I understand the desire to improve the defense at all costs in order to have to pay less money on the remaining pitchers contracts if they improve enough…isn’t acquiring Griffey a safer bet to improve the bottom line? I don’t see how that makes it a good move either. If they can get rid of either Batista or Silva while getting something back (still paying most of what they’b be on the hook for anyhow) this year they really should.

They need to improve the defense and the offense for the long term and I don’t see how Betancourt can be a part of that. I would bet you that Lopez over the next 5 years is easily the better bat between him and Betancourt. Betancourt may be the better fielder up the middle, but Lopez should move out of that area and will then have different peers…

I have been pondering the idea a friend of mine proposed which was “If you’re not planning on contending and you really think you have a special player in Triunfel why not bring him up now and deal with his learning. You’ve been dealing with similiar frustrations up the middle and you’re going nowhere now. Half the players in the Hall of Fame developed this way and I’m tired of the argument that this is a bad way to develop players.” I told him that his clock would start sooner and you’d be likely to get leaner years during that time than if you waited until he was ready but it’s an interesting idea.

Either way I’d rather not think about Lopez or Betancourt up the middle anymore. Lopez may have a future at 3rd and I believe in his bat continuing to improve, but I don’t think him or Betancourt is the answer at 2nd. If you’re keeping Betancourt around another year in hopes to improve his stock (though nobody has said they expect improvement in his abilities) Why not do the same with Lopez at 3rd who nobody seems to be saying has hit his ceiling?

I like the general thrust with players like Marte, Baldelli, Hardy, Nelson, Phelps, etc. and I hope that some of these options are pursued. I’d like to see a little more lower prospects with higher ceilings returned in a blow-up year than busted prospects who still have a fairly high ceiling. I understand that few players on the roster have the potential to bring back anything close to Blue-chip prospects, and Hardy is hard to say no about acquiring. I think a trade with the Brewers is as likely as any other team and seems a likely destination for Bedard as well. Not that I can discount Shapiro making that move for Bedard because it is entirely not out of character. It does seem like selling low on Bedard when with him and Lopez all you’re getting is a busted 3rd Base prospect who was never a blue-chip performance bat (Lopez could actually be better there…) a middle reliever and a decent corner IF prospect. Lopez for Marte could be straight up the way I see it (and I’d rather have Lopez) so for Bedard you get a decent prospect at a non-premium position and a reliever? I’d rather deal with the pansy on the roster until mid-season and hope he improves his status in his walk year in time for a decent trade

One game 3 for 3 with 3 home runs. It will be interesting to see how he does at the MLB level.

If the Marlins make Jeremy Hermida available, would you prefer the JJ Hardy swap to one centered around bringing in Hermida + prospects?