MLBTradeRumors.com posted and interesting piece today regarding the different players around baseball that are being vastly overpaid. After looking at the list, it makes me feel a little bit better about the Rowand, Renteria and Zito contract disasters, and it also got me thinking of how to possibly get one of these guys, most likely Rowand, off the Giants hands.
Now, this is mostly just speculation on my part, and since there really hasn't been anything to report on for the Giants over the last 2 weeks, I figured why not start some trade speculation. If the Giants have any hope of getting some of the dead weight like Aaron Rowand or Edgar Renteria off their roster, it would likely be in a deal in which they'd have to bring back some
other teams' overpaid player in what basically amounts to a swap of bad contracts. Right away, when looking at the list of baseballs most overpaid players, the one name that I was surprised to see on there was Alex Rios. The 28 year-old outfielder was the guy that Brian Sabean and co. were considering dealing away either Tim Lincecum or Matt Cain for in the winter of 2007, but eventually passed. Rios went over to Chicago after the deadline this season, and played terribly. He hit just .199 with 3 home runs, 9 RBI and 26 k's in 146 at-bats with Chicago. The White Sox are also the team that brought up Aaron Rowand, and were supposedly interested in him when he was a free agent 2 years ago before the Giants swooped him up. Rios is due to earn 60 million over the next 5 seasons and Rowand is on the hook for 3 more years and $36 million. I also look at the White Sox need for second base while the Giants have Freddy Sanchez for another year, and I think he's expendable to them.
I have no idea if the White Sox would still have interest in Rowand after his 2 sub-par years in San Francisco though, and I'm not sure they're looking to trade Rios so soon after acquiring him as they may want to give him a full year in Chicago before assessing his performance. I just think that a Rowand and Sanchez for Rios deal would make some sense for both parties. The Sox
would get a veteran center-fielder who they're familiar with and who's had success in Chicago in the past while also saving themselves upwards of 25 million dollars. They'd also get a second basemen who's been an all-star and a .300 hitter for much of his career in Freddy Sanchez. The Giants, I'm sure, would like to get Rios because they still see the upside he has and a move to a new league could be a nice change for him. In a way, he's almost seemed to digress over the last couple of seasons and I can't help but think that a move to a new league would give him a fresh start. I also look back to the summer of 2007 when Rios player here with the AL all-star team and put on a ridiculous showing in the home derby, repeatably hitting balls deep into the left field bleachers and up near the giant coke bottle that sits 505 feet away from home plate at AT&T Park. Again, this probably won't even be discusses between the two teams, but if they did, they'd probably see a little bit of logic in that deal.
WORLD SERIES: Major League Baseball's Fall Classic takes kicks off tonight, with CC Sabathia squaring off with former mentor, Cliff Lee. I'm always stoked to watch the World Series, regardless of the match-up, but I really think the Phills and Yanks are about to give the world one heckuva battle. Both of these teams have the big offense, and both have their pitching staffs working at close to full health. I just really like the momentum that the Yankees have going for them right now, and I think they'll end up being too much to handle for the reigning world champs. The Yankees are running a 3-man rotation with Sabathia, Burnett and Pettite, who are all throwing very well in this postseason. I think Sabathia and Pettite could pose match-up issues vs. the Phills trio of Raul Ibanez, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley which could give them the slight edge in an otherwise tightly matched world series. I'm a National League guy, so naturally I'll be pulling for the Phillies here, but if I were to bet, I'd say the Yanks take it in 7.
Now, this is mostly just speculation on my part, and since there really hasn't been anything to report on for the Giants over the last 2 weeks, I figured why not start some trade speculation. If the Giants have any hope of getting some of the dead weight like Aaron Rowand or Edgar Renteria off their roster, it would likely be in a deal in which they'd have to bring back some
other teams' overpaid player in what basically amounts to a swap of bad contracts. Right away, when looking at the list of baseballs most overpaid players, the one name that I was surprised to see on there was Alex Rios. The 28 year-old outfielder was the guy that Brian Sabean and co. were considering dealing away either Tim Lincecum or Matt Cain for in the winter of 2007, but eventually passed. Rios went over to Chicago after the deadline this season, and played terribly. He hit just .199 with 3 home runs, 9 RBI and 26 k's in 146 at-bats with Chicago. The White Sox are also the team that brought up Aaron Rowand, and were supposedly interested in him when he was a free agent 2 years ago before the Giants swooped him up. Rios is due to earn 60 million over the next 5 seasons and Rowand is on the hook for 3 more years and $36 million. I also look at the White Sox need for second base while the Giants have Freddy Sanchez for another year, and I think he's expendable to them.I have no idea if the White Sox would still have interest in Rowand after his 2 sub-par years in San Francisco though, and I'm not sure they're looking to trade Rios so soon after acquiring him as they may want to give him a full year in Chicago before assessing his performance. I just think that a Rowand and Sanchez for Rios deal would make some sense for both parties. The Sox
would get a veteran center-fielder who they're familiar with and who's had success in Chicago in the past while also saving themselves upwards of 25 million dollars. They'd also get a second basemen who's been an all-star and a .300 hitter for much of his career in Freddy Sanchez. The Giants, I'm sure, would like to get Rios because they still see the upside he has and a move to a new league could be a nice change for him. In a way, he's almost seemed to digress over the last couple of seasons and I can't help but think that a move to a new league would give him a fresh start. I also look back to the summer of 2007 when Rios player here with the AL all-star team and put on a ridiculous showing in the home derby, repeatably hitting balls deep into the left field bleachers and up near the giant coke bottle that sits 505 feet away from home plate at AT&T Park. Again, this probably won't even be discusses between the two teams, but if they did, they'd probably see a little bit of logic in that deal.WORLD SERIES: Major League Baseball's Fall Classic takes kicks off tonight, with CC Sabathia squaring off with former mentor, Cliff Lee. I'm always stoked to watch the World Series, regardless of the match-up, but I really think the Phills and Yanks are about to give the world one heckuva battle. Both of these teams have the big offense, and both have their pitching staffs working at close to full health. I just really like the momentum that the Yankees have going for them right now, and I think they'll end up being too much to handle for the reigning world champs. The Yankees are running a 3-man rotation with Sabathia, Burnett and Pettite, who are all throwing very well in this postseason. I think Sabathia and Pettite could pose match-up issues vs. the Phills trio of Raul Ibanez, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley which could give them the slight edge in an otherwise tightly matched world series. I'm a National League guy, so naturally I'll be pulling for the Phillies here, but if I were to bet, I'd say the Yanks take it in 7.
Comments
Including Freddy Sanchez is just dumb for two reasons. 1) He just might be the best of the three players and 2) the Giants don't have to trade down from Rowand to Rios just to get rid of Freddy since they could just buy him out for $500K if getting rid of him was what they were stupid enough to want to do.
If the giants were to do a bad contract swap with the WhiteSox it is the WhiteSox (not the Giants) that need to sweeten the deal.
Josh Fields, a 3B, who hit over 20 Hrs when Crede was out with an injury in 200, would be tempting.
A more realistic scenario, however, would be the mercurial Milton Bradley. Yes, he is surly---so were Jeff Kent, Barry Bonds, and Mo Alou---but talented.
Rowand is a better fit for smaller park like Wrigley, and his free-swinging tendencies were an irritating display of ineptitude and a horrible example to the young players.
One player we have absoultely no use for is Gary Matthews Jr., who is a glorified minor-leaguer at best.
Keep up the good writing. I like checking in here to read your opinions.