Cubs trade Barrett to Padres for Rob Bowen & Kyler Burke

[nilodnayr]

Just for fun, this is Barrett's player profile on baseball prospectus.

 

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/pecota/images/barremi01_001.gif

 

 

 

And this is Bowen's.

 

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/pecota/images/bowenro01_001.gif

 

 

Edit:

 

The numbers to the left are what percentile they fall into.

 

Is that before the year or now?

 

Before the year... but still, it's a pretty stark difference.

 

True-but in that, it has to gauge Bowen's absolutely awful 2004 and not good 2005 with his ok 2006 in the majors. Which one is supposed to be believed more? The projections would say 2004 and 2005, but that hasn't happened in his at-bats so far this year.

 

The same thing has happened to Barrett the other way.

 

Will Bowen outperform Barrett with the bat for the rest of 2007? I don't know. Does he have to? Not necessarily-if he gets somewhere close, the improved defense might be enough to make up for it. That's really all the Cubs need to make this a good deal-Bowen to stay close enough to Barrett to not make it too much of a downgrade this year (which is certainly possible), and then the Cubs benefit in 2008 and beyond with Bowen and the prospect.

 

I haven't dug too deeply, but what in Bowens 2007 campaign is drastically different than previously besides BABIP?

 

Not much, but even if he just repeats 2006 that graph will change, because now less importance will be shown to his worse 2004 and 2005.

 

Sorry if this has been mentioned (stupid work, had to leave the thread) but is that really true? His K and BA ranks will stay the same, the only thing that will increase is his ISO. Not that I have a problem with a high K, low BA type guy, but we aren't talking about Dunn-esque ISoD and ISoP.

[TruffleShuffle]

Good for 36% of White Sox fans.

 

Or Cubs fans who voted nobody (like me :o)

 

I voted for Piniella.

[moorecg]

Sportsnet has a scouting report on Bowen:

 

 

Assets

A switch-hitting catcher who excels from the left side, showing decent power. He's an above-average defensive catcher, able to block and through very well.

 

Flaws

He's a weak hitter from the right side and generally lacks discipline at the plate.

 

Career potential

Good backup catcher who can be a No. 1 if needed.

 

 

Hmmm...If he's really good from the left side...doesn't that allow for getting rid of Jones easier? He can be the catcher against lefties...Soto against righties.

[Sarcastic]

In what possible way does this trade make sense? Unless you are of the "Barrett destroys everything no matter what" mindset, there is no way to pretend that Bowen is an upgrade over Barrett.

 

Sometimes a change is in order, not only for the team but for the player. Barrett, right, wrong, or indifferent was singled out early on as one of the trouble makers and therefore one of the scapegoats on this team for this year. Even if he went on to win the Batting Title, he still would have been tagged for the fight with Z, v 1.0.

 

There were a number of things he was getting blamed for (justly or unjustly) in defense, game calling, team relations, mental errors, and base running blunders. Does this mean he was the only one doing it? No, others have been thrown out stealing 3rd and getting hung up between the bases. But consistently, he was one of the ones showing the least amount of proper judgement in his total game.

 

I hope he does well in SD, and i am glad we got a return on him before he headed out on us via FA. This at least gives us a backup catcher under contract for next year. Blanco is headed for surgery and that may be touch and go

 

And Hendry is not giving up this year just yet.

 

That is a terrible way to justify a trade. Clubhouse chemistry doesn't matter, I don't care that fans (you especially) blamed him for things that you are now admitting were only partially his fault. His production this year is pretty much guaranteed to outpace Bowen's significantly since Bowen can't hit. This is still a terrible trade. Saying you had to trade a guy because he was marked for trading is asinine.

[UMFan83]

Sportsnet has a scouting report on Bowen:

 

 

Assets

A switch-hitting catcher who excels from the left side, showing decent power. He's an above-average defensive catcher, able to block and through very well.

 

Flaws

He's a weak hitter from the right side and generally lacks discipline at the plate.

 

Career potential

Good backup catcher who can be a No. 1 if needed.

 

Ugh

[MPC]

we want geo soto. he needs to be called up for tonight's game.

[Rusch33]

In what possible way does this trade make sense? Unless you are of the "Barrett destroys everything no matter what" mindset, there is no way to pretend that Bowen is an upgrade over Barrett.

 

Sometimes a change is in order, not only for the team but for the player. Barrett, right, wrong, or indifferent was singled out early on as one of the trouble makers and therefore one of the scapegoats on this team for this year. Even if he went on to win the Batting Title, he still would have been tagged for the fight with Z, v 1.0.

 

There were a number of things he was getting blamed for (justly or unjustly) in defense, game calling, team relations, mental errors, and base running blunders. Does this mean he was the only one doing it? No, others have been thrown out stealing 3rd and getting hung up between the bases. But consistently, he was one of the ones showing the least amount of proper judgement in his total game.

 

I hope he does well in SD, and i am glad we got a return on him before he headed out on us via FA. This at least gives us a backup catcher under contract for next year. Blanco is headed for surgery and that may be touch and go

 

And Hendry is not giving up this year just yet.

 

That is a terrible way to justify a trade. Clubhouse chemistry doesn't matter, I don't care that fans (you especially) blamed him for things that you are now admitting were only partially his fault. His production this year is pretty much guaranteed to outpace Bowen's significantly since Bowen can't hit. This is still a terrible trade. Saying you had to trade a guy because he was marked for trading is asinine.

 

 

Clubhouse chemistry doesn't matter?

 

Did you play baseball ever in your life?

[RyneSandberg]

Im going to watch the Iowa Cubs play tonight in Nashville, I can't wait to see Soto.

[soapy]

Thought I'd give my own scouting report on Bowen. I went to high school with him (he was a Senior when I was a Freshman), but he definitely got drafted for his athleticism behind the plate. Even in High School he wasn't known as much for his hitting, but supposedly his time throwing to second was elite by major league standards even then. Not sure why that hasn't translated into the big leagues yet, but I'd guess that has more to do with guys like Maddux and Young being terrible at holding runners than anything else.

I also went to HHS. Class of 96. Interesting.

[SouthSideRyan]

In what possible way does this trade make sense? Unless you are of the "Barrett destroys everything no matter what" mindset, there is no way to pretend that Bowen is an upgrade over Barrett.

 

Sometimes a change is in order, not only for the team but for the player. Barrett, right, wrong, or indifferent was singled out early on as one of the trouble makers and therefore one of the scapegoats on this team for this year. Even if he went on to win the Batting Title, he still would have been tagged for the fight with Z, v 1.0.

 

There were a number of things he was getting blamed for (justly or unjustly) in defense, game calling, team relations, mental errors, and base running blunders. Does this mean he was the only one doing it? No, others have been thrown out stealing 3rd and getting hung up between the bases. But consistently, he was one of the ones showing the least amount of proper judgement in his total game.

 

I hope he does well in SD, and i am glad we got a return on him before he headed out on us via FA. This at least gives us a backup catcher under contract for next year. Blanco is headed for surgery and that may be touch and go

 

And Hendry is not giving up this year just yet.

 

That is a terrible way to justify a trade. Clubhouse chemistry doesn't matter, I don't care that fans (you especially) blamed him for things that you are now admitting were only partially his fault. His production this year is pretty much guaranteed to outpace Bowen's significantly since Bowen can't hit. This is still a terrible trade. Saying you had to trade a guy because he was marked for trading is asinine.

 

 

Clubhouse chemistry doesn't matter?

 

Did you play baseball ever in your life?

 

Did you ever play high level baseball?

[CubinNY]

In what possible way does this trade make sense? Unless you are of the "Barrett destroys everything no matter what" mindset, there is no way to pretend that Bowen is an upgrade over Barrett.

 

Sometimes a change is in order, not only for the team but for the player. Barrett, right, wrong, or indifferent was singled out early on as one of the trouble makers and therefore one of the scapegoats on this team for this year. Even if he went on to win the Batting Title, he still would have been tagged for the fight with Z, v 1.0.

 

There were a number of things he was getting blamed for (justly or unjustly) in defense, game calling, team relations, mental errors, and base running blunders. Does this mean he was the only one doing it? No, others have been thrown out stealing 3rd and getting hung up between the bases. But consistently, he was one of the ones showing the least amount of proper judgement in his total game.

 

I hope he does well in SD, and i am glad we got a return on him before he headed out on us via FA. This at least gives us a backup catcher under contract for next year. Blanco is headed for surgery and that may be touch and go

 

And Hendry is not giving up this year just yet.

 

That is a terrible way to justify a trade. Clubhouse chemistry doesn't matter, I don't care that fans (you especially) blamed him for things that you are now admitting were only partially his fault. His production this year is pretty much guaranteed to outpace Bowen's significantly since Bowen can't hit. This is still a terrible trade. Saying you had to trade a guy because he was marked for trading is asinine.

 

 

Clubhouse chemistry doesn't matter?

 

Did you play baseball ever in your life?

Please no. God, please no.

[SouthSideRyan]

Anybody have Bowen's cERA?

[JeffH]

3.46 this season.

 

Bard is at 2.53.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Anybody have Bowen's cERA?

 

3.46, Barrett's is 4.17

[Sarcastic]

In what possible way does this trade make sense? Unless you are of the "Barrett destroys everything no matter what" mindset, there is no way to pretend that Bowen is an upgrade over Barrett.

 

Sometimes a change is in order, not only for the team but for the player. Barrett, right, wrong, or indifferent was singled out early on as one of the trouble makers and therefore one of the scapegoats on this team for this year. Even if he went on to win the Batting Title, he still would have been tagged for the fight with Z, v 1.0.

 

There were a number of things he was getting blamed for (justly or unjustly) in defense, game calling, team relations, mental errors, and base running blunders. Does this mean he was the only one doing it? No, others have been thrown out stealing 3rd and getting hung up between the bases. But consistently, he was one of the ones showing the least amount of proper judgement in his total game.

 

I hope he does well in SD, and i am glad we got a return on him before he headed out on us via FA. This at least gives us a backup catcher under contract for next year. Blanco is headed for surgery and that may be touch and go

 

And Hendry is not giving up this year just yet.

 

That is a terrible way to justify a trade. Clubhouse chemistry doesn't matter, I don't care that fans (you especially) blamed him for things that you are now admitting were only partially his fault. His production this year is pretty much guaranteed to outpace Bowen's significantly since Bowen can't hit. This is still a terrible trade. Saying you had to trade a guy because he was marked for trading is asinine.

 

 

Clubhouse chemistry doesn't matter?

 

Did you play baseball ever in your life?

Please no. God, please no.

 

QFT.

 

We're not going through the clubhouse chemistry argument again. That one's been settled. If you'd like to think that your high school/college ball experience proves clubhouse chemistry matters, go ahead, but there isn't a scrap of non-anecdotal evidence to back you up.

[YearofDaCubs]

So now that we know what the trade is for, how does this trade make our team better? Brewers have been playing very well as of late and if we were to catch them we need to play better ball. The catcher that we got isn't as good offensively as Barrett and his defense,if it is better is not by much. I'm all for making trades to improve the team to compete in the NL Central but this trade doesn't do that.

[Sarcastic]

So now that we know what the trade is for, how does this trade make our team better? Brewers have been playing very well as of late and if we were to catch them we need to play better ball. The catcher that we got isn't as good offensively as Barrett and his defense,if it is better is not by much. I'm all for making trades to improve the team to compete in the NL Central but this trade doesn't do that.

 

This is exactly why I think this is a bad trade.

[Soriano12]

So now that we know what the trade is for, how does this trade make our team better? Brewers have been playing very well as of late and if we were to catch them we need to play better ball. The catcher that we got isn't as good offensively as Barrett and his defense,if it is better is not by much. I'm all for making trades to improve the team to compete in the NL Central but this trade doesn't do that.

Crickets chirping

[soapy]

So now that we know what the trade is for, how does this trade make our team better? Brewers have been playing very well as of late and if we were to catch them we need to play better ball. The catcher that we got isn't as good offensively as Barrett and his defense,if it is better is not by much. I'm all for making trades to improve the team to compete in the NL Central but this trade doesn't do that.

This doesn't make the team better in the short term, IMO. That's what I don't get. My only hope is that it's setting up another deal for a RF or SS. I won't get my hopes up though. The only good out of it is getting "something" for a player that was likely gone at the end of the year anyway. I just don't understand why they brought in another back up catcher. I think people that are clinging to Bowen's high OBP from 2007 so far are going to be disapointed. I'd be shocked if it stays anywhere near that level considering his high BABIP and his past.

[JeffH]

I'm sure this has been touched on somewhere in this thread.

 

There is little doubt that Michael Barrett has a very low "baseball IQ" or has poor "baseball instincts" or however you want to say it.

 

It's likely that most teams - even winning teams - have one or more guys who fall into that "baseball dumb" category.

 

It just strikes me that, if you're going to have a guy like that on your ballclub, the absolute last role you would want him to fill is your starting catcher.

[Sarcastic]

I'm sure this has been touched on somewhere in this thread.

 

There is little doubt that Michael Barrett has a very low "baseball IQ" or has poor "baseball instincts" or however you want to say it.

 

It's likely that most teams - even winning teams - have one or more guys who fall into that "baseball dumb" category.

 

It just strikes me that, if you're going to have a guy like that on your ballclub, the absolute last role you would want him to fill is your starting catcher.

 

He's struggled this year, but replacing him with a backup catcher isn't the answer.

[nilodnayr]

This is the type of trade a SELLING team at the deadline makes. Frankly, given the fact that Barrett probably will be a Type A FA and that the FA catching market is going to have a ton of supply, I don't see why it is necessary to lock up that position now by getting rid of the guy who when injury/suspension strikes is your clean up hitter. I would have been fine riding Barrett out (hes a notoriously streaky hitter who right now has a BABIP 30 points lower than what he should) until the end of the season and letting him walk to pick up the draft pick and signing someone else in FA. This however, downgrades our offense for the rest of the season, doesn't allow us to pick up a draft pick, and could mean that we won't sign one of the many catchers that will be available.

 

You're assuming two things for the Cubs to get compensation from Barrett leaving FA.

 

1)Sign before 12/1.

2)The Cubs offer arbitration.

 

I doubt these two things would've been possible.

 

Actually, its either of those two, not both. And if I were the cubs and held onto Barrett for the rest of the year I sure as hell would offer him arbitration. I'd try to have him agree to decline it, but if he wouldnt agree to that, worst case scenario is you get one of the best offensive catchers in the league for a 1 year deal. Most likely he'll be offered a multi-year contract that will be a lot more valuable to him than returning to a team that doesnt want him. Either way its a win win for the cubs, unless of course they do something stupid like trade him.

[nilodnayr]

So now that we know what the trade is for, how does this trade make our team better? Brewers have been playing very well as of late and if we were to catch them we need to play better ball. The catcher that we got isn't as good offensively as Barrett and his defense,if it is better is not by much. I'm all for making trades to improve the team to compete in the NL Central but this trade doesn't do that.

This doesn't make the team better in the short term, IMO. That's what I don't get. My only hope is that it's setting up another deal for a RF or SS. I won't get my hopes up though. The only good out of it is getting "something" for a player that was likely gone at the end of the year anyway. I just don't understand why they brought in another back up catcher. I think people that are clinging to Bowen's high OBP from 2007 so far are going to be disapointed. I'd be shocked if it stays anywhere near that level considering his high BABIP and his past.

 

I dont see how acquiring a backup catcher and a struggling low A prospect sets anything up for trade to improve SS or RF. Unless theres someone else out there that loves Bowen, and if that was true then SD probably could have gotten something better than renting Barrett for 4 months.

[cjbucks]

Barret has often been a good hitter (though not this year) but has always been a bad baseball player. I enjoyed having him on the Cubs but I am willing to move in a different direction because I'm not sure this direction has worked for Barrett or the Cubs. Is he going to be the full time starter in SD or is he going to be a backup to Josh Bard.

[Sarcastic]

Barret has often been a good hitter (though not this year) but has always been a bad baseball player. I enjoyed having him on the Cubs but I am willing to move in a different direction because I'm not sure this direction has worked for Barrett or the Cubs. Is he going to be the full time starter in SD or is he going to be a backup to Josh Bard.

 

I'd be pretty surprised if he is backing up Josh Bard, considering his inability to hit so far this year. The Padres are definitely in need of a good hitter, and Barrett is much more likely to be that for them than Bard is.