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Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
Bruce Levine of ESPN1000 is reporting that the Cubs have traded Mark DeRosa and the $5.5M on his contract for 2009 to the Cleveland Indians for three minor-leaguers, RHP Jeff Stevens, LHP John Gaub and RHP Chris Archer.
You have to think a trade, let's say for a certain pitcher from San Diego whom I dare not speak his name, is possibly forthcoming.
I'll try and get some info on the prospects in a bit.
UPDATE #1: Link from espn.com, although I think they have a typo on John "Caub".
UPDATE #2: I poked around a bit and none of the three prospects showed up on Baseball America's recent top 10 Indians' prospect list or John Sickels Top 20. In other words, this deal only makes sense if they're all headed to another city, let's call it San Diego, to give them the quantity of pitchers and players that they wanted in that trade for that certain pitcher, whom we'll refer to as J.P.
Scouting reports and biographies that I could piece together on the prospects after the jump....
Jeff Stevens was drafted in the 6th round by the Cincinnati Reds in 2005 out of Loyola Marymount University. A year later he was traded to the Indians as part of the Brandon Phillips trade. He pitched for Team USA in the 2008 Olympics as well. He features a 92-93 mph fastball that can get up to 95mph, an above-average curve and has been working on a slider. He spent most of the 2008 season closing for the Indians Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo. The 25-year old is certainly the best of the three players the Cubs are getting back.
23-year old John Gaub was a 21st round selection by the Indians in 2006 out of the University of Minnesota and had an incredible 14.06 K/9 rate in A-ball last year, even if he was a bit old for the league. He was considered a flamethrower in college, but had his shoulder scoped after his sophomore year which in turn resulted in a loss in velocity. He seems to be getting it back up to the mid 90's on occasion but usually settles in the low 90's with a decent slider and a change-up as well.
20-year old Chris Archer was a teammate of John Gaub at Lake County last season and although he had a healthy 8.27 K/9 rate last season, he walked an incredible 84 batters in 115.1 IP. The 5th-round pick out of high school in 2006 throws in the low 90's with a "plus slider" and scouts think he has the frame to build on that velocity.
Comments
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
Angels sign Brian Fuentes btw...
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
Pretty nice K rates on Stevens and the Gobster. The Gobster was probably two years two old for his league, though.
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
Gaub was a college kid so that is why he was there, If he pitches well at Daytona (if he stays) to starts the season a promotion to AA By June is not out of the question.
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
fwiw, none of them were top 10 BA prospects this year...
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/ran...
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
or top 20 Sickels prospects, although Stevens gets mentioned a few times by the commenters...
http://www.minorleagueball.com/2008/12/29/704258/c...
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
So SD just wants any old shitty pitching prospects? We already had those. Damn, DeRosa just has to be more valuable...doesn't he?
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
Maybe Rob forgot to mention that the Indians threw in the entire island of Manhattan and most of the northeast in the deal?
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
I know this trade has already been made...but maybe we can take it back.
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
Damn you Mark DeRosa and your Non-Lefthandedness!!!
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
Any announcement of a Hendry press conference after all of this?
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
probably wouldn't do it until they sign Bradley...and if they are indeed still going for Peavy, might just do it all together.
I'm sure he'll be on the radio though soon enough.
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
If the Cubs can just find 12 or 13 more prospects maybe they'll actually pick up Peavy.
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
For all of those who thought that Hendry was doing nothing because you couldn't see or hear anything, all I have to say is that you just have to be patient.
Have a good start to the upcoming year everyone!
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
DeRo will be playing third base for the Indians.
http://tinyurl.com/7lpq6b
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
MILB pages for the players:
Gaub: http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stat...
He is 23 (4/22/85) and at Low A last year and had a line a line of 34 IP, 3.38 ERA, 2 saves, 100/32 K/BB ratio, 3 HR allowed, .195 BAA, and a .74 GO/AO ratio.
Stevens: http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stat...
He is 25 (9/5/83) bounced around AA and AAA with a line of 5-4, 58.1 IP, 3.24 ERA, 6 saves, 81/27 K/BB, 5 HR allowed, .184 BAA, .86 GB/AO
Archer: http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stat...
He is 20 (9/26/88) and was at Low A and his line of 115.1 IP, 27 starts, 4-8, 106/84 K/BB, 8 HR allowed, 1.65 GO/AO ratio, and .220 BAA.
I really can not see how this exicites Towers into trading Peavy. None of these guys are top 20 prospect material at this point. If the only reason this trade was to fit team killer Milton Bradley under payroll, then I will be upset.
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
Gaub had 100 K's in 34 innings? That's got to be some kind of record.
Stevens could probably pitch in Petco right now. I would guess that Archer is a key part for the Peavy trade just based on his age and that he's a starter.
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
I believe it was 64 IP.
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
mixed up games and iniings, he had 64 IP.
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
Yeah, this and Miles only makes sense if we assume there's something bigger coming.....
Will miss ya, Mark.
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
the Indians threw in the entire island of Manhattan
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Hopefully Kerry/Mark will wear the beads they got in this transaction.
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
thanks, doc. i'm glad someone's alive who actually remembers that trade.
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
A freshly baked cake is on the stove cooling. Now the frosting?
Could Ronnie Cedeno be a memory too, moved onto SD?
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
If they're not moved in a later deal, Jeff Stevens would probably project as the RHP set-up man at Iowa in 2009 with a possible 2009 call-up at some point, John Gaub would project as a lefty set-up man at Daytona, and RHP Chris Archer would project as a rotation starter at Daytona.
As has been mentioned by Rob G, none of the three are anything close to "hot shot" prospects, although Stevens apparently showed enough promise at AAA Buffalo in 2008 to get a slot on the Indians 40-man roster last month.
While the three pitchers aren't total stiffs, the trade does look like it was basically a salary dump to clear some payroll for Bradley and Peavy. Of the three, I would think only Stevens would be of interest to the Padres in a possible Jake Peavy deal.
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
This is a gamble and one that I'm not sure I like altogether, but if it allows us to get Bradley and Peavy without giving up, say, Vitters, then it's an improvement to the club, next year and in the future. Of course, Towers could continue to be the incompetent dick that he is and fuck this up, but one would think Hendry knew which players on the Indians and Rockies he liked. We'll see.
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
If those two deals do go through, this team is starting to seem a lot like the 2004 version.
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
Could we get JP for a cheap middle infielder, mid level pitching prospects and Marshall?
None of the Cubs top arms would go for this cheap. Best deal JH has never made!
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
I assume by cheap middle infielder you mean Cedeno, but you also have to include losing DeRo if JH ships all or at least 2 of the prospects to SD.
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
Final update on the post with what I can put together on their scouting reports and repertoire...
you're welcome :)
feel free to add to the post if you have anything on them AZ Phil...
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
Some old BA scouting reports on the three pitchers the Cubs got frrom Cleveland...
1. Jeff Stevens pitched at Loyola Marymount and was described as having a "deceptive" 90-91 MPH sinking fastball with an "improved" breaking ball and good command and competitiveness at that time. He was drafted in the 6th round of the 2005 draft by the Cincinnati Reds but was the PTBNL in the Brandon Phillips deal, so he's been traded before. He was moved from the starting rotation to the bullpen after he turned pro, and he has really improved his fastball since making the move. He now throws consistently 92-94 MPH with an occasional 96, and he was the closer for Team USA at the World Cup in Taiwan in November 2007.He also throws a slow curve, a cutter, and a slider.
2. John Gaub threw a 96 MPH fastball with a sharp curve and plus change-up as a sophomore at the U. of Minnesota and was one of the top pitching prospects in the Big Ten hoing into the 2005 season, but then he had shoulder surgery (torn labrum) and had a significant loss of velocity on his fastball and break on his curve when he tried to came back in 2006. He was selected by Cleveland in the 21st round of the 2006 draft, and was signed in August for "5th round money" (he actually got a higher bonus than Chris Archer got as the Indians' 2006 5th round pick). He had additional shoulder surgery post-2006 and so he did not make his pro debut until August 2007, and then he began last season rehabbing at EXST, but he is supposedly finally healthy now. He developed a low release angle to compensate for his shoulder injury.
3. Chris Archer was a highly regarded HS pitcher in North Carolina (he probably knows Mitch Atkins) who reneged on an oral commitment to homestate NC State before signing an NLI to attend Miami (Florida). But the Indians offered him $155K to forget college and he took it. Archer threw a 90-92 four-seam fastball at that time, but his breaking ball was supposed to be his "out" pitch. He has had command problems throughout his career, but his hammer-curve was rated the best in the Indians system, and his fastball has also shown improvement (he now throws 92-94), although it has only minimal movement.
Re: Cubs Trade Mark DeRosa
I'm afraid that this trade isn't getting prospects to trade for Peavy. We are fooling ourselves if we think that. This is the result of an owner's parent in bankruptcy and the team being sold. It's creating budget room for Bradley, end of story. Bradley will be a mistake. He has only played in over 100 games 3 times in a 9 year career. Abreau has played in over 150 games 12 staight years. The answer is simple - Abreau.
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