Rangers Trade Jarrod Saltalamacchia
Joey MatschulatAnd so the book has finally slammed shut on Jarrod Saltalamacchia's occasionally bright but oft-frustrating Rangers career, one which spanned four injury-fragmented seasons and just over 700 total plate appearances of .243/.309/.383-level offense. You figured a cashing-out deal of this sort was going to transpire at some point, but as he is wont to do, general manager Jon Daniels moved swiftly and aggressively to convert an ill-fitting piece into something of actual consequence -- high-upside talent.
The trade, consummated shortly before Saturday afternoon's 3:00 p.m. CDT non-waiver trade deadline, shipped Saltalamacchia to the Red Sox in exchange for a three-player package -- right-hander Roman Mendez, first baseman Chris McGuiness, and a player to be named later -- and cash considerations, confirmed by ESPN.com's Jayson Stark to amount to $350,000; this sum will reportedly be diverted towards the amateur draftee-signing budget.
Saltalamacchia has been thoroughly run into the ground already (see here, here and/or here if you'd like to relive this year's thrills), and McGuiness, while intriguing in the sense that he's clubbing the Low-A South Atlantic League to the tune of .298/.416/.504 with advanced plate discipline and decent power, is a bit old for this level of competition and doesn't boast much in the way of projection at this point; scouts' hearts generally don't skip a beat at the sight of old-for-their-league college hitters tearing up Low-A ball. No, the real key to this deal from the Rangers' perspective is Mendez, which is, by most accounts, a quality return for a player with no real future in the Texas organization.
Originally signed by Boston for $150,000 during the 2007 international signing period (which also yielded $1.5 million Red Sox bonus baby Michael Almanzar, the son of former Rangers reliever Carlos Almanazar), the 20-year-old flamethrower has witnessed his strikeout rate grow incrementally during his level-to-level ascent, and it's not difficult to comprehend why this is the case. Mendez brandishes a mid-90s fastball -- one thrown with "lightning-fast, whippy arm action" that has reportedly flirted with triple digits at various times -- and inconsistent but promising secondary pitches, prompting Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus to tender this assessment: "Huge ceiling, huge risk, but a great pickup in a trade like this."
A team's success rate with high-ceiling, high-velocity prospects as far removed from the majors as Mendez can't be any higher than 10-15 percent (even that is likely overstating things), but these are the sorts of players that can not only justify the acquisition and development costs a hundred times over if/when they actually do hit, but also prove attractive in trade negotiations when you need pot-sweeteners to bolster your offer. Baseball people love projection. Hell, we all love it. And if you can supplement your organizational talent cache with a player (Saltalamacchia) that I view mostly as a backup-type catcher at this point, then I think you're doing something pretty right.
Reader Comments (35)
Another bad trade
Yeah, we got a good pitching prospect and a solid 1B prospect for a Catcher who can neither throw nor hit. What a turrible trade
@Pryor
Every part of your post is incorrect.
"another" assumes that there were bad trades before this, "bad trade"...well it assumes that this is a bad trade. Both incorrect.
"Another bad trade"
So, this is predicated on the belief that Salty will still be a good major league catcher? Because I can't see it.
Are you guys on crack? We can't give Salty a season in the minors to work out his problems but we're willing to give Chris Davis 4 different stints in the majors? Please.
Joey, you can't see Salty being a good catcher but you can see Davis being a good 1B? what?!
Neither of them (Salty/Davis) got it done after multiple chances. I fully expect Texas to trade Davis in the offseason, and I'm really ok with that. Salty's a good guy - best of luck to him, and hopefully his career takes an upswing at some point in the near future.
And yes, I am on crack.
Joey, you can't see Salty being a good catcher but you can see Davis being a good 1B? what?!
I think you have me confused with David, who recently wrote a post on Davis (one with which I don't exactly concur, but that's fine, we don't have to agree on everything). I've been pretty adamant as far as my skepticism on Davis. He'll probably end up wading through a few organizations and maybe put up a decent season here and there, but '08 Chris Davis isn't a realistic expectation at this point.
@Pryor There are two sides to any trade. Do you have specific information that Mendez, McGuiness and PTBNL are of no real value?
Nearly forgot. The Rangers also gained a spot on the 40-man roster with the Salty trade.
And some cash...
The DMN site called the players we got back "inventory". Man, I hate it when human beings are referred to as inventory. Just a pet peeve. How about lower level or fringe prospect? Okay, I feel better now.
It was time for Salty to get a fresh start somewhere and the Rangers needed the roster spot. They still need to slip someone off the 25 if I'm not mistaken. Will the Rangers be able to send Arias down or is there a feeling that someone will claim him (assuming he's the odd man out)?
If im not mistaken they put arias on the 15 day DL with back stiffness i think. not sure what they do when he comes off of that.
@ Pryor
Salty is currently lower on the depth chart than: Bengie Molina, Matt Treanor, Max Ramirez, and Taylor Teagarden.
He's a 25 yr old, former top prospect, and though he may have a higher ceiling than these 4 -- and that assumption is now highly questionable -- he can't beat out 4 sub-par catchers, and has been injury-prone.
We used a question mark (Salty) to reload the farm system, after using lower level prospects to acquire talent that can help today....This trade makes sense no matter how much you like the guy.
Pryor, I'm sorry but the Rangers are lucky that got that much for guy that A). given his age should have already developed into a decent to good hitter and B). cannot even throw the ball back to the pitcher. Anytime you can get three prospects for a guy that can't even beat out Matt Treanor or Teagarden to be the back-up Catcher should be considered a "good" trade.
is there an echo?
Why would there be a holdup naming the "player to be named later" in this trade?
Justin Smoak sent down to Tacoma today.
Salty will NEVER be a ML catcher. He may, someday, be an OK backup 1b with gap power.
The fact they got three "prospects" (even if they are longshot prospects) AND $$ for an OLD (for a "prospect) C/1B project is a coup in my book.
I'm thinking the Red Sox fell in love with Salty a few years back (as did many) - and somehow think they can STILL turn him into a future power bat. I personally don't see it at all.
Comparing Salty to Davis, isnt fair because at least Davis could toss the ball back to the pitcher. I am a Davis fan, think he's a good guy, but his problems are ALL between the ears. When he first came up he had a different batting style, and a little smirk on his face when hitting. Reminded some of how Joe Randa use to bat. But u dont lose ur complete offensive game without it being a mental thing. Salty on the other had, has mental and physical issues (shoulder and rib cage). Both are done in this system. But whoever calls this a bad trade, did they also call the Gange to Boston trade a bad trade???
Gagne to Boston was a TERRIBLE trade. For Boston...
McGuiness looks pretty good to me. The NY-Penn League, where he played, is a low offense league, with an average OPS of just .683 (.323/.360) in 2009. McGuiness' walk rate was a stellar 15.3% and he slugged 20% above average.
Moving to the South Atlantic League in 2010, McGuiness is once again posting numbers well above the league average, with an OPS of .920 (lg. avg. .703), a 15.5% walk rate and 12 HR in a league with one of the lowest HR rates. Glad to see the Rangers are challenging the 22 yr. old with a promotion to high A. It's time to see what he can do against a bit older competition.
well, it is time for me to get my 2 cents worth in, I like every trade we have made..... using common sence instead of money has paid off for us. we have some players who are going to give us protection instead of making us weaker.... and I am becoming a supporter of Wash.... I think he is becoming a ML quality manager after all... now I still dont understand all his "gut feelings", but he is going forward and looks like he is getting more relaxed in his decisions. and, I still think CD will be a very good ball player, if he can get out of the Ranger mix..... I think he has a mental block of some kind, much like Salty has, and it will be good for them to have a fresh start... it would not surprise me to see CD become a better 1b man than A Gonzales, but I still like every trade we have made... I sure wish C Lee could settle in here.... as much as I fear Cuban as an owner, maybe his $$$ could keep CL here. I think we could have a run similiar to the Yanks, many years... maybe....
well I guess I got a nickles worth.... but I got it all out of my system..
because of Hicks I didnt get season tickets this year.... and the guys are playing great..
my booboo.
Daniels also mentioned that they can sign a few of their draft picks with the money Boston threw in. This looks like a huge deal, if Texas can somehow use that 350 K to help persuade Luke Jackson to sign.
I like McGuiness too, seems to have plus plate discipline, but I'm wary of getting too excited over a 22-year-old college hitter raking in Low-A ball. FWIW, Greenville was a very homer-friendly venue from 2006-08, and the stadium is basically an exact replica of Fenway Park, which gives him a nice boost if he's good at lofting fly balls the opposite way as a lefty hitter, or yanking them down the short right field line.
I always thought Salty had to large a frame to play C and events have proven me correct. I alwayss thought that he sshould have stayed at 1B where the Rangers originally placed him. Between him, davis, and Smoak I would have thiught that at leats one would emerge fairly quickly to nail down the position.
Alas, that was snot the case.
Anyone want to speculate on the 2011 Ranger's catcher and 1B sstarters and backups?
Salty was finished here, the org had soured on him. As far as the depth chart at catcher goes, Kevin Richardson (is he still in the system) and the 16 yr old phenom rank higher that Salty. Why they wouldn't try to un clutter his mind and try him at third or the OF, IDK? If AAA was full of OF/3B/1B with Moreland/Davis/boggs/others, put Salty at AA to learn new position, but that's how baseball go.
I surely hope that the delicate chemistry on the team has not been upset with all the latest moves
I never did see Salty as a front-line, major league catcher, so it looks to me that JD made a good trade. Do you think that a Mike Lowell for Salty trade had ever been discussed?
I'm not sure Salty would even have been protected from Rule 5 had he stayed.
Bobby -
My uneducated guess would be "yes", but not after we got Cantu. While the Red Sox helped out by giving the Rangers $350k as part of the trade, I would also guess they would not be too eager to pitch in the $2 million or so to dump Lowell. I assume another team looking for a bat could have picked up Lowell too (SF anyone?), so I think there must have been some kind of red flag on the guy. Just my gut reaction here.
I'm definitely OK with this trade. Four seasons is plenty of time to determine if you have your starting catcher of the future. It just didn't work here. Maybe he'll turn into Nellie Cruz and flourish somewhere else...and if so, good for him.
It is funny to think about - from a future perspective, we are definitely unsettled at two positions that are usually considered crucial: catcher and first base. I tell ya, if we can get those shored up over the next year, I think we can start talking seriously about a multi-year run of division titles and/or postseason appearances.
Love the trade! McGinnes reminds me of Moreland. Everyone was worried that Moreland did not have enough "tools". Moreland is better then Davis. Moreland is a young, no steroid Palmeiro. .290-.310 average, high OBP, 30+ Doubles and 15-25 HRs. The same things they are talking about McGinnes (hitter) is what they said about Moreland 2 years ago. Great move. Plus the 3 player & signing extra draft picks JD reloads the farm system.
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