Let the games begin…
Like all teams before the real meetings, the Atlanta Braves portion of the winter meetings simulation started early. Though it began slowly negotiations got pretty involved as the days moved forward. It’s been an interesting experience so far and one that’s given me more than one headache.
All of the GM’s with whom I’ve had discussions are working hard to get a good result. I’m sensing a competitive streak among this group; what a surprise. Without further babbling here’s what’s happened so far.
Atlanta Braves Simulated trade – Nick Markakis to the Orioles
I contacted the Orioles’ front office first and offered Nick Markakis. They expressed interest and we agreed that the Braves would receive Georgia native Matt Grimes in return.
The 6′ 5″ 185 pound righty who calls Hoschton, Georgia home caught the eye of the White Sox in 2010. They selected him in the fourth round off the draft but he turned them down in favor of Georgia Tech.
A solid freshman year saw him eager for the next season, but made only five starts his sophomore year before shutting it down due to elbow discomfort.
In the fall he returned to the team but after three outings Dr Andrews replaced his UCL and he missed the 2013 season. Even though injured at the time, the Phillies selected Grimes in the 31st round of the 2013 draft, but he returned to Tech instead.
The Orioles finally convinced Matt to sign after selecting him in the 18th round of the 2014 draft. He moved through low A and A ball in 2015 and began 2016 in A+ ball with Delmarva earning Carolina League pitcher of the week honors in June.
He moved to AA in July of that season and started the 2017 season there but struggled and the Orioles demoted him to A+ in August. Grimes features a two seam fastball at 89-90, a four seam at 91-92 topping at 94, mixes in a mid 70mph, 12-6 curve and an occasional 82-84 MPH slider.
His motion reminds me of Kevin Brown (not a comp) ; compact, simple and repeatable. He looks like a candidate for a bullpen spot so that’s the plan for next year. He is not on the 40 man roster.
Atlanta Braves Simulated trade – Matt Kemp to the Twins
Old friend Ben Chase is Twins GM for the simulation. He expressed a need for a DH and I offered Matt Kemp. The negotiation took nearly two weeks to complete but in the end the Twins received Kemp, minor league catcher Brett Cumberland and $18M ($9m for two years.) In return the Braves received lefty starter Lewis Thorpe and right reliever Tom Hackimer.
Thorpe is 6’1″ 160 pound lefty from Melbourne Australia, signed by the Twins as a 16-year-old international free agent back in 2012. He made eight starts and four relief appearances in rookie ball the following year posting a 2.05 ERA and followed that up in Australian League winter ball.
Entering 2014 Baseball Prospectus made him the 101st ranked prospect and the Twins promoted him to A ball. He made 16 starts with Cedar Rapids throwing 71 2/3 innings, striking out 80 (10 K/9) and walked 36 finishing with a 3.56 ERA and a torn UCL. Even injured BP ranked him their #99 prospect.
The 2015 season vanished into rehab following the surgery and a knee injury and mononucleosis during rehab cost him 2016 the entire as well. Thorpe entered the 2017 season not having thrown a meaningful pitch since 2014 but it didn’t seem to bother him.
He spent most of the year in A+ ball, made 16 starts and one relief appearance in the FSL pitching to a 2.69 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and posting a 9.82 K/9 ratio.
Thorpe relies on a mid-90s fastball, a plus changeup with sink and fade as well as an improving slider and curveball. He turned 21 on Thanksgiving day and has plenty of time to work on those pitches. He’ll start the year at Pearl.
Tom is no Hack
The Twins selected the 5′ 11″, 190 pound Hackimer in the fourth round of the 2016 draft. A native of Hyde Park New York, Hackimer attended St John’s and worked as a reliever for the Red Storm.
Over his four years at St. John’s he made 124 appearances throwing 160 innings with a 2.42 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. Hackimer didn’t give up a home run and posted 9.9 K/9 rate in his 36 saves.
The Twins skipped rookie ball and slotted him directly into the bullpen in A ball. In 21 appearances he posted a 2.39 ERA in 26 1/3 innings and gave up his first home run since leaving high school; he hasn’t given one up since.
He started 2017 in A ball but earned a promotion to A+ ball in June. In 27 appearances for Fort Myers he racked up seven saves while pitching to a 1.93 ERA, 1.02 WHIP with a 10.4 K/9 rate.
The numbers might lead you to think Hackimer’s another in a long line of power arms. Not so, he throws from a low sidearm delivery that will give right-handed hitters fits. His throws a sinker at 88-91 mph with serious movement ad backs it up with a traditional slider; lots of slide not much break.
Hackimer’s success come from his willingness to attack the zone; he throws strikes with pitches that move and strikes hitters out. Hackimer turns 25 next June and will join Thorpe with Mississippi.
Atlanta Braves Simulated trade – Jim Johnson to Baltimore
The trade sent an unhappy, under-performing reliever back to his original club. It also teamed him up once more with the only pitching coach seems to be able to help him; Roger McDowell.
Under McDowell in 2015 and 2016 Johnson threw 112 innings at a 2.97 ERA , 1.19 WHIP. He struck out 22% of hitters, posted an average 57% ground ball rate and 77.5% LOB rate. He allowed 0.4 HR/9 and hitters managed only a .238/.306/.328/.633 line in 462 PA.
Under other pitching coaches in LA and back in Atlanta last season, Johnson threw 74 innings at a 6.90 ERA, 1.60 WHIP. He still struck out 22% of batters but his ground ball rate averaged just over 54%, and his LOB rate sank to 57%. Offenses enjoyed seeing him as his HR/9 more than tripled to 1.33 and hitters posted a .284/.360/.437/.797 line in 351 PA.
Johnson’s pitch usage and velocity remained almost the same, the only difference was the pitching coach. I presented the following numbers to the O’s and they concurred that a reunion with McDowell might work and I gave them $3.5M for listening to my sales pitch. In return the Braves received Kirvin Moesquit (@KirvinMoesquit)
Kirvin Moesquit
Born in Willemstad, Curacao, Moesquit moved to Florida at a young age and took part in the 2007 Little League World Series. He attended Highlands Christian Academy in Pompano Beach, Florida and was a 2014 Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-American. A portion of his 2013 Perfect Game scouting report gives a good feel for his play.
"”. . (a) Switch hitting middle infielder with good all around athleticism. Quick hands and good bat speed from both sides . . .more power from the left side, can drive the ball from both sides, more of a contact approach right handed. . . .impressive 60 yard dash times translated well to in-game speed. Quick feet defensively, good balance, solid arm strength, good middle infield actions. . .”"
The Twins selected him in the 36th round of the 2104 draft but he decided to attend Seminole State Junior College and try to improve his chances.
In 48 games for Seminole State, the slim second baseman posted a .368/.445/.500/.955 line on the back of a .399 BAbip. That led the Orioles to select him in the 24th round of the 2015 draft and he signed for a $100K bonus.
The As you might imagine, at 5’8” and 165 pounds, Moesquit isn’t a power hitter. He played well enough in rookies ball to earn a promotion to A-ball in his draft year; he repeated A-ball in 2016 and 2017.
In his two plus years Moesquit’s become a utility infielder playing second, short and third. He is fast – as this video shows – and posted a .258/.336/.313/.649 line including 19 doubles, three triple and a home run. He starts the year in low A.
Atlanta Braves Simulated trade of Julio Teheran to Seattle
Late last night I completed the most complicated negotiation so far when I agreed to send Julio Teheran, Austin Riley and Joey Wentz to Seattle for Kyle Seager. Although it took only four days we seemed to be emailing each other every two hours. When word came that the simulated agent for Otani had agreed to terms with the Mariners, I thought it might kill the deal.
[ed. note: yeah, that was my fault… I knew derailing Fred was possible, but in the interest of the integrity of the event, I didn’t steer Ohtani elsewhere.]
After all that work I was glad that it didn’t. I loved the idea of seeing Riley and Wentz wearing a Tomahawk and Teheran grew up with the Braves. However, the opportunity to land one of the games premier third basemen was worth the effort and lost prospect.
The Mariners selected Kyle Seager in the third round of the 2009 draft. He made his major league debut In 2011 and became their regular third baseman in 2012. Kyle is much more than Corey’s brother.
Since that time he’s played at least 154 games every year. In that times he’s posted a .264/.333/.451/.784 line, .187 ISO, .338 wOBA, 118 RC+ and 25.9 fWAR. Defensively he’s one of the best, UZR and DRS both rate him highly as does Baseball Prospects’ FRAA. Seager’s contract runs four years with $77m remaining and a $15M club option for 2022.
That a Wrap
Moving Kemp and Markakis early allowed me payroll room to negotiate for Seager. I negotiated with another team earlier but they went away and went away then came back but by that time I was deep into the Seager deal.
Next: Musings from a fake agent
Getting Thorpe from Seattle allowed me to move Wentz without leaving a huge hole. Wentz is better now but Thorpe has the potential to equal his ceiling. Hackimer is s real find, I wish we had him in the real world. Losing Riley created a big hole but Seager is ready now and we have time to fill that void.
I’m left with a hole in the everyday lineup and in the rotation as well as organizing the remaining bench and bullpen. The next 72 hours should be interesting if nothing else.