Miguel Tejada traded

by Adam J. Morris on Dec 12, 2007 12:03 PM CST in News

The Baltimore Orioles have traded Miguel Tejada...and appear to have gotten a very nice haul for him...

According to the Baltimore Sun:

In return for the four-time All-Star, the Orioles will get outfielder Luke Scott, pitchers Matt Albers, Troy Patton and Dennis Sarfate, and third baseman Michael Costanzo.

Scott is a useful COF. Patton is the Astros' top pitching prospect. Albers is a nice young pitcher. Costanzo is a decent prospect Houston got from Philly for Brad Lidge.

Houston just gave up a crapload of talent for a guy who they are probably going to have to move to third base, and who is under contract for two more years at $13 million per year.

Oh, and who put up a .270 EQA last season.

Houston had a worse record than the Rangers last year, have a terrible farm system, and yet are trying to be in "win now" mode.

I'm sure there are a few folks, those who whine on the DMN blog comments about "Tom TOO CHEAP Hicks," who will be asking where Texas was on this deal.

But this is a stupid, stupid move for Houston, one that isn't going to make the team good enough to be legit competitors in 2008, and one that hurts the Astros long-term.

Great trade for Baltimore.

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Comments

Yeah

Sure AJM.

Those Astros are terrible, right AJM.

As of now they're world series favorites. Period.

A few global warming hypocrites

by Sharky on Dec 12, 2007 11:54 AM CST reply actions

Oh...

what to do with Adam Everett?

"I know you're a bit dense but no, it doesn't. Obviously lying isn't a problem for me."

by benmor78 on Dec 12, 2007 11:57 AM CST reply actions

Like it matters

Trade him to the Rangers, probably.

A few global warming hypocrites

by Sharky on Dec 12, 2007 11:59 AM CST up reply actions

Could this be the Astros lineup?

CF Bourne
2B Matsui
RF Pence
1B Berkman
LF C. Lee
3B Tejada
C Towles
SS Everett
P

That's a pretty nice lineup. It's too bad they have Oswalt, Wandy Rodriguez, Woody Williams, Brandon Backe, and Chris Sampson to go with one of the worst bullpens in baseball.

At least it will be interesting to watch...

Greatest Inventions Ever? 1. TiVO, 2. Boobs, 3. Baseball

by willamos2 on Dec 12, 2007 12:00 PM CST reply actions

Good 3-6

Poor 1-2 and 7-8, though.

by Adam J. Morris on Dec 12, 2007 12:03 PM CST up reply actions

Poor 1-5

Still WS favorites.

A few global warming hypocrites

by Sharky on Dec 12, 2007 12:04 PM CST up reply actions

More likely

overpriced 1-6. Berkman and Pence are the only two position players that might be worth their pay.

by FirebatM3 on Dec 12, 2007 12:05 PM CST up reply actions

more like

2B Matsui
RF/CF Pence
1B Berkman
LF C. Lee
SS Tejada
3B/RF Wiggington/Loretta
CF/RF Bourn/Loretta/Wigginton
C Ausmus
P

Its not a bad lineup, but they've got to produce 4 out of 5 games when Roy's not pitching.

Put Mayberry Jr. back at First Base.

by Jukebox Joe on Dec 12, 2007 12:07 PM CST up reply actions

not quite

according to the gm

Bourn
Matsui
Berkman
Tejada
Lee
Pence
Wigginton
Towles
pitcher/belly itcher

ps. 3 & 4 might be the other way around; its been 2 hours since I heard the news conference.

With karate I'll kick your ass, from here, to way over there...

by hotshot215 on Dec 12, 2007 2:49 PM CST up reply actions

Astros must not realize

their pitching staff is Roy Oswalt and a pile of shit.

I love how they've waited all this time to address the offense after the pitching they had has come and gone.

Put Mayberry Jr. back at First Base.

by Jukebox Joe on Dec 12, 2007 12:01 PM CST reply actions

Yeah

I'm sure it is.

A few global warming hypocrites

by Sharky on Dec 12, 2007 12:02 PM CST up reply actions

That pitching staff

did carry them to the WS which is more than what the Rangers could say.

The designated hitter rule is like letting someone else take Wilt Chamberlain's free throws. ~Rick Wise, 1974

by RangerMad on Dec 12, 2007 12:06 PM CST up reply actions

You mean

the one with Clemens, Pettite and Backe on it, yeah it did.....

Put Mayberry Jr. back at First Base.

by Jukebox Joe on Dec 12, 2007 12:08 PM CST up reply actions

Tom Too Cheap Hicks

Gosh, you never hear that complaint on LSB.

Oh I forgot, we never want the Rangers to get good players.

A few global warming hypocrites

by Sharky on Dec 12, 2007 12:04 PM CST reply actions

Trade

I don't think it is great trade for Baltimore. Patton is a nice prospect and Scott should be solid but it seems more like a collection of decents than anything special.

by jparks77 on Dec 12, 2007 12:07 PM CST reply actions

Baltimore's haul

Sickels gives Patton a B+ and Costanzo a B-, and gave Albers a B+ last year.

I think it is a pretty good return, given the circumstances.

by Adam J. Morris on Dec 12, 2007 12:09 PM CST up reply actions

Baltimore probably should have gotten a lot more for Tejada one or two years ago had the Angels been willing to trade any of their young players. Oh how they must hate Bill Stoneman in the Orioles front office.

by JBImaknee on Dec 12, 2007 12:12 PM CST up reply actions

I'm with you,

I like the move from the stros side. I've seen those guys they traded play and I don't think any of them will be serviceable major leaguers. They may get to the Bigs, but make an impact on a team like Tejeda will next year-not so sure. I'm thinking they have 2 outs:
1) If the astros play well, he may be the piece that puts them over the hump

and if not....

2) They have a big chip to play with at the trade-line table and reload with better than they give up.

I don't know if they were sold on any of these guys they traded. Something tells me they were looking at it as Tejeda for Patton.

by corbsclinton on Dec 12, 2007 4:20 PM CST up reply actions

The Astros

appear to be in the same sort of quicksand that we were in from 2000-2003. Get to the playoffs several years in a row (in their case go deep in the playoffs) with a solid corps of home-grown players, and then when that magic starts fading away, start flailing desparately to fill gaps in the biggest way possible, not realizing that filling one hole to the top always starts two or three new ones.

The only real difference is that they have been using trades more than Texas did, whereas Hicks money-whipped people into being Rangers. But the net result will be the same - a few years of mediocrity, followed by a total decimation of farm system (by trades or lost draft picks) requiring a complete rebuilding effort, as opposed to the easy restructuring that they should have done after 2005.

by JBImaknee on Dec 12, 2007 12:09 PM CST reply actions

Astros farm system

has been decimated for the last 6-7 years, since Oswalt and Berkman came up, not much has come of it except for Pence last year.

Put Mayberry Jr. back at First Base.

by Jukebox Joe on Dec 12, 2007 12:14 PM CST up reply actions

But yet

They're still WS favorites.

A few global warming hypocrites

by Sharky on Dec 12, 2007 12:46 PM CST up reply actions

Shark

what the hell are you talking about?

WS favorites? Do you even watch baseball? No... better question, do you even like baseball?

Put Mayberry Jr. back at First Base.

by Jukebox Joe on Dec 12, 2007 2:27 PM CST up reply actions

Damnit I got bit....

Put Mayberry Jr. back at First Base.

by Jukebox Joe on Dec 12, 2007 2:29 PM CST up reply actions

LOL

I almost responded to him on another thread, then thought better of it.

Don't feed the troll. I know it's hard, but we must all stay strong!

"Then I met some friends for a beer, went to a BoDeans's concert, and son of a vondruke, if I didn't leave him at the concert hall."

by RCCook on Dec 12, 2007 2:44 PM CST up reply actions

Dodgers up offer on Santana

http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/dodgers_offer_twins_moon

by Lucas on Dec 12, 2007 12:13 PM CST reply actions

love the onion

by clark on Dec 12, 2007 1:22 PM CST up reply actions

Great trade for the Astros

This my entice Clemens to come back to Houston. Good NL lineup. Only the Mets and Brewers have a better lineup.

Red Sux Nation is an evil organization.

by BillyBobisdrunk on Dec 12, 2007 12:14 PM CST reply actions

lineup

cubs, phillies, braves, rockies.... houstons lineup is in the same group with them.

by DShep on Dec 12, 2007 12:20 PM CST up reply actions

I'd say

that the Braves with

Teixeira-Jones-McCann-Fracoeur-Escobar-Johnson is better.

Likewise with the Rockies with Holliday-TT-Helton-Adkins-Hawpe et all.

by FirebatM3 on Dec 12, 2007 12:20 PM CST up reply actions

I disagree

I think this a good deal for the Astros. Other than Patton, they gave up a load of crap for a good hitting middle infielder.

The NL is horrible, so while I don't think the Astros are very good, the league is so bad that I'm not sure they can't compete. And if they are out of it, they should be able to turn him in July for something better than the quantity over quality package they gave up for him.

by Darrell McKown on Dec 12, 2007 12:25 PM CST reply actions

ex-middle infielder*

lick by lick, mountains erode

by RangerMoto on Dec 12, 2007 12:47 PM CST up reply actions

Tejada is staying at SS

by Darrell McKown on Dec 12, 2007 4:19 PM CST up reply actions

that's a terrible decision, imo

lick by lick, mountains erode

by RangerMoto on Dec 12, 2007 4:36 PM CST up reply actions

So what package of Rangers prospects

would be comperable to that? I wouldn't have wanted Tejada myself, but I'm curious what it would have taken, and how disappointed I would have been.

Troy I.

by tdi1985 on Dec 12, 2007 12:25 PM CST reply actions

Umm

probably

Harrison-Ramirez-FX2-Whittleman?

by FirebatM3 on Dec 12, 2007 12:28 PM CST up reply actions

Looks like the edict to ignore Sharky...

...is working!

lick by lick, mountains erode

by RangerMoto on Dec 12, 2007 12:47 PM CST reply actions

It improves the 'Stros

Tejada is an impact player, and could benefit from a change of scenery. What you have to weigh is whether it is worth it to mortgage your future to win now. Houston obviously (and rightly) feels that it has to win now, with aging stars in Berkman, Lee and Oswalt.
Don't know if this makes Houston the favorite to even win its division (CHC? STL?), but it certainly makes them a factor again.
As for the future...well, I guess Houston will cross that bridge when it comes to it.

"People hated Jackie Robinson because he was black. People hate Barry Bonds because he's a cheating douchebag." -- Lewis Black

by ghtd36 on Dec 12, 2007 1:00 PM CST reply actions

hahahahah

STL? Have you paid attention to the NLC since 2006? The Cardinals won't finish above 4th in that division.

lick by lick, mountains erode

by RangerMoto on Dec 12, 2007 1:08 PM CST up reply actions

Its between the Astros, Cubs and Brewers

The Cardinals have the same problems that Houston has, but only worse. Instead of 3 all-stars in a lineup surrounded by mediocrity, they have only 1. And their ace gets injured all the time, unlike Houston's. And their farm system is almost as bad...

I think this is desparation move to compete now while acknowledging that they won't be able to battle the young Milwaukee and up-and-coming Cincy after 2009.

by JBImaknee on Dec 12, 2007 1:13 PM CST up reply actions

Weird

So, why exactly did they trade for Ty Wiggington last year? I guess it was a different GM, but still. Luke Scott is probably a better offensive player than Tejada at this point. They couldn't even get the O's to take Burke off their hands. Haha.

But that river of tears has dried for all of us.

by trza on Dec 12, 2007 1:11 PM CST reply actions

haha

that's funny.

by Longhorn on Dec 12, 2007 1:12 PM CST reply actions

Trade

I am new here, and really enjoy your blog. I am an Astros (I do really like the Rangers, they are just not my team) fan who goes to school at DBU (home of some of the best ball in the metroplex, I might add). However, I do not particularly care for this trade. I don't like giving up Patton, Sarfate or Luke Scott.

I thought Sarfate did a pretty good job last year when he was called up, and could be a decent bullpen guy in a woefully inadequate bullpen. Patton, is one of the top pitching prospects, but the Astros are higher on Felipe Paulino. Luke Scott is another story altogether. He was terribly mishandled by Purpura, Garner and Cooper, IMHO. Matt Albers had a lot of potential, but was never able to put it together in the Majors, whether as a starter or a long reliever.

I am not really liking the directon that Wade is taking the team, to be honest. I really wanted the assistant gm from Oakland, but Uncle Drayton or Tal Smith would never go for a sabermetrics guy, but I digress.

Thanks for listening to my rant, and by the way, I went to high school with Chris Davis!

by Triple347 on Dec 12, 2007 1:17 PM CST reply actions