Trading Season Opens. Teams take aim at desired players. Ready to pull trigger on deals.
Now that most of the free agents have been signed, it’s time for teams with missing pieces to start making trades. All indications are that it will be a busy trade season, as many teams are still looking to add players. And it looks like three teams are getting ready to kick things off with a bang.
From the New York Times:
The Yankees are in discussions with the Atlanta Braves and the Pittsburgh Pirates about a three-way deal that would send outfielder Melky Cabrera to the Braves from the Yankees, reliever Mike Gonzalez to the Yankees from the Pirates, and first baseman Adam LaRoche to the Pirates from the Braves, according to a baseball official.
What a fun trade! Three-ways are always exciting. And this one promises to make everyone happy. Everyone except Adam LaRoche, that is. Nobody wants to play for the Pirates.
Speaking of LaRoche, he is suddenly a hot commodity. How did that happen? As recently as last June, he was one of the more mediocre first basemen in memory. Then he got benched for a lazy play, which inspired him to start taking his Attention Deficit Disorder meds. The rest is history. LaRoche was LaStudly in the second half of last season. And now he’s in demand.
It’s hard to imagine the Yanks are trading away Melky. He’s young, talented and cheap. But they’re getting a good bullpen arm in return, somebody who can setup or who can fill in when the aging Mariano Rivera inevitably gets hurt.
What trades will follow this one? The Phils still need to unload John Lieber. The Dodgers are still looking to move a pitcher and a prospect in favor of a big bat. The Red Sox still could trade Manny. Stay tuned.
December 18th, 2006 at 7:46 pm
I don’t believe the Sox are interested in trading Manny anymore. For whom? For what? The only major piece still missing in Boston is a closer, and Theo has been stockpiling arms. Word here is that he’ll try to exchange some of his extra relievers for a closer.
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December 19th, 2006 at 12:30 pm
I think you’re probably right, although indications are that a lot of his teammates are sick of Manny. It might benefit the team to be rid of his attitude, even if it would hurt to lose his bat.
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December 19th, 2006 at 7:24 pm
His teammates are sick of “hurt” benchwarming Manny. No one is sick of 40 homers, 120 RBI, hitting-behind-Papi Manny.
He’s not an angry, clubhouse cancer kind of guy, though his behavior drives the media into a rage. He’s just one of those semi-autistic, clueless-but-benign idiot savantes.
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December 20th, 2006 at 12:40 pm
Yeah, but several players have spoken up and said it might be best for the team if Manny were traded. Schilling (big shock) was the most recent, but I don’t think he was the only one.
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