Every time there's a major trade in baseball, there's a rush to determine who won and who lost. Rarely does anyone consider that, at least on the surface, a trade appears to be fair to both parties. Admittedly there are a lot more buyers than sellers at this trade deadline, so it would be easy to assume the sellers will get the better end of the deals. Naturally, that's not always the case. In this instance, I think both teams got what they wanted and I think both teams got a fair deal.
The Pirates get a legitimate middle of the rotation starter without having to give up a top-six prospect. We saw just a day ago where the Tigers gave up their top pitching prospect in a deal to acquire a middle of the rotation starter and a decent second basemen. The fact that the Pirates could get a guy like Rodriguez who is under team control through at least 2013 and possibly through 2014 without giving up the likes of Gerrit Cole or Jameson Taillon is a win for this Pirates team. Huntington has indicated that he'd like to upgrade the team without giving up pitchers Cole, Taillon and Luis Heredia as well as outfielder Starling Marte and Josh Bell and infielder Alen Hanson. So far, so good.
The Pirates are also receiving cash in the deal. Per the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the Astros will pay all but $1.7 million this year, $8.5 million (of $13 million) in 2013 and, if Rodriguez exercises his option, $7.5 million (of $13 million) in 2014. The remaining salary is pretty reasonable for the Pirates and is close to on par with what they are paying A.J. Burnett. The money the Astros are kicking in is important as it helps balance out the value of the prospects forfeited and it helps keep the Pirates' payroll at a reasonable level over the next couple of years.
From the Astros perspective, they got a nice haul of decent prospects: outfielder Robbie Grossman and left-handed pitchers Rudy Owens and Colton Cain. Before the 2012 season, Baseball America had Grossman ranked as the Pirates' eighth best prospect, with Cain and Owens ranked 13 and 16 respectively. All of them are legitimate prospects, just not high-ceiling ones. Grossman was the Pirates' minor league player of the year in 2011 and was likely the centerpiece of the deal. As noted in this blog, he is a speedy outfielder with excellent on-base skills. He profiles as a bit of a tweener, though, as his defense probably won't allow him to stick in center field and he doesn't generate the kind of power you'd like to see in a corner bat. Cain, who like Grossman is a Texas native who signed out of high school instead of playing for the University of Texas, is a big lefty who throws in the low-90s but is still developing his breaking stuff. He profiles as a mid-to-back of the rotation starter. Owens, likewise, has a ceiling as a mid-rotation guy, but is more refined and could be ready to step into the Astros' rotation later this season. All-in-all, not a bad group of talent for an expensive starting pitcher in his 30s.
It's always tough to evaluate these types of trades on the spot, but I think it was a fair trade for both teams. Wandy Rodriguez is a classic change-of-scenery guy who was pitching for a losing team in a hitters park. PNC Park is a solid park for lefty pitchers and being part of a pennant race should help focus Rodriguez. Hurdle seemed to indicate also that Ray Searage and his staff may have seen a few things on tape that could help Rodriguez. We'll find out soon enough as Rodriguez set to make his next start against his former team this weekend.
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