30
2009
Milledge Traded Again, Looks Good For Nats
An article by Hojo's Mojo
The Washington Nationals and Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed on a deal that will send OF Lastings Milledge and RHP Joel Hanrahan to Pittsburgh in return for OF Nyjer Morgan and LHP Sean Burnett.
After reading some opinions from a few Pirates and Nationals bloggers, the consensus seems to be the Nationals have a slight edge. In my opinion the Nationals fleeced the Pirates. Of course we may not know the real winner for years to come.
Fan Graphs believes baseball’s worst outfield just got better with addition of Nyjer Morgan. I like their analysis of the trade.
Washington’s outfield has combined for a -24.5 UZR this year, easily the worst in baseball (the next lowest is the Blue Jays at -19.2). The combination of Elijah Dukes, Adam Dunn, Josh Willingham, Austin Kearns, and Willie Harris have been disastrous in the field, which is a pretty significant problem when you’re trying to develop a young pitching staff.
Morgan is far form a defensive liability. He has 743 innings between LF/RF and a career UZR of +15.4, along with 391 innings in center field and a UZR of +11.9. Those numbers are off-the-charts awesome. If Nyjer Morgan was really a +35 UZR/150 center fielder, he’d be in the conversation for the best defensive outfielder of all time.
For the Pirates, they get to try to figure out how to extract some value from Lastings Milledge who would have to take several steps forward before he was as good as Morgan is now. Can’t say I’m a fan of this move for Pittsburgh, but that’s getting to be a theme lately. The Pirates have made a series of head-scratching moves of late, and this one just continues that trend.
I like the deal for the Nationals simply because in Nyjer Morgan they get an everyday player with value who won’t embarrass himself at the plate, and they lose a major headache in Milledge who was sent to AAA after a slow start with the Nationals that saw him batting .167 after seven games.
Morgan was batting .277 (77-for-278) with six doubles, five triples, two home runs and 27 RBI in 71 games. Morgan was leading the Pirates in batting (.322, 66-for-205) against right-handed pitchers in 2009. He currently ranks fifth in the National League with 18 stolen bases, and he currently leads all MLB left fielders in total chances per 9.0 innings and range factor per game. Morgan is a great addition for the Nationals and it upgrades their speed and defense.
Sean Burnett, 26, was 1-2 with six holds, one save and a 3.06 ERA (11 ER/32.1 IP) in a team-leading 38 appearances for Pittsburgh. A two-time (2001 and 2002) Pirates Minor League Pitcher of the Year, Burnett is 7-8 with 14 holds, one save and a 4.54 ERA (81 ER/160.2 IP) in 109 games (13 starts) spanning three big league seasons with Pittsburgh. The Nationals even got the better pitcher. Burnett was having a solid season and he definitely becomes a nice weapon in the Nationals bullpen.
Joel Hanrahan, 27, finished 0-3 with five saves (10 save opportunities) and a 7.71 ERA (28 ER/32.2 IP) in 34 appearances with the Nationals in 2009.
Seriously, I don’t know what the Pirates were thinking here…
About the Author: Rob Johnson
16 Comments + Add Comment
NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationals | 26 | 18 | .591 | - |
| Braves | 26 | 19 | .578 | 0.5 |
| Mets | 24 | 20 | .545 | 2.0 |
| Marlins | 24 | 20 | .545 | 2.0 |
| Phillies | 22 | 23 | .489 | 4.5 |
Last updated: 05/24/2012
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Write Your Own Mets Post
Morgan is a great pickup for the Nats….kind of a head scratcher with the Bucs though. Maybe they thought they needed a OF with a bit more power seeing McCutchen and Morgan are speedsters. But maybe Lastings will turn into the player everyone thought he was. Personally Ive always liked Lastings and I hope he turns it around
Everyone seems to forget that Milledge is only 24. He was good in the 2nd half last season. He hasnt play much in the majors because of injury and his attitude. Once Milledge gets a shot he will produce.
Really good move for the Nats, getting a better player for Milledge and dumping Hanrahan.
I suggest we keep an eye on Sean Burnett. I like him. Otherwise…huh!?
Morgan > Milledge
Burnett > Hanrahan. They’re already lost Mclouth…sorry, i’m lost.
Pirates are the stupidest team ever when it comes to trades. Within 2 years they have traded 4 of their best players. Nady, Bay, McClouth, and now Morgan. Adam LaRouch better have his bags packed, because he’s most likely next.
wow Morgan? nice upgrade for the Nats.
nats got a bargain.
Joel Hanrahan is a lot better and more talented than his numbers show.
The Nats made a nice move for themselves while Omar continues to fiddle. Good for them, sad for us. Omar says he’s trying, but is he trying hard enough?
Regarding Harnahan, the Pirates did not get fleeced. Check his FIP (3.56) and, more importantly, opponents’ BABIP (.451). Clearly, the dude was being let down by the Nats defense.
Meanwhile, Burnett’s reputation notwithstanding, he still has a lousy K/BB ratio this year (23/15), and benefited from pitching in front of a superior defense.
“Pirates are the stupidest team ever when it comes to trades. Within 2 years they have traded 4 of their best players. Nady, Bay, McClouth, and now Morgan. Adam LaRouch better have his bags packed, because he’s most likely next.”
Come on, Dave. The new front office encountered a disaster of a franchise, one that could not be fixed with minor tweaks.
Because of the Bay trade, they picked up an above-average third baseman and a decent fourth outfielder. How are Nady and Marte working out for the Yankees? Meanwhile, Ohlendorf and Karstens have shored up the pitching staff. (If Tabata ultimately pans out, Cashman will get crucified for making that deal.) And quit giving off the impression that McLouth is a superstar, because he has not been missed, as Andrew McCutheon’s early numbers are impressive.
Pirates came out winning in this deal. Morgan is 29 years old who only provides good defense and speed. Milledge is 24 who has power and speed. He has shown he can hit in the minors and was a pretty good player last season during the second half. Milledge just needs to play everyday so he can show his skills. Milledge has potential to be a 25/25 guy. The mets should of never traded this guy away. They will regret it.
-Bully
JE and Bully – great points!
I also think the Pirates made a great move gambling on Milledge. They clearly have a long term plan and are willing to sacrifice some present value (Morgan) for future pieces. Gather enough of them – and some of them are sure to pan out – creating a young core they can build around.
Have to love what they’ve done with their pitching staff also – any way we can steal their pitching coach?
Thanks for the kind words.
Overall, Morgan, 29, helps the Nats in centerfield, particularly on defense, but would have been a long-term liability as a corner outfielder had he remained in Pittsburgh. I am not sure that Milledge, 24, will ever pan out, but the risk was worth taking.
What is the principal difference between Huntington and Minaya? The former smartly trades players when their value has nowhere to go but down; Omar does practically the opposite.
[...] Milledge time "in" Washington has come to an end. Milledge and Hanrahan to Pittsburgh for Nyjer Morgan and Sean [...]
To Joe D and everyone else who agreed with him that this trade benefited the Nationals are wrong. Here is a nice quote i got from Eric Karabel ESPN analyst and one of the smartest guy in baseball. “What a ridiculous franchise. Milledge was easily the top talent in that deal yesterday, but because he had “a bad attitude” he gets dealt for a fourth outfielder (Morgan) and ordinary lefty arm (Burnett). Milledge and Hanrahan might not have been good soldiers on the sinking ship, but that’s their top toolsy outfielder (better than Dukes) and best relief arm”.
-Bully