beisbols.org/2014/12/19/justin-upton-joins-padres/ Thoughts and analysis from a Padres (I think?) perspective. Some snippets that really stuck out to me below. .......... Superstar Braves outfielder Justin Upton was traded to the San Diego Padres on December 19 for a package of prospects including pitcher Max Fried, infielder Jace Peterson, third baseman Dustin Peterson, and outfielder Mallex Smith. Really? That is all it took? Yes, the Padres managed to hold onto Hunter Renfroe, Austin Hedges, and Matt Wisler. .......... Is this really the best return possible for the Atlanta Braves? Their farm system is strengthened, but it really feels like an underwhelming return (not quite to low level of the return the Rays got from the Padres days earlier). This move matches their rebuilding goals, but probably not to the degree that would placate Atlanta Braves fans. .......... Even before the injury, Fried had noticeable control issues, which is not good. When this is the guy that headlines a return, it is hard to get too excited (from the Braves perspective). He could develop as a mid-rotation starter, but with the missed time and where he was at prior, that might be too optimistic of an outlook. .......... Jace Peterson is realistically a utility infielder. One might look at his time in AAA in 2014, in which he posted an OPS of .870, and get a picture of a legitimate answer at third base, but he is not a permanent fixture there. .... I have my doubts regarding his power that he flashed in AAA, which could put him as a .650 to .700 OPS-type player on the Braves. .......... With a somewhat decent well-rounded profile, one would expect that the general overview of (Dustin) Peterson’s 2014 time at the A level might not tell the full story, and that individual would be correct, although in a negative way. Peterson’s second-half, 231 plate appearances, resulted in an absolute collapse in terms of performance, striking out in 26% of plate appearances, drawing walks just 2.2% of the time, posting an average of .194, and posting an OPS of .487. With such a massive collapse one would assume injury, but that was not the case. Obviously there is still hope here that he might turn out to be a regular player well down the road, but 2014 did not inspire confidence. .......... In the worst-case scenario (barring injury), (Mallex) Smith might be a bench player due to speed if one were to utilize him properly. Perhaps he can eventually get into the lineup occasionally, but it all seems premature for a twenty-one year old in High-A. .......... Ben Badler made an interesting remark that whatever compensation pick the Padres would receive if Upton were to leave at season’s end would likely be a better prospect than any of those the Braves received and it is hard to disagree with that assessment. All I have to say is....when the acquiring team fan feels like they paid a discount price, they probably have. I remember when we acquired Upton thinking (aside from Prado, who was a 1-year rental in our eyes) we pulled a fast one on the D-Backs. We did. I remember thinking similarly of the DUggla trade, just to show that things dont work out marvelously all the time. We sorta did, except that DUggla decided to stop pumping himself full of spinach to maintain his unGodly forearms. All that said, I think this guy does give an honest view of what we got...and what we got wasnt the high end return that a lot of us expected it to be.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Dec 2014 17:35:07 +0000
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