Breaking News: Lilly and Theriot to LA...

[JB94]

Here's my synopsis of the trade.

Blake DeWitt: Blake DeWitt was a pretty decent prospects for the Dodgers. He was ranked as the 82nd best prospect by Baseball America in 2006. Throughout the minors, he showed a .250-.290 average with the ability to hit 15+ home runs, but didn't walk too much. Scouts have said he has a great swing, but it just doesn't lead to positive results. He hasn't hit for much power as of late, but it may have to deal with Dodger Stadium. At 24, he still has time to improve. He could become interesting once he hits his prime.

Brett Wallach: Brett Wallach was a third round pick in last year's draft. He has great secondary stuff and can still improve quite a bit. He's averaging a strikeout per inning, which is always a good sign to see. He seems to be hittable as of now, but I see him having a pretty high upside.

Kyle Smit: Smit struggled his first four years in the minors, but has turned it around this year. He has decent strike out totals and has found the ability to find the strike zone. He is a reliever though, and I don't see him as closer material, but he may be a decent 7th inning pitcher in the future.

Overall, I wish we could have got a bit more, but we got a decent return.

 

[Rush]

Official: Cubs Officially Trade Lilly, Theriot to Dodgers | Chi City Sports l Chicago Sports News - Blog - Message Board - Fans

 

[JustinTCB]

Seems like a really good deal for the Cubs IMO. DeWitt is under team control until 2014 so he provides a cheap option that can play two positions and ideally would come off the bench for a good team (since he's a Cub he will start tho)

Just looked at the numbers for Smit and Wallach, but I like what I see. Smit probably joins the bullpen back and forth between AAA and the Cubs next season and Wallach seems like he has good potential as a starter.

 

[USCChiFan]

DeWitt has a career ISO of .117 in the majors, that's bad. If he does have 10+ HR power, it sure as hell hasn't shown

 

[Capt. Serious]

LOL, DeWitt is garbage.

 

[JustinTCB]

DeWitt might be garbage, but he's way better than Theriot. Basically he's what people think Theriot is.

 

[USCChiFan]

I'd take Darwin Barney over DeWitt

 

[JustinTCB]

Fangraphs on the trade

 

[JB94]

Lol, i was reading reactions to this trade an ran into this one.

I can't believe this trade. Ryan Theriot was the best player on the team. He always gave it 150%. Sure he wasn't a long ball hitter but usually he got on base. Then send your big guns in to move him. The team is the worst I've ever seen. Why didn't you trade Soriano, he trotts outfield like a deer & really doesn't give it his all. He has a major attitude problem to. Then keeping the new short stop is crazy to. Sp what he had a great 1st game but how many errors has he made which costed how many runs??? I think I could do better!!!!! The players have lost all the fun that comes with the games to. Ar the new owners that clueless???? If your going to clean house, what about management??????

There's so much wrong in that it's not even funny.

 

[JustinTCB]

That reaction makes me sad to be a Cubs fan. That person should be fired from sports watching.

 

[JustinTCB]

I'd take Darwin Barney over DeWitt

Wouldn't surprise me if the 2011 plan was to have both on the team. I doubt Fontenot or Baker are with the team past this season.

 

[tbo41fan]

Cub fans like that make us all look bad

 

[Lefty]

Seems like a really good deal for the Cubs IMO. DeWitt is under team control until 2014 so he provides a cheap option that can play two positions and ideally would come off the bench for a good team (since he's a Cub he will start tho)

He's a younger, cheaper Ryan Theriot. That's not bad by any means, but it certainly isn't anything to cream one's pants over and declare the deal "really good" for the Cubs. Calm down.

Just looked at the numbers for Smit and Wallach, but I like what I see.

Then we must be looking at different numbers.

Smit probably joins the bullpen back and forth between AAA and the Cubs next season

So wait, you're taking a guy that only met with a modicum of success in the minors on his third go-around in class-A ball and his second go-through in high-A and shuttling him between AAA and the MLB next season? Wow.

and Wallach seems like he has good potential as a starter.

It's a little dubious to be talking about the major-league potential of a guy that just climbed out of Rookie ball (where he got clobbered, even by Pioneer League standards) and has actually been below average in the Midwest League this season.

Look, this isn't necessarily a bad trade, and the Cubs probably got the most they could have out of Lilly in a deadline deal. Personally, if I was the GM and word came down that we're in a "future value" mode (which is what this deal implies, as DeWitt is far away from any prime he might have and the two pitchers are barely out of A-ball), I would have held on to Lilly and taken the compensation pick(s) that would come at the end of the season when he turns down my arb offer.

And while this trade isn't completely horrendous, let's be realistic about what happened here: the Cubs traded away pretty much their only value chip in Lilly for a younger, salary-controlled Ryan Theriot and two pitchers whose major league careers are so far off (if they are to even have one) it would be stupid to talk about and dream on.

 

[JB94]

Hendry never asks people for arbitration though, so I'm just glad we got some value for him. Hendry seems to love trading for high-risk/high-reward guys like Wallach.

 

[Lefty]

How in the world is Wallach a high-risk/high-reward player?

 

[waldo7239117]

He he has not been known, not talked about and he was down on the Dodgers top spects. He was 20 on there list. Maybe that's what he means.

 

[JB94]

Yeah, he's still pretty young yet. Not too high on their top prospects list. Has a high walk rate, but good K-rate. His ERA is good, but not great. But scouts have talked about how he has some pretty good stuff so it depends on if he can put it all together. There's plenty of chance that he won't produce, but there's also a chance he can become a decent middle of the rotation pitcher.

He reminds me a bit of Chris Archer. A young pitcher with good stuff and hasn't been that succesful, but could become a good pitcher.

 

[JustinTCB]

Well first of all I admit that my outlook on Smit would fall on the very realistic side, but if he finishes out the season the way he's gone so far he wouldn't be the first guy the Cubs have pushed fast through the system.

Guys like Brian Schlitter are getting a few innings on the big club. It isn't insane to think he can continue his season and build on it. I'm not saying he's going to become a regular major league middle reliever, just that he could grab a few innings in the never ending shuffle.

Keith Law agrees with me on Smit FWIW

Kyle Smit is a strike-throwing reliever with a solid sinker/slider combination and should be a capable middle reliever in the majors fairly soon.

And you really low opinion of Wallach who it seems is a legit starting prospect. The Cubs love high strikeout guys and Wallach is certainly that.

It isn't out of the question to talk about the major league potential of any player.

Here is a scouting report from when he was drafted

Pick 4: Brett Wallach, RHP (Orange Coast JC)

Scouting Report: The son of a former major leaguer (it seems like I say that every year), Wallach won Southern California JC Player of the Year honors this spring for his contributions at the plate and on the mound. A closer last season, Brett moved into the rotation and dominated. His fastball sits around 90 and he spots it well. He also throws a reliable slurvy slider and a changeup that is often his best pitch. He's athletic and projectable, with an easy delivery.

Analysis: Wallach shouldn't have a hard time moving through the lower minors, being able to throw 3 quality pitches for strikes. His fastball could become plus down the road as his 6'2 185 lbs frame fills out. While the Dodgers love them some arm-strength guys, Brett is a pitcher first who could develop plus velocity in the future. Even if his velocity doesn't improve, he could reach the majors as a back end starter.

Was it dubious to talk about his MLB potential when he was drafted? It's what you do when you get a new minor league guy.

It seems that his velocity might not be panning out like people thought, but again even then he still has a chance to make it as a starter down the line.

As for the idea of giving Lilly an arbitration offer, nobody thought they would because they can't afford for him to accept it.

 

[JustinTCB]

Keith Law's trade reaction is up for Insiders. Here are the important parts (the people the Cubs got)

In exchange, the Cubs get DeWitt, who can't run, can't play short and isn't a good enough hitter to play every day at second or third. He's young and at least has a chance to improve, whereas Theriot has already peaked, but DeWitt wasn't a great prospect even before he exhausted his eligibility.

Right-hander Brett Wallach, son of former Expo and Dodger Tim Wallach, is a projectable pitcher whose projection is starting to slip a little as he approaches the end of his age-21 season and hasn't had the expected velocity increases. He has a fringe-average fastball and above-average changeup but has walked too many guys while pitching a level below where he should be given his age. Bottom line: He's a good arm to have in the system but not a top 10 prospect in either the Dodgers' or Cubs' organizations.

Kyle Smit is a strike-throwing reliever with a solid sinker/slider combination and should be a capable middle reliever in the majors fairly soon.

He repeats the idea that DeWitt is Theriot with potentially more upside but probably not.

 

[JustinTCB]

He reminds me a bit of Chris Archer. A young pitcher with good stuff and hasn't been that succesful, but could become a good pitcher.

If he's like Chris Archer then we have a thing. Archer is having a fantastic season and has a really bright future.