Gio Gonzalez goes to Washington for Four Prospects

The Athletics traded their second starting pitcher of the offseason on Thursday, and got a much better return than they got for Trevor Cahill. Gio Gonzalez will spend next season with the Washington Nationals, while A.J. Cole, Derek Norris, Brad Peacock, and Tom Milone will join the Athletics organization. The Nationals also got Rob Gilliam in the deal, who I've never actually heard of. But doing some research, he seems to be a low end prospect, who's made it to High A this past year at the age of 23. 

The Nationals will be Gonzalez's fourth organization in his young career. He'll only be 26 next season, but has already spent time in the Phillies, Athletics and White Sox (twice) organizations. The Athletics are the only time team he's ever pitched for at the Major League level though. He's a lefty, who has put up big strikeout numbers, but also big walk numbers. He's walked over 90 batters each of the last two years, and actually led the league in 2011. He's got great stuff, and generates ground balls at a good rate, 47.5% for 2011 and his career. Although the Oakland Coliseum is known as a pitchers park because of it's dimensions and vast foul territory, it hasn't really helped Gio throughout his career. He's got a BABIP of .293 for his career, and a HR/FB rate of 10.3%, which are both in line with league average. 

Nationals Park also favors pitchers a bit, and shouldn't be that big of a change for him. Gonzalez figures to slot in as a solid lefty behind the two top right handers in the Washington staff, Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann. The three of them should form a formidable top of the rotation, while the organization still has enough depth to fill out the back end. Due to Gonzalez's service time though, I believe he's been overvalued this offseason, and I don't believe he's as good as most people perceive. 

Everything Y[o]u need to know about Darvish

Late Monday night, it came out that the Texas Rangers had submitted the winning bid for Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish. The Winter Meetings saw the top two pitchers come off of the free agent board, but the rest of the starting pitching market has been stagnant since then, as teams were waiting for the Darvish situation to be figured out before moving on lesser pitchers. There have been trades for both Mat Latos and Trevor Cahill, but free agents like Edwin Jackson and Roy Oswalt have been relatively quiet.  

The aggressive bid for Darvish represents the first offseason move of a championship caliber team. The Rangers' biggest division rival, the Angels, have already made two big moves this offseason, while the Rangers have been quiet. Coming off of two consecutive trips to the World Series, the Rangers should expect added revenue next season, which should help to offset some of the initial cost of Darvish's posting fee. 

Darvish is a big right handed pitcher, who should ascend to the top of the Texas rotation. He has a reputation for attacking the strike zone, and not nibbling at the corners as much as former import Daisuke Matsuzaka. Much of Matsuzaka's troubles in recent years have come form his stubbornness around the zone. It seems like too many of Daisuke's at bats start out with him getting ahead early, only to try to nibble at the corners, ended up in deep counts and walks. Both of which can lead to a quick hook, especially in the American League East. Darvish could learn a lesson from this, and continue to attack the strike zone throughout at bats. 

Catching Up with the Weekend

The big move over this weekend involved the Reds and the Padres, but a few former Twins found new homes, and the Phillies brought back a former MVP. Most of the world spend it's time waiting for the Yu Darvish bid to be announced, but that didn't come until Monday. All things considered, it was a pretty busy weekend. Let's start with the biggest and most interesting deal though... 

The Cincinnati Reds believe that the National League Central is up for grabs, and they are going for it. Cincinnati traded Yonder Alonso, Yasmani Grandal, Edinson Volquez, and Brad Boxberger to San Diego for front line starter Mat Latos. Latos broke onto the scene in 2010, pitching 184.2 innings with a 2.92 ERA. His ERA was in line with his FIP and xFIP, but Latos wore down late in the season, after only throwing 123 innings in 2009. The Padres were in contention in 2010, and rode their young ace with a Dusty Baker-like intensity. In 2011, he managed to approach 200 innings (194.1), but saw his ERA rise to 3.47. His performance wasn't that different though, as his FIP was only 0.16 higher in 2011 then in 2010(3.00 vs 3.16). 

Latos is a big strikeout pitcher, with a career K rate of 8.64 K/9. He also gets his fair share of ground balls, with a 42.8% ground ball rate, which is near league average. He has also done a good job at controlling the free passes with a 2.83 BB/9 rate for his career. He does the things that you look for in a starting pitcher, and I'm confident that he will maintain his performance when moving from Petco Park to The Great American Ball Park. 

Red Sox Come up Short with Melancon

The Astros and Red Sox both have new front offices, but both teams are still aiming for the same goals as their last regime. The Red Sox are still gunning for the title, while the Astros are trying to rebuild their roster into something that resembles a Major League team. Yesterday these two teams agreed to a deal that sent Mark Melancon to Boston in exchange for Kyle Weiland and Jed Lowrie.

In their rebuilding efforts, the Astros have never gotten a true impact type talent, instead opting for large packages of prospects who are of lesser talent. In the past few years, for example, the Astros sent Roy Oswalt and Hunter Pence to Philadelphia without receiving Dominic Brown in either deal. They also sent Michael Bourn to Atlanta without getting any of the Braves upper-echalon pitching talent. The Astros did get a lot of talent back in their deals for these three players, but none of the pieces profile to be more than Big League regulars. 

In the Melancon deal though, the Astros got back a good haul. In my view, Melancon is a high risk reliever with little upside. He has a herky-jerky motion (which has been slightly smoothed out recently), and a history of injuries. He hasn't had any injuries of note since his Tommy John surgery following the 2006 season, but I'm still not convinced that he's totally past his injury history. He's not an option to be a starter, and I don't think the Red Sox will trust him to be a closer in the American League East. I think he'll end up in the eighth inning, as the Red Sox will continue to explore the market and will eventually land Andrew Bailey or Ryan Madson. 

The Future of the Brewers

The 2011-2012 offseason could probably be classified as a mild disaster for the Milwaukee Brewers, although they're trying to make the best of it. They've gotten a new left side of the infield, but look likely to start 2012 without their top two offensive players. They've fortified their bullpen, but not at a cost that they'd like. 

Along with defense in general, the left side of the Brewers' infield was clearly their weak point. Yuniesky Betancourt has been a replacement level player for the past four years, and the Brewers upgraded slightly with the Alex Gonzalez acquisition. Gonzalez and Betancourt are similar offensively, but Gonzalez handles the glove much better. After two suburb years, Casey McGehee was a disaster in 2011. Coming into last season, McGehee had a reputation for hitting lefties. In 2011 though, McGehee hit just .169/.228/.185 with no home runs off southpaws. The Brewers decided to upgrade this spot by signing the best third baseman available, Aramis Ramirez. Ramirez is aging, and his defense isn't any better than McGehee. He has been a strong offensive player throughout his career, but much of it might have been a result of Wrigley Field. He's a career .308/.373/.552 hitter at Wrigley, as opposed to .284/.342/.500 for his career. 

By acquiring Ramirez though, the Brewers were able to flip Casey McGehee for bullpen help in the form of Jose Veras. Veras is an average option for the bullpen, and he's under team control until 2014. The Breweres also retained the services of Francisco Rodriguez via Rodriguez accepting arbitration. The Brewers offered K-Rod arbitration hoping he'd turn it down, and look for a multiyear deal as a closer. The closer market was flush though, and Rodriguez deemed to better to pitch for Milwaukee for another year and test the market next offseason. If Rodriguez had turned down arbitration, and signed somewhere else, the Brewers would be in line to get draft choices in return for his departure. 

Trevor Cahill to the Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks for a sniff of success in 2011, and are looking for more. Late Friday night word came out that Oakland would trade starting pitcher Trevor Cahill and relief pitcher Craig Breslow to the Diamondbacks for three prospects. The package from Arizona is centered around Jarrod Parker, but also includes Collin Cowgill and Ryan Cook. 

Cahill will join talented young starters Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson as the Diamondbacks will look for the second straight N.L. West title next season. Cahill, only 23, is an extreme ground ball pitcher, who still needs to tap into his strikeout potential a little to become a top of the rotation option. The switch in leagues should help his numbers, and the move from the Oakland Coliseum to Chase Field shouldn't affect his too adversely, as his ground ball profile should translate. He's has a very club friendly contract, which is almost Andrew Friedman-ian in it's terms. Cahill is locked up through 2015, with team options for 2016 and 2017. 

Craig Breslow will join a Diamondbacks bullpen which was much improved in 2011. Arizona's new front office has done a great job of fixing the pitching staff in it's short tenure, and this move only reinforces what they did last year. 

Jarrod Parker is a major league ready starter, who throws four pitchers. His fastball sits around 93 and he mixes it with a good changeup and slider. He also throws a curveball, but it's his fourth best pitch at this point. He has good strikeout potential, and also had solid control. He's already had Tommy John surgery, and has a small frame. Injuries could be a problem in the future, but when healthy, Parker profiles as a top of the rotation starter. 

Collin Cowgill is a fringe regular as an outfielder. He can play centerfield, and has showed good on base skills in the minor leagues. He struck out too often in his small sample this past season, but doesn't have a track record of striking out often in the minors. He could be patrol center field for the Athletics in the future, but will more likely be a fourth outfielder. 

Ryan Cook is a relief pitcher who could be in the Oakland bullpen sooner then later. I don't view him as anything special, but he's young, cost controlled, and could be an average relief option for the Athletics in the near future. 

With Parker's injury history, I think Arizona did good in this trade. Cahill is a proven Major League starter, and should be fine in Chase Field with his high ground ball rate. Already accruing three years of service time though, he didn't fit in with the time table that Oakland was looking for. Jarrod Parker does profile as an impact player in a time table that matches Oakland's other talent. If he stays healthy, it could prove to be a good move for the Athletics. Cowgill should start patrolling the outfield in 2012, but the club will probably upgrade the position before contending. Ryan Cook could bolster the Athletics bullpen in the future, but probably not in a high leverage role.

Some Small Things, and Matt Moore

The Winter Meetings have ended, but teams are still maneuvering, and trying to position themselves better for next season. In the past few days, while we've been recovering from the Pujols fiasco, there have been a few smaller, yet still significant moves.

The Brewers upgraded their shortstop position by not resigning Yuniesky Betancourt. Instead, they signed Alex Gonzalez. Gonzalez offers a similar offensive production (72 wRC+ for Betnacourt and 75 wRC+ for Gonzalez this past season), and also offers better defense. Gonzalez used to be one of the better fielding shortstops in the league, and is still above average, even at this point in his career. That's a huge upgrade over what Betancourt offers, who essentially has the same range as a tree. With Fielder coming off of the books, Milwaukee should have money to spend. They still have a few holes, and could address them with that money. Their roster is thin, and their minor league system doesn't offer much reinforcement. They will need to blow their team up soon, but with Pujols leaving the division, they could view themselves as the favorites in the National League Central. 

The Angels: The Eagles and Heat of the MLB

What the Marlins were to the first part of the Winter Meetings, the Angels were to the final day of the conference. From my recollection, the Angels actually made three moves during the week, they got the immortal LaTroy Hawkins, and then a few scrubs names Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson. All in all, the Angels committed about $330 million to these three players over the length of their deals. It's a huge commitment, and it's the type of money that Angels' owner Arturo Moreno has wanted to spend for a few years now. In the past years, they've made runs at a lot of big names, including Carl Crawford, Adrian Beltre, Roy Halladay (via trade), Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, Miguel Cabrera (via trade), Alfonso Soriano, and Paul Konerko among others. 

Even while missing out on these big names though, they've remained near the top of the American League, and only failed to win 80 games once since they won the World Series in 2002. Through the Scioscia era, the Angels have relied on their pitching and defense to win games. Their offensive philosophy has been to make contact at a high rate, and get on base, and then run the bases efficiently to produce runs. They have always had a high team batting average, but not necessarily a high team on base percentage. They've struggled for power, and have been somewhat at the mercy of their BABIP. The strategy seems to fit their ballpark, as the Big A has suppressed offense, and an outfield which plays very big. The moves that they have made in the past have been an attempt to bring in power, with Torii Hunter and Vernon Wells, but with mixed results. The acquisitions of Alberto Callaspo and Torii Hunter did however fit their defense/batting average first premiss though. 

Winter Meetings Roundup

Throughout the entirety of the Winter Meetings, we had two big name free agent signings, a lot of smaller moves, and the Rule 5 draft. I'm going to try to cover as much as I can here, so I'm not even going to try to use transitions, just headings, and my thoughts on them. If you're looking for stuff about the Angels, I'm planning on doing a whole post about them later, so you won't find that here.

Mets: 

The Mets signed two free agent relievers, and pulled off a trade. The 2011 Toronto closers, Jon Rauch and Frank Francisco, both signed with the Mets. I'm assuming that the Mets weren't willing to hand Bobby Parnell the closer role quite yet, and he should slide into a 7th inning role with the club. Frank Francisco is a better pitcher than Rauch, when healthy, and should be first in line for saves in New York. Francisco also got a two year deal, as opposed to Rauch's one year deal, which signifies that the Mets believe he's the better player. Citi Field, even with the fences in next year, should help Francisco's problem with the home run ball also. 

In a separate move, the Mets acquired another relief pitcher when they traded Angel Pagan to the Giants for Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez. The Giants have a glut of relievers, and leveraged one of them to get younger in center field. Torres and Pagan have similar skillets, with the difference being Pagan's defensive downturn in 2011. Pagan went from a well above average center fielder, to a well below average center fielder by the metrics. San Francisco must either believe that this was an aberration, or plan to play him in a corner spot, or enjoy having terrible defense up the middle. 

Jose Reyes, First Hundred Million Dollar Man of the Offseason

For a day when I suspected that most general managers and front office types would be on airplanes, Sunday proved to be quite the busy little day. There was a huge signing, a very minor signing, and then there was the Manny Ramirez news, which I feel is irrelevant. 

Late Sunday night, word came out that the Marlins had agreed on a six year, $106 million deal. Reyes is coming off one of his best years since breaking into the majors in 2003. He spent some time on the disabled list with a leg injury, but finished up with 126 games played, and a .337/.384/.493 slash line. Reyes is a dynamic player, who offers value through defense at a premium position, on base skills, speed, and decent power. He's a superstar when healthy, but has had very a myriad of injuries to his legs. 

Since much of Reyes' value comes from speed and defense, his legs are crucial. At the beginning of his career, Reyes played shortstop at an elite or near elite level defensively. In the past three or four years though, he's been only average defensively. He's dealt with hamstring injuries and other problems with his legs which I don't think ever went away. His overall numbers might suggest that he's been an average defender since 2007, but they're most likely weighted down from times when Reyes was playing at less than 100% I don't think he'll ever perform at an elite level again, but I think that when fully healthy he should play solidly above average. 

Dodgers get Their Orango Mocha Capuano

"You know what could really help you sort through these important issue?"
"What?"
"Orange mocha frappuccino!" 

That's probably my favorite line from the movie Zoolander, and it's what I always think of when I hear the name "Chris Capuano." I once missed out on viewing the movie in college because I got stuck in an elevator between the first and second floor of a building. I'm not that lazy (well, maybe), we were trying to get to a party, and had didn't know where the stairs were. 

Either way, the Dodgers signed Chris Capuano to a two year, ten million dollar (with an option for a third year) deal this past week. Capuano has undergone two Tommy John surgeries, and at the age of 32, has only thrown 252 innings since his 28 year old season. This past year though, Capuano made 31 starts and threw 186 innings for the Mets. His 4.55 ERA is misleading though, as his BABIP was .311, and his HR/FB rate was 12% in Citi Field. Both of these are slightly higher than you'd expect, as his FIP and xFIP show (4.04 and 3.67 respectively). If Capuano is able to stay healthy, his peripherals say he should be able to put up four wins above replacement over the next two years, making it a good deal for the Dodgers. Of course, there's also the possibility he gets injured again, and could be either out for a significant amount of time, or be forced into retirement. 

The addition of Capuano essentially fills out the rotation for the Dodgers. The have Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsly, and Ted Lilly at the top, while they've pledged the fifth spot to Nate Eovaldi. Slotting Capuano into the fourth spot solidifies their rotation, and essentially eliminates the chances that the Dodgers will bring back veteran Hiroki Kuroda. Kuroda has been a favorite of mine for a few seasons. I always loved his peripherals, and he always put up a great WHIP. Kuroda will be 37 next year, and hasn't shown any allegiance to the MLB. He's expressed desires to stay in Los Angeles, or move back to Japan. The Capuano signing makes a return to the Dodgers unlikely, but Kuroda could still end up with Anaheim. The Angels are looking for a starting pitcher, and I believe that Kuroda still has enough left to perform a a middle rotation option for two more years. 

As far as the Dodgers go though, I haven't been a fan of most of their moves so far this offseason. They have the reigning N.L. Cy Young and MVP, and a lot of mediocre surrounding that. So far this offseason, they've signed more talent that falls between replacement level and MLB regular. Without even including the Matt Kemp extension, I'm surprised at how much they've spent this offseason, considering they don't have an owner to sign the checks. The problem is, none of their signings really inspire any real hope. Juan Rivera, Mark Ellis, Adam Kennedy, Chris Capuano? The Dodgers rotation looks to be solid, but thin, while there offense looks as if it will go only as far as Matt Kemp takes them.

The Angels, the Blue Jays, and the Mathis Deal

Since the end of 2009, Alex Anthopoulos has been the General Manager of the Toronto Blue Jays. I've been a fan of just about every move that he's made since taking over. My biggest qualm came when he traded away Mike Napoli for oft-injured relief pitcher Frank Francisco. That deal came on the heals of Anthopoulos trading Vernon Wells contract for Napoli though, so I gave him a pass.

I'm fairly convinced though, that a clause in the Vernon Wells for Mike Napoli deal was the root for Anthopoulos's most recent deal. With multiple backup catcher types available on the free agent market, the Blue Jays recently traded away Brad Mills for the services of Jeff Mathis. From the outside, I cannot find a line of reasoning that explains why the Blue Jays would acquire Mathis.

The Blue Jays can't view Mathis as their new starter, or long term solution. J.P. Arencibia showed he could handle the starting role, and Travis D'Arnaud is their long answer. Mathis is going to be brought in as a backup, and will make at least $1.7 million in 2012 before becoming a free agent prior to the 2013 season.

I'm fine with Mathis as a backup, but I think that they could get a better option, or a cheaper option, or an option that didn't cost a pitcher. Mathis should only play in about 45 games next season, and as long as he's suitable defensively, shouldn't made too much impact on the team. The pitcher they gave up, Brad Mills, hasn't shown much in his three stints in the majors. He's doesn't generate many ground balls (32.6%), and walks too many people (5.89 BB/9). He's a lefty, but doesn't profile as a lefty specialist with his fastball changeup arsenal. He'll be 27 at the start of next season, and probably won't turn into anything, but there's still to reason to give him up to acquire one of the worst players in the majors.

Bernie Williams and the Hall of Fame

The new names for the Hall of Fame came out this week, and the new name with the most initial backing this year seems to be Bernie Williams. My last memory of Bernie Williams was of him being thrown out at home plate by about 50 feet while playing for Puerto Rico in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. I can't find the video online, but I remember a very slow moving Williams lumbering towards home at the age of 40, and really having no chance. 

A player has to have a very special career to make it into the Hall of Fame his first time on the ballot. Although I'm not sure how players improve their standing in the subsequent years, they must be doing something, because guys tend to get more votes as the years past, even though they're still retired, and aren't adding anything to their legacies on the field. 

When I am trying to decide whether or not I think someone should be in the Hall of Fame, I tend to look at two different things; the length of his career, and the five or seven year span that represent the player's peak years. Williams was only in the league for 16 years, which is a good run, but not so much when compared to other Hall of Fame players. He had a good peak, posting a .321/.406/.531 composite line from 1995-2002. Those are good numbers, and really stand out when you consider that Williams played a premium defensive position in center field. But there are definitely negatives… 

By all defensive metrics, besides gold gloves, Williams was miscast as a center fielder. Most defensive metrics crush Williams' defense, and portray him as more of a corner outfielder playing center. At his worst, fangraphs shows him costing his team three wins in a single season based solely on defense. That's more than twice as bad as any center fielder rated in 2011. Combine his bad defense with the fact that he played his most productive years in the heart of the steroid era, and he played half of his games in offense-friendly Yankee Stadium, and his overall numbers don't appear to be special anymore. 

One thing that we can't look past about Williams however are his playoff numbers. I'm not a big proponent of using playoff numbers to validate a player because they usually occur in very small sample sizes. When looking at all time numbers, the counting stats are skewed too, because of the added rounds in recent generations. But Bernie Williams did have a 545 plate appearances on the playoffs, which equates to almost a full season. And when you presume that he wouldn't be facing any number five type starters, and would be facing fewer garbage time relievers, his slash line of .275/.371/.480 does shine. 

Overall, I can't look past the fact that Williams played in an offensive environment, and was probably more suited for a corner outfield spot. I see the Hall of Fame as the "Best of the Best," and not the "Hall of the Very Good." Bernie Williams doesn't make the cut for me, but it's close. Maybe if I figure out what all these other players are doing to increase their votes, and follow Bernie with the same process, he'll get it, but not at this time.

Marlins Begin Their Spree with Heath Bell

The newly renamed Miami Marlins have been linked to just about all of the big free agents this offseason. They've reportedly made offers to Albert Pujols, Jose Reyes, C.J. Wilson, Nap Lajoie, Jorge Posada, and Mark Buehrle. None of the big name free agents have signed yet, but the Marlins have landed their first big catch of the offseason in the form of Heath Bell. 

Their deal with Bell is a three year deal, which pays an average annual value of $9 million and locks up Bell through his age 36 season. The Marlins don't have an "established" closer on their roster thanks to the antics of Juan Carlos Oviedo (the pitcher formally known as Leo Nunez). And although Steve Ciskek seemed to be ready to take over the role, the Marlins decided to go after a bigger name instead. 

Bell broke into the majors as a reliever at the age of 26, but has only been closing games for three years. He's topped 40 saves each of the past three years, and has averaged more than a strikeout per inning during that span, with a ground ball rate of over 40% each season. That all sounds well and good, but Bell's 2.36 ERA over that span has benefited from a 4.3 HR/FB rate, thanks in part to Petco Park. His strikeout rate dropped from 11.1 K/9 in 2010 to 7.3 this past season. The dip in strikeout rate is even more alarming when you factor in that he threw nearly 45% breaking balls this past season as opposed to only 30% in 2010. Breaking balls should induce more swings and misses, and the fact that Bell went away from his fastball could be an indication that he didn't have as much faith in it. Although his velocity remained consistent, Texasleaguers.com shows that it didn't move as much in 2011 as it did in 2010. 

Iannetta for Chatwood Makes Sense for Both Sides

The new Angel's regime made it's first move Wednesday night, by trading away Tyler Chatwood to the Rockies for Chris Iannetta. It seems like it's finally apparent to the Angels that Jeff Mathis isn't a Major League catcher, and represented the biggest hole on the roster. The deal is a huge win for the Angels, as they get a catcher who can get on base as a good clip, and has enough power to hit 20 home runs, even in The Big A. 

Iannetta has never really gotten an opportunity to get consistent playing time in Colorado. He's been bounced between the majors and minors throughout his career. He's also has an injury history, which is a red flag for a catcher. Iannetta has a career walk rate of 14%, but I'd expect that to drop in the American League because of the better pitching, and because he won't be hitting in front of the pitcher anymore. Iannetta didn't have a future with the Rockies, and the move was probably the best thing for both him and the club. 

As a result, I don't think it's out of the question that the Angels could carry three catchers on their roster to open up next season. Up-and-comer Hank Conger bears a similar profile to Iannetta, and doesn't need anymore time in the minors. Conger's defense is suspect, but he hits enough to be used at catcher and possibly at designated hitter. Jeff Mathis is the only one who I believe is in danger of losing his roster spot. He doesn't hit enough, and his defense seems to be overstated. That said, he is still probably the best defensive catcher on the roster, and that's still something that Mike Scoscia values. 

In return for Iannetta, the Rockies receive Tyler Chatwood. Chatwood made 25 starts last year, at the age of 21. He wasn't ready for the big leagues, and struggled to keep his ERA under five. His K/BB ratio was barely above 1, and he benefited from his park and the defense behind him. I don't think he has much upside, and I think he'll struggle in Coors Field. The Rockies will start him in the rotation, but I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up in the bullpen. 

To replace Iannetta behind the plate, the Rockies signed free agent Ramon Hernandez. Hernandez will be 36 next year, but brings average defense, solid contact skills, decent on base skills, and could hit 15 home runs in Colorado. He had a disappointing second half in 2011, but put up a composite .280/.348/.413 line during his three seasons in Cincinnati. Hernandez will serve as a stop gap for the Rockies until Wilon Rosario is ready. Rosario is a top prospect in the Rockies system, but hasn't been to Class-AAA yet. His bat show promise, but has developed slowly. He should start 2012 in AAA, and could be up by the end of the year, but I would be surprised if he got more than a cup of coffee in 2012. 

Iannetta is still under team control through 2013, and Colorado decided to move him to open up the position for whenever Rosario is ready. The Angels fixed their hole at catcher by acquiring Mike Napoli light, and only gave up a back-end starter in the process. Anaheim is in line to have their highest payroll ever this season (thank you Vernon Wells), but it looks like as a result of this move, they'll have to acquire a starting pitcher. They have a solid top three with Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, and Ervin Santana, but were relying on Chatwood and Jerome Williams in the back-end, with little depth. They've been talking to C.J. Wilson, but I'd expect them to settle for a lesser guy due to financial constraints. Their ballpark and defense also allows them to hide the deficiencies of lesser pitchers.