Wait, Why'd We let that Guy go Again?

This is the question I, and likely tons of other Rays fans, was asking after Edwin Jackson struck out a career-high 13 batters in his dominating performance Thursday against Tampa Bay.  Jackson, who also owns a no-hitter vs. the Rays, was once in our ranks, one of the good guys.  I can remember, can you?  Think back to '08, when Edwin was tied for the staff lead in wins at 14.  Remember?  Oh, I'm sure you do.

After I watched Matt Joyce flail at the final pitch of yesterday's game, I finally realized that Joyce was on the other side of the Jackson deal back in '08.  I always forget that when I see Matt Joyce running around in the outfield, we should, instead have Edwin on the mound.  While this deal is likely to end up being Andrew Friedman's biggest boner, I began to run through all the positive trades Friedman had pulled off since the start of his tenure following the close of the 2005 season.

In doing research for this piece, I found my premise was dangerously close to this well-written article over at draysbay.com.  But on a day in which the St. Pete Times Sports section is asking "When is it going to stop?", I've decided to try and give Rays fans something to feel good about.  That something being a spotlight on just how brilliant Friedman's wheelings and dealings have been in his five years in St. Petersburg.

My findings were a bit surprising, in that Mr. Friedman's front office has stayed rather busy over his time as de facto GM.  This busyness has yielded some 33 trades, many of which were hardly noteworthy, but are the norm for any small market team quarrying for major league talent.  My goal, unlike the aforementioned article, is to list Friedman's five greatest heists.  So without further adieu....


5.  6/2706: Traded Toby Hall/Mark Hendrickson/$$$ to the L.A. Dodgers for Dioner Navarro/Jae Seo.

In keeping with this blog's love affair with Navarro, he kicks off this list.  Pretty Simple here.  Hall never panned out, Seo didn't either.  The gangly Hendrickson posted more WAR throughout the remainder of his career, but Navarro was a fan favorite and played a pivotal position for the '08 pennant winners.  Also in 2008, Navarro was a member of the AL All-Stars, and batted .295 while collecting a solid 3.0 WAR for the season.

4.  1/14/06: Traded Danys Baez/Lance Carter to the L.A. Dodgers for Edwin Jackson and a minor leaguer.

Both Baez and Carter were essentially done with baseball after this trade.  As we know, Jackson is far from finished in the Show.  But taking a look at his time with the Rays, it's easy to understand why Friedman was willing to part with the then 25-year old Jackson.  He posted back-to-back seasons with ERAs above 5.00, and only accumulated 3.0 WAR in his three seasons as a Ray ('06-'08).  Mentioned above, Friedman parlayed Jackson into Matt Joyce on 12/10/08, and Matt has since given Tampa Bay 1.8 WAR.  The first trade was a solid move, and the second one has yet to be seen.  But anytime you
net 5 WAR from the likes of Danys Baez and Lance Carter, you've spun gold.

3.  12/3/07: Traded Elijah Dukes to the Washington Nationals for minor leaguer Glenn Gibson.

Gibson is no longer with the Rays, so how is it that this could be considered one of Andrew Friedman's shining moments?  Despite losing the talented Dukes for a minor leaguer, this trade set the tone for the 2008 team.  It was a message that we would no longer wipe the drivel from the mouth of the troubled Dukes' mouth, or any other malcontent for that matter, and that the organization was serious about winning going forward.  This set the tone for the '08 pennant winners and still resonates with the team in 2011.  Dukes did post a solid 2008 season getting on base at .386 clip, while slugging a stout .478.  However, it was Dukes character issues that finally spelled the end of his baseball career.  He's now out of baseball and looking at jail time following yet another arrest in March of 2011.  It's a sad story for sure, but Friedman was on top of his game in making this trade.

2.  11/3/09: Traded Akinori Iwamura to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Jesse Chavez.  Then on 12/11/09: Traded Jesse Chavez to the Atlanta Braves for Rafael Soriano.

This one is a twofer for the obvious reason that Jesse Chavez never pitched an inning for the Rays, primarily based on the fact that he was only on the Rays' roster for a little over a month, with that month being November.  Chavez has struggled with command issues and has yet to become a viable major league relief option.  Aki bounced from Pittsburgh to Oakland before landing back in his native Japan, unable to compete any further against MLB pitching.  Soriano, on the other hand, dominated the AL last season with a 1.73 ERA and a league-high 45 saves, which helped lead the Rays to their second division title in three year.  This maneuver displays Friedman's craftiness in dealing with the Rays' monetary constraints, while still being able to field a competitive squad.

1.  11/28/07: Traded Brendan Harris/Jason Pridie/Delmon Young to the Minnesota Twins for Matt Garza/Jason Bartlett/a minor leaguer.

Harris and Pridie have not panned out as legit MLB players.  And like headcase Elijah Dukes, Delmon Young had worn his welcome in Tampa Bay after various run-ins with manager Joe Maddon concerning his attitude and occasional lack of hustle.  In return, the Rays received Garza and Bartlett, who both became impact players for the '08 AL champs.

Delmon Young finally appears to be able to hit big league pitching after having below average showings in '08 and '09.  In 2010, he batted .293 while slugging .493.

Both Bartlett and Garza were dealt in the 2010-2011 offseason, but each had a remarkable run during their time in Tampa Bay.  Bartlett batted .288 for the Rays, and earned an All-Star appearance in 2009.  Garza averaged over 197 innings pitched with a 3.86 ERA in his three years with the Rays.

In terms of WAR, the Rays dominated this exchange.  Young posted negative WAR in his first two seasons for Minnesota, and has a cumulative 0.3 WAR in his three seasons there, put together.  In this same period, Garza (7.9) and Bartlett (7.4) combined for 15.3 WAR, netting the Rays 15 wins above replacement.

While Young, who is only 25 years old, will likely post numbers with greater consistency going forward, both Bartlett and Garza have been converted into an assortment of young players, who are likely to continue to give the Rays the value-edge in this trade.

Based on past results and the promising future, I have no choice but to make this #1 out of Friedman's trades.