Penn traded to the Marlins for IF Robert Andino

[Hank Scorpio]

Ahhh, Scorpio, what are you gonna do without your boy?

Peace out, Hayden. With a name like that, the odds are stacked against you...but I wish you success!

I'll find a new one.

He certainly didn't earn it.

[Frobby]

Maybe you should start asking questions via Roch's blog

I've got to be honest, I don't think many of us care what you think of it. You've failed to add any value to the discussions around here in your - still-brief - tenure, and you constantly drag the discussion back to you.

So, thanks for your input.

Isn't everything about him in his mind? There are very few people in the world that I actively dislike, but I actively dislike this guy and I believe the board is worse off because of his whining, er, I mean participation.

:rofl:

By the way Drew, how come Schmuck got to talk with MacPhail today? Is the Sun being paid off by the O's now too?

My advice - treat Drew like any other poster when it comes to his opinions about the team and its moves, and ignore the other stuff about his radio station and press credentials. He's not the only one who doesn't like the Penn move or who doesn't see the distinction between Penn and Pie. You guys are the ones who are allowing him to take threads off-topic by getting into this other stuff. Ignore it!

[fansince71]

I'm surprised nobody has come with a new completely-unanswerable question: Did this get done because AM expected a waiver claim, or because AM just decided to close the book on Penn's chapter regardless of waivers?

AM did state in the Rock blog that he expected Penn to get claimed.

[Why Not?]

I'm surprised nobody has come with a new completely-unanswerable question: Did this get done because AM expected a waiver claim, or because AM just decided to close the book on Penn's chapter regardless of waivers?

I suspect both.

[olehippi]

Penn was a cursed man wearing an Orioles uniform. And it seemed that somewhere along the way, he lost all confidence in himself. Because Trembley has had a long history with Penn, I suspect he recognized this which maybe led to a father/son type talk. If so, it makes me wonder if this move was perhaps more of a mutual decision between Penn and the Orioles then just dumping him via waivers. Evenso, it seems like an odd move for a team so desperate for pitching.

[now]

Seems to me this trade is a wash. Even more, a glance at Andino's career record suggests that he's the Hayden Penn of position players.

* Same age. Previously high rankings in organization.

* Decent, sometimes outstanding results at MiL level (with Andino improving steadily whereas Penn regressed).

* Precocious young ML debut and followup stints, with atrocious results in small samples.

If anything, the trend for Andino (point 2 above) is more promising. In that regard, for the pitching-rich Orioles (think past April, please) this trade makes good sense.

[Mad Mark]

Maybe...just maybe Andino comes in here, benefits from working with Crowley, and becomes a respectable middle infielder/utility man for the Orioles for the next five or six years.

Maybe...just maybe Hayden Penn goes to Florida, flourishes in new scenery, and is an effective National League starter for the next five or six years.

And everybody (well almost everybody, but that's a tangent, people!) goes home happy.

[Sports Guy]

You know, I have been told that Drew believes he is one of the most knowledgable sports people in the area(ie in the media)...Sure would be nice if he even came close to backing that up.

As for Penn...i hate to see him go and wish him well...I am glad we didn't lose him for nothing though and maybe acquired some kind of useful piece.

[PaulFolk]

Do you think they may still consider Bass for the 5th spot, if Eaton fails again on his next ST start?

Also, since you responded to me, I would just like to say that I really enjoy your game write ups and to keep up the good work. It is what brought me to this site. Sorry for the sidetrack.

Sweet! Thanks, maudi. I really appreciate it.

I don't think Bass will be in the running for the 5th spot by Opening Day, since he hasn't gotten stretched out enough (I think 2 innings has been his maximum in any game this spring). But if he racks up some innings in long relief and the O's have need for a spot starter in late April or May, he could slide in there. I don't think the O's view Bass as a long-term starter, though.

[maudibjr]

I'm surprised nobody has come with a new completely-unanswerable question: Did this get done because AM expected a waiver claim, or because AM just decided to close the book on Penn's chapter regardless of waivers?

Most likely both.

[fansince71]

Maybe...just maybe Andino comes in here, benefits from working with Crowley, and becomes a respectable middle infielder/utility man for the Orioles for the next five or six years.

Maybe...just maybe Hayden Penn goes to Florida, flourishes in new scenery, and is an effective National League starter for the next five or six years.

And everybody (well almost everybody, but that's a tangent, people!) goes home happy.

The majority will only be happy if Penn flops with florida IMO. Nobody wants to see another John Maine trade.

[RVAbird]

Seems to me this trade is a wash. Even more, a glance at Andino's career record suggests that he's the Hayden Penn of position players.

* Same age. Previously high rankings in organization.

* Decent, sometimes outstanding results at MiL level (with Andino improving steadily whereas Penn regressed).

* Precocious young ML debut and followup stints, with atrocious results in small samples.

If anything, the trend for Andino (point 2 above) is more promising. In that regard, for the pitching-rich Orioles (think past April, please) this trade makes good sense.

My feelings exactly, with an emphasis in bold. I was a big Penn supporter but the stuff isn't there anymore and it was time for a change. I would have been angry if we'd lost him to waivers but I think this is a good little deal. MacPhail is good at those.

[Frobby]

AM did state in the Rock blog that he expected Penn to get claimed.

Here's what MacPhail said:

"When it became evident that he wasn't going to break with us, we're pretty much looking at exposing him to waivers, in which case you'd get $25,000. He wasn't going to clear. So we called clubs that we knew had an interest over the last couple of years and inquired about him. I happened to be sitting with Larry Beinfest when Hayden was pitching and he asked about him, so one of the calls we made was to Larry, asking if he had interest. He did.

"We're too thin in the middle infield, in terms of who can play defense there. We really weren't comfortable with backup shortstops. We know that Cesar, like any shortstop, is going to need a couple days off. Blake Davis broke a bone in his foot, and we have Ryan Freel targeted for different positions. That was an area of need for us. We had known Andino. Joe Jordan knew him from when he was with the Marlins organization. Rick Kranitz knew him when he was the pitching coach over there. We felt he really solved an issue for us, in terms of the final composition of the team, and it came together in a very short period of time. It was just a matter of getting the medical records and talking to the players.

"It's really going to require us to go with 12 pitchers. I had been leaning toward 13 because you're not going to be able to be strong everywhere where we are now. You just have to pick and choose your area. But if I had the opportunity to get a 24-year-old bonafide shortstop that can play defense, it was reallly something I couldn't pass up. So you can look for us to start with 12. As the season progresses, you don't know what twists and turns are going to take place, but we clearly are going to start with 12 pitchers and 13 bench players as a consequence of this trade.

"He's going to get more opportunities to play now because he's not behind Hanley Ramirez. I'm sure we'll get an opportunity to see him more, move him around, but the attribute that was most attractive to us was the defensive ability to play the middle of the infield."

http://masnsports.com/2009/04/macphail-and-penn.html

Pretty clear he likes Andino's defense better than Gomez's, Cabrera's or Freel's.

[ChaosLex]

BTW, looks like a lot of people were wrong. Even MacPhail was quoted (in Roch's blog) as saying that Penn was going to be claimed.

[Frobby]

BTW, looks like a lot of people were wrong. Even MacPhail was quoted (in Roch's blog) as saying that Penn was going to be claimed.

I said I thought the odds he'd be claimed were < 5%. But I also said I trusted MacPhail to make that judgment based on actual information.