Looks like they are trading Cameron to SD for Xavier Nady. I think I like that. It tells me that they are not holding out much hope of getting Manny. And anything that increases the chances of Manny returning to the Sox is a good thing.
It does strike me as an interesting move since the Pads apparently will pay all of Cameron's salary. Cameron is only a marginal upgrade from Nady plus Nady has some big upside. With the Pads looking to move Klesko (good luck) and also likely to lose Giles, are they looking for some veteran presence? I've read they have some good prospects so maybe they feel okay letting Nady go, but this move is still a bit strange for me. And Minaya is a headline seeker so trading a name for prospect seems very un-Omaresque to me (unless of course he takes the savings and overpays both Billy Wagner and Kevin Millwood).
All in all, I like this move for the Sox.
It does open up an outfield spot for someone, with Manny's name coming up anew. But who do they have that is tradable for Manny?? Nada, nobody, forget about it!
ReplyDeleteWhat about Wright, the Mets third baseman? He is young, has good pop, and is a pretty good glove guy.
ReplyDeleteIf the Mets take on Manny's salary and we can get that guy, I'd do it. Do we get equal value in return? That depends on how you look at it. We don't get a player for player equality, but we get a very good young player and free up a lot of cash.
Meaning:
The Sox could take a chance on Damon for some more money and an extra year without hanging the entire payroll out to dry.
Sox get a young stud third baseman (with a small salary) and can move Youk to first (with a small salary).
Still with extra money they can go hard after Millwood, Ryan, and other and fix their pitching staff.
They'd need a LF, true, so who else is out there? I'll have to look...They'd need someone with power, but not necessarily 40HR power.
There's also been talk of Wells going back to San Diego in a trade that would bring Dave Roberts (and a pitcher) back to Boston. I'm for that. Roberts wants to be an everyday guy. He wouldn't be here, but as we saw last year he'd get probably 350-400 at bats resting Nixon, Damon and other...
I thought about Wright when I first heard it, but Omar has said he will not deal him, even for Manny. It would be interesting, but I think it is a huge gamble for the Sox and best case, you are getting maybe 75 cents on the dollar. Is Wright going to get better? I guess you could think he is because he's only 24. If they do sacrifice Manny's massive power, I think they need to get some real power either out of first base or LF. Which means they then have to move Youk and not consider giving a guy like roberts 300+ ABs.
ReplyDeleteLast year between Manny and Ortiz that was half their HRs, with Tek the only guy with more than a dozen.
So maybe they can move a Youk and an Arroyo for some power or a pitcher with more upside.
So I hope Omar is not bluffing when he says he will not move Wright. I just don't see how the team gets better by moving Manny.
And I think the next few weeks will be really slow. I don't think many teams will make deals (especially signing FAs) until after the deadline to offer arbitration eligible players an offer. GMs will want to see who becomes available. Of course a few of the big names may sign, like Wagner or Ryan, but I see the market as slow in developing.
ReplyDeleteThe alleged Damon offer is interesting $27MM for 3 years. I'm sure Boras will reject that in a nanosecond. At first I wondered why even bother, but maybe it is just the starting point and Boras comes back with $50/5. I just wonder if Damon views that as an insult, especially in light of Matsui's deal.
Wright hit 27 Hrs and drove in 100+ on a team where no one was ever on base. The power upgrade over Mueller at third would be big. Those aren't Manny numbers, but you get another 25-30 HR guy for 1B or LF and you'd be in pretty good shape.
ReplyDeleteWith Wright not available I only see a three-way deal getting done.
There was talk of Huff and Baez going to NY for (???)...I could then see Huff and Baez for Manny.
Of course that is assuming Wright is available. Maybe it is just Omar's way of negotiating, but he says he is not trading Wright - and I can't blame him because he is their only relible power threat. Floyd will break down. Cameron and Pizza are gone and Beltran may or may not ever hit more than 30 again.
ReplyDeleteI still feel that if the Sox deal Manny, no matter who they get (based on what is out there), we will be watching the playoffs next year.
Beltran for Manny - straight up?
Since the sox were interested in Cameron, it could be possible that if they don't reach an agreement with Damon, that they work out a deal with SD swapping Wells for Cameron.
ReplyDeleteSeems a bit far fetched, but if Giles decides he wants to stay in SD, they have Klesko and two young CFs (or even could keep Roberts).
As for Roberts coming back to Boston - I just don't see it happening. Unless he just decided the love he will forever get from the city for THE STOLEN BASE, outwieghs his desire to play every day.
The more I think about this Mets deal, it is really just the first one of a couple of big deals.
ReplyDeleteMy bet would be that Nady never plays a game for the Metropolitans. Minaya wants (and to a certain extent, being in NY) needs headlines. I think this is the year they get their own network. With Pedro and Beltran already in place and an aging Glavine - they want to win now.
I imagine they use Nady as trade bait for the really big bat they want (please, not Manny). Maybe Delgado, Pudge, Soriano, maybe Adam Dunn (who I wouldn't mind seeing th Sox go after for the right price). Plus they sign Wagner. Pay for Benjie Molina. They are going to go for it. Big time. And they have a lot of holes in offense to fill.
Even with my hometown bias, Carpenter and Pujols were deserving picks. Albert the Great should have had it before this had it not been for that cheating, chemically enhanced guy on the Coast.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, just now able to bring myself to watch "Fever Pitch"...dumb movie, but it made me appreciate the achievement of the Sox in '04, ...truly reversing the curse....lets hope it doesn't take the Cardinals a lifetime to get back to the Series.