Torres Forsythe Trade

[TABF]

Torres is a young reliever with great numbers with the Rays last season.

Report: Rays and Padres agree to trade involving Alex Torres and Logan Forsythe

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/01/22/report-rays-and-padres-agree-to-trade-involving-alex-torres-and-logan-forsythe/

[RobH]

Torres is a young reliever with great numbers with the Rays last season.

Report: Rays and Padres agree to trade involving Alex Torres and Logan Forsythe

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/20...ogan-forsythe/

I can see why the Padres would do it. They've got too many guys for 25 spots, but I've always liked Forsythe. He's got a nice swing and he's a good ballplayer. Unfortunately, he's never healthy enough to show what he's got over a full year. Hopefully, Torres can come in and nail down that lefty specialist spot. With the acquisition of Benoit and Torres, our BP is looking pretty good. I just wish they had traded Amarista for Torres.

[ArtistFormerlyKnownAsBKR]

keithlaw @keithlaw
So the deal would be Torres and Hahn to Padres; Andriese, Forsythe, Lollis, and Boxberger to Rays.

[ArtistFormerlyKnownAsBKR]

Sickles on Hahn:

One of my favorite sleeper prospects for 2013 is Jesse Hahn of the Tampa Bay Rays. Here is what I wrote about him in the 2013 Baseball Prospect Book, which explains why.

Jesse Hahn, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays
Bats: R Throws: R HT: 6-5 WT: 185 DOB: July 30, 1989
2011: Grade C; 2012: Grade C

SLEEPER ALERT!! Virginia Tech's Jesse Hahn was going to be a first round pick in 2010 until he hurt his elbow late in the spring, dropping him to the sixth round. He missed 2011 recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he came back in 2012 and was very effective in the New York-Penn League, working at 92-94 MPH and hitting 98-99 at times, which was even better than he threw in college. His curveball, slider, and changeup had some rust to work off in his first few starts, but by the end of the season he looked like his old self, dominating the competition with a combination of strikeouts and grounders (2.88 GO/AO). Rays fans are aware of him, but he might be forgotten by the broader national audience. He shouldn't be, so I'm sticking the Sleeper tag on him. A healthy Hahn could become a number three starter, perhaps more. Grade C+

ADDITIONAL COMMENT: I'm not alone in this; Yossi Feins over at DRaysBay also sees Hahn as a breakout/sleeper candidate.

Hahn posted a 2.77 ERA with a 55/15 K/BB ratio in 52 innings for Hudson Valley in the New York-Penn League last summer, allowing a mere 38 hits, zero homers, with the aforementioned 2.88 GO/AO ratio. His mechanics are reportedly improved from what they were pre-injury, which enhances his command and should (one hopes) help him avoid further injury.

While seeing Hahn in the majors in 2013 is a real longshot, it would not surprise me at all if he ranked among the elite pitching prospects in the game entering '14, even at age 24.

[ArtistFormerlyKnownAsBKR]

Year Team League W L ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO GO/AO AVG
2012 HV NYP 2 2 2.77 14 14 0 0 0 52.0 38 18 16 0 15 55 2.88 .199
2012 Minors 2 2 2.77 14 14 0 0 0 52.0 38 18 16 0 15 55 2.88 .199
2013 RAY GCL 0 0 0.00 1 1 0 0 0 2.0 4 1 0 0 0 4 3.00 .364
2013 CHA FSL 2 1 2.15 19 19 0 0 0 67.0 55 20 16 1 18 63 2.49 .218
2013 Minors 2 1 2.09 20 20 0 0 0 69.0 59 21 16 1 18 67 2.56 .224

[WindsorUK]

Thanks for the good info JP.

[ArtistFormerlyKnownAsBKR]

Keeps evolving:


A busy offseason just got a whole lot busier for the Padres, who completed a seven-player deal Wednesday with the Rays.

The Padres receive 26-year-old left-handed pitcher Alex Torres from the Rays, who will likely slide into the left-handed specialist role in the bullpen, though he has a history of starting in the Minor Leagues.

Torres had a 1.71 ERA in 39 games for the Rays last season, allowing 32 hits in 58 innings with an ERA+ of 224.

The team also received 24-year-old right-handed pitcher Jesse Hahn, who had a 2.38 ERA in two Minor League seasons. Hahn was regarded as the Rays' No. 18 prospect by MLB.com.

Prospect acquired by Padres
Jesse Hahn, RHP: Hahn hurt his elbow as a junior at Virginia Tech in 2010, but the Rays took him in the sixth round anyway and helped him through rehab for Tommy John surgery. He didn't make his professional debut until 2012, but has pitched well since returning to the mound. He posted a 2.15 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 67 innings at Class A Advanced Charlotte in 2013. Hahn throws his fastball in the mid-90s and can reach back for more velocity when he needs it. His secondary pitches are all solid and he could end up with four average-or-better pitches. Hahn did spend a month on the disabled list with an arm injury in 2013, but he returned in time to make two starts before the end of the season.
Top 20 Prospects: Padres | Rays
-- Teddy Cahill
In return, the Rays will get infielders Logan Forsythe and Maxx Tissenbaum, reliever Brad Boxberger and Minor League pitchers Matt Andriese and Matt Lollis.

Forsythe, 27, has a .241/.310/.349 line in parts of three seasons with the Padres. Forsythe is capable of playing second base, shortstop and third base. Third base is his best position.

Forsythe had only 23 at-bats after Sept. 1 last season as he dealt with a familiar injury, plantar fasciitis to his right foot. He suffered the injury in Spring Training and was on the disabled list until June 10.

Forsythe missed the first two months of the 2012 season while recovering from surgery to repair the sesamoid bone in his left foot.

Andriese, a 24-year-old right-handed, was considered the Padres' No. 19 top prospect by MLB.com. He has a 26-16 record and a 3.18 ERA in three seasons. He was a combined 11-7 with a 3.27 ERA between Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A Tucson last season.

Boxberger, a 25-year-old right-hander, has a 2.72 ERA in 42 games over two seasons with the Padres. He was part of the trade with the Reds in 2011 that saw the Padres send Mat Latos to Cincinnati.

Lollis, 23, had a combined 2.32 ERA in stops between Single-A Lake Elsinore and San Antonio.

Earlier this off-season, the Padres signed free agent pitcher Josh Johnson, reliever Joaquin Benoit and also traded for outfielder Seth Smith. The team also made several smaller deals.

[ArtistFormerlyKnownAsBKR]

More on Hahn from Baseball Prospectus. They have him rated Rays' #6 prospect.

6. Jesse Hahn
Position: RHP
DOB: 07/30/1989
Height/Weight: 6’5” 182 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Drafted/Acquired: 6th round, 2010 draft, Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA)
Previous Ranking: On The Rise
2013 Stats: 2.15 ERA (67 IP, 55 H, 63 K, 18 BB) at High-A Charlotte, 0.00 ERA (2 IP, 4 H, 4 K, 0 BB) at complex level GCL
The Tools: 7+ FB; 5+ CB; 5 SL; 5+ potential CH

What Happened in 2013: In his full-season debut, the former Virginia Tech arm made 19 starts in the Florida State League, allowing only one home run in 67 innings.

Strengths: Excellent size/strength; big leverage; fastball is meaty pitch that can work in the mid-90s; nasty bore into right-handed bats; hard to lift; true power pitch; good feel for mid-80s changeup; good arm-side action; deep curveball flashes plus in the low-mid-70s; shows harder breaking ball with more tilt in the low 80s; good overall feel for pitching/good command profile.

Weaknesses: 24-years-old and yet to reach Double-A level; can overthrow at times; good control at present, but command within the zone is still loose; some sources think delivery and arm action better suited for the bullpen.

Overall Future Potential: 6; no. 3 starter

Realistic Role: 5; no. 4 starter

Risk Factor/Injury History: Moderate risk; TJ on resume; yet to pitch at Double-A level.

Bret Sayre’s Fantasy Take: Of all the players mentioned thus far on this list, Hahn has the most likely future in a fantasy rotation. With a very strong 58.2 percent groundball rate—predicated on his difficult-to-lift fastball—he has the skill set I like to look for in a future mid-rotation fantasy starter. #holytrinity

The Year Ahead: Hahn is legit, with a late-innings fastball that he can maintain into starts, a deep secondary arsenal that he can throw for strikes, and a good overall feel for pitching. Sources are mixed on his ultimate role, but I see a starter—and perhaps a very good one. He’s behind the developmental curve, and the Rays tend to barbeque their pitching prospects (low and slow), but 2014 could be the year that Hahn is pushed, most likely starting at the Double-A level.

[ArtistFormerlyKnownAsBKR]

Rays fans are pretty unhappy. Padres must really be in love with these two guys and expect big things pretty quickly from Hahn. While none of the players we gave up profiles as a top-notch Major Leaguer, they all have petty good pedigrees and the price was steep. I've always liked Forsythe's bat and versatility. If he can stay healthy, he'll be a contributor. Boxberger is a pretty solid bullpen arm that could develop into a late inning guy. Andriese profiles as a mid-rotation guy. Hate to let him go. Lollis has a live arm but can't throw strikes. If he pulls it all together, look out. Tissenbaum isn't a top-end prospect, but he could emerge. He's a solid baseball player.

The confusing thing to me, here, is that we are dumping a lot of org cloggers that have been around for awhile. But we're still playing around with pitchers, even though we still really need positional talent. When are we going to get serious about....scoring?

[RobH]

Rays fans are pretty unhappy. Padres must really be in love with these two guys and expect big things pretty quickly from Hahn. While none of the players we gave up profiles as a top-notch Major Leaguer, they all have petty good pedigrees and the price was steep. I've always liked Forsythe's bat and versatility. If he can stay healthy, he'll be a contributor. Boxberger is a pretty solid bullpen arm that could develop into a late inning guy. Andriese profiles as a mid-rotation guy. Hate to let him go. Lollis has a live arm but can't throw strikes. If he pulls it all together, look out. Tissenbaum isn't a top-end prospect, but he could emerge. He's a solid baseball player.

The confusing thing to me, here, is that we are dumping a lot of org cloggers that have been around for awhile. But we're still playing around with pitchers, even though we still really need positional talent. When are we going to get serious about....scoring?

Good point. But we've added two very good arms that have high ceilings to a lot of other arms in the organization that have high ceilings. We could easily take a couple of high-ceiling arms and trade them for a bonafide hitter and still have a lot of top notch arms in the system. The guys we traded, I don't think had enough to garner a good hitter.

I also think the team wants to see how we do with injuries this year. If our guys stay healthy, we've got plenty of offense. If they get hurt, then no, we don't have enough position players in the organization this year to compete. I would expect to see some arms moved for hitters next year when we see how guys like Maybin, Blanks, Quentin, Alonso, and the catchers do. My guess is that Maybin actually has a very good year. Blanks is due to have an injury-free year. And if Alonso can stay out of the way of inside pitches, he should be alright, too. The two catchers, Grandal and Hundley, also need to stay injury-free, and if Grandal can come back from the knee and PEDs we can be in very good shape.

I'm very interested to see how the team does this year, and I think with a little position player injury and PED luck, we'll have a better than .500 year with an outside shot at 90 wins if the pitchers pitch up to their ability and the injuries to pitchers don't bite us in the ass.

At least we've got a lot of quality arms waiting in the wings to come up if someone goes down.

[TABF]

Org loggers is a good term. We have a shit load of very likeable, "Org cloggers" and Forsythe fits that bill. Low ceiling, minimal tool roll players that are, as previously noted, very likable.

[ArtistFormerlyKnownAsBKR]

Jason (NJ)

anyone notice the Torres trade? Am I the only one who feels like the Rays gave up the clear best player here and didnt get much back? What do you think?
Klaw (1:05 PM)

I think they gave up the two best players in the deal. Hahn has a ridiculous arm; he just can't stay healthy and I don't project him as a starter for that reason.
Klaw (1:05 PM)

What they got back was a reliever, two fifth starter prospects, and an org guy who might be more than that if the conversion to catcher works out.