I've been trying to come up with something to write here for a while. I taken on the idea of going through the Cubs minor league system and doing a mid-season report, but with the exception of a few pitchers (Bobby Brownlie, Justin Jones, Jak-kuk Ryu, some others), the minors are pretty depressing. The players hitting well are not great prospects and the great prospects aren't hitting well (with the exception of David Kelton, who was sent down because 2-8 with a double and a run is not enough to get playing time away from Troy O'Leary [today's grand slam notwithstanding] and Tom Goodwin).
So, I've been playing GM in my head. This is about as interesting to anyone else as watching paint dry...but it's damn fun for me. So, I'll put some of my trade thoughts on paper.
Trade Antonio Alfonseca to the Red Sox. We wouldn't get much in return, but they do need a 'closer'. The downside is that Theo Epstein is exactly the type of GM who wouldn't take someone like Alfonseca. But who knows. The real coup may be to put this problem on the Yankees. They've had all sorts of issues in the pen, and Alfonseca is exactly the kind of high priced closer they need to set up Mariano Rivera. Maybe, to relieve some of their salary burden, we take Robin Ventura off their hands in exchange. This has many advantages...Ventura makes only 5 mil, and he'll be gone after this year. The 5 mil balances nicely with Alfoinseca's 4. The downside is that the Yanks don't have a replacement for Ventura, unless someone can convince them that Todd Zeile is an everyday 3B. Both of these options are definitely long-shots...but they're worth thinking about. For that matter, any team out there who wants/needs a reliever ought to be on Jim Hendry's speed-dial.
Just a thought...
posted by Oleg at 9:50 PM
