Valverde traded also! WTF!

[scXfreakX]

Regular MLBTR readers know I have mostly been a harsh critic of Ed Wade's short tenure as the Astros' GM. Well, not this time. He made an excellent deal in acquiring Jose Valverde for Chris Burke, Chad Qualls, and Juan Gutierrez.

Source: MLB Trade Rumors

Wow!

 

[Skkorpion]

Dbaks have been openly shopping Valverde for some time now. Wonder what they think they know but have not told us.

 

[sly fly]

Dbaks have been openly shopping Valverde for some time now. Wonder what they think they know but have not told us.

He's been injecting donutozol into his stomach.

 

[hafey]

The Diamondbacks, correctly, do not want to pay alot of money for a closer.

 

[TBaslim]

The Diamondbacks, correctly, do not want to pay alot of money for a closer.

Makes sense, especially if they have been stocking young arms in the farm system.

 

[scXfreakX]

Yeah, I can understand it. But it still kinda sucks. But he would have become way to costly.

 

[Treesquid PhD]

Qualls > Valverde

 

[NavyVet]

He's been injecting donutozol into his stomach.

that sir, was pretty darn funny!

 

[Heucrazy]

Dbaks have been openly shopping Valverde for some time now. Wonder what they think they know but have not told us.

Since we haven't seen it for so long the Dbacks are trying to remind us of what a 1-2-3 inning closer who doesn't get hit hard every at bat looks like.

 

[Diamondback Jay]

The fact that Valverde has been asking to be paid top 3 closer money and wants reportedly over 10 million per season makes this deal stomachable and managable for me.

 

[JerkFace]

baseball america has Juan Gutierrez rated as houston's 4th best prospect.

 

[OldDirtMcGirt]

The package coming back to Arizona is a little light given how good Valverde was last year; a pitcher like that should have had a greater market value, even though this deal is still good for the Snakes. Chad Qualls is a groundball-machine reliever who runs his sinker up to 94 mph, with more sink in the 90-91 mph range. He also throws a cutter/slider in the high 80s to set off the sinker and get some swings and misses; think of him as Manny Corpas Lite. Because he's been so durable, averaging over 83 innings a year in the big leagues, Qualls has actually been more valuable than Valverde in raw production. Since the Diamondbacks know how to deploy their relievers, they're not likely to miss a beat with the switch from Valverde to Qualls. Juan Gutierrez, a right-handed pitcher and one of the two players the D-backs acquired from the Astros for Valverde, has a live arm with one good secondary pitch, but needs to work on his breaking ball and his fastball command before he can pitch in a big-league rotation. His fastball is above-average at 91-94 mph; it's mostly straight but it occasionally shows some late life. His changeup is plus but inconsistent, 79-81 mph with good arm speed and a very late fading action. His curveball needs a lot of work, as right now it's a slow roller that's just a show-me pitch, and he may be better off thowing a slider given his arm slot and the lack of bite on his deuce. Chris Burke, the other player obtained in the trade, has to be one of the bigger draft disappointments of the decade. He was the 10th overall pick in the 2001 draft, and in 2004 hit .315/.385/.507 in Triple-A while playing his home games in a pitchers' park. Yet other than a well-timed playoff homer in 2005, since he reached the majors he hasn't performed anywhere near the level expected of him. His swing can get long and his approach has been way too aggressive since he reached the majors. It's possible that Houston's constant position-switching with Burke -- all to accommodate Craig Biggio well past the point when Biggio was helping the club -- set his offensive development back, but there's no everyday role open in Arizona for him to establish himself.

Looks like we got some solid pieces in return for Valverde. I doubt that we'll miss a step in production with how Melvin manages our bullpen. We look to be as deep as ever in that department.

 

[scXfreakX]

So is Chris Burke just trade bait then? We already have our three outfielders, and then Jeff Salazar as our fourth. So, what to do with Burke?

Maybe we package Burke with someone else for a decent starting pitcher, or lower tier prospect or two?

 

[JordKeefe]

So is Chris Burke just trade bait then? We already have our three outfielders, and then Jeff Salazar as our fourth. So, what to do with Burke?

Maybe we package Burke with someone else for a decent starting pitcher, or lower tier prospect or two?

First off, Burke is considered an infielder, secondly, the 40 man roster is set at this point so nothing has to be considered until spring training. Burke isn\'t exactly a trade cog at this point in his career. He basically takes the place of Callaspo

 

[hafey]

Burke is alot like Quentin. Once elite offensive prospect that has done nothing in the majors.

 

[devilfan02]

GM's like Byrnes don't value closers as highly as old school GM's do. I don't see Valverde ever having a season like he did last year so I like this deal. It basically semi rebuilt our farm system after dealing for Haren

 

[Gambit]

Qualls > Valverde

as an astros fan, that is debatable. Qualls does well most of the time but when he's bad, HE'S BAD. and that can hurt in a closer role.

 

[Diamondback Jay]

as an astros fan, that is debatable. Qualls does well most of the time but when he's bad, HE'S BAD. and that can hurt in a closer role.

I can't help but think that Pena's gonna be moved to the closer role and Qualls will either become the 7th or 8th inning guy.

 

[Gambit]

I can't help but think that Pena's gonna be moved to the closer role and Qualls will either become the 7th or 8th inning guy.

Qualls is terrific in that role. He has a lot of talent, he just needs some more consistency. I am very happy about Valverde although the 'stros gave up a lot

 

[devilfan02]

as an astros fan, that is debatable. Qualls does well most of the time but when he's bad, HE'S BAD. and that can hurt in a closer role.

Same thing can be said for any reliever, especially Valverede. I will bet any dollar amount that Valverede will never, NEVER, sniff 47 saves again. He is going to have major problems with that shallow left field wall in Houston, mark my words. He throws so damn hard that a hitter only needs to get a piece of the bat on it and it will be over that LF porch in milliseconds.

Melvin said yesterday on Gambo & Ash that Qualls will be our 7th inning guy and he hasn't decided who will be the closer yet. He said Lyon has impressed him in the closer role before in AZ so he will get a look. Also said that Pena has the makeup to be a closer and will get his shot as well. Gambo asked if Scherzer is a possibility at closer next year and Melvin said no. However, he did say that after Scherzer's fall ball performance he will get a big look in spring training to make the team. Melvin said he is progressing through the minors very similar to the way Owings did.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Selling high on Papa Fatso was brilliant. The second this guy gets a contract he's going eat himself into being Jorge Julio Part II. Lyon, Qualls, and Pena will be fine. We also now have plenty of depth at SP that is somewhat major league ready to experiment with guys in the bullpen if needs be.

 

[scXfreakX]

Yeah, I'm not worried about the situation. I know we have a great bullpen. And this was the perfect time to trade him. I just wish we could have gotten a better package.

 

[PoolBoy]

yet again, the diamondbacks prove they are the smartest organization in this state. They traded Valverde at the peak of his value, and i liked his antics too, but he was very overrated. He WILL be a disappointment in Houston.