Baseball for the Thinking Fan

Login | Register | Feedback

btf_logo
You are here > Home > Transaction Oracle > Discussion
Transaction Oracle
— A Timely Look at Transactions as They Happen

Thursday, December 08, 2005

White Sox - Acquired Mackowiak

Chicago White Sox - Acquired UT Rob Mackowiak from the Pittsburgh Pirates for P Damaso Marte.

This is a terrific trade for both teams.  Marte’s a good reliever, but Mackowiak is one of the best supersubs around - he’s not much defensively, but he can fill in with his bat anywhere in a pinch.  The bullpen still consists of some combination of Jenks, Cotts, Vizcaino, Hermansen, Politte, maybe Bajenaru, and the rotation odd-man-out unless someone else is traded.  I don’t want Mackowiak as a starter, something the Pirates would try to do at times, but he won’t be a starter with the White Sox.

The Pirates on the other hand, have all sorts of guys without set positions, fumbling around without a plan, so the need for a player like Mackowiak is left.  Marte’s a solid reliever most years and if the Pirates keep him, he’ll serve them well.

2006 ZiPS Projection - Rob Mackowiak
————————————————————————————-
AB   R   H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB   BA   OBP   SLG
————————————————————————————-
469 62 122 19 3 15 68 47 102   9 .260 .331 .409

 

2006 ZiPS Projection - Damaso Marte
———————————————————————-
W   L   G GS   IP   H   ER HR BB SO   ERA
———————————————————————-
5   3 70   0   63   49   26   4 34 72 3.71

As a side note, the White Sox quietly sent Gio Gonzalez to the Phillies as the player to be named, which isn’t good.

Dan Szymborski Posted: December 08, 2005 at 10:36 PM | 7 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
  Related News:

Reader Comments and Retorts

Go to end of page

Statements posted here are those of our readers and do not represent the BaseballThinkFactory. Names are provided by the poster and are not verified. We ask that posters follow our submission policy. Please report any inappropriate comments.

   1. More Dewey is Always Good Posted: December 08, 2005 at 11:11 PM (#1768616)
As a side note, the White Sox quietly sent Gio Gonzalez to the Phillies as the player to be named, which isn't good.

No, but it was expected.

I still think the Thome deal will look bad in the long run, and maybe even before the end of 2006 if Thome gets hurt/struggles and/or Frank Thomas has a comeback season.

This deal I'm pretty blah about, like I said in the other thread on the subject.

One red light on Marte - he has a kind of funky delivery, and last season he started reporting neck/shoulder pain. This may or may not be a concern in the long run, but it's definitely something to keep an eye on for now.
   2. 6 - 4 - 3 Posted: December 09, 2005 at 06:05 AM (#1769227)
Understanding that Marte's got some attitude and injury concerns, I'm really surprised that the Sox couldn't get more for him. A lefty with stuff as nasty as his should have had more of a market given all of the silly money being thrown at relievers this offseason.
   3. NTNgod Posted: December 09, 2005 at 06:36 AM (#1769276)
Even after the Pirates acquired Casey instead of Overbay, PIT and MIL were still talking (LHP John Grabow's name had come up in the Overbay talks).

Given that the other known Brewer on the block is Russ Branyan, and the Brewers are looking for a lefty reliever, and the Pirates a 3B.... you can figure out what they were probably talking about.

Whether anything occurs is a different story...
   4. DCW3 Posted: December 09, 2005 at 08:46 AM (#1769362)
Mackowiak is one of the best supersubs around - he's not much defensively, but he can fill in with his bat anywhere in a pinch.

Seriously? I'm having trouble seeing how he's really any better than John Mabry, and I don't exactly consider Mabry one of the "best supersubs around."
   5. 6 - 4 - 3 Posted: December 09, 2005 at 09:16 AM (#1769373)
Mackowiak can play a credible 2B, 3B, and CF--three positions that Mabry really can't handle. A guy with Mabry's bat and Joe McEwing's versatility has some real value coming off the bench.

That said, I'd still rather have Marte. I'm really surprised that KW couldn't get more for him.
   6. Anthony Giacalone Posted: December 09, 2005 at 03:06 PM (#1769571)
I too was orginally surprised that Marte only brought in Mackowiak. But I don't think that's the right way to look at this. Surely, if big, fat, stanky Ray King could get Bigbie and . . . , well, okay nothing really else, then Marte should have gotten more than Macko.

But the Sox didn't need a couple of pretty good prospects for Marte. They needed a left-handed third baseman and there aren't many of those lying around. Personally, I'd rather have had Burroughs since he's just coming into whatever peak he's going to have. That said, there is nothing really wrong with Macko. He's got about two or three years of variable performance left on his career and he fills the role that the Sox needed.

Sometimes I get the sense around here that we don't always put trades in the proper context and instead try to simply measure them in an abstract "I got 20 WARP from this trade and you only got 12 WARP, so, I won" kind of way.
   7. More Dewey is Always Good Posted: January 04, 2006 at 08:19 PM (#1806108)
White Sox sign Mackowiak - two years w/ option for 2008.

That leaves Crede as the only arb-eligible player left.

You must be Registered and Logged In to post comments.

 

 

<< Back to main

BBTF Partner

Dynasty League Baseball

Support BBTF

donate

Thanks to
Adam S
for his generous support.

Bookmarks

You must be logged in to view your Bookmarks.

Syndicate

Page rendered in 0.3472 seconds
58 querie(s) executed