The Yankees announced that they have traded recently designated right-hander David Carpenter to the Nationals in exchange for minor league second baseman Tony Renda. Outfielder Nate McLouth has been placed on the 60-day DL to accommodate Carpenter on the 40-man roster.
New York acquired Carpenter from the Braves this offseason on the heels of a pair of excellent seasons working as a setup man for Craig Kimbrel in the Atlanta bullpen. (That trade sent the previously vaunted Manny Banuelos to Atlanta and also netted the Yankees southpaw Chasen Shreve.) However, after posting a 2.63 ERA over 126 2/3 innings with 10.0 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 from 2013-14, Carpenter struggled quite a bit in his brief time with New York. As a member of the Yankees, the 29-year-old worked to a 4.82 ERA in 18 2/3 innings, striking out just 11 hitters against seven walks.
Carpenter maintained very strong fastball velocity with the Yankees, averaging 94.9 mph on his heater. He also posted a career-best 42.4 percent ground-ball rate and struggled with home runs, so perhaps the Nationals feel that a move back to a larger stadium in the National League will help to alleviate his troubles with the long ball. Of course, there will be additional work needed to sort out the righty’s control and restore his significantly diminished strikeout rate.
Carpenter is earning $1.275MM after avoiding arbitration this offseason, and the remaining $815K or so of that sum will be picked up by the Nats. If Carpenter is able to turn it around in D.C., the Nationals will have control of him through the 2017 season — his age-31 campaign.
The 24-year-old Renda, a second-round pick of the Nats in 2012, ranked as Washington’s No. 12 prospect this offseason according to Baseball America and currently ranks 22nd on MLB.com’s Top 30 list. BA praised his compact swing and line-drive stroke, noting that his bat has a chance to be above-average, and he’s tough to strike out. Both scouting reports agree that Renda lacks plus tools across the board but has outstanding makeup and work ethic. He’s not said to be a plus runner but has potentially average speed and is a “solid defender, capable of making the routine plays well,” per Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com, though the duo does refer to him as an “offensive-minded” second baseman. Fangraphs’ Kiley McDaniel didn’t rate Renda among his top Nats prospects this offseason, but he did mention that the infielder has a good approach and advanced bat control despite a lack of power. In 228 plate appearances at the Double-A level this season, Renda has batted .267/.330/.340 with a homer and 13 steals.
Better than nothing!
That’s what I said! Good luck to that Nats with him, just didn’t work for the Yankees this year. He’s a solid rebound candidate if he can figure it out, just not time or space for him with NY.
It’s actually more than I expected for a reliever having a tough start to the season. Renda might be a better prospect than Refsnyder. As for Carpenter, his stuff remained. I could see him turning it around and having a good second half with the Nats. Relievers can be frustratingly volatile.
Tony Renda has some value as a plucky Dustin Pedroia type of player with good OBP and contact rates. But for every Pedrioa, there are 100 other undersized middle infielders that don’t make it. I just don’t like it. I’d rather have a chance that Renda might make it than a probably washed up reliever.
While I like Renda too, with Wilmer Difo already getting his cup of coffee and Trea Turner on the way, things should be ok in the middle infield pretty soon. Unless someone got injured, Renda wasn’t going to be much more than organizational depth.
Yup, I can’t argue with Rizzo on deals like these as there is depth and much better prospects that are closer to the show. I just look back at blocked marginal prospects that we have traded for ok relievers (e.g. Billy Burns for Jerry Blevins) and cringe.
I suppose Rizzo imagines this worked with Thornton last year, so WTH? Once Williams stopped making Blevins face RH batters so often, things seemed to get better for him.
To be fair, Thronton was a straight waiver wire pick up/salary dump with no prospects or cash exchanged.
Agreed, Blevins was not utilized all that well…
It went the other way too though. Don’t forget about Wilson Ramos for Matt Capps.
+1 for that deal. Rizzo ‘wins’ most of his deals, for sure. Abaledejo for Clippard; Ray+change for Fister; Langerhans for Morse. Etc.
I really shouldn’ pick nits…
well Carpenter’s stuff is still there, so there’s a chance he pitches well for you guys. I’m not sure why he didn’t work out for the Yankees. Renda does sound like a descent prospect, certainly more than I thought we would get for a guy we DFAd.
Carpenter will go on and have an Clippard like career……
Yankees should have kept Manny Ban’s……
We’ll see about that next year. Shreve has been their 3rd best reliever and brought more value than one would have assumed, more value than Banuelos has brought the Braves to this point. Man-Ban was sold low because he’d been treading water in the Yankees system and he has to remain on the big league club next year or ATL could lose him, so it depends on if he can carry over his success from AAA by the time next season comes around.
Banuelos was not the same pitcher they hope he would develop into. Or he develops slower than they thought.
You’ve seen banuelos’ aaa numbers? I’d say he currently holds more value than a loogy.
Since when do AAA numbers mean more value than MLB production? Also, Shreve isn’t a LOOGY at all, he’s been used in all situations out of the pen and done well doing so.
If either was put on the market, banuelos would bring the larger haul back. That was the case when the braves acquired him, when he wasn’t pitching like a future big leaguer.
Would either 2015 team be more successful with shreve on their roster than a minor league pitcher? Duh he’s a quality reliever, but hopefully we can realize that the braves look like they won that trade as things stand.
But he’s still in the minors. If he doesn’t pitch in the major leagues, how can the Braves win the trade? As it stands, the Yankees win the trade, or more likely, it’s just too early to tell.
Had Man Ban been called up and starting, or even relieving for the Braves, you would have a point. As things stand, you don’t.
I don’t know for sure Banuelos would bring significantly more, the control ability issue really can’t be overlooked in any deal, but the marketability factor is debatable. You just can’t say the Braves look like they’re winning a deal where they don’t even know what they have yet, like I said, that won’t be decidable until next season where it’s really make or break in the MLB with him.
They have a former top prospect who’s finally healthy and living up to his potential. that in itself is enough to give him reputation. There’s really no reason to assume his numbers won’t transition over with one of the best pitching coach staffs in baseball.
Shreve has been good but is a relief pitcher who has the ceiling of a set up man. I don’t understand why we’re arguing this, the higher ceiling is more valuable especially with how fickle relievers tend to be.
No argument, just debate of your response to my original comment. I’ve already established that the marketability factor of the two is debatable,my problem is the insinuation of the point that the Braves seem to have won the trade. Nothing has been “won” until the guy succeeds in the big leagues, regardless of good AAA numbers. They could win it, it could become a wash, or NY could have won it. This can’t be decided until ATL sees what they’ve got.
Why?
nats got hosed
They must believe in Carpenter back in the NL.
But yeah, Renda’s a top 10-15 prospect in most systems.
Top 10 in most systems is a stretch. BA’s clearly pretty high on him, but MLB.com doesn’t think much and McDaniel didn’t even see fit to put a 40 FV on him. Not ripping the guy — he may very well hit, and I’m not paid to evaluate minor leaguers like the people I’m referencing — just think that’s a pretty aggressive take.
He doesn’t have extraordinary tools, it seems, so it looks more like a depth move–bring-up-from-minors for injury type. Since Carpenter was DFA’d (before Miller got hurt) I guess something is better than nothing.
Thats what they said about devon travis and his defence…
Will they also take a very good reliever named Esmil Rogers, could be the next Mariano, and even a lefty stud Chris Capuano, possibly the next Andy Pettitte, for a prospect they have called Bryce Harper? Good fit for both sides, Washington should do that deal!
Or just Rogers for Harper, I don’t want my Yankees getting fleeced.
The Nats already got the next Mariano in the draft.
Well, that was quick. It’s curious that the Yankees would give up on Carpenter so quickly. I can see not being thrilled with this as Carpenter becomes a key piece for the Nats. Renda might be useful, maybe, but I think Cano’s legacy with the Yankees is secure for now.
The Braves picked a great time to trade their relievers.
Maybe the Yanks had multiple offers and played their hand well. Shreve is still working out and the Yankees love middle infielders so in essence it was Banuelous for Shreve and Renda, at this point. A lottery ticket and a piece in the ML bullpen, not bad.
So another reliever who’s not a lefty, which the Nats desperately need. Unless they expect Thornton to go 120 appearances this year.
If it’s any consolation, Carpenter didn’t show much of a platoon bias–he gave up hard run-scoring hits to lefties and righties in roughly equal proportion.
Sweet!
Trade looks pretty fair to me.
Carpenter was tough on the Nats when he was with the Braves. Hope he returns to form. Welcome aboard David!
We got something for nothing but the yanks should never have given up on Banuelos in the first place. He will in the majors with the Braves this year. Not sure why carpenter did not work out but his numbers were awful. I also thought that Refsnyder was our 2nd baseman of the future?
Pitching is outlier, look at Greene, he was just sent to the minors, and Banuelos is not a sure thing. Betances turned out to be the best of the killer B’s. I still think Germain may turn out to be a better pitcher.