Park James- The Birds have recently made several trades which seem to have gone in separate directions. For example getting Victor Martinez had the potential to add great pop to a struggling offense. We thought that was a great trade, and then you turn him around for a young pitcher with a history of arm injuries. You've stated that your goals are to make the playoffs this season and Jordan doesn't really help you in that respect, does he?
Jeremy Byrd- I can see why you may think that and while it is true that Jordan doesn't necessarily help us this season, he will make a few starts within in the next month or so. I think, as a general manager, one has to be considerate of all options, at all times. We want to win now and plan to win now, but we feel that Jordan offers us a lot more future value and feel that he would fit into our rotation nicely with Ian, Jake, Kyle and Ervin for next season. With Victor, we did get back a very nice bat, but yet lose so much on defense by having him in the game. We had to determine if his offense would make up the difference or not. Honestly, we look at Jordan as a top of the rotation guy.
Park James- How difficult was it for you to pull the trigger and trade Justin Morneau?
Jeremy Byrd- I can tell you that it was a very difficult decision. We acquired Justin early before the season started and felt that he would fit into a long term role with our club. After his injury, we do not feel that he has recovered at a pace suitable with our expectations. We traded our best hitter, so our guys absolutely need to step up if we are to have a chance. We also like what we got in Sizemore and fully expect him to patrol center field next season. Losing Vargas was difficult, but we felt we were deep enough in starting pitching.
Park James- Finally, Jeremy, how do you currently feel about trading away Jeremy Hellickson? Are you comfortable with what you have in return?
Jeremy Byrd- This was a trade that took days of negotiation and involved several proposals. At first we did not consider trading Hellickson, but felt that we did get enough back to justify the move. We have a good staff next season, which allowed us to make the move. Honestly, we really like the pieces we have in return. We are huge on the talent of Jake Arrieta. We believe that once he has more confidence in his pitches that he will become an elite pitcher in the league. He quietly is among the (MLB) winners in wins at 8-3. We love his composure. He can have the bases loaded and be just as calm as he would after a 9 inning shutout. We also got back a player that we believe could be the best closer in the game in 3 years. Kimbrel is a guy we have had our eye on for some time and will anchor our bullpen for years to come. We sorely needed a strong arm in the back end of our pen and he certainly fits that mold. However, we would not have made the trade without the first pick coming back to us. Though there is risk involved, as there always is really, we feel that we can add another strong piece for our contention next season.
Park James- Just two more questions. Can you give us an idea what you might look for with that pick? Lastly, it seems like most of your trades have been geared for next season, can you comment on that?
Jeremy Byrd- I prefer not to comment on the first part of the question. Our scouting team is following guys very closely that we feel could be an impact for us next season. I guess you could say that our trades are more geared for next season. We did get Kam Loe to strengthen our bullpen and we get Madson back next block so we do feel okay with where our pen stands for this season, and our chances I might add.
Park James- Thank you for your time. Do you have any comments on other trades that have been made this season?
Jeremy Byrd- No, not really. You're welcome, thanks for the questions!
I thought the trades were all pretty solid, and essentially getting Zimmermann and Sizemore for Morneau could pay off huge for you if they both can stay healthy. It's easy to forget that Sizemore was a 1st rounder in the entry draft!
ReplyDeleteI love Hellickson, but I think you got a good haul for him. Too bad I'll have to deal with him in my division going forward now!