ZoomSlowik

You're going to need more than that to get Randy. Look at the prospects we had to give up to get Freddy, and the guys that KC got for Beltran. They are going to want at least two major league ready studs, which we don't have, maybe more since he is signed for two more years and they don't really want to trade him. I would imagine they would demand something like Borchard(Reed would have been more helpful), Rauch, Munoz, and Anderson. I highly doubt this would happen. If they were to deal Randy, the most likely destination would be San Diego, because they have some good prospects and might spend the money. All of the other teams either have money but no prospects(Yankees, Red Sox), prospects but probably not the funds(Dodgers, Twins), or have no need(Cubs).

I hear this stuff about so many prospects, it makes me sick. Maybe we should have traded them Scott Ruffcorn! Until we actually see Reed hit major league pitching, I am going to remain skeptical. Borchard is more of the corner outfielder prototype, and Williams and a few others obviously have more faith in him Besides, we don't need another corner infielder, we got a ton. If he is an average centerfielder now, that would mean that it would take a while for him to become a good one. By then, we could probably just promote Anderson or Young. I'm much more optomistic about these guys because they are more likely to become a stud defensive centerfielder in the Torri Hunter/Carlos Beltran mold, and so far it looks like Anderson might have a chance to be the next Beltran at the plate too(god that would be sweet).

It wouldn't matter, it's not like Ozzie would play either of them anyways. He's enthralled with Aaron and Timo, and would apparently rather play Gload, a 1B, in RF and carry a 3rd catcher rather than call either of them up. The fact that Gload is playing right gives me the impression that they are not wowed by either of their performances. Besides, if they kept them both, I would think he would eventually call up Borchard, since he seems to like a 27 year old career minor leaguer. However, it seems that both players can at least catch and throw, so that rules them out in right. By the way, Brando, where are you getting that report? Because if it is just your random thought it doesn't really carry any weight, and I can just say you're an idiot(not saying you are, just hypothetically speaking). Obviously several people that are paid to evaluate talent thought there was something there, since he is a first round pick and signed a record bonus. The Sox weren't the only ones that thought he could play, as many people rated him as a top prospect for some time.

I agree with you Steel. I read a lot of scouting reports on him and watched parts of his scouting videos. Gonzalez looks like a stud. I know it's early, but he was getting low 90's on every fastball and has a nasty curve. Now that Honel got hurt, he is my new favorite prospect.

I'm done arguing about players few(if any) of us have seen play extensively. Neither of them have done s*** in the majors, and I'm not convinced that either of them will. If Borchard's AAA numbers are so horid, what does that say about Reed? Their BA is about the same, Reed has a few more runs, Borchard has several more HR and RBI, Reed has more walks and fewer K's. For all the talk about how much OBP makes a difference, none of the teams using it have won much. OBP is what made Beane so giddy to get Erubiel Durazo, and what made him want to take Ariel Prieto over Eric Chavez. Reed may end up being a better player, but I seriously doubt he is going to make us regret getting Freddy. In the end I would rather keep Anderson, Sweeney, and Young over both of them.

Yeah, Reed's off to a BLAZING start in Tacoma. Too bad he hasn't even played game #5 in their jersey yet.

I think SouthSideIrish hit the nail on the head. I have absolutely no problem giving him up for Freddy. Since it seems that Kenny really wants to resign him, I think the deal was a no brainer. When you consider Reed is going to hit in Safeco instead of US Cellular, that's going to seriously hurt what little power potential he had. As for Borchard's comparison in the majors, my best guess is Joe Crede at the plate, with a little more pop.

I brought up ST because that is the only time he has really faced pitchers that are either in or will be in the majors in the near future. Just because he hit well in AA doesn't mean he is going to do so hot against top level guys. The fact that he is hitting about as well as Borchard, who is not a contact hitter, does not impress me. I don't see him as much more than a .280 hitter with 70 walks. I think he's got about a 40% chance of becoming a good hitter that we will miss, and very little chance of becoming a superstar because he lacks pop, blazing speed, and from all acounts is not a stellar defenders. That's my opinion. As the old saying goes,"Opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one and they all stink." As for Borchard, I think there is a better chance that he would be able to do something on the Major League team next year. If he were given the starting job full time in right, I believe he would hit about .240-.260 with 20 homers with decent defense and a good throwing arm. With Reed, I would expect about the same average(altough less likely to reach the low end of that range) and similar defense with less pop, and a few base runners moving up(Hell, Borchard was a college QB). As I said before, I don't think either player will make a major impact in the pros.

I see an awful lot of similarities between Reed and Rowand. Both were not top picks. Both stole bases in the minors without stellar speed, and Rowand has not run much in the majors. Neither are loaded with power, and both are decent contact hitters. Both are being forced into the centerfield position even though they are better suited for corner outfield spots. The only major difference I see is that Reed is a lefty, although I'll admit I don't have Rowand's minor league stats in front of me to compare their walk rates. By the way, saying Reed has better discipline than Borchard isn't saying a whole lot. I can stand there and take 4 pitches, that doesn't mean I am going to hit better than anyone. As for Reed being a much better hitter, if memory serves me right, Borchard was hitting .300 in AA, and we see how he can't hit for average. As of yet, Reed hasn't shown he can hit top level pitchers either. As an avid baseball fan, my guess is that Reed will basically end up as Randy Winn. If he ends up winning a batting title in 3 years, I give you permission to find me and say I told you so.

I was referring to Anderson looking like a hell of a player. Borchard is similar to Reed in a lot of ways, except Borchard has more power and Reed will hit for a better average. I personally don't see either one making a major impact at the MLB level. Reed looks like he will be a decent but not great everyday player on a decent or weaker team, and a 4th outfielder on a really good one, so I'm not all broken up about trading him. You can find guys that will hit .260-280 and not do much else in a lot places.

What I was saying is that Reed is not some high-school phenom that is so much more advanced than Borchard. Yes, 2 years does matter, but if he bounces between the minors and the majors for a year or two and can't figure out how to hit major leaguers, he is in the same place as Borchard, only without the power. For all this talk about Reed walking a ton, he has one more walk than Anderson, plus more guys are going to consistently throw strikes in the majors. So far, both have done nothing, and I am more inclinded to believe Reed's ST and AAA performance than what he did in Birmingham.

Reed did have a great year last year, but it is still only one season of performance. His value is at an all-time high. Before last year's performance he wasn't really on the radar as a top level prospect. I'm always leery about guys that aren't particularly "toolsy" that do well at the minor league level. The fact that he isn't a blazing runner is probably going to make his stolen bases drop because of better catchers throwing, and will probably rob him of some hits and extra bases. It's been said that he is ideally not a centerfielder, and he doesn't have a ton of power. As a corner outfielder, he doesn't seem to have as much appeal. To me, he appears to be a left handed Aaron Rowand. And Anderson is not that much like Borchard. Anderson is clearly a centerfielder, which seperates him from Reed and Borchard. He can run and has a solid arm. He also doesn't have the same power potential as Borchard. He was hitting .300 basically the whole time at A ball with some decent power and stolen bases, and is off to a solid start in AA. He didn't strike out a huge amount of times either. It does seem like he needs to work on walks though. He's a much more physically gifted player, which is why he was a first round pick. In 2-3 years, he looks like he is going to be one hell of a player. I don't really see the same potential in Reed or Borchard.

If I were to get rid of either Borchard or Reed, I would get rid of Reed. I've been reading some scouting reports, and he sounds like an overhyped player to me. Most of them say he doesn't have great range or a strong arm, or blazing speed despite his stolen base numbers. The rankings have basically been based on one season. No matter how well he hit, you can't judge based on just one season. You also can't assume he will hit over .300 because he did it in AA. He's around .270 at AAA and hit about .240 in spring training. That doesn't sound like someone I have to have start in RF if Maggs goes. The player most brought up as a comparison is Mark Kotsay, and I'm not exactly clamoring for the Sox to get him. Borchard still has a couple of years to figure it out before he can be labeled a total bust. Besides, it's not like Reed is much younger.

Nomar may be the most overrated player in the league. Yes, he is better than Jose, but he is way overpaid, is seeking a deal way over what he is worth, is injury prone, and is a WEAK defender. Jose and Nomar is basically a draw defensively. That's not what I want to hear if we are going to try to upgrade. Nomar is a better hitter for average, but power is about a draw. It wouldn't make any sense. Plus, why would Boston deal him when they are trying to make the playoffs? The chemistry and attitude argument doesn't hold weight. You don't unload quality players. Bonds and Kent hardly talked to each other, and that worked for a World Series run. If anything they would try to add players instead of trading one of their best hitters.

Back to the original topic, which was Loaiza(I'm sick of this Cubs s***. Talented team, but haven't put everything together, and it may never happen). I gotta say that if he is seeking #1 or #2 starter money we send him on his way. If he asks for anything more than about $5 mil we gotta let him go. We need all the money we can get to sign Garcia and Maggs. Plus, we could get some quality pitchers that are younger in free agency if one or the other goes.

I agree that Sammy is an egomaniac and that he wouldn't move to left if Roberto Clemente rose from the dead and wanted to play right. I also believe that even if Maggs doesn't sign this deal, there is a chance he will be back. I doubt that there will be that many monster 5 year deals out there for Maggs. He's a 30 year old RF that recently had knee surgery. I know it is pretty minor, but so was Vlad's back injury last year. They were suggesting that he would get A-Rod money before that. Teams are always leary about knee and back injuries, and arm injuries for pitchers. I really don't think Maggs will get a 5 year $70 mil offer, especially since he is older than the most recent players to get huge deals. There aren't that many teams out there with that kind of money to throw around, and they have other issues. The Yankees will spend, but they just signed Shef and are going to go hard after a starter. The Red Sox are possible, but they have their own free agents to worry about. The Dodgers and Mets have the payroll, but they also have some albatross contracts and might not want to pay the luxary tax. As for the Cubs, I highly doubt the Tribune would allow such a move. They are notorious for caring more about business than the team, and they spent a lot of money last year. They also have their own guys to worry about. They need to try to sign Clement, and they are trying to give Ramirez an extension. In the next few years they are going to have to cough up monster money for Prior and Zambrano, and will need to make a call on Lee and Sammy, who they likely will be forced to pay because of his popularity. Eventually the Trib is going to have to decide if they want to be the Yankees or if they want to maximize profits. Expect the latter.

Don't count on them adding much. My bet is they blew their load last year getting Ramirez and Lofton, plus they added a bunch in the offseason. We are still talking about the Tribune Company. They are notorious for worrying more about the business end than the product on the field. I would not be surprised if they let Alou and Clement go at the end of the year in anticipation of ponying up major money for Prior and Zambrano. Besides, why the hell would the Red Sox trade Nomar when they are trying to make a playoff push? Cabrera or someone like Guardado maybe(would have to commit a lot of future money to Guardado). Teams like the Red Sox and Braves aren't going to cough up players when they are in the race.

The other thing is I don't think we have the ammo to get Johnson. It would take either a monster prospect package or some young cheap position players, which we don't have. Maggs is about the only really valuable player we could deal, and DBacks don't need a rent a player. Even if we put together Borchard and two guys from that list of pitchers we would probably be well short. Trading Lee is a possibility, but that wouldn't make much sense with Maggs a free agent. Look at the package that the Expos gave up for Colon a few years ago, that's probably what they would want. The got 3 top level prospects at the time in Brandon Phillips, Cliff Lee, and Grady Sizemore. We can't even get close to that.

The Sox are not a guarantee to make a quick exit in the playoffs. First off, there are NO quality staffs from top to bottom in the AL. Boston sucks outside of Schilling and Pedro, Yankees have Vasquez, two old fragile guys in Mussina and Brown, and a bunch of junk. Yes, Oakland does have Mulder and Hudson, but their other guys are mediocre, and have a weak lineup and a questionable pen. With Maggs and Frank in the lineup, I think we have enough pitching to make it in the AL. I would be a little worried in the NL parks if we run into someone like the Cubs, Marlins, or Astros in the series however.

Shingo is going to be fine. Did you see how bad he made Sammy look? That massive difference in speed is going to save him. He has to throw strikes though, otherwise they can wait for that fastball. Still not that easy to hit, that sucker has a ton of movement.

I really believe that this won't be a problem in the long run. My personal belief is we will own this division once we get Maggs back. It will just piss me off if we beat the crap out of the Twins in the head to head matchup just to see them gain about 5 games when we are playing tough NL teams without our DH. On the plus side, during that nasty stretch for the Twins we see a lot of Detroit and KC. That should equate to us burying them by mid-September. To tell you the truth, I could see them finishing 3rd behind Cleveland with the way they finish off the year.

Looked at Beltran's stats recently? He may have played most of the year in the AL, but he is still the man in center. Besides, I have a general problem when a starter in the All-Star game is batting under .250

Yeah, but look at who the Twins start playing after that...

How did they end up with such a gift with the interleague scheduling? They play the Mets while we play the Marlins, and they play the Brewers and DBacks while we play the Cubs. That blows! Even if we kick their ass head to head(much like last series) they get an easy chance to make up games. If we (God forbid) lose the division by 4 games or less I'm going to have to write someone at the MLB office a nasty letter. :fyou Oh well, hopefully The Big Unit will help us out tomorrow. Plus I can take solace in the fact that the Twins second half schedule is brutal.

I'm not to worried about losing him. You can find some solid relievers for bargain prices. Even after his monster season last year, Latroy Hawkins is making less than $3 mil. Starters are much harder to come by and it is much more expensive to acquire them.