Breaking Down The Megatrade

Two of Belle's top teams, Syracuse and Hartford, have just agreed to the biggest trade in recent memory (maybe in league hitory). Here's how it breaks down:

Syracuse gets:
2B Rafael Brogna: Former MVP and multi-All-Star and Silver Slugger, easily one of the top 5 position players in the league. Salary is $10.7MM, and he can be a free agent after this year, so he's possibly a 1-year rental for Syracuse (only crump knows for sure).

1B Marquis Seo: Lifetime .327 hitter with 257 HR's in 7 complete seasons. Needs to take a few games off every year, but that's a minor flaw. Salary is $6MM and has 3 years to run on his contract.

3B Al Cortes: Not a big power threat but a good contact hitter (.287 over 3 seasons) and a steady glove (Gold Glove at 2B Season 10). This is his first arbitration year.

SP Vance Scutaro: 31-22, 4.65 over 3 seasons for the Katanas. Good control, decent sinker/curveball, just-OK splits. There's surely a place in the Warrior rotation for him, I'm just not sure he'll help much. 1st arbitration year.

SP Rob Jenkins: Found it in Season 11 with 16 wins/4.38 ERA, but lost it big-time last year with a 6.30 ERA (and 61 BB's in 110 IP). His stuff is plenty good to be effective, but erratic control makes him unpredictable. 1st arbitration year.

SP Bailey Anderson (AAA): Pretty good stuff but he's always going to struggle against righties. If he's in the majors with Syracuse they're in trouble.

Hartford gets:
1B Luke Joyner: Season 11 ROY with .307/42/125, followed up with .318/45/125 last year. One of the league's premier hitters. Still a year away from arbitration.

OF John Tamura: .314/33/109 in his first full season last year. May not win a batting title, but I bet he gets close. Can credibly field 5 positions. A year away from arbitration.

2B/3B William Pierce: Power-hitting IF with a trunk-full of Silver Sluggers and All-Star appearances. Drove in 140 runs in Season 9 for Columbus. Big price tag at $11.125 MM, with 4 years left on the contract.

SP Luis Gabriel: Nice rookie season in Chicago but struggled last year. Fair control, good 4-seam fastball and he's tough on righties. Gives up a lot of flyballs - not the recipe for Hartford. 2 years before arbitration.

RP Felipe Seneca (AAA): Good-looking short relief prospect with that exploding slider and a very good change. His splits aren't great, but with pitches like that I think he'll be pretty good. Hartford's pen will be tough to crack, but I'm betting he gets a shot.

Salary difference this year: Syracuse adds $8.3MM