Huston Street has been traded.
With the emergence of Rafael Betancourt in the last half of the 2011 season the Rockies decided that Huston Street was expendable. The team decided that Betancourt will be their closer in 2012 and that there is no reason to pay a middle reliever $8 million. After the Padres traded away their star closer, Heath Bell, the team became a target for the Rockies.
What is Street worth on the open market? Not much apparently as the Rockies are getting the infamous “PBTNL” (player to be named later).
The closer position is a fickle position and Street fell out of favor with many Rockies fans after his performance in the 2009 playoffs. One of the lasting memories of Street for Rockies fans is him entering game four of the 2009 National League Division Series in the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies with the Rockies up 4-2, but trailing the series two games to one, and Street giving up a double to Ryan Howard to tie the game and then a single to Jayson Werth to put the Rockies down by a run.
The Rockies couldn’t scratch a run in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game and they lost the series 3-1.
What Rockies fans fail to realize was that Street had a sub 1.0 WHIP in 2009 and kept the ball in the yard. In 2009 Street allowed 6.3 home runs per nine innings and that number went up in 2010 to 7.4 HR/9 and peaked last year allowing 9.6 HR/9. At PETCO Park in San Diego many of those deep fly balls Street allowed last year (I feel like he allowed a warning track shot EVERY appearance last year and many of them did scrape the wall for a home run) will die in the thick San Diego nighttime air for outs. Any pitcher going from Denver to San Diego should see a positive impact to his numbers.
Rockies fans will wait…and wait…and wait…while Betancourt fiddles, picks, ticks and stutters on the mound in the ninth inning in 2012. Last year, during one appearance, I counted how many times Betancourt touched the brim of his hat and counted 70 or so touches in an inning in which he faced four batters. He might be slow and he might be slightly annoying and boring to watch, but he does get guys out. He does strikeout batters and he does pound the zone. Things needed in the ninth inning.
As of this writing the deal isn’t official but here are a few of the latest Tweets from the guys who know the Rockies best:
From Troy Renck:
Deal is not done yet. But expected to soon cross finish line. Players involved still haven’t been told.
And Thomas Harding:
Rox agree to send RHP Huston Street to Padres for Minor Leaguer. Pads will pick up most of $8 M guarantee. Expec Rox to make free-agent move
It’s as good as done.
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13 comments
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Logan Burdine
December 7, 2011 at 9:35 AM (UTC -6)
If the Rockies made this move with the intention of picking up a free agent, I’m okay with it. However, if they are paying a single cent of Street’s remaining contract, they got robbed.
Travis Lay
December 7, 2011 at 9:53 AM (UTC -6)
From what I have seen on Twitter it sounds like the Padres are taking the contract. I guess it roughly equals what Bell was making so the Padres look at it as a wash.
Montana Steve
December 7, 2011 at 10:09 AM (UTC -6)
I got the same feeling about Street’s tendency to get those really long really loud outs. I’d always get that feeling of ‘here we go again’ when he came into the game. I’m definitely not impressed with the deals we’ve been making so far but I guess time will tell if they pan out.
Logan Burdine
December 7, 2011 at 2:16 PM (UTC -6)
The more I think about this, the more I think the Rockies got fleeced, especially if they are paying $1 Million of his salary as reported. Next year, Street is going to post some pretty solid numbers in PETCO. As you said, Travis, that park will undoubtedly get his home run rate back down to a respectable level. His numbers will be very good and they’ll probably dump him next year before the deadline and get something pretty decent back in return.
Mike
December 7, 2011 at 4:23 PM (UTC -6)
The Rockies got totally fleeced. The Padres will dump him for prospects at the deadline and make their team better with a contender’s best prospects. What a novel concept! Too bad Dan O’Dowd is a below average GM and will continue to drag the Rockies down with his poor decisions. Get ready for the Rocks to be irrelevant by July 1st.
Forsythe P Jones
December 7, 2011 at 5:39 PM (UTC -6)
I don’t see how the team got ‘fleeced’. The market for Street was likely only mediocre, as he’s been a long-ball machine the last couple of years. Will he do better in San Diego? Probably, because, in that ballpark, those 400 flyballs will only travel to the wall. We’ve already seen evidence that Petco overvalues pitchers to a high degree, and, if they do spin him at the trade deadline, it’s unlikely it’ll be for all that much unless he suddenly becomes a strikeout artist, which we already know he isn’t. My guess is it was in the team’s best interests to get Street off the roster now, while there was still any market for him at all. You can’t play coy with this stuff if you’re looking to move a guy ASAP. If they’d kept him, that’s a lot of bread to pay a guy whose workload would’ve been setup/mop up.
I understand that it’s second-nature here to lambast O’Dowd for every move he makes ( OMG they traded Iannetta! But…he walked a lot! ), but I don’t see how this is a bad move. The real question is, is Betancourt able to reliably close? While he was very good at the end of last season, his past history puts that to question.
Can we just see how things settle in before all the crocodile tears? It’s really tiresome.
Logan Burdine
December 8, 2011 at 10:48 AM (UTC -6)
I have a real problem with trading something for nothing. It’s that simple. You run a team like a business, meaning you don’t just dump assets. They would’ve been better off picking their spots with Huston, letting him post some decent numbers, and then trading him for something, anything more than a player to be named later. Assuming he’s worthless is a mistake. Do I think he was going to carry them to a championship? Absolutely not. But, these little moves add up and his peripherals indicate that he’s due for a bounce back year.
And, I’m sorry if you feel like we are too negative about the Rockies, but we are entitled to our opinion. Right now, my opinion is that this isn’t a very well run organization. Maybe it’s because they just finished 16 games under .500 in a year that they were supposed to win the West for the first time…EVER. I’m just being realistic. I’d like to see them be successful, but there haven’t been too many encouraging signs lately.
Peter Bacich
December 8, 2011 at 2:36 PM (UTC -6)
I also agree that players shouldn’t be traded away for nothing. However, you also have to look at the 7 million in savings that the Rox will no longer have tied while “picking their spots with Huston”. That money can now be used to go after someone else.
And businesses do dump assets, especially assets that are depreciating rapidly. Closers, especially lower velocity, control closers like Huston aren’t going to balloon in value even if you make them look good. Teams prefer Closers who can go out there and blow people away with a 101 MPH fastball and the occasional slider.
All I know is that even when Huston was doing well, I was always a nervous wreck. No one wants contact pitchers coming in the game in a save situation.
Logan Burdine
December 8, 2011 at 2:53 PM (UTC -6)
Businesses dump worthless assets. Any pitcher with a 3.86 ERA and solid peripherals to back it up, is far from worthless, even if he does make us uncomfortable when he takes the mound.
Logan Burdine
December 8, 2011 at 3:00 PM (UTC -6)
I’ll make sure to open this discussion back up next year at the deadline after the Padres move him for a solid prospect or two.
Michael
December 7, 2011 at 5:39 PM (UTC -6)
Let us not forget that Huston blew game 3 of the 2009 playoffs as well. Your statements about Betancourt taking forever between pitches is true, but I have always preferred his pounding the zone to Streets 10 pitch adventure at-bats. To me Street is anathema to the role of closer. He was never our best bullpen arm and I never trusted him to get three outs. The detective in me is wondering why after committing big money to Tulo and Cargo we are slashing payroll. Iannetta for a pitcher on a rookie contract, almost 3 million in savings. Street for a sock of nickels, either 7 or 8 million in savings. Wiggy for a box of donuts, 2 million saved. Even the Ubaldo trade is now under my microscope as being a possible salary dump (2012 savings of around 3 mil). Anyone else feel this?
Montana Stebe
December 8, 2011 at 8:12 AM (UTC -6)
Guys, what do you think of the rumors swirling about the Rockies moving Street so they can pursue Lidge? Should I be worried?
Travis Lay
December 8, 2011 at 8:15 AM (UTC -6)
I think the Rockies are plenty happy with their bullpen. If they were to get Lidge (I doubt they will) it would have to be a precursor to another move. Betancourt is their closer and they are comfortable with the rest of their relief corps.
They are still looking at 2B, 3B and SP. An OF’er might be picked up here or there and used as bait for SP.
Lidge comes up a lot in rumors with the Rockies since he went to Cherry Creek and still lives here in the offseason.
Prudent Dan |
December 8, 2011 at 5:23 PM (UTC -6)
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