Today we bring to you part 2 of our 11 part series designed to highlight those pieces the Nats could trade away. Featured today is one of our two Long-Islanders on the starting rotation - Jason Marquis.
There are three different criteria that teams in the hunt look for when considering a trade for a starting pitcher.
1 - Veteran? - Check. Marquis debuted in 2000 with perennial playoff contenders, the Braves.
2 - Contract year? - Check. At the end of a 2 year/$15 Million deal
3 - Proven winner? - Check. Won 10 games a year in 6 straight seasons.
Marquis completely fits the bill for a team looking to upgrade their starting rotation. And in addition to all those intangibles - Marquis is in the midst of one of the better statistical seasons he has had in his whole career.
K/9 - 5.42 - his best since 2004.
BB/9 - 2.75 - would be a career best.
ERA - 3.92 - best since 2004.
FIP - 3.68 - would be a career best.
Now, Marquis isn't going to light the world on fire and have a Cliff Lee-circa-2010-like influence on a contender but he will easily slide into the 4 hole in a stacked rotation. He doesn't have a future on this organization past 2011, so its time for Rizzo to pull the trigger and trade away Marquis. Besides, its time to see what we have in Detwiler, Peacock, and Wang.
Contenders - Red Sox, Yankees, Diamondbacks, Indians, Tigers, Rangers, Pirates, Cardinals, Reds
Return - Two mid/upper-mid level prospects - One AA/AAA, one High or Low-A.
All this plus the fact that his stock has never been higher after his outstanding 8 inning performance on Friday night.
I appreciate that Marquis was able to put together a solid year after such a disastrous 2010 - now he needs to do his part and get traded to a contender for some prospects.
What say you, CapBallers? Do you even want to see Marquis traded? Who do you think he could be traded to and what for?
Keep an eye out for Red Sox CF Prospect Ryan Kalish - he is blocked by Crawford and Ellsbury and the Sox are desperate for pitching.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely trade him! His value is high right now and he is not a part of the future here. We should get as much as we can ala Capps/Ramos.
ReplyDeleteMarquis is a number 4 on a contending team that's not under contract for next season. He's not worth a high-level prospect. I'm projecting a return more similar to the Nick Johnson trade.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the main reason to trade him is to see what we have in Detwiler, Wang and maybe even Peacock. We are not contending this year but if any of those 3 can rise in the next few months it makes our rotation that much stronger for the future. If they can't do the job it lets Rizzo hit the FA market with even more emphasis on starting pitching. I also agree that Marquis and in fact non of our players with the exception of Clippard will bring a high level prospect (I am assuming Espinosa, Storen and Zimmnn are all off limits).
ReplyDeleteTrade him for Matt Capps return but not for Nick Johnson/Cristian Guzman return.
ReplyDeleteThis is a proven reliable innings-eater. Those guys don't grow on trees. Detwiler has been underwhelming so far, Peacock et al are totally unproven, and Wang has been out since last decade.
Marquis is pitching for a new contract next year either way. If no one offers more than a token single-A prospect, why not try to ride Marquis to a .500 record this year? At some point, they need to stick with the guys winning games now, instead of theoretically in 5 years.
In my mind Kalish, of the Sox, is Capps-like return. An upper level prospect that is blocked at the Major League level.
ReplyDeleteRamos is to Mauer as Kalish is to Ellsbury/Crawford.
Whether they would go for it is another story...