Good times for a change
see the luck I've had could make a good man turn bad
So for once in my life, let me get what I want
Lord knows, it would be the first time
Yesterday the Oakland A's dealt Trevor Cahill along with Craig Breslow for three prospects to the Arizona Diamondbacks - Jarrod Parker, Ryan Cook and Colin Cowgill. The rumbling was in Dallas during the week that Billy Beane was trying to move Gio Gonzalez, and he still may attempt to do so.
Now that C.J. Wilson and Mark Buerhle have found landing spots in Los Angeles and Miami respectively, teams have Roy Oswalt, Hiroki Kuroda and Yu Darvish left on the market, and now have to turn to the trade market to look for quality starting pitchers.
Cahill is 23, and has another six years under team control, the first four for $30m, and then team options for 2016 and 2017, but at a rather sizeable $13m and $13.5m respectively, which I cannot see any team picking up. He has had a very good start to his career, and has excellent numbers in interleague play, going 7-3 with a 2.85 ERA in 12 starts. Yet his career K/9 is an extremely low 5.5. If nothing else the Diamondbacks will possess a formidable rotation of pitchers in their mid-20s with Josh Collmenter, Daniel Hudson and Ian Kennedy.
The Diamondbacks, who were mentioned in July as a possible suitor, are now out of the race for Wandy, and may even glut the market further if they flip Joe Saunders, as Marc Hulet suggests, even if I do not see it happening.
But what about the return for Cahill? Was it enough? Two-thirds of Athletics Nation readers thought it was not, as Parker raises a couple of red flags, even if his ceiling is high. Even when he missed all of 2010 after Tommy John surgery, Baseball America still rated him the #33 best prospect before last season, and he had a solid season at AA Mobile as a 22 year old, and Jeff Sullivan notes that John Sickels graded him A- recently.
If Jeff Luhnow could add a Jarrod Parker type piece for Rodriguez, he could go to the top of our prospect queue, ahead of the current ringleaders, George Springer, Jonathan Singleton and Jarred Cosart. If the Astros are missing anything it is starting pitchers with ace potential.
Whether you agree with what Ed Wade got for Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn, Luhnow has to get this one right. Even if he nails the next three drafts in 2012, 2013 and 2014, those players will take time to get to the big leagues. We should start to see a trickle of talent arrive on the scene from late 2012 onwards, something that should turn into a modest source from then-on-in, on the back of what Bobby Heck and his team have done recently, but we need a slam dunk.
We need a christmas come early deal (or late) for Rodriguez, which is why I do not understand why the Astros are not expecting to have to kick any money into a potential deal. If it brings back a better return and you shift some of Brett Myers and Carlos Lee's salary, surely in the long term it will be worth it.
So please, please, please, let me, let me, let me, let me get what I want.
This time.