Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Burned By the Hot Stove
I've decided that the winter meetings might be the single biggest threat to my work productivity, or at least a close second to manic Google image searches of Cote de Pablo. I swear, if Rotoworld.com was blocked off at the company I work at, I'd probably walk out in an obscenity-laced huff. Nothing breaks up the monotony of waiting for reams of insurance data to process quite like clicking over to check the up-to-the-minute rumor-mongering in the baseball world, complete with the obligatory snark-laden Rotoworld commentary. I just hope my bosses don't ever get suspicious enough to check out the 18 tabs I have open on my Internet browser every day.
Today provided us with the usual buttload of rumors, but no actual big name player movement, unless you want to call the sorry sack from Death of a Salesman a "big name". The general theory seems to be that everybody is waiting for the Johan Santana trade to go through, then the frantic trading will begin. Other big names that have come up in trade talks are Dan Haren, Eric Bedard, Scott Rolen, and, of course, Miguel Cabrera. I'd be shocked if Haren goes anywhere, but Bedard seems to really be on his way out, though I don't know what the Orioles are thinking. What a garbage organization. If the rumored Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis for Detroit's entire farm system goes through, it makes the Tigers the heavy favorite to win the AL Central, probably for the next few years.
As for Rolen, the Giants seem to be his rumored destination, with Noah Lowry going over to the Redbirds, and St. Louis paying a hefty portion of Rolen's salary. I love Rolen and all, but what's the point? Can't the Giants find a younger, less MASH unit-prone third baseman for Lowry, like Edwin Encarnacion (which was also rumored, hopefully closer to reality)? I guess the best-case scenario is that Rolen comes over as a sort of stopgap, returns to All-Star form while the Giants shore up holes at other positions, and leads the team to an improbable run at contention. Not bloody likely, but it's the only reason I see for the interest, unless it means unloading another bad contract like Dave Roberts, or flipping Rolen at the trade deadline if he pumps up his value enough.
There were also a bunch of rumors involving Tim Lincecum, as per usual, including a quote from one anonymous sumbitch in the Cincinnati organization who said the Giants "have to" trade Lincecum (Lefty Malo has the link). Yeah, the Giants "have to" trade Lincecum like your team "had to" trade Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez for a bunch of crappy relievers, you stupid jackass. Luckily, it seems that Brian Sabean has had enough and is taking both Lincecum and Matt Cain out of any trade considerations, a move that gets a hardy applaud in this corner.
Perhaps the most terrifying rumor has the Giants interested in Shawn Green. Let's just say that if Shawn Green suits up for the Giants in 2008 I'm turning Stankeye into a freaking Kansas City Royals blog. I swear to God. A move like that, in the position the Giants are in, is just too asinine for words. Also firmly in the "hells no" category is the Giants' supposed interest in trading for Ben Broussard, a 30-year-old first baseman who has cracked a .335 OBP just once in his six-year career. Sigh...the more things change, the more they stay the same I suppose.
Today provided us with the usual buttload of rumors, but no actual big name player movement, unless you want to call the sorry sack from Death of a Salesman a "big name". The general theory seems to be that everybody is waiting for the Johan Santana trade to go through, then the frantic trading will begin. Other big names that have come up in trade talks are Dan Haren, Eric Bedard, Scott Rolen, and, of course, Miguel Cabrera. I'd be shocked if Haren goes anywhere, but Bedard seems to really be on his way out, though I don't know what the Orioles are thinking. What a garbage organization. If the rumored Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis for Detroit's entire farm system goes through, it makes the Tigers the heavy favorite to win the AL Central, probably for the next few years.
As for Rolen, the Giants seem to be his rumored destination, with Noah Lowry going over to the Redbirds, and St. Louis paying a hefty portion of Rolen's salary. I love Rolen and all, but what's the point? Can't the Giants find a younger, less MASH unit-prone third baseman for Lowry, like Edwin Encarnacion (which was also rumored, hopefully closer to reality)? I guess the best-case scenario is that Rolen comes over as a sort of stopgap, returns to All-Star form while the Giants shore up holes at other positions, and leads the team to an improbable run at contention. Not bloody likely, but it's the only reason I see for the interest, unless it means unloading another bad contract like Dave Roberts, or flipping Rolen at the trade deadline if he pumps up his value enough.
There were also a bunch of rumors involving Tim Lincecum, as per usual, including a quote from one anonymous sumbitch in the Cincinnati organization who said the Giants "have to" trade Lincecum (Lefty Malo has the link). Yeah, the Giants "have to" trade Lincecum like your team "had to" trade Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez for a bunch of crappy relievers, you stupid jackass. Luckily, it seems that Brian Sabean has had enough and is taking both Lincecum and Matt Cain out of any trade considerations, a move that gets a hardy applaud in this corner.
Perhaps the most terrifying rumor has the Giants interested in Shawn Green. Let's just say that if Shawn Green suits up for the Giants in 2008 I'm turning Stankeye into a freaking Kansas City Royals blog. I swear to God. A move like that, in the position the Giants are in, is just too asinine for words. Also firmly in the "hells no" category is the Giants' supposed interest in trading for Ben Broussard, a 30-year-old first baseman who has cracked a .335 OBP just once in his six-year career. Sigh...the more things change, the more they stay the same I suppose.
Labels: cote de pablo is hot, trade stuff, winter meetings
