Trade Candidates: Middle Infielders

Does any one want J-Roll? .205/.250/.319 God I hope he rebounds

Riddle me what it would take for the Reds to trade for Escobar. Given the fact that the left side of our infield (whether Encarnacion is there or not) has a Jenna Jameson sized hole, we need a SS who can bat, and bat RH.

Since I'm not privy to the depth at middle infield in the Braves organization, I'm not exactly sure what they'd require in return, but my guess is that the Reddies would make Frazier, Masset, Bailey, Maloney, Soto, Francisco (maybe), Valaika, Sutton, and potentially Wood available for him.

What combo from above would get it done? Maybe, just maybe, they'd throw Alonso in the deal if ATL threw an arm in the deal as well. I think they'd like him as 1B of the future over Kotch(wo)man...

Texeira took 3 of a teams top 10 prospects.

Escobar is not Texeira.

I'd do Alonso for Escobar straight up, simply due to Votto being (hopefully) the Reds' 1B for the next 7 years, at least.

What about any of the extra Angels infielders?? Could definitely afford to trade one for some middle relief or even prospects with power.

"I'd do Alonso for Escobar straight up, simply due to Votto being (hopefully) the Reds' 1B for the next 7 years, at least."

Much easier to find a slugging 1Bman who plays decent defense than it is to find a SS with even a league average bat (guys miscast at the position like Michael Young don't count). Make the two lists. See which one is longer.

How about Escobar for Ryan Freel. If the Reds could pick up Freel from the Cubs after DFA, then the Braves would give up Hanson and Escobar for Freel.

I'm just diggin' for gold

There should be a market for Freddy Sanchez because he should be in the convo for Gold Glove and is back to his batting title form. He would be a great pickup for any team. He is likely to be our all-star. He has earned it.

I still think it would be cool if we saw a good old fashion talent-swap mega deal centering on Escobar, maybe Francoeur and an arm or something for like Choo and Peralta.

The two teams could probably match up well for a deal that would meet all their needs without hurting either. Atlanta doesn’t add much salary, removes a player that doesn’t fit in with the clique and gets the bat they are looking for without sacrificing all production they get from short. Cleveland would get a great looking young player at a premium position, an OF replacement for the short term and an arm with some talent or something along those lines. Wouldn’t hurt them too much if they are trying to compete next year, but would help their club longterm at the same time.

Oh, and we fans would have a big deal to discuss :)

"Escobar is team controlled for the next four years. Tex was a rental.

Anyway, Buster Olney is a complete idiot. The Braves are NOT trading Escobar. Now they probably will trade Kelly Johnson though."

Kelly Johnson? Who wants him? Just stand him in linenext to Francouer and Jo Jo Reyes next to all the other useless players Braves' fans think qualify as trade bait.

You do realize that unlike you, Buster Olney talks to Frank Wren in person, right?

As for Escobar, I think Olney is right. I think the Braves WOULD move Escobar for the right hitter. He never said they are trying to dump him, just that they are willing to pay to get quality.

Trades are for making a team better, not for offloading the unwanted players. Sometimes, you actually have to give up something good to get a good player...

"I still think it would be cool if we saw a good old fashion talent-swap mega deal centering on Escobar, maybe Francoeur and an arm or something for like Choo and Peralta."

I was actually looking at this same possibility the other day. The Braves would have to throw some other stuff in. Peralta and Escobar are basically the same guy age and offense. If they defensive differences as afore mentioned I didnt know. That puts the focus on Francoeur and Choo. You would have to throw a little extra to score the deal. Not a bad swap though.

I'm surprised there isn't a market for Jack Wilson. I know plenty of teams that could use a good hitting shortstop.

Mariners and Reds come to my mind off the top of my head.

I'm sure he'd be required to sign an extension or pick up his option though

David DeJesus makes for a good match for Escobar,though Escobar at 3 years younger does have more potential to get better. Maybe a deal for Ryan Sweeney might make more sense for the Braves...

Posted by: notin | July 03, 2009 at 01:08 AM

What?????

David DeJesus = Jeff Francoeur

Yunel Escobar >>>>>>>>> DeJesus

If you will check Escobar's stats from last year he was the 3rd best defensive shortstop in baseball. This year he has dealt with both an oblique strain AND a hip flexor strain. This has limited his running AND lateral movement. When he gets healthy he is one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball. And he already is the 5th best offensive shortstop in baseball. Your proposal is just about as dumb as Braves fans who propose a Jeff Francoeur for Zack Greinke trade.

Escobar would command a similar return in players as a Joey Votto would. He is not as good of a hitter but he plays a more premium position. He is young, inexpensive, and team controlled for four years. And the Braves don't need to trade him. So Reds fans can dream on if they think the Braves would trade him for anything less than an all-star caliber player in return - or a premium package of prospects.

And, no, Olney did not talk to Frank Wren regarding this nonsense about Escobar. If you read his article he said that he talked to "someone" from another organization. However, David O'Brien, who covers the Braves and actually did talk to Frank Wren said that the Braves don't plan to make ANY trades. Wren said that they might add a hitter if they are still in the playoff race at the all-star break. So, it doesn't sound like they plan on subtracting one of the best hitters on the team does it??? Also, Mark Bradley, who also covers the Braves does NOT think that the Braves will trade Escobar. Yes, he is a pain in the neck, but he is a very talented pain in the neck.

Johns, I do agree with you in part. But I don't see Yunel as being anywhere near as bad as Lastings Milledge with regards to attitude. Lastings was always causing problems with his teammates and his managers and coaches. Yunel's problem has always been with the umpires and questionable calls. I don't think I have ever seen him or heard him accused of yelling at a teammate or coach. The incident with the scorekeeper last week was awful so I do hope he learned a lesson with that one.

Lastings and Delmon also aren't performing on the field as well as Yunel. Yunel leads the Braves in both runs and rbi's even though he has missed a good deal of time with injuries. He also has one of the highest batting averages on the team.

Yes, I do agree that he needs to focus. I know he plays with a tremendous amount of passion and flair. But he needs to channel that passion into playing hard....and not arguing with the umpires and scorekeepers. My hope is that his good buddy Martin Prado rubs off on him. I just love how Prado plays. He isn't as talented as Esco....but he makes good use of every ounce of talent that he does have. If Yunel did that, he could very well be the best overall shortstop in baseball.

Peralta is under team control for 2 more years, while Escobar is under team control for 4. If they are similar in value and age that makes Escobar quite a bit more valuable. Oh and defensively, its sort of silly to argue Peralta is better than Escobar. Escobar has the better natural tools, this is Peralta's first season as a non-negative defender at SS (small sample size perhaps?) and Escobar was among the better defensive SS in the league last year. As someone else mentioned, Escobar has been dealing with injuries that have limited him defensively, and that is likely the reason that his range has gone from 6.6 runs above average in just 126 games last year to 3.5 runs below average in 63 games this year.

“Peralta is under team control for 2 more years, while Escobar is under team control for 4. If they are similar in value and age that makes Escobar quite a bit more valuable. Oh and defensively, its sort of silly to argue Peralta is better than Escobar.”

I agree with this, and it is why I think a Choo/Peralta for Escobar/Fancoeur/Pitcher (maybe a pretty good prospect) is probably both fair and enticing to both teams. The Indians would have a core of Sizemore, LaPorta, Escobar and Carlos Santana locked in for the next 4+ years to build around. And since SS and C are the two hardest spots to fill, they would be lined up perfectly. Braves don’t lose too much at Short, but drastically improve Right while only sacrificing one prospect.

Not a fan of either team, but just intrigued by the possibility here, lol

why would you need to trade away Yunel Escobar for a bat, when you have a defensive shortstop batting .292 with 43RBIs. i dont see a reason to trade away a guy who is locked in for 4 years and making $400k....there is no need to trade him away