Tony Clark traded. Sets market for Cat?

by DerekSTheRed on Jul 17, 2008 2:17 PM CDT Comment 35 comments

Per ESPN's Buster Olney, Tony Clark was traded from the Padres to the DBacks. According to AZCentral.com, the Padres will receive a minor league pitcher most likely a AA pitcher. I can't imagine it's a top prospect but it still is nice return for a guy that is very similar to the Ranger's Catalanotto.

[Update] The pitcher is actually from A ball, Evan Scribner

AZCentral descibes Clark thusly,

If the deal goes through, Clark could give the Diamondbacks an option at first base against left-handed pitchers.

Sounds an awful lot like Cat's skill set. The major difference between the two is salary. Cat is halfway through $4M owed this year and another $4M for next year. In addition, the 2010 year has a $5M option with a $2M buyout. Compare this to Clark who is a free agent after this year and is halfway through his $900K contract plus incentives.

It will be interesting to see who the pitcher is as that could determine Catalanotto's trade value going forward. In any case, is seems likely that any trade of Cat will have to include cash going to the other team, if Texas wants a decent prospect in return.

Hat Tip to rooster for the name pitcher.

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Read More: frank catalanotto, tony clark

Comments

i think JD

basically is just hoping that someone will assume his contract. The backup plan will be that Blalock performs well and gets traded instead.

The third backup plan is that Blalock’s option isn’t exercised, and Cat is just a worthless 25th-man on the roster next year.

At any rate, giving up a 1st round pick to sign him seemed silly at the time, and it seems retarded now.

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by willamos2 on Jul 17, 2008 2:31 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I think Cat could be traded

if it wasn’t for the next year of his contract. He might be a decent enough filler for a team who needs an additional bat against righties, but I can’t imagine anyone is going to want it enough to take next years contract to get it, unless the Rangers eat a big chunk of it.

"And I stopped beating my wife just a couple of weeks ago." -John McCain

by DJCahill on Jul 17, 2008 2:37 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Cat

I think he’s out of baseball after 2009.

Hadn’t seen his contract numbers lately… God, the guy is overpaid. And we lost a first round draft pick for it.

Go Strangers.

by hightowersmith on Jul 17, 2008 2:42 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

If he is in

he is a minor league invite or a 1 year $1 million type of deal.

That contract was absurd at the time, and like most absurd contracts, it irritates me more and more every year.

"And I stopped beating my wife just a couple of weeks ago." -John McCain

by DJCahill on Jul 17, 2008 2:48 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

that contract was FAR from absurd

$3-4 million a year is not bad for career .300 hitter!

by blueballlefty on Jul 17, 2008 8:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

A declining player

with no defensive position, limited power, who is bad defensively everywhere he has been. You don’t lock guys like that up longterm. It just clogs the roster for developing teams.

"And I stopped beating my wife just a couple of weeks ago." -John McCain

by DJCahill on Jul 18, 2008 9:42 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Cat

Despite what he has done since coming to Texas there was nothing to suggest he would have this big a decline. He had hit over .300 the previous two seasons before coming here and hit over .290 in 6 of the previous 7. His contract was not absurd for that kind of production. It looks that way now since he has come here and put up average numbers but if he was putting up his normal numbers people wouldn’t be complaining. Theres a reason he was a type A FA in the first place. because he had put up pretty good numbers

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by bigsteve on Jul 18, 2008 10:29 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Cat

the more i think about it, the more i think the rangers try to trade him to a contender and pick up a large hunk of next years contract.
would be doing cat a solid by trying to send him to a playoff team, and frees the rangers a spot and possibly gets the rangers a prospect

"I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it." - Mitch Hedberg

by rentz on Jul 17, 2008 2:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

He'll be moved

as much for the player-side PR as the roster spot.

"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
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by Rodney on Jul 17, 2008 3:24 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

i just realized why Lone Star Ball needs "troll rankings" and "power rankings"...

...because, holy fuck, every fanpost involves rosterbation…

(yawn)

by oc on Jul 17, 2008 2:42 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

read the titles more carefully....

and you can sleep more.

by Goyogringo on Jul 17, 2008 3:41 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

clever...

by oc on Jul 17, 2008 3:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

yeah

clearly we shouldn’t troll rate one of miles’s stupid threads. threads about baseball should be troll rated.

""If they'd have told me you can make the team but you've got to shine the shoes, I'd have been there shining shoes." -Bradley

by ab03 on Jul 17, 2008 3:43 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

i don't find miles to be witty or entertaining.

by oc on Jul 17, 2008 3:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

something we can agree on

although i have to admit miles is technically entertaining – but only as filler. not as the primary reason to come to this blog as some (not you) try to make him.

but, i still don’t see what problem you have with this thread. as the trade deadline approaches, we’re going to see a ton of these things pop up. at least this one has real information and draws reasonable conclusions from it.

""If they'd have told me you can make the team but you've got to shine the shoes, I'd have been there shining shoes." -Bradley

by ab03 on Jul 17, 2008 4:15 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agree

This is the rare interesting trade thread. Actual news and reason for discussion.

"So you think the Celtics will beat Detroit? Hell will freeze over before that happens, mark my words." miles 5/20/08

by badradiorules on Jul 17, 2008 4:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

this is entertainment…

i’m just sick of all the roster talk… even when this thing was in the shitter last year, we had people posting their 2008 Starting Line-Ups, and 2008 40-man projections…

it’s just… old… and no amount of front-page, YouTube, old-school rap videos can disguise that.

other than the game-day threads, i’m finding Lone Star Ball to be increasingly lame.

and i’m sure it’s vice-versa.

by oc on Jul 17, 2008 4:29 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know if you are increasingly lame

you were fairly lame out of the gates.

"And I stopped beating my wife just a couple of weeks ago." -John McCain

by DJCahill on Jul 17, 2008 4:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agree

It does look more and more like Cat will be on the Ranger’s roster next year. I just can’t see a scenario where he would be traded even with the large number of holes at first base teams have these days. Maybe the Royals or perhaps the Braves would kick the tires during the off season.

Signature! I don't need no stinking signature!!

by DerekSTheRed on Jul 17, 2008 2:44 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

On MLB Trade rumors

there’s a discussion about whether Matt Cain is available. The Phillies were looking to acquire him. Cain to be moved? If that’s the case I wonder if something like Salty, JMJ, Cruz, and a piece like Poveda/Lemon/Duran would interest them. They need a lot of help and even if they don’t keep Salty they could turn around and move him in another deal.

by Hull Fan on Jul 17, 2008 2:47 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

If SF trades Cain

I’ll eat my hat. With my shoe as a chaser.

Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted.

by t ball on Jul 17, 2008 3:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Rangers

Even if he traded to the Rangers?

"An effortless 98" - Scott Gardner after Neftali Feliz's first AA pitch

by RangerMad on Jul 17, 2008 3:56 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

ditto

lincecum was rumored to be available last year…yeah righ!

by SteveP on Jul 17, 2008 4:08 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

San Francisco will not compete in the next 4 years.

For that exact reason, they WILL trade Cain and/or Lincecum – the only two players on the roster that will draw significant interest from just about every team that thinks it can compete in the coming 4 years. It might not happen before August, but it will happen sooner rather than later.

by NoNameOnCard on Jul 17, 2008 4:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Caveat:

All bets are off is Sabean remains as GM. I’ve seen nothing from him to suggest that he knows anything about rebuilding.

by NoNameOnCard on Jul 17, 2008 4:35 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Part of my reason

not to worry about salting my hat or putting ketchup on my shoe. I didn’t say they would NEVER trade Cain, I just don’t see it this year.

Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted.

by t ball on Jul 17, 2008 4:50 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Will take more...

Probably one of Salty/Davis one of Andrus/Beltre and one of Hurley/Harrison would be my guess.

Guys like JMJ, Cruz, Poveda, Lemon, and Duran don’t get you close to Cain.

"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates

by slc ranger on Jul 17, 2008 9:30 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Could be a former Ranger going to the Padres

with Jose Marte (the guy they traded for Nippert) doing OK for himself with the D’Backs AA team. Basically, the Rangers are going to have to pay someone to take Cat unless a big market team is ravaged by injuries over the next few weeks

"Here comes the version of Benoit that lets the other team put it out of reach. I hate that version."
-Athos

by SaltyDawg on Jul 17, 2008 2:47 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs