Billy Beane's Newest Three Way Trade
Carlos Pena. Franklyn German. A player to be named. For Jeff “Dream” Weaver and cash.
Weaver. For Ted Lilly, Jason Arnold, and John Ford-Griffin.
Was it worth it? For the meantime, yes. In the long run, who knows?
Click Read more and I’ll tell you why.
As an A’s fan and a Carlos Pena fan, I hate to see him leave the organization. He was super talented, and we gave up so much to get him in the first place. I will never forget his game winning walk off homer in the bottom of the ninth against Texas the second game of the season. I will never forget those defensive plays that took the audience’s collective breath away. I will never forget his bubbly, sweet, infectious personality and smile. I never did get the chance to meet him, and I won’t be in town for the Detroit series in August. But Carlos captured my heart with his spirit and rookie eagerness. After having bitterly lost a certain player (ahem) to a detested rival, Carlos instilled into a heartsick Oakland population the meaning of for the love of the game. Carlos could have been great here, greater than perhaps even than the first baseman whose shoes he was trying to fill. But unfortunately he fell into the same slump as did the rest of the team in an uneventful May and was sent down to triple A. What I wonder is why Carlos was never given a second chance, especially when Scott Hatteburg was injured this week. Looking at his Tigers debut against the Red Sox, he seemed ready to come back. A 3-4, 2 double, 2 RBI (game winning hit) effort.
Franklyn German, another ultra-talented player, but perhaps a closing pitcher. Having pitched in the minor league Immediate Futures game, he earned special recognition from MLB.com. ” Franklyn German. The 6-foot-6 right-hander, obtained by Detroit from Oakland this week in the deal that sent Jeff Weaver to the Yankees, retired the side (including swinging strikeouts of Drew Henson and John Buck) on 18 pitches in the fifth. German’s fastball was clocked as high as 97 miles per hour. ”
Billy Beane, the genius that he is, then called up Cashman of the Yankees GM and offered them the pitcher they had been wanting for quite some time. Cashman gleefully replied yes. Jeff Weaver, however, did not fare as well in his debut. A 6 Earned Run effort, though it should be noted all the damage came off of two 3 run homeruns. And he still got the win, as the Yankees pounded Toronto 10-6.
Ted Lilly. What to make of this guy? So many Yankee fans have said that he is a “Tommy John surgery waiting to happen” because of his pitching delievery style. Now if this is true, I don’t know. I doubt this to be the case – wouldn’t his pitching coaches try to change his delievery? Lilly’s 3-6 record does not tell the whole story. One bad start and many solid starts should not equate to a 3-6 record. Note the 3.40 era in a hitter’s park such as Yankee Stadium. Impressive. Performing under the intense scrutiny of the NY Media and fans. Even more impressive. Whereas the rest of the Yankee pitchers receive plentiful run support, Lilly received barely any. His one hitter, surprisingly a losing effort, against Seattle perhaps may prove useful.
Where will Ted Lilly take us? How good will Carlos Pena be? Will Jeff Weaver turn out to be the Yankees’ ace?
Only time will tell.
0 comments
good insight
I’m a little confused. You wrote in an earlier post that Carlos Pena was “hard-headed” and did not live up to expectations (although I would hasten to point out that he has had merely one bad half of a season–he looked good in a short time up with the Rangers last year and mashed in AAA for them). Now, you write glowingly of him. What’s the story on Pena? Is there something that made you say “hard-headed”?
I always trust Billy Beane, but he does seem to make snap decisions on highly-touted minor leaguers after a short time in the majors (see Jose Ortiz, Carlos Pena). Does he watch them play and determine that they are not what he had once believed? Does he get frustrated with them quickly? Is this a function of the A’s being at the competitive point of the winning cycle in which patience with struggling young players is not an option? If so, why has he been so patient with Terence Long for so long?
I trust Billy Bean implicitly based on track record, but I just don’t always understand how his mind works.
This story was written by a fan. However, I agree with all the scenarios you suggest about Pena. Hanging around the beat writers you hear that Pena was not responsive to the suggestions of the hitting coaches. Terrence Long is a candidate to be traded if a center fielder can be brought in. What saves Long is he can hit lefties pretty well, he’ll play where he is told, and he is signed for three more years. I liked Pena when I read about him, he was never as far along as we were led to believe. It was obvious after seeing him. I think the A’s lost patience with him when he went to AAA and hit .247. The trade cannot be copletely judged until we see the two AA players the Yankees gave up. If Lilly can contribute right away things will work out in the short run because the big three are pitching like the second half last year.
Thanks. That cleared some things up, and I realize now that I goofed when I thought you had written this piece. All in all, I’m pleased with the trade. I think Lilly was undervalued by the Yanks and may end up being every bit as good as Weaver for less money in the short term. I’m very hopeful that this is the first move, and I just love the second half of July in the Billy Beane era!!!
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