Nationals Baseball: Gio to the Nats

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Gio to the Nats

so they say

Peacock, Milone, Cole, Norris.

First Thoughts

They don't need any of these (in particular because they got a pitcher back in trade) but it's still a high price. Would have prefered they actually UPPED the package and gone for something better.  But still Meyer, Purke, and Detwiler are still there.  So is Solis and Robbie Ray.

From weakest to strongest

Milone is the weakest of the bunch.  His upside was Lannan, which isn't bad but it meant that he'd spend most of the next few years getting passed by guys the Nats liked better.

The Nats kept thinking that Norris would be special but he hadn't turned that corner yet. He's young and catchers develop slower, but the average could be a killer and he was never going to be the defender Ramos was even if he was improving. With Ramos in place, Norris was going to be traded at some point.

Peacock.  One great year.  Tell yourself that.  One great year.  The command could go at any moment and Peacock isn't THAT good that he can pitch around bad control.

Cole is a NICE prospect, all the tools of Peacock and might be putting it all together now.  TNSSAAPP?  Is that it?  He's the crown jewel here even if Peacock might hurt sooner.

13 comments:

Nationals Anthems said...

My first reaction on hearing we got Gonzales: fist pump! My reaction on seeing we gave up Peacock: gut wrench. I suppose you gotta give up a gut wrench to get a fist pump. (That really didn't come out sounding the way it did in my head...)

Dr Trea (formerly #werthquake) said...

^I agree. I really wish we could've pulled this off with only giving up Peacock OR Cole..not both. Possibly replacing one of them with, say, Hood/Perez/someone with not AS high a ceiling..Idoubt Detwiler replacing one of them would've been enough though.

DezoPenguin said...

Is it true, though, that now we have Strasburg, Znn, and Gonzalez all under team control through 2015 as was reported? That's some excellent young talent at the top of the rotation and doesn't offer a huge window for guys like Peacock to get in. I doubt this trade will be regretted unless Gonzalez gets hit with a freak injury that destroys his value, and even then that doesn't mean the trade was bad.

Donald said...

I know everyone is now speculating on who's the odd man out in the rotation, but is there any chance they go with a 6 man rotation? It would buy more time for Strasburg to go later in the season and Detwiler definitely pitched better on more rest. I suspect Johnson and Rizzo would both prefer a 5 man rotation, but it's worth considering.

DCNatty said...

I love this trade. Yeah the gut wrench happens, but you need to give something good to get something good. A guy with back-to-back 200+ innings. Pitching prospects are exactly that - PROSPECTS. No guarentee any of those guys actually become anything. So I like it. And agree with Penguin....that is a sick Top 3.

Anonymous said...

I think this was an awful, awful trade. Mat Latos is certainly a much better pitcher than Gio Gonzalez (even adjusting for parks), and his price tag was LESS than what Rizzo paid for Gio. Gio is by no means a stud. He is a nice pitcher, but one with enough shortcomings to prevent him from being elite. I completely understand the prospects argument that nothing is a guarantee. However, if we wanted to use all of those guys as trade chips, then go get something better in return! Go get a CF, or a better pitcher (such as Latos). The loss of Cole and Norris really hurts.

Harper said...

NAs - good thing you realize that. THere's a certain segment of fans that think it's possible to fist pump forever (they have very tired arms)

Clip&Store - Peacock or Cole would have made this a winning deal for the Nats. Peacock AND Cole swings it in favor of the A's but not that much. I think this shows the Nats like Detwiler more than Peacock or Milone. I think he has always been set as the "next in line" (for 2012 at least)

Dezo - Yes. Gio is under control through 2015. Trade regrets are so much based on what happens you never know, but odds are it doesn't go down in Nats fans lore.

Donald - maybe for a couple weeks but I doubt anything more than that. It's hard enough to get 5 pitchers you want to see out there. Someone is bound to be off. Plus the pitchers would probably complain about the layoff.

DC Natty - "Sick" is a little strong but it does have that potential and the best part it's all young and controlled for 4 more seasons.

Nick - you can't just adjust for parks - you have to adjust for league too. I don't think that tilts it in favor of Gio, but it clearly shows that Latos isn't MUCH better than Gio, and that they are actually probably pretty similar when it comes to results. Another thing to consider is that Gio is far more a GB pitcher than Latos and therefore more suited to the Nats plans

blovy8 said...

I'm getting over the haul Oakland took, but this puts Detwiler in a tough spot, he's probably competing for Gorzelanny's role.

Section 222 said...

I like this trade. Sad to see Cole and Peacock go (Milone was a #5 at best and Norris was never going to start here), but very happy Rizzo and the Lerners pulled the trigger on a deal that has a very good chance of moving the Nats toward the playoffs.

Seems to me that Detwiler, Lannan, and Gorzo are all now trade bait. One of them will be the #5 starter after Wang and one will be a long man/spot starter, but there's no room for all three on the 25-man. So who can Rizzo package with a decent MLB leftie to get a CF or corner outfielder, or repopulate the pitching staff in Syracuse? Bernadina perhaps. The last two months of the off season just became pretty interesting. Well done Rizzo.

Wally said...

Hey, sorry that I missed the last few posts, they were good ones. This trade struck me as a massive overpay at first, primarily because I felt Gio was overrated. But after looking into it and reading some of the write-ups about the trade, I am changing my mind a little. I don't think the 'park effect' was as strongly helping Gio as I first did, his advanced stats don't show that much of a road split as i thought, and I didn't realize how much of a GB pitcher he was. I regret losing Cole, but I think that he was probably the first guy they insisted on. I think that Milone, even though I agree he was probably the least valued piece, will be the guy that the Nats miss the most in 2012. A SP they can stash in AAA until they need him for a spot start or a series of them (and that isn't named Maya). I hope that they get Brad Meyers back from the Yanks to fill that role.

But my 2d reaction to this was your point, if you add Hood and someone else, could they have gotten King Felix?

Wally said...

Also, I am now in the 'Sign the Prince O' DC' camp. Prince, Zim, Stras, Zim2, Espy, Ramos, Gio, Harper and Rendon all 27 or younger, plus Morse and Werth. That would be an impressive, controllable core group of guys.

Trading Harper for Trout even balances it out positionally better.

Harper said...

blovy - depends - part of me thinks that Lanna is not long for this rotation.

222 - hey i just said that! I agree that someone in theback fo the rotation is going to be dealt. Who? But hopefully for some OF help even if it's just s slick fielding 4th OF.

Wally - yeah I think Cole was the key and that's ok with me. I don't think Hood would have gotten Felix, but Rendon? And I'd do it too. That's a haul but then again THAT'S an ace.

Sign Fielder... it's looking like that's the smart move. I just hope they can pull of $$$$$ money for 7 years rather than $$$$ for 10. They really don't need those last few. Pay more for less.

Donald said...

I don't think there's any chance of Gorzalany making the rotation. Assuming Wang stays healthy, it's between Lannan and Detwiler. For some reason, the speculation is that Davey likes Detwiler but I don't know what that's based on. Would it be too late to wait until spring and see who earns the spot?