Good teams will work Clement's pitch count and once they get a man on base he works from the stretch and it gets even worse. Movement is a good thing to have but if the ball is going to break inside/outside/down then you either have to figure out how to get close enough to get them to swing at it or be able to spot a straight pitch that gets you a strike and makes them have to wave at your off plate stuff.
The differences between the two guys comes down to walks and the fact that Nixon has been in the majors 4 years longer than Gibbons. Gibbons has more pop in his bat and he plays every day whereas Nixon has to sit against lefties. I like Trot but he is overpaid for what he provides.
Hanson doesn't have his slider right now and won't likely get it back until next year. He also needs to be able to throw a change or split to support his fastball. There's talk that they might like him as a starting pitcher in the future and if he can master a 3rd pitch he's going to be pretty good in that role.
What's up with Pujols? Is he hurt?
Three year OPS splits:
Gibbons: .693 lefties, .789 righties
Nixon: .641 lefties, .946 righties
Gibbons is almost as bad as Nixon against lefties, and Nixon is much, much better against righties.
Might as well put Roberto Petagine in the outfield, you'll have a cheaper, more productive version of Jay Gibbons.