 4.33 ERA, 1.525 WHIP, 6.38 K/9
Postseason: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
25 years old 

The Cubs gave up:

Sean Gallagher
3-4(.429), 5.28 ERA, 1.514 WHIP,  6.63 K/9
22 years old 

Matt Murton
308 Games, .294 BA, .362 OBP, 28 HR, 104 RBI
26 years old (turns 27 in October) 

Eric Patterson
20 Games, .239 BA, .308 OBP, 1 HR, 7 RBI
25 years old 

Josh Donaldson
A - 61 Games, .223 BA, .282 OBP, 6 HR, 23 RBI
22 years old 

It seems as if the Brewers have mortgaged their future to make this one playoff run.  Manny LaPorta is considered one of the best prospects in the minors right now, and judging by the statistics, it looks as though Bryson (look at the K rate) and Green have tremendous upside.  Both Sabathia and Ben Sheets will be gone next year, and there will be little help coming from their farm system.  They had better make the playoffs this year if this trade is to be deemed a success.  If they do happen to make it, they will be formidable in a short series.  

On the other hand, the Cubs got a slightly better pitcher.  Sabathia has the better name recognition as a Cy Young winner (plus he’s been around longer), but Harden has the better statistics.  He is an injury risk, but if he stays healthy, this trade is a steal.  The Cubs not only got Harden to strengthen their rotation, which now includes Harden, Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, Ted Lilly, and Rich Hill/Jason Marquis.  In addition, they got a solid reliever that will be able to contribute on a daily basis.  In exchange the only real prospect of value they gave up is Sean Gallagher, who has a bright future and has shown flashes of brilliance this year.  Despite lots of hand-wringing by columnists and talking heads, Murton in fact did get his chance in the majors, and largely failed to produce.  Billy Beane was surely attracted to his OBP, but his run production numbers are sub-par.  He will likely contribute to a nominal degree in Oakland, but he will not be missed in Chicago.  Jim Hendry was probably happy to get rid of Patterson, who is overrated because of his brother.  Only once have I ever seen a player tag at first and take second on a routine fly ball to left field, and that one time Patterson was the left fielder.  Josh Donaldson may make a serviceable catcher, but was unlikely to see time in the foreseeable future with Geovany Soto at the dish for the big club.

In short, the Cubs win.  They got the better of the two deals, though I will be afraid of the Brewers if they manage to nab a Wild Card spot.  As for the other two aces on the respective clubs, Zambrano was dominant today, while Sheets was average.  Chalk another win up to the Cubbies. 

Remember when I told you this blog was moving?  It’s happened.  I will likely hold on to this site and update it periodically, but most of my blogging efforts will be spent on the new collaborative sports blog Odd Man Rush.  In the meantime, I will be changing the cosmetics of this site as I get an opportunity.  You may notice that the banner is a mess.  That is the result of many unsuccessful tests that suddenly worked - all at once.  The end result is that the OMR site actually looks pretty good because I ironed out most of the bugs over here first.  See you there!

There is no real connection between Mark Teixeira and Texas, besides the fact that he played 4 1/2 years in Arlington.  In fact, there is probably a greater connection between Tex (I guess that’s where the familiarity comes from) and the good people of Georgia, given that he played at Georgia Tech.

But now, Atlanta fans are getting a taste of what we here in North Texas experienced before we traded him.  Malcontent, hints of wanting to play with another team, and clubhouse dissension all seem to follow this guy.  This blog wants to bring Tex to Baltimore.  Be careful what you wish for.

Rangers fans are surely planning on welcoming Tex "home" tonight when the Braves come in to play.  Before you cheer for him, remember that he undermined Ron Washington, causing clubhouse problems that still linger today.  Remember that the notorious slow starter declined to play just 2 extra minor league games before the season last year because of travel.  Remember that the Scott Boras client turned down an 8-year, $140 million contract before we traded him.

Sound a little like A-Rod?  Think about giving him the A-Rod treatment on his "homecoming."

Hank Steinbrenner, or, as he will be henceforth known on this blog, The One Who Vomits Words, apparently doesn’t understand that baseball is a game of tradition.  Concerning the Designated Hitter, or, as it will henceforth be known on this blog, Bud Selig’s First Abomination, he said the following on Monday:

"…it’s about time they address it. That was a rule from the 1800s."

Are you kidding me?  The Designated Hitter has bastardized the game for 8/15 of Major League clubs since 1972, and now TOWVW wants to ruin it for the rest of us.  I am out of town for the week and am not even supposed to be using a computer, but look for a post coming soon concerning the DH.

After 19 years of living two hours away from Dallas (in 2 different cities), I will be moving to Big D some time in the next 3 months.  That means, among other things, that this blog will take a new direction.  The changes will be thus:

1. A new url, possibly with its own domain name.  Watch for this announcement.
2. Possibly some new contributors, which will take the pressure off of me to update frequently.  Speaking of which…
3. More time to update, which means this blog will look more like, well, a blog.
4. Most importantly, a change in focus.  While JFS (or whatever it’s called when we move) will continue to cover the sports world at large, the main focus of the new site will be coverage of DFW area teams.   

Some of the posts will migrate to the new site.  I keep track of what pages get viewed most often, and these posts will be among the ones that make the cut.  They may also be part of the template that we use to try to stay unique and relevant on an oversaturated medium.  (Most popular posts: #1 #2 #3 #4 #5)

Check back for info on the new site!