A's deal Haren to the D-Backs

by Adam J. Morris on Dec 14, 2007 5:48 PM CST in News Comment 29 comments

The fight for 3rd place in the A.L. West just got more interesting, as the Oakland A's have dealt Danny Haren to the D-Backs:

Included in the trade to Oakland are pitchers Brett Anderson, Greg Smith and Dana Eveland along with outfielders Carlos Gonzalez and Aaron Cunningham and first baseman Chris Carter.

Gonzalez and Carter I know about, and they are very good prospects. Not sure about the rest. I will update with more thoughts when I look at the rest of the guys Oakland got.

Update [2007-12-14 19:10:13 by Adam J. Morris]: -- Hmmm...as mentioned in the comments, Carter, Anderson, Cunningham and Gonzalez are all among the D-Backs' top 10 prospects, per BA, with Gonzalez and Anderson being #1 and #3.

Anderson is a 19 year old finesse lefty who was terrific in low-A, but who tops out at 90 mph. Cunningham is a 21 year old outfielder with good stats but questions about how he'll develop and hit at the upper levels...in the BA chat, he's compared to Eric Byrnes.

Eveland is a reliever who came over from the Brewers as part of the Doug Davis trade, and Smith is a just-turned-24 year old lefty pitcher who split 2007 between AA and AAA.

My initial thought is that the acquisition of Gonzalez and Carter gives the A's something they desperately need in their system -- a couple of high-ceiling hitting prospects.

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Comments

I don't have a clue

on any of the prospects. Can someone help me out here?

"Dwyade is to basketball what the 40 is to the Rangers." -thedirkatron

by coolaid on Dec 14, 2007 5:32 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

it's their

#1,3,7,8 prospects according to BA. I think Eveland was in the majors already.

by BHill on Dec 14, 2007 5:35 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I guess I could add names

1)Gonazales
3)Anderson
7)Cunningham
8)Carter

by BHill on Dec 14, 2007 5:39 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

The DBacks

also traded Valverde to the Astros.

Fire Ron Washington

by pblack on Dec 14, 2007 5:47 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Doesn't this deal

almost certainly mean they'll have to unload guys like Blanton, Street, Chavez et all?

Are both Texas and Oakland officially in rebuilding mode?

by FirebatM3 on Dec 14, 2007 5:54 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Definitely Blanton

But Street is a long-term solution for them. Doubtful many teams are interested in a brittle, declining Chavez

"Suppose that climate change is not real and all we do is adopt green technologies...then all we've done is given our kids a cleaner world." -John McCain

by RangerMoto on Dec 14, 2007 6:07 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

the dodgers

are probably interested if he is on the trade block

"Dwyade is to basketball what the 40 is to the Rangers." -thedirkatron

by coolaid on Dec 14, 2007 6:11 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

chavez

i'm sure ron washington is interested in getting him.

not saying the rangers should but if he's available i gotta think wash trys to make a push for him

Can you please Look into getting a less funny signature? That's sarcasm, btw. - Sharky

by rentz on Dec 14, 2007 6:17 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

That's the thing

Haren was also a long-term solution, but that didn't stop them from trading him for what was probably a package inferior to the one the Rangers got for Teixeira. I heavily doubt that Street would stay if Haren/Blanton are traded.

by FirebatM3 on Dec 14, 2007 8:27 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Really?

I mean if second place is a moral victory, they can certainly do that. I would not expect the M's to play so well this year. Their production dropped off in the second half. Outside of Beltre, nobody in the INF had an OPS+ over 100. I also think Ibanez and Vidro played a bit over their heads, and they still have to run Sexson out there everyday. They have not added anybody, but lost Guillen. Adam Jones is a good player, but will need time to adapt. If Oakland catches a few breaks, they can take second place.

by Excel Hearts Choi on Dec 14, 2007 6:21 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

2008 A's

I guess this means they won't be signing Bonds.

by Randy Richardson on Dec 14, 2007 7:16 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I gotta think

this trade is a winner for the d-backs. out of the six, I think they really only got 3 players that they are counting on to work out in anderson, carter, and gonzalez.

so comparing to the Tex trade:
anderson - harrison
gonzalez - salty
carter - andrus

the first comparison is a wash right? Both finesse lefties who have had some minor league success. Maybe harrison gets the nod. Gonzalez and salty really is just what position you value more, with an edge probably going to salty because of how advanced he is. And I don't know enough about carter and andrus but it can't be too much of a difference either way.

And I like the two guys we got better than three other guys they got. Shouldn't Haren bring in way more than Tex?

by ab03 on Dec 14, 2007 7:25 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

hmm

seems like i underestimated cunningham.

by ab03 on Dec 14, 2007 7:28 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

My first thought is

good trade for the A's. Second thought, good trade for the Twins. This trade might help the Twins get both Ellsbury and Lester.

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

by RangerMad on Dec 14, 2007 7:48 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Brett Anderson

Went to Stillwater HS in Oklahoma and his dad is the head coach at OSU. If you all remember Frank Anderson while he was at UT did a great job. Brett knows how to pitch from his dad. I will say that people talk about Tommy Hunter's physique like it is a problem. Well, Brett Anderson is pudgy unless he has changed any in a year. Very unathletic looking.

by OKC Ranger Fan on Dec 14, 2007 8:11 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Hunter

He's a big dude, but anyone who's won national judo titles has to be something of an athlete.

"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 14, 2007 8:34 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Jeez

Thought the A's could do a little better than this.

Haren is signed for three more years at a very reasonable rate (4mm, 5mm, and then a 6.75mm team option).

Someone noted above that the package compares nicely to the Rangers' Teixeira haul, but it should have been better, imo.

Haren is a young, cheap stud pitcher. 3 years of him should be worth way more than 1.5 years of Tex, even with Mahay thrown in.

I wouldn't be pissed if I was an A's fan, but I'd certainly be underwhelmed.

"God plays by his own rules, folks. And HGH is f***ing legal as hell up in heaven." -Andy Pettitte

by thedirkatron on Dec 14, 2007 9:19 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Concur...

Bean bailed out early here. He should have kept Haren for at least another 1 1/2 seasons before settling for this kind of deal. Just not sure why he felt he had to deal him now?

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

by slc ranger on Dec 14, 2007 9:29 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

good way of looking at it

why trade him now. he probably could have gotten the same package (or better) in a year and a half. Maybe injury concerns?

by ab03 on Dec 14, 2007 9:48 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Really?

He could have gotten the same package in a year and a half?

Why?

by Adam J. Morris on Dec 14, 2007 9:57 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

my statement was more that

i don't think they got a whole lot for a top of the line starter. if this deal was for 1.5 years of haren, i would think the deal was about what he would get, maybe even a little less still. i wasn't really making a statement about what the trade market would be like in a year and a half. just that, if this was the best offer they could get this offseason, i would have just waited.

by ab03 on Dec 14, 2007 10:07 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Word

If you think package is similar to the one we got for Tex (and I, for one, do think that), would you turn around and deal the 5 guys we got for Tex (Salty, Andrus, Harrison, Feliz, Jones) for Dan Haren, right now?

I sure as hell would.

And I'd probably throw something else in if they wanted.

Maybe that's a comment on just how well we did for Tex, but I think it's more a comment on how underwhelmed I am by what Beane got for a young, cheap stud starting pitcher.

"God plays by his own rules, folks. And HGH is f***ing legal as hell up in heaven." -Andy Pettitte

by thedirkatron on Dec 15, 2007 12:15 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Well...

Is there any reason to believe Haren was going to be worth more in 1.5 seasons than he is now?

I doubt it. His ERA was better last season than his peripherals supported.

Haren has more value now than he ever will, and Beane cashed him in.

by Adam J. Morris on Dec 14, 2007 9:56 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Disagree...

I don't believe Haren has reached his peak. I still think he will get better. Remember he is only 27, and I think he continues to improve over the next 3 seasons.

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

by slc ranger on Dec 14, 2007 10:01 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

But wouldn't any improvement in performance

be offset by a decrease in the amount of time a team would have to use Haren once trading for him?

I think it would.

"God plays by his own rules, folks. And HGH is f***ing legal as hell up in heaven." -Andy Pettitte

by thedirkatron on Dec 15, 2007 12:12 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Not if that team...

is contending for a playoff spot after the ASB.

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

by slc ranger on Dec 15, 2007 12:18 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

anderson and cunningham

I saw both these guys this summer in the Cal League. Anderson is one of their better prospects at 19 and will be legit in my opinion. Cunnigham was there all of a month before moving up to double a after coming to the dbacks system in a trade with the white sox. He was a Carolina League All-Star last year in the White Sox system and absolutely mashed in Visalia. Seems like a pretty damn good package, as expected, for Haren.

by Kevinreimer on Dec 14, 2007 9:58 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

cunningham

i'm seeing different things. one site called him a 4th OFer. You think he's better?

by ab03 on Dec 14, 2007 10:08 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

cunningham

I agree with the above comparison to Byrnes, who I guess also projected as a fourth outfielder. Probably not a hall of famer, but a serious gamer who I can certainly see having some success in the bigs.

by Kevinreimer on Dec 14, 2007 10:26 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs