Rays & Pirates
Submitted by: ShaquilleOatmeal
Rays
| Name | Age | Level | P1 | P2 | Availability | Years | AFV | Salary | Surplus | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braxton Ashcraft | 24 | Majors | SP | 4.4 | 29.2 | 13.8 | 15.4 | 12.4 | 15.4 | 18.5 | ||
| David Bednar | 30 | Majors | RP | Low | 1.4 | 17.5 | 11.2 | 6.3 | 5.1 | 6.3 | 7.6 | |
| Oneil Cruz | 26 | Majors | OF | Low | 3.4 | 81.6 | 49.9 | 31.7 | 25.4 | 31.7 | 38.1 |
Total Value:
53.4
Pirates
| Name | Age | Level | P1 | P2 | Availability | Years | AFV | Salary | Surplus | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taj Bradley | 23 | Majors | SP | LRP | 4.4 | 84.4 | 39.5 | 44.9 | 35.9 | 44.9 | 53.8 | |
| Curtis Mead | 23 | Majors | 1B | 2B | 4.4 | 10.5 | 5.5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| Trevor Martin | 23 | Minors | SP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 5 |
Total Value:
54.1
Comments
2
Curious what MP thinks about this. Cruz hits the ball as hard as anyone has ever hit a baseball. He's among the fastest runners in MLB. He throws as hard as anyone ever has. He is also lackadaisical and routinely lacks effort. If it clicks, and he becomes as good as he thinks he is, the Rays just traded for 26 year old Shawn Green. If it doesn't, they just traded for 26 year old Milton Bradley. I do the deal. Oneil Cruz' raw talent comes along once in a generation. Bednar vastly improves the bullpen, and Ashcraft has a chance to be another Pepiot. I think the Pirates do the deal too. The Pirates would suddenly have 3 young talents that still have a little of the prospect shine that made them very valuable a year ago. They get back MLB talent to add to a rotation that has some upper tier arms in the rotation. Surround Skenes with studs and hope they learn something.
NEWSLETTER? SURE, SIGN ME UP!
I'm just not a fan of ONeil Cruz to the Rays at a $32MM trade cost. Setting aside his athletic traits, he's been in the league for 4+ years and in my opinion, he is what he is. Pound for pound, he's no better than Mangum or J.Lowe. Seriously, he is a career 106 wRC+ bat, while Mangum is hitting 111 wRC+ this year (his first in the Majors) and J.Lowe is a career 109 wRC+ bat. From an fWAR basis, it's hard to compare Cruz to Mangum and Lowe because he was a failed SS before moving to CF this year (where he is an average CF), but if you just look at this year (based on a 500 PA basis), Cruz is producing at a 2.36 fWAR pace, Mangum is producing at a 2.39 fWAR pace, and J.Lowe is producing at a 1.66 fWAR pace (but over the smallest number of games of the 3 this year). Cruz is also arb eligible next year and that could be messy considering the position change. Shaq, you have mentioned attitude/effort problems with Cruz, and while I'm not in the know on those issues, I do know that Mangum is one of the heartbeats that drive the Rays and I don't want to give that up. So long story short, I just don't see the Rays acquiring Cruz. He's not better than Mangum or Lowe in my opinion, there is a risk of team chemistry suffering greatly if the Rays bring in Cruz, Cruz can't hit LHP to save his life (which is already a team weakness for the Rays), and Cruz would only be a Ray for 2.5 years at best because he's arb eligible next year. As for the Rays' third outfield spot, it belongs to C.Simpson, who is playing very well since returning to the Majors (128 wRC+). Rays love Simpson and he's not going anywhere.