mweir145 wrote:Still not seeing any benefit at all here for Arizona. Kelly Johnson would be worth the money for the Jays if he accepts arbitration (7.5 fWAR over the last two seasons, compared to Hill's awful 0.7).
Convenient end points in your WAR analysis since they don't include KJ's awful '09 or hill's great '09. Or that almost all of KJ's value is tied up in one season while hitting in one of the best offensive parks in baseball. If you want to say that KJ is playing a little better right now then OK. But both players are struggling.
OK, but looking at Aaron Hill's 2009 season right now makes just about as much sense as looking at Jose Bautista's 2009. He's a completely different player than he was then. Having watched him in the two seasons since, he's slowed down on the defensive side and offensively he is completely and maybe even irreparably screwed up (thanks Cito?) And say what you want about Johnson's struggles this season, but he hasn't forgotten how to talk a walk (a skill that Hill has never had in his career). Johnson's not just playing a "little better right now." He's been over two full wins better almost entirely because Hill has been one of the worst players in baseball this season.
On the surface, this deal seems completely about the 2011 season, and under that guise it makes very little sense for the Diamondbacks. They downgraded at second base in a more significant way than they upgraded at shortstop, and potentially lost out on better compensation picks in the process. This is a head-scratcher.
This is just another move by Kevin Towers that the team is going to have to overcome. Hill is just a bad player and Rogers is actually a better offensive park than Chase this year. I doubt any team is going to give a pick if Kelly makes it to Type A, but I doubt the Dbacks are even considering offering Hill arbitration to get the Type B pick if he somehow holds on. It is just a terrible deal for the Dbacks.
I was hoping the Jays would go after Johnson this off-season, so now if he makes Type A, they won't lose a pick. And if they don't sign him, they get a pick or two. Plus, they got rid of two useless middle infielders. I like it. Hill has been beyond horrible for two seasons, and Macdonald was god awful with a bat in his hands, albeit he was a fan favourite that could sign with the Jays again next season.
I'm going to have to concur here... either the D'Backs got some cash to pay Hill's buyout, or it makes no sense from their standpoint.
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by mweir145 » Tue Aug 23, 2011 11:40 pm 
