Call to the Pen 2013 Winter Meetings Roundtable

Some of the staff at Call to the Pen gather and weigh in on the moves made at the 2013 Winter Meetings in Orlando, Florida. The best and worst moves, as well as the biggest surprises are discussed, starting with the cream of the crop.

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Who Made the Best Move of the Meetings?

Steve Engbloom: I like the Colorado Rockies getting Brett Anderson.  I know pitching in Coors Field can be a pitcher’s nightmare, and Anderson doesn’t exactly have the cleanest of health records, but if he’s right, this move bodes well for the Rox to contend in the NL West.

Paul Festa: The best move was a trade that worked for both teams. The Colorado Rockies got a solid left-handed starter in Brett Anderson. In return, the Oakland Athletics picked up a one-time prospect in Drew Pomeranz, and a current right-handed pitching prospect in Chris Jensen. Pomeranz probably couldn’t get himself out of Colorado fast enough. Away from Coors Field – which is notorious for chewing pitchers up and spitting them out – he’ll rediscover his stuff and be close to the kind of pitcher most thought he would be when he was in the Indians organization.

Randy Holt: There isn’t a lot to choose from, so it probably has to be the Rockies picking up Brett Anderson. Any team that acquired him knew the risk going in. He’s a high-risk, high-reward type of guy. Luckily they didn’t surrender much to get him, and if he’s able to bounce back from a couple of extremely rough years injury-wise, he should be a quality rotation piece, particularly as he moves over to the National League. Also everyone who didn’t sign Nelson Cruz did an outstanding job of not signing Nelson Cruz.

James Lumalu: I love the Los Angeles Angels acquiring lefties Tyler Skaggs and Hector Santiago. Skaggs is just a year removed from being one of the top prospects in baseball, and Santiago brings versatility being able to pitch in the rotation or out of the bullpen. They entered the Winter Meetings with three starting pitchers, and they are leaving with five, with the potential of adding another mid rotation arm.

Michael McFarlane: I’m not going to buck the trend here. I  like the Brett Anderson acquisition by the Rockies. Pomeranz needs a change of scenery if he’s going to find his stuff and Anderson will not only add a great-if-healthy arm to the Rockies’ desperate rotation, but also a big-name pitcher for a fanbase that needs faith in it’s pitching.

Next: The Worst Moves.

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Who Made the Worst Move of the Meetings?

Engbloom: Got to say that I’m not a fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates signing Edinson Volquez.  I don’t think I need to elaborate a whole lot on this, but here goes…When Volquez is on, he’s devastating, but those times are becoming more increasingly rare. His walk rate is simply atrocious (never been below 4.0 for BB/9).  For a team that’s looking to get further into the playoffs, this made little sense to me.

Festa: How many first baseman do the Seattle Mariners need? Within the span of an hour, they picked up Corey Hart and Logan Morrison. They already have Justin Smoak. They could use Hart or Morrison in the outfield, but neither have played there in a while, and who knows how much range Hart would have coming off surgeries on both of his knees.

Holt: The Mariners in picking up both Corey Hart and Logan Morrison. Given how similar of players they are to each other, as first base/designated hitter types with a bit of outfield skill, one probably would have gotten the job done. And that’s not even taking into consideration the questionable health of each of them. Not to mention the absurd overpayment that it took for the M’s to reign in Hart. Hard to be a fan of the Diamondbacks picking up Mark Trumbo as well. Very questionable.

Lumalu: The Seattle Mariners trading for Logan Morrison was a head scratcher for me. They already signed first baseman/outfielder Corey Hart, so they go out and acquire a similar player? They could possibly trade Justin Smoak down the line, but if they don’t that means either Morrison or Hart will be playing the outfield. Morrison owns a career -15.6 UZR/150 and -36 DRS in the outfield. Hart’s been below average in his career in the outfield with a -3 UZR/150, and the guy just had surgeries on both of his knees…

McFarlane: Hart and Morrison definitely remind me of last year’s mariners and their collection of 1B/DH/kinda OFs, but for me this has to be Kevin Towers trading Adam Eaton‘s glove and defense for Mark Trumbo’s dingers and RBIs would be defensible, but including a highly-thought-of prospect in exchange for a couple PTBNLs out of weak farm systems is selling ultra-low on two premium assets in Eaton and Tyler Skaggs.

Next: The Shockers.

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What was the Most Surprising Move of the Meetings?

Engbloom: I’d say Corey Hart signing with Seattle.  Can’t dispute that the money was far better in Seattle than he would have received from the Brewers, but I honestly didn’t see him getting a deal comparable to what Mike Napoli got from Boston.

Festa: The New York Mets signing Bartolo Colon. The two-year, $20 million deal isn’t the surprising part – in this offseason climate, even 40 year-olds get too many years and too much money. The surprise was how quickly it came together, and the fact that the Mets top priority had been shortstop and trading Ike Davis or Daniel Murphy. This move was barely rumored before it happened.

Holt: The most surprising move was probably the move(s) that didn’t happen, specifically in relation to pitching. With names like Garza, Santana, and Jimenez available in free agency, and names like David Price and Jeff Samardzija available via trade, it was surprising to see none of them find a new address over the course of the week.

Lumalu: I’m with Paul, I did not see the New York Mets coming in and swooping up Bartolo Colon for 2/20. With Zack Wheeler, Dillon Gee and Jonathan Niese, the Mets have put together a nice under the radar rotation.

McFarlane: I’m fairly shocked that the A’s ended up dealing Anderson, despite his name regularly showing up on MLBTR, since his type of production-when-healthy benefits the A’s with their remarkable depth more than it does a team like the Rockies who need Anderson to be healthy. This is my way of saying none of the moves this week were all that surprising except for Towers’ craziness for ribbies.

Next: The Cold Stovers

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Who are You Most Surprised Hasn’t been Signed/Traded Yet?

Engbloom: Shin-Soo Choo.  Seems like he had so many suitors, then, bit by bit, they fell by the wayside due to other signings.  Got to wonder if the eight years he and/or Scott Boras are seeking has limited the field even more.

Festa: Speaking before of Ike Davis, it’s surprising he hasn’t been traded. The rest of the league are as wary of his dizzying inconsistency as the Mets are. And it’s odd Shin-Soo Choo hasn’t been signed. He’s asking for a lot of money, but if Jacoby Ellsbury can sign a seven-year, $153 million deal, Choo should be able to find a team pay him as well.

Holt: The obvious answer is Shin-Soo Choo, but I’ll go Matt Garza. His contract demands must be as outrageous as they say. He’s had his fair share of health issues in the last couple of seasons, but he possessed one of the bigger upsides of any pitcher that hit the open market this winter. He’s going to make a team that grabs him late in the offseason, if it takes that long, very happy, assuming he can stay off the disabled list.

Lumalu: David Price. There was a lot of talk about the Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers possibly making a play for him heading into the Winter Meetings, but nothing has materialized. I think the Mariners can put together the best package, but their front office might be hesitant amidst reports that Price would not sign an extension with the team.

McFarlane: While it looks likely to be his agent trying to play competitors against each other to drive up value, I started my Omar Infante signing-countdown the moment the Cano deal was announced. Now that he’s become the most desirable keystone player on the market, and with the Yankees entering said market, I expected Infante to sign fairly quickly for a surprising offer.

Next: The Outlooks