Tyler Walker a Ray
The Devil Rays just traded 25-year old AAA pitcher Carlos Hines to the Giants for reliever Tyler "I was a closer... really!" Walker.
Eh.
Decent trade for Tampa, who has a pretty weak bullpen and can expect average numbers from Walker. He throws hard, and he has to be a better option than Scott Dunn. Plus, when your closing options are Dan Miceli and Shawn Camp, it can't hurt to have a younger, harder-throwing version of both of them on hand.
(Quick aside on Miceli - he's so old that in high school, on a family vacation to Florida, my brother picked him - as the Pirates closer - on a mock fantasy team that we picked on a whim from a magazine. And as he picked him as a $1 or so pick, he nodded confidently, as if he just discovered the next big thing. Somehow, I remember *this* from that vacation. Well, this and the fact that I pseudo-made-out with a girl that I met in the Space Mountain line on our last night there.)
As for the Giants... I guess they have to get something for a guy they DFA'd, and if this keeps them from paying his almost league minimum salary, well then I guess that's a moral victory for Brian Sabean. Hey, 25-year old minor leaguers don't grow on trees... oh, wait, yeah they do.
Yes, I know, way too many words for a transaction as minor as this, but what do you want? It's April... I'm antsy. And it looks like the Rays won't even need an arm like Walker tonight, as they're ahead of the Red Sox early, 4-0.
2 comments:
Ah, Tyler Walker, former Mets prospect. He throws hard, but never had the dominating strikeout rate you'd expect from such a hard thrower (Billy Koch-esque - maybe that fastball is just too straight).
And, of course, he picked up the save tonight against the Sox. Came in with two on and none out, got the 6-4-3 DP, and then the swinging strikeout on Nixon. This trade just went from decent to pretty good for Tampa Bay. Good times.
Post a Comment