Transaction Analysis: The Florida Glove Exchange

NEW YORK YANKEES Team Audit | Player Cards | Depth Chart

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Purchased the contract of 3B-R Miguel Andujar from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre. [6/28]

If I could only choose one word to describe Andujar, it would be “adventurous” and it would tell you much of what you need to know. The 22-year-old third baseman does everything with panache, but can also play out of control in all phases.

At the plate, Andujar combines plus bat speed and raw power; when he squares the ball, it can come out really hot and go really far. But his approach is as aggressive as they come, and while Andujar has good enough bat control to survive doing that, he often just doesn't put himself in a position to make his best contact. Defensively, he has more than enough athleticism and arm strength to play third, but inconsistent hands and throwing accuracy causes the profile to play down and might ultimately bump him to first.

He is already on the 40-man roster and has been red hot through most of this half-season with Double-A Trenton and a short stint passing through Triple-A, so the Yanks decided to bring up the hot bat. At present he projects as a solid backup corner infielder—the role that he seems ticketed for in the short-term as well—who can be spotted for good matchups, but even small improvements to his plate discipline and defense could propel Andujar into a viable long-term regular. —Jarrett Seidler

TAMPA BAY RAYS Team Audit | Player Cards | Depth Chart

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Acquired SS-R Adeiny Hechavarria from Miami Marlins in exchange for OF-L Braxton Lee and RHP Ethan Clark. [6/26]

For the past five years, I’ve been trying to figure out whether or not Hechavarria’s touted glove could offset his not-so-touted bat. Without power, patience, or even an especially loud hit tool, the new Rays shortstop is a cipher at the dish, a zero, the empty set. His career True Average of .229 is well below the acceptable level of performance, even for a shortstop. (The term BP’s stats glossary uses is “poor,” for the record.)

As such, the skill that Hech brings to a team is based almost entirely on his glove and—surprise, surprise—the various advanced defensive metrics are mixed on that tool’s value. BP’s FRAA metric has graded him as everything from bad (2013, -6.4 FRAA) to good (2014, 9.0 FRAA), and everything in between (2016, 2.3 FRAA). Other metrics such, as UZR and DRS, were very complimentary of his 2015 and 2016 campaigns, but less enthused by his leather before those seasons or during this one.

The eye test on Hechavarria—plus the positive words from talent evaluators and being named a finalist for last year's Gold Glove award—seems to reflect a solidly above-average defender without exceptional range. But the overall package isn’t all that exciting when paired with his lackluster bat and baserunning; over the past two seasons combined, he’s been worth about one win above a replacement-level player. With that in mind, what makes the Rays—a team that has often punted defense at shortstop in favor of a louder bat—interested in Hech as they try to scramble for a Wild Card berth?

Perhaps it’s the simple cost. Hechavarria ended up not costing the Rays all that much in terms of prospect capital. While Zack Cozart is available, the cost to acquire the Reds’ free-agent-to-be might’ve been a starting pitching prospect like Jacob Faria or Jose De Leon. Instead, this trade requires the team to give up relatively little. It’s also possible that the Rays simply value defense differently than other teams. As we discussed on a recent episode of the DFA Podcast, the team’s offseason centered on defense, acquiring glove-first players like Mallex Smith and Peter Bourjos while inking Kevin Kiermaier to a long-term deal.

Not only are the Rays apparently interested in beefing up their defensive efficiency, they might see something in the numbers that tells them that Hechavarria should be valued differently than his up-and-down public advanced fielding metrics. (After all, this is a team that certainly valued first base defense in the past, but in a way that appeared obtuse to some analysts. Hi, James Loney!)

Since the Matt Duffy Experience hasn’t worked out at all, and since Brad Miller has an injury of his own, and since Taylor Motter is with the Mariners now, and since Nick Franklin was never the answer, and since Alexei Ramirez was a stopgap at best … it’s time to try the next not-quite-franchise shortstop to take the field in Tampa Bay. Hechavarria isn’t a star, and perhaps isn’t even a league-average shortstop, but he allows Tim Beckham to slide over to second base and he’s likely better than whatever other shortstop options were floating around in Durham. (And he’s unlikely to make anyone long for the days of Elliot Johnson, which is a small win.) —Bryan Grosnick

MIAMI MARLINS Team Audit | Player Cards | Depth Chart

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Acquired OF-L Braxton Lee and RHP Ethan Clark from Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for SS-R Adeiny Hechavarria. [6/26]

Clark's primary offering is a mid-90s fastball that he's been able to locate thus far. Both of his secondary offerings are below average, but he can spin off some average ones every now and then. Viewed as a lottery ticket out of JUCO, he is still a lottery ticket now, just two years older with some signs of life after throwing 55 innings with a 3.11 ERA and 55/18 K/BB ratio at low Single-A this season. —Steve Givarz

Braxton Lee can run a little bit and serve as an emergency outfielder in a pinch, but he's the clear second piece of the deal and not likely to even threaten the barren Marlins top 10 prospect list. —Jeffrey Paternostro

MILWAUKEE BREWERS Team Audit | Player Cards | Depth Chart

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Claimed C-L Stephen Vogt off waivers from Oakland Athletics. [6/25]

Quick, which of the following is a more surprising fact?

• The Brewers are still atop the National League Central.
• Vogt was an All-Star in each of the past two seasons.

Or is the most surprising fact of all that the Athletics were willing to cut bait on Vogt after his offense went AWOL following the 2016 All-Star break? With Bruce Maxwell up—and existing, I guess—and the A’s seemingly committed to a Chapman-Olson-Barreto youth movement, is there really any use in keeping around an offense-first backstop who hasn’t hit for a year?

Probably not. But you could also see why the Brewers would be interested in a slightly-used, slightly-damaged former All-Star for some backup as they strive for the playoffs. Manny Pina’s been solid offensively, but that’s more than a little out of character for the 30-year-old receiver. Jett Bandy got off to a hot start, but he’s been worse than can be believed over the last month. Time in Triple-A could help him get back to where he needs to be. And Andrew Susac—a guy I thought could be the solution for the Brew Crew this season—has proved me wrong with a unbelievable .177 True Average in the minors.

So, Vogt gets to go to a contender and provide much-needed catching depth. And perhaps there’s a chance that the change of scenery could spark a revitalization of his dormant bat, though he just seems to be making slightly less hard contact, which isn’t always an easy fix. It’s a win-win for player and team, but how much do you want to bet that Jonathan Lucroy wishes he wasn’t quite so hasty in escaping Wisconsin last July? —Bryan Grosnick