Trade Candidates Part 2
Last time we looked at players in their contract year and trade possibilities. Today we’ll open the field and see who else could be available.
Dealing Shea Hillenbrand or Eric Hinske would probably make sense for the Blue Jays. It looks like the two will enter 2006 splitting DH duty for the Jays, and Hillenbrand may have twice as much value with the bat as Hinske. The problem is figuring out which team actually has a need for a middling 1B/3B/DH type.
The Red Sox have six starters (seven if you think Papelbon is rotation-ready), but they shouldn’t be so eager to send one packing. Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling are highly unlikely to make all of their starts. Epstein might send Arroyo over to Tampa Bay for Julio Lugo anyway. More likely, of course, is a signing of Alex Gonzalez and a trade of David Wells for a spare part or prospect.
A lot of folks think Carlos Pena still has some good seasons ahead of him. For example, PECOTA projects him to hit .255/.349/.482 in 514 ABs in 2006. The Tigers could probably use some sort of contingency plan in case Carlos Guillen misses time again.
The Diamondbacks have too many veteran OFs and no place for Carlos Quentin. I’m sure Shawn Green and Luis Gonzalez are available, it’s just a matter of finding clubs to take most of their salaries. Both outfielders are still contributors.
Don’t Expect Luis Gonzalez Return For Cubs
Thinking a Luis Gonzalez homecoming to the Cubs might be an adequate solution? The Cubs don’t. I recently spoke to Daily Herald writer Bruce Miles, who told me that the Cubs have "no interest."
Apparently, the Cubs are turned off by Gonzalez’s weak arm being a part of their outfield defense. While a notch above Jeromy Burnitz, the 38 year-old Gonzalez is slipping offensively. His .459 SLG in 2005 was his worst since 1997. Gonzalez is known to be on the trading block along with Javier Vazquez and Shawn Green.
Gonzalez is most notable for his face, which makes it look like he’s always smiling. A close second would be his ridiculous, almost Ruthian 2001. That year, Gonzo hit .325 with 57 HR and 142 RBI. He posted an OPS of 1117 (69th all time). If you’re curious, the all-time record for on-base plus slugging percentage was Barry Bonds‘s 2004 (1421). Bonds got on base more than 3 out of 5 times that year, easily a record.
New Rumors: Luis Gonzalez, Brad Lidge
In his latest article, Dayn Perry threw out some interesting trade bait names that I hadn’t heard too much previously. Assuming Perry ran them by Rosenthal for a gut check, there could be some truth to these.
Brad Lidge to the Braves. Now there’s an intriguing thought. Could the Braves somehow emerge with the best closer on the market? One who no one even knew was on the market? I wouldn’t put it past Schuerholz. I can’t see Houston doing the deal for anything less than catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia or shortstop Elvis Andrus.
Luis Gonzalez to the Cubs. This one occurred to me back on November 7th, but it was only idle speculation at that point:
"Speaking of Kevin Mench, why do teams desire him? A redux of Luis Gonzalez would be better for the Cubs. The deal would make sense for the Diamondbacks as well, as Gonzo and Shawn Green are blocking uber-prospect Carlos Quentin."
Troy Glaus to the Pirates. Stranger things have happened, I guess. The Bucs would at least have a nasty 1-2 punch in Glaus and Jason Bay. Littlefield does have a stable of young arms with which he could broker a deal, if he’s willing to cough up the cash.
Kris Benson to the Royals. Ugh. Not so sure if Anna would sit well in Kansas City. Benson as the de facto ace on a team going nowhere doesn’t sit well, either.