Rox, Jays Interested In D-Train?
We haven’t mentioned Canada’s Marty York in a good two months. Back in March, York mentioned that the Blue Jays were close to acquiring Craig Wilson and that A.J. Burnett would miss all of April. Wilson’s a Pirate and Burnett made two starts in April, but I have to give him partial credit on Burnett.
Last Tuesday, York threw out all sorts of intiguing teams in connection with Dontrelle Willis. The Blue Jays and Rockies were two I definitely hadn’t heard before.
Willis to Colorado isn’t as crazy as it sounds. For one thing, the Rockies are shockingly a half game out of first place in the West. Secondly, they’ve never really tried this strategy in Colorado: just acquire really good pitchers and the ballpark won’t matter. A rotation of Willis, Jeff Francis, Aaron Cook, Jason Jennings, and Byung-Hyun Kim would actually be decent. Would the Rox offer up Ian Stewart and Brad Hawpe?
The Blue Jays, though…that part would be more feasible if the team had expendable young studs with which to make a deal. Dustin McGowan, Josh Banks, Brandon League, David Purcey, and Casey Janssen are all intriguing young pitchers, but only McGowan has been seen on any Top 50 Prospects lists. I imagine the Fish would want Alex Rios in the deal. Still doesn’t seem like a good fit.
York also mentions the Rangers, Yankees, and Phillies as interested parties.
Ringolsby: Cubs Interested In Shealy
I’ve been waiting almost a month for a name to surface in connection with the Cubs’ first base vacancy that I actually like. I’ve heard about Mike Sweeney, Kevin Millar, Tony Clark, and Jeff Conine. While I was OK with the Clark idea, that deal made more sense two weeks ago. I could see Derrek Lee back on the field for the Cubs in about one month. In that case, you’d hope Jim Hendry could acquire a player who may be useful beyond then.
Even more ideal, though, would be acquiring a player who the Cubs might still want around if they cash in 2006 as a rebuilding year. Ryan Shealy fits that description. The 26 year-old right-handed first baseman is said to interest the Cubs. Granted it was for Colorado Springs, but Shealy hit .328/.393/.601 in Triple A last year. He’s at .293/.370/.683 in 11 games this season.
Acquiring Shealy is all about his 30 HR potential and nothing about his defense. The Rockies attempted to convert him into an outfielder this spring, and the increased throws caused an elbow injury. He’s a huge guy, and it’s not going to be pretty to see him lumber around the outfield.
I know you typically need an arm to play right field, but once Shealy’s elbow is 100%, why not try him in right field a bit? If Jeromy Burnitz can do it, maybe Shealy can too. Jacque Jones is 1 for 18 against lefties and is hitting .238/.295/.363 against them over the past three seasons. That’s like throwing Royce Clayton, Mike Matheny, or Neifi Perez out in right field. The Cubs, as much as any team, need to be able to hit southpaws. Maybe Shealy could push Matt Murton a bit too and DH in the AL interleague games. Trust me, the Cubs can find this guy 350-400 ABs.
The Cubs have been auditioning all sorts of kid pitchers this year, and it’s time to send one of them packing for Shealy before a smarter team like the Red Sox or Athletics snags him.
Juan Gonzalez Tries Out For Rockies
The Juan Gonzalez saga is fairly amusing for a lazy Friday afternoon, so let me take another crack at translating a new El Nuevo Dia article.
Yesterday, Juan Gonzalez tried out for the Colorado Rockies in Puerto Rico. He’s reportedly in magnificent physical condition. That report has been passed along to Colorado’s front office, but there is no agreement as of yet.
Gonzalez tried out for the Athletics on Monday, and worked for the Red Sox and Cubs previously. Despite reports that Gonzalez was due in Red Sox camp this week, a close friend of Gonzalez’s told El Nuevo Dia that he never signed a contract with them. His agent has negotiated with the Sox, but he’s still a free agent. There may have been a verbal agreement in place prior to the Wily Mo Pena trade.