Shane Victorino to Dodgers: Trade Analysis, Grade and Twitter Reaction
July 31, 2012 by Rob Goldberg
Filed under Fan News
After a disappointing season, the Philadelphia Phillies have decided to part ways with a key piece to their five-year run atop the NL East by trading Shane Victorino to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Tim Brown of Yahoo! reported the trade and says that the Phillies will get reliever Josh Lindblom and pitching prospect Ethan Martin in the deal.
Phillies have traded Victorino to Dodgers for Lindblom and Ethan martin
— Tim Brown (@TBrownYahoo) July 31, 2012
Victorino has been relatively steady this season, but the team as a whole has simply disappeared.
Philadelphia enters the day with a record of 45-57, good for 16.5 games behind the division-leading Washington Nationals. The Dodgers, on the other hand, are in the middle of a playoff race and can use all the offensive help they can get.
Twitter Reaction
The overall reaction from Philadelphia is not positive, as Victorino was a beloved member of the organization and the fans are sad to see him leave.
A typical fan shows her emotion.
The phillies really traded Shane victorino.. Excuse me while I go cry in a corner.. 🙁
— Danielle D’Alonzo (@itsdaniellexoxo) July 31, 2012
Joel Sherman, columnist at the New York Post, puts his career in perspective.
Victorino leaves for #Dodgers, but key member of best run in #Phillies history so will spend post-career as honored member of that family
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 31, 2012
Matt Swartz of FanGraphs mathematically put a monetary figure of the All-Star’s worth during his time with the team.
Victorino’s production as a Phillie would have cost $130MM on the free agent market. Got paid $23MM. Those savings helped fly those 5 flags.
— Matt Swartz (@Matt_Swa) July 31, 2012
However, Howard Eskin of NBC Philadelphia does not seem to mind watching the outfielder leave town.
Don’t cry or complain that S Victorino is gone. No crying in baseball. And good for #phillies to start changing approach at plate 4 team
— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) July 31, 2012
As far as the trade itself, New York Yankees beat writer Rob Abruzzese believes the Dodgers overpaid compared to the deal for Ichiro.
The Yankees got a much better deal for Ichiro than the Dodgers got for Victorino. Nice job by Cashman.
— Rob Abruzzese (@RobAbruzzese) July 31, 2012
Grade: A for both teams
For the Dodgers, the team adds a top-of-the-order hitter that can actually get on base, unlike Dee Gordon. Victorino is a threat to steal a base at any time and will improve the lineup immediately.
Los Angeles enters the day second to last in the National League in slugging percentage and 10th in runs scored. The team needs to find a way to manufacture runs, and Victorino can do that as well as anyone in the game, regardless of his current numbers.
The Phillies did not want to break up the team, but they really had no choice. They were spending too much money on the roster and would not be able to afford re-signing Victorino after the season anyway.
In return, they get a solid prospect in Ethan Martin that could enter the rotation in the next couple of years.
They also get a valuable reliever that will be under team control for a while. Considering the bullpen has the fourth-worst ERA in the majors, any addition will help.
What Comes Next?
The Phillies will likely continue moving other pieces of their team, while the Dodgers now look to acquire starting pitching, possibly Ryan Dempster.
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