Mariners Acquire Bill Hall

by Matthew on Aug 19, 2009 3:17 PM PDT in Seattle Mariners Transactions

This is starting to get boring, the Front Office constantly doing things that we talk about. It's finally like Field Gulls. According to Shannon Drayer and others via Twitter, Bill Hall has been acquired for RHP Ruben Flores.

First, Ruben Flores turned 25 this year and is still pitching between A and High-A ball. He missed all of 2008 and has been pitching exclusively out of the bullpen this year and posting pretty unspectacular numbers. He will not be missed in the slightest.

Bill Hall, meanwhile, is owed $8.4 million next year and at least $0.5 million in 2011 (or an additional $8.75 million to exercise a club option). The salary numbers are obviously really curious as to what this means for 2010. The Brewers have to throwing in cash on this deal, they just have to. (Jeff's note: Milwaukee's covering almost all of the cost. Hooray!)

Bill Hall was a fantastic hitter in 2005 and 2006 and absolutely flipped the switch off ever since then. He can play 2B, 3B and CF at an above-average level which is a lot of defensive versatility. We will wait to see how much money is coming back to us, as that is the key to the deal, but Bill Hall can be a $10-15 million guy in value if he relearns how to hit and he (and/or Hannahan) likely takes over the starting 3B job next year should Adrian Beltre depart.

Jeff's input: It's really tempting to look at Hall's track record and say "hey if he can get back to doing what he did in 2006, then that'd be spectacular." But 2006 was three years ago. In 2006, Travis Hafner was the best hitter in baseball and Bronson Arroyo had the fourth-best ERA in the NL. There's always a chance that Hall could suddenly re-discover what once made him so good, and this *is* a change-of-scenery deal, but what we have to focus on is how to make Hall useful assuming he remains what he's been since 2007. And the best way to make this version of Bill Hall useful is to get him the majority of his playing time against left-handed pitchers while playing all over the infield. He's a utility/platoon guy until he proves otherwise, and while that's by no means a problem since the Brewers are footing the bill, it's best not to expect too much.

0 recs | 90 comments

Lookout Landing

Mariners Acquire Bill Hall

Comments

Idea stealers

I don't have time to write about this right now but I have to imagine the Brewers are throwing in a ton of cash

How long will we have him for?

Through next year

I like him because he can play everywhere well

Plus if he can straighten his bat out

I wouldn't count on his bat coming around

That's what I was thinking, but if he can he lefties well he's an outstanding bench player

Right-handed Hannahan!

Like Jackie HJ can play center

Exactly what I thought when I saw we signed him.

I still find it hard to believe that Hall could hit well at 26 and 26 and have nothing left in the tank at 28-29

There was a five in here

Of course we weren't expecting Gutz to hit all that well were we?

That's a different situation

Why do you gotta crush my dreams like that? :(

Guiterrez?

I feel like I'm being a dick about this though.

backups

According to USSM they are picking up nearly all of his contract

Baker says he'll be on the ML roster

Could be that

Gosh I hope

There are stretches I forget Batista is on the roster.

Every time he appears it's a surprising, unwelcome jolt.

PLEASE DEAR GOODNESS PLEASE!!!!

Josh Wilson?

Shannon suspects

Hilarious

So you guys are really Jack Z?

Bill Hall is black?

/got that out of the way

I was getting nervous that we were headed towards another Geoff Baker exposé.

Sex me Z!

Where was the post recommending us getting Hall again?

Fanshot.

Mine? Was there a different one?

That's the only Bill Hall related FanComment/Shot/Editoral I remember.

I read the fanshot here and then dedicated a post to it on my blog like a week ago

Baker is saying Bedard is going to the 60 Day to clear the roster spot.

err wait that still doesn't clear a 25 man spot.

Baker also makes a stupid comment about Jack Hannahan's offense in that post!

I am sad that this probably means, like Dave mentioned, the end of Beltre.

Eh, Beltre was probably gone long ago as this park kills him

At least this means possible compensation, right?

Neat!

Added my thoughts to the post if anyone cares

I care.

I care.

GOD YOU'RE SO NEEDY

He's worse than the Sterling savings guy.

Downer.

I hope this precludes a Beltre extension and trading Lopez for a SP.

But seriously, I love this move.

Boring

Agreed

A nifty platoon with Hannahan at 3B, back-up to Jack Wilson at 3B and extra OF....

From his picture, it looks like he should get along well with Jakubostrich.

Bill Hall just needs a pink bat to find his swagger at the plate.

Oh that's racist.

I've always been a huge fan of Bill Hall

Oops.

If Hall and Hannahan platoon, this name's already taken

I was thinking Hannahall

Jackyl & Hannibal

?

What the shit is this.

Did you just make that up?

How did you edit bref?

you do know there were baseball players before 1997 or so, right?

Babe Ruth and Cy Young are folk tales.

Go search B-Ref for Bill Hall

Hallahan is a name.

Rather more common than Hannahan, in fact.

So......

I love low-risk high-reward signings.

Glancing at Fangraphs