And One More Thing...
Prospects, Relievers and Throw-ins are Often Keys to Deadline Deals
Super-LOOGy Damaso Marte has already left Pittsburgh for the bright lights of New York City. Which other relief specialists and prospects will follow in today's whirlwind?
With big names like Mark Teixeira, Pudge Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr and even (gulp!) Manny Ramirez being thrown around this week, it's easy to miss the smaller names that often mean the most in the long run.
While the big names get the headlines, it's often the extra bullpen help, the throw-in bench players, and most of all the high-upside prospects that end up meaning more to teams in the long haul. Who can forget the young trio of prospects that the Montreal Expos tossed in to acquire ace Bartolo Colon at the deadline in 2002?
Colon was great down the stretch, completing his career-best season, but the Expos missed the playoffs anyway.
The main player the Expos sent back to Cleveland, pitcher Tim Drew, didn't amount to much, but the three prospects that the Indians also acquired as throw-ins? Well, Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee and Brandon Phillips have done just fine, thank you.
After today's inevitable big deals go down, be sure to come back to ScoutingBook.com, where we'll pick through the rubble to point out the most interesting of the shiny details, especially if you're a fan of prospecting for hidden gold.
