Trade Proposition: Bryan Anderson for Reid Brignac

by KeepOnRolen on Jan 8, 2008 7:34 PM EST

Would you do this trade? Would the Rays do this trade?

C Bryan Anderson (DOB: 12/16/86)
6'0, 190 lb, Bats: L Throws: R

2006 (High A)
381 AB, .302 AVG, 42 BB, 66 K, .417 SLG, .794 OPS
2007 (AA)
389 AB, .298 AVG, 32 BB, 77 K, .388 SLG, .738 OPS

Anderson played in the Future's Game (and for those that haven't seen him before, he looked sharp behind the plate.) Obviously, he is expendable.

SS Reid Brignac (DOB: 1/16/86)
6'3, 170 lb, Bats: L Throws R

2006 (High A)
411 AB, .300 AVG, 35 BB, 82 K, .560 SLG, .944 OPS
2007 (AA)
527 AB, .260 AVG, 55 BB, 94 K, .433 SLG, .761 OPS

As you can see, Brignac dropped off considerable in 2007. The Rays only hole prospect-wise is at catcher, and everyone anticipates them to take Pedro Alvarez (a 3B) first overall in the 08 draft. If Alvarez was groomed to be their third baseman, and Evan Longoria moved over to shortstop, Brignac would be the odd man out.

Does this trade make sense?

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Comments

I wouldn't make this deal if I was Mo

unless TB threw in some juicy sweetener. Catching prospects as good as Anderson are rarer than shortstop prospects as good as Brignac. That said, this isn't grossly lopsided.

by StanTheManFan on Jan 8, 2008 8:46 PM EST reply actions

I dunno...

someone will have to play C when Yadi leaves for greener pastures (ie, when he's too expensive). I'm not sure when he's a free agent, but I would guess 2 years (since he's been in the majors for 4 already), which would be about time when Anderson could be ready to take over (figure more AA/AAA this year, then next year AAA/majors)

by DiscoJer on Jan 8, 2008 9:50 PM EST reply actions

It depends on Yadi

If the Cards could get Yadi locked up long term then I don't really see a problem with a deal like this. It seems like the Rays organization is packed with talent so Brignac could definitely be solid trade bait. They still have Joel Guzman at SS left over from a trade with the Dodgers if I'm not mistaken. Is he not still a decent prospect? Maybe if Tampa tossed in an average-decent pitching prospect along with Brignac it sounds like a solid deal.

I can throw 75 mph fastballs for 5 innings. When's my tryout?

by flipthebird15 on Jan 8, 2008 10:07 PM EST reply actions

In a heartbeat

I severely doubt the Rays would.

Cheeseburger in paradise.

by joker24 on Jan 8, 2008 10:25 PM EST reply actions

Absolutely correct

Anderson has no where near the projection or current value of Brigniac. The Rays would never make that trade.

by azruavatar on Jan 8, 2008 10:36 PM EST up reply actions

No.

Anderson needs to put some meat on the proverbial "trade value" bone. No rush just yet let's see what he does at age 21 before we deal him for someone elses leftovers.

"Why does he keep saying that?"

by Red Blazer on Jan 8, 2008 10:45 PM EST reply actions

"leftovers"???

The "top SS prospect in the country" is an interesting new definition of the word "leftovers"...

I do this trade if I'm Mo. To get TB to do it you'd have to include another player of high value.

Also, I don't think that Longoria can still play SS. Of course it's a matter of debate whether Brignac can, so we could be trading our best C prospect for someone who might not even be our best 3B prospect...

the bums will always lose...

by SleepyCA on Jan 9, 2008 12:40 AM EST up reply actions

Longoria is a 3B'man btw

Cheeseburger in paradise.

by joker24 on Jan 9, 2008 12:14 PM EST up reply actions

yes,

i was addressing keeponrolen's comment about moving Longoria to SS and playing Alvarez at 3B.

the bums will always lose...

by SleepyCA on Jan 9, 2008 12:41 PM EST up reply actions

Personally,

I hate that most people think we cannot exist with Yadi and Anderson on the same team. I think that the team would be very interested in keeping two catchers. I mean...lock Yadi up through 2012 or so now...then we have them both for like 4-5 years (or go longer) and play them both. Yadi, unlike most regulars, as a catcher needs a break more often. If you could get Anderson to the point where he works very well with two pitchers (preferably the two with the quickest move to the plate to offset the fact Yadi's arm is not behind the plate) and have Yadi catch three pitchers, that would get them enough time behind the plate apiece and keep them both fresh and ready to play every week. I like the idea of having two young catchers with enormous potential.

stlfan

by stlfan on Jan 8, 2008 11:27 PM EST reply actions

cost effective approach

keeping yadi and anderson until anderson reaches the show is also good economics. we've paid more than league minimum for back-up catchers who were better off doing their time at memphis as reserves. if anderson comes on like we hope, he is worth progressively more each year and is not blocking anyone. i say keep him also.

by sportsman on Jan 9, 2008 12:10 AM EST up reply actions

I've been in the keep Anderson camp.

He's still quite young, and may be able to improve his defense with more work. It's not unheard of to have a catcher that is a good hitter. Um, Russell, McCann, Mauer, Posada--those guys can hit....and they are more than adequate defensively. If Anderson is going to develop into that kind of player, I'd like to have him do it for the Cards. And I hate to bring it up, but don't forget that Molina just had his first knee surgery. I really think it would be wise to keep Anderson around for a few more years. I really do.

She isn't crazy, she's just not impressed.

by jillsinmo on Jan 10, 2008 6:36 PM EST up reply actions

We need more left handed batters

right?

I will be boxer briefs

by Hardcore Legend on Jan 9, 2008 1:05 AM EST reply actions

I think

This would be a pretty solid deal for the Cards to be honest. I would imagine the Rays would want at least one more chip though, seeing as how Brignac is a pretty solid looking kid. In that case, I personally see some benefit in holding on to Anderson until he hits the show and letting him apprentice for a year. The guy could probably hit as well as Molina did this year right away with a higher ceiling. Then, if the organization is sure they want to hold on to Yadi then they can do what the Bravos did with Saltalamacchia this year...play him a reasonable amount, build his value, and then swing him b/c you're already set at his spot. Granted, I don't think that Anderson could help fetch a Teixiera-type, but I think its a good general idea.

It looks like the FO is looking to wrap Yadi up for a few more seasons. I think this is a good idea...He's a stud catcher and a developing hitter. He makes good contact at the plate most of the time, but his problem seems to be pitch selection. If he improves in that area, I could see him becoming a relatively high average hitter (.275 or so w/ a .355 OBP would be tolerable).

by redbirdnation8206 on Jan 9, 2008 3:34 AM EST reply actions

The wait-and-see approach

makes sense, and I don't think it's necessary to wait for one of these guys to make the bigs; exposure to AAA will answer some important questions. One reason why I am less bullish on Brignac than some is that dropoff once he got to AA. If you just look at the two guys' high-A lines, you prefer Brignac overwhelmingly. But what happened to him at the AA level? The loss of power is no big deal -- that happened to some guy named Rasmus too and is one of those things that happens at AA -- but the dropoff in BA and OBP was also enough to raise questions as to whether he's starting to run into things he can't handle. Anderson is rolling with the punches much better, even if he doesn't have the power potential.

Truthfully, I don't think we know enough about these two to be able to assess this one accurately. Anderson strikes me as WYSIWYG, but I'd want to know much more about how Brignac handled himself on hitting the AA wall. If you can honestly say that he used it as a learning experience, and will be the better at AAA and above for it, then yeah, he'd continue to be the better prospect, although the position-scarcity argument still applies. None of us see him often enough to judge that. We'll know after a few AAA months.

by StanTheManFan on Jan 9, 2008 9:40 AM EST up reply actions

I think there is a sentiment that

Brignac's pedestrian stats in 2007 were about as much of an aberration as there was among minor leaguers in 2007. He slugged .440, which was fine for the guy; he also had a 20% line drive rate, yet only had a batting avg on balls in play of .290. So one would expect the average - and thus OBP - to actually be a little higher.

But I think the key thing was he appeared to swing the bat really well, drew walks at an excellent clip, and made big improvements to his defense. He's now expected to remain at SS, whereas he had not been before.

A trade of him straight up for Anderson would be a steal for us - way more questions about Anderson's bat and about his ability to stick at C than there are about Brignac. Esepecially once you factor in postional needs for us.

by siddfynch on Jan 9, 2008 10:12 AM EST up reply actions

I love Yadi

of course there is always a "but". His career high in games played is 129 and his three year average is 118. He is coming off knee surgery. Will he hit like '07 or '06? I think any move to trade Anderson will need to be a plus-plus one for the Cardinals and I don't see this one being it.

Those Pilgrims ain't lookin' so proud now...

by giveml on Jan 9, 2008 9:27 AM EST reply actions

would i do the trade

emphatically yes.

would the rays do it? emphatically no.

I hate... so much about the things that you choose to be.

by erik on Jan 9, 2008 12:00 PM EST reply actions

Agreed

Not a bad idea, but I don't think it's happening, b/c (1) The Rays probably think Dionner Navarro (sp?) is at least as good if not better than young Mr. Anderson and (2) Brignac is probably a prospect in the 25-40 range of overall prospects while Anderson would be in the 80-90 range imho. You just don't do the deal if you are the Rays.

I think a more realistic possibility would be flipping Bryan Anderson to the Mets for Mike Pelfrey... But I don't see the Mets doing that until they somehow solidify their rotation.

by Lawless on Jan 9, 2008 5:44 PM EST up reply actions

Anderson

Why not teach Mr. Anderson (The Matrix, anyone?) to play a passable 2nd base? He could solve a problem there as well as play backup catcher.

I'm just tossing this out there. Is it possible? Can we do it?

If it is, then we obviously won't need to trade him, as he can step in after Kennedy's contract expires. That would give him 2 years to learn the trade. His bat would play well at 2nd, and his speed would hold up much longer there than behind the plate.

I'm a man, a manly, manly, man. Unknown

by Eckstreem on Jan 9, 2008 12:11 PM EST reply actions

Well,

"Why not teach Mr. Anderson (The Matrix, anyone?) to play a passable 2nd base?" Because he's vastly more valuable behind the plate. There's little crossover in skillset between being a catcher and playing the infield -- he'd have a huge learning curve given that he's never been anything but a catcher.

by azruavatar on Jan 9, 2008 12:40 PM EST up reply actions

C to 2b

Didnt someone by the name of Biggio do just that? Im not disagreeing with you on your points, just wanted to throw that out there.

by yer dog first on Jan 9, 2008 2:29 PM EST up reply actions

If you can come up with someone

other than a first ballot hall of famer, we'll talk.

by azruavatar on Jan 9, 2008 3:26 PM EST up reply actions

Keep Catching

I like that you are looking at the options, but Anderson has value because he is a catcher. If he were an outfielder, he wouldn't even be considered a prospect. As far as 2nd Base, Biggio is the only catcher I can remember switching to 2nd base...ever. And remember, Biggio was known for extraordinary speed and quickness. Anderson is not. It would be more likely that he will be taught 3b or 1B as his utility type rolls.

As for him stepping in for Kennedy, his OPS at AA doesn't justify being a starting 2nd baseman unless he plays gold glove caliber defense there. (Which is very unlikely)

He needs to remain a left handed hitting catcher, because that is where his value is.

How about handin' me another helpin' of those mashed taters...thank you very much!

by Elvis on Jan 9, 2008 6:51 PM EST up reply actions

Between the trades for

Scott Kazmir, this one and the Carl Crawford one I'm begining to believe we all have man crushes on Tampa Bay's roster or we just think that they'd be just plain stupid in any trade and we'd get the loopsided part of any deal.

by That's a Winner on Jan 9, 2008 2:38 PM EST reply actions

I don't really

know much about Brignac but this is the kind of trade we should be looking at for Anderson. I'm more comfortable with Yadi at catcher long term and I do think that having both of them for several years is wasting Anderson's trade value. One comment said that Brignac had to prove that he could stay at short. If that's the case I might reject the trade but, if he's a good shortstops with top of the order potential I'd make the trade.

by easy on Jan 9, 2008 4:51 PM EST reply actions