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We picked up Kendrys Morales, a proven MOTO bat, for a RP with 32 MLB innings who was getting beat up in AA and AAA this year. We're renting a good bat and the cost was next to nothing. The interesting thing is that there wasn't a better offer coming the Twins' way.  Pryor was the best guy dangled in front of them?  Really?  Was every team fearful that Morales' bat wouldn't come around, eventually?  All the same, you have to look at this move as a feather in Jack Z's cap.  

 

We picked up Austin Jackson for Nick Franklin.  We brought in as much as we possibly could have in a Franklin trade, straight up.  We even leveraged David Price to accomplish it.  Take that TBR!  In and of itself, this was a very nice move by Z, too.  Jackson for Franklin is pretty sweet.  It will be sweeter if we can get Jackson to stick around Seattle.  Jackson if a very fine player, but no mashing hero.  However the market was pretty short of mashing heroes, so (as far as the trade goes) we're all smart enough to take what we got....and be quite happy.    

 

Chris Denorfia is the definition of a 4th OF/complementary player.  He historically slaps lefty pitchers around and he can play 3 positions in the OF.  He's struggled this year but he is classic #4 stuff.  We gave up a "washed up" Almonte and a AAA RP who was on the verge of a MLB stint.  He has some promise. RP's are notoriously fickle, you will remember.  We're renting Denorfia's bat and the cost is not much.  With Jackson's arrival, Almonte was completely expendable.  Something for next to nothing has a nice sound to it.

In each and every trade we did very well.  In each and every trade we ended up with the best player (looking at the Jackson/Franklin deal purely as a two-team event) in the deal.  And it wasn't even close.

All of that spells out a clear M's victory and high fives all around for Z's fleecing 'em.  

We kept out young arms and Deej, too.  Nice.  Nice.

But in the 24 July games after the 1st, we scored a total of 60 runs.  2.5 a game.  We lost 14 games in that stretch.  We scored 2 or less runs in 13 of them.  Man, in the month of July 4 runs was an offensive explosion for the M's.  It was clear at the end of June that we were WAY short of RH bats.  We were certainly pretty pokey in adding them.  So how do we look at that?  Well, take your pick:

1.  Z bet that our staff would keep us from totally spiralling into the ground and that he could get the guys he needed for low cost at the deadline.   Basically that's exactly what happened.  

2.  Z bet that Hart and Morrison would heat up and we wouldn't need to make a move.  Basically that's exactly what didn't happen.

3.  Z needed to find exactly the right deals to fit into a very small salary window (Hart's lost bonus).  The FO wouldn't let him make the huge move, despite Mather's protestations.

4.  Z was unwilling to make the huge move and settled for several smaller ones...in effect hedging his bets.

5.  Z simply had a case of the slows.

6.  Mix and match 1-5.

In the end, our Sharkanado of trades brought us 3 players of value.  2  of them are rentals, but the cost was essentially nothing.  Jackson was as good as we could expect for the bait we dangled.  September will be a month that counts for the M's and it's been a while since we could say that.  So why isn't this all a Grand Salami for our GM?

If you're asking me, it is simply because of the M's July.  We've fallen 4 games behind Toronto with the Royals and Yankees breathing down our necks. We were under-gunned in July and we all knew that we were in June......or in May, even.  Z's a cautious guy, he is very careful with his youthful MiLB resources.  I can well appreciate that.  But sometimes....just sometimes....as the French Revolutionary Georges Danton (not Frederick the Great, BTW)  said, "L'audace, l'audace, toujours l'audace!"

Of all the teams chasing the 2nd WC spot, none can boast a King and Kuma 1-2.  None.  None have the bullpen we have. We've got our Cano and that matches their best guy, too.  Seager is dang good, Zunino is RBI tough and a leader behind the plate.  Ackley is hot and we've added bats.  

If they get into the the playoffs the M's are a heck of a Sharkanado themselves.  Stay out of that water if you're the Orc or Angels! Guys, it's going to be an interesting finish.  Back in March this is what almost all of us were hoping for in '14.  Late summer matters in Safeco!  Hooooray!

Whether Z's mid-summer acquisition efforts deserve an "A+" or a "C" is worthy of debate.  We were 30 days late....perhaps.  But "coulda/shoulda/woulda" isn't that productive right now.  Our rosterbation right now is limited to whether Hart and Chavez should be DFA's and who our 1B should be.  Let us chew on that, but the M's are now a big factor and promise to be in '15, too.

The next two months promise to be great fun.  We may end up being well frustrated at the end of the journey but I'm looking forward to the trip.

Go team!

moe