New Rumors: Luis Gonzalez, Brad Lidge

In his latest article, Dayn Perry threw out some interesting trade bait names that I hadn’t heard too much previously.  Assuming Perry ran them by Rosenthal for a gut check, there could be some truth to these.

Brad Lidge to the Braves.  Now there’s an intriguing thought.  Could the Braves somehow emerge with the best closer on the market?  One who no one even knew was on the market?  I wouldn’t put it past Schuerholz.  I can’t see Houston doing the deal for anything less than catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia or shortstop Elvis Andrus.

Luis Gonzalez to the Cubs.  This one occurred to me back on November 7th, but it was only idle speculation at that point:

"Speaking of Kevin Mench, why do teams desire him?  A redux of Luis Gonzalez would be better for the Cubs.  The deal would make sense for the Diamondbacks as well, as Gonzo and Shawn Green are blocking uber-prospect Carlos Quentin."

Troy Glaus to the Pirates.  Stranger things have happened, I guess.  The Bucs would at least have a nasty 1-2 punch in Glaus and Jason Bay.  Littlefield does have a stable of young arms with which he could broker a deal, if he’s willing to cough up the cash.

Kris Benson to the Royals.  Ugh.  Not so sure if Anna would sit well in Kansas City.  Benson as the de facto ace on a team going nowhere doesn’t sit well, either.