“It’s a change of pace for me. Almost every year … you’re the one at the deadline to be named,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy has settled nicely into the Diamondbacks rotation after being obtained from the Yankees in a three-way trade at the winter meetings, going 5-8 with a 4.10 ERA while notching as many strikeouts (107) as hits allowed in 123 innings. He has given up as many as four earned runs in a game six times, only four times in his last 15 starts.

“You hear big-league innings are harder on you. I have really enjoyed being able to throw every five, six days.

Kelly Johnson got off to a tremendous start, hitting .313 with 9 HR and 18 RBI in April.  After that, he fell off a cliff, hitting .240 with 4 HR and 17 RBI in May and June.

He’s seemingly getting hot again, hitting .329 with 3 HR and 14 RBI thus far in July.

So, which player is he really?  Is he the superstar he was in April, or is he closer to the player he was in May and June?

The power was an aberration, and that should be crystal clear at this point.  He had never shown that type of power in the past and he benefited from a 33.3% HR/FB rate in April.  Compare that to his 10.3% career mark (and current 15.0% overall) and you get the point.

He has also gotten a boost from his home ballpark, where he has hit 11 of his 16 home runs.  Take him out of that ballpark and a lot could change.

The power surge may have helped add to his strikeout total, currently at 24.5%.  He was below that the prior two years (20.7% and 17.8%), so there is hope that he could improve there.

An improvement there would certainly help if his luck turns.  Not that he has been overly lucky, but his .323 BABIP easily could fall.

What’s the bottom line?  The power was an aberration to begin with and taking him out of Arizona certainly wouldn’t help.  Granted, he’s done a great job of getting on base and scoring runs (60 on the year).

As long as he goes somewhere that he will remain hitting near the top of the order (he’s spent 322 AB either first or second), his value should remain the same, just don’t go looking for the power to return.

Then again, the idea of him hitting atop an order seems somewhat remote.

What are your thoughts on Johnson?  Will he continue to hold value if traded?  Does he have value even if he stays in Arizona?

Make sure to check out our trade deadline analysis:

• Yunel Escober for Alex Gonzalez
• Alberto Callaspo traded to the Angels
• Dan Haren traded to the Angels
• Jhonny Peralta to the Tigers
• Scott Podsednik to the Dodgers

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One of the side effects to attending thirteen years of Arizona Diamondbacks baseball games is that I have accumulated a lot of stuff from game giveaways and countless trips to the Team Shop. There are T-shirts, hats, lunch boxes, schedule magnets, beanie babies, webkinz, pom poms, pins, and rally towels.

While each of these items was great, there is one stadium giveaway that ranks above all others. I’m talking of course about the bobble heads. I don’t know what it is about a resin likeness of a baseball player with his head bobbing up and down that fascinates me but it does.

I am not the only one who feels this way. From the looks of the attendance figures at each giveaway game, there are thousands of others who treasure the bobble heads as much as I do.

I have each one of the dancing headed figurines sitting on the top of my desk. During those long evenings of writing and working on the computer I can look up and be reminded of baseball games past and what I was doing each night at the ballpark.

The bobble head figures have also been featured prominently in my wife’s nativity scene making them multi-seasonal transcending mere baseball memorabilia. I wouldn’t exactly recommend any husband replace the wise men with Diamondbacks bobble heads unless coal is your idea of the perfect Christmas gift.

Overall my wife Trina has accepted, albeit begrudgingly, my bobble head collection as part of her interior décor. They are a conversation piece whenever anyone visits our house. Once they spot the bobble heads lined up the next inevitable comment is, “Wow, I bet you have every bobble head they ever made”.

This comment has become a painful reminder that my collection is not complete. My collection has two prominent holes that I have begun to think may never get fulfilled. I refer to this as the “Bobble Head Dark Ages”.

It was a painful time in history, one that still haunts me to this very day. The year was 2005 and the Arizona Diamondbacks were just a season removed from their worst year in the history of the franchise.

The Diamondbacks promotions schedule was rather barren with nary a bobble head to be seen. I had thought 2004 was bad with just one bobble head of the injured Richie Sexon but in 2005 the bobble head fountain ran dry, at least for adults.

The “at least for adults” was the key phrase. In 2005 the Arizona Diamondbacks had a fan loyalty program for children that rewarded them with points for each game they attended. Two of the prizes available were bobble heads just for the kids.

There was one for right fielder Shawn Green and another for third baseman Troy Glaus. Alas, my kids did not attend enough games to receive the points necessary to earn these rewards. It is a painful reminder of what might have been.

I’ve continually searched for these elusive two bobble heads but so far my quest has gone for naught. I have about come to the conclusion that I would have better luck searching for the Holy Grail than I am for these two bobble heads.

One day my patience and diligence will pay off. On that day when I place these last two bobble heads amongst their peers there will be a great celebration. I’ll put on my Diamondbacks jersey then nudge the desk and begin to do the bobble head shuffle.

The men in the white coats may come and take me away wearing a white and Sedona Red straight jacket but it will be worth it to see all the boys together to remind me of those wonderful days I spend at the ballpark nodding happily with each pitch thrown.

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As the Arizona Diamondbacks dropped their fourth straight home game to the San Francisco Giants, it marked the end of a seven-game home stand. After the game while the fans were being serenaded by The Wiggles , the Diamondbacks held a press conference where they announced the team had traded ace Dan Haren to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

With the baseball trade deadline looming during an upcoming road trip through Philadelphia and New York, it is unclear which, if any, of these players will be making the return trip to Phoenix to begin the next home stand.

Rather than dwell on the unknown, let’s talk about the past home stand. It is time once again for another edition of the State of the Home Stand Address where I try to give a brief synopsis of the just concluded home stand. As always, let’s begin with a disclaimer, the viewpoints expressed here are my own personal opinions and do not reflect the views of Major League Baseball, or any sane human being.

Any coherent thoughts either real or fictional are purely coincidental and are not meant to be taken internally. Should this happen please induce vomiting and immediately contact your doctor. Objects appearing in the blog may be closer than they appear. Your mileage may vary. Well that should protect us from any legal challenges that may arise.

This home stand consisted of three games against the New York Mets followed by a four game series against the San Francisco Giants. This was the first home games since the All-Star break and the Diamondbacks limped into them having just been swept in San Diego.

The Mets were on one of their longer road trips and they too came into the series struggling. The Diamondbacks took advantage and put together three games where they began to look like the team that made it to the National League Championship Series in 2007.

The Diamondbacks took all three games from the hapless Mets for their first three-game sweep in nearly a year. The team had very little time to celebrate before they met the San Francisco Giants, who reminded Arizona that they are closer to the team in 2004 that lost 111 games than the 2007 playoff-bound Diamondbacks.

The four games against the Giants were marred by poor defense, lack of timely hitting, and just all-around bad baseball. The Diamondbacks looked as though they had no energy, which in turn resulted in the crowd being less than enthusiastic.

Attendance continues to suffer, which is an indication that Phoenix is far removed from being in contentionof being named a “baseball city”. The fans continue to be fair-weathered, waiting for a winning product before jumping on the bandwagon.

The final two games of the Giants series saw a jump in attendance, but that may have been because of the replica jerseys announced as a giveaway on Saturday, and The Wiggles performing on Sunday.

With respect to the stadium, there was another new sign in left field; this one was another for Budweiser. Sponsorship remains the same, just a new sign replacing the old. This one offers a web site to vote for the bud band, whatever that is.

There is relatively nothing new to report from a concession perspective. The Diamondbacks are actively collecting feedback on concession experience. We were asked twice to answer survey questions regarding the food being offered at Chase Field. As you would expect, Hungry Hill and Fat Burger garnered the most votes, while the Levy restaurants, especially Ribbies, ended up at the bottom from a quality and value perspective.

During this home stand our daughter was visiting. This gave me an opportunity to introduce my granddaughter to the game of baseball. Since she is still nursing, mother and daughter could not be separated for too long.

As we surveyed the stadium for places to nurse, we found Chase Field to be lacking in providing a mother’s lounge. In a pinch, we used the family bathrooms which worked surprisingly well, except for the fact that there are only two family bathrooms on the main concourse, one of which was used for half an hour by a man and woman with no children. I don’t even want to know what that was about.

It was not until my daughter went to a game that I began to notice how many people there were in the stands with small children, making me think that we could not have been the first family looking for such facilities. I have no idea what the Diamondbacks could do to support this, but it may warrant some discussion, given the Diamondbacks desire to be family-friendly.

Overall, the Diamondbacks finished the home stand with a 3-4 record, not exactly what the fans had in mind. After a six-game road trip, the Diamondbacks return to Chase Field where they will play host to the Washington Nationals and the San Diego Padres.

These should be good games and I recommend coming out to the game. Saturday, August 7, is a special game where the Diamondbacks will retire the number of Luis Gonzalez in a pregame ceremony. I hope to see you at the ball park.

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Haren was traded to the Los Angeles Angels for left-handed, back-end starter Joe Saunders and three pitching prospects. None of these returning pitchers were top-10 prospects in the Angels organization.

Kudos to Angels GM Tony Reagins for swooping in late and pulling off this coup.

Several factors indicate that acting Arizona GM Jerry DiPoto jumped the gun and reached on this deal.

First, while Saunders is regarded as a nice pitcher, and will replace Haren on the Diamondbacks rotation, he is not nearly in the same class as Haren. Despite both having similar ERAs, Haren is much more a strikeout pitcher while Saunders pitches to contact.

Not that pitching to contact is bad, but when you add in Haren’s reluctance to walk anyone, his zenith could explode much higher than Saunders’ ever will.

Second, the Diamondbacks were interested in also having teams paying Haren’s entire salary. This money includes about $3 million more this season, $12.75 million in 2011 and 2012, plus a $15.5 million 2013 option (or $3.5 million buyout).

Yes, that is more than what Saunders is owed, as Big Joe is still under team control for two more arbitration seasons. Saunders’ two arbitration seasons could net him about $12 million over that span.

The Diamondbacks are saving money, but the money is not as big of a difference as you would think they could have gotten.

Third, the minor league pitchers received aren’t impact-type guys. Patrick Corbin is a 20-year-old who has generated a High-A Cal League 5-3 record with 3.88 ERA and a K/9 rate of 9.5. This is after a Low-A 8-0 record with a 3.86 ERA with a 6.5 K/9 rate.

This is the best minor league guy in the deal, which means the deal is not great for Arizona. Rafael Rodriguez is 25 and an okay guy, but is also a bullpen arm. Unless he miraculously turns into Mariano Rivera, or even Ocatvio Dotel, his career is not going to be noteworthy.

Except for this bad trade.

A player to be named is likely to be Tyler Skaggs, the Angels supplemental first-round pick last year. He is throwing well so far this season, his first full year, but is at least four seasons away.

What the Diamondbacks did not do is center their deal with the Angels over their top guy, heavy-hitting outfielder Mike Trout, also a 2010 Futures Game participant. Trout is a great combination of power and speed, who also makes great consistent contact.

That’s a far cry from what current third baseman Mark Reynolds offers the Diamondbacks.  

Hint for teams wishing to trade a top player for young talent: Always seek out the other teams’ Futures Game players. Every organization is represented by two players, and they are usually some of the best players in that team’s system!

While the deal clearly favors the Angels, it will not help the Halos this year. It’s more of a trade for 2011 and 2012.

The Texas Rangers are too far ahead in the standings, have the better ace in Cliff Lee, a very solid bullpen, and a much more potent lineup.

I do not believe they will stumble over the next two months, and they might be the team to beat in the American League.

So, the Diamondbacks received a lesser Major League talent, did not save as much money on the deal as you would expect, and did not receive the Angels’ best prospects.

Not a good first attempt in acting GM Jerry DiPoto’s first foray into the wheeling and dealing of high-stakes baseball deals.

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As I entered the Team Shops in Chase Field, several employees welcomed me with news of a new sale they were having. For the remainder of this home stand, the Team Shop was offering anyone who purchased either a Dan Haren or Brandon Webb jersey and a T-Shirt with either of these two players’ names imprinted on them would receive a game-used baseball bat from Justin Upton, Mark Reynolds, or all-star Chris Young.

Clearly the team shop was sitting on a lot of inventory of merchandise for these two players that would have to be substantially marked down if either of these players were traded. Given that Webb is still on the disabled list, it seemed likely that Haren would be traded relatively soon.

At the conclusion of the game against the San Francisco Giants, the Diamondbacks announced they had reached a deal with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim that sends Dan Haren to Anaheim in exchange for three pitchers and the proverbial “player to be named later”.

The known names in this trade are left-handed starter Joe Saunders along with minor league reliever Rafael Rodriguez and starter Patrick Corbin. The rumor mill has identified the player to be named later will be Tyler Skaggs.

Skaggs who is currently playing for the Cedar Rapids Kernals of the Midwestern League is not eligible to be traded until August 7, since he has not yet been under contract for the necessary one year.

Saunders gives the Diamondbacks a left-handed starter who will take Haren’s place in the Diamondbacks starting rotation for the remainder of the season.

Rodriguez, a right-handed reliever in the Angels organization is currently with the Salt Lake Buzz and will likely be sent to Triple-A Reno for the remainder of the minor league season. Chances are, he will be among the September call-ups for Arizona.

The two most important pieces of this trade are probably Corbin and Skaggs, both of whom were identified among the top prospects for the Angels farm system. Corbin projects into a number two or three starter at the Major League Level, as does Skaggs.

This sets the Diamondbacks up with the bridge between the major leagues and minor leagues that interim General Manager Jerry Dipoto described during the Season Ticket Holder town hall meeting.

It gives the Diamondbacks some payroll relief and sets them up to begin building the next wave of pitchers to come through the farm system. Initial assessments by media outlets suggest Los Angeles got the better end of this deal.

From a short-term perspective, it would tend to favor the Angels. Should Corbin and Skaggs develop into the players they are capable of becoming, this trade may favor Arizona in the long run.

Of course a lot could change in that time, so it’s anyone’s guess. Does this trade signal the end to any deals the Diamondbacks might make? That is doubtful. There are other pieces of the current roster that should interest teams making a play-off run, so this is most likely just the first of many changes the Diamondbacks will make before the end of this season and next.

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The Angels have acquired RHP Dan Haren from the Arizona Diamondbacks for LHP Joe Saunders and minor leaguers Patrick Corbin, Rafael Rodriguez, and Tyler Skaggs.

When I first saw this trade I thought two things: First, the Angels came out of nowhere on this one and 2. I had the same reaction that George’s girlfriend had when he came out of the pool in the Hamptons. There had to be more.

Unfortunately, for the Diamondbacks there wasn’t anymore to this trade. What a steal for the Angels. Maybe the Diamondbacks had better offers, maybe they didn’t. But it looks like the Diamondbacks didn’t get nearly enough for a pitcher who is signed for another two seasons after 2010 and has a club option for 2013.

Here is a breakdown of the trade…

What the Angels get

When you looked at the Angels starting rotation prior to this trade, outside of Jered Weaver it was very mediocre. Joe Saunders, Ervin Santana, Scott Kazmir, and Joel Piniero are nice pitchers, but they are all No. 3 or 4 starters on a World Series caliber ball club.

Now with Haren and Weaver at the top of the Angels rotation, Anaheim has a one-two punch just as good as any team in the American League. Haren is a legit No.1 starter and will be for the Angels for the next two and maybe three years.

Haren is signed through the next two years at a very reasonable $12.75 million. He has a club option for 2013 for $15.5 million with a $3.5 million buyout.

Now some will point to Haren’s 7-8 record with a 4.60 ERA this season and at the age of 29, think he is on the decline. Well, he is not.

His 9.00 K/9 and 40.8 percent groundball rate in 2010 are the best of his career and he hasn’t lost anything on his fastball (velocity on his fastball is where it was last season). I would say Haren’s season can attributed to him pitching on a terrible team.

I expect with a trade to Anaheim, Haren will get a shot of adrenaline and pitch very well.

What the Diamondbacks get

Joe Saunders is your classic left-handed finesse pitcher. He doesn’t have overpowering stuff and is at best a No. 3 or 4 starter on a good team.

When the Angels had to start Saunders in Game 6 of the ALCS last season against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, I knew the Angels had no shot. There was no way Saunders was walking into Yankee Stadium and winning that game.

Saunders was 6-10 with a 4.62 ERA for the Angels this season. His 38.4 flyball percentage was the highest of Saunders’ career. I am not sure how that is going to fare in hitter’s ballpark in Arizona.

The Diamondbacks will have Saunders under team control through 2011. My guess is the Diamondbacks will try to re-establish his value and then trade him again at some point. I can’t see him being in their long-term plans.

Patrick Corbin is a 21-year-old left-handed pitcher who is currently 5-3 with a 3.88 ERA for High Single-A Rancho Cucamonga. He has made 11 starts this year and his 9.5 K/9 is the highest of his minor league career so far.

Rafael Rodriguez has been up with the Angels twice over the last two years and things didn’t fare so well for the 25-year-old out of the Dominican Republic. In 32.2 IP, Rodriguez has given up 48 hits, 11 walks and only has struck out 11.

He has a 3.04 ERA in 50.1 relief innings this season for Triple-A Salt Lake.

Tyler Skaggs was the No. 8 ranked prospect in the Angels’ organization prior to the season according to Baseball America. He has impressed this season in Single-A going 8-4 with a 3.61 ERA 9.0 K’s/9.

The Diamondbacks had the trade chip of all trade chips at the deadline — an ace pitcher, who has a reasonable contract for the next two years and didn’t get nearly enough in return.

Good trade for the Angels.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

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