Under The Knife 10/3/22
Would this trade be the BOAT?
It might not be the biggest trade of all time, but imagine if Mike Trout was traded for Bryce Harper. That’s the deal suggested by one of the groups hoping to become the new owner of the Angels franchise and while they’re not the favorite or in a position to make that deal, there’s certainly an ability to talk to several of the people who would be involved with such a deal. I heard about this in conversation with a source involved in the vetting and bidding of the multiple suitors. At least one group is hoping to be far enough along in the process to have some say in how the off-season is handled, which would require them to be in place for the early December Winter Meetings, just down the road in San Diego this year.
There’s some obvious upsides. Mike Trout grew up near Philadelphia, is a vocal fan of several teams, and would get the chance to play for a playoff contender immediately. For Harper, he’d be closer to home and have the chance to define a franchise in a way that Mike Trout often declined to do with his reticence. This is not a criticism of Trout; he’s an all-time great player and the fact that he has little interest in being media facing or the face of a franchise or game is fine. That’s his choice.
Harper, for his part, has a full no-trade and was vocal about his desire to have a stable place to raise a family. Would he give that up for a trip to Orange County and a shorter flight to his family in Vegas? I have no idea. Would he buy into someone’s idea of what the franchise should do, or would current management? Again, unknowns, though the management is likely to change with several of the groups.
Could either team actually do this? The money obviously works and doing a straight up talent-for-talent deal wouldn’t be challenged. It’s not like either team would have to add anything to the deal that would needlessly complicate things. I’m not even sure there’d be any outcry from either fan base. Trout’s been a lifelong Angel and there’s fans that don’t remember a team without him, but it could also be a nice page-flip for a team that hasn’t been successful in that same era.
Again, this is just some discussion about what a group might do given the chance. It’s plausible, but not likely. However, I’m curious to see if any of the other ownership bidders might be as bold for a team that should be far more competitive, and for a Phillies team that is supposed to be in win-now mode from their ownership. Maybe MLB needs ownership that’s willing to push the boundaries, even while their committees work to ‘keep things collegial’, which is just another term for cost controls.
For now, on to the injuries:
SANDY ALCANTARA, SP MIA (no injury)
Sandy Alcantara won’t make the last start of the season for the Marlins, robbing him of the chance to extend his lead for most innings. At 228 IP, Alcantara will have the highest innings totals since David Price in 2016, with Max Scherzer coming in second that year with 228. The decline in innings totals is not a negative story and Alcantara isn’t some unusual exotic bird. The Marlins used him normally, with a pitch count high on the year of 117. More interestingly, he did this while averaging 98 mph on his fastball. Averaging.
Alcantara’s workload isn’t high, but what we don’t know is stress given that fastball. Historically, going back to 1998, 228 would have been good for 15th, alongside Tom Glavine and Andy Ashby. (Glavine’s high pitch count on the year? 127. Ashby’s was 118.) What we have is a pitcher who was healthy, maintained a reasonable workload, and pitched efficiently. He struck out a lot, didn’t walk a lot, but neither number is unusual or an outlier for pitchers that threw less innings.
This is simply a story of health. While the Marlins weren’t healthy overall, in this one case, they have something that this team could build around. It’s not hard to think about Jose Fernandez being the exciting ace, with Alcantara being the workhorse for a 1-2 that would rank among the league’s best. At 27 and signed to a ridiculously team friendly contract, Alcantara is poised to go on a run and profiles as the kind of pitcher that will age well. All they have to do is keep him healthy.