May 23, 2013

Washington Capitals GM George McPhee: “We’re trying to win”

April 3, 2013 by

The Washington Capitals traded one of their top prospects, forward Filip Forsberg, Wednesday at the NHL Trade Deadline in exchange for veteran forward Martin Erat and AHL center Michael Latta. Forsberg, 18, was drafted No. 11 overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and signed a three-year entry-level deal last July. He and Russian forward Evgeny Kuznetsov have widely been considered “The Future” in these parts, and seeing his name in the trade report had many Caps fans up in arms.

The Caps got off to a lousy start. So bad, in fact, that it drove many fans to a position of grasping for The Future, a rosy time where the Caps will be leading the conference on the back of veterans Alex Ovechkin and Nick Backstrom, supported by Kuznetsov, Tom Wilson, and until Wednesday at 4:30, Forsberg. They even dreamed of a Top 3 pick in this year’s draft to be able to secure the services of Nate McKinnon or Seth Jones.

But a funny thing happened on the way to The Future. The Caps started winning some games. They escaped the basement of the Eastern Conference. And as of the trade deadline, they found themselves just two points out of first place in the Southeast Division, with the No. 3 seed that comes with it. The Caps success on the ice put GM George McPhee in the hot seat off of it.

The biggest trade chip he had at his disposal was UFA Mike Ribeiro, currently enjoying his career year. Not only did McPhee not trade Ribeiro for younger players in order to re-stock the cupboard, but he went in the entirely opposite direction, selling off a cost-controlled asset in order to bolster the playoff chances of the flawed, but still in contention, current club.

Make no mistake, Martin Erat is a good player. He has long suffered playing with inferior offensive talent with Nashville, toiling away in coach Barry Trotz’ defense-first, last and only approach with the Predators. Still, he’s been a perennial 50-plus point scorer in those extreme conditions. Who’s to say what he’ll do receiving passes from Nick Backstrom or Mike Ribeiro, with space afforded to him with Alex Ovechkin or Troy Brouwer on the other wing?

Quick, name me a center Erat has played with in his 11 years in Nashville. Just one.

McPhee was adamant talking with the press afterward that the Caps have one goal in mind: making the playoffs. “We weren’t going to be sellers,” the tight-lipped McPhee said.

“You’re here to win; we’ve been in that mode for a while,” McPhee elaborated. “This is six years of trying to win a Cup. We had our rebuild phase. We sort of rebuild things on the fly around here, but we’d like to continue to make the playoffs while we’re doing it.”

Some might say this thought process is folly. That it’s a zero-sum game: You either go “all-in” one way or the other, stocking your roster full of veterans or prospects. These folks think managing an NHL team is a singular focus proposition.

The fact is, making the playoffs every season is a critical financial goal of any team, especially one that has so much contract money tied up long-term like the Caps do with Ovechkin and Backstrom. The Caps can’t fiscally afford to give up on any chance of making the playoffs. They are within logical sight of the goal, so McPhee — like any good manager — wanted to give his club the best chance to do just that.

That he sacrificed a player that one day may be special is difficult to swallow for some fans. They see a flawed roster, one they think has little chance to compete for hockey’s Holy Grail, and want McPhee to “blow it up”, trading veterans and spare parts for younger players and the promise of The Future.

But no one knows what The Future holds. No one knows if Forsberg is a legitimate franchise-altering player, or just another prospect whose best years were when they were teenagers. Forsberg, for all his pedigree and glowing prospect reports, is 48th in scoring this season in the Swedish secondary league, a league considered less in talent than the AHL.

If an NHL GM has a chance to secure a Top-Six forward to bolster his team’s playoff run for an unproven, 18-year-old prospect that hasn’t even played in North America yet, you gotta do it. That Erat still has two years on his deal and the Caps got a minor league player that was leading his team in assists AND penalty minutes is just icing on the cake.

It’s telling that McPhee made the point of telling the media that the Caps entire scouting department each had a vote on the trade and they all voted in favor of allowing Forsberg to go into the deal. That might be McPhee covering his, ahem, assets. But it could also be an insight into the thought process of how and why the Caps allowed their second best prospect to be dealt for a player 13 years his senior. 

McPhee was “damned if he did, damned if he didn’t” at the trade deadline. He’s being pilloried by a certain segment of the Caps fan base for this deal, but he’d be strung up by others if he had dealt popular veteran players for draft picks. There’s real value in the Caps making the playoffs this year, and McPhee showed guts obtaining a player that he thought will make the possibility of that happening greater.

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Washington Capitals trade Filip Forsberg for Martin Erat

April 3, 2013 by

The Washington Capitals have traded Swedish minor leaguer Filip Forsberg to the Nashville Predators for winger Martin Erat (4 g, 17 a in 2013) and AHL center Michael Latta, the Capitals announced this afternoon after the 3:00 pm NHL Trade Deadline.

Erat, 31, is a left-handed shooting right winger, had a career-high 19 goals and 39 assists last season and has broken the 50 point mark in five of the last six seasons. Latta, 21, will report to AHL Hershey. He ranked second on AHL Milwaukee in points and ranked first in assists among active players.

Capitals GM George McPhee will address the media soon and we’ll have a full report later.

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Washington Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld discusses Crawford trade

February 22, 2013 by

Audio courtesy Sky Kerstein

The Washington Wizards traded guard Jordan Crawford to the Boston Celtics before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. In exchange, the Wizards received injured forward Leandro Barbosa and center Jason Collins, with the contract for both players expiring at the end of the season.

Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld met with the media at Verizon Center Thursday evening to explain his rationale for the trade.

“Jordan did not fit into our current plans . . . or our future plans,” Grunfeld said during the press conference. “At this time, we thought it was in the best interest of everyone if we make this trade. It will be a good situation for Jordan. He might get an opportunity to go to a better team and help them and it will allow us to continue on the path that we’re trying to build in the locker room, with work ethic and team play, where everybody is on the same page and wanting to play for the same reasons. Being unselfish offensively and playing good, aggressive defense.”

To hear all of Grunfeld’s remarks, please click the link below.

02-21-13 Ernie Grunfeld Presser RAW

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Washington Wizards trade Crawford for expiring contract but larger problem continues

February 21, 2013 by

The Washington Wizards today traded out-of-favor shooting guard Jordan Crawford to the Boston Celtics for injured forward Leandro Barbosa. Barbosa has an ACL injury and is out the rest of the season. The Washington Post reports that the Wizards could receive another player in the deal.

[EDIT: The second player is C Jason Collins (1.2 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 34.8 fg% this season), according to Yahoo! Sports.]

Crawford, 24, has played in 43 games this season for the Wizards, and is averaging 13.2 points and 3.7 assists per game.

Barbosa, 30, is a career 12-point per game scorer, but will miss the remainder of the NBA season due to an ACL injury sustained earlier in February. Barbosa signed a league-minimum $1.2 million contract with the Celtics that expires at the end of the season. [Read more...]

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Washington Nationals trade Michael Morse in three-team deal

January 16, 2013 by

TEAM RECEIVES RHP A.J. COLE, RHP BLAKE TREINEN AND PLAYER TO BE NAMED LATER FROM OAKLAND

Michael Morse curtain call after his home run - Last Game of Regular Season-Philadelphia Phillies v. Washington Nationals, October 3, 2012 (Cheryl Nichols/District Sports Page)

Michael Morse curtain call after his home run – Last Game of Regular Season-Philadelphia Phillies v. Washington Nationals, October 3, 2012 (Cheryl Nichols/District Sports Page)

It should come as no surprise that the Washington Nationals today traded OF/1B Michael Morse. The manner in which they did so – and return the received – is what makes the story that much more interesting.

Morse was send back to his original club, the Seattle Mariners, where he’ll be part of a logjam for playing time between left field, first base and designated hitter along with about 14 other players. The Mariners in turn sent catcher John Jaso to the Oakland Athletics and the A’s sent former Nats draft pick — and Baseball America’s No. 3 rated prospect for the A’s system — A.J. Cole, rigth-handed pitcher Blake Treinen and a player to be named later (most likely from this past season’s draft class) to the Nationals.

Morse, always a fan favorite, hit .291/.321/.470 with 18 homers and 62 RBIs in 430 plate appearances last season, as injuries limited him to 102 games. Now 31, he’s only had one season in the big leagues were he’s played more than 102 games. Morse’s power has never been in question, but his injury history and lack of defensive proficiency led the Nats to pursue a true center fielder this off-season. Once the Nats landed Denard Span — moving Bryce Harper to left field — the writing was on the wall for Morse to be moved.

Cole, 21, was drafted in the fourth round of the 2010 Amateur Draft by the Nats and quickly became one of their top prospects. He was ranked very high coming into the draft but was seen as next-to-impossible to sign as he had a strong commitment to the University of Miami. The Nats signed him right before the deadline for a reported record signing bonus for a fourth round player.

The 6’4″, 180 hard-throwing righty dominated batters in the South Atlantic League for Hagerstown in 2011, with 108 strikeouts and just 24 walks in 89 innings pitched. The Nats traded Cole, along with Tommy Milone, Derek Norris and Brad Peacock to the A’s last off-season for All-Star starter Gio Gonzalez.

Cole started 2012 in High-A Stockton for the A’s and was pushed around. In his eight starts, he pitched to an 0-7 record and a 7.82 ERA, giving up a whopping 14.2 hits per nine innings. His strikeout rate was down just s tad, but his impeccable control never deserted him. He was demoted in mid-May to Low-A Burlington, where he dominated, going 6-3 with a 2.07 ERA with 102 Ks against a mere 19 walks.

The scouting report still stands on Cole. He has a big, heavy fastball at 94-95 MPH, a plus breaking pitch and a good feel for his changeup. He was considered to be one of the top five high school arms in his draft class and nothing he’s done as a pro, even his struggles in High-A last season, has changed scouts minds on him.

Treinen, 24, is another big bodied righty at 6’4″, 215. He spent last season at Stockton, where he went 7-7 in 24 appearances (15 starts) with 92 strikeouts and 23 walks in 103 innings. Treinen has been more hittable at each level of the minors as his career has progressed, as evidenced by the 10.1 hits per nine innings he gave up in 2012. Still, a player with a 4.00 K/BB ratio that throws 97 MPH is one that deserves more than just one look.

The player to be named later probably will come from Oakland’s 2012 draft class.

In trading Morse, GM Mike Rizzo took the opportunity to help restock the Nats farm system that has been depleted by the Gonzalez and Span trades. Getting a top-notch prospect like Cole in the deal, with another big arm to watch and a potential third player, seems like a coup. Morse is a defensive liability at this stage in his career, and combined with the fact that he has trouble avoiding injury, this return seems like the maximum that could have been expected for him. Sure, an MLB left-handed reliever would have been nice in the package, but Rizzo did a good job maximizing his assets in this deal, despite the nature of Morse’s relationship with the fans of D.C.

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Washington Nationals acquire catcher Kurt Suzuki from A’s

August 3, 2012 by

The Washington Nationals acquired catcher Kurt Suzuki from the Oakland A’s in exchange for minor league catcher David Freitas. Suzuki, 28, is a terrific defensive catcher in the worst hitting year of his career, currently hitting .218/.250/.286 with just one home run, but he is a lifetime .254/.311/.378 hitter with 15, 13, and 14 home run seasons to his credit.

Freitas, 23, is hitting .271/.374/.407 for High-A Potomac. He’s been an All-Star in each of his three minor league seasons, though he’s still a work in progress behind the plate.

Suzuki is due about $1.8 million this season and under contract next season at $6.45 million, and has a team option for 2014.

Suzuki will immediately address the Nats biggest need: someone with Major League experience to share the catching duties with Jesus Flores, who has been beaten up with the workload this summer. Teams have been running wild on the Nats pitchers lately and Suzuki has thrown out base runners at a 29 percent clip for his career and at 38 percent this season.  He is well-respected by his peers and pitching staffs, and will be reunited with former teammate Gio Gonzalez in D.C.

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Washington Capitals Trade Dennis Wideman to Calgary Flames

June 27, 2012 by

Dennis Wideman during warmups at Verizon Center, May 2 (Cheryl Nichols/District Sports Page)

After the press conferencintroducing Adam Oates as the new head coach of the Washington Capitals, the media were able to have a side session with GM George McPhee and the subject of today’s trade of the right of D Dennis Wideman was obviously a topic of discussion. Here are a few quotes from McPhee on the trade, how it went down, and the reason behind letting Wideman go.

On how it went down: “Calgary asked before the draft [about Wideman] if they could talk to him if we weren’t going to sign him. Based on where we’re going and wanting [Dmitry] Orlov to play more this year and having cap space to do the right things, we weren’t going to be able to sign him. We gave Calgary permission to talk to him and they were close to a deal at [last week's NHL] draft and it would have been a fifth round pick at the draft. Then they called after the draft and said, ‘Listen, if we can get him done before July 1 [start of free agent period], we’ll give you a pick for next year’. So I said, ‘By all means.’ They were first class and it’s good for us and great for Dennis and it’s good for the Flames.”

On the player received from Calgary, Jordan Henry: “He’s going to be a free agent, but we have some interest in having him in the organization so we need to talk with him a little bit.

On why Wideman didn’t fit into the Caps plans: “It wasn’t clear but based on what we had to do in putting all the payroll models together it was going to be hard to keep him. He plays right and D and we have two other right defensemen in [Mike] Green and [John] Carlson that need new deals and need to play a lot. He did a great job for us. We traded for him to replace Mike, fill in for Mike when Mike was injured — and Mike was injured a lot the last couple of years — and he helped out. But we think Orlov is in a place now that he can play just as much.”

On if he thinks the Caps need to add a defenseman: “We think we’re in pretty good shape. Orlov can play and we like the Schilling kid. He played really well and should see games here [this season]. in my mid, we have seven with a possible eight.”

On if he’d had any negotiations with Wideman before Calgary called: “I didn’t want to negotiate with him if I wasn’t sure that we were going to be able to do it. I don’t want to mislead a player or the agent. So we told them we’re going to need som time and then when if got right down to it I didn’t think we were going to be able to do it.”

_______________________________

Per team press release:

Capitals Acquire a Fifth Round Draft Pick in the 2013 NHL Draft from the Calgary Flames for Defenseman Dennis Wideman

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have acquired a fifth-round draft pick in the 2013 NHL Draft and defenseman Jordan Henry from the Calgary Flames in exchange for defenseman Dennis Wideman, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today.

Henry, 26, collected 11 points (two goals, nine assists) and 97 penalty minutes in 68 games with Abbotsford and Chicago of the American Hockey League (AHL) last season.

Wideman recorded 46 points (11 goals, 35 assists) in 82 games with Washington last season. The Kitchener, Ontario, native was named to his first NHL All-Star Game last season and has tallied 251 points (67 goals, 184 assists) in 535 career NHL games with St. Louis, Boston, Florida and Washington.

Both players are set to become unrestricted free agents on July 1.

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Washington Wizards acquire forwards Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza

June 20, 2012 by

The Washington Wizards today announced the team acquired forwards Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza from the New Orleans Hornets in exchange for forward Rashard Lewis and the 46th overall pick in the upcoming 2012 NBA Draft.

From the press release:

Okafor (6-10, 255) holds career averages of 12.7 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks while shooting .517 from the field in 511 career games over eight seasons between Charlotte and New Orleans. The former second overall pick was named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year in 2005 and was one of three players (joining Tim Duncan and Dwight Howard) to average a double-double from 2004-05 to 2008-09. He has averaged at least 10 points, nine rebounds and 1.5 blocks in seven of his eight NBA seasons and has shot at least 53 percent from the field in the last six consecutive seasons. Okafor averaged 9.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.0 blocks while shooting .533 from the field in 27 games for the Hornets last season.

Ariza (6-8, 210) holds career averages of 9.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 499 games over eight seasons with New York, Orlando, L.A. Lakers, Houston and New Orleans. Over the last three seasons, he has averaged 12.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.7 steals while shooting .323 from three-point range with the Rockets and Hornets. Ariza helped lead the Lakers to the 2009 NBA Championship, contributing 11.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting .476 from beyond the arc in 23 games (all starts) during their title run. Last season, he averaged 10.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals while shooting .333 from three-point range in 41 games for the Hornets.

These two players will significantly strengthen the Wizards lineup, combining with Nene, Kevin Seraphin, Chris Singleton, Trevor Booker and Jan Vesely in the front court. The addition of two forwards this close to the draft would indicate the Wizards are leaning toward smooth-shooting Bradley Beal with the No. 3 overall pick in the draft. Beal, a 6’4″ shooting guard, would pair with point guard John wall to form a dynamic back court to go with the Wizards bolstered front court.

The arrival of Okefor could also signal the end of the road for Andray Blatche, out most of the year last year with conditioning issues. The Wizards could apply for amnesty on his contract and part ways with the talented but troubled big man.

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DONE DEAL: Nationals acquire Gio Gonzalez from A’s

December 22, 2011 by

PEACOCK, MILONE, NORRIS, COLE SENT TO OAKLAND TO COMPLETE BLOCKBUSTER DEAL

According to multiple reports, the Washington Nationals have acquired left-handed starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez from the Oakland A’s in exchange for RHP Brad Peacock, LHP Tom Milone, catcher Derek Norris and RHP A.J. Cole.  Peacock and Milone both made their Major League debuts last season after the rosters expanded in September.

Gonzalez, 26, was an American League All-Star last season, a campaign where he finished 16-12 with a 3.12 ERA, 1.317 WHIP, 197 strikeouts and 91 walks, which led the junior circuit.  That followed his 2010 season where he posted a 15-9 record with a 3.23 ERA and 1.311 WHIP.  For his career, he’s average 8.6 K/9 while walking 4.4 per nine.  For a more elaborate analysis of his career statistics, please click here. 

Gonzalez joins Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann to form a formidable, young, cost-controlled top of the Nats rotation, to be followed in some order by Chien-Ming Wang and John Lannan, with Ross Detwiler — who is out of options — competing for a role.

The Nationals paid a steep price for a classic, left-handed power pitcher.  Peacock (3), Cole (4) and Norris (9) were among the Nats top five prospects, according to Baseball America, with Milone in the second ten among Nats top minor league players. 

Peacock rose fast in the Nats system, showing a plus fastball and nasty knuckle-curve, but has yet to develop a consistent third pitch that would seem necessary to thrive as a starter in the big leagues.  Milone is a soft-tossing control specialist from the left side.  The lack of velocity on his fastball seems to limit his prospect status, but all he ever does when he goes up a level is succeed.  Norris has tremendous plate discipline (.403 career MiLB OBP) and power from the catching position, but sometimes has trouble making consistent contact, as his career minor league .249 batting average would attest to.

Cole, 20 on Jan. 5, is a heralded starting prospect with the highest ceiling of any of the players traded.  A fourth round pick in the 2010 draft, he slipped due to a college commitment, but the Nats got him signed and into their system.  He went 4-7 with a 4.04 ERA and 1.247 WHIP for Low-A Hagerstown last year, but struck out 10.9 per nine innings while walking just 2.4 per nine.

This move, sacrificing much of the Nationals MLB starting pitching depth and two of their top minor league prospects, signals a “go for it” attitude from GM Mike Rizzo.  The Nats had been very quiet on the Hot Stove League up until today, bidding for Mark Buerhle and losing to division rival Miami, and staying out of the Yu Darvish bidding altogether.

It’s a testament to the job Rizzo and his staff have done in recent drafts, to have the number and quality of prospects to pull off a trade of this magnitude.  All-Star pitchers don’t get traded every day (though Gonzalez joins Mat Latos this week in changing addresses for similar prospect packages), and Rizzo has built one of the strongest, youngest rotations in the National League.  Time will tell how much it really cost him and his team, but the Nats now have a pitching staff that should be strong enough to contend for a wild card spot this season.

The trade does not come without risk though.  As noted in my analysis Wednesday, Gonzalez has one of the highest walk rates of any active starter and has benefitted from pitching in the most pitcher-friendly ballpark in the big leagues in Oakland.  He also has an unusually high strand rate and unusually low extra-base hit rate, which could raise a red flag once ballpark factors are considered.  But he misses a lot of bats, has a tremendous breaking ball, and does it all from the left side, particularly important when facing some of the lineups in the N. L. East.

The move leaves open speculation that Rizzo might not be done.  In trading some of his top prospects, he might consider going “all in” and going after free agent 1B Prince Fielder, which would only cost the team some of the Lerner’s money.  Signing a legitimate clean-up hitter to round out the batting order to go along with the talented young pitching staff could vault the Nats from Wild Card possibilities to legitimate contender status.

Stay tuned Nats fans.  There might be Happy Holidays in Natstown yet.

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Nationals mull Gio Gonzalez, but at what cost?

December 21, 2011 by

According to this report by esteemed MLB.com beat reporter Bill Ladson, the Washington Nationals have made Oakland A’s left-handed starter Gio Gonzalez their “top priority” this off-season, according to an unnamed baseball source.  The report mentions that Oakland is looking for a package of up to four young players.  Ladson specifically mentions that pitcher Brad Peacock and Derek Norris have been mentioned as possible trade candidates.

It’s no secret Oakland is looking to shed payroll and collect prospects in order to lower costs as they continue to try to swindle San Jose into building them a new baseball palace and get permission from Commissioner Bud Selig to move there.  Gonzalez became arbitration eligible this off-season and is due a HUGE raise from last season’s $420,000 contract.  He does not become a free agent until 2016, but should his career stats stay in line with his production of the last two seasons, that might not matter a whole lot to the dollar figures in his contract.  He’s going to get expensive quickly, and that doesn’t figure into Oakland’s plans.

The last two seasons, Gonzalez has quietly been one of the more productive starters in the American League.  He doesn’t get a lot of attention since he plays in relative obscurity in the Oakland market on a not-great team.  But his ERA has been solid (3.23 in 2010, 3.12 in 2011), though outperforms his FIP and xFIP fairly significantly due to extremely low home run rates and a high percentage of runners left on base.  It’s not uncommon for a pitcher to outperform his FIP and xFIP over the course of one season, but it’s interesting when a pitcher does so in back-to-back seasons in an identical manner (see: Lannan, John).

Gonzalez has classic power pitcher numbers: high strikeouts, high walks.  He’s averaged 8.6 K/9 over his four-year career and 4.4 BB/9.  He’s been able to mitigate his high walk rate with a low H/9 rate (7.7 in ’10, 7.8 in ’11) and low HR/9 rate (0.67 in ’10, 0.76 in ’11).  That’s predominantly why he’s been able to strand runners at rates over 77 percent.  He does generate a fair number of ground balls, but hardly elite.

Here’s the big caveat with Gonzalez:  His extra-base hit rates are, in a word, extraordinarily low.  He gives up extra bases at two-thirds the rate the average Major League pitcher does.  By the way, did I mention he has played his home games in the cavernous Oakland Coliseum the last two seasons with one of the best outfield defenses in the game?

What happens when you take a pitcher that gives up a lot of walks and few home runs and put him in a offense-neutral or offense-friendly park?  I think you see where I’m going with this.  Not surprisingly, his home numbers for his career are significantly better than his road numbers in equal playing time.  His ERA is three-quarters of a run higher on the road, with a correspondingly worse average, OBP and slugging against.  His road numbers are not terrible, I should point out, but still significantly worse than the favorable conditions of the Mausoleum.

Bottom line: Gonzalez is a good, but not elite pitcher.  He has had the benefit of playing in one of the biggest ballparks in the game over his career.  If he had enough innings to qualify, he would rank only above Oliver Perez in walks allowed per nine innings among active pitchers.  He’s going to get very expensive very quickly.  The Mat Latos comparisons are not fair. 

Again, Gonzalez has been a very productive pitcher for the A’s the last two seasons, I don’t want to confuse anybody.   His strikeout rates are excellent and very enticing.  But baseball isn’t played in a vacuum.  When conditions changes, results often change.   Don’t let his All-Star designation last season cloud your judgment.  With his walk rate, he’s not an “ace”, and no one should put a trade package together for him as such.  He’s worthy of acquiring, and would bolster the Nats rotation in the No. 3 slot, but not at the cost of depleting the farm system of much of its almost-MLB ready talent as rumored.

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