Rauch Ramifications

I don't watch the DBacks regularly, but when I DO see them, Reynolds is quite a butcher at 3B. Would moving him to 2B make sense?

Gotcha. Since they're the team that let Uggla go he's an excellent analogy. Thanks oxfrat.

I'd keep Reynolds at third. Yes, he makes some errors but he made great plays as well. He's still young. He'll improve in the field. I thought for sure Bonifacio would be the next second baseman for the D-Backs, giving them a speedy leadoff man they don't have. But Hudson is loved here & I could picture him taking less money to stay. Lyon is the last link to the Schilling trade & the D-Backs put years into this guy. Rauch, Pena & Quallis can close. I'd love to see K-Rod come aboard but the D-Backs aren't going to sink big money into a pitcher for awhile since the Russ Ortiz disaster.

The Dbacks also have Ojeda who plays the infield. Their problem isn't going to be the infield or pitching. It's going to be hitting. Tony Clark is a great guy and clubhouse leader, but he isn't the answer to their hitting woes. They need to trade for someone like Dunn, Bay, Teixeira, or even Ibanez.

"It would if it allows them to get Chad Tracy back in at 3B. Think of Reynolds as the next Jeff Kent or Dan Uggla."

I like the move, but I think Reynolds would probably play better defense at 2B than Kent or Uggla.

I can't recall because it was a while ago I looked at their payroll, but I'm pretty sure its 20 mil raise before arbitration, and after losing the contracts that they currently have.

Soriano, Zambrano, ARam, Lilly, Fukudome, Marquis, Harden. They'll have at least 1 hole in the rotation with Dempster (probably give it to Marshall) and a hole in CF (not really any good options there unless they go with Pie), and several spots in the bullpen. I don't believe the Cubs really have any answers in the minor leagues for those spots either.

So to resign Wood, then try and fill those spots, thats a huge payroll jump for the new owner to take on.

Maybe if Wood gives another discount, it will still be a much better contract than this one. I'd personally expect him to get a real good offer somewhere else, which would be real hard to turn down.

The Cubs kinda shot themselves in the foot with the contract situation because their all backloaded. New owners are going to have to pony up if they're going to improve that team.

This is unfathomable, perhaps, but I would love to see the DBacks turn around and trade Lyon. He's likely to be a Type B free agent, and they're almost guaranteed to get more for him then they paid for Rauch.

The Rockies and Pirates have got to be PISSED at Jim Bowden for accepting a mid-tier prospect for Rauch. All of a sudden, Marte and Fuentes are worth half of what demands have been.

Well done, Josh Byrnes.

Bowden goes from requesting Lowrie + Bowden from the Red Sox to settling for Bonifacio

"If I have a house for sale and want 250K and my neighbors house which is exactly like mine sells for 200K, it doesn't mean my house is now worth 50K less. It means I had it overvalued compared to the market."

That's potentially true, but it depends on the circumstances. If your neighbor was desperate to sell, or it was in his/her better interests to move the property fast rather than wait for the best offer, it is still going to make its mark on other potential sale prices in the neighborhood, even if your asking price was reasonable to begin with.

I am not saying anything about the sensibility of the Pirates or Rockies in their initial asking prices. I am also not trying to speculate about Jim Bowden's motivations for taking less than market value for Rauch. It's just something to think about.

It wasn't too long ago that Bowden landed Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez for a broken RH reliever, and unproven LH reliever and Triple-A roster fill, setting the market bullpen help in the other direction.

I think he's an impetuous, impulsive idiot, and needs to be shown the door ... fast.

I don't think that the Rauch deal lowers the price for other relievers. Nobody is forcing these GM's to move these relief pitchers. When one team moves a reliever on the cheap that ultimately means that there is one less reliever available and may actually drive up the price for other teams.