Friday’s trades of Nick Johnson and Joe Beimel to the Marlins and Rockies respectively give another glimpse into the complicated life of a general manager.
Both men will be free agents at year’s end, and neither one would bring the Nationals any compensatory draft picks. So, that Mike Rizzo got what may be, the emphasis on may, a fairly decent return for both players speaks well to his creativity.
For Nick, the Marlins sent lefty Aaron Thompson to Washington. Thompson, Florida’s first round pick in 2005 (the 22nd player chosen) out of a private high school in Houston, has pretty unremarkable minor league numbers: 5-9 with a 4.11 ERA in 20 starts at Double A Jacksonville. In 95 career games (94 starts), he’s 22-34 with a 4.00 ERA and 2.26/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 506 innings.
Because he was a first round pick, he’s moved up the Marlins’ minor league chain every year. He was an All-Star in 2006 in the Sally League, but in general, his numbers don’t really open your eyes.
However, it’s safe to say that at least two Nationals’ scouts have seen Thompson’s last 2 or 3 starts, since this deal has been brewing for a while. Frequently, a pitcher’s minor league numbers are less important in determining his prospect status. In Thompson’s case, it’s likely the decision to complete the deal was based on impressions of his out pitch, the change-up, and command of the strike zone.
Joe Beimel goes to the Rockies for a pair of minor league righthanders, Ryan Mattheus and Robinson Fabian. What was true in the Florida transaction shows up here as well.
In five-plus minor league seasons in the Rockies’ system (teams in some very high-scoring leagues), Mattheus, 25, is 29-40 with 17 saves and a 5.17 ERA. This year he’s 1-3 with a 3.81 ERA in 19 appearances for three Colorado affiliates – before having Tommy John surgery performed in July. In 26 innings before the surgery, Mattheus struck out 27, and based on that, the Nationals thought he’d be worth the wait. The recovery rate for TJ surgery is over 85 percent, and while we likely won’t see him in person until spring training of 2011, it’s an interesting gamble.
Fabian, 23 years old, is 20-30 with a 5.08 ERA in 101 games (67 starts) in seven professional seasons. He was originally signed by Colorado as a non-drafted free agent, July 10, 2003, and has been assigned to Hagerstown.
Trades like these featuring under-the-radar type arms really can’t be judged for a couple years, at the very least. But that’s part of what makes this time of year so compelling.
