Wednesday Saber-Links: The Excitement Continues

Last night's slate of baseball was ordinary for late July and, to be honest, so were the transactions ... but it was still exciting.

Here are Wednesday's Saber-Links:

Marc Hulet of FanGraphs discusses the Astros' prospect haul from the Wandy Rodriguez trade: Houston Adds More Prospect Depth in Wandy Deal | FanGraphs Baseball

The additions of pitchers Rudy Owens and Colton Cain, as well as outfielder Robbie Grossman adds more depth to the rebuilding Astros and is more than a fair return for left-handed starter Wandy Rodriguez.

There was a lot of speculation about Hanley Ramriez being traded prior to the season. While that move never came to fruition, the Marlins have finally found a way to move Hanley during the season. Baseball Prospectus analyzes what brought Hanley to Los Angeles, and why: Baseball Prospectus | Transaction Analysis: Hanley Goes to Hollywood

The Dodgers are willing to gamble, though, because what they do have right now can’t even be called league average; between shortstop and third base they have a combined .242 TAv, and that’s with the injured Dee Gordon and Juan Uribe playing within a handful of points of their rest-of-season PECOTAs. If Hanley’s upside is a return to something approaching his All-Star years and his downside is puttering along at around league average, the Dodgers have made a gamble they simply can’t lose. Don Mattingly is going to have his own version of Sophie’s choice to make when Gordon returns: "You can lose Juan Uribe or Dee Gordon from your lineup. Pick one and only one." But either way, the Dodgers have improved their lineup over what it was yesterday.

I've always been on the "trade Cole Hamels" bandwagon. I wrote here, in May, about why I thought it made sense for the Phillies to send Hamels packing. The Phillies decided to go in the opposite direction, signing Hamels to a 6-year $144 million extension. Here are BP's: Baseball Prospectus | Transaction Analysis: Hamels Extends Stay in Philly, and FG's: Cole Hamels is an Ace and Got Paid Like One | FanGraphs Baseball takes on the deal.

Full Spectrum Baseball has come out with a new pitching statistic: New Fake Stat: Introduction to SPv | Full Spectrum Baseball. I hate pitching wins on any level, and this stat incorporates them way too highly, but for those who are interested in new statistics, this may be something for you.

And now for an utterly shameless plug, my debut post at The Hardball Times went live this morning. I discussed how Brandon McCarthy's injury history will affect what type of contract he receives this winter. Check it out if you'd like: How much has Brandon McCarthy’s shoulder cost him? THT.

I hope you enjoyed this edition of Saber-Links. I'll be back tomorrow, and hopefully baseball's trade deadline will continue to bring us excitement.