| By Jason A. Churchill |  | By 05-30-2011 |
Last Monday we talked about some potential trade targets the M's could look into. We mentioned, anong others, Minnesota Twins infielder/outfielder Michael Cuddyer, who has a pretty good track record against left-handed pitching and might have just enough capability at third base and in left field to avoid being a defensive liability.
Lets talk about a few more possibilities, and since Carlos Beltran is a longshot, we'll focus on the non-superstar types which cost far less in trade.
Shelley Duncan -- Cleveland
Duncan is a fringe defender but is not terrible, and hits left-handed pitching. The Indians have a slew of platoon-type bats and may be able to spare one for an arm, even if they remain in contention.
Austin Kearns -- Cleveland
Kearns had a decent year in 2010 despite not hitting for much power. He's merely adequate with the glove but would still represent an upgrade.
Ryan Spilborghs -- Colorado
Spilborghs might be the most available right now. He hits left-handers well and with some pop. He's not an asset in the field, but if he's merely a platoon bat he can't hurt too much.
Others:Ben Francisco, Philadelphia; Conor Jackson, Oakland.
If the M's are to stay in this they'll need more from left field and third base and they aren't likely to get it from Chone Figgins. Figgins may have to become a utility player and open the hot corner for upgrades. Cuddyer and Jeff Baker could be options.
But the club will need more relief help and can't count on David Aardsma -- he's out until July at least and who knows what he'll be when he gets back.
There are always relievers out there, but the price is always prohibitive and it's difficult to imagine Seattle paying those premiums.
more-trade-target-thoughts
Comments
The following 19 comment(s) for this article are shown below:
| 1. By: Seth Sommerfeld on 05-30-2011 02:07:44 You may have discussed this earlier (if so I apologize), but what kind of package do you think it would take to land Cuddyer? Would a package like Liddi + Beavan be enough? (I honestly don't get how prospects are valued in non-big time deals, so that might be crazy talk.) |
| 2. By: Jason A. Churchill on 05-30-2011 03:00:51 Cuddyer is making $10.5 million this year -- if the M's offered Beavan, Liddi and required little or no cash, that might get it done. But the thing is, it's about demand. If three other clubs wants Cuddyer and are willing to take on the salary, the price could go up. |
| 3. By: 11records on 05-30-2011 06:26:49 I think based strictly on historical precedent I would be terrified to trade any prospects to the Indians for a platoon bat! BTW - with Halman back in the Tacoma lineup, any chance he soon replaces one of the Pegeuro/Wilson/Saunders trio? My assumption is that Halman could at least back up CF which Peguero and Wilson can't do... So it seems like if Saunders is going to go down, Halman almost has to come up. Is Carp in that mix or is his LF defense so terrible (like, significantly worse than Wilson and Pegeuro terrible) that it precludes putting him out there? |
| 4. By: jgstecker on 05-30-2011 07:10:01 It seems like this may be the right time revisit a Luke Scott trade. He's probably close to average in LF and should be able to produce. He's getting expensive over the next year and a half, so the Orioles should be willing to move him. He's not so expensive that the Mariners couldn't afford him next year at DH either if he works out offensively. I'd be okay with talking about trading one of the AA right-handed bats for him. |
| 5. By: AntsInIn on 05-30-2011 10:16:20 He would be a bit out of position at LF, but what about Kosuke Fukudome? He's not hitting for a lot of power (.315/.435/.378), but he gets on base a lot and could hit in the 2 hole behind Ichiro. Fukudome is making $14.5 million this year and then is a free agent, so if the M's take on his salary he shouldn't be too bad to get, prospect-wise |
| 6. By: baseballfan on 05-30-2011 11:44:41 How about a package deal - the Blue Jays have a plethora of relievers having solid years and Corey Patterson offers good defence/range and speed in LF and the Jays will likely want to give Snider/Thames some playtime in LF as they are still building. |
| 7. By: ndcohn on 05-30-2011 13:07:23 Maybe Brandon Guyer? blocked and killing AAA for TB |
| 8. By: StandinPat on 05-30-2011 14:10:27 I like revisiting the Luke Scott idea. He's off to a cold start, as he was last year when his name came up, then he went on the DL, then he went ape shit. Might be a chance to buy low on him. Wily Mo Pena is killing it again in AAA, might be a cheap option for a RH platoon bat. Also, I'm curious if Detroit would consider a Figgins/Inge swap. I think Inge is toast, but he's due less money for a shorter period of time. I think it'd be easier to play Kennedy/Rodriguez for long stretches of time over Inge than Figgins as well. |
| 9. By: baseballfan on 05-30-2011 14:50:27 Inge & Figgins both look like toast, so why would detroit do a trade just to take a bigger contract especially when Inge is the better defender |
| 10. By: StandinPat on 05-30-2011 15:29:08 "Inge & Figgins both look like toast" Agree, but for whatever reason there still seems to be some folks that believe Figgins could get somewhat back on track. "especially when Inge is the better defender" UZR would disagree strongly with that sentiment |
| 11. By: Boy9988 on 05-30-2011 16:18:34 "Maybe Brandon Guyer? blocked and killing AAA for TB" I like Guyer, looking at the stats anyway. I would love to know what JAC has to say about him. |
| 12. By: johnburkland on 05-30-2011 16:36:36 J- How bad is Carp in LF? I know he's not great, but we're getting less than zero production out there now, he'd have to be an improvement on Saunders and Peguero at this point, wouldn't he? |
| 13. By: baseballfan on 05-30-2011 16:59:23 Tampa loves cheap,talented players - so i think acquiring Guyer would be costly |
| 14. By: Jon O on 05-30-2011 19:46:29 JAC- Any chance the M's could take a look at Aramis Ramirez and shift Figgins to a utility role? I believe Ramirez is a FA after this year and we could potentially get a draft pick for him. |
| 15. By: malcontent1 on 05-30-2011 20:53:06 What about Nate McClouth (big contract, bad centerfielder)? Could he be had for Saunders+? Would he be a solid upgrade in left? |
| 16. By: shadow_watch on 05-30-2011 22:08:08 How about a straight up trade of Jack Wilson for Aaron Rowand. The Giants are in desperate need for an upgrade at SS. Tejada can longer cover the ground and his bat is not what it once was. Aaron Rowand is the forgotten man in SF outfield. While he may not be what he once was, he may be rejuvenated to play everyday. |
| 17. By: Jerry on 05-31-2011 08:50:38 I second the Wily Mo Pena idea. Was just looking at his stats. He looks like he could be Nelson Cruz v2.0. If the M's could pick up Pena for a middling prospect or something, it would make a huge difference. I'd also consider reducing Figgins' playing time, which will be easier to do when Ackley comes up and Kennedy can fill in at 3B. How about this lineup: Ichiro RF Ryan SS Smoak 1B Cust DH Pena LF Gutierrez CF Kennedy/Figgins 3B Olivo C Ackley 2B Eventually, I think Ackley will end up the #2 hitter, as he's the prototype for that spot in the lineup. But Ryan is hitting well right now. I love the idea of Pena. He adds power to the lineup. That's a lot better lineup than what we are fielding right now. And I'm not sure the defense would suffer that much either. And most importantly, the M's would be making improvements without deals that would cost them in the long term. Pena could end up being a long term solution. And Ackley is part of the future. |
| 18. By: burn31226 on 06-01-2011 12:53:18 What about the mariners picking up Jake Fox he was DFA today by the orioles. He might be able to help in a platoon in left field and third base. |
| 19. By: baseballismylyf4 on 06-03-2011 22:44:27 Probably not much chance of acquiring him, but a name I've followed quite randomly over the last couple years: Seth Smith on the Rockies. |
Haven't created a Prospect Insider account yet? Sign up!
|
|
 |
|
|
| Copyright 2010 Prospect Insider | Created by AQ Central Prospect Insider is optimized for Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome |