I’m glad these guys aren’t running the Atlanta Braves

Sometimes when a couple of ex-General Managers get together, they just can’t help themselves.

A few days ago, former Mets GM Steve Phillips and former Reds/Nationals GM Jim Bowden were in full-on speculation mode on MLB Network Radio, and they were in the mood to “help” the Atlanta Braves.

Happily, Phillips felt so good about this proposed trade deal that he put it in writing for his side-gig with TSN.ca.

Here’s the run-down of what they came up with:

"To give some idea of the type of trade that the Jays could make, former Reds and Nationals GM Jim Bowden and I speculated on MLB Network Radio about the following trade with the Atlanta Braves: Stroman, Giles and reliever Joe Biagini go to Atlanta for centre fielder Ender Inciarte, pitching prospect Kyle Wright, lefty Sean Newcomb and reliever Touki Toussaint."

Going though the motions

Okay, yes:  Stroman is having a nice comeback year.  He’s got a 3.18 ERA and 1.31 WHIP in 15 starts.

Now you might be impressed with those numbers straight-up, for after all, Stroman pitches in the American League and in the AL East in particular, where he’s routinely facing 3 of the toughest foes in all of baseball.

Except that he kinda hasn’t.

Those 15 starts this season have oddly exempted him from most of that formidable opposition.  In fact, he’s faced:

• Baltimore (twice)
• Oakland (twice)
• White Sox (twice)
• Arizona, Cleveland, Colorado, Detroit, the Angels, Padres, Twins
• …but only the Rays and Red Sox once each.  Never the Yankees.

Against the Red Sox, Stroman went 6 innings, walking 6 and yielding 5 hits while somehow giving up only 1 run.  Against the Rays (his 2019 opening start):  3 runs in 4 innings.

Interesting.  So his numbers are still good, but they may not be that spectacular when viewed in that light.

Stroman is still just 28 years old and any acquiring team would have him for the rest of this season plus 2020.  So it’s 1½ years of team control… not a tremendous amount, but he’s not a ‘rental’ either.

Reliever Ken Giles has 11 saves and a robust 1.08 ERA in 25 games.  He’s had his up-and-down moments through his career, but right now he’s pitching very well.

Like Stroman, he also comes with a year-an-a-half of team control.

Phillips also threw in a second relief pitcher for the Braves:  Joe Biagini.  Not sure why he did that, but Biagini’s done well enough for Toronto and has a 3.60 ERA.  He’s given up runs in 10 of 30 outings, so I’m not sure he’d be my first choice if Atlanta wants a 2nd relief arm, but at least he doesn’t walk the house.

Biagini is 29 years old, but comes with 3 full arbitration years remaining after 2019.  So if you like your Biagini, you can keep your Biagini.

The Other Side

So for all of this, Bowden and Phillips believe that Stroman, Giles, and Biagini are worth:

• Sean Newcomb
• Touki Toussaint
• Kyle Wright
• Ender Inciarte

Holy smokes.

In truth, I look at this and while I’m immediately thinking that it’s an overpay, it also wouldn’t take a lot to get it pulled back to something a bit more palatable.

I would definitely want to remove either Wright or Toussaint from this deal and insert a couple of lesser-ranked prospects, perhaps Kolby Allard and the Jays’ choice of a wild card ranked from #10-#20 on the current MLB Pipeline list.

Considering the potential talent remaining and the totality of the team control offered, that should be acceptable enough to Toronto… unless they actually read Phillips’ stuff.

Without doing such a modification to that proposed group, we’d be talking about 3 players from the major league roster plus the #2 overall prospect in Wright… that would be well over the top.

At this point, I’m still not certain who I’d like to see the Braves pursue as a starting pitcher – though yes, I’m on record as suggesting that it happen.  At least I can agree with Bowden and Phillips on that point.

Seeing Stroman’s record this year… I’m a bit hesitant on him.  He’d be good, but don’t know that he’d be worth trading away all of that talent.

Regardless:  not this deal.