|
it's about time for this bartlett move to happen. if i were the rays i would have traded him after his incredible offensive season in 2009, however, i understand that they were "all in" last year and wanted to keep the band together for one more tour before they had to break up, so now they have to trade bartlett for much-needed-bullpen-help (is ANYONE out there? wow) and are doing it likely for an all-time low in his value. i would conjecture that they either have a slick fielding shortstop in the farm system or they're convinced that sean rodriguez and/or zobrist could play it, though very likely the former. after a gangbusters spring training sean rodriguez started off the season slowly, but was a pretty damn solid bat during the 2nd half stretch run. overall, i think he's earned a chance to be the everyday 2B/SS in 2011.
btw, sean rodriguez was part of the yield that the rays got when they traded scott kazmir to the angels. you wanna talk about one of baseball's better secrets hitting the (injury?) wall and absolutely falling to utter shit? look no further than scott kazmir. he's been not just bad, but downright awful for the last year or two. a chance of scenery did him no favors.
somewhere, somehow, steve phillips is sleeping better at night not hearing the name "victor zambrano" whispered in his ear.
and now boston has gone out and said "fuck you, world" by passing on jayson werth (and really, how can you do that?) and settling for the #2 hot outfield prospect, carl crawford. the rich get richer, eh? so in a matter of days the redsox have added adrian gonzalez and his bionic shoulder and arguably one of the best all around outfielders in baseball. if jacoby ellsbury isn't a leper once again in 2011, just imagine all the speed they're going to have with him and crawford making hell... then you turn around and have gonzalez and youkilis at the corners, all-around hitter pedroia.... and i think they've still got jd drew and that kid from florida the backup OF... hermida? hell, don't they have mike cameron too? their rotation doesn't put the fear of god in my eyes, but this offense should be a thing.
with beltre, do the red sox tell david ortiz to take a walk and then have a 1B/DH rotation with gonzalez and youkilis? something tells me that even tho having beltre's D at third and something like ~60% of the offense he put up last year (beltre plays big during contract years, ask seattle how that works out) would be better for the redsox overall, but i have no idea what they owe papi and i think he's such a beloved figure if he can pull out another ~25+ HR season with his decreasing batspeed they're going to keep him around.
oh nevermind, ortiz is on the books for 12.5 mil for 2011. yeah i presume beltre is a goner. even though i noted that he's a bigtime contract-year-player, i'd still take a flier on him if i'm the whitesox... if you're going to throw all that money at dunn and konerko with the hopes that revenue at the gate is going to make up for the spending, go all the way in and get a guy who at the very least can pick it better than brent morel and, ideally, hit ~.280/25/80, or maybe even more than that. hell, actually he wasn't that bad in seattle after a miserable first year, but he still wasn't the 35+/100+ guy that seattle signed him as.
oh and jeff francoeur is amazing... how was he regarded as some "the natural" type uberprospect at one point? he's allergic to taking walks, he's notoriously streaky and he's never had the kind of consistent power that makes you go "damn". my guess is that he came up in the braves system when the braves were considered one of the upper-echelon franchises in all of baseball and schuerholz could do no wrong and etc..
_________________ Curious Hair wrote: Les Grobstein's huge hog is proof that God has a sense of humor, isn't it?
|
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
