If this is for a pitching prospect who has had TJ surgery, then Katy bar the door . . .
@Alden_Gonzalez
Sources: #Angels close to acquiring 24-year-old #Braves 3B Kyle Kubitza.
@Alden_Gonzalez
#Angels will get Kubitza without trading anyone from their Major League club, per source.
Last edited by dak; 01-08-2015 at 06:12 PM.
@Braves: The #Braves have acquired LHP Ricardo Sanchez from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for RHP Nate Hyatt and INF Kyle Kubitza.
Sanchez is 17.
Sanchez was Angels #2 prospect. Initial reaction is this looks good for the Braves. Kubitza's AA breakout last year was influenced by a 0.401 BABIP. I like Kubitza, but he was realistically a second tier prospect. Sanchez has a MUCH higher upside, but he's also 17.
Knucksie (01-09-2015)
Interesting trade. I like Kubitza more than most around here. But Sanchez struck out more than 1 per inning pitching as a 17 year old in the AZL. Rated the #16th prospect in the AZL by BA.
One of the reasons I liked Kubitza is that he offered a cheap in house alternative to CJ at third. Maybe he will pan out maybe he won't. But now we have a bigger exposure to CJ.
jpx7 (01-08-2015)
Weird. Kubitza is close and fills a huge need for us. Not the biggest upside but weird trade.
At least we traded from a position of strength and depth.
Since he is only 17, hopefully he will grow another two inches. Lots to like and has the potential to be one of our top prospects in two or three years. Not as good as the Carpenter/Shreve trade, but still a good one and more in line with what the club should be doing under the circumstances.
Some background on Sanchez courtesy of BA. Signed for 580K in 2013. 94-95 mph fastball. Curve projects as a plus pitch. As much as I like Kubitza, I would do this trade.
This photo, however, might push the trade in the Angels' favor.
Introducing...RETARDO SANCHEZ!
holden (01-09-2015)
Buttery smooth delivery, some nasty breaking pitches too.
I just don't understand the point of acquiring more and more pitching when it is considerably cheaper than hitting in today's environment.
Repeats his mechanics very nicely too!Originally Posted by Hawk
"Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon"
No doubt Sanchez has a very very high ceiling. Certainly a gamble trading someone so close to the majors for a 17 year old prospect. But we're taking a chance on a guy who could be a special prospect.
I understand the blow back on only focusing on pitching prospects, but when pitcher development is clearly our strength wouldn't we rather try to accumulate young pitchers and develop them instead of position prospects with whom we struggle to develop?
At the end of the day it's about acquiring as many quality assets as possible. I think we are better served investing in our strengths and then dealing from them when we are ready to compete to augment our weaknesses.
Runnin (01-09-2015)
Heyward, Freeman, Simmons and Gattis are an outstanding group of position players that we have drafted and developed in recent years. We have to be careful not to make assumptions based on what our comparative advantage might have been 20-30 years ago. I hope nostalgia is not turning out to be our great flaw.
Braves1976 (01-08-2015)
I think the Braves are acquiring assets that are availavailable to them for the assets they have now. I doubt they are specifically targetting pitchers. That's just what's available right now. They did get three hitters in the Upton trade.
Natural Immunity Croc
Heyward (01-08-2015)
That's four position players in the past... What? Decade? I guess you could add Prado to that mix, but aside from them I think you have to go all the way back to McCann.
Meanwhile, our list of pitching prospects that have worked out is much, much longer. It has nothing to do with nostalgia either.
thethe (01-08-2015)
The four players I mentioned all reached the majors in the past five years. I think we're still better at developing pitching but the gap is not that big.
The bottom line, in my humble, frequently wrong opinion, is that pitcher development is our greatest strength and we consistently develop pitchers at rate that's still better than most of baseball. In economic theory, you focus using your resources in the things in which you have a comparative advantage and trade from those strengths to cover the things you aren't producing.
It may not end up being the best strategy, but it's a strategy centered in logic.
blueagleace1 (01-09-2015), Heyward (01-08-2015), thethe (01-08-2015)
He has to be cleared by the U.S. government first and there isn't a clear timeline there from what I understand.
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