A few days ago, when the trade of Orlando Cabrera for Jon Garland was announced, the general reaction seemed to be a big "huh"? In an offseason where every expert across every platform has decried the Angels' need to obtain a big stick to accompany Vlad Guerrero in the batting order, this subtraction of one of the better run producers from the lineup in exchange for, in essence, a sixth member of the pitching rotation, seemed directly contrary to those opinions. It also seemed to be a move that was indicative of several more to come in GM Tony Reagins' first offseason at the helm of the organization.
In the case of the Cabrera trade, an analysis focused solely on the merits of each player outside of the framework of the respective teams would seem to indicate a win for the Angels. Cabrera is an above average defensive shortstop (on the surface...delving deeply into range factor and other fielding stats is a little too time consuming) who enjoyed a career type year at the plate. Trading him at the top of his value for a pitcher who has won double digit games each of the past three years in an MLB universe where the current premium is clearly on the pitching side of the equation, where a reliever like Scott Linebrink gets almost 5 million per, where starters like Carlos Silva and Kyle Lohse are seeking more than 10 million per year.
Hunter replaces some of the offense lost. The net gain requires that the Angels and Reagins continue the quest for additional offensive pieces. The cost of the Marlins' Miguel Cabrera remains prohibitive, particularly as the current demands of the Marlins would require some of the few remaining pieces of quality youth in the infield, which is currently stocked with a lot of young, inexpensive, and relatively unproven players. The Angels have done a great job of filling holes in the ballclub with youth from the minors, particularly when dealing with injuries last season. If the Angels can replace some of the infield pieces (Wood, Kendrick) with members of their currently stocked outfield (Rivera, Willits) or their pitching staff (Santana, Saunders), the Angels will strengthen themselves for now and later years down the road. If the Marlins can not be persuaded to modify their demands, Reagins will have to employ his imagination and use some persuasion in a similar fashion to the thinking that enabled the decision makers to choose to sign a CF when they signed one to an overvalued contract just last season.
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