by Jason Martinez
The Miami Marlins have taken the first step towards improving their starting rotation depth by acquiring left-hander Wade LeBlanc from the San Diego Padres. In exchange, the Padres received catcher John Baker, who will serve as Nick Hundley's backup. Both teams appear to have filled important offseason needs. You can vote at the bottom of the article on who you think got the better end of the deal. Here's a breakdown of how each roster is affected by the trade:
Miami Marlins
When staff ace Josh Johnson went on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation back in May after making just nine starts, the lack of pitching depth in the farm system was exposed. Elih Villanueva made one unimpressive start. Same with Jay Buente. Clay Hensley had just one quality start (at least 6 IP and 3 ER or less allowed) in nine games after being moved to the rotation. He went back to the 'pen in early September. Rookie Brad Hand made the jump from Double-A and was predictably inconsistent in his 12 starts. Not surprisingly, the Marlins have made starting pitching a priority this offseason.
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| LeBlanc will compete for a rotation spot in Miami Picture courtesy of Icon Sports Media, Inc. |
LeBlanc's acquisition doesn't necessarily mean he'll be on the 25-man roster when the season starts. He has options remaining and it doesn't sound like the Marlins are anywhere close to being done shopping for pitching help. Having him down in Triple-A as the '#6 starter', however, already has the team in better shape than it was last season.
San Diego Padres
Early in Hundley's career, it was important for the team to carry an experienced backup (Henry Blanco in 2009, Yorvit Torrealba in 2010) to mentor the young catcher, as well as the pitching staff. At 28 years old, Hundley is now the veteran and the Padres no longer feel it's necessary to pair him with another. Which is why they settled on Rob Johnson, who had all of 161 career big league games under his belt when they acquired him before the 2011 season. But when Hundley missed extended time during two separate disabled list stints, the team sorely missed his offense (.824 OPS in 82 games). Johnson, who was outrighted off the 40-man roster after the season, finished the year with a .544 OPS in 67 games.
After multiple stints on the disabled list over the past three years, it wouldn't be a stretch to call Hundley injury-prone. Acquiring a backup who could provide some offense of his own while making 2-3 starts per week makes a lot of sense. Which is why Josh Byrnes' first trade as the Padres' new General Manager addressed that need. In Baker's only full big league season, he posted a .759 OPS in 112 games. He missed most of the next two seasons to Tommy John surgery so the biggest question will obviously be his ability to throw out base runners. The Padres are encouraged that the 30 year-old will be back to full strength.
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4 comments:
Why cant the Mets make moves like this?! John Baker?! We have a roster full of John Bakers!
The Padres were looking for a catcher and the Marlins happened to have some depth there with Buck the starter and Brett Hayes a capable backup. If there's a major league player on the Mets roster that other teams value and doesn't necessarily have a spot in New York, it's Daniel Murphy. His bat needs to be in the lineup, which is why most people are penciling him in at 2B. However, I don't think the Mets see him as the answer at 2B defensively and he's blocked at other positions, which is why you'll hear his name in trade rumors. Murphy would actually be a great fit at Petco but LeBlanc wouldn't have been enough of a return. So maybe it's a case of those two teams not matching up on a deal. It doesn't mean that they won't find a match with another team. Murphy could get them a mid-rotation starter or late-inning reliever, in my opinion.
As a Met's fan it pains me to see the organization ride the fence on Murphy. Admittedly, he does has defensive issues, however his bat, moxie, grit and gamer mentality should press management to allow him to work out his issues with the glove. I saw the vast majority of Met's games in 2011 and that line-up was different with Murphy. They played better and he's a crowd favorite. For me to watch the Met's trade Murphy away for need is understandable yet, painful to anticipate.
Marc,
Knowing that he has already had multiple knee injuries and given his lack of experience at the position, do you feel comfortable with Murphy as your everyday 2B? If I was a Mets fan, I'd be holding my breath every time someone tried to break up a double-play with a hard slide at Murphy.
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