December 15, 2008

The D.C.-Vegas Shuttle

There are great deals for flights between Las Vegas and D.C.!

Not only do you get to check out Sin City, but there's also a very good chance you'll meet a DMBL player: Over the last three years, there have been nine trades between D.C. and Las Vegas, involving 21 players (and 15 draft picks).

The first trade happened in January 2006, and in fact happened even before new owner Jamie Landsman announced his franchise's new name. The most recent happened this weekend, with Eric Wickstrom sending Erik Bedard out east (along with Las Vegas's first round pick next year) for the No. 2 pick in this year's draft.

Three players have ridden the D.C.-Las Vegas shuttle in each direction: Luis Castillo, Chris "the Pitcher" Young, and Ryan Zimmerman.

If you put all the deals together into one mega-swap, here's how it would shake out. D.C. would receive 13 players and 7 picks: Erik Bedard, Carlos Beltran, Luis Castillo, Carl Crawford, Derrek Lee, Derek Lowe, Bengie Molina, Chris Ray, Francisco Rodriguez, Nate Robertson, Alfonso Soriano, Chris R. Young, Ryan Zimmerman, two 1st Round picks (2007, 2010), a 2nd Round pick (2007), a 7th Round pick (2006), a 13th Round pick (2006), a 14th Round pick (2006), and a 15th Round pick (2008).

Las Vegas would get 8 players and 8 picks: Luis Castillo, Chone Figgins, Alex Gordon, Matt Holliday, Joe Nathan, Reggie Sanders, Chris R. Young, Ryan Zimmerman, three 1st Round picks (2006, 2008, 2009), two 2nd Round picks (2006, 2009), a 3rd Round pick (2007), a 12th Round pick (2007), and a 15th Round pick (2007).

Let's take a look at all the deals that have gone down between these two teams.

January 11, 2006: Columbia Rattlesnakes -- Traded Chone Figgins, infielder, Luis Castillo, second baseman, and their first round draft pick in 2006 to the Las Vegas Rat Pack for Carlos Beltran, outfielder, Alfonso Soriano, second baseman, Bengie Molina, catcher, and their first round draft pick in 2007. Announced that they are changing their names to the D.C. Bushslappers.

February 25, 2006: Las Vegas Rat Pack -- Traded their 13th and 14th round picks in 2006, their 2nd round pick in 2007 and Marietta's 7th round pick in 2006 to the D.C. Bushslappers for their 2nd round pick in 2006 and their 12th round pick in 2007.

December 30, 2006: D.C. Bushslappers -- Traded their 3rd round pick in 2007 to the Las Vegas Rat Pack for Derek Lowe, pitcher, and Luis Castillo, second baseman.

February 24, 2007: D.C. Bushslappers -- Traded their 15th round pick in 2007 to the Las Vegas Rat Pack for their 15th round pick in 2008.

May 17, 2006: Las Vegas Rat Pack -- Traded Carl Crawford, outfielder, and Nate Robertson, pitcher, to the D.C. Bushslappers for Ryan Zimmerman, third baseman, Chris Young, pitcher, and Reggie Sanders, outfielder.

June 10, 2007: D.C. Bushslappers -- Traded Matt Holliday, outfielder, and Alex Gordon, third baseman, and their first round pick in 2008 to the Las Vegas Rat Pack for Chris Ray, pitcher, Derek Lee, first baseman, and Ryan Zimmerman, third baseman.

July 11, 2008: Las Vegas Rat Pack -- Traded Francisco Rodriguez, pitcher, to the D.C. Bushslappers for Joe Nathan, pitcher.

November 16, 2008: Las Vegas Rat Pack -- Traded Chris Young, pitcher, to the D.C. O-Bombers for their 2nd round pick in 2009.

December 13, 2008: Las Vegas Rat Pack -- Traded Erik Bedard, pitcher, and their 1st round pick in 2010 to the D.C. O-Bombers for Blue Ridge's 1st round pick in 2009.

Who's Left

D.C. received 13 players and 7 picks: Erik Bedard, Carlos Beltran, Luis Castillo, Carl Crawford, Derrek Lee, Derek Lowe, Bengie Molina, Chris Ray, Francisco Rodriguez, Nate Robertson, Alfonso Soriano, Chris R. Young, Ryan Zimmerman, two 1st Round picks (2007, 2010), 2nd Round pick (2007), 7th Round pick (2006), 13th Round pick (2006), 14th Round pick (2006), 15th Round pick (2008).

Of the 13 players received, D.C. still has six: Bedard, Beltran, Lee, Lowe, Young, and Zimmerman. Crawford, Rodriguez and Soriano were subsequently traded: Crawford and K-Rod (along with a 1st Round pick in '09) to Blue Ridge for Dan Uggla and a 1st and 2nd in '09; Soriano (with a 7th Round pick in '09) to New Jersey for a 1st Round pick in '08 (used to take Matt Kemp). Castillo was not protected following the 2007 season. Molina as traded in 2006 (along with Scott Podsednik to Marietta for Johnny Estrada, who was not protected following the 2006 season. Ray was not protected following the 2007 season. Robertson was not protected following the 2007 season.

Here's what happened to the seven picks D.C. received: Brendan Donnelly ('06 13th); Randy Flores ('06 7th); Alex Gordon ('07 2nd); John Maine ('07 1st); Sean Marshall ('08 15th); Lastings Milledge ('06 14th). The 2010 1st Round pick is pending.

Donnelly was released during the 2006 season; Flores was not protected following the 2006 season; Gordon was traded to Las Vegas; Maine is still with the team; Marshall was released during the 2008 season (but subsequently re-signed as a free agent); and Milledge was released during the 2008 season.

Las Vegas received 8 players and 8 picks: Luis Castillo, Chone Figgins, Alex Gordon, Matt Holliday, Joe Nathan, Reggie Sanders, Chris R. Young, Ryan Zimmerman, three 1st Round picks (2006, 2008, 2009), two 2nd Round picks (2006, 2009), 3rd Round pick (2007), 12th Round pick (2007), 15th Round pick (2007).

Of the 8 players Vegas received, they still four: Figgins, Gordon, Holliday and Nathan. Sanders was released after the 2007 season; Castillo, Zimmerman and Young were traded back to D.C.

And Las Vegas turned the eight picks into Chris Duffy (15th '07); Edwin Encarnacion ('07 3rd); Jonny Gomes (2nd '06); Jeff Keppinger ('08 1st); and Oliver Perez ('07 12th). The 2006 1st Rounder was traded to Phoenix (along with Melvin Mora, David Eckstein and an 8th Round pick in 2006) for the second overall pick in the 2006 draft. The 2009 1st Rounder and the 2009 2nd Rounder are still pending.

Duffy was released during the 2007 season; Encarnacion was traded in 2008 to Marietta for a 2009 7th Round pick; Gomes was traded in 2006 to Marietta for Gary Sheffield (protected in 2007 but released during that season); Keppinger is still with the team; Perez was traded (along with Joe Blanton, Corey Hart, Kaz Matsui, Jhonny Peralta, George Sherrill and Shane Victorino) for Ichiro Suzuki and a 4th Round pick in 2008. Ichiro is still with the team, while the 4th Round pick was traded (along with a 1st, 6th, 7th, 10th, 13th in '08, a 1st, 7th and 10th in '09 and a 7th and 14th in '10) to Marietta for Rafael Betancourt, A.J. Burnett, Pat Neshek and Jim Thome. Betancourt, Burnett, Neshek and Thome are all still with the team.

Chris Nabholz was the subject of one of the league's most controversial trades on Dec. 12, 1991, when the Austin Outlaws southpaw was dealt to the Scranton Sparrows for unspecified "future considerations." The cantankerous owners couldn't agree on adequate compensation and ultimately the trade was resolved through arbitration, with Scranton getting Austin's 5th and 15th round picks in 1993. Trades for "future considerations," players to be named later, cash and so on were banned after this trade. Nabholz now lives in Pottsville, Pa., where he helps coach the local high school team and at baseball camps. Click Here for past articles.