A win-win-win trade?
The three-team trade in December 2009 that sent Curtis Granderson to the Yankees and brought Max Scherzer (among others) to the Tigers was almost universally hated around these parts - mostly because Granderson was a very good and very likable longtime Tiger, and the players coming to Detroit were largely no-names.
Luckily, the Tigers got the best early returns, with Austin Jackson challenging for AL Rookie of the Year in 2010 while playing even better CF defense than Granderson, Scherzer turning into one of the league's top starters, and Granderson struggling in his first exposure to the Big Apple. But at the moment, this trade is coming up roses for all involved. That's gotta be rare.
To recap:
Tigers get:
Austin Jackson, CF (from Yankees)
Phil Coke, RP (from Yankees)
Max Scherzer, SP (from Diamondbacks)
Daniel Schlereth, RP (from Diamondbacks)
Tigers give up:
Curtis Granderson, CF (to Yankees)
Edwin Jackson, SP (to Diamondbacks)
All four players the Tigers received have been key members of the major-league team this year. A-Jackson is not having a good year at the plate, but he is contributing everyday Gold Glove defense in center field and has shown signs of turning it around offensively (batting .350/.381/.575 in May). Coke, like A-Jackson, was very good last year but is off to a slow start this year. Still, he has maintained a 4.75 ERA after moving into the rotation, and that's not terrible for a fifth starter. If he gets moved back to the bullpen, he'll be an asset. Schlereth has been one of the best guys in the Tiger bullpen this year, with a 1.93 ERA in 14 innings. Though he isn't used as a specialist, the lefty has been especially tough against left-handed batters, holding them to two singles in 22 AB this year (.091 average). Oh, and all three of these guys are making less than $500,000 this year.
Scherzer, as expected, has been the real jewel of the trade. He's off to a 6-0 start with a 3.20 ERA while striking out more than a batter per inning and allowing less than a hit per inning. On half the teams in baseball, he'd be the unquestioned "ace." With no-hit Verlander around, Max is happy to be the best No. 2 in the AL.
Verdict: The Tigers got four major-league contributors while giving up two. The guys they got back are much cheaper than the guys they traded away and they have control of them for more years. They also got IMHO the single most valuable player in the deal in Max Scherzer. WIN.
Yankees get:
Curtis Granderson, CF (from Tigers)
Yankees give up:
Austin Jackson, CF (to Tigers)
Phil Coke, RP (to Tigers)
Ian Kennedy, SP (to Diamondbacks)
Granderson is having a huge year for the Yankees. Right now he's leading the league with 11 HR(!) and is above his career averages in AVG, OBP and (especially) SLG. He's turned into exactly the player the Yankees thought they were getting, and he is probably the best "citizen" in baseball.
Verdict: While at the moment it seems the Yankees need pitching more than they need hitting, I think they're very happy to have Granderson. Someday A-Jackson may end up having a Granderson-esque year at the plate, but the odds are against it and the Yankees prefer sure things. Kennedy struggled mightily with the Yankees and might have never been able to turn things around in New York. Coke was just another fungible reliever to them. WIN.
Diamondbacks get:
Edwin Jackson, SP (from Tigers)
Ian Kennedy, SP (from Yankees)
Diamondbacks give up:
Max Scherzer, SP (to Tigers)
Daniel Schlereth, RP (to Tigers)
E-Jackson gave the D-backs three mediocre months and was traded for SP Daniel Hudson, who has gone 10-5 for Arizona since last August. Kennedy is blossoming this year and has had quality starts in 6 of 8 games. He has a 3.23 ERA and last night pitched the great Tim Lincecum to a 0-0 draw over 8 innings. (The Giants won in the ninth, after Kennedy was removed.) Both Hudson and Kennedy make around $420,000 a year.
Verdict: Essentially, the D-backs gave up Scherzer and Schlereth for Kennedy and Hudson. I do think Scherzer is the best pitcher here, but the D-backs got two solid-or-better starters for one starter and one reliever, and that's usually a good exchange. There's also a decent chance that Kennedy (or Hudson) will turn out to be better than Scherzer. And maybe the clubhouse manager was running out of S, C, H, E and R letters to stitch on the jerseys, so he breathed a sigh of relief when Scherzer and Schlereth left. WIN.
EDIT: Here's what I wrote about the trade when it happened. I was remarkably prescient! Usually whenever I revisit my "knowledgeable" baseball prognostications I am amazed at how wrong I was. But I was right about Scherzer (and Edwin Jackson) and I even foresaw Coke moving into the rotation.
Luckily, the Tigers got the best early returns, with Austin Jackson challenging for AL Rookie of the Year in 2010 while playing even better CF defense than Granderson, Scherzer turning into one of the league's top starters, and Granderson struggling in his first exposure to the Big Apple. But at the moment, this trade is coming up roses for all involved. That's gotta be rare.
To recap:
Tigers get:
Austin Jackson, CF (from Yankees)
Phil Coke, RP (from Yankees)
Max Scherzer, SP (from Diamondbacks)
Daniel Schlereth, RP (from Diamondbacks)
Tigers give up:
Curtis Granderson, CF (to Yankees)
Edwin Jackson, SP (to Diamondbacks)
All four players the Tigers received have been key members of the major-league team this year. A-Jackson is not having a good year at the plate, but he is contributing everyday Gold Glove defense in center field and has shown signs of turning it around offensively (batting .350/.381/.575 in May). Coke, like A-Jackson, was very good last year but is off to a slow start this year. Still, he has maintained a 4.75 ERA after moving into the rotation, and that's not terrible for a fifth starter. If he gets moved back to the bullpen, he'll be an asset. Schlereth has been one of the best guys in the Tiger bullpen this year, with a 1.93 ERA in 14 innings. Though he isn't used as a specialist, the lefty has been especially tough against left-handed batters, holding them to two singles in 22 AB this year (.091 average). Oh, and all three of these guys are making less than $500,000 this year.
Scherzer, as expected, has been the real jewel of the trade. He's off to a 6-0 start with a 3.20 ERA while striking out more than a batter per inning and allowing less than a hit per inning. On half the teams in baseball, he'd be the unquestioned "ace." With no-hit Verlander around, Max is happy to be the best No. 2 in the AL.
Verdict: The Tigers got four major-league contributors while giving up two. The guys they got back are much cheaper than the guys they traded away and they have control of them for more years. They also got IMHO the single most valuable player in the deal in Max Scherzer. WIN.
Yankees get:
Curtis Granderson, CF (from Tigers)
Yankees give up:
Austin Jackson, CF (to Tigers)
Phil Coke, RP (to Tigers)
Ian Kennedy, SP (to Diamondbacks)
Granderson is having a huge year for the Yankees. Right now he's leading the league with 11 HR(!) and is above his career averages in AVG, OBP and (especially) SLG. He's turned into exactly the player the Yankees thought they were getting, and he is probably the best "citizen" in baseball.
Verdict: While at the moment it seems the Yankees need pitching more than they need hitting, I think they're very happy to have Granderson. Someday A-Jackson may end up having a Granderson-esque year at the plate, but the odds are against it and the Yankees prefer sure things. Kennedy struggled mightily with the Yankees and might have never been able to turn things around in New York. Coke was just another fungible reliever to them. WIN.
Diamondbacks get:
Edwin Jackson, SP (from Tigers)
Ian Kennedy, SP (from Yankees)
Diamondbacks give up:
Max Scherzer, SP (to Tigers)
Daniel Schlereth, RP (to Tigers)
E-Jackson gave the D-backs three mediocre months and was traded for SP Daniel Hudson, who has gone 10-5 for Arizona since last August. Kennedy is blossoming this year and has had quality starts in 6 of 8 games. He has a 3.23 ERA and last night pitched the great Tim Lincecum to a 0-0 draw over 8 innings. (The Giants won in the ninth, after Kennedy was removed.) Both Hudson and Kennedy make around $420,000 a year.
Verdict: Essentially, the D-backs gave up Scherzer and Schlereth for Kennedy and Hudson. I do think Scherzer is the best pitcher here, but the D-backs got two solid-or-better starters for one starter and one reliever, and that's usually a good exchange. There's also a decent chance that Kennedy (or Hudson) will turn out to be better than Scherzer. And maybe the clubhouse manager was running out of S, C, H, E and R letters to stitch on the jerseys, so he breathed a sigh of relief when Scherzer and Schlereth left. WIN.
EDIT: Here's what I wrote about the trade when it happened. I was remarkably prescient! Usually whenever I revisit my "knowledgeable" baseball prognostications I am amazed at how wrong I was. But I was right about Scherzer (and Edwin Jackson) and I even foresaw Coke moving into the rotation.