The Washington Nationals were able to add a solid young frontline starter to their rotation by trading for the Oakland A’s Gio Gonzalez. Granted, the Nats had to ship a truckload of prospects to the A’s, but in exchange they received a low salaried 26 year old lefty that is MLB tested (this is his first year of arbitration eligibility). Gonzalez projects to be the Nationals 2nd starter sandwiched between righties Stephan Strasburg and Jordan Zimmerman.
The A’s received right-handed pitcher Brad Peacock, catcher Derek Norris, right-hander AJ Cole and left-hander Tommy Milone. Almost unnoticed is that the Nationals also received a second player, right-handed Rob Gilliam (a starting pitcher at class A level). Billy Beane, the A’s GM, made it clear he wasn’t budging from his stance on 4 solid prospects for Gonzalez which seemed to chase away several suitors including the Boston Red Sox.
The Nats had been trying to add another solid starter or two over the past couple of years with no success. While it has been easier for them to attract free agent position players the same has not occurred with pitchers. This off season they were spurned by both CJ Wilson and Mark Buehrle. With the best free agents gone they turned their attention to trying to get a pitcher through a trade. Luckily for them there hasn’t been any competition for Gonzalez with the steep asking price. This allowed the Nats to work unmolested with the A’s over the past 3-4 weeks to iron out the trade.
Why did the Nationals want Gio Gonzalez so badly? In the National League East division, the powerhouse Philadelphia Phillies has an extremely left-handed hitting lineup. And with all the moves being made by the Miami Marlins this off-season, the Nats can’t sit back. The Atlanta Braves have a very solid team too, making the NL East arguably the strongest division in the NL.
Gonzalez has had two straight very solid seasons, but there are cracks in his armor. While his fastball is a force and his curveball is one of the best, his WHIP and walks are enormous issues. Issues that his home ballpark in Oakland has helped to cover up. Gonzalez led the American League in walks with 91 in 2011. And while his home numbers have been Ace quality, his road numbers have been steady but hardly worth the package of prospects the Nats gave up for him. Oakland has been one of the top 3 pitcher’s parks over the past 5 years, so a full time move to any other park will probably impact Gonzalez negatively. Hopefully the change in home ballparks will be balanced by the usual positives starting pitchers receive by moving to the National League.
Gio Gonzalez’ 2010 season: 33 GS, 200.2 IP, 92 BB, 171 K, 15-9 record, 1.31 WHIP, 3.23 ERA, .229 Avg against, .644 OPS against
Gio Gonzalez’ 2011 season: 32 GS, 202 IP, 91 BB, 197 K, 16-12 record, 1.32 WHIP, 3.12 ERA, .230 Avg against, .654 OPS against
Gio Gonzalez’ 2011 Home stats: 17 GS, 110 IP, 46 BB, 110 K, 10-5 record,
1.23 WHIP, .270 ERA, .220 Avg against, .620 OPS against
Gio Gonzalez’ 2011 Road stats: 15 GS, 92 IP, 45 BB, 87 K, 6-7 record, 1.42 WHIP, .362 ERA, .242 Avg against, .669 OPS against
So what did the A’s get for their young lefty from the Nationals? Let’s break down their bushel of prospects:
AJ Cole, the biggest prize for Billy Beane and the A’s, was rated the second highest prospect in the Nats’ system behind Bryce Harper. He is a 20 year old right-handed fireballer who many scouts think will be an ace in the majors. But he has only pitched in class A ball so far and it’s a long road to the majors from there!
AJ Cole’s 2011 Season:
Single-A: 18 GS, 89 IP, 24 BB, 108 K, 4-7 record, 1.25 WHIP, 4.04 ERA
Brad Peacock, 23 years old, is a hard throwing fly ball pitcher who should fit nicely into Oakland’s ballpark. Peacock was brought up in September by the Nats, where he started and won two games. Though there are knocks on his fastball being flat, something that major league hitters might hit hard, Peacock has a great chance to start the season in the A’s rotation in 2012.
Brad Peacock’s 2011 Season:
Majors: 2 GS, 12 IP, 6 BB, 4 K, 2-0 record, 1.09 WHIP, 0.75 ERA
Triple-A: 9 GS, 48 IP, 24 BB, 48 K, 5-1 record, 1.25 WHIP, 3.19 ERA
Double-A: 14 GS, 98.2 IP, 23 BB, 129 K, 10-2 record, 0.86 WHIP, 2.01 ERA
Derek Norris is a 22 year old power hitting catcher. He suffered a broken wrist which hurt his 2010 numbers, but he came back to hit 20 homers in 2011. His biggest knock has been his low average despite a great eye at the plate. Norris also has a very strong arm and has thrown out 41 percent of base stealers since his 2008 season. Norris hasn’t played above Double-A yet so he probably will start the year in Triple-A for the A’s.
Derek Norris’s 2011 Season:
Double-A: 423 AB, 20 HR, 46 RBI, .210 Avg, .367 OBP, .446 SLG
Tom Milone is a lefty who will turn 25 in February. Though, for some reason, the scouts are actually not that high on Milone, he had a splendid Triple-A season for the Nats. He also came up in September making 5 starts. It’s hard to not see him make the club this year, even if only as a reliever. Milone has nothing left to prove in the minors.
Tom Milone’s 2011 Season:
Majors: 5 GS, 26 IP, 4 BB, 15 K, 1-0 record, 1.23 WHIP, 3.81 ERA
Triple-A: 24 GS, 148.1 IP, 16 BB, 155 K, 12-6 record, 1.03 WHIP, 3.22 ERA
GM Beane has to be smiling after this trade! The Oakland A’s have basically given up on competing the next couple of years and are trying to get Major League Baseball to approve their move to San Jose. They are desperately trying to shift fan bases and get a new stadium. Chances are very good that in a couple of years one of these 3 pitchers will be better than Gio Gonzalez.
But no matter how you spin this trade, and the trade of Trevor Cahill, you can understand the frustration of the Oakland A’s fans. It’s hard to keep rooting for a team that doesn’t contend year after year. And trading away reasonably priced solid starting pitching is hard to justify. In my opinion the A’s organization is trying to show Commissioner Bud Selig the worst possible scenario, where almost no fans show up in 2012, and MLB is forced to OK the A’s moving.
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