Heyman's Latest: K-Rod, Furcal, Blalock

I wonder what it would take for the Blue Jays to go and get Blalock? He has a $6.2 club option for the '09 season. The Jays and Rangers have hooked up on trades before (the latest being the Kevin Mench trade), so there is familiarity there.

I think he'd be a much cheaper version of Manny (obviously Manny's still far superior, but Blalock can still hit, as shown by his .281/.324/.532 post-break numbers)

Dempster and K-Rod= 2 huge contracts for two pitchers who'll break down. Off topic... Is Beane really going to soccer and i think J Hendry will be the M's GM next year. Thoughts?

I dont think Krod is an injury risk just too many years and money for a closer. Especially for the Mets who have a whole bullpen to worry about. If anyone though KRod is worth the investment.

bjsguess- I don't think K-Rod as breaking down physically, I see him as breaking down peripherally.

I'm probably looking too far into this so feel free to bludgeon, but look at the changes in his K/9, K/BB, WHIP, etc. Red flags all over the place. 2006 looks more like an anomaly than the norm.

would the dodgers consider tradeing dewiit for a proven player. he can play 2b or 3b, is still young and could become a solid player. what could they get?

"I don't think K-Rod as breaking down physically, I see him as breaking down peripherally.

I'm probably looking too far into this so feel free to bludgeon, but look at the changes in his K/9, K/BB, WHIP, etc. Red flags all over the place. 2006 looks more like an anomaly than the norm."

His K rate is down, but that has a lot to do with his effort to pitch more to contact. His 42.6% GB rate in 2008 was excellent.

Also, his walk rate was down year over year.

That he allowed more hits is likely because was a victim of a high BABIP at .294. Compared to Joe Nathan at .234, you can see how Frankie was the victim of a lot of bad luck.

That his ERA was so low has to suggest some strength in his pitching, and in his ability to get out of jams.

And as for the injury stuff, I think people really need to get over that. His arm mechanics are near flawless.

Seriously. Toronto won't contend next year in the AL East. Delgado needs to go to a contender, for he has only one year left on his contract.

"would the dodgers consider tradeing dewiit for a proven player. he can play 2b or 3b, is still young and could become a solid player. what could they get?"

I think Dewitt is pretty solid as is. I don't see the point of trading him unless it is in a package for a major impact player.

The Jays aren't going to start rebuilding while they have Halladay. They saw what Tampa did and figure they have a decent rotation and a solid bullpen. They get a rent a guy like Delgado and don't have to stay committed to him if they fall. I agree however that Delgado makes absolutely no sense for Seattle or oakland for that Matter.

*If those were coming out of a starting pitcher, I'd be less skeptical. Starting pitching is more like a marathon, relief pitching is the sprint IMO.

Please ignore my spiel on heart-attack style pitching, sorry about that. I was completely out of it. It makes zero sense. I was trying to make the point that K-Rod will get into jams, although he is rather effective at getting out of them.

I think the Cubs will sign Fuentes this off season. I know you guys are going to say ''your a typical Cubs fan blah blah blah.'' Well I know the Cubs need another lefty in their bullpen and a closer that could get the job done quick. Not hit 2 batters walk another and let 2 runs score before winning. *cough Kerry Wood * cough. I mean Wood did good as first year as the closer but I would rather see him as the set up man.

to me the lcs proved a lot.
1. blake dewitt isnt ready. he had 1 hit(the 3run triple)
2. players like martin, ethier, and kemp need to work on cleanup/pressure situations. combine kemp, martin, dewitt, and ethier left a total of 50 runners on base in the lcs alone!! those 4 guys. that why the dodgers didnt win, manny hit over 500, but when no one else is on for him to drive in, or is driving him in, it doesnt help. thats why they need manny plus another bat ready for the season. that why i thought dewitt and a prospect or two for uggla(if they firesale, even though they came out yesterday saying they wouldnt, u never know)? dewitt can play 2b for the marlins in rebuilding and uggla can be that bat to protect manny. u have a lineup of:
furcal
martin
manny
uggla
ethier
loney
kemp
blake
w/ a pitching rotation of
cc
billingsley
maybe/hopefully lowe?
kuroda
kershaw
if they dont have lowe, then use mccdonald or sign a vet to take the spot.
any comments?

The Dodgers could probably get Uggla for DeWitt and McDonald. McDonald is an MLB-ready starter with the upside of a solid 2/good 3. DeWitt is a pretty solid player and seems like the kind of guy who will post a .360/.420 line with great defense for a long time. I think the Marlins would probably be fairly content with that deal

bjsguess-

The Angels have top notch defense. If K-Rod were to go to the Mets, where Delgado isn't really that great of a defender, and 2B is a draw (Castillo is a mediocre defender, Murphy is a wildcard at 2B) unless the Mets bring in Hudson, I'm betting more saves get blown. And, obviously, the rest of the pen doing ugly things in the 7th/8th innings. Arredondo and Shields are one hell of a set-up crew, and they get it done pretty eventlessly.

"what do you think of a delgado, heilman and Evans to toronto for BJ Ryan and Scutaro?"

The problem with Ryan is that he is an injury risk.

"However, adding Kevin Gregg + using the saved money to attain 2 other quality relievers solidifies the pen all around, as opposed to K-Rod solidifying only the 9th inning."

Did you just say Kevin Gregg? The guy the Angels threw on the scrap heap? Gregg is a decent setup man/middle reliever who closes for the Fish because they are cheap. I would rather have Arredondo, Shields or even Jepsen close over Gregg.

"Arredondo and Shields are one hell of a set-up crew, and they get it done pretty eventlessly."

In Arredondo's one season, I agree. On Shields, however, he is even more of a heart attack than K-Rod.

"The Dodgers could probably get Uggla for DeWitt and McDonald. McDonald is an MLB-ready starter with the upside of a solid 2/good 3. DeWitt is a pretty solid player and seems like the kind of guy who will post a .360/.420 line with great defense for a long time. I think the Marlins would probably be fairly content with that deal"

That deal would probably work out, but I don't know if the Dodgers want to let go of McDonald given how he dominated the Philly lineup at both CBP and Dodger Stadium, and that they do need pitching going into next year. Also, Uggla would be a huge defensive liability.

An idea I like better is a package of Elbert + Hu + Low Level Prospect for Uggla with DeWitt moving back to 3B.

"blake dewitt isnt ready. he had 1 hit(the 3run triple)"

So a small sample size of LHP heavy Philly pitching says that a 22 year old who was pressed into an early promotion isn't ready? I guess hitting .273 with a .455 SLG against a Cubs staff that is better than Philly's means nothing? Or how about his .398 OBP over the last month of the season?

"What i dont get, is how are guys like Delwyn Young and John Lindsey having such good minor league seasons, and no one ever talks about them, and they hold such little value?"

Young played pretty well as a pinch hitter this year in the majors. His problem is that he isn't much of a defensive player. If he wasn't so error prone at 2B, Jeff Kent would probably already be retired. I suppose if Manny were not resigned, Young would have the first crack at LF, but that scenario isn't pretty.

As for Lindsey, have you seen how old he is? He is a 31 year old career minor leaguer who has been in 3 organizations. He has hit well the last 2 years, but he really has no value at all.

"Potentially you could have Gregg for $6m/year. That would give you another $7m or $8m to spend on other parts in case you didn't go the K-Rod route. That really could shore up the bullpen."

I thought we were talking about the Angels with that one. Still, Gregg is no closer.