What Ricardo Rincon Means to the Pirates
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by user Timothy Moreland(Bball3345)
Inspired by my Pirates Organizational Tree, let's reflect on a positive time in Pirates history.
On November 18, 1998, Pirates GM Cam Bonifay traded reliever Ricardo Rincon to the Cleveland Indians for outfielder Brian Giles. Rincon had posted ERAs of 3.45 in 1997 and 2.91 in 1998 to garner the interest of Cleveland. Giles had played his 27-year-old season for the Indians in 1998, establishing himself as an above average outfielder, but short of a star.
Any time someone offers you a position player for a reliever, make the deal. Bonifay made a rare smart move in trading for a potential breakout candidate in Giles. Giles emerged as a star in 1999 for the Pirates, posting a .418 OBP with 39 HRs. His OBP never finished below .404 while in Pirates gear, peaking at .450 in 2002 at the age of 31. Rincon posted two seasons with ERAs over four and two with sub-3.00 ERAs befor being traded for Marshall McDougall. McDougall never played for Cleveland and was later drafted by Texas in the Rule V Draft.
Giles now plays for the San Diego Padres. On August 26, 2003, Pittsburgh sent Giles to san Diego for Jason Bay, Oliver Perez, and minor-leaguer Corey Stewart. Bay won the 2004 Rookie of the Year award in Pittsburgh, while developing into one of the top players in the league. Oliver Perez flashed signs of complete brilliance in 2004, recording a 2.98 ERA with 10.97 K/9 IP. Unfortunately, he has looked totally lost on the mound since.
At the 2006 July 31st deadline, Pittsburgh sent Perez, along with reliever Roberto Hernandez, to the Mets for an average outfielder in Xavier Nady.
Here is a breakdown of the Rincon trade and the Giles trade using WARP. WARP is a BaseballProspectus stat that shows "the number of wins this player contributed, above what a replacement level hitter, fielder, and pitcher would have done." As you can see, the Rincon trade was worth 6 wins to Cleveland, while Giles, Bay, etc. have adde 75 wins to Pittsburgh. The Giles trade has been closer, with Pittsburgh coming out on top by about 31 to 20. With Bay peaking and Giles declining, this trade should fall even more in favor of the Pirates.
| Player | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | WARP Total |
| Ricardo Rincon | 1.8 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 6.1 | |
| CLE Total | 6.1 | |||||
| Brian Giles | 9.0 | 9.6 | 8.5 | 10.3 | 6.6 | 44 |
| :Jason Bay | 1.0 | 4.9 | 9.7 | 6.2 | 21.8 | |
| :Oliver Perez | 0.2 | 7.8 | 0.8 | -0.1 | 8.7 | |
| ::Xavier Nady | .4 | .4 | ||||
| PIT Total | 74.9 |
| Player | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | WARP Total |
| Brian Giles | 1.6 | 6.2 | 8.7 | 3.1 | 19.6 |
| SD Total | 19.6 | ||||
| Jason Bay | 1.0 | 4.9 | 9.7 | 6.2 | 21.8 |
| Oliver Perez | 0.2 | 7.8 | 0.8 | -0.1 | 8.7 |
| Xavier Nady | .4 | .4 | |||
| PIT Total | 30.9 |
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Date
Tue 08/15/06, 7:30 am EST
