SaberMets.com

D-Backs Bag Sexton

Now that the chips have fallen in the Curt Schilling deal, the D-Backs wasted no time consummating a follow-up deal with the Beermakers, trading a grab bag of would-be prospects and spare parts for the only thing that previously separated the Brewers from any other minor league ballclub.

The centerpiece of this deal is Richie Sexson, whose 465 whiffs over the past three seasons exceed all but the holy trinity of Jose Hernandez (550), Jim Thome (506), and Mike Cameron (468). Fortunately for Arizona, Sexson has looked a lot more like Thome than offensive wastelands Hernandez and Cameron. He's averaged 40 homers and 117 RBI over that same span and, while he's not quite up to the walking-machine status of Thome, he has increased his walk totals each season as well (60, 70, 98). His GPA this season was .308, 5th best among ML first-basemen (Helton, Delgado, Giambi, Thome).

My favorite line from the ESPN.com article has got to be this one:

With Shea Hillenbrand at third base, Arizona has a pair of solid right-handed bats in what has been, in recent years, a lineup dominated by left-handed hitters.

I don't know about you guys, but the last time I checked, a .302 OBP is not what I would consider "solid". That's what Shea Hillenbrand put up for the D-Backs in 330 AB. Small sample size? He has gotten on base at a .314 clip since 2001 (1617 AB), with a grand total of 62 walks.

The major league "talent" the Brewers got back in this deal is marginal. Here they are with their OPS and GPA from 2003:

Player           OPS   GPA
Junior Spivey   .759  .255
Craig Counsell  .631  .224
Chad Moeller    .770  .260
Lyle Overbay    .898  .308 (2002 Tuscon AAA)


Overbay is the only one here who isn't a waste of a roster spot, though Moeller's .260 GPA would have been good for 7th among big league catchers, between Ramon Hernandez (.263) and Paul Lo Duca (.245). I had Moeller in a fantasy league this season, but Arizona manager Bob Brenly stopped playing him for some unknown reason. He apparently favored Rod Barajas' razor-thin .201 GPA. Overbay struggled a bit this year with the big club, posting a .767 OPS and a respectable .265 GPA. He'll take over at first base for Milwaukee, seamlessly replacing the strikeout void Sexson leaves behind (67 in 254 AB).

The other player of note in this deal is Jorge De La Rosa, who the D-Backs had just acquired minutes earlier from the Red Sox in the Curt Schilling swap. De La Rosa notched a 2.80 ERA with Portland of the Eastern League, striking out 102 while walking only 36 in 99.2 innings. He also did a good job keeping the ball in the park, giving up only six homers. He's only 22, and could have a bright future with Milwaukee, until he no longer fits under their $30 million payroll umbrella and is traded to the D-Backs for prospects.

A pretty good trade for Arizona, as they get the sluggardly slugger they've been looking for. Sexson will cost them $8.6 million this year, but they were able to jettison Counsell and his $3.15 million along with Spivey and his $2,367,500 price tag.

Advantage: Diamondbacks