David, I hope you're right about that. What a horrible, horrible trade. Imagine the numbers Soriano will put up in RFK - will people finally realize that he's really not a very good player?

Jeez. You really have to be drinking the Bill James kool-aid to argue that Brad Wilkerson is a better player then Soriano. The guy hit 248, with 11hrs and 150 ks! You guys crack me up. Terrible trade for the Rangers. How can Soriano be traded for A-Rod 2 years ago, and is now only worth Brad Wilkerson.

You really have to be drinking the Bill James kool-aid to argue that Brad Wilkerson is a better player then Soriano.

You also have to be drinking the James kool-aid to have any chance of putting together a winning baseball team. Yes, Soriano hit 36 HR, but he's in a HR-friendly park and he barely hit over .300 OBP. And, his AVG & OBP look to be in free-fall. Yes, Wilkerson's #'s dropped sharply 04-05, but he moved from a pitcher's park to THE pitchers park. Not to mention, Wilkerson is almost 2 years younger and will be much cheaper over the long-haul (partially b/c he doesn't have the sexy HR & RBI #'s). I'd make that 1-for-1 trade in a second.

It can get really hot in DC during the summer, so the whiffs coming from Soriano's bat will keep us cool.

Seriously, I don't understand this trade at all. I know there are health concerns with Vidro, but this is a team that really needs to makeup for the losses they suffered with the pitching staff, and they go and acquire a player for a position where they're actually strong (again, assuming Vido can come back healthy). On top of that, you're putting Soriano in one of the worst hitter's parks in the game. It's true that Wilkerson is not exactly Babe Ruth, but there is such a thing as subtraction by addition.

Wilkerson struggled with injuries in 2005. To the best of my knowledge, Soriano has been producing crap for the past two years on the road uninjured. His home/road splits are odious. He might not hit 20 HR with the Nats, while playing below average defense.

At the same time, if he's healthy, Wilkerson has legitiamte 30 HR power and gets on base at a good clip.
He also plays an average OF.

Watch a healthy Wilkerson hit 35 HR next year. Of course, the Rangers still haven't gotten any pitching, so it might all be for nought.

As Dave said, the Nats would have gotten fleeced if it was Soriano for Wilkerson straight up. Texas got even more than that - a potential 4th OF / platoon guy (even though they do have plenty of OFers), and a decent minor league pitcher.

I'm not sure if Jim Bowden is as bad as Steve Phillips, but he comes damn close.

Brad Wilkerson is a nice player, but he's no better then Trot Nixon. Soriano, on the other hand, can still be one of the top five players in the league. I actually think you can argue that he'll be better in Wash, as Texas has a funny wasy of messing up your swing, as you attempt to hit a long ball each time. When Soriano was in NY, certainly not a pitchers park, he was one of the best players in the game, and i think he can get back there. You people and your Wilkerson love are crazed stat geeks.

You have to be retarded. Did you really just write about winshares. You're talking about one of the best athletes in the game being traded for brad wilkerson. That's BRAD WILKERSON, I can't believe you even think of him in the same sentance with Soriano. How do you call yourself a baseball expert, have you ever even played a sport in your life, an athlete like Soriano has a place on any team in any lineup.

I have no idea how Soriano will do, but this Phillies phan is ecstatic that Brad "Vlad Jr" Wilkinson is finally out of our division. That guy just killed us the last couple of years.

Wouldn't it be nice to set up a comment hall-o-shame, or some such? Record the article and comments so that a year or two later we can look back and laugh our heads off :)

Soriano, on the other hand, can still be one of the top five players in the league.

Yeah, right after Teixeira, Young, Cordero, and Dellucci. Oh, wait, you said league, didn't you...

You're talking about one of the best athletes in the game being traded for brad wilkerson.

No comment.

Among other things, the word on Soriano is he's not a
team player. He won't take suggestions from manage-
ment, is stubborn, etc. Some people have tried to get
him to change his stance/swing, to no appreciable
result. You might get better stats out of this guy if he'd
listen to someone. And that's not even getting into his
going to center field.

Just for the record, Jim Jones used Flavor-Aid, not Kool-Aid.

There are numerous ways to measure performance in baseball. You can argue with individual ones, but just shouting "stat geek stat geek!" loudly doesn't constitute making an argument.

The facts are these: Soriano can't get on base to save his life. He hits for excellent power on the surface, but if you look at how he's hit on the road outside of the hitters haven of Arlington, TX he's not nearly the powerhouse that everyone says he is.

On top of that, Soriano is going to make about $10 Million this coming year (Wilkerson will make less than 1/3 of that) and then he'll be a free agent the following year! Add to all this that Soriano plays a position in which Washington already has an all-star, and you have to start to question Jim Bowden's sanity.

This is a TERRIBLE deal for Washington.

Man. This board has gone loopdy loop. The only legitimate argument I can see which poses this as a bad deal for Washington is the money angle.

Wilkerson is just another average corner outfielder whose stats mysteriously plummeted the year after the started checking for steroids. Besides, the last thing the Rangers need is another bat.

True, Soriano does have some plate discipline issues, and if he refuses to move to the outfield, this could be a problem for the Nats. But he still has speed and a lightning quick bat. But this is still a no-brainer deal for Washington

You might get better stats out of [Soriano] if he'd
listen to someone.

Think he'll listen to Frank Robinson?

Dan,

I guess you either don't go to Yale, or they've really lowered their standards. Soriano on the road last year: .224/.265/.374 last year and .260/.303/.465 over the last three years. Not only that, he's the worst 2nd baseman in the league. And, as you concede he makes alot more money. Other than those things, definitely a no-brainer.

If Frank Robinson could keep Jose Guillen out of trouble (for the most part), he can handle Soriano. Wilkerson was pretty brutal in the 2nd half last year, and the Nat's need some pop.

Besides, the last thing the Rangers need is another bat.

You do realize that you're talking about the team that tied for 6th in OBP (in the AL), don't you? If they had more runners on base for those HRs, they'd easily be 1st in total runs scored instead of 3rd (in the AL). And, considering how many of those HR were gifts of Ameriquest field, they have plenty of room for improvement.

Wilkerson is just another average [center fielder] whose stats mysteriously plummeted...

when he moved to a stadium that is notoriously hard on hitters. Only Petco had a lower batting park factor last year. Very mysterious! :-P

True, Soriano does have some plate discipline issues

His lifetime rate of (BB+HBP)/PA, 5.82%, is just barely higher than Hillenbrand's 5.75%, for crying out loud! For comparison, Wilkerson's free pass rate is 14.8% (which is even higher than Manny's free pass rate of 14.3%!).

2006 Soriano : .256 22 68

Guys, I've been a huge fan of Soriano since that sad sad Yankees-Diamondbacks World Series. I always thought the guy was a spectacular athlete. But, I have to agree with Dave on this one - his production has been rapidly decreasing. This isn't just Bill James propoganda. The numbers make sense, and this is probably a bad trade for the Nats. As much as I loved watching Soriano play (I always felt that such speed, strength, and athleticism was rare in the sport) I wouldn't want him back on the Yankees.

I have to disagree with you on this issue. It was interesting that you stated that the Nationals got ripped off. When I read the trade this morning, I thought immediately that the Rangers got ripped off. Any reasonable GM would have traded Brad Wilkerson for Alfonso Soriano. I am not going to disagree based on win shares (though that statistic is not necessarily a good indicator of a player's worth), but Wilkerson does not equal Soriano. I know the Nationals have Vidro (injury prone - trade bait?) at Second Base. If the Nationals are able to move Soriano to CF or the corner outfield, then he has more statistics associated with a corner outfielder. I know he strikes out a lot (though about the same as Wilkerson), but he also steals just as well if not better than Wilkerson, while getting more HR's. I would make this trade in a heartbeat.

As a Nats fan, this trade hurts, hurts, hurts. Anyone who thinks Soriano is anything other than an below-average fielder and mediocre hitter at this point is dreaming of the Soriano of 2001. And "hits for power?" Look, spend your time playing games (or hell, WATCHING them) in RFK Grand Canyon National Monument Park and that power will mysteriously vanish.

Wilkerson played injured almost all season, in a batting position he loathed but put up with for the sake of the team (leadoff), and he still didn't embarrass himself despite having to move to a cavernous stadium. I predicted a return to form this year, and I think you'll see that in Texas PLUS the effect of a hitter's park.

To quote Charlton Heston:

Damn you, Jim Bowden...damn you all to hell.

Bob,
Finally another sensible voice on this board. The way everyone was going on about win shares, you'd think Brad Wilkerson was David Ortiz. I'm frankly surprised the Rangers didnt hold out for more. They could have tried to pry one of the young prospects off the Mets. A 30 year old average OF for Soriano makes no sense. I dont know much about the minor league pitcher they got, but I hope for the rangers sake he can pitch.

What a horrible trade.

Soriano in RFK= Disaster waiting to happen.

Wilkerson is easily the better player.

Bowden is an absolute idiot.

Well, given how often the Mets play Washington, I figure replacing Wilkerson with Soriano should save the average Mets starting pitcher 10-20 pitches per year . . .

Folks, the greater issue is that Soriano has not been able to resolve his strikeout issues. In 2001 (heck, in 2002 and 2003) there was still hope. You figure, he is young, he'll get over it, he'll improve at the plate. But that didn't happen. He's been getting old (rather fast, actually) and there hasn't been any hope for improvement. Kind of a lost cause, I think.

Sigh,

It saddens me greatly how far Soriano has fallen. I was very upset when the yankees traded him, and I had not really been paying attention since he left NY. But looking at the stats, I am suprised at how poorly he has played since he left.

I sincerly hope the nationals get a Sosa like resurgance in soriano (in as far as learning to be patient) and they get the second coming of Vlad Gurerro in the outfield.

The upside was so high, I think this is a classic GM trading for the player he could have been, instead of is.

Later

Tarik

Boy did this topic bring out the split in the community or what?

Jim Thorpe was once the greatest athlete in baseball-- but not much of a ballplayer.

I wouldn't take Soriano in trade for Brad Wilkerson straight up if the money and years were even. Hell, Wilkerson is even a team player and a "gamer" and Soriano neither, so even if you IGNORE the numbers...

For what it's worth, I think Wilkerson may actually be a better athlete -- in addition to better baseball player -- than Soriano. I seem to remember Wilkerson being one of the best high school quarterbacks in the country.

Even if Soriano is better, the money makes this deal a bad one for the Nats...and the numbers don't really favor him, especially when you consider how much his stats have been padded by the Ballpark in Arlington. This is noted often in this string of comments, and should be highlighted again by comparing his '05 home/away splits:

Home 78 games .315/.355/.656 25 HR 73 RBI
Away 78 games .224/.265/.374 11 HR 31 RBI

Yikes. Soriano's seeming value is all tied up in his power in Arlington (.278 pts of slugging variance!), and RFK and the rest of NL East pitcher-friendly parks could really eat him alive. Wilkerson, while whiffing a bit more than Sori, nonetheless gets on base much better, works pitchers, and has demonstrated real power when healthy (32 dingers two seasons back). He's younger, cheaper, and defensively, there's really no comparison. It's not like Soriano's a bad player...he will knowck the ball out of the park and will also steal you a bunch of bases, and he has a great SB/CS ratio, but I'm afraid he's going to be an out machine for the Nats, while Wilkerson will likely get his stats padded by the AL verson of Coors field (and be cheaper, and accompanied by more talent...)

It's really tough to say that the Nats came out better on this one.

I'd love to ignore stats and back Soriano's athleticism and disagree with David for the hell of it and all that good stuff, but I really think the Soriano backers are largely thinking of the 2002 Soriano -- which is also the Soriano that we thought was a couple years younger than he really was.

Brad Wilkerson is no savior. But he's versatile and has performed well in adverse ballparks and in a work environment that has been adversarial to the team and the players over the past few years. So he can only go up.
Soriano doesn't have upside anymore. Add in the money and the attitude and it's a deal the Rangers had to make. Their "trade Soriano" window was just about closed with his continuing, if slow, deterioration as a player.

The bigger question: does this mean we might see the Rangers contending in the West this year?