Odds and Ends: Cook, Benoit, Griffey, Riske

Moore, seriously?

Between Chipper and Hampton we already have enough expensive toys with too many breakable moving parts.

By the way, now that Cameron has been busted for using a banned substance, there is no way the Braves sign him.

Thundersticks, I think that a Crisp-for-Devine trade sounds solid for both sides. The Sox could stand to lose Crisp's salary with Ellsbury waiting, and they could definitely use another reliable 6th or 7th-inning guy. But I don't think the Sox brass would go for it. They'll probably look for a bigger bounty.

I agree, we could get crisp and be just fine in center, but I say that dejesus is an attractive option is well. He is not as good as crisp in center, but is reasonable, he is also cheaper, and may be better offensively. The Wild Card is that Dayton Moore knows the atlanta system well, so we could probably get dejesus cheaper than we could crisp (i.e. it was going to cost seattle wladimir balentin to get dotel, but instead moore took davies for him.)

Yeah that's what I meant metafrantic...I wasnt implying it was a bad signing. The cost certainty for '09 increases his value and some saves would further.

Moore is useless for intelligent baseball commentary. Actually, pretty much the whole AJC is outside of David O'Brien, who's really quite good.

Also, dunno why people are so anxious to show Devine the door. I really think we can get away dealing a C-level prospect for him, or at least someone in the low-minors and not in the system's top 10. He's completely useless for Boston, he's coming off an awful year with the bat, and everyone who needs a CF can go after one of the tons of big-name FAs. I say toss Boston a low-minors pitcher and don't ask for any salary relief. It'll happen.

Also, acquiring Crisp would give a nice "full circle" feel to the whole Andy Marte trade(s) two years ago.

i am almost certain the braves will not trade for Griffey. A) the would be taking on MORE salary which they really dont want to do B) they would have to give up alot more to get him. dont get me wrong i would love for the braves to have him but its not going to happen. I would prefer crisp for his defense and bat him 8th. i am more about letting lilbridge be the guy for a year or at least give him the shot to be that guy. i really think any trade made will be for another pitcher.

Are you implying that Benoit is not good?

Call me crazy, I'd think a young reliever with excellent peripherals and a reasonable contract, who actually had a high BABIP is a player the typically pitching-starved Rangers would want to keep.

I agree that Devine would pretty much be a nonfactor with the Red Sox. I do like the idea of getting Crisp though, since his production will be better than Andruw's was this year--only we'll expect it and not stick him the cleanup spot for half the season--and he'll play great defense. Still, I wouldn't give up Devine for him, especially on basically a one-year rental until one of our minor leaguers is ready.