Three Way Blockbuster Goes Down

[Chrispy]

Tyson and Michael Taylor would give the Jays two amazing outfield prospects.

Plus they already have that guy Travis Snyder or something like that, hits for power and plays outfield

 

[Yawkey Way]

not to mention Adam Lind and still have to deal with Vernon Well's massive contract. Who is Michael Saunders?

 

[Obst]

Michael Saunders is also an outfield prospects of the Mariners. He hit .310 with 13 homers and 32 RBI's in 64 games in AAA last year. Played with the M's for 46 games, batted .221 with no homers, 4 RBI's and 4 steals.

"A tall, sturdy Canadian, Saunders was a five-sport athlete in childhood and is a legitimate five-tool talent in the Seattle outfield. A natural center fielder with 20 home run potential and plus speed, he even touched 92mph as a sometime pitcher in high school. He'll be pushed fast, like all Seattle prospects seem to be, but unlike some that have fallen by the wayside, Saunders can probably handle the pressure and workload. He'll be fighting for an outfield spot in 2009's preseason, and could win the job outright by 2010." - Scouting Book

This is the report on Michael Taylor

"A 6-6, 250lb monster back in high school, Taylor avoided an early draft by committing to Stanford. When he emerged from college, he was gobbled up by the Phillies in the same 5th round selection that netted them Ryan Howard six years earlier, and scouts see similar things in the two sluggers. After ditching his 'Stanford Swing' for a bigger and more wide open hammer, Taylor tore up the minors last year, slashing .361/.441/.554 at A-level Lakeland and .329/.380/.560 after a promotion to high-A Clearwater. Taylor smashed 19 total homers in just under 500 at-bats. He strikes out a bit too much, especially on quality breaking pitches, but the Phillies system has never shied away from big strikeout numbers, so he'll probably be allowed to smash and swish, as long as he produces overall. As an outfielder, he has limited range, though his speed is probably average, or even a bit better than average. His strong throwing arm that suggests right field is his natural position. While his approach at the plate looks crude, he's actually a pretty polished product: he'll face his first real tests in AA in 2009 while shooting for a Phillies job in 2010."4

Finally here is Philipe Aumont

"The rising wave of Canadian pitchers continued when Seattle chose Quebec native Philipe Aumont with their first-round pick in 2007. With visions of Randy Johnson dancing in their heads, the Mariners are definitely looking to a strong future.

A 6-7 righthander with a 92-95 MPH sinking fastball, Aumont has an imposing mound presence that endears him to scouts and coaches alike. While he's still only 19, he's already raising eyebrows with a precocious ability to pound the lower part of the zone and work both sides of the plate. While he has a slider and changeup, neither is a plus pitch, which means he'll rise or fall on his sinker. A full season in the minors in 2009 will show the Mariners what they've really gotten a hold of, here, and settle some arguments about whether the sore elbow that shortened his pro debut was a fluke injury, or a sign of something more ominous and long-lasting."

 

[chazmaniandevil]

not to mention Adam Lind and still have to deal with Vernon Well's massive contract. Who is Michael Saunders?

Seattle Mariners fans got a taste of one of their top prospects this fall. Outfielder Michale Saunders has been labeled by many as a five-tool talent and Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik seems interested in having him in the Mariners’ outfield for much of next season.

The soon to be 23-year-old Saunders has intrigued Seattle fans for the past few years, but he really broke out this season in Triple-A Tacoma, hitting .310/.378/.544. He ripped 13 homers, 2 triples, and 15 doubles in 282 plate appearances this past season. He displays good power, likely to hit at least 20-25 home runs in the majors eventually. But Saunders will have to improve his plate discipline to succeed in the majors. His long swing has resulted in the following strikeout percentages (FanGraphs).
Season Team K%
2006 Mariners (A) 28.70%
2007 Mariners (A+) 26.90%
2007 Mariners (AA) 38.50%
2008 Mariners (AA) 26.60%
2008 Mariners (AAA) 31.60%
2009 Mariners (AAA) 19.40%

Obviously, his pre-2009 numbers are quite ugly. But Michael was pressed through the minors relatively quickly, especially for a player drafted out of high school, especially one as far north as British Columbia. The drop in 2009 was promising though. The 19.40% strikeout rate, though not great, was a good drop over his career averages and shows promise for his future. He likely won’t hit for a .300+ average, but may be eventually able to put up an average somewhere around .270-.280 regularly. Here’s a YouTube video of Saunders at the plate.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFjshrLkcHA"]YouTube- Michael Saunders - Seattle Mariners[/ame]

The scouting report on Saunders’s defense shows him as a passable centerfielder with a good arm. He’s better suited for right field though where his range would be above average and his arm would be an asset. For right now though, Saunders will play left field in the majors, giving the Mariners a great overall defensive outfield.

Of course, Saunders’ success in the majors hinges on his ability to improve his plate discipline. If that does improve, Mariners fans should be happy.

 

[Yawkey Way]

why are they grabbing all of the Canadians?

 

[Obst]

ESPN's Jayson Stark heard this deal is close but not done. He says Halladay's extension would be just three years and $60MM (starting in 2011), with possible vesting options for another year or two. Aside from Aumont, Stark says the Jays would get Phils catching prospect Travis D'Arnaud. The Blue Jays have been asking for Phils outfield prospect Domonic Brown but have been offered Taylor. The Mariners would also give an additional prospect.

 

[chazmaniandevil]

D'Arnaud

french canadian?

if so, its official guys, theyre going to secede from the MLB and start the CLB

next move is signing bay

 

[Obst]

Travis D'Arnaud is from Cali

 

[chazmaniandevil]

Travis D'Arnaud is from Cali

they can work around that.

 

[BiggaAdams]

As a Mariner fan, this would be a great deal for us.

Aumont was drafted to be a starter, then converted to a reliever. His value is not nearly high as a reliever and he has TERRIBLE mechanics. I hope we trade him cause I don't trust this kid to last the long haul.

Saunders is intriguing. He's tall and has a very long stride but the kid moves for his size. His arm isn't the best in the outfield but it'll work and he takes the correct line to the ball. We had him in LF as we have Guti tearing up center field. I don't see Saunders ever hitting for real power, maybe low 20s in hr's. I think a top line for him would be .300 with 25 hrs. bottom line maybe 15 hr .270.

 

[Mogriffjr]

3 for 60? Wow phils are geniuses if they get doc for that. FML

 

[Tengo Juego]

W00T! Lee coming to the Emerald City!

 

[chazmaniandevil]

Is Drabek part of the deal or not?

Regardless I think the Phillies made the right decision. Like everyone continues to say Lee didn't want to sign an extension so they went out and got a better player who would be willing to sign for a fair price.

8:26pm: Check that. Aumont is in the deal, but heading to the Phillies rather than the Jays, says Elliott (via Twitter).

7:51pm: Elliott says (via Twitter) that Drabek is in the deal, but Aumont is not.

Drabek for Aumont?

 

[Obst]

Pretty sure Drabek is going to the Jays.

 

[chazmaniandevil]

9:15pm: After going through several incarnations over the last 48 hours, the latest version of the deal has outfielder Michael Taylor, catching prospect Travis D'Arnaud, and a pitcher - either J.A. Happ or Kyle Drabek - going to Toronto, writes Stark in his latest update.

Under this scenario, the Phillies would get to hang on to Domonic Brown and would recieve Phillippe Aumont.

either haap or drabek

 

[chazmaniandevil]

9:25pm: The Phillies would only recieve prospects from the M's and no Philly prospects would be shipped to Toronto, sources tell Todd Zolecki of MLB.com (via Twitter).

now im confused. did they just get away with lee for halladay? highway robbery

 

[Obst]

We go from losing all over our players to none? I can't wait to actually see the final deal.

 

[Obst]

now im confused. did they just get away with lee for halladay? highway robbery

No, this means we traded Lee to the M's kept all the prospects we got for him, then trade our own prospects away. So we unload our farm, but restock at the same time, pretty nice.

 

[chazmaniandevil]

they worded it wrong, they just corrected it

 

[Obst]

If we get Tyson Gilles and Aumont as the main piece in the Lee deal then I will have no problem sending Taylor and Drabek to the Jays. This deal looks really good for us. Gilles, Aumount, and Halladay, I love it.