Braves 2014 FanSided Faux-Winter Meetings–The First Move

The 2014 FanSided Faux-Winter Meetings kicked off with I – your fearless Sim GM – making the first deal.

First Moves

As Alan pointed out in this mornings post Fansided sites are conducting a winter meeting simulation. My first move was to reinforce the bullpen by swapping Jordan Walden for the Astros Tony Sipp and  and lefty Kent Emanuel.

The trade solved problems for both teams. Walden gave them a proven back of the bullpen arm.  Sipp adds one of the best lefty relievers around to the Braves pen while Emanuel adds a lefty starter to the minor league ranks.

Tony Sipp

At the trade deadline last year Sipp was a popular choice to reinforce the bullpen. He is however much more than one of the best LOOGY’s in the game. Last season he appeared in 56 games for Houston posting a 3.38 ERA and 0.888 WHIP. His career splits show he doesn’t care which side of the plate the hitter stands on. Against LHH he boasts a .210/.293/.401/.695 career line and last year held them to .138/.227/.276/.503. Sipp’s career .203/.311/.383/.694 slash against RHH shows a slight reverse split reminiscent of Eric O’Flaherty. Last season Righties managed just a .176/.235/.297/.531 in 100 PA.

Sipp struggled a bit to find his niche but at 31 he’s settled in as a late inning strikeout reliever. He features a low 90s fastball (55%), a low 80s slider (38%) and mixed in a sinker last year to strike out 63 while walking only 17.  Sipp fills the hole created when O’Flaherty left and and Jonny Venters had to have TJ surgery

Kent Emanuel

Emanuel spent the 2014 season with the Astros Hi A team in Lancaster posting a 3.92 ERA in 133 innings and a 1.22 WHIP. Following the 2013 season Baseball America (subscription required) provided this scouting report;

"“. . . He pitches with a fringe-average fastball, touching 90-91 but sitting 87-89 mph. His fastball plays up because he locates it well, both inside and down, and pitches with a tough angle to hitters. He also locates an above-average changeup. He has improved both his curveball and slider, though neither is a swing-and-miss pitch. He’s an excellent athlete with a good pickoff move who repeats his herky-jerky delivery. His deception keeps hitters from getting consistent good swings, but limits his ceiling a bit, because he’s not going to throw harder with his current delivery. Emanuel pitches with poise and maturity, and his polish should allow him to move quickly.”"

John Sickles grades the 6’3, 225 pound lefty out of Woodstock Georgia as a C+ prospect just outside of the Astros top 20.  Emanuel turns 23 in June would be assigned to our Hi A team to start the year but could see time with Mississippi later in the year.

That’s A Wrap

I really wanted to solidify the bullpen and in particular get a lefty that shuts down big LHH to compliment James Russell. A side effect of the trade was clearing some payroll space I may need later.I think the trade worked out well for both sides. What’s your Take?