November 11, 2008
Out for Holliday: It's official
Holliday is so. bored -- uploaded on April 27, 2008 by sekhmet1776
Now, as we wake up this morning, it's official.
Holliday was shipped to Oakland last night, with LHP Greg Smith, RHP Huston Street, and OF Carlos Gonzalez coming to Colorado. It's a pretty sad day for Rockies fans as the player who's become the face of the franchise over the last couple of years is now gone, but the players coming back aren't anything to sneeze at, so this shouldn't wind up being too bad.
Gonzalez was Baseball America's #22 prospect in all of baseball entering 2008. But he struggled mightily in the majors this year, to the tune of .242/.273/.361, before getting sent back to AAA. But he's only 23, so there's plenty of time still for him to develop. More than likely, he'll replace Holliday directly in left, unless the Rockies decide to play him in center and give Dexter Fowler more time in the minors.
Smith also struggled a bit in the majors, going 7-16 with a 4.16 ERA, and his component ratios (111 K, 87 BB in 190.1 innings) aren't anything great, but he looks at worst like a fourth-starter type. He's also fairly flyball-prone, which won't help him at Coors Field. Smith turns 25 in December.
Finally, there's Street, who saved 18 games and struck out nearly a batter an inning last year, and who has a career 2.88 ERA. Street will most likely step in right away as the Rockies' closer.
It's a dark day seeing Holliday leave, but two points on the other hand: One, I like this deal a lot better than the Holliday-to-the-Cardinals ones I had seen floating around. Two, the Rockies plug two holes (starting rotation and closer) and also pick up a toolsy outfielder who should fill the hole created in left, eventually.
The Rockies could have completely screwed this up and didn't. Instead, O'Dowd comes out a slight winner here for a player on the last year of his contract -- and when you're dealing with Billy Beane, coming out a "slight winner" is really saying something.
Discussion
2 Comments on "Out for Holliday: It's official"
#1
Posted by carl, November 11, 2008 3:54 PM
As a longtime Mets fan, I don't see "slight winner" here anywhere. We traded away one of the top 5 hitters in the NL for 3 maybe-at-bests. We need a #2, not yet another #4.
I'm hearing rumors that Street may be on the block, and that to the Mets for Heilman is a possibility. That would make me slightly happier, although Aaron had better prove that all that whining about being a starter was justified.
Now, trade G-Rod & Taveras for Ryan Madsen and a Gonzalez-level prospect and I'll be MUCH happier.
#2
Posted by Tom Stephenson, November 11, 2008 4:42 PM
Carl,
I see your point here, but you have to consider everything in this situation. First of all, Holliday's gone either way after 2009, and apparently the Rockies had decided that he had to go this offseason (I don't think he did, but my gut instinct is that the Monforts sent down a message telling O'Dowd to trade Holliday.)
Also, Holliday's trade value is reduced because, rightly or wrongly, a lot of folks out there consider him a creation of Coors Field (Is he a good hitter away from Coors Field? Yes. Is he a top 5 hitter away from Coors Field? No.) and he's a one-year rental.
All that said, this package is definitely better than the one the Cardinals apparently offered. Ludwick may well be a one-year fluke, Schumaker does nothing that Smith or Spilborghs can't do, and Boggs is not that great of a prospect. At least there's a chance that Gonzalez develops into something special, and for 2009 at least Smith looks better than Hirsh or Morales.
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