Twins Win Trade: Kody Clemens Outperforms Cash Considerations by Slight Margin

[Matthew Taylor]

In a deal that initially flew under the radar, the Minnesota Twins acquired utility man Kody Clemens from the Philadelphia Phillies earlier this season in exchange for journeyman financial asset Cash Considerations. At the time, the move was met with shrugs. Now, it’s being met with "Did they really just fleece Dombrowski?"

Since arriving in Minnesota, Clemens has transformed into a left-handed sledgehammer. In just 61 plate appearances, he's slashing an otherworldly .321/.400/.736 with 5 home runs and 12 RBI. That’s good for 1.2 WAR, which is, according to statheads, exactly 1.2 more WAR than Cash Considerations has compiled since joining the Phillies.

To be fair, Considerations has seen limited playing time in Philadelphia, largely because he's a pile of money and not technically eligible for the 40-man roster. Still, let’s go to the stat comparison:

Player	AVG	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI	fWAR
Kody Clemens	.265	.359	.588	5	12	0.8
Cash Considerations	.000	.000	.000	0	0	0

"It's early," said Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski when asked about the production gap. "Obviously, Kody is playing well, but we believe Cash just needs time to adjust to our culture and maybe a currency exchange. We’re still optimistic about his upside in the luxury tax column."

Cash Considerations, acquired for the 483rd time in MLB history, reportedly showed up late to his Phillies physical, citing “bank holiday delays” and “wire transfer fatigue.” He’s been mostly invisible since, which mirrors his performance at the plate and on the field.

One unnamed Phillies scout, when asked how Cash looks in pregame warmups, replied, "Honestly? Shiny. Crisp. High denomination. But I wouldn’t trust him in the 9th inning."

Meanwhile, Clemens has quickly earned a cult following in Minnesota. Not only is he delivering clutch hits, but he also reportedly paid for lunch for the bullpen using leftover Considerations.

"I think we won this deal," said Twins manager Rocco Baldelli. "Every time Kody homers, we text the Phillies’ front office a screenshot of his stat line and a Venmo request."

The Phanatic once held up a sign reading “Let’s Go, Cash!” during a mid-inning skit. Sources confirm it was supposed to say “Let’s Go, Castellanos.”

As the season progresses, it's clear the Twins made a savvy move. Clemens continues to contribute. Considerations continues to not be a person. The verdict is in:

Advantage: Minnesota.

 

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[Tjwalsh65]

I think the best such deal was Babe Ruth for cash considerations.

[jkcarew]

It’s astounding to me that a cast-off can immediately play with the confidence that he has shown from day one. Maybe dad instilled a “never doubt yourself” attitude?

Don’t know how sustainable the hitting results are, but he’s also shown a surprising ability to do positive things in the field and on the bases. Good for him!

[AceWrigley]

Pleasantly surprised. He seems to be a guy that just goes out and gets the job done. His defense at second base seems quite good, better than anybody we've had in a while. I like seeing his name penciled into the lineup.

[gil4]

Regression to mean may already be underway.  Meanwhile, the Phillies are taking BP with the bucket of baseballs they got for him. Let's hold off on evaluation of the trade.  

Seriously, the little hot streak he had was probably worth the trade, as long as nobody thinks he's really the .950 OPS guy he has been since he arrived, rather then the sub-.700 OPS guy he has been his whole career.  The "whole career" may have a bit of SSS to it, and maybe he can be a bit better than he has shown in the past, but his minor league numbers are more AAAA/sub/utility than MLB regular.  There's some value to that, but there's more if you have options left, which he doesn't.