DENVER – Trades are an imperfect science. When two teams agree to a deal, clearly both sides believe the deal was at least balanced, and probably leaning in their favor.
The goal for general managers is to make more good trades than bad trades, and the more significant the trade the more a G.M. needs a high success rate. It takes time to make a fair judgment on a trade. However, there are some trades where it doesn't matter some much whether they are good, bad or insignificant. The question begs: Was it necessary at all?
Just before the start of the season Phillies G.M. Pat Gillick decided that he wanted a power-hitting fifth outfielder enough that he traded Rob Tejeda to the pitching-desperate Rangers for veteran David Dellucci.
The season only is two weeks old. However, it hasn't been a great start for Dellucci. He entered Saturday night's game against the Rockies with one hit in 11 at-bats with five strikeouts.
When Dellucci arrived in Philadelphia hours before the season's opening game, it was clear he was shocked by the trade. In Texas he was slated to be a starter after a productive season in which he hit 29 home runs and scored 99 runs. With the Phillies he is a fifth outfielder, and fifth outfielders can expect to see maybe 200 plate appearances in a season – maybe.
Sure, you can make a speech about how baseball is a team sport and that winning should be every player's No. 1 priority. But let's say you were a standout at your place of work, then suddenly found yourself transferred to another office where you became a paper pusher who had far less significance.
Think you would take it in stride? Well, Dellucci is certainly fighting an inner battle over it. In fact, during an interview this weekend he said the phrase, "it's tough" so often he felt the need to apologize for repeating himself.
"It's tough," he said (obviously), "and there are a lot of variables that make it tougher. It's difficult for a player to go from two years of consistent playing time to a bench role. I'd be lying if I said I don't look at some of the opposing players who have 40 at-bats already and think about having 40 at-bats this time last year."
Based purely on statistical facts, it was tough to argue with the trade. Dellucci is a potent threat at the plate, and prior to getting an upgrade in playing time with the Rangers he was one of the better bench players in the majors. And the Phillies didn't give up the farm to get Dellucci. Tejeda could be a decent, bottom-of-the-rotation starter in the majors, or perhaps a good set-up reliever with some seasoning. The opinion of most is that he can be a big-league contributor, but Texas shouldn't expect any All-Star appearances from Tejeda.
The problem is that the Phillies probably would have been fine without making the trade. Chris Coste had an inspiring spring, not just for himself, but it caught the eyes of the other players in the clubhouse. No one would have had a qualm about Coste making the team, and just about everyone thought he deserve a chance to do so.
If having four outfielders became an uncomfortable situation, or if Coste did indeed use all of his hits in March, it wouldn't have been too difficult to find someone willing to make an in-season trade for a fifth outfielder.
Instead, what the Phillies have is a struggling fifth outfielder who knows he deserves better than to see five or six at-bats a week. Coste, meanwhile, is scuffling at Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes-Barre – and you know that his last-minute demotion is still tearing the career minor-leaguer in a million pieces.
Would Dellucci be struggling like this if he were still in Texas playing every day? Would Coste be unproductive if he were making pinch-hit appearances with the Phils instead of taking International League bus trips?
Maybe. The guess here is that two comfortable and content players in roles in which they both deserved to serve would be more productive than the two restless individuals languishing within the Phillies organization at the moment.
That is a factor Gillick should have taken into consideration when faced with that trade. And a career baseball guy like him should have known better than to ignore the consequences of upsetting the chemistry the way he did.