Jim Caple’s got a cool piece on ESPN on how hard it is to hit: he faces Matt Thornton for an at-bat.
Beltran watch: I would include Thornton in a trade for Beltran. And as much as I like him, Jim Caple too, and I hope he takes that in the sense that he’s valuable enough to include in the trade. I would understand if Dave and Jason traded me to a Kansas City blog if it made any difference to getting Beltran here.
Who wouldn’t I throw into the deal, you ask? Here’s a complete list:
Bret Boone
Edgar Martinez
Jamie Moyer
because I think trading any of those guys sets the team far enough back this season that the win-now strategy is rendered moot. Other than that, though, I’d be ready to talk.
People write us and say “what do you think fair compensation would be?”
I don’t think it’s possible for me to answer that, because I’m on one side of the table. This is the effect that makes fans call into radio talk shows and propose totally insane deals like “What if we gave the Yankees John Olerud, Dave Hansen, and a prospect for Jason Giambi? It solves their PR problem, gives them an additional left-handed bat off the bench, and helps rebuild their farm system.”
Hey, Clint Nageotte pitched six no-hit innings for Tacoma last night, walking four and striking out six. Despite the no-no, he was pulled because had thrown 96 pitches. I’m sure he would have loved to finish the game, but there’s no reason to have your top pitching prospect throw 150 pitches. Also nice to see Justin Leone, who’s struggled mightily this season, hit two homers to lead the offense. While we’re on the subject of Nageotte — yes, Kansas City can have him for Beltran.
Also, numerous sources are reporting that the M’s have re-signed C Ryan Christianson, recently waived to make space on the 40-man roster for Aaron Looper, to a minor league deal, but I haven’t found anything official yet.
In my continuing effort to convince the greater world that a trade for Carlos Beltran would put the Mariners in the hunt for the World Series this year, here is update number one on Maybe The Best Player in The American League Not Named Alex Rodriguez:
47 at-bats, 15 hits, 3 doubles, 0 triples, 6 home runs, 15 walks, 8 strikeouts, 6 stolen bases in 6 attempts.
That’s a .319/.492/.766 line to start the year. He’s still playing top notch defense in CF while hitting like Barry Bonds did a few years ago when he was still human. The Royals are 5-8 with with a team ERA of 5.88. Their top two starters, Brian Anderson and Darrell May, have ERA’s of 7.06 and 8.80 respectively. Beltran is not going to re-sign in Kansas City at years end, and Baird will not let him leave without compensation. They have his replacement, David DeJesus, hitting .405/.490/.548 in Triple-A, waiting for a job.
I’m convinced that Beltran can be had, and the Mariners have the right assortment of pitching talent to make a deal work. Beltran makes this team the best in the AL West and, by himself, solves half of the problems on the roster. Get it done, Bill.