Following in Los Angeles Bruins footsteps Hays looked for some veterans to bring in and try and change the losing tide. Looking over some of the few teams out of the playoff race, Hays reached out to Mitch of the Denver Dynasty.
Earlier in the season Hays and Mitch swapped emails regaurding a possible trade, but talks never heated up. This go around was different as Mitch was eager to sell some older, high priced players. Originally Hays was just interested in Owens and struggline MR Kolfe Were. As trade talks continued for almost 2 weeks the trade expanded to add 1B Francisco Vázquez and defensive specialist C Guillermo Matos.
The main guy that Hays targeted Owens, a 31-yr old, hitting .237 and making $8.5M!! Hays and the Hitmen have always been aware of VBL6 all-time OBP leader LF Tony Owens, but after a injury shorten season in 2011 Owens came back in 2012 and wasn't the same player.
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| Tony Owens |
Salary: $8.5M
Avg: .237
OBP: .402
Slug: .308
OPS: .710
Moral: Very Unhappy
In 81 games for Denver Owens was hitting a career low .237, 2 HR, 22 RBI, 8 2B, .308 Slg and .710 OPS, but did have a .402 OBP. Owens' struggles was so bad that it kept him out of the starting lineup for the first 2 months of the season. Owens set the single season OBP mark in 09 at .497 and has the single season record for most BB in a season with 151 in 2010.
"We know he's a ball player," Hays told reporters at the trade press conference. "Owens does one thing and he doesn't it better than anyone in game and that is get on base. Of course we would love to see him hit around .300, but as long as he continues to keep that .400+ OBP we will be happy."
A late piece added to the trade was 28-year old 1B Francisco Vázquez who is making $8.1M this year and could be a FA at the end of the year and walk without any compensation for Denver. Vazquez was having a good year in Denver, in 91 games he hit .284, 22 HRs, 71 RBI, 18 2B, .336 OBP and .898 OPS. There is no doubting that Vazquez has some offensive pop, but with Green at 1B and Copriviza at DH were was he going to play?
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| Francisco Vazquez |
Salary: $8.1M
Avg: .284
HR: 22
RBI: 71
OPS: .898
Slug: .562
"Our only reason for acquiring Vazquez is with the hopes he can move over to 3B," commented Hays. "He obviously has some some offensive talent, but unless the move to 3B works it will be a waste."
Looking to bolster the pen even more Hays and the front office targeted struggling MR/CL Kolfe "The Were-wolf" Were. Were was a FA signing by new Denver Owner Mitch in the off-season but hasn't panned out like he expected. In 46 games Were was 1-5, notched 21 saves, but with a 6.54 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP.
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| Kolfe Were |
Salary: $3.4M
W/L: 1-5
Sv: 21
ERA: 6.54
WHIP: 1.53
K/9: 10.4
"Kolfe 'The Were-wolf' Were as we call him is a great strikeout pitcher," comment Hays to reporters. "We know all to well about how good this kid is. Last season when he was with Orlando (scowl on face) he lit us up pretty good. For some reason, maybe the high altitude in Denver, he just never felt right. We aren't asking him to be a setup or closer, but just an inning eater for us and I think he will do just fine!"
The trade at the "deadline" looked like this...
Denver Dynasty
MR F. Blanco,
CF C. Welch,
MR R. Chandler,
MR J. Campbell,
C F. Díaz,
3B M. Gómez
in exchange for
Hendersonville Hitmen
RF T. Owens,
1B F. Vázquez,
C G. Matos,
$10,000,000
Aug PR 2
A question:
ReplyDelete"could be a FA at the end of the year and walk without any compensation for Denver"
Why would Denver not have gotten any compensation?
He's arbitration eligible is he not? So all Denver would have to do is offer him arby to get comp pick or picks? Or am I missing something?
Last I checked it said he wasn't a Type A or Type B compensation player. Which means no compensation, right? I could be totally wrong, but thats my understanding. Like I said last week, I don't really have a full understanding of how all this stuff works.
ReplyDeleteyah gotta stop with the supposed lack of understanding financials please. You don't understand the value of cash yet you take $20mil in 2 trades?
ReplyDeleteVazquez is arbitration eligible, he's not a free agent yet.
If he turns down your arbitration and hits the market, he then becomes a comp pick I believe.
If he accepts it, then he'd likely be a comp pick after next season.
What did you think the difference between Vazquez and the catcher you dumped on Denver was when it came to who was comp pick worthy?
Then on top of that, what was the $10mil for exactly?
All Denver got from this deal was the ability to get a comp pick for the catcher, and a .638 OPS 30 year old isn't exactly a hot commodity on the free agent wire that would want a team to give up a draft pick.
A guy like Paradis on Whitewater would be no comp because you can't offer him arbitration.
I find it very disheartening that an original owner can apparently sell 1 of our 5 newest owners on a "no comp" bill of goods and not be willing to verify that before pulling the trigger.
At least we got to the bottom of this deal huh?
Hendersonville 2.5 big leaguers with the opportunity for a comp pick from one of them, and Denver lost $10m, and a comp pick to deduct maybe $7mil or so from payroll?
The way I see it is if he offers him Arb he will retain him. If he doesn't offer him Arb he will become a FA. You only get compensatory picks when the player is an up and coming FA and you offer him arbitration and he turns it down.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like he is in his final year of Arb this season, so next season when he is an impending FA and HEN offers him arbitration he and he turns it down he should receive a comp pick based on his performances over the past 2 years.
Correct, that's exactly how I see it as well, and I'd find it hard to believe that Denver understood that because Vazquez will get signed by somebody thus giving him a comp pick. The catcher may not. When you sprinkle in the $10m, I wonder what was in this for Denver since they got a bunch of fringe minor leaguers?
ReplyDeleteMaybe Travis will be a pal and give Denver that comp pick after next year, yet something tells me that won't happen.
But please don't sell me on you "don't understand the system," if that's true then you're a savant because you seem to do VERY well with getting cash and comp players in trades without understanding it.
When I asked Gray about the cash and being over budget, he told me I needed to ask for cash in trades. So I did. It's that simple. All I needed to know is what I needed to do.
ReplyDeleteAs for as Comp picks, it never came up cause Vazquez isn't labeled as a Comp pick player so as for I know he isn't going to get comp picks when signed.
I still don't understand this...Vazquez is labeled as Arby Eligible, but possible FA after this season. So How/when do you know if he will be a FA or Arby Eligible?
He will not be arby eligible next yr will he? He will be entering his 6th season in the league, want he be a straight up FA? How do you get comp picks if you can't offer Arby to them?
I've never seen a guy turn down Arby either? So Vazquez is making $8.1, his Arby is $7.3 for next year, if I offer $5M and the Arb rules in favor of him does he then turn that down and become a FA? I'm totally confused.