Trade Idea: Brandon Belt to the Red Sox

I know that many people aren't very high on trading young talent for young talent, but I think that this trade should be an exception.

The Red Sox have recently gone to high spending ways and have not developed many players well. They need to go a little younger instead of keeping up with the astronomical spending Yankees. They have a void in right field and could use a nice young player to stick in everyday that has high upside and team control. Belt is only 23, so he will be able to play passable right field defense for quite and while, and his bat would be an improvement over Darnell McDonald and Ryan Sweeney.

I know the Giants fans won't like this trade much, but I think that they could net some good prospects, and maybe even cash for the extensions of Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum(After his 2 year extension is up) that will come up. Brandon Belt is blocked in all positions, and another prospect in Brett Pill, is ready to take the leap and be a full time first basemen. If they looked ahead, they will notice that they have a perfectly viable first basemen in Pill and if he recovers, Aubrey Huff. Buster Posey may also have to make a permanent move to first base to not risk long term injury and the derailment of his career. The Giants lack quality catching prospects behind him and the most skilled backup is Eli Whiteside.

Here is my trade proposal....

Brandon Belt to the Red Sox for Ryan Lavarnway, Brandon Jacobs, Stolmy Pimentel, and $6 Million.



I think that this is a fair trade from a neutral standpoint. Giants fans will not want to give up Belt, but they might be acquiring their next catcher if Posey moves to first base, and a good outfield prospect to go along with a starting prospect with high upside. They also get a little money in the deal, which could go for the future extensions of Cain and Lincecum. Red Sox executives might not want to part with the money because they are tight in budget, but they have a good catcher in Jarrod Saltalamacchia ahead of Lavarnway. I think an overall even trade for both teams, the Red Sox are getting a strong rated outfielder that can hit, and the Giants are getting some good prospects, cash, and they still have two first basemen that can produce.

Trade Idea: Wandy Rodriguez to Angels

The Angels have added most to their team this offseason, but they still have a question at the end of the rotation, Jerome Williams. They are ready to make a big push and contend for the next decade, with a rotation that rivals that of the Phillies. They could consolidate their rotation to having the number five spot filled with a good lefty, Rodriguez.

The Astros are coming off a season in which they won less than 60 games! They really need to restock their impoverished farm system, and they have no need for a number 3 lefty starter when they have no chance of contending. They should restock while they still have value in Rodriguez.

I think Rodriguez would be a good addition to solidify the last spot of the rotation. The Angels have the ability to pick up most if not all of Rodriguez's contract, so they might not have to give up as many good prospects than if they Astros picked up a good chunk. His 2014 option goes from being a team option to a player option if he is traded, so the Angels would have to hope that he remains productive to be able to actually use $13 million of their money.

Here is my trade proposal....

Wandy Rodriguez and $7 Million to the Angels for Daniel Tillman, Alexi Amarista, Donn Roach

I think this is a fair trade, and for 3 of the top 20 prospects in the Angels system, this might be even, because none of them have an eta of beyond 2014, so they will be producing for the Astros soon. Rodriguez is getting towards the latter years of his career, and he might want to play for a contender that has a legitimate chance for the next 7 seasons to go to and win the World Series. 

Ryan Braun wins Drug Test Appeal

Ryan Braun has won his appeal to to league for his failed drug test, which posted record numbers for the amount of testosterone he had when he took the test. This will allow him to play the entire season through, and will not miss any games. This has given the Brewers more power for the season and they will be in contention all year, not missing their best bat. I think this is a great win for Braun, and it shows the instability of some of the tests that the league does. I personally think that this was a faulty test, and he was just a victim of an executive with the MLB not keeping his mouth shut about something that was not set in stone. Good for Braun, although I don't think a haze will ever be lifted from his career involving this incident. Good luck on the season Ryan!

Roy Oswalt makes Season Decision

Roy Oswalt has decided to remain unsigned until midseason next year and hope to sign for a contender. He has been increasingly difficult and trying to sign with a team throughout this offseason, turning down a multi-year offer from the Pirates and not listening to some teams offers. He has chosen the way he wants to go, and miss some paydays until midseason when he can hopefully find a roster spot with a contending team.

He had very good splits when coming back from injury in late August and September, and could have probably found a contract with nearly any team if he didn't keep his asking price so high. He is missing out on a potential payday, but I don't think he cares as much for the money as he cares that he might get the chance to go to the World Series. I don't think this is a good decision, but it's what he wants to do, and maybe he might be able to land a contract with contending team as a starter midseason and carry the weight, from what I am guessing will be from an injured pitcher. I don't think it will be good unless he is pitching in an independent league, because he might have to undergo a small stint in the minor leagues before he is ready to face major league batters again. I predict that he may be with the Red Sox by the trade deadline due to the recent need for pitching from Boston.

Trade Idea: 3 Team Blockbuster

Building on my idea of the AJ Pierzynski trade yesterday, I was thinking of a trade that might be good for the deadline this year IF the White Sox are out of contention, the Pirates are fighting for the title, and the Red Sox are tight in on the race. Some of the players I mention are mostly involved if they rebound well enough this year to add some value.

The Red Sox always need pitching at the deadline, and the Pirates might need to fill a few holes to make a push. The White Sox will be needing to add some depth to their farm system and maybe just shed some salary if they are not drawing enough to pay their players. The Pirates would mostly be going for depth while the Red Sox are looking for pieces to make the push.

Here is my proposal...

Red Sox get Gavin Floyd, Adam Dunn(If he rebounds), cash($6 Million), Clint Barmes, Casey McGhee

Pirates get  AJ Pierzynski, Alfredo Aceves, Jesse Crain, Kevin Youkilis, cash($3 Million)

White Sox get Jose Iglesias(Red Sox), Pedro Alvarez(Pirates), Daniel McCutchen, Sean Coyle(Red Sox), Tony Sanchez(Pirates), Bryan Morris(Pirates)

I think that this is a fair trade considering that this would occur at the deadline and the Pirates might be at the first opportunity to go for a division title in a long time, and the Red Sox will want to ensure that they get a playoff spot after the horrible collapse last year. The White Sox get some goods prospects, although most of them are the age to go to the major league roster instead of spending more time in the minors. The White Sox get unburdened from some big salaries, and have some good young players to take roster spots.

Athletics sign Manny Rameriz

The Oakland Athletics have signed Manny Rameriz to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, with a pro-rated $500k if he makes the roster.

I don't think this is a risky signing at all, considering that he is just trying to make a comeback to baseball. He is a very talented player, although he can be a drama show also. I don't think this is a really good singing for the Athletics because they have a number of young guys that are vying for outfield spots, and bringing in 39 year old Manny won't help their development.

Unless Manny returns to being old MVP-Caliber Manny after he serves his suspension, this singing will not do anything but stunt the growth for Athletics young players. This is mostly a publicity stunt for the Athletics.

Trade Idea: AJ Pierzynski to the Pirates

The Pirates had a breakthrough season last year, actually leading the division for a couple days midsummer. This was a huge improvement over 16 straight losing seasons, and way better than their 57 win season the year before. They crash and burned for the remaining games after taking the division lead. This offseason they have improved their team, adding A.J. Burnett yesterday and by adding mediocre free agents. The one place that they lost the most talent though, is catcher. They didn't exercise the option on Ryan Doumit, and didn't resign Chris Snyder. The free agent market didn't have many good catchers, but they didn't exactly pick up a game changing catcher in Rod Barajas. I think that they shouldn't be content with a 35 year old journeyman catcher behind the plate.

The White Sox had a pretty bad season this year. They were consistently out of first place by a few games, and the fans had to suffer through Alex Rios and Adam Dunn's horrible season. It will be almost impossible for Dunn to repeat his performance, and no one knows how good Rios is going to be. This offseason, the Sox had not added many players, the big pickup being Kosuke Fukudome. The Sox have been unloading some talent for salary relief rather than prospects, which does not make much sense considering the state of the team and its farm system. The Sox are not going to the playoffs this year and maybe for the next couple of years also. One of the players that is in his contract year, and probably not going to get resigned in the upcoming offseason, is AJ Pierzynski.

Pierzynski would be a good fit for the Pirates because he is a solid left handed bat and very rarely is unhealthy enough to take the field. He hasn't batted below .270 the last 4 years and has consistently been cutting down on his strikeout totals. He would be a good fit on the team that needs a good left handed bat and a good catcher. I don't think that with what the Sox have been doing in trades, that the Pirates would have to give up much, but I think if the Sox had the potential to get a decent prospect, they might eat a large portion of the $6 Million owed to him.

Here is my trade proposal....

AJ Pierzynski and cash($4 M) to the Pirates for Tony Sanchez and Kyle McPherson

Might be a little much, but if the Pirates are able to get a division title and Pierzynski bats .300 again, it might seem like an OK deal. Sanchez and McPherson are both 23, so this might be a move for a the Sox if they are able to compete in 4 years, which should not be out of the realm of possibility with their payroll.

Trade Reaction: AJ Burnett to the Pirates

Hey everyone that is reading, sorry I haven't been posting in such a long time, I suffered a bad concussion in wrestling and haven't been able to look at a computer for a long time. I hope to get back to writing more and spreading my ideas!

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A.J. Burnett, cash to the Pirates for Diego Moreno and Exicardo Cayones

The Pittsburgh Pirates have set in place a deal with the New York Yankees to acquire AJ Burnett and cash for two lower ranked prospects(Diego Moreno and Exicardo Cayones). Moreno has been said to be able to reach 98 MPH on the radar gun but has many control problems and Cayones has had trouble developing as a hitter.

The Pirates have finally been able to acquire a big name, proven starter to incorporate into their rotation. I think that this is a good trade for the Pirates because they have not been able to draw any good pitching free agents, but this move shows that they are willing to expand payroll to take a shot at the division title. They did not have to give up any superb prospects and are paying Burnett what would have been set to give to any free agent starter, so they have filled their needs. Many say that going back to the National League helps a pitcher's numbers and may put him back into his old pitching ways.

The Yankees have been trying to free up payroll to add some bench bats to their team. They did pickup two prospects, that if they get their act into order, good provide some good upside. The trade also benefits Burnett, because he has a chance to start in the rotation again instead of being relegated to mopping up for the Yankees. I think the Yankees just wanted to move on from Burnett and free up the little amount of money they could to fill in their bench.

Overall Verdict: Pirates Win

The Pirates do not have to pay much to keep Burnett in the rotation and gave up two prospects that haven't been working out for them. They are still able to keep their budget going, because they money they had saved for a free agent starter that didn't sign with them. I don't think there is much room for the Pirates to screw up on this deal unless one of the prospects they traded away turn into a great player. Had free agent starters decided to not avoid Pittsburgh like its a plague, Burnett would not be on his way out of New York.