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Big League Stew

Fri Nov 06, 2009 1:06 pm EST

J.J. Hardy and Carlos Gomez swap places in Upper Midwest

By 'Duk

The World Series hasn't even been over a full two days, but baseball's hot stove has already bypassed the preheating stage.

Yes, feel the heat, folks.One day after the White Sox and Royals swapped Chris Getz(notes) and Josh Fields(notes) for Mark Teahen(notes), the Brewers have sent shortstop J.J. Hardy(notes) up I-94 for Twins outfielder Carlos Gomez(notes). 

Though he was once part of the franchise's foundation, Hardy struggled with the Brewers in 2009 and even earned a trip to the minor leagues in August. With young Alcides Escobar(notes) already tabbed as the Brewers' shortstop of the future, Hardy became expendable and he'll have a shot at becoming the productive shortstop the Twins are seemingly always searching for.

As for Gomez, he struggled at the plate in 2009, posting a dismal .623 OPS over 137 games. His promise comes in the fact that he plays great defense and will still only be 24 years old on Opening Day. He was the key prospect in the Johan Santana(notes) deal, but a crowded Twins outfield means that he'll have to try to realize that potential at Miller Park.

Initial edge: Minnesota gets the early win here as it adds a solid piece for 2010 and possibly eliminates the need of paying Orlando Cabrera(notes) to return. Meanwhile, the Brewers are still dealing with a raw commodity and the only currently visible benefit is that they could save money by not bringing back Mike Cameron(notes) to play center field.   

Related: J.J. Hardy

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22 Comments

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  1. fridman84
    1. Posted by fridman84 Fri Nov 06, 2009 1:21 pm EST

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    Great trade, Gomez is a terrible hitter and a crybaby
  2. gaborik10m
    2. Posted by gaborik10m Fri Nov 06, 2009 1:26 pm EST

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    Keep it going Twins.
  3. grant_19_05
    3. Posted by grant_19_05 Fri Nov 06, 2009 1:41 pm EST

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    thank god. No more hardy. You can now deal with that awfulness in Minn.
  4. Peter D
    4. Posted by Peter D Fri Nov 06, 2009 1:57 pm EST

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    awful infielder for awful outfielder. funny that it actually adresses both teams needs tho
  5. Kenny H
    5. Posted by Kenny H Fri Nov 06, 2009 2:07 pm EST

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    Both pretty bad players. Good for both teams.
  6. MAGNUM
    6. Posted by MAGNUM Fri Nov 06, 2009 2:31 pm EST

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    Minny owned Melvin on this one!!!!!
    They unclog their OF (by getting rid of the worst one), get a starting shortstop (tough to find in MLB), and dont have to give up any young pitchers.
    Well done by Minny....Melvin got a little trigger happy.....
  7. Gabriel Rockman
    7. Posted by Gabriel Rockman Fri Nov 06, 2009 2:46 pm EST

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    Milwaukee gets one of the few CFs with as good fielding as Cameron & as bad a batting average as Cameron ... but hey, he's over 10 years younger. And they get to unload a bad contract & open up a spot for Alcides Escobar. And Carlos Gomez could definitely bring his avg up to a reasonable number in the future.
    Minnesota clears up a crowded OF, but I'm not sure why they would want JJ Hardy instead of Orlando Cabrera.
    I think Milwaukee won out big here. Remember who Minnesota traded away to get Carlos Gomez .... and now instead of Johan Santana they have JJ Hardy. Not quite the same.
  8. uhhh, clem
    8. Posted by uhhh, clem Fri Nov 06, 2009 4:26 pm EST

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    I lke the fact that teams are making deals early
  9. genius_man16
    9. Posted by genius_man16 Fri Nov 06, 2009 5:00 pm EST

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    I think it's a good trade. As you stated, Minnesota will reap the benefits more this year, but Gomez has an extreme upside, and I think that if he is developed right by the coaches in Milwaukee he will end up being the far superior player.
  10. gogooners
    10. Posted by gogooners Fri Nov 06, 2009 5:56 pm EST

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    ANYTHING to get rid of Hardy--he got slower by the day last season. Never seen a shortstop hit into as many double plays as he did, nor have I ever seen a dude go into a funk like he did at the plate. Dude looked like he had a double-bottom plow hooked to his rear when he ran.
    The Twinkies can have him and his overly high salary cap. In the end, batting average ends up a wash, but we dump Hardy's and Cameron's salaries, get much faster on the base paths (good for Braun and Fielder as it unclogs the bases in front of them) and free up some cash for signing pitching. And lets face it--unless you're the Yanks, BoSox, Flubs, Phils, Dodgers or Angels this is as good a deal as the Brewers could hope for to get rid of some dead weight.
  11. Ben D
    11. Posted by Ben D Fri Nov 06, 2009 10:39 pm EST

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    Look, Hardy is terrible. Gomez ain't that much better, but the difference is, the Brewers could use Gomez to replace $10 million worth of overpaid Mike Cameron. Hardy was no longer part of the plan in Milwaukee.
  12. Daniel P
    12. Posted by Daniel P Sat Nov 07, 2009 6:21 am EST

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    Make notes . . . this could become a very good trade for both teams. I think Hardy had a terrible year but is not a terrible player and really can become a Gardenhire garden-variety piranha. Gomez gives Milwaukee something they've missed in their attack/defense. Me likes. Good luck to both.
  13. toml
    13. Posted by toml Sat Nov 07, 2009 9:54 am EST

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    What's the knock on Orlando Cabrera? He has been a consistent winner. I'm a Yankee fan, but I was relieved to see the Red Sox let him go and am relieved when we get him out in the clutch. The Yanks don't have room for him as a starter, but he is still a good ballplayer with an excellent mental make-up. If he's ready for a reserve role, the Yanks might be smart to pick him up. Somebody should!
  14. Sean
    14. Posted by Sean Sat Nov 07, 2009 7:04 pm EST

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    I want some more of Milwaukee's "terrible" former all-stars. Anyone else you guys will send to us on the cheap?
  15. RaymondGuy
    15. Posted by RaymondGuy Sun Nov 08, 2009 1:13 am EST

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    Hahaha, this trade so soon after the World Series shows that some teams really don't belong in the majors ... and many players too. * MLB + Bud Selig = ML BS *
  16. twink
    16. Posted by twink Sun Nov 08, 2009 7:05 am EST

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    brewers suck go cubs
  17. brian l
    17. Posted by brian l Sun Nov 08, 2009 9:55 am EST

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    who really cares about baseball. it isn't what it use to be. now days these idiots can't even speak the language. really cuban, chinese, dominican republic and who else no where they come from. why don't they all go back and let people that can speak the language play the game..
  18. Sean
    18. Posted by Sean Sun Nov 08, 2009 10:31 am EST

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    "and who else no where they come from"
    I guess we can include you among the idiots that don't know how to speak the language?
  19. D White
    19. Posted by D White Sun Nov 08, 2009 8:16 pm EST

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    #16 i second that!
  20. xtradloffx
    20. Posted by xtradloffx Mon Nov 09, 2009 12:04 am EST

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    Enjoy GOMEZ Brewers he sucks big donkey sack
  21. LetsGoTwins
    21. Posted by LetsGoTwins Mon Nov 09, 2009 8:52 am EST

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    GoGo for JJ, fair enough. We need a good SS, but I'll miss Gomez.
  22. skoolbushawg22
    22. Posted by skoolbushawg22 Mon Nov 09, 2009 11:38 am EST

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    Hardy is solid but he has the be the slowest player in the league. The knock on hardy with the brewers was his bat but look at gomez's numbers and he's getting on base even less. It's all great the brewers added speed but I've never seen a more conservative manager on the bases. With the brewers lineup they should have been among the league leaders in stolen bases. Felipe Lopez, escobar, braun, hart, cameron can run. That's great they can go from first to third on a single but last time I checked, if you steal second then you can score on that same single. The pitchers are terrible so you have help him out be utilizing the talents of the offense by stealing bases. JJ made more mistakes in the field this past year too. The few years earlier he never made errors on routine plays...Never! The errors came from making a great stop then maybe rushing the throw that fielder couldn't dig out. This past year he booted easy plays. Minnesota got a heck of a player if he can relax and play like he once did. .275 25hr 80 rbi and + defense is amazing for a shortstop. Carlos has potential but all that means is he hasn't done it ...yet.

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Big League Stew is an MLB blog edited by Kevin Kaduk. Email him, and follow him on Twitter.

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