Those Rondon's: A Look Back at the Huston Street trade

[Chuck]

Remember the trade that a bunch of people were up in arms about? You know, the trade where we gave up way too much, mortgaged the farm?

Let this thread be a reminder that the reason you draft players and develop them is two-fold. See if they fit on your club in the future or be a piece to a trade to acquire a need. 

Let's take a quick look at the prospects everyone was up in arms about giving up for the much needed closer the Angels needed back in 2014. 

Elliot Morris: Cannot get out of Double-A since the trade, posting nearly a 5.00 ERA over the past two seasons.

Taylor Lindsey: Barely hitting above the Mendoza line and was demoted to Double-A last season. Still there, slashing .219/.306/.358

R.J. Alvarez: Has struggled in the big leagues to the tune of a 7.39 ERA with a 1.71 WHIP. He's currently trying to get out of High-A ball now (9+ ERA) while rehabbing. 

Jose Rondon: Struggling to get out of Double-A after hitting .190 there last season. Currently he has posted an impotent .247/.278/.355 slash line in Double-A for the Padres with 8 walks vs. 36 strikeouts. 

Meanwhile, we received Trevor Gott along with our closer Huston Street in the trade. There were members here and fans on social media at the time of the trade who were pissed that we traded the fireballer Gott for Yunel Escobar from the Nationals in a one-for-one trade. Some said that Escobar had a career year last season and it was doubtful that he'd repeat. 

So far this season, Escobar hasn't missed a beat and has looked like the Angels best leadoff man since 2009, when Chone Figgins was setting the table. 

Trevor Gott: In Triple-A Gott has posted a 4.55 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and opposing hitters are hitting nearly .300 against him (.295)

So basically the Angels got their closer and leadoff man for 5 Rondons that cannot seem to get out of Double-A or make it back to the big leagues. 

Well done, Angels. 

Related Threads:

....and it gets really good on page 7 when the Rondon's are announced. 

Even on page 13 Keith Law tweets that he would not have traded Jose Rondon straight up for two months of Huston Street + an option. lol

[19HALO71]

Love this.

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Crickets))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Go Halos!!!

[Taylor]

But but but... prospects! Dipoto!

[mtangelsfan]

Thanks Jerry!  One of the better moves.

 

[Docwaukee]

Now is the time to trade Huston and get as much as we can for the future.  

[Erstad Grit]

Dipoto's best move. Street isn't sexy because he doesn't light up the radar or rack up the k's but he is one of the best closers over the last decade. 

[Chuck]

For the record...

This is not a thread to praise Dipoto, but a reminder that prospects do not always work out. Our entire fanbase should know this full well, but if you read the reactions in that Huston Street trade thread, you'd think we traded 4 Mike Trout's. 

It still gets me bent thinking we didn't want to cough up Brandon Wood for Miguel Cabrera in addition to Kendrick, Santana and Mathis. 

[m0nkey]

Let's not forget that the trade was 2014 and 2015 Street.  His current contract is independent of the trade

[Angel Oracle]

Very true Chuck, and my opinion on the trade when it happened basically crapped the couch.    Totally different look now, Lindsey's offense slide is even worse than Cowart's was in 2013-2014, Alvarez even makes the current team's Alvarez look good, Morris the mediocre, and Rondon makes Simmons and Petit look like offense All-Stars.

Going forward, better scouts, bigger foreign presence, and FO moves/signings like the Street trade would be a great balance.

[Chuck]

7 minutes ago, m0nkey said:

Let's not forget that the trade was 2014 and 2015 Street.  His current contract is independent of the trade

This has nothing to do with his current contract whatsoever. 

Huston Street was worth just the two months of saves in 2014 for what the trade provided us now (including netting Escobar for Gott). 2015 was a bonus. 

[Chuck]

6 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

Very true Chuck, and my opinion on the trade when it happened basically crapped the couch.    Totally different look now, Lindsey's offense slide is even worse than Cowart's was in 2013-2014, Alvarez even makes the current team's Alvarez look good, Morris the mediocre, and Rondon makes Simmons and Petit look like offense All-Stars.

Going forward, better scouts, bigger foreign presence, and FO moves/signings like the Street trade would be a great balance.

But this also proves that maybe our scouts aren't so bad AO, that other teams scouts could be bad, or that everyone evaluates talent differently. 

The almighty and all-knowing Keith Law said he wouldn't have traded Jose Rondon straight up for Street, even though we had his option for the next season. 

[19HALO71]

25 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

For the record...

This is not a thread to praise Dipoto, but a reminder that prospects do not always work out. Our entire fanbase should know this full well, but if you read the reactions in that Huston Street trade thread, you'd think we traded 4 Mike Trout's. 

It still gets me bent thinking we didn't want to cough up Brandon Wood for Miguel Cabrera in addition to Kendrick, Santana and Mathis. 

Could never understand why people are so infatuated with the personal life of a player. Yes, MCab had some domestic issues, that is why we have a legal system. I only care what the player does between the lines.

Go Halos!!!

[Chuck]

13 minutes ago, elixir said:

Thank you Jerry Dipoto !

More like, thank you San Diego Padres GM and scouts. 

[Jason]

37 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

For the record...

This is not a thread to praise Dipoto, but a reminder that prospects do not always work out. Our entire fanbase should know this full well, but if you read the reactions in that Huston Street trade thread, you'd think we traded 4 Mike Trout's. 

It still gets me bent thinking we didn't want to cough up Brandon Wood for Miguel Cabrera in addition to Kendrick, Santana and Mathis. 

This^^^ Just like the Ellis and Newcomb trade for Simmons. You can't go without just waiting and hoping for players to develop

[Chuck]

Eight prospects from that four-year window -- Elliot Morris, R.J. Alvarez, Mark Sappington,Eric Stamets, Kody Eaves, Adam McCreery, Newcomb and Ellis -- were used in trades that helped the Angels acquire Huston Street, Cesar Ramos, David Murphy, Jhoulys Chacin, Jefry Marte and Simmons.

"In that sense of it," Wilson said, "I think it's been successful, because those players, although they didn't play for us, they're getting us Major League players, which is very, very valuable, as well. We're trying to get as many players in the system as we can to give Billy the flexibility to do whatever he can do."

[ELEVEN]

Thread title sounded like a sitcom.

"Watch the hijinx when nine cousins share a two room apartment with their baby mamas and hilarity ensues". 

"Those Rondons"... premiering next, right after Black-ish!

[ten ocho recon scout]

7 minutes ago, ELEVEN said:

Thread title sounded like a sitcom.

"Watch the hijinx when nine cousins share a two room apartment with their baby mamas and hilarity ensues". 

"Those Rondons"... premiering next, right after Black-ish!

Its just good to see david allen grier getting work again, i always liked him.

[Turd Ferguson]

Sadly, those 4 would constitute a significant upgrade to our farm.

[Chuck]

2 minutes ago, Turd Ferguson said:

Sadly, those 4 would constitute a significant upgrade to our farm.

Not if they continue this sucktitude. We've had some guys move up on the prospect rankings. I'd say of the four Rondon would still be a top 10 guy in our system, but if  he continues to play poorly in AA this season he'll drop out of the top 10. 

[Lou]

2 hours ago, 19HALO71 said:

Could never understand why people are so infatuated with the personal life of a player. Yes, MCab had some domestic issues, that is why we have a legal system. I only care what the player does between the lines.

Go Halos!!!

Some of us value character in those we root for. When a guy beats a women, drunk or sober, he can rot in hell as far as i'm concerned.

[Guest]

Seeing those struggling prospects is a further reminder that the Angels need a new scouting director. Most of those guys were drafted by Ric Wilson, right? 

 

[halomatt]

I would add that while they seemed to have stalled, we can't always attribute it to their lack of talent.  Rather, their lack of development could be part of the San Diego organization's inability to teach and develop players.  There are many variables to consider before we say one team or another "won" a trade.  I'd say that it is still too soon to evaluate this trade.  Too easy and right now it's just argument from ignorance. 

[Chuck]

2 minutes ago, halomatt said:

I would add that while they seemed to have stalled, we can't always attribute it to their lack of talent.  Rather, their lack of development could be part of the San Diego organization's inability to teach and develop players.  There are many variables to consider before we say one team or another "won" a trade.  I'd say that it is still too soon to evaluate this trade.  Too easy and right now it's just argument from ignorance. 

Yep. 

R.J. Alvarez, Taylor Lindsey and Jose Rondon were all ranked in the top 10 prospects list by Baseball America that year for the Angels. All of them performed well in the minors, including Morris. 

[Guest]

17 minutes ago, halomatt said:

I would add that while they seemed to have stalled, we can't always attribute it to their lack of talent.  Rather, their lack of development could be part of the San Diego organization's inability to teach and develop players.  There are many variables to consider before we say one team or another "won" a trade.  I'd say that it is still too soon to evaluate this trade.  Too easy and right now it's just argument from ignorance. 

That organization has many problems, so you might be right. 

[ScottT]

3 hours ago, m0nkey said:

Let's not forget that the trade was 2014 and 2015 Street.  His current contract is independent of the trade

 

Can't agree with that.  Coming to the Angels helped get him signed beyond that deal.  For one thing, they extended his deal in May without any free market competition.  Maybe they sign him as a free agent... maybe another team extends him... or signs him.  His current contract has a lot to do with that trade.