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The Cheater's Guide to Baseball
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Trades I’m Rooting For
With the trading deadline coming up, some different opportunities are starting to present themselves as chances for the Mariners to make some moves and help rebuild this roster. What follows are my suggestions (not rumors, not inside sources, suggestions) for three deals I’ll be rooting for the M’s to make.
Raul Ibanez to the Mets for LHP Jon Niese and 1B Mike Carp
The Mets are surging, but their outfield is a mess. Moises Alou is out for the year, and Ryan Church’s status is up in the air thanks to lingering concussion issues. Omar Minaya is going to make a move, so the M’s should put themselves in the forefront of his thoughts and convince him that Ibanez is the guy he wants. He has no problem emptying his farm system in attempts to win now, and Ibanez has the reputation to command more than he’s worth.
Niese is a 21-year-old southpaw with an average fastball and good curve who mixes his pitches well and is already succeeding in Double-A. He’s not a high upside guy, but as a potential #3/#4 starter, he’d help give the M’s a legitimate young pitching prospect who could potentially help the team as early as next year.
Carp is a 22-year-old left handed hitting first baseman with a good eye at the plate and gap power. Right now, he projects as a Lyle Overbay type, but there is room in his swing for some extra pop, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he grows into a 25 to 30 home run guy down the line.
Why The M’s Should Do This: Ibanez is obviously in decline, and 2008 might be the last year he’s a starting quality player. As such, he shouldn’t spend the rest of the year in Seattle. Niese and Carp give the M’s some moderate reward youngsters that could be useful players down the line.
Why The Mets Should Do This: They sold the farm to get Johan and they’re running down the Phillies in the east, but a Fernando Tatis/Endy Chavez combination isn’t going to work in RF/LF. While they would prefer to keep Niese and Carp, Ibanez will almost certainly be a Type A free agent, so if they offer him arbitration and let him leave in the winter, they’ll get two draft picks to replace the prospects they gave up. The addition of Ibanez for the stretch run and the draft picks makes it worth doing for New York
Yuniesky Betancourt to the Dodgers for Andre Ethier and Chin-Lung Hu
The Dodgers badly need a shortstop to make up for Furcal’s injury, and they don’t have a long term answer if they Rafael leave at years end. Betancourt would stop in and give them a huge offensive upgrade over Angel Berroa once they realize that Nomar is going to kill them at shortstop. Thanks to the contracts they gave Jones and Pierre, Ethier is somewhat expendable, and their need for a shortstop outweighs their need to keep him around.
Ethier is a 26-year-old left-handed outfielder who doesn’t have any one special skill but has a solid all around game. He’s solid defensively and hits RHPs quite well, and while he’s not going to be a star, his combination of offense and defense would make him one of the M’s best players, and his style of hitting is a good fit for Safeco Field.
Hu is a 22-year-old 2B/SS who is terrific defensively and has a questionable bat. He might end up as a defensive replacement, but if the bat develops at all, he could be a nice option to hold down one of the middle infield spots for a few years.
Why The M’s Should Do This: The M’s need to vastly improve their defense to help the contact pitchers on the staff, and bringing Ethier to replace Ibanez and committing to finding a new shortstop is a good step in that direction. Betancourt’s defensive reputation hasn’t matched his performance the last few years, and his swing-at-everything approach is too repetitive in this line-up. Betancourt’s not going to develop into the star the organization hoped he would, so trading him now before other teams realize that is the right way to begin rebuilding a bad group of position players.
Why The Dodgers Should Do This: The Dodgers production from SS since Furcal got hurt has been as bad as the M’s DH production. They need a guy who can fill that gap while they make a playoff run, and Betancourt would be the best SS on the market. Yes, they lose Ethier, but they’re committed to getting at-bats to Pierre and Jones, so he wasn’t going to play enough in LA as is, and if they need to pick up another OF to replace his loss, that’s easier than finding a shortstop.
Jarrod Washburn and Jose Lopez for Chris Duncan and Jamie Garcia
The Cardinals aren’t going to give up Colby Rasmus, so they’re not going to get a frontline starter to match what the Brewers and Cubs have added, but they’re still going to make a move to try and stay in the race. With their rotation struggling to stay healthy, Washburn would give them a 5th starter that would give them predictable results, while Lopez would solidify their long time second base hole for both this year and the future.
Duncan is a 27-year-old first baseman who has played some LF, but is St. Louis’ version of Raul Ibanez out there. He’s suffered a power outage this year, but he’d shown some real power from the left side the last few years, and he’s also more than willing to draw a walk. If he finds his power again, he’d be the M’s best hitter.
Why The M’s Should Do This: Getting rid of Washburn is a plus, so this deal breaks down from their perspective as Lopez for Duncan and Garcia. While he’s having a nice resurgent year with the bat, his defense has become a problem, and the M’s need to transition away from right handed free swingers. With Orlando Hudson and Mark Ellis hitting free agency this winter, they’d be able to spend some money to fill the hole created by his departure, while Duncan would give them a 1B/DH option and Garcia would give them another good young left-handed arm.
Why The Cardinals Should Do This: If St. Louis is going to hang with Milwaukee in the wild card race, they need a starter and a second baseman, and this is the only place they’ll find both in the same package. Washburn should be fine in the NL, and since neither he or Lopez are free agents at years end, they’re not mortgaging the future for a rent a player. Duncan doesn’t have a role with the Cards, and while Garcia is a tough arm to give up, questions about his command and durability make him the kind of higher risk arm that you can move in a deal where you get a 24-year-old sescond baseman who is under contract for three more years.
If the M’s made all three of these deals, they’d set themselves up to have a good off-season and contend in 2009. Yes, they’d have to get a new middle infield, but this is a good winter to go shopping for second baseman, and there are shortstops like Ronny Cedeno who will be available in trade in a few months. They add a few legitimate major league hitters to a line-up that needs some, pick up a couple solid young arms, shed a bit of payroll, and get a chance to build around position players who can both create runs and play a little defense.
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If the Cardinals moved Garcia for Washburn, I think I’d be sick. Garcia’s made his major league debut at the age of 22 having soared through the minors (albeit he needs more time at AAA). I fail to see where Lopez is more than a couple runs better than Aaron Miles at this point or even Adam Kennedy who (outside of May) has been hitting reasonably well and playing very good defense.
Am I missing something where either Washburn or Lopez represent more than perhaps a 1-win upgrade combined compared to what the Cardinals are using currently?
Wouldn’t the two draft picks be worth more than those two Mets prospects?
Or are you afraid that Ibanez would accept arbitration?
That would be an awful deal for the Dodgers.
I would feel a lot more comfortable with all of this if our new GM was in place making the calls…
However, Yuni & Lopez can go anytime…
I would feel a lot more comfortable with all of this if our new GM was in place making the calls…
However, Yuni & Lopez can go anytime…
If only it was that easy. You cant seriously expect smart, rational moves from this team. What do you think this is a MLB team!
I think I’d have to agree with (3) here. While the other 2 trades seem feasible, I highly doubt they’d give up Ethier - especially for Betancourt. I think you’d have to package him like Lopez to get anything of value.
I don’t think Dave’s explanation of why the Dodgers would do that trade is unreasonable at all.
You can’t just look at the value of players in a vacuum when evaluating trades, you have to look at the context that both organizations are operating in.
The Dodgers want to make a playoff run, need a shortstop to do it, and Ethier is a good talent who they can’t find at-bats for.
On one hand, I’m kind of curious who would spend the rest of the year at 2B/SS if we did those deals. On the other hand, that didn’t stop the M’s from cutting Sexson loose, so I guess it could happen.
Probably put Bloomquist at SS and Hulett at 2B. Or maybe Chen.
I believe this team will struggle to win 60 games. If it’s not the worst M’s time of all-time, it certainly is the most uninspiring to watch. Other than Felix, Morrow, Ichiro, what is there that is worth watching?
Is Jones really as cooked as he’s seemed the past season and a half, or is it just the injuries that are holding him back? If I were a Dodgers fan I’d be bummed if they traded away their OF depth and committed to starting Jones no matter what. I wonder how easily we could part them with Ethier…
Very interesting ideas. Not sure the other teams would go along with them–especially the Dodgers (I’m afraid if you want both those young Dodgers you might have to bring Beltre’s name into the talks).
But, the main point is–do something and do it quickly– before other teams start making their moves. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush (or something like that).
60 wins tops with or without the trades, so dump the older guys and get kids who want to play.
Jones is a bum. .169/.264/.256 and lazy defense. He gets booed mercilessly at Chavez Ravine. Conversely Ethier is a huge fan favorite, just a notch below Martin and Furcal.
Thanks, SoaS,
I know Ethier isn’t going to blow anyone away with his talent, but I’ve never understood the past couple years why he wasn’t getting more consistent PT…especially if he is a fan favorite, what is the reason they haven’t just run him out there every day? Do they think he is not an everyday player in the majors?
So if we do this, our starters could be…
C- Clement
1B- Duncan(?)
2B- Ellis/Hudson
SS- Lu (Maybe Furcal?)
3B- Beltre
LF- Ethier
CF- Reed
RF- Ichiro
DH- ?? (Maybe Ibanez if he re-signs)
With a rotation of…
1) Felix
2) Bedard
3) Morrow
4) Silva
5) Dickey/RRS
Awesome.
If we were to trade away Lopez and try to fill the hole with either Ellis or Hudson, which of the two would be preferable?
Dave has a piece on Hudson over at fangraphs. There’s some good discussion in the comments about Ellis vs. Hudson too.
I think it’s basically apples and oranges, with Hudson being the better offensive player and Ellis the better defensive guy.
I don’t think Dave’s explanation of why the Dodgers would do that trade is unreasonable at all.
You can’t just look at the value of players in a vacuum when evaluating trades, you have to look at the context that both organizations are operating in.
The Dodgers want to make a playoff run, need a shortstop to do it, and Ethier is a good talent who they can’t find at-bats for.
Andre Ethier is second among Dodger outfielders in PA and first in OPS+. If the Dodgers want to make a playoff run they’ll continue to find ways to give Ethier at-bats rather than Pierre or Jones.
Dodgers fans are worried that the team may trade a prospect (such as LaRoche, DeWitt or Hu) for Jack Wilson. I’d hate to see their reaction to trading a prospect and Ethier for Betancourt.
And here is the problem-the Ms need to dump their slop (a significant amount of it too).
To get the best return, they also have to do it to GMs that may be slightly desperate so it has to occur before the trade deadline.
Thus it has to be an interim GM pulling the trigger on deals that would turnover a third of their starting lineup and a significant number of innings from their rotation. I don’t think LP has either the power or the guts.
It’s a tall order even before considering the merits of each suggestion above.
The first and last both sound doable and I love them. The middle seems a bit wild. Betancourt for Ethier AND Hu? Woah. I’d deal Betancourt for Ethier straight up and if there’s reason to think Hu will be a major league hitter, I’d deal him straight up for him too. If we could really get both, Jesus. Are the Dodgers really THAT disillusioned with Hu’s offense? I’d make that trade even if we had to throw in another player. If they are really upset about losing their fourth outfielder/lefty pinch hitter, I’d include Reed.
If they need a lefty reliever I’d throw in Rhodes. If they need both, I might throw in both. I’d love to have Andre Ethier and Hu.
one trade I would love to see is Bloomquist for A-rod, but…
Hu is a 22-year-old 2B/SS
Hu is 24 years old and starting to lose his value as a prospect. The purpose for the dodgers to trade is to make themselves better at the major league level and I don’t think they become that much better.
They lose Ethier and would have to play D. Young everyday which is a downgrade both offensively and defensively. I don’t see the dodgers doing it unless Ibanez is included in a bigger deal.
I’m still holding out hope for Bedard to the Phils for something like Carlos Carrasco and Adrian Cardenas. Am I missing something, or what would it take for the M’s to get the 2 draft picks for Ibanez walking?
In the whole argument of AL-better-than-NL, one consistent thread across all of these trades is that each is a swap with a NL ballclub.
Here’s to hoping that these NL GMs see it that as way as well, and think that these players (Ibanez, Betancourt, Lopez, Washburn) would see performance improvements in NL settings.
As a Cardinals fan who enjoys reading this site I’d shit my pants if they traded Garcia for Washburn/Lopez. I’d then try to find John Mozeliak and attempt to throw said shit at him. Preferably I’d light it on fire first as well.
Lopez is a downgrade over Kennedy. With the bat Kennedy’s VORP is 1.8, Lopez 14.3…….except Kennedy’s RZR is .867 and Lopez .803. 6% more balls turned into outs! Everyone outside of Wellemeyer in the Cards’ rotation is a heavy groundballer, infield defense is critical. Not to mention Kennedy is even hitting as of late. 0 value there.
First Washburn doesn’t fit (pitching coach Dave) Duncan’s groundball philosophy that he is hardheaded about. (Seriously that philosophy dictates pitching staff decisions above anything else) More importantly, the Cards are in need of a 5th starter only for the next month till Wainwright comes back. If he doesn’t come back as he was they have no chance anyway against the Cubs/Brewers Mets/Phillies so it’d be dumb to even make a contingency plan that costs any value let alone a free groundballing lefthander with strikeout ability. Oh and ~13 million this year and next total.
No thanks as that one is framed.
The Dodgers would be nuts to trade Ethier and Hu for Betancourt. It sounds like a wishful thinking trade that a Mariner fan dreamed up. Oh wait, that probably means Colletti would be onboard with it.
vr, Xeifrank
I think the Mets are smart enough not to trade anything for Ibanez. Tatis is a fair bet to equal Raul’s offensive output the rest of the year, and he’s actually fielded quite well in the OF thus far. And if the Mets get tired of watching Endy Chavez they can always call up Val Pascucci, who they signed for nothing earlier this year after Philly released him. Pascucci is playable at LF/RF/1B, and is a Ken Phelps/Matt Stairs career waiting to happen. Had the Mariners simply outbid the Mets for his services (wouldn’t have taken much), he might’ve been the Mariner 1B or DH already. Guys like Tatis & Pascucci are always available; the smart teams sign ‘em & stash ‘em. The less intelligent organizations play Vidro, Cairo, and trade for Craig Wilson.
I’m rooting for us to drop all the salary that we can (trade anyone with wasted salary and eat as little of it as possible) and try to sign Yu Darvish to a 7 year deal (probably $150 million with posting fee). Then rebuild around him, Clement, and Felix. That means shipping out our valuable pieces when we get a good offer for them, filling some gaps with random FA fliers, and building from the ground up.
Some people think that we don’t need a complete teardown, but I don’t think we’re on the verge of competing. I’d rather see us go for broke instead of half-assing it.
So this is what our roster would be as best I can envision it:
Lineup
rf Suzuki
2b ? Ellis/Hudson (I’d prefer Hudson)
lf Ethier
3b Beltre
1b Duncan
c Clement
dh Balentien
cf Reed
ss Hu
Bench
c Johjima
if Hulett
of ?
ph ?
Reed’s a solid player, but I really prefer him as a fourth outfielder. Ideally, we’d put Ichiro back in center where he belongs and Balentien can play right. Then we could sign somebody else to dh. Lookout Landing’s suggestions of Ibanez, Rivera, and Branyan would all be fine additions. I have no idea who the other bench spot would go to, but I’m sure we could find somebody. If we could sign two out of the Ibanez, Rivera, Branyan group it would give us a couple of good bats off the bench who were worth starting on occasion, but I’m not sure if that would work. It would certainly give us some depth and protection from injuries.
Rotation:
Hernandez
Bedard
Morrow
Garcia
Silva
Pen:
cl Putz
rsu Lowe
lsu Rowland-Smith
rmr Green
lmr O’Flaherty
rmr Batista
rlr Dickey
I like that rotation and Silva would be the fifth starter no matter what the front office called him. Yeah, Morrow and Garcia haven’t spent a year in a major league rotation yet, but they’re good young players. I think they’d do fine. The bullpen looks pretty capable and Josh Fields might be able to contribute at some point next year too. Plus, RRS and Dickey give us a couple guys who could step in if, heaven forbid, Bedard gets hurt for the billionth time. Or if one of the others gets hurt too I guess. Plus, our AAA team would have more talent than it does now.
AAA
rrp Fields (if he moves as quick as people think he will)
lsp Niese
lsp Thomas
1b Carp
2b Valbuena
3b Tuiasosopo
of Saunders
All of those players might only be another year of AAA away from being decent major league players. Hell, Mike Wilson might be a decent bench bat at some point.
Well, in the case of this year at least, overrated/crappy FA signings (Pierre, Jones) have apparently led to Ethier’s suffering from a case of AJS…
That would be: Adam Jones Syndrome.
the Dodgers deal is–and I use this phrase with the utmost respect!–fanboy wishcasting. yes, your arguments about need are plausible, but both LA players are simply more valuable properties than Bettancourt.
Hmm, Adam Jones Syndrome…
Does that mean they will trade Ethier, Broxton, Kershaw, and two other pitching prospects for our proven ace?
The Dodgers’ deal is wishcasting. Wouldn’t Los Angeles look for a cheaper solution before paying Tiffany’s prices for a Target shortstop? If they decide that Ethier is expendable, they can do better for him that this.
The other deals are better, but unless Bavasi gets hired as the GM of all three of those teams I’m thinking Seattle’s not getting that kind of value back.
Washburn would look better because of the Cardinals’ superior defense as well. However, St. Louis has a 2B in the minors that is hitting well, so they may give him a shot if they decide that they can’t live with the offense of Kennedy/Miles anymore (forgive me, can’t remember the 2B name).
#25 The Mets’ intelligence to not trade for Ibanez is cast into doubt by the ridiculous contract they gave Luis Castillo.
Now you mock me, except I left off Ethier in favor of Loney and Kemp, and Billingsley’s not exactly a prospect still…but damn, I hope no one thinks I’m that dumb!
Adam Jones Syndrome…I like that, but it does make part of me want to cry. I hope the Dodgers are actually as dumb as the Pierre and Jones signings made them look. We may dumb Yuni on them for something useful yet!
Oops, Freudian slip…that should be “dump” Yuni.
I live in So-Cal, so I “get” to watch every Dodgers game…getting just Ethier for Yuni would be a good deal…if they threw in Hu as well…wow…a huge steal for the Ms…don’t know if it could happen…
I read an article last night that actually said the Mets are looking at Raul, so here’s to that going through…I’m sure that Raul would even probably want to re-sign in Seattle if traded in the off-season…hopefully at DH ONLY…
Getting anything for Washburn would be nice…and I think he and Raul are the most likely to go…
But what would Raul do in NY or anywhere for that matter without he “Protector” Vidro?
If nothing else, this post demonstrates that there are things that can be done to move the franchise in the right direction. Combined with thinking like Jeff’s at Lookout Landing, it seems clear that there is hope. The usual caveat of course is that the organization is dysfunctional and it’s unlikely anything quite so logical will occur. Still, until the wrong GM is hired, there is hope…
I second that first statement by CCW in #35.
Thanks for another great post, Dave. I have a love/hate relationship with trade posts like these. While reading, I get all excited and find myself saying, “Yeah! Do it! That’d be awesome!” Then I realize who our front office is, and like most awesome, sense-making things I read on here, I lose hope because of their inability to effectively evaluate talent. I would love for those deals to go down, even if it’s just one of them.
Futures game about to start…Aumont pitching for the World Team…
I love the idea of unloading Betancourt and Lopez. It’s too bad, they could be great players if they weren’t so fat. Vidro is a horrible role model for young players.
Also, if Rhodes has a dominant couple of weeks, we could probably unload him for a decent prospect.
I’d be quite happy if any of these deals went through, and absolutely ecstatic if they all went through. I share some of the skepticism that LA and St. Louis would do the deals or that Pelekoudas would pull the trigger if they would, but less explicable deals happen often enough. It would be nice to be on the winning side for a change.
Those deals and a couple of smart FA signings would definitely put the M’s in contention in 2009. With Sexson, Vidro and Washburn money off the books, the M’s should be able to shop for what they need to fill holes. If the new GM just avoids mediocre starting pitchers…
I don’t think it’s really possible to use a phrase like that with the utmost respect.
Ha…as I read these ideas for trading Raul Ibanez…and the deals proposed with the Dodgers…
My guess, the way the Mariners FO decisionmaking has been these past few years (I’m sure that even if Bavasi is gone, his methodology is still polluting the FO) they’d trade with the Dodgers all right — awful outfielder for awful outfielder — Raul for Andruw.
Gak!
Yeah, I’m pessimistic, cynical, and maybe a little depressed. It might not improve until after the 31st.
Do you think we could trade Ibanez to the D’Backs for Chad Tracy straight up? I’ve heard rumors they’re looking for an OF’er, which is odd because couldn’t they just move Conor Jackson from 1B to the OF, then keep Tracy at 1B? Anyway, he seems to be forgotten, but I think he’s a really good/underrated player. And he can play 3B if necessary once Beltre departs. (Or Tracy can even play OF).
I have no idea how that trade helps the Cardinals.
Or maybe can we get OF’er Gerardo Parra from the D’backs for Ibanez?
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/120665
I couldn’t agree more. I have been rooting for the Carp and Ibanez thing over the past couple of days. I didn’t think of the Phillies trade or the Dodgers trade.
But who knows if Pelekoudas could pull these deals off. I am so used to horrible trades from the Bavasi era (the Pelekoudas has approved of) that I just don’t know if I trust him.
Quote from MLBTradeRumors.com “Buster Olney says that requests for Max Scherzer are keeping the Dbacks from making any moves, such as for Raul Ibanez.” We’re shooting pretty high there aren’t we?
I must admit I thought the scenario with the Dodgers was rather implausible until I recalled that Ned Colletti is their GM. Anything is possible given that.
FWIW however, Pierre is expected to miss maybe another month yet which will probably restrict Ethier’s availability for trading until after the non-waiver deadline. Since there’s no way he’s clearing waivers and NL teams’ claims would take priority it doesn’t seem feasible for that trade to happen.
Injury to one of their money sinks combined with arcane waiver rules should stop the Dodgers doing anything too stupid (unless the Nationals offer them LoDuca back )
From MLBTradeRumors:
Cautious? Really? What have they got to lose, besides more games and money?
Todd S./33 — the Cardinal’s minor league 2nd baseman (Jarrett Hoffpauir) isn’t really a tremendous prospect. He’s walks more than Miles but otherwise carries the some of the same disadvantages (little power, questionable defense). The Cardinals aren’t in any hurry to give him a shot at the bigs.
I am really being hate hate Riggleman just as much as Mac…they are freaking twins.
At least this is the complete opposite of Bavasi’s theory of give me whatever you want and it should be fair.
The thing is, it really isn’t aiming that high when you know you will be getting two picks back in the next draft. Look at it this way, would you trade Max for an OFer you want for 08 plus pick #35 and #45 (which could be as high as #16 depending on who signs Raul) in the draft?
If not that totally makes sense, but it isn’t as ridiculous as it otherwise would sound.
BTW, this is yet another reason to be pissed about the Joh extension. He could have netted a nice return -or the draft picks- without that extension.
54: Yeah, but the thing is, we’re going to re-sign Raul.
So we’ll be getting… our own draft picks.
Re: Ibanez. God. NO. I do not want “LF” Ibanez in the outfield. And forget the two picks. The Mets woud re-sign him pronto.
Re possible trade with the Cardinals, would they give up Anthony Reyes? They clearly don’t value/view him as the prospect he is, as they screw around with starting/relieving/majors/minors so much with him. He’s a legit talent, still quite young, and we might be able to steal him because they don’t seem to like him.
I must admit I thought the scenario with the Dodgers was rather implausible until I recalled that Ned Colletti is their GM.
True, but the LA Times has suggested that won’t be true for long, which means he immediately goes onto the interview list for any other team looking for a GM. There are only a couple of GMs that are worse than Bavasi, and Colletti is one of them (his mentor Sabean is another one, which may go a long way to explaining the NL West divisional record this year).
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Which would mean Ng would get a shot there?
Double ugh….
I have no idea how that trade helps the Cardinals.
Jarrod’s FIP is 4.39. Nothing fantastic, but better than Looper and not much worse than Joel and Wellmeyer. Figure some kind of adjustment for moving to the NL (if FIP doesn’t account for league) and he’d look better with better defense.
As for their desire to aquire Lopez, he’s hitting better than Kennedy or Miles and while we can all agree Lopez’s defense it pretty bad at this point, I’m not sure it’s SO bad to make up the gap between Jose and the Cardinal incumbents.
Frankly, I’ve been rooting for Chris Duncan to get moved to the AL for a couple years now. He could “play” firstbase, but his glove would look even better at DH.
Nice post, by the way, Dave.
Yes, but why would they give up so much for such a marginal upgrade? Lopez a small upgrade at best, and Washburn… he’s better than Ron Villone, but mostly just as bad as what they have (and Wellemeyer has much more talent then Washburn has at this point, he’s just been pitching hurt the last few starts).
I see no reason why the Cardinals would want to take on Washburn’s contract plus give away talented players while hurting their depth at the MLB level when they have Wainwright returning in three weeks, and Carpenter shortly after.
They’d be much better off if they spent their talent on Burnett, Wolf, or Maddux.
*Also, Duncan is a natural firstbaseman, I’m not sure the quotes are entirely necessary.
I’ve been looking at who I’d like to get rid of more - Yuni or Lopez. I lean toward Yuni because he’s signed for longer and for more $. Lopez actually is cheaper than I thought. OTOH, there is chance to land Mark Ellis this winter, and I think he’d be a great addition and he’s undervalued.
How about Bobby Parnell, Carp and we’ll call it a day? If that is not your flavor, then maybe Carp and Nick Evans is more your flavor? No? Well we won’t go any further than Carp/Evans and David Murphy….in other words Niese is not going any where because we need him in the rotation next year. Only Maine, Pelfrey and Johan are signed through next year.
By the bye, Mike Carp is a no glove solid stick guy, in other words….he has DH written all over him.
The longer I look at Yuni’s numbers (offense, defense, and contract), the more I want to get rid of him. I’d settle for Hu and a “C” prospect.
And the more I look at all of the M’s hitters’ stats, the more depressed I get. But Lopez is one of the best of a sorry lot, and he’s cheap, so I say keep him.
I suppose this is the best place to post this, though it probably doesn’t mean much. An update over the blurb they had last week, From ESPN:
I agree that the proposed trade would be bad for the Dodgers — and that their GM might just be dumb enough to go for it. The Ms in recent years have somewhat resembled the Cubs of years past (good ballpark and loyal fanbase so lots of revenue, and lots of salary expenditure, but on the wrong players), but maybe a better analogy is that the Mariners are a lightweight version of the Dodgers of recent years. Not just in their penchant for humongous contracts to aging former all-stars, but even in some wretched lineup decisions: this past Saturday I went to Dodger Stadium for the first time this season. The Dodger’s answer to Vidro is Andruw Jones, who before the game was hitting .172/.268/.261 — and the Dodgers batted him 5th. Jones responded to that vote of confidence by equalling a Dodger record with 5 strikeouts. (In 5 plate appearances; he did manage to reach base after the 5th strikeout due to a dropped 3rd strike.) That lineup decision likely cost the Dodgers a victory: if they had simply swapped their #6 hitter, Loney, into the #5 spot (and assuming that Loney’s plate appearances had the same outcomes, granted we don’t know how valid that is), the Dodgers would’ve scored an additional run in the first inning, and would’ve won the game 4-3 instead of losing in 11 innings 3-5.
Do you think maybe the Rays might be interested in Bedard? They’ve lost 7 games in a row, and they’ve lost the lead in the AL East. They might feel the need to add a key piece.
I mention this because the Rays actually have some prospects to offer. So many, that trading with us won’t deplete their farm. The Phillies have nothing we want. Who might we want from TB?
Could it be time that Crawford is too expensive for TB? He’s due $8.25 mil next year, and has a $10 mil option the year after that. Maybe he could be the center piece coming to Sea for Bedard?
Ok, now I got it: Betancourt and Ibanez to the Red Sox for Clay Buchholz/Michael Bowden and Brandon Moss.
We probably couldn’t get Buchholz, but it’s nice to dream. Red Sox fill the hole at SS and get a new OF/DH to replace Ortiz.
M’s get a young, high-ceiling SP’er, and Moss is a decent power hitting, LH, OF’er. If we want a IF prospect we can also talk about Jed Lowrie. Other possible pitchers include Charlie Zink and David Pauley.
[dupe]