OnlyBucs

But is a great reliever more valuable in trade than a middling starter?

Whatever BC decides to do will be the right move. Y'all don't know, so all you have is dusted off NH talking points.



If you're old and impatient, take your vitamins, eat right, get plenty of sleep, and stay off of ladders. Let the kids play on the lawn. Quit smoking, quit drinking, but what ever you do

775D56665147474B240 wrote: Is it against the law to actually trade for a catching prospect?




I have been begging for one.  But then again, we don't need one for a while.  Perez and Susac will be fine for what we trot out after Stallings gets dealt. Seems like after the Padres got Darvish, its between Toronto and Anaheim for Musgrove.

4D7F73736755767F7277787F1E0 wrote: But is a great reliever more valuable in trade than a middling starter? 
Well, that's the question. Of course it depends on the individual and the team's needs. If you have a strong BP already, one more good arm probably is less important than a decent #4 or 5 starter. But if you have a serious BP problem, it would be a shame to sacrifice a desperately needed reliever to get a so-so mediocre starter.



A good example would be Goose Gossage. 1975 AL Fireman of the year with the White Sox for Chuck Tanner. Tanner left to manage the A's in 1976 and his replacement for the White Sox, Paul Richards, put Gossage in the rotation where he went 9-17 with a 3.94 ERA and a modest K rate of just 5.4 per 9 IP. The next year Tanner came to manage the Bucs and got Gossage and put him back in the BP where he had a 1.62 ERA and doubled his k rate to 10.2. Gossage had more value as a HOF reliever than a mediocre at best starter.

6B5955554173505954515E59380 wrote: But is a great reliever more valuable in trade than a middling starter? 


I think that if you are definitely a playoff contender, yes, a good reliever is worth his weight in gold.



In post-season play, pitching- especially RP- rules the roast.



Middle of the rotation pitchers tend to start fewer games than guys higher up. If we look back at some of the recent LCS and WS games, RP has been one of the deciding factors. Arms get tired the later the season goes, and by that time, it's around 170 games....RP gets more and more important.

54444572646468070 wrote: Is it against the law to actually trade for a catching prospect?




I have been begging for one.  But then again, we don't need one for a while.  Perez and Susac will be fine for what we trot out after Stallings gets dealt.  Seems like after the Padres got Darvish, its between Toronto and Anaheim for Musgrove.


I don't think they need to trade for a catching prospect. They have had a bunch of catching prospects over the last 20 years and very few of them have actually filled the void. They have proven that they can go out and add a catcher via trade or FA. Martin and Cervelli didn't cost much and were very successful in our more successful years. Get the best talent available and fill-in the gaps.

1E0327252B4E0 wrote: Is it against the law to actually trade for a catching prospect?




I have been begging for one.  But then again, we don't need one for a while.  Perez and Susac will be fine for what we trot out after Stallings gets dealt.  Seems like after the Padres got Darvish, its between Toronto and Anaheim for Musgrove.


I don't think they need to trade for a catching prospect.  They have had a bunch of catching prospects over the last 20 years and very few of them have actually filled the void.  They have proven that they can go out and add a catcher via trade or FA.  Martin and Cervelli didn't cost much and were very successful in our more successful years.  Get the best talent available and fill-in the gaps.


I mean, if there was a choice between two equal players with one being a catcher, I would probably choose the catcher. But I wouldn't force it.

If you look closely at what BC has been getting in these trades in the terms of RHP it seems that he wants to corner the market on them. With that done and hopefully some proper development of more than a few of them the excess can then be flipped for the near or at MLB readiness.

Just call 412- 118-8ERA. I'd take my chances on some catchers who'll probably do better than that.

Every team knows that Ben has to move Musgrove. The return will be much like Bell - a warm body for the Major league team and a prospect with decent potential 2-3 years away. Even though Musgrove is worth much more to the Pirates, he’s worth less to any trade partners AND any trade partner knows Ben has to move him.



Sounds like a bad deal for the Pirates but BC has to do it. No choice as long as the prospect is at least decent.