Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Sensory overload

OK, seriously, I can barely keep up with every single name that I've heard tossed around since about midnight last night (I wanted to get a post up before now but things like "sleep" and "class" got in the way). Anyways, I'll try and take a look at the rumors I've heard so far and what I think about them.

  • Sign Olmedo Saenz- This really isn't too terrible of an idea. In about 100 less at-bats he hit as many homers and had as many RBIs as Daryle Ward. As long as we're looking to him as a back-up at first or a platoon with Craig Wilson until Eldred is ready, this wouldn't be a bad move. We just have to keep in mind that he isn't a starter (something we could never figure out with the D-Train).
  • Trade for Milton Bradley (same link as above)- Also a pretty good idea. Bradley has quite a rep as a troublemaker, but I can't imagine a manager like Tracy would OK Littlefield to look for a trade for Bradley if he really thought there was a problem with him (unless he didn't give DL the OK, but given Bradley's history and Tracy's preexisting relationship with him I'd find that hard to believe, still, we are the Pirates). He's got some pop, he gets on base a lot, and he's a good outfielder. The thinking is he might be cheap given his past problems. Still, signs are pointing to him going to Oakland for Zito. If that's true it means that even if Oakland doesn't take him, the price tag is going to be more significant than originally thought.
  • Pirates extend 2-year offer to Bill Mueller- This is a bad idea. He may be slightly better than Sanchez or a Sanchez/Mackowiak platoon, but we're the Pirates and the slight upgrade he may (or may not) offer isn't worth it. He's not a high upside like Nomar, if anything he's getting older and losing a little bit. Signing Mueller wouldn't make a whole ton of sense.
  • Trade for Sean Casey- It would just be pandering to the masses to trade for the Upper St. Claire native, in my opinion. He hit 9 homers in a hitter's ballpark last year and besides 2004 his recent slugging numbers look pretty paltry for a guy making $8 million a year.
  • Kip Wells or Mark Redman for Trot Nixon (via Rotoworld)- Not a bad idea. Nixon murders right handed pitching and would probably love the short right field porch. True, he's incredibly injury prone but he would be useful in a platoon in right with Craig Wilson, again assuming we realize he's not an every day player and he would be a fantastic return for Mark Redman, and probably not an awful one for Kip Wells.
  • Jason Michaels for Mark Redman (again via Rotoworld)- Seriously, one of those sweet Calvin and Hobbes snowmen and maybe some change to order a pizza with would be a decent return for Mark Redman. All this talk of getting real baseball players for him is making me positively giddy.
  • Pirates extend offer to JT Snow (Rotoworld once more)- Certifiably insane. He's old and he can't hit worth crap. Any of the other first base options previously discussed (a Saenz/Wilson platoon, trading for Lyle Overbay or Sean Casey, watching Eldred strike out a zillion times next year) are better than this one. This would be like lighting money on fire for a team like the Pirates.