The Kansas City Royals have added some depth to their starting rotation by receiving right-handed pitcher Ervin Santana and $1 million from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for minor league pitcher Brandon Sisk.  Sisk, at age 26, had back to back solid seasons with AAA Omaha with a 1.41 ERA in 32 innings in 2011 and a 2.54 ERA in 67.1 innings in 2012.  He is a decent piece to look to for LA in case of an injury or struggles in the bullpen for 2013. 

      The bigger part of this deal clearly is Santana.  The talented right hander will be heading into his age 30 season in 2013 and the question mark for him is consistency.  He has showed flashes of brilliance throughout his career including tossing a no-hitter in 2012 in Cleveland.  He has enjoyed four seasons (2006, 2006, 2010-11) of having an ERA+ of over 100.  His back-to-back solid seasons in 2010 (3.92 ERA) and 2011 (3.38 ERA) are great signs.  However, going back to consistency, he has had his share of struggles.  He has had three seasons of sporting an ERA of over 5.  Unfortunately for Santana, his 2012 ERA of 5.16 is fresh in everyone’s mind.  Another glaring problem in 2012 was home runs.  Santana served up a ridiculous 39 long balls in 2012 which lead the entire league and was 12 more than his previous career high of 27. This is due to his crazy home run per fly ball percentage of 14.8, which is almost double the league average of 7.6%. He also posted a career low ERA+ of just 73.  He has also shown the ability to throw over 200 innings over the course of a big league season.  However the innings have not been as high during his more unsuccessful seasons.  The Royals can only hope they are getting the 2011 Ervin Santana and his ridiculous HR/FB will regress to his career norms. 

First Reactions:

Winner:  Royals.  They only gave up a minor league reliever and this is a low risk move for them.  Kansas City is in great need of starting pitching and Santana is a guy that has the ability to eat some innings and be successful for the organization moving forward.

Loser:  Angels.  Received a 26-year old reliever and lost depth in their rotation.  Not a move that will tear down the team, but will especially hurt if team cannot resign RHP Zack Greinke. 

        After on-going rumors of John Farrell making a return to Beantown, it’s finally a done deal.  The former Sox pitching coach has agreed to a 4 year contract to manage at Fenway Park.  Since his contract with the Toronto Blue Jays is expiring next offseason, the Jays received shortstop Mike Aviles as compensation from Boston. 

       Farrell led the Blue Jays to a subpar 154-170 mark in his two seasons north of the border.  They also finished 8 games worse in 2012 than in 2011.  The Blue Jays willingness to negotiate with Boston signals they are ready to move on without Farrell being a part of their future plans.  Also, Farrell’s inclination to speak directly with Ben Cherington and the Red Sox about the position showed his desire to return to Boston.  It seems like a good fit, as Farrell has a great relationship with Ben Cheringtion after having a shaky partnership with Alex Anthopoulos.  Farrell had a history of being in disagreement with the Toronto GM with some of his roster moves.  Farrell was pushing to release veteran infielder Omar Vizquel in July and the Jays disagreed and kept him.  Farrell also called for help in the starting rotation and instead the Jays got bullpen help at the trade deadline.   These incidents did not escalate enough to receive the kind of attention and scrutiny Bobby Valentine faced in Boston.  Valentine had problems throughout the year with his players and the media which made it inevitable that he would be out as manager.  Comparing Farrell and Valentine’s managerial style, the Red Sox are receiving a more aggressive manager, with Farrell’s Jays attempting 164 stolen bases compared to the Red Sox’ 128 in 2012.  However, they both sacrificed almost the same amount of time with Farrell bunting 33 times compared to Valentine’s 34. 

                It is clear the glaring problem on Yawkey Way is the pitching staff.  As a staff, Red Sox pitchers posted the third worst ERA in the American League (4.72) in 2012.  Leaders of the staff such as Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz also fell apart in 2012.  With Beckett now in Los Angeles, Lester and Buchholz look to anchor the rotation yet again as they attempt to return to front-line starters.  Farrell is the optimal guy for Boston as he led his pitchers to great success during his time as pitching coach.  From 2007-2010 (Farrell era), Red Sox pitchers led the American League in strikeouts, opponent batting average, and shutouts.  They also ranked third in ERA during Farrell’s 4 year stint (4.11).  It may be coincidental, but Jon Lester is a perfect example of a guy who just seemed more comfortable with Farrell’s presence.  After winning the clinching game of the 2007 World Series in Colorado, Lester went on to post an ERA+ of 144, 136 and 134 from 2008-2010 under Farrell.  At this point, Jon entered 2011 at age 26, so it would make sense to expect similar results if not much better results.  However, after a nice start to 2011, Lester completely fell apart in September (the worst and most painful month in Red Sox history I might add) and has not been the same since.  He posted an ERA+ of 124 in 2011 and 90 in 2012.  90! Red Sox fans hope Farrell can help him become more comfortable again and aid him in regaining his confidence.  John is also liked around Boston because he coached under Terry Francona, who led the Red Sox to 5 postseason appearances and 2 World Series titles in his 8 year reign. 

       The other part of this deal that hasn’t received much attention is Mike Aviles.  The Jays are getting an average hitter (.277 career BA) who broke out in terms of power in 2012 with a career high 13 home runs.  However, the knock on Aviles is his lack of plate discipline.  He walked just 23 times in 546 plate appearances in 2012 and had a sub-.300 on-base percentage.  This also opens up a hole a shortstop for Boston.  The options they now have internally are Jose Iglesias and Pedro Ciriaco.  Iglesias, a magician with the glove, hasn’t shown any signs of hitting at the big league level (career .135/.210/.413 slash line).  Ciriaco hit for a nice average in 2012 (.293) although he plummeted towards the end of the year.  His .352 BABIP may have had something to do with that, along with swinging at a ton of pitches out of the zone.  He walked just 2.9% of the time he stepped up to the plate.  For now, all signs point to Iglesias being the front runner as Boston's starting shortstop.

First Impressions:

Winners: Red Sox and Blue Jays

                The Red Sox were able to grab the guy they had an eye on for 2 years now.  He is very well respected in Boston by players, management and fans as he enjoyed success as the pitching coach from 2007-2010.  Also, the Sox only had to give up shortstop Mike Aviles.  This is a position where the Red Sox have other options for going forward.

                The Blue Jays were able to get rid of a manager who had not had success and caused a few minor problems with management.  At the same time, they received a solid infielder in Aviles.  The Blue Jays, after coming off a tough season, can now start fresh with a new manager and perhaps change the atmosphere just like Boston is trying to do.  

       Saturday afternoon brought the first hot stove news of the year, as the Athletics, Marlins, and Diamondbacks completed a trade highlighting former All-Stars closer Heath Bell and outfielder Chris Young. The details of the trade are as follows: the Arizona Diamondbacks acquire Heath Bell, shortstop Cliff Pennington (from the A's) and $8,000,000 (from the Marlins); the Miami Marlins acquire minor league infielder Yordy Cabrera (from the A's); and the Oakland Athletics acquire outfielder Chris Young and $500,000 (both from the Diamondbacks).

            The trade finalized Bell's short and tumultuous tenure while in South Beach, only one year after signing a three year $27 million contract for the new look Marlins. He struggled mightily, including being replaced as closer, and completed the season with an unsightly 5.09 ERA and 8 blown saves (second most in league). Off the field, Bell had a complicated relationship with manager Ozzie Guillen, whom he openly criticized for not re-inserting him as closer. Ironically, before completing this trade for the disgruntled closer, the Diamondbacks exercised current closer JJ Putz's option for next year. All indications from the Diamondbacks front office is that Bell will be used as a set up man to Putz. However, which Bell are the Diamondbacks getting? The San Diego relief ace, who from 2009-2011 had a 2.36 ERA, 132 saves, and 9.6 K/9, or the pitcher who was a complete disaster in Miami? Arizona general manager Kevin Towers is banking that Bell's .340 BABIP and HR/FB rate to regress to his career norms, despite peripherals (declining BB and K rates, increasing line drive %) that say otherwise. At this point, Bell's most realistic prognostication would be as a solid middle reliever, one who just happens to be very overpaid. Personally, this would not be a trade I would consider making, given the Diamondbacks' current state, where that money could be redirecting to more dire needs (infield).

            As for the other big name involved, outfielder Chris Young is headed to Oakland after an injury plagued season in the desert. Young hit .231/.311/.434 this past season while battling shoulder and quadriceps injuries throughout the season. Young was part of the young, talented core of players that helped lead the Diamondbacks to a National League West Division title in 2011, but has seen his numbers steadily decline over the past several seasons. His OBP, HR, SLG, SB, and WAR are all heading in the wrong direction and the move to the less hitter-friendly Oakland Coliseum will further depress his offensive numbers. Additionally, Young is set to make $8.5 million in 2013 with an $11 million club option for 2014. This allows Beane to dump Young after one year if he does not perform, and if he does, Beane can retain him for a decent price. Also, it is not completely unfathomable for Young to return to his 2010 numbers (.257/.341/.452 with 27 HR and 91 RBI) considering he will be 29 and should have another 2-3 years in his prime. Yet, with current outfielders Yoenis Cespedes, Josh Reddick, Coco Crisp, and Seth Smith already slated for starting spots, it is puzzling to figure where Young fits in, if at all (perhaps another trade?). But then again, if anyone knows what he is doing, its "Moneyball" genius Billy Beane.

            Lastly, the prospect moving to Miami is 22 year old shortstop, Yordy Cabrera. The Lakeland, Florida native hit .232/.292/.332 while being old for his high-A competition. Cabrera was the 15th best prospect in the A's system according to Baseball America, with above average power potential (despite lackluster HR totals). Defensively, he has flashed occasional brilliance, but still struggles with routine plays and needs further development on his footwork and fundamentals. However, scouts believe his body will continue to grow and a move to third base is likely in the future. For now, he is likely headed to the Marlins high-A affiliate Jupiter to further refine his offensive and defensive skills.

First Impressions

Winners: Marlins, A's. Marlins dumped an unhappy reliever and freed up cash while the A's acquired a good outfielder without giving up much in return. Athletics could also ship Young to receive a player who better fits their needs.

Losers: Diamondbacks. Acquired a middle reliever with an unreasonable contract. Cliff Pennington offers decent middle infield depth, but probably should not be starting for any team, let alone one with playoff aspirations.