Quote:
Originally Posted by LegallyMinded
I'm not sure why you would argue we should ignore Drew's performance in the majors while Wainwright was struggling in the minors. If Drew retires before 2012, while Wainwright returns, would you argue we should then ignore Wainwright's performance this coming season because Drew is no longer in the league?
Drew was entering the prime of his career when Jocketty traded him: Other teams knew this, and knew they stood a good chance to acquire the best part of his career. That Jocketty still decided to accept as compensation a player who wasn't ready for the majors is a decision we have to consider when assessing the trade.
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Well.. How can you compare major league stats that evaluate value when one of the two players weren't even in the major leagues at the time. It's like saying Jaime Moyer is a more valuable player than Joey Votto because Votto has a career WAR of 19.3 vs Moyer's 47.3. Would you trade Votto for Moyer and claim that it was a huge win for the Reds? You need to use a like distance for your argument. It's impossible to have a Major League stat without appearing in a Major League game. You are giving Drew a two year head start, and that's not logical in your assessment.
A more logical argument would be:
Since 2006, Adam Wainwright's first season in MLB, JD Drew has posted a 16.4 WAR. Wainwright has 18.4.
Drew provided the Braves (Wainwright's old team) ONE season. Although it was an excellent season at 7.5 WAR, it still pales in comparison to Wainwright's 18.4 that he's provided the Cardinals.
No matter how you slice it, the Cardinals win that trade, hands down.
Then you look at the "other" players involved in the trade, and take Wainwright and Drew out, they all provided positive WAR in 2004.
Cardinals
Ray King 1.2
Jason Marquis 2.0
Braves
Eli Marrero 1.6
Again, how is this a hands down "win" for the Braves? Your argument was weak from the get go.