Item #5: Armando Galarraga to be Dealt to Tigers

There are reports out of Detroit that the Rangers are set to deal Armando Galrraga to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for minor league outfielder Michael Hernandez. Galarraga was designated for assignment to make room for Jason Jennings which gave the Rangers ten days to trade him. We had speculated it may have been part of something involving Marlon Byrd to the Cubs but it appears now it will be a prospect swap with the Tigers. The Tigers will likely assign Galarraga to AAA and use him as a spot starter and/or long reliever.

A little transitive logic now means the Rangers traded Alex Rodriguez and cash for Joaquin Arias and Michael Hernandez. Just a little fun fact.

We are currently doing some digging on Michael Hernandez to assess what he could bring to the organization. Hernandez was drafted 3 times without signing before signing with the Tigers as a result of an open tryout. He went through High-A ball at the age of 23 last year before playing his final 18 games at AA. He has played LF, RF, 1B, and been a DH. He has shown some power potential and finished 2007 with these cumulative stats:

BA: .259
OBP: .321
SLG: .477
OPS: .798
HR: 24
RBI: 106
BB: 45
SO: 117

Once this deal is finalized we will try and do a more in depth scouting report on Hernandez. Here is his Bio Page from milb.com.

photo courtesy of milb.com

Item #2: Deal or No Deal? The Erik Bedard Saga

Bedard to the Cubs...no Bedard and Orioles talking extension....wait, Bedard to the Mariners...never mind, Adam Jones has a degenerative hip condition...Adam Jones is fine...Bedard to the Mariners...again.

Howie Mandel should have been a guest host for ESPN for the past few weeks. I could just see him interviewing Andy McPhail while Dana Jacobson held a giant briefcase with Adam Jones in it while she shouted obscenities about Notre Dame. After a lot of speculation, it appears Bedard will in fact be donning a Mariners' jersey in 2008. So one left handed ace departs the American League all together, and another one takes up residency in the Rangers' division. You can't win them all.

The proposed deal would send uber-prospect Adam Jones to the O's along with reliever Goerge Sherrill and 3 other pitching
prospects. Some would argue this deal is a better return than the Twins got for Santana based solely on Jones. He is a big time outfield prospect with plus defense and definite power potential. Sherrill is a capable left handed bullpen arm, while the 3 other prospects will need more seasoning in the minor leagues. Seattle will be able to complete the deal without surrendering Brandon Morrow or Catcher Jeff Clement, two of the Mariners other top young players.

The deal will allow the Mariners to pair Bedard with "King" Felix Hernandez at the top of their rotation. The two strikeout pitchers give the M's a formidable 1-2 punch with Carlos Silva (overpaid, overweight guy), Jarrod Washburn, and Miguel Batista rounding out the rotation. There is some risk involved for the Mariners as Bedard has struggled to complete a full season and has never pitched 200 innings. Bedard is, however, one of the top pitchers in the game and will make a big impact on the AL West in 2008 and beyond.

The Chicago Cubs lost out on Bedard to a team that just flat out has superior prospects at the positions the Orioles desired. The Rangers expressed interest in Bedard right out of the gate but were told they didn't have the necessary pieces. The Orioles were presumably dead set on a top flight outfield prospect near the major league level. The Rangers just don't have that in place with Beltre, Borbon, and Boggs a year or more away. Josh Hamilton might have intrigued the Orioles but it likely would have cost one of Eric Hurley, Matt Harrison, or Kasey Kiker along with a bullpen arm and other prospects. The cost seemingly would have exceeded the value for a Rangers team that is undergoing a rebuilding process.

In other Mariners' news, they have reached an agreement with the one and only Brad Wilkerson. So while the arrival of Bedard will likely result in some strikeouts for Rangers' hitters, at least Rangers' pitchers can pocket a few K's with Wilkerson in the fold for the Mariners.

howie mandel photo courtesy of nbc.com
george sherrill, adam jones photos courtesy of seatlemariners.com
erik bedard photo courtesy of baltimoreorioles.com

Item #1: The Johan Santana Deal

Thank the good Lord...Johan Santana is out of the American League!! Of course, the Rangers still have a weekend series against his new team June 13-15, but the man who needed only 15 IP last year to strikeout 30 Texas Rangers is now in the land of no DH's. Johan Santana, after months of rumors, was dealt to the New York Mets.

The Twins received OF prospect Carlos Gomez along with 3 pitchers in return. There was no Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, Jacoby Ellsbury, or Jon Lester involved but the Twins did get Johan out of the AL while adding to a stable of young arms and filling a void in CF. Johan then reached a contract extension with the Mets for a gazillion dollars. If, by chance, you are interested in the actual figures you can find them here. The two best parts about this trade for me are the fact Santana will not be anchoring the Red Sox or Yankees rotations for years to come and the fact that Johan Santana will get to bat in the NL. The deal has been met with some skepticism, but the Twins did what they had to do knowing they could not afford Santana any longer.

Carlos Gomez, a speedy centerfielder, was not the Mets top OF prospect (that title belongs to Fernando Martinez) but he brings tons of speed to the top of the Twins lineup and helps make up for the loss of Torii Hunter via free agency. The three pitchers will most likely never be Santana, but they add to the Twins abundance of young arms. The Twins dealt from that surplus earlier in the off season when they landed themselves a guy they hope will be a cornerstone in their OF for years by trading SP Matt Garza to Tampa Bay for OF Delmon Young. The youngest of the three pitchers the Twins received, Deolis Guerra, has a chance to be a big time major league pitcher but he is years away. There is no doubt the Mets made a great deal and have infused life back into a team that collapsed at the end of the 2007 season. With the Phillies and Braves set to be strong clubs again and the Marlins and Nationals improving, this deal could catapult the Mets to the front of the NL East and perhaps the top of the entire National League.

One thing is for sure thought; Johan Santana won't be striking out 30 Rangers next year...I mean he can't pitch 10 perfect innings in one game...can he?


johan santana twins photo courtesy of AP
johan santana roster photo courtesy of newyorkmets.com
carlos gomez photo courtesy of minnesotatwins.com