10 player trade leaves Astros Happ-less

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Jays get Happ, Brandon Lyon and minor lg reliever David carpenter
Astros get a boatass of prospects plus Fransico Cordero and Ben Francisco

BOSTON -- Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos addressed the lack of pitching depth on his club by orchestrating a 10-player deal with Houston on Friday morning. Toronto received left-handed starter J.A. Happ, along with relievers Brandon Lyon and David Carpenter. The Astros got veterans Francisco Cordero and Ben Francisco, along with four Minor League prospects and a player to be named later. Anthopoulos made the move with a little under two weeks remaining until the non-waiver Trade Deadline to help fill some holes in a pitching staff that has been decimated by injuries for the past two months. "We didn't want to give up any of our top guys," Anthopoulos said. "I think what it came down to is trying to have some depth. They needed some depth; obviously there is strength in numbers from that standpoint. And if they weren't going to get one of our top guys, or someone we view that way, I think it was more about getting quantity for them." Happ went 7-9 with a 4.83 ERA in 18 starts for the Astros this season. The 29-year-old was originally linked to the Blue Jays back in 2010, when he was still a member of the Phillies. Happ had been rumored to be part of the package the Phillies were to send for Roy Halladay, but he remained in Philadelphia until later being moved to Houston in a multi-player deal for Roy Oswalt. Happ has gone through somewhat of an inconsistent season. He has recorded 12 quality starts in 18 outings, but he has also surrendered at least five runs in four different games. Happ will help provide more depth for a club that currently has Brandon Morrow, Kyle Drabek and Drew Hutchison on the disabled list. "This is a very good deal for us," Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said. "Once again, we are adding depth to our Minor League system with quality young players. We really feel this will help us moving forward and are extremely excited about the players we've added to our organization." Lyon, who is a free agent at the end of the year, provides another relatively reliable arm for the Blue Jays to use in middle relief. The 11-year veteran owns a 3.75 ERA in 37 games this season and has a total of 78 career saves. The 32-year-old Lyon will join forces with Darren Oliver and Jason Frasor to help bridge the gap to closer Casey Janssen. The 27-year-old Carpenter is slated to report to Triple-A Las Vegas, but he is still potentially a key to the deal considering his high strikeout totals at the Minor League level in recent years. "For us, getting a guy like Carpenter put in the deal -- he's young, has a good arm," Anthopoulos said of the right-hander, who is under club control for five years. "We think he has a chance to develop into a solid reliever with some arm strength. There was some value to that, with options and control and all those kinds of things." The move doesn't come without a cost for the Blue Jays. They are sending a series of prospects to Houston, including Asher Wojciechowski and Joe Musgrove, ranked by MLB.com as the club's 10th and 11th best prospects respectively. Wojciechowski, 23, was the 41st pick in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft and put up a 7-3 record and 3.57 ERA in 18 starts for Class A Dunedin this season. The 19-year-old Musgrove was picked 46th overall in the 2011 Draft and is 1-1 with a 3.51 ERA over two pro seasons. Also going the other way were left-hander David Rollins and catcher Carlos Perez. Rollins, 22, was 10-1 with a 2.46 ERA in 25 starts over two professional seasons in the Blue Jays' system, and the 21-year-old Perez was batting .269 with five homers and 40 RBIs for Class A Lansing this year. Perez entered the year ranked as the club's No. 8 prospect by MLB.com, but it would have been tough for him to advance through the Blue Jays' system considering the organization's overall depth behind the plate. "At the end of the day, we traded a bunch of kids who certainly have a lot of talent," Anthopolous said. "But we got two guys for us that are big league players -- more of a long term in Happ and Carpenter, and certainly a guy like Lyon, that obviously has an established big league career to help us for the current year. "We are getting, potentially right now if Carpenter does find his way back up here, three big league players. You know, to have the kids in the Minor Leagues in [Class A], it seems like a fair trade-off for both sides." In a corresponding move, the Blue Jays recalled outfielder Travis Snider from Las Vegas, and he will be in Boston for Friday night's game against the Red Sox. Toronto also moved right-hander Robert Coello to the 60-day disabled list to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.

[metirish]

Damn, was this even on the radar?,a lot of players involved.

Toronto has a minor league in in Las Vegas?, seems a bit out of the way.

[Ceetar]

hey, former Phillies traded for each other!

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

This is the kind of thing that makes the people who make WATPs think that their WATPs have a chance of happening.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Improved bullpen AND rotation depth, for spare parts and McHugh-ish prospects? I wouldn't mind a similar cash-in here, provided Los Mets have a VERY good week.

[nymr83]

metirish wrote: Damn, was this even on the radar?,a lot of players involved. Toronto has a minor league in in Las Vegas?, seems a bit out of the way.

very out of the way, and there are rumors swirling that the Toronto is going to be pushing hard for Buffalo when the Mets deal runs out with them after this season. Theres always going to be someone left holding the bag with a AAA city far away from the big club like Toronto currently has with Las Vegas or the Mets had when stuck in New Orleans.

[Frayed Knot]

Mets � Willets Point wrote: This is the kind of thing that makes the people who make WATPs think that their WATPs have a chance of happening.

Except that the ten-player WATPs that spring from the minds of most fans involve at least seven players who are currently All-Stars.

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

Frayed Knot wrote: Mets � Willets Point wrote: This is the kind of thing that makes the people who make WATPs think that their WATPs have a chance of happening. Except that the ten-player WATPs that spring from the minds of most fans involve at least seven players who are currently All-Stars.

But you have to throw in "a couple of prospects" to sweeten the deal.

[Frayed Knot]

Ah yes, the old 'throw in a couple of prospects' rider was added to the basic definition of the WATP* because it was essentially an admission by the wannabe-GM that his proposal was otherwise totally one-sided and so the phrase was tacked on to the end in a lame attempt to balance the scales. The prospects were always nameless of course with the only stipulation being that they weren't going to be any of your good ones.

Yanqui fans on WFAN were always quick to use that bailout. "Hey Mike & Dawg - long-time/first-time. Listen, I think the Yanx could use another outfielder for the post-season. How about we offer [insert backup catcher] to the Cubs for [in his prime] Sosa?
No, you don't think they'll go for that? ... well how 'bout if we t'row in a coupla prospects?"




* My coinage of the term WATP remains my one enduring legacy at the old MoFo (last time I checked anyway). People posting there now who never crossed paths with my/our time there are using the label with no idea of its origin. I should probably sue.
IIRC, among the conditions which definitively stamped a proposed trade as a WATP included:
- deals involving (7?) or more players and/or more than three teams
- "serial" trades which required, for instance, first dealing players A, B & C to one team for D, E & F -- and then immediately turing around and flipping D & E along with an existing player or two to a third team for G, H, & I
- and the good old "and t'row in a coupla prospects" clause.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Em... WATP?

[Frayed Knot]

Wild-Assed Trade Proposal

The idea being that if you were going to post something ridiculous you should label it with the above acronym in the subject heading so as to warn folks in advance that the ensuing post was going to be some made-up hail mary of an idea.

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Em... WATP?

Over a decade ago when many of us participated in the old Metsonline.com Fan Forum, rarely did a day pass when someone wouldn't throw up a Wild-Ass Trade Proposal.

I kind of miss not having WATPs in the CPF. They definitely have some entertainment value.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

Batista and Hairston for Yadier Molina and Matt Holliday! (and we'll throw in a couple of prospects)

Turner and Nooey for Josh Hamilton and Ian Kinsler! (and we'll throw in a couple of prospects)

Nickeas and Edgin for Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips! (and we'll throw in a couple of prospects)

[Frayed Knot]

WATPs Live On!!


Warning: The linked thread may cause readers to lose IQ points.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Dak11 still hanging in there.