The Ichiro Trade: That Just Happened

By Anthony

Really, really weird

So yeah, Ichiro is now wearing pinstripes and apparently he asked to be traded a few weeks ago. I don’t know how that affects his legacy here but whatever. Unlike Patrick who texted me “Who Cares Ichiro is Gone.” I actually looked at whom we got and am not really sure what to think. They are D. J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar, both right handed pitchers. 

Yes. The same team that has some of the best pitching prospects in the league and desperately needs hitting traded for more pitching. That’s like being trapped on a desert island with an unlimited supply of food and in desperate need for water. Then a plane flies by and drops a parcel of food to you, except the pilot knows that you have unlimited food. And that pilot is Jack Z. I haven’t been trapped on a desert island in the same predicament I described, but if I was, I would be pissed off. Damn it Jack Z! We need hitting! 

D. J. Mitchell is pretty easy to figure out compared to Danny Farquhar. Mitchell is a 6-2 starter who went 85 innings in 14 games in AAA. His ERA was 5.04, which is not good, he averaged 7.5 K’s and 3 walks per nine innings, also not great. He has a sinker that he uses quite a bit and generates quite a few ground balls. I can see him as kind of a Hector Noesi but without the home run problem. Some comparisons I have seen link him to Chien-Ming Wong because of the sinker, remember Wong was once a frontline starter for the Yankees. Mitchell is in Tacoma and may see some time in Seattle once rosters expand. I hope he develops into a back of the rotation guy after the big three make it to Seattle.

I read a scouting report on Danny Farquhar. Know what is weirder than his name? The way he pitches. When facing right-handed batters, Farquhar is a side armer with a sweeping slider and a fastball that sits around 90. Against righties that is good. Against lefties though, the right-handed side arm thing isn’t very good. So Farquhar throws over the top. Am I the only one who thinks this is ridiculous? Good pitchers are supposed to have consistent mechanics. I have never heard of a guy who intentionally is inconsistent. His results of course have shown this. He has bounced around from Oakland to Toronto to New York. He too will show up in Tacoma and may be in Seattle for September. I really do want to watch the Farquhar show when he pitches in Seattle, just like I love watching Carlos Peguero.  The entertainment factor would be like watching Munenori Kawasaki sing karaoke with Jackie Chan. 

That’s whom we got in exchange for Ichiro and money. So for all of you are off celebrating the end of the Ichiro era with Patrick, take a glance here and see our returns. If your excitement is not tempered, I guess you really hate Ichiro.