Most Effective Moves: NL 2007

I was all ready to post and I can’t find the article in question. It had pretty stats and insight, trust me. Here’s a quickie re-do of the NL’s most effective off-season and in-season moves. Before we get to it, teams in the NL weren’t so much propelled by acquisitions as they were by development. The Cubs had big seasons from Hill & Marshall, a majority of the Brewers prospects came through. The same can be said about the Diamondbacks, Dodgers, and Rockies as well. Still, a number of acquisitions stick out from the 2007 season.

San Diego Padres Bell & Bradley

Regardless of his season ending injury, Milton Bradley had a great impact on the Padres and it might be safe to say that they wouldn’t be posed to make the playoffs without him. A less heralded addition to the club was reliever Heath Bell. Bell has pitched in 80 games this season, putting up a 2.08 ERA, a 0.967 WHIP and 97 strikeouts. Bell was acquired by the Padres with Royce Ring in exchange for Ben Johnson & Jon Adkins. Great move.

Dmitri Young

Bowden invited Young to camp and Dmitri won the role outright to begin the 2007 season. While Young is a clog on the basepaths, he’s knocked in 74 and hit .320 in a pitchers park. With Nick Johnson on tap to come back next season, Young may be on his way to the outfield or another club. Either way, he should still present some value to the Nationals in 2008.

Ted Lilly

I certainly didn’t agree with the money (+ length) of the contract that Lilly received but so far he’s produced. Eating up 207 IP with a 15 – 8 record, Ted is one of the main reasons that the Cubbies are back in the playoffs.

Mark DeRosa

Another “Huh?” move for me, DeRosa proved he wasn’t a one year wonder by hitting .293 this season with 72 RBI. DeRosa’s value came once again in his position flexibility, as he played more than 20 games at 2nd, 3rd, and in RF.

Kevin Kouzmanoff

Koz stunk for the first couple of months of the season, yet his final line of .276 BA and .459 SLG in Petco looks pretty good. His 18 HR & 74 RBI also helped out this weak hitting club that failed to have anyone over 30 HR or 100 RBI. The main reason for his inclusion on this list is the performance (or lack thereof) of the outgoing asset Josh Barfield, coupled with his torrid post all-star stat line of .320/.369/.530. For the key playoff drive month of September, Koz hit .380 with 17 RBI.

Kevin Gregg

Formally buried in the deep Angels bullpen, the Marlins acquired Gregg and turned him into a top flight closer. He doesn’t mind giving up a walk (40 in under 80 IP). Regardless, his save percentage is 88.8%, higher than Billy Wagner (87.1%) and anyone else in the NL East.

Carlos Lee

He isn’t overly flashy. The Astro’s knew this going in. They just penciled him in for his typical 100 RBI season (119 in-fact) and gave him his money. One of the few players worth a long term, big money contract.

Colorado Rockies 2 for 1

Unloading Jennings and his big contract for Hirsh & Buchholz was a great move. Combined, the two gave the Rockies 200+ IP of about 4.50 ERA baseball. Jennings stuck up the joint in Houston, with a 6.45 ERA & a 2 – 9 record.