Re: Stark: Coco on the south of 50/50 to be traded
The appeal of Marte isn't his average, he projects to around a .275-.280 hitter, but rather his power. He could easily be a 30 HR guy at 3B, who will provide Gold Glove-caliber defense. Tell me how many 30 HR 3B there are in baseball today and how the Indians were going to fill that position long-term? Aaron Boone was probably one of the best FA 3B signing of the past two years, and he has had very mediocre years here. You cannot sign a FA 3B with any semblence of talent without destroying the bank. So, instead, the Indians just got the best 3B prospect in baseball, a guy who compares well at his age to Matt Williams and Mike Schmidt in terms of development. All this for a slightly above-average OF.
Coco will likely win a Gold Glove at some point, but more for the fact he'll now be a Red Sox than his actual ability. He has excellent speed and gets a good read off the bat, but has one of the worst arms in baseball. He is Johnny Damon without the OBP and former facial hair. The thing is, what seperated Johnny Damon from the rest of CFs was his OBP.
If the deal happens where the Indians then turn around and acquire Jason Michaels from Philly, it gets even better. Michaels does have the OBP to play at the top of the order for a year or two until Snyder/Gutierrez/Francisco are ready to step in and take over. Michaels also has a much better arm in the OF and has a decent amount of speed, although like Crisp doesn't steal well.
I know the fans liked Coco, but this team just filled their only real long-term gap in the organization. There was no 3B that was not AT LEAST two years away from being major league ready, and that is Kouzmanoff who doesn't project as a power-hitting 3B. To fill that gap, they had to give up a player who plays a position of organizational strength in LF. Within a year all of Snyder, Gutierrez, Francisco and Mulhern may be ready to take over in LF/RF.
Great trade for the Indians, IMO.
