Tampa/Minnesota Blockbuster!? Young for Garza

[Sports Guy]

And don't forget Tampa will get a new stadium and if they start spending, they are certainly a desirable location for players to go to.

They, like the Orioles, need to get through the losing culture stuff but if/when they do, look out.

[Ruzious]

Nice trade for both teams. Young may be a slightly better OFer than Garza is an SP, but let's not make out like Young has done really well in the majors. He has 17 homers in nearly 800 plate appearances, and he's got a .319 OBP - so he hasn't proven power or on base - yet. As was said, his walks number is very low. He'll undoubtedly improve, but he's not proven.

[hoosiers]

Very true. They also have one or two top pitching prospects. Can't think of the LHP's name. Even if the value is tilted towards the Twins, the trade makes sense for the Rays. They still need a bullpen though.

The DRays have a kid name McGhee or something like that who is a very strong prospect - in addition to Price. I believe the DRays have a third top pitching prospect besides Niemann. All four of these pitching prospects should be at AA to start 2008. Niemann's star is fading, but he could still be a 3/4 type.

This deal may be more balanced than I thought, but I just don't get trading a super-elite hitter with a very strong year in the majors in Delmon Young for lesser prospects. TB has numerous pitching prospects that will be "on the cusp" next year and the one after. IMO, it's almost overkill to have Kazmir, Shields and Garza besides the pitching prospects above. That's an enormous amount of pitching. IMO, this trade may well lessen the impact of dealing Kazmir in the future.

Also, let's not forget the DRays hold the first pick in the 2008 draft.

[GeorgiaBird]

I think there is a 50-50 shot Niemann makes the opening day roster, either as the #5 starter or in the pen. They project him as a potential closer more than a starter so it might be the time.

As for why bring in Garza when guys like Jake McGee, Wade Davis and Price are coming, I think the honest answer is the future is now in Tampa. Perhaps due to wanting the stadium, perhaps because they want to do it while guys like Crawford, Kaz and Shields are under their control, but after 10 long bad years they have decided the time to compete is now. And they managed to bring Garza in without giving up that MiL depth, instead trading from one of their few positions of strength.

This could well set up a Kazmir trade, but like Bedard that will only happen if/when they determine they can not lock him up long term. He said "no" last off-season to the idea, this year he has given indications he is willing if they show signs of wanting to compete, and improve the defense (yet another reason to get a guy like Bartlett). I would be surprised if they end up dealing him, but you are correct it would be easier now.

The only real question is should/could they have gotten more for Delmon. I can't answer that. He is both a huge potential guy, but a guy who is yet to show 3 of the 5 tools he supposedly has. Perhaps they are overrating Garza, but they really believe they got top talent in return.

Young is building block talent, but for many reasons it was pretty clear he was not going to be the foundation to build around, at least not in Tampa. Minnesota has some very good patient hitters. Perhaps doing BP with Mauer will make him into the hitter people hope he can be. Regardless I think this makes Tampa a significantly better team in 08 than they otherwise would have, so I think they are satisfied with the trade.

[slowbynot]

Interesting why they'd be trading Delmon so soon....

He's a clubhouse problem they ditched BEFORE he lost value - see Dukes. His BB/K ratio is horrible. Only 13 HR's...eh, Upton and Crawford are better and Garza deepens a formidable rotation. Only time will tell, but with Edwin Jackson's solid 2nd half and Price, McGee and Nieman close to the majors - that's a scary good rotation come 2009 or 2010.

[mweb]

minorleaguebaseball.com has 3 TB pitching prospects between 11-20, Price(11), Davis(12), and McGee(20). Very impressive.

[Crazysilver03]

It's beginning to look as if they have enough starters that they'll either be able to begin dealing them for relief help or possibly be able to do what so many on here have talked about the Orioles doing - have them begin their MLB careers as relievers.

Someone said they just passed the Blue Jays. I agree. Don't be overly shocked to see them challenge the Yankees if they (the Yankees) either don't improve their rotation or if their young starters don't come through.

Yes, I'm sticking with the prediction I made over a month ago that the Rays will be the surprise team of 2008.

The Rays will be someome to contend with especially if they make more moves to help them. I kind of want to do an analysis of the Rays just to see how screwed we are.

[GeorgiaBird]

Bumping this. When the trade was announced some found it strange the Rays would trade Young. A new piece on Carl Crawford on espn.com might offer a little insight. He doesn't come out and slam Young, but it appears the front office might not have been the only ones in Tampa who thought the team might be better off without Dukes and Young.

For Crawford, a second-round pick out of Houston in 1999, he'd much rather be left alone to play baseball. He'd much rather work out in his newly-built home gym, or at the Athletes Performance Institute, than partake in a day of leisure in a skybox. He'd just rather think about … this season.

"It's just going to be about playing baseball again, that's what I'm really excited about this season," Crawford said at his offseason home. "With all the B.S. that was going on last year, I think we lost focus on the task at hand."

Crawford refers to the ongoing soap opera that featured Elijah Dukes and Delmon Young. Both of the enormously talented players couldn't stay out of trouble; Dukes with his off-field issues, and Young with his me-first attitude that resulted in him at first walking out on manager Joe Maddon on the second-to-last day of the 2007 regular season. Crawford calls last season a year "he never wants to remember," and the distractions, at times, were almost unbearable.

The organization clearly decided that the culture needed to change, and they shipped Dukes to the Nationals and Young to the Twins, in exchange for young right-hander Matt Garza. Along with Scott Kazmir and James Shields, Garza will fill out a young, promising top-of-the-rotation trio the Rays have always lacked.

"That move, for Garza, spoke volumes," Crawford said. "For the first time I felt like this organization was serious about winning. That's the reason why I think everybody is excited because everybody sees that."

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3233467

Pretty powerful words from the team's leader.

[Moose Milligan]

Bump.

I normally cringe when I see people do this, but in light of the Rays clinching their first playoff berth this year, what the heck...

That's right, I predicted last October the Rays were going to be the surprise team of 2008. I only wish now I had had the cojones to actually predict they'd make the playoffs.

Well played and good foresight

[HeatherC12]

Good call and I'm very happy for the Rays!