Salomon Torres Traded to Brewers

by Charlie Wilmoth on Dec 7, 2007 8:00 PM EST in News

Not to steal the thunder of either Brian M or livebythepiratesword, who already posted diaries about this, but I'd like to weigh in here. By all means, continue your conversations in the diaries.

The Bucs have dealt Salomon Torres to the Brewers for minor-league relievers Kevin Roberts and Marino Salas.

Given Torres' age and his troubles last year, I frankly doubt his ability to pitch well going forward, so getting two younger players for him wasn't a bad idea in theory.

However, even with my doubts, Torres is signed to a favorable contract (he's owed $3.2 million in 2008 and $3.75 million in a 2009 option year, with a $300,000 buyout if the option isn't exercised). I'd think that $3.5 million for one year of a potential workhorse reliever would be a price many teams would be quite happy to pay, given the market for guys like J.C. Romero, David Riske, and so on.

So for Neal Huntington to get only minor league relievers here is somewhat disappointing. Roberts is the interesting guy here - he was 23 last year and struck out over a batter an inning, although he was still in Class A and had control problems. He apparently showed a very live arm last year, so we'll see whether that continues. Salas will be 27 in February, so he's nearing the age where what you see is what you get, and nobody took him in the Rule 5 draft, so he isn't much of a prospect.

Acquiring bullpen depth is important, undoubtedly, but I'd have liked to see Huntington get more than this, and I'd prefer to have him wait and try to get a starter or a hitter, even if that meant reaching even further into the minors.

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Comments

Will Solly...

ever pitch in Milwaukee??

by Thunder on Dec 8, 2007 12:35 AM EST reply actions

2 Things I know about this trade

Littlefield would not have made this trade. Or, he DIDN'T make this trade. One reason to think its OK. GMs are now willing to talk with the Pirates, which can only be a good thing.
We don't know much about Huntingdon's ability to evaluate talent, but we know the Brewers can do it. I read that these two guys were on the Brewers BA top 10 prospects list? And we got them for Salomon Torres? Seems like a decent deal; only way it could have been better would have been for a Wayne Krivsky classic.

by hisjazziness on Dec 8, 2007 9:12 AM EST reply actions

Not on list

Neither of them was on the Brewers' top 30. Salas is a non-prospect. Roberts is probably a very marginal prospect.

by WTM on Dec 8, 2007 10:02 AM EST up reply actions

FWIW

In BA's 2007 book, Salas was rated as Baltimore's #18 prospect (93-95 FB and a plus slider, according to them). Roberts didn't make the Brewers' top 30, though he probably got some consideration at the back end; on the book's Mikwaukee depth chart for RH starters, he was one spot behind the guy they picked as the team's #30 prospect (Rolando Pascual).

by Vlad on Dec 8, 2007 12:48 PM EST up reply actions

Realistic expectations

Charlie, I think Huntington would have to be a miracle worker to get a prospect - at any position - for a 36 year old relief pitcher who had an ERA north of 5 last year. Even if there's a chance he'll be effective this year.

If they take the $3.5M they saved and use it to sign a real prospect they draft in the first round next year, the trade's a winner.

by scoreboard on Dec 8, 2007 11:15 AM EST reply actions

Big if

If they need to dump a reliever with a modest contract in order to sign their first round draft pick, "winner" and "Pirates" aren't going to appear in the same sentence in our lifetimes.

by WTM on Dec 8, 2007 11:43 AM EST up reply actions

Absolutely

If player acquisition, scouting, and player development continue to be underfunded, there is no chance for improvement. On the other hand, this sort of deal (despite its low probability of success) is a reasonable one at this stage.

Viva Clemente!

by Roberto on Dec 8, 2007 1:24 PM EST up reply actions

True enough.

True enough. I was trying to point out that this move is not inconsistent with a strategy I would find reasonable. i.e. Allocating money where it will help build a winner, which right now is in player development.

by scoreboard on Dec 8, 2007 8:42 PM EST up reply actions

As somebody said elsewhere

The problem with this trade is not that NH made it now, it's that DL didn't make it a year ago. As scoreboard said, Torres' current value is rock-bottom, and I think it highly unlikely it'll get much higher.

There's really no reason for the Pirates to keep him around. Unload him for some live (or quasi-live) arms before he likely torpedoes his scant value.

by matskralc on Dec 8, 2007 2:07 PM EST reply actions

Yeah

It's all a matter of how well you think Torres will pitch for the next two years. I tend to agree with what it seems like NH believes--he'll be an average middle reliever at best and no longer a steady set-up guy.

by The New Guy on Dec 8, 2007 2:57 PM EST up reply actions

Salary not necessarily meaningful here

The fact that some team wants a middle reliever, and that they're willing to acquire one who is under contract for $3.5m, doesn't translate to them trading players whose on-filed value is immediately apparent, necessarily. We can sometimes outsmart ourselves comparing those two things. Sully, God love him, is over the hill. I don't care if he's making $4.75 an hour, he's probably not worth any more, player for player, than what we got. If someone offers to sell you a Milli Vanilli album, you don't get excited because it's cheaper than any number of other mediocre albums you could buy; you're moved by whether or not you like the songs.

by KPatrick on Dec 8, 2007 2:33 PM EST reply actions