Mark is angry with Rich.
The Colorado Rockies made a move Thursday afternoon, trading RHP Bruce Billings to the Oakland Athletics for 2nd baseman Mark Ellis.
While it was exciting to see the Rockies—a team falling in the standings—make a move, this trade seems straight-up silly.
Colorado was already rock-solid at second, with Jonathan Herrera, Chris Nelson and Eric Young Jr. all able to play the position. While none of the three are power players, each brings a youthful exuberance, speed on the basepaths and decent or better defense.
So why would Rockies’ GM Dan O’Dowd trade for another second baseman?
And on top of not needing a player at second, Ellis has struggled in this, his ninth season. Ellis’ .217 BA, .253 OBP and .290 SLG percentages are all actually lower than those of Herrera (.237, .311, .303) and Nelson (.255, .250, .388).
To be fair, Ellis’ career averages (.265, .331, .397) are much better than this season, with 24 doubles, 121 hits and 52 RBI on average per year.
Still, this season, Ellis has been a shadow of his usual self (47 H, 11 2B, 16 RBI).
Let’s get this straight, the O’Dowd traded for an older player that isn’t producing as well as his two farm-grown talents?
O’Dowd has been celebrated for building one of the best farm systems in baseball, but this move doesn’t show the most confidence in said farm talent.
And beyond getting a player at arguably the deepest position on the diamond, there are many other holes that the Rockies GM could have filled.
The Rockies rotation could be improved with an additional starter, the bullpen bolstered with a solid reliever or he could have tried to trade for a stud third baseman.
Losing De La Rosa and the injuries/disappointing play of Ubaldo and Cookie has put a strain on things, adding a starter could remedy that.
But an even more glaring need is in the reliever role. At times, the Rockies’ starters have played well, only to have someone from the bullpen blow their lead and lose the game.
And is Wiggington the starter for the rest of the season at third base? Wouldn’t the Rockies be deeper with him as a utility man, the role he was brought in to play?
Now O’Dowd says he has a “little” budget to play with and one more deal to make this season, what he can do with it will be seen.
Chris Nelson and EY Jr. were just optioned according to Troy Renck’s twitter at 3:47 pm, will one of them possibly be traded?
Only time will tell, but what is certain is that the Rockies need pitching help if they want to make a run, catch up in the NL West and make the playoffs for the third time in five years.
Editor’s Note: This is the first of a two part evaluation of the Mark Ellis trade. Part Two, my analysis in favor of the trade, will run in the morning along with a poll. Of course, if you have something to say now, by all means, go for it.
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6 comments
ARR
July 1, 2011 at 5:23 PM (UTC -6)
Wow. All three are good defensive players? All three have been negative UZR players this year. UZR is a flawed statistic, but only Herrera has ever posted a positive number. All lack range and only Nelson has a solid arm.
Every player who has played 2B for the Rockies this season has been a replacement player. Ellis, during his career, has been significantly better than a replacement player. He’s had a rough year and isn’t likely to reproduce some of his stronger years, but he’s still a better option than the current trio.
I’m not certain, however, how trading for a second basemen precludes O’Dowd from trading for another position. The order in which trades occurs is largely inconsequential.
If you’re going to dump on a trade, you should probably do *some* research. Ellis isn’t going to be great, but he’ll likely provide SOME value, which is more than can be said for the current folks vying for the job.
Rich Kurtzman
July 1, 2011 at 5:41 PM (UTC -6)
Herrera constantly makes very solid defensive plays at second base, Nelson has solid range and made some quick, exciting defensive plays at 3rd base earlier this year and EY has shown some flashes at times.
Ellis has had some good years, yes, but his HR numbers have fallen every season since 2007 and have dropped all the way to one single bomb this year. Still, his .291 average and on base percentage (.358) last season was the second and third best of his career respectively.
The point of a possible trade is the veritable log jam at 2nd base in AAA and in the majors, meaning someone or multiple players will have to be moved or let go. If there’s a team with a need for a young infielder, the Rockies should be talking to them, trying to get some pitching talent in return.
ARR
July 1, 2011 at 5:55 PM (UTC -6)
EY2/Nelson/Herrera are all subpar defensive players with limited offensive upside within the confines of this season. Ellis is not.
The numbers and how the team is handling them all point to the trio being subpar. They’re all replacement level.
The trade is relatively meaningless. Nothing the Rockies sent out had any long-term value to the team and the player they received is likely to be only marginally better than their current options. If you dislike it enough to write a column lambasting the move, that suggests to me that you’re greatly overrating the current roster (which should have been evident when you described EY’s defensive skills as anything short of ‘atrocious’)
Adam
July 1, 2011 at 6:13 PM (UTC -6)
The only way this trade makes any sense is if their’s a market for EY/Nelson that will help the Rox acquire a quality starter/reliever. With the deepness of mediocrity at 2nd O’Dowd must think that packing either EY or Nelson plus a couple of minor leaugers will land him some of the missing pieces the Rockies need.
Fisch
July 2, 2011 at 10:18 PM (UTC -6)
So just an observation, but in his 1st two games; “The veteran infielder had three hits and three RBIs in his Colorado debut Friday night, a 9-0 win over the Royals” & “Mark Ellis collected three more hits in his second game with the Colorado Rockies in a 9-6 victory Saturday.”
Maybe Ellis is not a Robinson Cano, Chase Utley, or Dustin Pedroia, but that also means he’s not getting paid like them. The Rockies don’t need a superstar 2nd baseman, they need a consistent starter at 2nd base… His defense will benefit the Rockies confidence over the middle. His bat is already helping the Rockies confidence at the plate. And his contract isn’t a long-term, nor over-paid chokepoint for a team that as you pointed out, needs to recruit players at much more pressing positions. The Rockies are a much better team than they have played. Perhaps Veteran Ellis is just the new blood infusion that Colorado needs to get themselves on track again.
Dave
July 3, 2011 at 3:34 PM (UTC -6)
On top of being a major improvement on defense, it hasn’t been mentioned that Ellis spent his career in Oakland Coliseum (and its many name changes), a well-known pitchers park. O.co has consistently been towards to bottom of park factors, whereas Coors Field has consistently been towards the top. Combined with injuries this season, there’s something to be said for his .216 average this season being an anomaly.
While I will say trading for an older player is not generally O’Dowd’s MO, Bruce Billings is regarded as having average stuff. In 29 games at Colorado Springs, Billings had a 4.47 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP, certainly not great numbers against minor league players. He obviously wasn’t impressing the Rockies.
On an unrelated note, where is all of this “depth” at second? Cano, Pedroia, Kinsler, Phillips, Weeks, and then who? Which of these players is available in a trade? You’d have a lot more luck finding a first baseman and starting pitching these days.