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06-17-2005, 02:51 AM
When right-hander Tomo Ohka threw his first major-league shutout Tuesday night against Tampa Bay in his Milwaukee Brewers debut, it provided an immediate return on the Junior Spivey trade only four days earlier.
It also provided a secondary return on the Richie Sexson trade on Dec. 1, 2003.
Spivey was one of six players obtained from the Arizona Diamondbacks when Doug Melvin traded Sexson in a deal that continues to have positive effects for the Brewers. By turning Spivey around to the Washington Nationals last Friday for Ohka, Melvin now has two starting pitchers as a result of that original deal.
"Teams don't want to trade starting pitchers," said Melvin. "When I first talked to (Washington general manager) Jim Bowden, he said he didn't want to trade Ohka."
Bowden changed his mind when he was able to claim right-hander Ryan Drese on waivers from the Texas Rangers. With Drese available to fill a spot in the Nationals' starting rotation, Bowden parted with Ohka, who wasn't exactly seeing eye-to-eye with manager Frank Robinson.
Melvin knew when he acquired Spivey that second base eventually would be turned over to Rickie Weeks, the second player chosen in the 2003 draft. Spivey missed the second half of the 2004 season with a dislocated shoulder but was healthy this season and available when the Nationals found themselves in desperate need of a second baseman.
The timing of the Spivey-Weeks exchange came a bit sooner than expected but the Brewers believe Weeks can hold his own over the remainder of the season while eventually emerging as an impact player. Weeks had a tough game Wednesday night with two costly errors in a 5-3 loss to Tampa Bay but manager Ned Yost said those days are to be expected during a rookie's on-the-job training.
"Rickie is going to be OK," said Yost. "We're going to work hard to make him a better defensive player. We knew that would be a process."
Lyle Overbay, another player picked up in the Sexson trade, remains the Brewers' starting first baseman. He had a productive first season in 2004, batting .301 with 16 home runs, 87 runs batted in and a franchise-record 53 doubles.
Overbay's production has dipped a bit this season. In 62 games, he is batting .285 with eight homers and 32 RBI but has a .409 on-base percentage, thanks to a team-high 40 walks.
At some point, Overbay is expected to yield to first baseman Prince Fielder, 21, the Brewers' first-round draft pick in 2002. Getting his first taste of the big leagues this week as the designated hitter in interleague play, Fielder provided a glimpse into the future Wednesday night by cracking a pair of booming doubles.
"Prince is a kid who can put a jolt into the ball," Yost said. "When he drove the gap with his second double, the ball seemed to defy gravity."
Depending on how the Brewers play in the second half, it's not unreasonable to think Melvin might do the same thing with Overbay as he did with Spivey - turn him around to another club to provide help elsewhere while opening the position for Fielder.
Left-hander Chris Capuano, also acquired in the Sexson deal, has been a regular member of the starting rotation after battling through an injury-plagued 2004 season. Capuano (5-6, 3.53 earned run average) had strung together eight consecutive quality starts (at least six innings, no more than three runs) before struggling in his last two outings.
Rookie reliever Jorge De La Rosa, 24, also was part of the "Arizona 6" and remains in the Brewers' bullpen, in large part because he is out of minor-league options and Melvin doesn't want to lose him to another club. After an impressive start, especially considering his lack of experience, De La Rosa has slipped to a 5.64 ERA in 19 outings with a .326 opponents batting average.
Where De La Rosa fits in the Brewers' future, if he does at all, is not clear at this stage. But left-handers with good arms usually find a way to hang on in the majors.
Chad Moeller was another key ingredient in the six-pack of players obtained for Sexson, primarily because the Brewers were in dire need of experienced catching in their system. Moeller's offensive woes eventually pushed him into a backup role behind free-agent acquisition Damian Miller but he remains a competent defensive catcher who handled himself well last week when Miller was sidelined with a strained groin.
Gone, but not forgotten, is infielder Craig Counsell, who filled a hole at shortstop last season while J.J. Hardy continued his apprenticeship in the minors. Things didn't work out as planned when Hardy missed most of his Triple-A season with a shoulder injury but Counsell served as a much-needed stopgap in 2004.
Hardy has yet to get his batting average up to .200 but has been nothing short of amazing at shortstop, committing only two errors in 374 1/3 innings. He ranks second in the NL in fielding at shortstop, trailing only Gold Glover Omar Vizquel of San Francisco.
More than 17½ months have passed since Melvin sent Sexson - a player he couldn't afford - along with lefty Shane Nance and minor-league outfielder Noochie Varner to the Diamondbacks for the "Arizona 6." But the trade's impact on the club's past, present and future still remains strong.
It also provided a secondary return on the Richie Sexson trade on Dec. 1, 2003.
Spivey was one of six players obtained from the Arizona Diamondbacks when Doug Melvin traded Sexson in a deal that continues to have positive effects for the Brewers. By turning Spivey around to the Washington Nationals last Friday for Ohka, Melvin now has two starting pitchers as a result of that original deal.
"Teams don't want to trade starting pitchers," said Melvin. "When I first talked to (Washington general manager) Jim Bowden, he said he didn't want to trade Ohka."
Bowden changed his mind when he was able to claim right-hander Ryan Drese on waivers from the Texas Rangers. With Drese available to fill a spot in the Nationals' starting rotation, Bowden parted with Ohka, who wasn't exactly seeing eye-to-eye with manager Frank Robinson.
Melvin knew when he acquired Spivey that second base eventually would be turned over to Rickie Weeks, the second player chosen in the 2003 draft. Spivey missed the second half of the 2004 season with a dislocated shoulder but was healthy this season and available when the Nationals found themselves in desperate need of a second baseman.
The timing of the Spivey-Weeks exchange came a bit sooner than expected but the Brewers believe Weeks can hold his own over the remainder of the season while eventually emerging as an impact player. Weeks had a tough game Wednesday night with two costly errors in a 5-3 loss to Tampa Bay but manager Ned Yost said those days are to be expected during a rookie's on-the-job training.
"Rickie is going to be OK," said Yost. "We're going to work hard to make him a better defensive player. We knew that would be a process."
Lyle Overbay, another player picked up in the Sexson trade, remains the Brewers' starting first baseman. He had a productive first season in 2004, batting .301 with 16 home runs, 87 runs batted in and a franchise-record 53 doubles.
Overbay's production has dipped a bit this season. In 62 games, he is batting .285 with eight homers and 32 RBI but has a .409 on-base percentage, thanks to a team-high 40 walks.
At some point, Overbay is expected to yield to first baseman Prince Fielder, 21, the Brewers' first-round draft pick in 2002. Getting his first taste of the big leagues this week as the designated hitter in interleague play, Fielder provided a glimpse into the future Wednesday night by cracking a pair of booming doubles.
"Prince is a kid who can put a jolt into the ball," Yost said. "When he drove the gap with his second double, the ball seemed to defy gravity."
Depending on how the Brewers play in the second half, it's not unreasonable to think Melvin might do the same thing with Overbay as he did with Spivey - turn him around to another club to provide help elsewhere while opening the position for Fielder.
Left-hander Chris Capuano, also acquired in the Sexson deal, has been a regular member of the starting rotation after battling through an injury-plagued 2004 season. Capuano (5-6, 3.53 earned run average) had strung together eight consecutive quality starts (at least six innings, no more than three runs) before struggling in his last two outings.
Rookie reliever Jorge De La Rosa, 24, also was part of the "Arizona 6" and remains in the Brewers' bullpen, in large part because he is out of minor-league options and Melvin doesn't want to lose him to another club. After an impressive start, especially considering his lack of experience, De La Rosa has slipped to a 5.64 ERA in 19 outings with a .326 opponents batting average.
Where De La Rosa fits in the Brewers' future, if he does at all, is not clear at this stage. But left-handers with good arms usually find a way to hang on in the majors.
Chad Moeller was another key ingredient in the six-pack of players obtained for Sexson, primarily because the Brewers were in dire need of experienced catching in their system. Moeller's offensive woes eventually pushed him into a backup role behind free-agent acquisition Damian Miller but he remains a competent defensive catcher who handled himself well last week when Miller was sidelined with a strained groin.
Gone, but not forgotten, is infielder Craig Counsell, who filled a hole at shortstop last season while J.J. Hardy continued his apprenticeship in the minors. Things didn't work out as planned when Hardy missed most of his Triple-A season with a shoulder injury but Counsell served as a much-needed stopgap in 2004.
Hardy has yet to get his batting average up to .200 but has been nothing short of amazing at shortstop, committing only two errors in 374 1/3 innings. He ranks second in the NL in fielding at shortstop, trailing only Gold Glover Omar Vizquel of San Francisco.
More than 17½ months have passed since Melvin sent Sexson - a player he couldn't afford - along with lefty Shane Nance and minor-league outfielder Noochie Varner to the Diamondbacks for the "Arizona 6." But the trade's impact on the club's past, present and future still remains strong.