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The Third Baseman Market

By Tim Dierkes [May 27, 2008 at 11:15am CST]

Looking to fill a need at the hot corner? Here is MLBTR's rundown of the possibly available third basemen.

Garrett Atkins, Rockies. It seems that the Rockies will listen on Atkins, who will reach free agency after the 2010 season. The Indians may have interest.
Dallas McPherson, Marlins. Jorge Cantu is getting the job done for the big club, while McPherson is hitting .283/.378/.604 with 15 home runs in Triple A.
Joe Crede, White Sox. Despite all the springtime rumors, it seems unlikely that the first-place Sox would trade Crede. Josh Fields could be a valuable trade chip, though.
Kevin Kouzmanoff, Padres. Another lousy April for Kouz, but he's doing a fine job this month. He's still cheap, so the Padres will probably keep him if they throw in the towel.
Jose Castillo, Giants. He's played tolerably this year.
Willy Aybar, Rays. The Rays don't seem to have a place for him.
Chad Tracy, Diamondbacks. It may make sense to keep him around to compete with Mark Reynolds. Plus, teams would want to see Tracy prove his health.
Brandon Inge, Tigers. The respectable April did not hold up. He may be available, but his contract runs through 2010.
Bill Hall, Brewers. He's not happy about the Russell Branyan callup, and Hall still at least has the 30 HR pop.
Casey Blake and Andy Marte, Indians. Neither has hit this year. Blake is a free agent after the season and Marte is out of options.
Melvin Mora, Orioles. His bat continues to decline, and he's signed through '09 with a no-trade clause.

Full Story | Comments (11) | Categories: Trade Market

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Comments

Don't look now, but Aaron Boone is hitting .303/.376/.526 for the Nationals. He's a definite trade possibility, and I see the Nats trading him for a B or C prospect at the deadline like they did with Daryle Ward and Marlon Anderson.

Posted by: thehoagster07 | May 27, 2008 at 11:24 AM

would the dodgers make andy laroche available w/ dewitt playing pretty well? probably not, but just a thought.

Posted by: cardinaldusty | May 27, 2008 at 11:30 AM

"would the dodgers make andy laroche available w/ dewitt playing pretty well? probably not, but just a thought."

The Dodgers have hinted that they are going to move DeWitt back to second, his original position, to replace Jeff Kent next season. Assuming a re-signed Furcal, that means an infield of Loney/DeWitt/Furcal/LaRoche, which would be one of the most formidable in baseball if DeWitt keeps it up and LaRoche plays as he projects.

On Dallas McPherson - The guy is a classic big power, moderate average 3B who had a really terrible back injury that really hurt him with the Angels. If this guy is right, he has already proved he can hit major league pitching, and he could make a splash somewhere.

Posted by: AA | May 27, 2008 at 12:32 PM

i would hope the nats could get more for boone than they got for ward or anderson. he's a better player defensively than ward and offensively than anderson. and he seems to (for the short-term, at least) recovered his stroke.

but i'm sure trading him at the deadline if he's hitting is exactly what bowden's plan was.

Posted by: greg | May 27, 2008 at 01:20 PM

Greg, I think they would get a little bit more for Boone than for Anderson, but Ward was absolutely tearing apart competition before the Nats dealt him to ATL in '06, with a .308/.390/.567 line in 104 AB's. I think they'll be able to get a high-risk, high-reward guy for Boone (such as an injury prone guy with some potential, like Nunez and Atilano, the guys they got for Ward and Anderson).

Posted by: thehoagster07 | May 27, 2008 at 01:58 PM

There's another theoretical possibility at 3B: Jed Lowrie. The Red Sox have gotten him work at third, and some seem to think he'd be better suited at 3B than SS (just as some think he'd be better at 2B). He's got the arm for it, and his range is more suited to 3B than SS.

Of course, that's assuming the Red Sox would actually trade him, which it seems like they're reluctant to do. At the moment he can hit pretty well and play at least average 2B, SS and 3B, and that's pretty valuable, especially since Lugo is one more error away from being slaughtered by angry fans.

Posted by: metafrantic | May 27, 2008 at 02:04 PM

note that i mentioned boone is/was better *defensively* than ward. ward is/was/has been a liability on the field, while boone is a decent corner IF defensively.

Posted by: greg | May 27, 2008 at 02:31 PM

So, I realize this might be pie in the sky...but as an Indians fan, I'd like to see the Tribe work seriously with Colorado on a big trade.

My thoughts are these:

The Indians main struggles this season have come from two sources: the offense and the bullpen. I think a trade that works out well for both teams might look like this...

To Indians: Garrett Atkins, Matt Holliday, Brian Fuentes.

To Rockies: Paul Byrd, Jeremy Sowers, Trevor Crowe, Andy Marte.

The Indians would be getting production frmo 3B and LF that they've sorely needed, and a little help in the bullpen from one of the NL's former bests. The Rockies get a much-needed starting pitching lift, an outfielder who'll be ready next season, and a young 3B (Marte's 24) with huge upside.

This isn't great for the Rockies in the short term, I grant you...But it could look really good in two years time.

If you think I'm short on what's needed to get this done, what do the Indians need to add to that deal?

Posted by: cromesbl | May 28, 2008 at 01:28 PM

That would never happen. It wouldn't happen for Holliday alone. I think Laffey, Barfield and another prospect could get Atkins. I could also see a Fuentes for Byrd trade. No way they get Holliday, though.

Posted by: Joe | May 28, 2008 at 04:00 PM

How expensive would Atkins likely be?

Posted by: haverecords | June 12, 2008 at 01:03 AM

Dude, the tribe is done!! they couldnt do anything this year the only way the COULD get holliday is throught free agency, they wont trade for someone who only has one year left, when the season he is going to play is already downd the drain, and Atkins i say Two B and a C prospects. I want him to come to the twins, Span (B+) and Jeff Manship (B+) and Brian Bucher (C+) anyone like it?

Posted by: Bray991 | July 16, 2008 at 09:57 AM

The Third Baseman Market

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