Comments on: a look at the Phillies new pitching

By: Brian Howard

Brian Howard — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:14:34 +0000

Pomp J: I'd forgotten about that Cardenas/piano story. I'm a little sadder about losing him now. that reminds me of this hilarious exchange on Baseball Primer's Transaction Oracle after the trade:

"Cardenas is the kind of prospect the A's Latin-American scouting hasn't come up with in recent years, though Beane has been insistent in recent months that the organization is working at correcting that." 2. billyshears Posted: July 18, 2008 at 12:34 AM (#2863449) It's really difficult to find high school second basemen in Latin America.

By: James Beale

James Beale — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:57:59 +0000

@ PJ: great point about middle infielders not gaining value. Look at Pedroia before last year: here was a guy who was an established big league prospect and his name was thrown in every random Red Sox trade rumor there was as the secondary prospect.

and that piano bit was great right up until it reminded me of Joey Harrington

By: Pomp J

Pomp J — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:37:42 +0000

No question that if Cardenas develops power (and I ignored this possibility), the trade will look much worse. And even if he doesn’t, had he been traded for a 3-month rental like Lohse, I’d be unhappy. Not to mention, reading the BP tidbit about Cardenas playing the piano at his draft party makes me sad to lose him. However, i love getting a young pitcher who we control for 2.5 years, and whose BP comparisons include such studs as Chris Bosio and Freddy Garcia (even though i’m joking, both guys had pretty decent careers). I think getting a young pitcher is enough to risk the chance of a good second baseman becoming great. And it’s certainly enough for this trade not be ripped by the media.

By: Brian Howard

Brian Howard — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:11:02 +0000

Pomp J: I agree with most of what you say. However, I think it is possible (if not probable) that Cardenas will develop power, which is the one possible outcome that would make this trade look bad for us (see Sandberg, Ryne, where Blanton is, improbably, Ivan DeJesus). While projecting power is one of those things best left to scouts, Baseball Prospectus' list of comparable players at similar points in their careers includes a confusing mix of folks: Hank Blalock, Brent Abernathy, Frank Catalanatto, Brandon Phillips and a bunch of guys who never made the show.

By: Pomp J

Pomp J — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:31:14 +0000

i agree, i can’t believe people are ripping the trade. I thought this was a coup for us. The thing about Cardenas is this: 1) there was never even a hint of a possibility that he was gonna play in a Phillies uniform. Utley will be here longer than any current Phillie, so Cardenas has been trade bait from the beginning; which leads to 2) being that he’s a contact-hitting, decent-speed 2B, he is not a guy who — even had he played his way up the system and continued playing well — would have ever had any more trade value than he has now. unlike a stud AAA pitcher, who would be the centerpiece of acquiring a star, the best that a good-hitting AAA second basemen is gonna bring you is a B+ starter. which Joe Blanton happens to be. there was absolutely no reason to sit on Cardenas, when he never would have brought in much more than he is now. not to mention, for all those lamenting Josh Outman’s departure, there is no easier position to fill in MLB than lefty specialist. sure, some are better than others, but remember, we got our current one off waivers when it looked like his career was over.