Boston gets Moncada, O's brass gets some props and more

By Steve Melewski

Orioles

February 23, 2015, 3:26pm

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Checking in on a few topics around the baseball world:

* So should we be surprised when the Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees flex their financial muscles?

Not at all.

The Red Sox are going to spend a total of $246 million on three players they've acquired since last season ended. That was a season that the Red Sox finished in last place at 71-91 and 25 games behind the Orioles.

But Boston has added Pablo Sandoval on a four-year deal worth $88 million, Hanley Ramirez on a five-year deal for $95 million and Cuban-born amateur Yoan Moncada yesterday agreed to terms on a deal that will cost the club a total of $63 million.

Boston added the 19-year-old Moncada for a bonus of $31.5 million. Because the team exceeded its international bonus pool, the tax on that is 100 percent, making it a $63 million transaction.

Moncada is said to a be a five-tool talent and is a switch-hitter. He could be playing in the majors very soon - possibly as early as sometime during the 2016 season.

But his signing could also have a big impact on the 2015 season, especially if the Red Sox are now more willing to part with a package of prospects that will net them left-handed pitcher Cole Hamels in a trade with the Phillies. One player Boston has reportedly been reluctant to deal is catcher Blake Swihart, its No. 1 prospect and No. 17 overall in Baseball America's top 100.

While O's fans love to diss the Red Sox, who have finished in last place in two of the last three years, Boston's combination of having seven of Baseball America's current top 100 prospects and financial clout means the team is likely going to be formidable again - and probably really soon.

Baseball economics can be interesting by the way. The Mariners signed Nelson Cruz to a four-year deal worth $57 million. Cruz turns 35 on July 1. Boston spends $63 million for the potential of a 19-year-old talent.

Justice for the Orioles: O's fans love it when national reporters say nice things about their team. It can't get much nicer and/or more complimentary than this column from MLB.com's Richard Justice.

In a story with the headline of "Baltimore's squad built on brilliance," Justice wrote:

He (Buck Showalter) has been one of the key figures in resurrecting one of baseball's "crown jewel" franchises and making it one of the smartest, most successful operations in the game.

It's not just that the O's have been to the playoffs twice in the last three seasons or that they won the American League East by 12 games in 2014. It's not even that their 274 victories are the second most among AL clubs since 2012.

As impressive as all that is, it's how Baltimore has done it. That is, with brilliant baseball people - beginning with executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette - who have found talent in places others haven't even looked and with a manager who long ago established himself as one of the best of his generation.

Trading prospects for current big league talent: The Orioles have done this a few times since Duquette took over as executive vice president and it happened again in the last few weeks as the Orioles acquired outfielder Travis Snider from Pittsburgh.

The trade was announced on Jan. 27 as the O's sent minor league lefty Stephen Tarpley to Pittsburgh along with a player to be named later for Snider. The PTBNL turned out to be another O's minor league lefty Steven Brault.

Brault, an 11th-round pick in 2013, went 12-10 with a 2.61 ERA in two seasons on the O's farm pitching as high as Single-A Frederick late last year.

Tarpley was rated as the Orioles' No. 16 prospect by Baseball America and Brault was No. 18. Here is the scouting report I submitted on Brault for Baseball America's Prospect Handbook:

The Orioles have seen this former two-way college player produce solid results on the mound since they drafted him out of Division II Regis University in 2013. Brault was the first player selected Rocky Mountain conference first team as a pitcher and outfielder. He played center and hit .397 and his athleticism has helped him on the mound. In two pro seasons, he is 12-10 with a 2.61 ERA and 1.01 WHIP, allowing just five homers over 189 1/3 innings.

Brault profiles as a command and control lefty with a fastball that ranges from 88 to 92 mph. His changeup was his best secondary pitch and he also throws a slider. The ability to command all three and use them anytime in the count is a real plus. He's got a solid delivery, fields his position well and changes speeds well. After throwing 130 innings in Low-A ball, Brault should get a shot at the Single-A Frederick rotation in 2015 with a chance to rise to Double-A before the year is out. He made three late-season starts at Frederick, allowing just one run. His ceiling is back-end starter.

If Snider and Alejandro De Aza wind up making a lot of starts in the Orioles outfield this year it will mean the O's filled two starting positions by trading four minor league pitchers as Miguel Chalas and Mark Blackmar were dealt last August for De Aza.

More on sabermetrics: This article provides some interesting reading after yesterday's discussion of sabermetrics. It takes a look at each big league club's approach to sabermetrics and analytics.

Three American League East teams - Boston, Tampa Bay and New York - are listed among nine teams that are "all in." The Orioles and Toronto are among seven teams in the "believer" category. Six teams are next, listed as having "one foot in." Detroit is among six teams listed as "skeptics" while Miami and Philadelphia are the only two in the final category as "non-believers."