It's the most nerve-wracking tiiiiiiiiime of the year!
That time, specifically, is the three weeks in between the All-Star Break and the trade deadline, and with Kenny Williams, anything seems possible. He's never afraid to ask, and while I admire that about him, it also drives me up a wall. Mainly because I never know what he's thinking, I only know what baseball writers are telling me he's thinking. And here's a brief rundown:
- Ken Rosenthal: Williams asked about Dontrelle Willis and Andruw Jones, but were laughed away -- trading Brandon McCarthy and Brian Anderson would make sense.
- Jon Heyman: Freddy Garcia or Javier Vazquez may be dealt for a reliever. Possibilites include Jonathan Broxton, Duaner Sanchez and the possible return of Tom Gordon.
- Mark Gonzalez: An affordable target might be Roberto Hernandez. Jason Schmidt would cost a lot. In his mailbag, he thinks Bob Wickman could be a good fit.
None of these ideas excite me, at least for what they cost. I would take a Hernandez or Gordon if they were salary dumps, but I don't see the point of exchanging any real talent.
Kenny should know this well. Not only did he just acquire a solid reliever for a AAAA LOOGY in the Javy Lopez-for-David Riske trade, but last year, the Sox managed to win the World Series when Geoff Blum was the only deadline acquisition. The Sox are more talented this year, so why is a radical move necessary?
If I'm Kenny Williams, here's my shopping list.
No. 1: Backup catcher, specifically one who can hit lefties. Possible targets: Yorvit Torrealba, Colorado. Jason LaRue, Cincinnati.
Chris Widger has an OPS of under .500 against lefties, and he's thrown out approximately 15 percent of runners. If we can get a .750 OPS against lefties and a 25 percent gun-down rate, it's an upgrade.
Torrealba is the kind of catcher who'd fit the bill, and he might be had
since the Rockies have a glut of catchers -- Danny Ardoin and J.D.
Closser on the major-league level, and Chris Iannetta waiting in Triple-A. Torrealba's only 27, making under $1 million,
owns an .856 OPS against lefties over the past three seasons, and has thrown out 50 percent of runners. But because of the Rockies' depth, he's only seen 20 games of action, and hasn't done much in that time. This might make his price rather palatable.
LaRue could be had because he's struggling, expensive ($9 million over the next two years), and the third catcher on Cincinnati's roster. But
he's proven (28 homers in 2004-05), has hit lefties in the past, and is on the right side of 30. He's also decent defensively. Wayne Krivsky just
got hosed on a trade, so LaRue + cash might be worth shooting for.
No. 2: Right-handed, versatile fourth outfielder.
Possible targets: Marlon Byrd/Alex Escobar, Washington. Shane Victorino/Aaron Rowand, Philadelphia, Brady Clark, Milwaukee.
These guys are a dime a dozen -- at least righties who can cover ground in the outfield. There aren't many that can hit, but defense is a bigger priority.
Byrd would be the easiest to get, because the Nationals just demoted him. He wouldn't wow anybody, but he can hit lefties decently (.290 average, .758 OPS last three seasons) while playing all three outfield positions well. Escobar has returned to the majors with a 10-for-23 streak, so he might've inflated his value too much by the deadline to be worth any sort of investment.
Chances are the Phillies are shopping Aaron Rowand more than Victorino, because Rowand's making 10 times more for the same offensive production. Victorino isn't an everyday player, but he can fill in anywhere and carries a decent bat. He'd be hard to get, but he's worth asking about.
Clark might not be moved because the Brewers are in contention in a weak division, and the organization trusts him. But his power has disappeared (.331 slugging percentage), he's making $3 million for the next two seasons, and Milwaukee has some interesting outfield prospects.
Then again, if you're going to try him, you may as well look at Rowand, too. But re-acquiring Rowand concerns me because he could stunt the progress of Brian Anderson, and I think Anderson has a brighter future at this point. It's odd because I felt the same way about Rowand when the Sox acquired Carl Everett and blocked him for half a season. Life moves in funny ways, I guess.
No. 3: Another righty reliever. Possible targets: Anybody in Pittsburgh's bullpen. Brendan Donnelly, Anaheim.
Solomon Torres and Roberto Hernandez have been mentioned for about a month now as possible additions to the White Sox bullpen, and I wouldn't mind their presence if the price was right -- a single, mid-level prospect sounds right to me.
Donnelly interests me because he seems to be out of a spot in the Angel bullpen. He's pitched only
twice in the last 11 games, mainly because he's given up six runs in his last two outings (1 inning combined). Before July, his ERA was 2.78. It's now up to 4.32.
He might be available because he's a free agent after the season, and at 35, he's not getting any younger. But at 35, that makes him younger than either Torres or Hernandez. Since he's making less money than either of them, why not give him a look?
None of these guys I've mentioned are going to set the world on fire, but they're not going to cost anything, either. To get a better spare bullpen or outfield part might cost a starter, and as much as Freddy Garcia can frustrate us Sox fans, the lack of a safety net would scare me.
Sure, if Garcia's dealt, then McCarthy's inserted into the rotation, and that's an upgrade. But if Jose Contreras then tweaks his back again, or one of the other starters finally breaks down temporarily, then it's 2001-04 all over again, with some fresh meat being thrown to the lions every fifth day. With a playoff run costing the Sox more in terms of dollars than ever before, "Jason Grilli redux" is a scarier proposition than just about any trade rumor.
On this note, I'm heading to bed. I'll be heading to Yankee Stadium for tomorrow and Sunday's games. Pictures and blog entries to follow.