Lo Duca traded to Mets (Done Deal)

[E.J.]

Rotoworld:

 

Paul Lo Duca - C - Marlins

 

 

Paul Lo Duca has been traded to the Mets for right-hander Gaby Hernandez, the New York Daily News reports.

Lastings Milledge wasn't an option, so the Marlins are doing pretty well to get Hernandez here. They must not have been too interested in either Anderson Hernandez or Jeff Keppinger as a potential second baseman. Since Lo Duca will earn $12.5 million over the next two years, he didn't have a lot of trade value. We wouldn't be completely stunned if this leads to Lo Duca going to the Diamondbacks in a Javier Vazquez deal, but it's more likely that Lo Duca will be the Mets' regular catcher. Dec. 4 - 6:16 pm et

Source: New York Daily News

[YearofDaCubs]

Another good move by the Mets.

[E.J.]

Another good move by the Mets.

 

Mets fans don't seem to think so.

[imb]

there goes the marlins team chemistry!

[CP_414]

Mets fans are dumb. That's a nice trade for them.

[Diffusion]

:lol: IMB.

 

Nice move by the Marlins. Very nice move.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

The firesale continues. Only Pierre is left to go.

[FloridaCubbie]

The Marlins are gonna have a pretty good farm system next year.

[Stomper90]

The firesale continues. Only Pierre is left to go.

 

 

What are you talking about? Let's get Cabrera! :P

[Diffusion]

One thing I'll say for Minaya, he's sure not afraid to convert prospects into major league talent. Hendry could do with taking a hint.

 

Of course, Minaya's problem is that he sends too many too good prospects, and the major league talent he gets is all extremely expensive, if not also tied into deals through the end of the decade, and he just makes too many such trades.

 

He's gutted their farm system and given the Mets a projected 2008 payroll that could plug the US current account deficit.

 

And with their sucky pitching, they're still probably not going to get far in 2006. Manny, Delgado, Wright, Beltran in the heart of their order is going to be sick, but they don't have enough pitching.

[JeffH]

The Marlins getting Hernandez for LoDuca is a bad sign as far as Pierre is concerned.

 

LoDuca's contractual situation is worse than Pierre's and there were fewer teams interested.

 

If we acquire Pierre, I'm afraid we're going to be horrified at the cost.

[Tim]

IMO, LoDuca = overrated

 

However, it's still a pretty good trade for the Mets. As for the Marlins...

 

Attn: Fantasy Baseball Players -- pick up Josh Willingham in your draft. He should be available as a low round pick. Consider these numbers from AAA last year: .324/.455/.676/1.131.

[UK1679666180]

Willingham hitting well? I'll be damned.

 

I don't think Florida thinks he can catch, but he'll have a great shot at 1B.

[Tim]

Willingham hitting well? I'll be damned.

 

I don't think Florida thinks he can catch, but he'll have a great shot at 1B.

Regardless, he should still be available as a C in most leagues in 2006. ;)

[Diffusion]

So that's Anibal Sanchez, Hanley Ramirez, Jesus Delgado, Harvey Garcia, Yusmeiro Petit, Mike Jacobs, Grant Psomas, Travis Bowyer, Scott Tyler, Gaby Hernandez and a lot of payroll in.

 

And Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell, Guillermo Mota, Carlos Delgado, Luis Castillo and Paul Lo Duca out.

 

The Marlins now only have two guys left on their roster that are due to earn more than league minimum-ish next year: Juan Pierre and Ron Villone!

 

Could they set a record for the lowest payroll in the free agent era?

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

This is bad news for FA catchers Bengie Molina and Ramon Hernandez as one big spending bidder is now no longer an option.

[FloridaCubbie]

So that's Anibal Sanchez, Hanley Ramirez, Jesus Delgado, Harvey Garcia, Yusmeiro Petit, Mike Jacobs, Grant Psomas, Travis Bowyer, Scott Tyler, Gaby Hernandez and a lot of payroll in.

 

And Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell, Guillermo Mota, Carlos Delgado, Luis Castillo and Paul Lo Duca out.

 

The Marlins now only have two guys left on their roster that are due to earn more than league minimum-ish next year: Juan Pierre and Ron Villone!

 

Could they set a record for the lowest payroll in the free agent era?

I wonder how many people they'll grab in the rule V.

[Diffusion]

IMO, LoDuca = overrated

 

However, it's still a pretty good trade for the Mets.

 

Why? LoDuca is a career .285/.339/.417 hitter, which is merely decent for a catcher, he's not that special behind the plate, he's 33, and remember that catchers age early, and he's got $12.5m owed him over the next two years. Well, at least he's a real clubhouse guy.

 

The Mets could have had Ramon Hernandez for not much more than $6.25m a year, though they'd probably have had to go to a third or maybe fourth year. He's 4 years younger, a far superior defensive catcher, and over the last three years he's hit .279/.332/.461, significantly better than Lo Duca, and the Mets would only have had to give up a second round draft pick, which only has the potential of turning into a legitimate prospect.

 

Instead they've given up a legitimate prospect. Gaby Hernandez is just 20, but already has the build of a prototypical power pitcher, at 6 foot 3 and 215 pounds. He's also got two plus pitches already, a great low-nineties sinker with which he's able to miss bats as well as induce groundballs, and a very good curveball with bite. He has fine control of both pitches, and was making strides with a two-seam fastball and particularly with his changeup, which some scouts reckon has the makings of another plus pitch.

 

His numbers...

 

GCL in 2004, 49.2 IP, 25 H, 1 HR, 22 BB, 58 K, 1.09 ERA

SS-A in 2004, 3 IP, 2 H, 0 HR, 0 BB, 6 K, 0.00 ERA

Low-A in 2005, 92.2 IP, 59 H, 4 HR, 30 BB, 99 K, 2.42 ERA

High-A in 2005, 42.1 IP, 48 H, 1 HR, 10 BB, 32 K, 5.74 ERA

 

That's extremely impressive stuff for someone that at the end of the 2005 was just 14 months out of HS.

[Andy]

Starting to wonder if MLB shouldn't just give the Marlins money to prevent them from getting any worse...they may lose 100 games next year.

[CuseCubFan69]

Starting to wonder if MLB shouldn't just give the Marlins money to prevent them from getting any worse...they may lose 100 games next year.

 

And then win the World Series in 2009.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Starting to wonder if MLB shouldn't just give the Marlins money to prevent them from getting any worse...they may lose 100 games next year.

 

Actually, what the Marlins are doing is the right thing in my opinion. Assuming that they figured that once they dealt enough players to get under what they could spend, they realized they were not going to be a competitive team for a couple of years. Is it better then to hold on to players who will not be with you when you are competitive again or is it better to deal those as well in order to get you more pieces to help you when you do plan to be competitive? I think the second option is what you should do and it is exactly what the Marlins are doing.

 

Secondly, they have chosen the best time to do such a "fire sale". With the weak FA class, their trading chips have more value than they would in a year when teams could fix their problems via free agency.

 

Third is losing 100 games that much worse than losing 88-90 in the grand sceme of things?

 

Finally, before someone injects that they are alienating their fan base, the Marlins haven't had much of a fan base to begin with and it's doubtful that they will stay in South Florida. It's better to have a strong young nucleus to compete with and for your new fan base to grow with when you move to a new locale than to hang on to some players just because they're popular with the 5,000 fans who happen to come to your games.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Third is losing 100 games that much worse than losing 88-90 in the grand sceme of things?

 

Losing 100 = losing 80. Unless you're in the NL West, that is. Then losing 80 = playoffs! :)

[YearofDaCubs]

IMO, LoDuca = overrated

 

However, it's still a pretty good trade for the Mets.

 

Why? LoDuca is a career .285/.339/.417 hitter, which is merely decent for a catcher, he's not that special behind the plate, he's 33, and remember that catchers age early, and he's got $12.5m owed him over the next two years. Well, at least he's a real clubhouse guy.

 

The Mets could have had Ramon Hernandez for not much more than $6.25m a year, though they'd probably have had to go to a third or maybe fourth year. He's 4 years younger, a far superior defensive catcher, and over the last three years he's hit .279/.332/.461, significantly better than Lo Duca, and the Mets would only have had to give up a second round draft pick, which only has the potential of turning into a legitimate prospect.

 

Instead they've given up a legitimate prospect. Gaby Hernandez is just 20, but already has the build of a prototypical power pitcher, at 6 foot 3 and 215 pounds. He's also got two plus pitches already, a great low-nineties sinker with which he's able to miss bats as well as induce groundballs, and a very good curveball with bite. He has fine control of both pitches, and was making strides with a two-seam fastball and particularly with his changeup, which some scouts reckon has the makings of another plus pitch.

 

His numbers...

 

GCL in 2004, 49.2 IP, 25 H, 1 HR, 22 BB, 58 K, 1.09 ERA

SS-A in 2004, 3 IP, 2 H, 0 HR, 0 BB, 6 K, 0.00 ERA

Low-A in 2005, 92.2 IP, 59 H, 4 HR, 30 BB, 99 K, 2.42 ERA

High-A in 2005, 42.1 IP, 48 H, 1 HR, 10 BB, 32 K, 5.74 ERA

 

That's extremely impressive stuff for someone that at the end of the 2005 was just 14 months out of HS.

You bring up very good points. Maybe it isn't that great of a deal I though it was.

[NewUserName]

Dont the Mets go on these off season spend-a-thons about 1 out of 3 years. Though this is 2 seasons in a row. I predict the Mets will not make the playoffs.

[Sweet Swinging Billy]

Cubs need to be active just as "the Pets" are active.