In his latest column for the Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo writes that the Phillies have to be considered World Series favorites heading into the postseason. Here are the other items of interest in Cafardo's piece:
- Discussing his new team, Kevin Towers hinted that he may want to shake up the Diamondbacks' strikeout-heavy lineup: "Personally, I like contact hitters. I like guys with good pitch recognition. Strikeouts are part of the game, but if you have four, five, or six guys in your lineup, it’s hard to sustain any sort of rally."
- According to Cafardo, moving Carlos Lee to first base helps the Astros by not only improving Lee's trade value, but also making their outfield more athletic. I agree on the second point, but I don't think Lee has any trade value until he improves his career-low .701 OPS.
- Cafardo adds that if Lee can play first base for a National League club, there's reason to believe David Ortiz could do it too.
- Former Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes has spoken to six different teams about job opportunities in their organizations, and was asked for advice by a few clubs at this year's trade deadline. The Red Sox and Indians are among the teams interested in Byrnes.
anyone can “play” first base… but lee and ortiz won’t be able to “play” it well. bad idea.
It’s possible Lee could be traded if the Astros agree to pay all but a few million of his contract. Just depends how badly they want to get rid of him.
They might as well just release him. Plus, I still think Brett Wallace will be a bust, but the Astros don’t and if Lee plays 1B then what happens to Wallace?
I also doubt that Wallace will amount to anything special but I think Lee has some value to an AL team as DH – maybe the White Sox?
No club in baseball (Yankees included) is going to release a player due $37 million in guaranteed money. You play Lee at the one position he has the potential to be almost average at defensively (1b) with the expectation that he will revert back to his pre-2010 typical slashline of .290/.340/.500. If he reverts to his former self, he’ll have trade value near the end of 2011 and into 2012 provided that the Astros ingest a goodly portion of his 2012 $18.5 million due. In the far less likely scenario that Lee doesn’t return to offensive form by the end of 2011 or start of 2012, they can consider cutting him loose then, when there’s little prospective benefit left to be had (either via production or trade). What’s best for Wallace, who hasn’t hit a lick in the bigs and may never do so, is largely irrelevant.
I suppose
Yea I think that is the Stro’s plan is to hope someone will just take him for some kind of prospect….. as they have shown with Oswalt and Berkman they will eat alot of his contract just to get a semi-quality prospect. lee is not Wade’s guy and I think the owner is now allowing him to build his team….It might be next summer that Lee is traded i think…..Wallace is goin to be a question until they play him that is for sure…
Yeak OK Nick, Ortiz can play first base. Sure whatever you say.
… and likewise, since Carlos Lee can sorta play leftfield, then so too can David Ortiz, Nick?
I guess a Michalangelo statue could be stuck on 1B with a glove also and do as well as ortiz also, but that wouldn’t be a very good idea either.
I’d rather have a stick with a glove on it’s branch playing first base, Cafardo.
Josh Byrnes should return to the Red Sox as an assistant GM. He knows that organization and will be able to fit himself in to the front office pecking order without undue stress. In retrospect, Byrnes’ jump to the National League may have been an error in judgement as the nuances that make each league different may have worked against him out in Arizona. There will be AL GM jobs opening up in the future and continuing his career in a winning environment, in Boston, will eventually work to his advantage for another opportunity to manage another team.
Eventually the janitor on Yawkey Way will be given a GM’s job because just being near Theo for any amount of time makes anyone a genius.
that Towers comment is certain to make internet types happy.
i think the redsox should trade all the guys that they dont want for fielder felix and utley