At Home Plate - Point/Counterpoint - Who Won the Holliday Deal

At Home Plate

Point/Counterpoint - Who Won the Holliday Deal

Written by At Home Plate Staff (Contact & Archive) on November 19, 2008

No Holliday, No Problem
Daniel Paulling
Most general managers feel as if they get the better deal if they get the best player involved. After all, one great player could be all that puts a contending team into the playoffs. But don’t be fooled by generalizations when it comes to dissecting the Matt Holliday deal. The Colorado Rockies actually made the better deal.

Many people think the Rockies may have a chance to contend in 2009 because the National League West is such a weak division. And that is true. But general manager Dan O’Dowd should not bankroll his future for a chance at the present. Holliday was leaving after the 2009 season. Why not get a few quality pieces to contend beyond next season?

Huston Street gives the Rockies a fairly good closer, which means they won’t be a hostage in the Brian Fuentes sweepstakes. Combine Street with right hander Manny Corpas and the Rockies have a fairly decent end of the bullpen. Maybe only the Dodgers can compete with them within the division in this department.

The Rockies also picked up an arm they can throw in the back of their rotation. Ideally, Greg Smith would strike out a few more hitters – and walk a few less – but he’s only 25. Going to Colorado is never a recipe for success for this type of pitcher, but he is a young arm. Small-market teams have to gamble on those types of players.

Throw in Carlos Gonzalez, who has been and still is, a highly rated prospect, and the Rockies have something to build around. Gonzalez will soon pair with fellow stud prospect Dexter Fowler to give the Rockies a quality pair in the middle of the lineup.

This deal may take a few seasons to turn out in Colorado’s favor. After all, Smith may not play well in Colorado and Gonzalez may not turn into the good-but-not-great player many expect him to be. This deal could very well backfire for O’Dowd, but it seems like a gamble he should have made.

Quite a Holliday for Oakland
Jonathan Leshanski
The A’s got the best of this trade.

Matt Holliday would have commanded a premium from any team in baseball seeking a star outfielder. He hit 61 home runs over the past two seasons, walks a lot, hits for average and plays defense better than most. He’s one of the top ten outfielders in the game and only has another year left on his contract.

And for the A’s acquiring him is a puzzling move unless either general manager Billy Beane thinks the 2009 A’s have a shot at contending or that he plans to flip Holliday in a trade sometime next season.

The cost wasn’t great, a good middle ranked pitcher, Greg Smith, who might be able to handle the rarified air of Colorado, a closer (and the A’s have always believed they could create closers) who will soon be arbitration eligible (and thus more expensive) in Huston Street, and a high level prospect (Carlos Gonzalez) who could turn into something but hasn’t shown it at the Major League level.

So what the A’s got was essentially was a star player for a closer and just a couple of barely seasoned players who still have a lot to prove and may turn out to be little more than middle tier players. Holliday was the Rockies franchise player and he could be the same thing for the A’s. Even if he isn’t, his high trade value makes him a chip worth owning while plenty of teams are looking for outfield help.

Based upon Billy Beane’s track record, it’s not hard to imagine that he’d get at least as much in talent back if he decides to flip Holliday. Thus no matter how you cut it, the A’s have to be seen as winners - especially since they already have replacements lined up for every single player they traded.

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