Open Trading - Reviews Part 3

Moose receives:

SP Jhoulys Chacin COL

RP Danny Farquhar SEA

19^th rounder

Urban receives:

RP Josh fields HOU

SP Jason Marquis SD

14^th rounder

Nice move by Brian here as Chacin continues to be one of the more underrated pitchers this year. Drafted originally by someone obviously brilliant, he had a brief rough patch and a DL stint, but since then has been a machine, having let up 3 er or less in every start since the Fourth of July. That start was  5 2/3 and 4 er against the dodgers. Other than that start, he has a QS in 11 of his last 12 starts spanning back since mid June. He struck out 9 guys once this seazson. Other than that though, he’s been in the 2-6 per game range, which is nothing to write home about and why he’s not considered more of an asset, but his 3.18/1.19 is excellent and stable and precisely what Brian needs. He’s opted for a fourth closer in Lord Farquhar rather than keep an offensive bench spot. We’ll see if that is a good strategy or not. The rotation lacks real K artists outside of Lee (Grienke is only has a 7.1 K/9), so this may be necessary to compete with some of the big K teams.

Dan, meanwhile, has done a nice job dealing off assets. He doesn’t have the early picks Dave does (just an extra second rounder), but right now he’s scheduled to be done drafting first – in the 18^th round, with a remarkable 11 picks in six rounds (13-18). Mixed with a nice group of young keepers in Machado, Harper, Profar, Marte, D. Brown, and Cain, he could be a force to be reckoned with next year. This year, though, he’s in contention for the worst overall record and the current makeup of the roster has Russ and Chris salivating heading into the last two weeks.

Keepin receives:

SP Bruce Chen KC

16^th rounder

Urban receives:

SP Josh Johnson

15^th rounder

Do I really have to write a review for trade where the key cog being dealt was Bruce Chen? Ok, fine. Actually, he’s been stunningly good over the past month with an incredible 25/1.10(that’s the ERA, not the WHIP)/0.73/5 qs. He’s had QS in all six outing since joining the rotation, letting up only 4 er in that span, including against teams like CLE, BAL, and BOS. In fact, he’s the 8^th best starter in the league over the past 30 days. I have to expect this will go away soon, but its not the first time in the last few years that Chen has been useful for long stretches. That’s why KC has kept him around so long. This trade also caps off what has been a horrific year for the 30^th overall selection in March’s draft, Josh Johnson. Hard to imagine him as anything more than a risky flier with a flashy name going forward. Pierce did well to get rid of him and get someone useful for a meager round, while Dan continues to benefit from recycling waiver wire pickups.