OK, now we know. Here’s the deal: Eric Byrnes and Omar Quintanilla go to Colorado for Joe Kennedy and Jay Witasick.
Can’t say I’m ecstatic about this trade, but it’s a nice gamble that might pay off.
The deals make more sense if you break them down like this:
Payton for Byrnes.
Witasick for Bradford.
Kennedy for Quintanilla.
Byrnes was gone next year, and he wasn’t playing much this year. Jay Payton is quite similar to Byrnes offensively, yet better defensively, but is a big headache if he’s not starting. So perhaps we’ll call that one even.
Witasick was having a good year in Colorado, but he’s alternated between good and bad years in the past, so who knows if his good performance in 2005 will continue. On the other hand, Bradford is coming off the DL, so you don’t really know what kind of performance you’ll get from him, either. We’ll call that one even, too.
The quality of the trades basically boils down to Omar Quintanilla for Joe Kennedy. We won’t know how that works out for several years, but right now, I’d say it’s a good gamble to take.
Quintanilla was a hot prospect last year, but hasn’t shown much this year (.297/.347/.395 at AA Midland). It seems unlikely now that he’ll ever be much more than a utility infielder in the majors. The drafting of Cliff Pennington in the first round this year probably made Quintanilla even more expendable.
Kennedy has had a horrible year in 2005, but he has certainly shown in the past that he is quite talented, (3.66 ERA in Colorado in 2004) and he’s only 26 years old. Taking a gamble that he will regain his form by leaving the Living-Hell-For-Pitchers is a nice roll of the dice.
1. the only thing that worries me about kennedy is that he's been just as bad or worse on the road as he has been at coors. maybe it's not the thin air?
2. Once your mechanics or mentalities are messed up, they're messed up everywhere, methinks.
3. For what it's worth, the primary thing I remember about Kennedy from his time with the D-Rays was that he threw across his body like Ted Lilly. That and John Sterling called him "the Patriarch."
As for Witasick, the Yankees picked him up mid-2001 after he had been lights out with the Padres through the first half. He was terrible with the Yankees. His Yankee stats may look decent, but trust me, he wasn't that good. He then gave up 12 earned runs in 5 postseason innings. I still cringe whenever I come across his name.
4. Vin Scully asked Joe Kennedy about his family's political leanings. He says they are all Republicans and he wasn't named after any member of the more notable Kennedy family.
5. He's Irish Catholic (I assume) and he's named Joseph. That will happen.