Dissecting the Gomez/Hardy Trade
November 7, 2009
Carlos Gomez’s career has seen tremendous highs and lows in his two years with the Minnesota Twins. Many will remember Gomez popping up after scoring the winning run in the tiebreaker against the Detroit Tigers. Just as many will also remember his base running blunder that cost a run in Game 2 of the ALDS against the New York Yankees.
Those two moments, which happened four days apart for each other, really sums up the time Gomez spent with the Twins. Gomez, a highly talented centerfielder with an amazing amount of speed, has all of the potential in the world but is still rough around the edges and is prone to making mistakes.
With that said, I was still surprised when I found out that Gomez was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for shortstop J.J. Hardy.
Hardy was on my personal short list of potential shortstops to look at before possibly resigning Orlando Cabrera. I thought Hardy, along with Marco Scutaro, would both fit well in the Twins organization. Since the Brewers are in need of pitching, I figured Hardy would be a prime target ever since his playing time has diminished due to the emergence of Alcides Escobar.
Both Gomez and Hardy had seen their playing time drop in 2009 due to falling on the depth chart, however, with all things considered, the trade is great for both teams. They are both young, talented, players that should be playing everyday. With Hardy coming to the Twins and Gomez going to the Brewers, both teams are turning bench players into everyday starters.
What was the most surprising over the trade was on how quickly it was done. The trade happened just a day and a half removed from the final game of the World Series. With free agency looming and Orlando Cabrera being eligible, it was necessary for the Twins to act fast and explore other options before possibly looking at Cabrera once again.
Cabrera provided a huge spark for the Twins midway through the season and instilled a winning attitude and a veteran presence to the young team. With the Twins acquiring Hardy, Cabrera’s time with the team should all but be over. The next question is, will Nick Punto be shifted over to second base or will the Twins be looking to fill a player to fill that role as well?
Since his time in the General Manager role for the Twins, Bill Smith has been heavily criticized for his trades and acquisitions. For all of the bad moves he has made, one has to give him credit for his work over the past four months by picking up Orlando Cabrera, Carl Pavano, Jon Rauch, and now J.J. Hardy.
It is yet to be seen, but picking up Hardy may just be Smith’s best move yet.
J.J. Hardy
The Twins traded for a young, defensive shortstop who is just a year removed from an All Star season in 2008. Hardy is a career .262 hitter with 75 home runs, 265 RBIs and a .428 slugging percentage. Hardy is also only 27 years old and could hold on to the shortstop position for a while. He isn’t eligible for free agency until 2011.
Carlos Gomez
The Brewers got a 5-tool player who hasn’t quite lived up to his potential. Gomez has an extraordinary amount of energy and speed, which translates well when he is patrolling center field. Gomez is one of the better defensive outfielders in the game today and will get better with regular playing time and coaching. At the age of 23, Gomez is a career .246 hitter with 12 home runs, 99 RBIs and 59 stolen bases.
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[...] Many will remember Gomez popping up after scoring the winning run in the tiebreaker against the Detroit Tigers . Just as many will also remember his base running blunder that cost a run in Game 2 of the ALDS against the New York Yankees. Those two moments, which happened four days apart for each other, really sums up the time Gomez spent with the Twins . Gomez, a highly talented centerfielder with an amazing amount of speed, has all of the potential in the world but is …Continue Reading… [...]