Twins turn pyrite into gold; turn Ricky Nolasco into Hector Santiago.
Are the Angels desperate? On the surface, it sure looks like it. Their idea of an upgrade is to turn young lefty Hector Santiago into Ricky Nolasco, he of a 5.13 season ERA and a 4.58 career ERA. Here is the full deal:
The Angels have had some extreme bad luck with injuries to starting pitching this year. Garrett Richards, C.J. Wilson, Andrew Heaney, and Nick Tropeano have missed most or all of the season. The Tim Lincecum experiment has gone horribly wrong (8.49 ERA, 2.29 WHIP). They did need help. Did they get it?
Hector Santiago’s numbers are much better than Nolasco’s. Santiago is 10-4 with a 4.25 ERA, though the WHIP is nearly identical. If Meyer can replace Lincecum in the near future, the Angels will likely be better off.
The wild card of this deal could be Alex Meyer. He was the first round pick of the Twins in 2011, but has struggled at the major league level. He has yet to start a game in the majors, but he has a 17.18 ERA out of the bullpen. Meyer has not pitched since May 3rd because of shoulder inflammation, but he recently started playing catch.
The only think I can think of here is that the Angels are going with the more steady Nolasco over the volatile Santiago, but this has a big chance of blowing up in their faces. Santiago’s numbers should stay largely the same except for his win total. His wins will likely decrease, but he will still post an ERA that can help you in deeper leagues.
Meanwhile for the Twins, this is a win. This trade deadline was their best since the 2003 deal that sent A.J. Pierzynski to the Giants for Boof Bonser, Joe Nathan, and Francisco Liriano. For those of you that remember Liriano with the Twins before his arm issues, he was elite. I’m not saying that Santiago will ever be Liriano, but he is better than Nolasco, and better than what they have in the majors right now.
The 25 year old Busenitz is 0-2 with a 3.55 ERA with three saves in 34 appearances between AA and AAA. He may join the Twins bullpen when rosters expand, but he likely wont have much of an impact.
Next: What Is The Impact Of Josh Reddick In Los Angeles?
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