View source for PSBL Archive

=Positions and Needs=
As of now, the needs stack up as follows:

==Infield==
C 191 plate apps, someone who hits RH, Jason LaRue to hedge the John Buck bet <br>
2B someone who hits lefties (not a necessity)<br>
3B 311 plate apps, someone who hits lefties, a young player<br>
SS someone who hits lefties (not a necessity)<br>

==Outfield==
RF someone who hits lefties<br>
One really good hitter at least would be nice, but not necessary<br>
Young talent

==Starting Pitching==
28 starts<br>
Young talent

==Relief Pitching==
95 appearances<br>
Hopefully 3 dominating relievers

=Secondary Draft=
In this space I will list my impression of the top 30 or so players available in the secondary draft.

=Trades=
I have already made some offers to other teams that would need to be honored if accepted.  Barring that, everything here is to be discussed. 
==Old Proposed Deals==
I have moved all the old trade discussion to: [[Pre-deadline Deals]]

==Post-deadline Deals==
What follows is my plan for deals going forward.

===Kelvim Escobar===
I spoke to the new Dodgers manager on the phone today and he assured me that while he isnt ready to make any deals yet, he will be.  I would like to try and get Kelvim Escobar and Curtis Granderson from him, hopefully for Scott Kazmir and Coco Crisp or Aaron Rowand.

I responded to his recent advertisement and told him I am interested in trading the 1st along with a couple of other players.  I asked if he would be willing to trade Escobar and Piazza.  My current plan is to offer Crisp, the 1st and a mid pick for Escobar, Piazza and a pick a little worse.

===Dan Haren===
If the Escobar deal cant happen, the Haren one is a good option.  I dont know if I really want to trade Rowand for Patterson, but I do like Haren quite a bit.

===Marcus Thames===
I am considering offering Rowand for Thames.  Thats a tough choice for me.

Obviously this is no longer valid.

===Juan Rivera===
I would rather have Rivera than Thames, they have similar bats and Rivera plays CF.  That EX arm should stop a lot of would be baserunners too.

I wonder what it would take to turn Rowand into Rivera?  Better offense, less defense, but Crisp is a solid defensive replacement to who cares.

===Juan Pierre===
I think Pierre can be had from Sid, and if Schneider can be in the deal as well, thats a huge win.  It would really free up the 1st rounder to be used in any way possible.

If Crisp can be turned into Pierre somehow, and Rowand into Rivera, the OF is really set.  Then the 1st becomes very flexible.  I was thinking about a couple of deals to make the trade to 7 happen, and its a long road, but possible.

Sid responded to my Crisp and Winn for Pierre and an 8th offer, he sounds interested but is thinking on it.  I dont know if it will happen or not.

===Yadier Molina===
I know Dennis likes this guy a lot, probably too much, but if he can be had for a non-first round pick, I think its a deal that should be made.  He cant hit at all, but at least he throws a lot.  Again, it frees up the 1st, though I would still consider C there.

He wants way too much for him.

===Mike Lowell===
The Phillies do not have a CF and Lowell is an aging player.  I am going to offer his choice of Coco Crisp or Aaron Rowand for Lowell.  In either case I would rather go into the draft needing a CF than a 3B.

I decided to include a Kendall option in here too since Buck was just acquired.  This turned out to be a great idea, since he accepted the Kendall deal.  Now the 1st is surplus.

===David DeJesus===
Before I offer for Lowell, I decided to try and get a young CF you had mentioned you like.  I offered Coco Crisp and Aaron Rowand for David DeJesus and John Buck.  If this deal works, the 1st rounder is no longer a need pick, and could be offered in a deal for a stud player (first choice will be Dan Haren).

Dave responded that he is interested but needs to think.  He also expressed that he was afraid Rowand would lose his job.  So I offered him Crisp and a 6th rounder for his choice of his C and DeJesus.  I think I like this deal even more, I hope he does it.

I made Dave a larger offer for DeJesus, Buck, Bradford and Otsuka.  It will gut the draft, but leave the 1st and fill the hole at C, potentially making things much more comfortable.  He said he wants two more days.  I am relatively certain he is fielding offers from other teams, but the fact that he didnt turn this down outright leads me to believe that its better than what he has received so far.  That bodes well.

He has responded that he will give me Buck and his 20th for the 5th and 8th.  Not bad.

Now I feel like the DeJesus thing can really happen.  Assuming I cant make a deal with Florida, the 1st and Dave's 20 back for DeJesus and Bradford would be a nice move.

===Pick 7===
I opened discussions with Phil about the 7th pick.  This really only works well if I can move up with Moises Alou (which he said isnt enough, so far) or something else replaceable, like Brian Fuentes, or if I can make the deal with Dave to get a C.  I dont see any reason to use pick 7 on a C, though we would have the pick of the litter.  Its my opinion that if we can get up that high we either take Nick Markakis, a top pitching prospect (A Sanchez or Weaver) or Drew.  If none of those guys are available, I think trading down a couple of spots and getting Martin or Johjima is a good plan.

I havent heard from Phil in a day or so.  I dont know what I can package to move up here, but if I can do it I want to.  In fact, if we can move up here it almost makes the Schneider deal doable (because then we wont be taking a C in the 1st most likely).  But still I am more interested in Buck from Dave.  I asked if Rowand would be more inticing for him.  He is not interested in Rowand.

Maybe Kendall and the 1 for Navarro and his 1?  Its a reasonable risk considering that someone really good will be available there and Navarro at the very least is young and has potential.  Maybe this could lead to a Posada deal?

===Brian Schneider===
Rob has offered Brian Schneider and Randy Winn for Coco Crisp and Aaron Rowand.  This is a perplexing deal and Im not sure whether I should do it.  Schneider is a solid left handed C who throws well, but offensively he isnt much.  At least he has an ok OB but his SLG sucks.  Winn is approximately equal to Rowand offensively vs R (without the Terror), and they are close defensively, but Winn sucks vs L and is full time.  Its an interesting trade-off.  This deal makes the team older and not necessarily better now, but does free the 1st rounder to be used on anything.  The down side for that is C is probably what would make the most sense there anyway (considering what will be available), unless the pick is dealt.

I turned this deal down.  Like you said, it is one of those mascara deals (sure would look bad in the morning).

===Brandon Inge===
I just asked Cincinnati if they would be willing to trade Inge, Wang and Rivera for Kazmir, Crisp and a pick besides the 1st.  I dont know how he will respond, but he is loaded at 3B and the OF, and Wang is good but doesnt strike anyone out.  If he values that, he could bite.

I just had a good conversation with him on the phone.  This deal isnt happening as it sits, but it may happen in some form eventually.  He doesnt want Crisp because his team lacks power.  He just emailed me and now it sounds like he wants Kazmir, the 1st and 6th for Wang, Inge and Rivera.  Im not sure though.  Im also not sure about that deal.

===John Lackey===
I dont know why I didnt think of this before.  I should offer Kazmir and Martinez for Westbrook and Lackey.  Those pitchers are still good and we gain 20 starts.

Here is his latest iteration: Jake Westbrook, Randy Winn, Jose Cruz ó Pedro Martinez, Coco Crisp, Aaron Rowand.  Thats a solid no in my book.  Either of our OF are better than either of those we get, and although Westrook has better long term potential, he isnt much different from Penny, whom we traded for Martinez in the first place.  I would do this deal if Lackey were the P.

Rob has a new offer contingent on him making another deal:  Lackey, Westbrook, and Winn FOR Kazmir, Pedro, and Crisp?  I would consider this if I could give Rowand instead of Crisp.  Rowand and Winn have similar roles.

===Jorge Posada===
Im going to see if I can turn Buck into Posada.  Ill send a feeler email and get his impression.

He isnt interested.

===Freddy Garcia===
Now that the 1st can be traded, I am considering sending it plus Crisp and a later pick, maybe round 13, for Garcia, Bard and Diaz.  This deal would virtually lock up the starts situation, would send C pa's up near 700 and fills RF and LF while the only downside (this year) is it necessitates getting 200 or so plate apps in CF.  Garcia is a perfect fit for Busch stadium as well, his only problem being slugging vs R, and thats hard to come by in our park.

===A risk===
I am considering offering the 1st and Corey Koskie to the Mariners for Morgan Ensberg and Carlos Guillen.  This would make the 3B situation much more manageable and allow a SS to be traded.  In the worst case Guillen can be offered to Baltimore for his 1, since he plays 1B.

===Pick 14===
I offered Buck and the 1st to Florida for pick 14 and 46.  He basically trades down 5 spots and gives a 3rd for what would be the 7th best C in this draft.  I think its doable, and we have negotiating room, I would take pick 58 instead of 46.

He said he needs a couple of days to think.  I told him if I dont hear back in a week that I will assume the deal is dead.  I love this deal, its great for the draft.

===Mike Cameron===
I have offered Winn and Crisp for Cameron and a 5th rounder.  Cameron is an older player, but will look great full time in CF and is very well rounded, and that 5th will help with relief pitching at the very least.

===Rafael Furcal===
Since Rob is trading everyone else, I enquired about Furcal.  He basically wants a ton, but with enough negotiating it could be manageable.  He wants a P, the 1st and Crisp.  Depending on if I can trade Cabrera for a P and if I can get something in return from Rob that will help, this might be doable.

===Andruw Jones===
Houston is considering trading A Jones.  His asking price is steep (Crisp, Winn, Beckett #1 pick for Jones, Clevlen and 3 picks), but if it can be pared down it adds a real thumper to the lineup.  I cant see trading Beckett and not getting a P back, however.  Maybe if one or two of the picks are good it could be doable.

=Direction=
Unless someone offers a really enticing package of great young players, this is a season to go for it all.

==Plan==
The protected list sits at 15, and the needs are many, but manageable.  Right now the plan is pretty straight-forward:

<li>Use 1st rounder on a C (current order: Martin, Johjima, Paulino, Napoli, Alfonzo, or Ross--though this would be a trade down deal)
<li>In picks 5-10 get a 3B (Bell or better), a prospect, and 3 relievers
<li>Use remaining picks to fill needs as appropriate

Before the draft a couple of well placed trades could help a lot.  If a C can be acquired beforehand that would help immensely, then a best athlete available pick can be utilized.  I spoke on the phone to the Dodgers manager and he said he will be ready to make some deals in about a month.  He has the right kind of talent to turn everything around for us.