Brickmans revenge gets
Hunter Renfroe RF $11
Adbert Alzolay SP $0 CC
Enrique Hernandez 2B, CF $10
Lansdowne Legends gets
Nate Pearson SP CC
Peyton Burdick OF
Adael Amador
5th round pick
Nate Pearson has a big fastball and some name recognition, as at one point he was the top rated pitching prospect in the minor leagues. The shine is fading as he has been unable to stay healthy and when healthy has shown command problems. He very may well start the season in the bullpen where a lot of Jays fans are starting to think he makes the most sense at least in the short term. He needs to stay healthy obviously and get innings, to hopefully refine his command. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him start as a 7th or 8th inning guy in the bullpen and then maybe he has success and gets stuck there. If he ends up a bullpen guy this trade isn’t going to be a win for Lansdowne.
Burdick, rated 14th on MLB’s top Marlins prospects. He has power and he has had some success in AA. As a 24 year old last year he hit .231/.376/.472 with 23 Hr’s and then struggled in a brief 28 AAA at bats. So its make or break this year for Burdick, he needs to tear up AAA and get a promotion this year or his chances of being more than a 4th outfielder are small. His ceiling is probably close to Hunter Renfroe with a bit higher OBP. As a 24 yr old in AAA Renfroe hit .306/.336/.557 with a bad 22BB to 115K’s.
Amador was a high bonus July 2nd signing. Hit well in rookie ball with a good approach and some power for a MI. He is also Rockies property which is always an added bonus for a hitting prospect.
Alzolay is $0 and CC and is a better pitcher than Nate Pearson right now. As a 26 year old last year he made 21 starts giving up less than a hit per inning and striking out 128 in 125 IP. WHIP of 1.16. His floor is much higher than Pearson.
We all know Hunter Renfroe and Kike Hernandez. Both are not the sexiest names in fantasy baseball but are solid starters or depth depending on your roster construction and are at very affordable prices. Both players will be 30 years old this season.
You can see why this makes sense for both teams. Lansdowne is clearly rebuilding and isn’t going to lose sleep over losing non stars like Kike and Renfroe, but to a competing team these kind of players have more value. In my mind the trade is a win for Brickman as he gets a young CC starter and two roster pieces on good contracts. The trade will morph into a win-win trade if Nate Pearson takes a step forward and joins the rotation. If he reaches his ceiling this may look like a laugher a few years from now. As a Blue Jay fan I hope that happens. A big spring training could make it happen quickly, but I am afraid patience may be needed. Its possible he gets bullpen duty with the eye of transitioning(we may need a new synonym) to the rotation later, if he can improve his command while in the pen.