Zach Duke Best Pitcher Available on the Market?
by BigB23 on Jul 30, 2009 11:05 AM EDT
6 comments
Alright with the recent trades of Freddy and Jack, i really like the return a lot... and think NH and his staff did a tremendous job on both deals...that being said I don't think they should try and stop there, as i sit here and look at other trade rumor sites I see that Cliff Lee is now off the table (Phillies), Jarrod Washburn (Seattle) will probably not be moved since the recent acquisitions of Jack and Snell seems to me like they think there trying to go for it, and with Roy Halladay's price tag being so high! Who does that leave as the best available pitcher at the deadline???
My opinion it is Zach Duke, whos having a career year and has improved tremendously working with Joe Kerrigan and almost every time out he has a quality start. Yesterdays game vs SF it was said that Detroit, LA Angels, and the Texas Rangers were all there and scouting Duke, who i might say pitched a hell of a game going 7innings of shut out ball and upped his trade value even maby higher than it already was....
So my question is if NH should be trying to move Zach hard? or Let the teams come to him? I know hes not in no urgency to deal Duke but i think Zach could bring us a incredible return.... if 31yr old Freddy Sanchez making 8.1mil next year can bring us a Tim Alderson!!! What can a starting pitcher (always coveted at the deadline) 26 yrs old, having a career year with a 3.26 ERA bring us?????? I would love to find out though, don't get me wrong i like Zach Duke a lot and enjoyed watching him pitch this year.... But his Value never be higher, and the bucs are moving towards 2011 and 2012....I Feel they should move him and get an try and get an incredibily haul for him! Which i believe they can get from all the teams mentioned that was scouting him... Thoughts?
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wouldnt mind
Seeing Capps, Grabow, Duke or Maholm go could happen. I think they can’t get rid of both Paul and Duke the same season unless they are getting some legit close to MLB ready everyday standout players.
CAUTION
I’d really be cautious in dealing a guy like Zach Duke, unless the return was mind-boggling. He’s a cheap, team controlled pitcher who is having his second successful season as a big league arm.
Think about this: I was looking at everyone’s “Predict your 2012 rosters” and alot of them had Charlie Morton, but I don’t remember too many, if any, including Zach Duke. Morton is looking like he’s really coming into his own, and I too am excited about it, but lets not forget Duke is only 6 months older and is having a very successful full season. The same with Ohlendorf, he too is having success, but lets not forget he is about 8 months older than Duke.
Point is, Duke is our youngest proven starter and is the type of player you don’t want to deal away unless a team comes calling with a take-it-to-the-bank offer.
PS: There are more savvy GMs out there than Brian Sabean. I wouldn’t compare Freddy netting Alderson to what Duke will command. You’ll absolutely end up disappointed.
I have mixed thoughts about it
One one hand, I agree that you may never get a higher return for Duke than you would at this point. A team in need of a starter may give up a handsome return for a still young, still cheap pitcher that obviously has enjoyed some measure of MLB success.
On the other hand, I agree with JLK. A young, proven starter that still has a few years of contractual control at a cheap price tag is not something you just give up easily. There has to be some kind of return that you can benefit from sooner, rather than later.
With that in mind, while I wouldn’t be aggressive in trying to move Duke, if I could pick a team to trade with it would be LAA. They have a very deep farm system that they have sat on for a while now. There are a few different pitchers and hitters (namely, Brandon Wood) that could possibly help out the big league club immediately.
I'm torn like Natalie Imbruglia as well
Duke’s return will probably never be higher, that is correctly. He’s pitching extremely well, and I don’t know that his numbers will continue to look this good now that Freddy and Jack are gone because of how many bats Zach Duke hits (very few strikeouts). I would love to see another good package and/or stud prospect picked up for him if that is available.
That being said…
Zach IS young, he is pitching extremely well, we do have financial control of him for quite a few years to come. I can also see jlk’s point of view here. I would have to say that I would take my typical GM strategy here: No player is untouchable for the right price. I wouldn’t shop him, but I certainly would take every phone call that comes into my office regarding Zach Duke, listen and consider carefully what is being put out there. However, sometimes the best trade is the one you don’t make. Being extremely careful about my return, I would lean toward not trading Duke unless I’m blown away.
If I was offered a decent package for Duke, I wouldn’t hesitate to move him. While he doesn’t walk many batters he simply does not strike out enough batters to ever sustain the kind of success he’s had. He has a slightly low .283 BABIP against, but I’m really worried about the peripherals: you can survive as a decent 3/4 guy with numbers like those, but right now he has the ERA of a 1/2 guy, so if you can net a package of prospects that a 1/2 pitcher can bring back, you do it.
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