Expert Reaction To Conor Jackson For Sam Demel Trade

The cool thing about SB Nation (aside from the awesome free pens) is the incredible network of experts we have. We pinged those experts to give us their reaction to the Conor Jackson for Sam Demel trade.

John Sickles of Minor League Ball ranked Demel 18th in his preseason list of prospects in the A's farm system. 18th.

Oakland Athletics Top 20 Prospects for 2010 - Minor League Ball
18) Sam Demel, RHP, Grade C+: Funky delivery with above average stuff, could help in pen soon if command sharpens up.

That was before the season started, here's what John had to say about Demel (via email) today:

He's improved his command this year while maintaining a good K/IP ratio and still picking up grounders. I can see him as a strong C+ or a B- prospect, with a good chance to be a successful reliever and an outside chance to close eventually.

So Co-Jack for a C+ or B- prospect isn't exactly what one would have hoped for but as is often the case, there's more to this deal than just performance. There's money.

From our own Jim McLennan at AZ Snakepit who digitally penned this in-depth look at Jackson's struggles just a few days ago:

It's a trade that was probably inevitable - Jackson was due for a large pay increase this year, as a third-year arbitration player, and his production has just not been up to par.

His power has basically evaporated completely in the past couple of seasons, and even after his recovery from valley fever, he hasn't been hitting anything like he did over the first couple of years with the Diamondbacks.

Adding to the financial picture of this deal is this Olney tweet:

Twitter / Buster Olney: Heard this: The $ relief t ...
Heard this: The $ relief that the A's are getting in the Conor Jackson deal is close to $400,000...

You certainly can't blame the D-backs for dumping Conor now when facing the prospect of having to pay him more than his production warrants. The question remains, was Demel the best deal possible?

We will have to wait and see how he pans out to answer that question but any possible upgrade to the dismal bullpen has to be considered at least an attempted step in the right direction.

A's fans reacting to the trade here

Conor Jackson Traded to A's For RHP Sam Demel

Well, the first domino has now toppled in the rebuilding of the Arizona Diamondbacks: outfielder Conor Jackson has been traded to the Oakland Athletics for Minor League rightie pitcher Sam Demel.

D-backs GM Josh Byrnes had this to say about the 24-year-old Demel:

“Sam Demel gives us another quality arm in our attempt to improve the bullpen. Conor Jackson has been a class act during his time in the organization. We wish him well in Oakland.”

Of all the possible trade chips, Jackson seemed one of the least valuable, considering his down year this year and his almost complete absence from the line-up last year.

Will this lead to further changes? Surely, the rumor mill will keep churning.

Check out AZ Snakepit for more expert and fan reaction.

Conor Jackson to Texas?

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Texas Rangers have an interest in acquiring Conor Jackson to be a right-handed bat off the bench.

Don’t expect any kind of announcement today, though. It doesn’t appear as though a trade is imminent at this time.

Diamondbacks Considering Almost Every Option

According to this report from Jon Heyman in SI.com the D-backs brass are deep in discussion about the future of the franchise.

Obviously, it benefits the team for word to leak that they are “considering all options” and are “disappointed with results."

As Heyman points out, there are no obvious solutions for the struggling Snakes. They don’t want to give up the good contracts that Upton and Kennedy have and Dan Haren isn’t easily replaced.

The #1 problem is the bullpen and there are no easy answers other than for those guys to pitch better.

Personally, as bad as this team is, I wouldn’t be in a hurry to hang the Fire Sale sign. Things might not be getting any better, but you can’t afford to start dumping players now unless teams come with solid offers.

In other words, don’t panic.

Dontrelle Willis on KTAR Radio

Dontrelle talks to Gambo and Ash about his trade to the D-backs.

On if he feels he could be dominant again:

“Definitely, especially this year. Spring Training I came in in great shape. I definitely felt like I started to get my command back and was enjoying the game… I did a good job thus far of keeping my team in the game and stuff like that. Some people are National League people. Some people are American League. Maybe I’m a National League guy. We’ll see.

Yes, maybe he is a NL guy as shown by getting a base knock and scoring the winning run by sliding into home in his first start.

Rob Neyer Weighs In On Dontrelle Willis For Billy Buckner Trade

ESPN’s Rob Neyer says a change of scenery will be good for Dontrelle Willis, but he still has a way to go.

Over the last three seasons, Willis is 2-8 with 6.86 ERA. Granted, he seems to have made a little progress this season, actually striking out (slightly) more hitters than he walked. But he’s got so much further to go … and now it looks like he’ll get his chance with the Diamondbacks; according to multiple reports, Willis has signed with Arizona, which has the second-worst record in the National League. At least he probably won’t throw enough strikes to join the Diamondbacks’ home-run brigade.

Billy Buckner For Dontrelle Willis Is An Upgrade

According to AZ Snakepit, it is right handed pitcher Billy Buckner who will be taking his 11.09 ERA in three starts and 13 innings of “work”.

Willis is obviously not the same high-kicking kid who took the league by storm, but he should at least be an upgrade of sorts. He’s 28 and 1-2 with a 4.98 ERA with the Detroit Tigers and 70-62 and a 4.06 ERA in 186 career games.

The D-Train was rookie of the year in 2003 and an all-star in ’03 and ’05.

Reports: Dontrelle Willis Traded To Arizona Diamondbacks

According to multiple sources such as this one and this one, the Diamondbacks have traded for lefty Dontrelle Willis.

For more reaction check in with AZ Snake Pit for all those reasons why this move won't help the D-backs at all.

According to AOL Fanhouse:

The Detroit Tigers will trade Willis to the Diamondbacks pending completion of a physical, a major league source told FanHouse.

The Tigers designated Willis for assignment on Saturday, giving them 10 days to trade him or pass him through waivers. Willis went 1-2 with a 4.98 ERA in nine appearances for the Tigers this season, walking 29 and striking out 33.

Willis' agent, Matt Sosnick, told the Arizona Republic on Monday that the Diamondbacks were among Willis' preferred destinations, especially considering the pitcher and his wife already are in the process of buying a house in Arizona.