Thanks Aaron....You may be right on the starting pitching depth. I'd be happy to see Atkins or Rhee take the place of Cashner. I don't see much of a hole if the Rockies give up Barmes. Atkins and Stewart double up at third and Stewart can play second. Baker plays first, second and third, and I'd be pleased to have him instead of Barmes. Quintanilla is OK at SS, and they have a jewel in Eric Young. He had a good year at AA (.290 and 46 SB) and he raked this offseason. He could win the 2B job in spring training. The Rockies never seem to run out of position players.

I hope you noticed that I'm trying to make the DeRo deal look better by including Stephens. While I understand that DeRo, Wood and Marquis meant $20 mil for others and DeRo was in his walk year, I agree with you that the return on DeRo was minimal.

The Belliard deal is likely the most doable. And I certainly would like to add Downs or Ryan to the pen. As mentioned a few days ago, we could probably include Vizcaino's $3.5 and Gaudin's $2 to offset half of Ryan's $10 mil in '09. And possibly get $3 mil of cash in '10, in addition to a prospect or two. But we may not have the money for Ryan.

As an aside, my trade preference is for each side to get two players (or more) in the trade. There's enough unpredictability for every player to make having two chances for success appealing.

JimK,

your trade ideas always come from way out in left field, but that's what I love about them---they're unique, and crazy, but very well thought-out.

I have to say, I do agree with your reasoning most of the time, but with some of the prospects, etc., there doesn't appear to be fits for either teams in some cases. For instance, the Rockies need starting pitching depth, and Hart, Cashner, and Stevens are all basically relievers, with the exception of Hart being a swing-man. Additionally, while Barmes fills a hole for us as the versatile infielder, he's also been very inconsistent, and they'd find themselves with a hole there too with that trade, thus, I don't see a fit. (oh, and Cashner can't be traded until June, anyway, if memory serves me correctly---as draftees cannot be traded for one year or something like that)

...having said that, you're ABSOLUTELY right on about the roster, Hoffpauir, the bullpen, AND Wiggington.

That has to be one of the more puzzling moves that I've seen. Why the hell didn't Hendry go after Wiggington, especially if he's supposedly after right-handed depth? I don't know, perhaps Wiggington demanded a starting job, and Hendry couldn't promise him that? But if it's the budget, then Hendry truly is a moron, because Aurilia and/or Millar would've cost us about the same as Wiggington received, and he's far younger and more productive than either of them. Essentially, we'd be getting a younger DeRosa with Wiggington, and that's VERY true. He'll give you 20 hr, 75 RBI, .275-.285 avg, .340 OBP, and he's 30 yrs old, and he'll give you those numbers in far less games than DeRosa would've achieved them---as last year (111 games); 2006 (122 games) can atest.

(sigh)...

I swear, if we get Aurilia, and it's at the expense of Hoffpauir, then I will be a VERY unhappy dude. At some point, you just have to give the kids a chance to win a job, especially after they've earned it with production at the MLB level (ie.-Murton a few years ago, Theriot, Soto, Fontenot, etc.) Why shouldn't Hoffpauir get his chance too?

After all, the Indians didn't know what they had with Travis Hafner, and he finally got a chance to display his potential at the age of 27. Perhaps, at the age of 30, Hoffpauir will finally be given the chance when Lee's contract is up.

I just want to throw out these #'s as you all probably know them:

71 games, 290 AB's, 63 runs, 105 hits, 34 doubles, 2 triples, 25 hr, 100 RBI, 2 SB, 0 CS, 17 BB, 46 K's, .362 avg, .393 OBP...and get this... .752 SLG!!!!!!!!!

That's what Hoffpauir did in half the normal games for a AAA guy. I know the #'s wouldn't hold up for an entire season, but what if, by chance, they did?!? 126 runs, 210 hits, 68 doubles, 50 hr, 200 RBI, 34 BB, 92 K's....blah blah blah....LOL

You all might laugh, and I did too...but this dude seriously can hit, and the year before, he put up almost identical numbers in about the same amount of games. He's had a bad string of luck with injuries, but even in half seasons, the dude still puts up better #'s than 99% of the guys in his respective leagues. How can you not root for a guy like that to get a chance?!?!?

Well, that's basically all I have to say...my dream team (assuming all chips are the same):

Soriano (let's face it, he's leading off)

Fontenot (b/c he has more extra-base power than Theriot, and let's also face it...Lee isn't moving either, unfortunately)

Lee

ARAM

Bradley

Soto

Fukudome

Theriot

Z

Lilly

Dempster

Marshall

Harden

pen:

Marmol-closer

Gregg-set-up

Cotts-lefty set-up

Guzman-middle/long

Gaudin-middle/long

Samardzija-middle/long

Heilman-middle/long

bench: Fuld (instead of Gathright), Johnson, Hoffpauir, Miles, Koyie Hill (Bako, like Gathright, doesn't belong)

I'd send Hart to AAA to start, or perhaps, the Shark, depending on how they fare in Spring Training. If Vizcaino, Bako, and Gathright make the team, at the expense of one of our guys like Guzman, without options, I think I'm going to vomit. I hope we never have to see the enigma that is Vizcaino---he's sucked donkey balls everywhere he's gone, and wouldn't last a second with Piniella---or us, for that matter. Bako, I have no clue what Hendry's fascination with the guy is....Do you realize that with Blanco's $300,000 buyout, we essentially are paying over $1 million for Bako?!?! I guaran-damn-tee you that Blanco would've re-signed with us for about $1-1.5 million, and it'd totally be worth it for us. I'll never in my life, understand MLB team's fascinations with having a lefty and righty hitting catcher on their roster at the same time...it completely baffles me.

Aaron,

Vizcaino actually had a couple great years in Milwaukee and a very good one in Arizona. Admittedly, he's been as you describe for the last two seasons, but if he's healthy, he can be a very good reliever.

I dunno..maybe it was something I ate...but looking at the makeup of the team so far sort of makes me ill...

i guess i'll have to ponder more and figure out what that feeling is..

and can someone call Jim and let him know that there are more teams out there to trade with than the Orioles and A's.

I'm afraid that the O's may have a legitimate case to rename their franchise to the East Coast Cubs.

There are some really interesting roster issues. If we sign an infielder (like Aurilia, the 13th position player could come down to Hoffpauir or Gathright. I would hope Hoffpauir prevails since he can play the corner OF spots as well as first and he has a lefty bat with pop. In that case we would have Dome and Johnson for CF, and I'm recalling that Miles and Bradley can play there in a pinch.

Early in the year, we could go with 11 or 12 pitchers. Assuming it's 12 and both Samardzija and Hart want to become starters, we might have the luxury of giving both of them April and May in Iowa. That might leave as starters Z, D, Lilly, Harden and Marshall. The back of the pen would be Marmol, Gregg and Cotts. Heilman, Gaudin, Guzman and Vizcaino would complete the staff. Heilman and Marshall may be interchangeable--but I like Marshall as a starter.

I would like both an experienced RH bat with some pop and Hoffpauir on the bench. If Aurelia (at $3 mil) is not the guy because of his interest or our budget, I would trade for one of two others. (The budget has to be a problem because Wiggingon who was .285-23-58 last year and can play all 4 corners plus 2B just went to the O's for 2 years at $3 mil each. I guess his poor average on the road hurts him.)

One trade idea is to get Ronnie Belliard (33) and #8 prospect Adrian Nieto (19) a switch hitting catching prospect from the Nationals for Guzman, Carridad and Barney. Belliard makes $1.6 mil in '09, plays all the infield positions and had a line of .287-11-46 last season.

Another trade idea is to get Clint Barmes (30) and Franklin Morales (22), LHP from the Rockies for Hart, Cashner and Stephens. Morales was hurt and wild last year, and maybe he would be traded. If Morales is a no-go we get another top prospect. Barmes is signed for $1.6 mil and plays SS, 2B and 3B. His line last season was .290-11-44.

The last roster addition, I would like is to get a top lefty reliever like Downs or Ryan (from the Jays). To move salary, the Jays would have to take Vizcaino in a deal. The Downs deal would be Vizcaino, Hart, Colvin or Flaherty and $2 mil for Downs and # 6 lefty pitching prospect Brad Mills. The Jays save Downs $4 mil in '09 and '10 and we pay $2 mil of Vizcaino's $3.5 in '09. In effect we get Downs and his 1.78 ERA and a top prospect for Hart and Colvin or Flaherty.

It's been a busy day here at Trade Central--once removed.

Unrelated note.. Manny turned down 1 year $25 mil from the Dodgers.. This guy is a class act.. NOT.

There's something called protection. If i was in his position, i would take 3 yrs for less money rather than 1yr/25.

With all the free-agents left to sign I wonder who becomes available ala Johnson and Edmonds.

So obviously all the threats that Hendry wasn't yet done at the Cubs convention were all B.S. and he really was done. By done I mean he was done with any meaningful work, other than trading away former untouchables out of options to other teams for scrubs. What a joke.

This club does have a need for a back up

at 1B & 3B. Preferably a right handed stick with some pop. The way are bench is constructed now (Gathright, Johnson, Bako, Miles) we have no extra base hitting threat off the bench. Micah Hoffpauir has that ability but If the club goes North with 12 pitchers he will be victim of a numbers game. My hope now that it is Aurillia or Nomar. I hope it is not Millar or Miguel Cairo.