DBacks acquire Jon Rauch

by Ramp on Jul 22, 2008 8:38 PM EDT Comment 9 comments

Nationals acquired second baseman-outfielder Emilio Bonifacio from the Diamondbacks for RHP Jon Rauch.

If Jim Bowden wasn't already on the way out, this should do it. He just traded one of the best relievers in the market for a single prospect who isn't at all likely to become an adequate regular. Losing Rauch will hardly doom the franchise when it's ready to contend in 2010 at the earliest, but Bowden should have done a lot better or just kept his reliever, who wasn't going to be a free agent until after 2010. Bonifacio will go to Triple-A for now, but the Nats will probably give him a shot at second base in August. His speed might give him some fantasy value then, but he projects as a long-term reserve.

The above courtesty of Rotoworld. That's an absolutely horrible deal for Washington. There is nothing special about Bonifacio and you would think Rauch would be worth much more than a 23 year old utility guy who isn't exactly lighting up AAA.

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He plays

a great 2nd base and is one of the fastest runners in baseball. His speed is often compared to Jose Reyes. I love this trade for the Nats.

I am like your Dan Aykroyd and biglow would be Jane, the ignorant slut. -Chad

by thecoolest on Jul 22, 2008 9:18 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

But

The Nats could have had so much more… Jon Rauch was one of the best names on the trade market, and they acquired someone who John thinks will be a good utility guy, and who Baseball Prospectus sees as the next Miguel Cairo.

by demondeaconsbaseball on Jul 22, 2008 9:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

While it's true

that they probably could have gotten more out of Rauch, I still think that getting him was a good deal. I do think that they could (and should) have gotten another low level prospect out of him, but Bonifacio is still a good player.

In the end, I think we’re just overvaluing Rauch.

I am like your Dan Aykroyd and biglow would be Jane, the ignorant slut. -Chad

by thecoolest on Jul 22, 2008 10:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

color me

unimpressed with the numbers he is putting up in hitter-friendly PCL

FutureFish

by Ramp on Jul 22, 2008 10:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

theft

While Bonafacio isn’t a terrible prospect, he’s probably not much more than ULT infielder with a good glove but minimal pop. Rauch was maybe the 2nd best RP on the market and has proven capable of closing out games. You need to get a lot more than Bonafacio.

Plus, Rauch is cheap through 2010.

by rdf8585 on Jul 22, 2008 11:01 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

scratching my head

I agree with those who are surprised that washington didn’t get more. If Bonifacio is the next Jose Reyes (highly unlikely) then it’s a good deal. Otherwise, it does seem that Bowden could have gotten quite a bit more for Rauch. I mean, the guy has put up excellent the numbers the last 2-3 seasons, has shown he can close, is signed cheaply through next season and almost every team who is or thinks they are a contendor was looking for bullpen help.
Now I have heard that Rauch isn’t the brightest crayon in the box, but come on. With the current trade market, you would think he would be exchanged for at least a couple of good prospects or at least one awesome one. to get a guy who may be a quality player or a utility guy is waaaaaaaaaaaay too little.

by joltinjoe on Jul 23, 2008 12:11 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs