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Everyone thinks they’re a GM, so with the offseason approaching for 22 of the 30 teams, here’s a contest to find out how good you really are. I have three people inside the game ready to judge—an assistant general manager, a scouting director, and a baseball ops guy who have all worked on hundreds of trades. Enter your best ideas for an off-season deal in “Comments,” and the winner will receive a free month of BP Premium, plus the respect of your peers. You’ll be judged on whether or not your trade is realistic, the “win-win” nature of the deal, and its creativity. Each judge will rate the entries on a 1-10 scale, and if anyone hits a 30, I’ll figure out a bonus prize. Powered by Amp Traction, on the the injuries:


Carlos Zambrano (0 DXL)

In the first inning, Zambrano looked about as I expected: better than his last outing, worse than his no-hitter stuff. I was watching his arm slot, and while normally this isn’t that important to me where most pitchers are concerned, for Zambrano it’s the external sign of how his shoulder is feeling. When the cuff is inflamed, he drops down and has to sling the ball to get a few extra mph on it. Pitching to Jose Reyes, he was in the lowest of the good slots, but he consciously dropped down slightly to get the ball past Daniel Murphy. By the time he faced David Wright in the fifth, he was forced to again drop down just to get above 90. Sadly, this is what is expected in this scenario, and it puts Zambrano’s effectiveness for the playoffs into question. While he will be available, the Cubs have hinted that he’ll not be making the first start in the NLDS that he expects to. What the Cubs can expect from him next week isn’t much better than what they got from him on Wednesday.


J.D. Drew (0 DXL)

Drew returned to the lineup for the Red Sox in Wednesday’s win, but he only played into the third inning. Drew was pulled as a precaution but, when asked after the game, he said that he felt that things went well. He was tested in the field and on the basepaths, and other than some fatigue, he had no problems, and no issues with his back. He’ll be used judiciously for the rest of the week, and it’s not clear whether he’ll be asked to play a full game before the playoffs. The Red Sox are most concerned with his ability to recover and keep the back from tightening up, so he’ll be spending a lot of time with the Sox medical staff. Given all of their problems this season and their relative lack of impact on the team’s fortunes, I’m not sure if the medical staff or the front office is the team MVP this season.


Carl Crawford (50 DXL)

Troy Percival (5 DXL)

Crawford won’t be able to make it back in time to play during the season, but he is likely to get some batting practice in. While he’s unlikely to hit enough to convince the Rays to put him on the post-season roster, there has been some discussion about the value of his legs and defense. The Rays have a number of options, and they’ll use the remaining games to evaluate some of them; they may wind up with a very interesting playoff roster. With good outfield depth and multi-position players like Ben Zobrist and Eric Hinske, the Rays could put together one of the most flexible post-season rosters since the ’02 Angels. One interesting idea that was thrown around by a front-office type is that Percival is going to need to show that he can go on back-to-back days or the Rays may be inclined to leave him off of the roster, instead going with a shorter bullpen and a power arm like David Price who can go more innings. Percival is expected back on Thursday, but may actually get a “start” in order to make sure he can go on consecutive days. The Rays are still playing for the division and for home-field advantage, but if both of those are off the table this weekend, look for Joe Maddon to get creative.


Rafael Furcal (120 DXL)

The Dodgers activated Furcal from the DL after back surgery and a series of setbacks. With just a few games remaining, Furcal is going to have to show Joe Torre that he’s their best option at shortstop. Given his competition, that shouldn’t take too much, but he was feeling radiating pain in his legs as recently as a week ago, so Furcal’s inclusion on the playoff roster involves some risk. He’s unlikely to play any full nine-inning games at shortstop just to protect him. No one seems quite sure what Torre will be looking for, aside from some sign that he can play a decent short and hit more than Angel Berroa. If Furcal is ready, the Dodgers will likely drop Berroa and use Chin-Lung Hu, the better defender, as their middle infield backup, though Nomar Garciaparra is also an option if they elect to be really risky and focus on offensive value.


Ben Sheets (5 DXL)
Yovani Gallardo (0 DXL)

CC Sabathia (0 DXL)

Sheets won’t start today due to continued pain in his arm, so instead it will be Gallardo. It’s a bit of a surprise, but I tipped people to this on XM’s Fantasy Focus earlier this week. The thing is, Gallardo won’t be making a normal start; yes, he’ll start the game, but he’s essentially acting as a long reliever at the beginning of a “bullpen game.” He’ll be on a hard pitch limit, and is unlikely to throw more than 50 pitches. Sheets remains a possibility for a start or in relief, but only as part of the Brewers‘ kitchen-sink approach to pitching over the last week. Sunday will be Sabathia, again on short rest, after he won his Wednesday start (throwing 108 pitches). The Brewers are certainly getting their money’s worth out of Sabathia during his stint in Milwaukee, but the move will leave them without the big man available to start in any of the possible tie-breaker scenarios.


John Maine (30 DXL)

Maine declared himself ready to go after having only “normal soreness” after his simulated game. The Mets aren’t quite so quick to decide, though indications are that Maine will be activated today. Once again, Jerry Manuel appears to be the one who’s not excited by the idea of adding Maine to the bullpen, just as he’s resisted the idea of using Pedro Martinez as his closer. In a game where managers stay safe by being unoriginal, Manuel’s insistence on going with what’s available seems foolhardy. While Maine isn’t going to make a huge difference and may not be a significantly better option, there’s no reason to not at least activate him to make him available. Comparing the non-use of Maine to the use of Luis Castillo certainly brings some questions to mind, and using six pitchers behind Oliver Perez begs that many more questions as well.


Maicer Izturis (75 DXL)

One of the tougher things to do is follow players who won’t be available in the first round of the playoffs. They often don’t stay with the team, electing either to stay at home or to go to the instructional leagues to keep up with some baseball activities. Izturis is just getting back into the swing of things, and at best will be available for the World Series if the Angels make it that far. His thumb injury has kept him out since July, and while a mid-October return is possible, it will depend on the Angels’ needs at that point.


Todd Jones (1 last DXL)

Jones has chosen to hang it up rather than have surgery on his shoulder. He announced it in his Sporting News column, and he did it with self-deprecating style. While you may have cursed his white-knuckle saves or his old-school ways, he still had quite the career. I wouldn’t want to be Todd Jones, but I sure would have liked to have been in his shoes. Good luck, Todd, in whatever you choose to do next. Sadly, there’s always going to be some creaky closer that will fill the space in UTK.

Quick Cuts: Thanks for all of the participation in UTK
Interactive
. It seemed to work out well, so I’m sure we’ll see that one again from time to time. … Mark DeRosa left Wednesday’s game with a strained calf after getting some big hits. No word on the severity, but I’ll be watching this closely. … Edinson Volquez is done for the season after being scratched from his latest start with a sore knee. … Andy Pettitte will miss his last start with a sore shoulder. … Chipper Jones will only pinch-hit for the rest of the season. … Aaron Cook has been shut down. … Todd Helton will have a microdiscectomy next week and is expected to be ready for spring training. … Willy Taveras is done for the season with a stress fracture in his shin. … Paul Maholm only lasted six in his last start of the year, coming up one inning shy of the Verducci Effect; his control problems reflect some of the attendant issues. … Adam LaRoche was back in the Bucs lineup, but still appears bothered by his hamstring. … Cliff Lee will be shut down unless their game against the White Sox is significant, but there’s no injury. … With the season ending soon and fantasy players on edge for position, I’ll be doing a normal UTK tomorrow rather than a Wrap. I get e-mails from time to time about how UTK has helped people win (or lose) their leagues. I’d love to hear from more of you via e-mail, especially the winners.

Thank you for reading

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Mountainhawk
9/25
ESPN seemed to think Maine was already activated in last night\'s game? Was that just ESPN being ESPN and not bothering with trivial things like facts, or did I misread you on him?
beitvash
9/25
Mountainhawk, I think you\'re right. I think he was even warming up in extra innings, just in case.
beitvash
9/25
Extra innings of the Mets-Cubs game on Wed is what I meant, just to clarify...
wcarroll
9/25
Looks that way. Mets.com didn\'t update the roster, which was what I checked.
Corkedbat
9/25
Baltimore trades Huff and a catcher of choice and MI of choice other than Weiters and ROberts to Colorado for Tulowitzki.
Corkedbat
9/25
Actually correct that: Huff and Cabrera (if he passes a physical) and Catcher of choice other than Wieters for Tulowitzki and the left overs of Livian Hernandez.
beitvash
9/25
Why would Colorado have any interest in this? All of their current options at 1st and 3rd are better than Huff (and yes, I\'m considering Helton, Stewart, and Atkins) and no one really believes Cabrera has something more to offer, do they?
wcarroll
9/25
That got a 3/3/2 = 8 from our panel.
Corkedbat
9/25
I say the Rangers seek to hire CC Sabathia and trade a catcher for George Sherrill if the O\'s decide to sell on Wieters to get Tulo.
Corkedbat
9/25
Rangers trade one OF (Byrd, Cruz, or Murphy) for a Braves SP (Campillo or Jurrjens).
wcarroll
9/25
2\'s across for = 6. None thought the Braves got better here.
cubfan131
9/25
I still don\'t think Theriot is a ML SS so I think the Cubs need to pursue one this offseason. How about Rich Hill, Jeff Samardzija, Jose Ceda, and Jason Marquis or Sean Marshall for JJ Hardy. I realize that the likelyhood of the Brewers helping the Cubs in any way is slim to none but I can dream can\'t I?
mpet29
9/25
Couldn\'t disagree more about the Dodgers taking Hu over Berroa. That\'s probably what I\'d do, but Berroa\'s actually been excellent over the last month (i KNOW!) and Torre won\'t even put in Hu at the end of games any more.
buffum
9/25
What\'s the prognosis for Brian Slocum, who managed to hide his sore elbow from the Tribe until he\'d been called up and guaranteed a month of major-league salary?
ElAngelo
9/25
When we say \"realistic\", is that supposed to take into account the predilections and relative intelligence of the respective GM\'s? For example, should any trade involving the Nationals automatically be lopsided towards the other team?
beeker99
9/25
The Angels offer Joe Saunders to the Phillies for Ryan Howard, and if that doesn\'t work, they offer Jered Weaver instead.
blanouette
9/25
SF trades Jonathon Sanchez and Randy Winn to Philadelphia for Jimmy Rollins
rawagman
9/25
Will - it\'s a fun game - but most trades are very economically motivated and I\'d need to know more about current contractual obligations to thknk either inside or outside of the box. Any suggestions of where to look for that type of thing?
ElAngelo
9/25
http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/
ufoboy90
9/25
www.mlbtraderumors.com has been doing a great job profiling this offseason for teams and spelling out their economic direction.
karlehrsam
9/25
Knicks trade Isaiah Thomas to the Mariners for a wad of used chewing gum. Isaiah will then use the first puck in the draft on a reserve infielder from the University of South Carolina and sign Horacio Ramirez to a five year, $55 million deal..
blaseta
9/25
Brewers trade Prince Fielder to the Blue Jays for Alex Rios and Joe Inglett (or Marco Scutaro). Brewers gain defense by moving Braun to first and adding Rios to the outfield as well as getting a utility infielder that can play a little or a lot without hurting you too much if Weeks continues to disappoint or has more injury issues; Jays get much needed power boost in middle of lineup while leaving room in the next year\'s outfield for both Lind and Snider.
uptick
9/25
SF trades Matt Cain to Rockies for Garrett Atkins
flalaw
9/25
Is Cain\'s arm about to fall off? That\'s the only way SF would make this deal.
treerat
9/25
Atkins doesn\'t hit outside Coors. He\'s getting older and more expensive. I don\'t think the Giants want anybody who is not peaking 2-5 years from now.
wcarroll
9/25
0/0/0. None thought this deal was possible or plausible.
TheRedsMan
9/25
Reds trade SP Homer Bailey, SP Matt Maloney, and 3B Juan Fransisco for C Taylor Teagarden and OF Nelson Cruz.

Rangers begin to address SP depth while adding a big ceiling bat who is a few years off. Reds find a catcher for 2010 and beyond and decent LF for 2009.

The hangup could be the Reds giving up on Bailey to acquire a guy who would supplant 2007\'s first round pick, Devin Moreseco. The Rangers may be hesitant to trade away Teagarden without get a major leaguer in return.
wcarroll
9/25
1/1/2 = 4

None liked this idea and thought the Rangers got \"nothing.\"
pmuehlenkamp
9/25
Trade idea: Reds get one year of Matt Holliday for SP Homer Bailey, OF Chris Dickerson and INF Chris Valaika.

The Rockies get:
-another young power arm
-a potential leadoff man who can cover a lot of ground and
-they finally get a legitimate 2B prospect.
treerat
9/25
Reds want prospects. Holliday is for a team that is one piece away---like the Dodgers getting Manny this year.
wcarroll
9/25
6/3/0 = 9

Broad range here. One didn\'t think Bailey had value, another though the change might help. The 6 thought it was a nice return on Holliday but that he likely wouldnt do this deal, just build around it.
rawagman
9/25
Simple and sweet - The Jays send Lyle Overbay to the Mariners for the last year of Jarrod Washburn\'s contract. Overbay is a solid player at first, if no stud and signed to a reasonable contract (2 more years, $14M total). Jays could replace him with some form of Lind/Snider/FA.
Washburn can provide innings at a reasonable cost for next year, holding Shaun Marcum\'s place for his return from TJ in \'10. With Burnett probably off the books, the extra three million in contractual cost can be covered by the Jays, and maybe they can get the M\'s to pitch in for part of that to help them make more room for Morrow next year.
wcarroll
9/25
5/4/5 = 14

None thought the Jays would make this deal on the increased salary unless the M\'s put some cash in.
bahays
9/25
Trade Idea: Rangers trade Taylor Teagarden to Marlins for Josh Johnson.
wcarroll
9/25
5/4/3 = 12

All three said the Rangers wouldn\'t be getting enough.
rawagman
9/25
Another Jays deal - send arb-eligible Jason Frasor to the Cubs for Rich Hill. Frasor is a local boy (grew up in Chitown) and wil give them an affordable replacement (and probably improvement) on Bobby Howry and Rich Hill needs a change of scenery. As previously stated - the Jays could really use another starting pitcher and Brad Arnsberg has a knack for fixing pitchers.
jblachman
9/25
Toronto trades Jesse Litsch to Colorado for Ian Stewart
treerat
9/25
What about Scott Rolen and Aaron Hill? Why does Toronto want a third (or possibly) second baseman?
wcarroll
9/25
2/2/3 = 7

No one thought COL would give up Stewart.
ElAngelo
9/25
Assuming these teams would be okay with trading in their own division, the Royals send Mark Teahen to the Indians for Jeremy Sowers, Aaron Laffey, and a B-/C+ prospect (David Huff?). Shores up the Indians 3B problem better than Marte will at no cost to their team for next year, while the Royals get three not-starts-not-awful pitchers for the system, much like the Pirates in the Nady/Marte deals.
treerat
9/25
Teahen is hanging by a thread-you might be able to get him off the waiver wire sooner than later. Maybe they could get Kouzmanoff back with this package.
PLHirsch
9/25
The Brewers send Prince Fielder and Brian Shouse to the Giants for Matt Cain, Travis Ishikawa, Jack Taschner and Brad Hennessey. The Giants get a middle of the order bat and the Brewers get some pitchers to fill their rotation after Sabathia and Sheets leave plus a replacement for Fielder.
wcarroll
9/25
This one\'s been mentioned in several places. Not sure what the extraneous parts add outside of Fielder for Cain. Everyone gave this a 6 = 18.
treerat
9/25
The Twins would love Chin-lung Hu. They need defense up the middle and are patient with struggling offense as long as they get a glove and fundamentals (they did sign Adam Everett).
The Dodgers need at least one starting pitcher. It seems that they would be much better off using free agent money on Rafael Furcal, instead of risking more Kevin Brown/Jason Schmidt fiascos.
I\'m not sure what Hu is worth at this point, but I\'d try Anthony Swarzak (excelled at TripleA) and Philip Humber if needed.
The Twins could afford a starter and offer Slowey for Hu and Dewitt or Blackburn for Hu and Josh Bell or Ivan DeJesus.
TraderBob
9/25
So much for being original with Homer Bailey to the Rangers, but I will try going smaller instead.

Bailey (SP) for G. Laird (C) and E. Andres (SS).

Reds get a catcher that can play today and a SS that\'d be playing for a job in the spring. Plus Andres is a speed guy that Dusty could lead off with.

Rangers clear the lowest rung on some of their positional log jams. Catcher is obivous but they are keeping all the intriguing picks (possibly to tradae one later). Texas is also stocked at SS with Young now and Lemon in the future. And they get a Native son pitcher who is clearly the winner of the 2008 \"needs a change of scenery\" award.
ElAngelo
9/25
Rich Hill would strongly disagree with you giving Bailey that award.
TraderBob
9/25
You\'re right - Hill may have him beat. And also it\'s Andrus not Andres. E on me.
Ophidian
9/25
Wow, this seems like you\'re severely undervaluing Andrus considering Jim Callus described him as \"[maybe] the best shortstop prospect in the minors\" just three days ago in an Ask BA.
TuftsBat
9/25
Indians deal Jhonny Peralta to Toronto for Alex Rios. Tribe installs Asdrubal Cabrera at short, while the Jays have an outfield of Lind, Snider, and Wells.
wcarroll
9/25
This one works, though two insiders said the Indians aren\'t likely to deal Perlata.
7/4/6 = 17
treerat
9/26
Doesn\'t this leave Cleveland awfully thin in the infield? They\'re already considering Peralta for third base and Cabrera for short.

This also leaves the Blue Jays trying to win the AL East with very inexperienced corner outfielders that haven\'t proven much. It seems the Jays are in excellent position right now.


treerat
9/26
With the way Choo is playing, maybe Cleveland doesn\'t need a corner outfielder so much. Would Choo or Rios play left?
Corkedbat
9/25
These comments are the best internet reading I\'ve seen in a long time.
jklein
9/25
Cubs trade Felix Pie/Rich Hill/Weurtz for Jeremy Hermida
cubfan131
9/25
Who would play CF for the Cubs? I don\'t think they have much of a need for another corner OF.
HankScorpio
9/25
How about: Royals send Zack Greinke to the Red Sox for Lowrie, Kalish and someone like Felix Doubront.
treerat
9/25
Sox have a lot of pitching and not much ss/3b

patrickclark
9/25
Three-way

Adrian Gonzalez, Alex Rios to Florida

Mike Jacobs, Kevin Kouzmanoff to Blue Jays

Cody Ross, Cameron Maybin, Chris Coglan, Sean West to San Diego

Ophidian
9/25
Eh? Where would Jacobs and Kouz play on the Jays?
wcarroll
9/25
Creative, but unrealistic. There\'s some slot problems and costs that FLO is unlikely to take on. 3/3/4 = 10
Corkedbat
9/25
Rangers send an OF (Byrd, Murphy, Cruz) or one of their catchers (except Laird) to Det for Bonderman.
treerat
9/25
Bonderman\'s value isn\'t exactly sky high right now and don\'t the Tigers need pitching?
treerat
9/25
The Yankees are unlike any other team in that they have pressure to Win every year. Therefore, they can\'t afford struggling young players. They should overpay if necessary (in terms of prospects) to get proven young players-the way the Diamondbacks got Dan Haren. They can afford to cover this inefficiency by overpaying (money) to land free agents.
Matt Kemp could be the next Bernie Williams. What difference does it make if it\'s Kemp and not Melky or Austin Jackson?

Send Cano and Jackson (try Gardner first) for Kemp, but only if you\'ve got Orlando Hudson or the like set up to replace Cano.

Send Hughes and Kennedy for Matt Cain.

No more than half of pitching prospects work out. Cain is working out already. He pitches just as well outside AT&T as in, and might throw a lot more strikes with some offensive support. I think both sides get plenty here, but a useful minor-league player could balance this.

If you can add Melky to that deal for Rowand (and his salary) then go for it if you can\'t get Kemp. The Giants are lousy with outfielders. I also say Randy Winn would be an excellent complement to Nady and an excellent fourth outfielder--plays all three outfield positions, switch hits, hits both lefties and righties, excellent on-base skills, and steals bases. So, if not Rowand, this is the kind of complementary player the Yankees have always had and need now.
Yatchisin
9/25
Mets finish gutting their farm system. Fernando Martinez, Mike Carp, and Wilmer Flores (add bonus arm if necessary) to San Diego for Adrian Gonzalez and Jake Peavey.

Sorry, Delgado.
wcarroll
9/25
0\'s across -- Peavy is untouchable.
blaseta
9/25
Keep it simple:

Matt Cain for Adrian Gonzalez
TuftsBat
9/25
This seems lopsided in favor of the Giants, no?

A-Gon away from PetCo this year: .308/.369/.573
Cain away from AT&T this year: 3.88 (and 4.17 in his career)
wcarroll
9/25
0/0/0

All say \"need more for Cain. He\'s the best trade-available pre-arb pitcher.\"
ElAngelo
9/25
One more, sorry if there\'s a limit on these (too much fun)--Yanks send Robinson Cano to the Twins for Michael Cuddyer and Boof Bonser.
wcarroll
9/25
0/0/0 -- no one thought either side would do this.
Ophidian
9/25
Cleveland sends Kelly Shoppach, Josh Barfield, Josh Tomlin to Florida for Jeremy Hermida and Brett Sinkbeil
wcarroll
9/25
4/6/5 = 15

It works, though Shoppach and Barfield are further along in pre-arb. Hermida is about to get expensive, but is the type of player CLE seems to like. Sinkbeil\'s the tough part here.
Ophidian
9/25
Ah, I had a hard time gauging how much Sinkbeil\'s value had fallen and what the 3rd piece would need to be to even up..
treerat
9/26
With Shoppach\'s value so high, the Marlin\'s need for a catcher, and all the players the Marlins are willing to part with, along with the variety of needs for the Indians.....it sure seems like something should happen here.
blaseta
9/25
I\'m gonna be an idiot and repost mine because I\'m really interested in what Will\'s guys say and he didn\'t reply to my original (maybe too long)


Brewers trade Prince Fielder to the Blue Jays for Alex Rios and Marco Scutaro
wcarroll
9/25
3/3/5 = Scutaro\'s extraneous here and the Brewers will be looking for pitching if they deal Prince. It\'s a decent offer.
Clonod
9/25
Matt Cain for Colby Rasmus and maybe a lesser prospect. The Cardinals have a system with a lot of outfield or hitting prospects and low upside pitchers. They could use a guy like Cain in the short and long term. Larussa would like the deal because it improves out immediate chances and their have been rumors of discord between Colby and the Cardinals. The Giants get a top ten prospect at a premium posisiton who is able to contribute immediately and cost controlled for a long time.
mswain784
9/25
If Adrian Gonzalez wasn\'t enough for Matt Cain, I don\'t see how Colby Rasmus could be.
Clonod
9/25
Except thsat Colby is cost controlled, so they would have him cheaply for years to come.
mswain784
9/25
Gonzalez is signed through 2010 at an unbelievably reasonable contract for an all-star player, who can rake and fields his position well. Colby Rasmus hasn\'t proved ANYTHING in the majors, and in fact has struggled this season in AAA. Meanwhile, there is a consensus that A-Gonz would hit 40+ HRs every year in a better hitters ballpark. Rasmus is a great prospect, but can\'t be considered more valuable that a current allstar with a good contract just because he costs a few million dollars less.
Clonod
9/25
2 years vs. 5 with Colby at a premium position. 2009 really shouldn\'t matter to the Giants since they are unlikely to contend. With the Giants much improved minor league system (Keith Law has it at number 5) they should be in a better position to contend for a championship in the future. Realisitically they probably don\'t even have much of a chance in 2010. So I would much rather have a CF for the next 5 years with Grady Sizemore upside if I\'m the Giants than a power hitting first basement for 2.
mswain784
9/25
You\'re assuming that Colby ends up being their CF. He might not pan out to be the stud he is projected to be. He hasn\'t proven a thing yet. It\'s likely that he establishes himself as a starter in the next few years, but better prospects have fallen further. There is a 100% chance Gonzalez is an all-star, because he was one this year. The chance Rasmus gets there is much lower. Gonzalez also has a club option for about 5.5 mil in 2011, which is still a steal for any team. Now I am not saying Gonzalez necessarily makes sense for the Giants, particularly because Sandoval will most likely slot at 1st with Posey behind the plate in the future, but he is certainly more valuable than a guy who hasn\'t even proven the ability to hit AAA pitching. Cain, meanwhile, is a young stud pitcher, with almost exactly the same contract as Gonzalez, and it doesn\'t really make sense for them to deal him for A-Gonz or Rasmus.
Clonod
9/25
I\'m really not assuming anything. Any deal involves risk. Matt Cain is probably a pretty serious injury risk at this point. The least risky thing about Rasmus is his defense. He has plus speed and is a plus defender in center field, that is easy to project to the majors. As I said I would throw in a lesser free agent to sweeten the deal, such as Mitchell Boggs or Jess Todd. For the Giants a deal for a high upside propect like Rasmus makes sense. Colby isn\'t really that risky for a prospect either he ahd a rough couple of months starting out at AAA and then turned it on. Unfortunately he went down with a minor knee injury and the Cardinals played it conservatively. Point is, If I\'m the Giants I\'m making a deal more like the Maybin for Cabrera deal where I can get a cost sontrolled player who will help my team when I really need it.
mswain784
9/25
Jason Donald for Josh Fields

assuming Crede is brought back
mswain784
9/25
whoops...wrong spot
blaseta
9/25
Brewers trade Prince Fielder and Bill Hall to the Mariners to Rowland-Smith, Adrian Beltre, and Wladimir Balentien
eamods
9/25
Brewers certainly don\'t need more OF help, and they have plenty of viable rotation candidates for 09 and beyond.
treerat
9/25
I think the Mariners would be extremely hesitant to trade young pitching. Now if it were Jarrod Washburn.....
wcarroll
9/25
0\'s -- not enough return for Fielder and Brewers want pitching.
eamods
9/25
Brewers trade 2b Rickie Weeks for Orioles 2b Brian Roberts. The Brewers get Roberts in 09 for $8 mil and can try to work out some sort of contract during the year. He is a FA in 2010. Weeks gets a change of scenery.
treerat
9/25
Nick Blackburn and Philip Humber for Kevin Kouzmanoff.

So many pitchers, so little power...Kouz has improved his defense and ability to hit righties. If the Padres want more...give them more...Duensing? Bonser? Someone out of options or who doesn\'t fit into any long range plans.
ajmorriso
9/25
It would be great to cash in Blackburn\'s season.

How about Edwin Encarnacion for Slowey and Humber. The Twins might be willing to move Liriano because of greviance. Garza was seen as a malcontent and was moved.
buffum
9/25
Indians trade Kelly Shoppach, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Jeremy Sowers to the Giants for Matt Cain, Sergio Romo, Connor Gillaspie, and Nate Schierholtz
treerat
9/25
The Giants are aggressively promoting young players. Catcher Buster Posey may start in 2010. They\'d like to see Gillaspie just as soon. Plus Cain by himself will get an awful lot in return.
Ophidian
9/25
IIRC, Gillaspie is ineligible to be traded because he was just drafted this year.
Ophidian
9/25
Adrian Beltre and cash to the Twins for Alex Burnett + PTBNL
Ophidian
9/25
Note: I\'m assuming the Mariners undervalue Beltre, I could easily see another pitching prospect, maybe a Humber on the Twins side of this equation.
treerat
9/25
The Twins were trying this all summer long. I think the Twins need a better option anyway...Beltre scares me with his slumps and meager stats against righties.
Ophidian
9/25
Gold Glove defenders with a 110 OPS+ scare me too.
mswain784
9/25
Ronny Cedeno and Rich Hill for Chris Ray and Jay Payton.
mswain784
9/25
How about Cedeno, Hill, and Donald Veal for Huston Street?

A\'s have lots of 2b on the way (Weeks and Cardenas) and although Pennington is supposed to be a good fielder, he doesn\'t do anything offensively except walk, and Crosby officially appears to be a bust. Cedeno is a good young SS who is completely expendable for the Cubs, Hill needs a change of scenery and would be landing in a ballpark that could forgive his flyball tendencies. Cubs bullpen would be ridiculous with Wood, Marmol, Samardzija, and Street, and with Howry sucking and coming off the books soon, there is a spot available.
profjason
9/25
While there are reasons I think this type of deal would never get done (trading within division and Angelos never wanting to deal any player, especially a player of Greek nationality), I think this deal makes some baseball sense.

The Tampa Bay Rays trade Reid Brignac, Andy Sonnanstine (or Edwin Jackson), Desmond Jennings and one more pitcher like Heath Rollins to the Baltimore Orioles for Nick Markakis.

The O\'s need help all around, but especially at SS and Brignac would give them a young SS who could develop into a very good player. Either Sonnanstine or Jackson is better than anyone on the O\'s rotation not named Guthrie and Jennings could be special, adding to the O\'s minor league depth.

For the Rays, after having a system that was outfield heavy, the injuries to Crawford and Upton really showed how there is no depth there anymore (it is amazing they kept holding onto the lead for the AL East while starting the OF for the Durham Bulls). I think Markakis would give them another key to future success. Only problem would be how expensive Markakis would get for them.
wcarroll
9/26
You nailed it --- Angelos would never trade Markakis, especially for prospects.
stinkypete
9/25
Orioles send Roberts and George Sherrill to the Mets for Jonathan Niese, Nick Evans, Luis Castillo and a Brinks truck stuffed with cash.

Okay, so that last part is wishful thinking. Maybe substitute Argenis Reyes for Castillo and the giant bags with dollar signs on the sides.
mswain784
9/25
I don\'t see why anyone would want to acquire Luis Castillo.
bahays
9/25
Indians send Josh Barfield and Jeremy Sowers to the Mariners for Raul Ibanez
eamods
9/25
Is Barfield an upgrade over Jose Lopez? Not sure. Sowers doesn\'t fool anyone, and Ibanez says he\'d prefer to play somewhere where they will win in 09, and I\'m not sure the Indians are one of those teams.
bahays
9/25
I agree with both those statements with regards to Barfield and Sowers, but I don\'t see a 37 year old outfielder having too much value and the Indians aren\'t that far off from being a playoff team next year.
TuftsBat
9/25
Isn\'t Ibanez a free agent after this weekend?
eamods
9/25
Yep, good call.
bahays
9/25
Could be, then maybe the Indians should just sign him.
Ophidian
9/25
Where would they play him? 1B? He\'s a horrific defender.
treerat
9/25
Ibanez is a free agent
gophils
9/25
Brewers trade prince fielder and matt gamel for matt cain
ian6poole
9/25
Bowden, Richie Lentz, and some young toolsy kid for Saltamacchia. The rangers need pitching, the red sox need catching.
ElAngelo
9/25
Nationals and Rangers swap Lastings Milledge and Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
eamods
9/25
Why do the Rangers need more OF?
ian6poole
9/25
Cain to the Yankees for Jesus Montero, Robinson Cano, Ian Kennedy, and a ptbnl (basically some young kid who throws hard).

Yanks sign O-dog, and Tex.

Giants sell Robinson Cano as a big bat (somebody might believe it) but know that it\'s montero that\'s the prize
ian6poole
9/25
Well, I should state that this happens if Hank Steinbrenner takes over and decides that his only goal is to show how much he can trade to build a team.
jklein
9/25
Mark DeRosa and Jose Ceda for Matt Kemp.
mswain784
9/25
Not nearly enough for Kemp.
wcarroll
9/25
Umm no. I\'m not even taking that one up the chain :)
jblachman
9/25
Reggie Willits and Jordan Walden for Kevin Kouzmanoff?
leez34
9/25
I kind of like this one - Taylor Teagarden and Kason Gabbard for Justin Masterson and Julio Lugo. I guess I don\'t know if the Rangers would like Masterson enough for this (I\'ve watched him a lot this year and think he\'d be great for them, but maybe I\'m full of it).
wcarroll
9/25
Not horrible, they say but there should be more of a market for Teagarden and some think the Sox prefer Salty.

4/5/5 = 14
eamods
9/25
And where does Lugo play?
rawagman
9/25
Last offseason, the Giants and Jays mulled over a potential Lincecum-Rios swap. At some point, the Gianst tried to pull a bait-and-switch and sub Lowry for Lincecum. Thank god that didn\'t fly. Considering their recent seasons and upcoming needs, Rios straight up for Cain makes good sense.
rawagman
9/25
I threw out a J. Frasor-R. Hill swap that went untouched a while back, so I\'ll try something a little more adventurous now.
Jays send Scott Downs to NYM - Mets absolutely need a releiver who can get batters out without handedness prejudice.
Mets send Endy Chavez, Mike Carp and a minor league arm (something High A, mid. level upside) to ChiC. The Mets never seem to mind sending away kids and Carp plus arm type seem to be within their means of expense. Cubs could use Chavez next season as another push to Pie. Edmonds is walking. The Cubs also lack a solid young prospect (Hoffpauer isn\'t really a prospect) to back up Lee in case of injury.
Cubs send Rich Hill to Tor. Jays need a starter next year, Rich Hill needs a change of scenery something awful.
Voila!
mswain784
9/25
Out of curiosity, does Brett Cecil seem like he will be the guy to step into the Jays rotation next year if they fill the spot in-house?
rawagman
9/26
Not according to Kevin Goldstein
IvanGrushenko
9/25
Isn\'t Chavez a FA?
treerat
9/25
Well, it looks like we all lose. I didn\'t want to be a general manager anyway. So there. None of you are invited to my party.
MrBattafaglia
9/25
Off the top of my head: Mets trade OF Ryan Church and LHP Jonathon Niese to the Oakland A\'s for RHP Huston Street.

The trade should give the Mets some bullpen depth and fill the A\'s need of rebuilding and adding major league ready depth to their OF.
wcarroll
9/25
Not enough for Niese, though this one does get the guys scratching their heads. Varied opinions - 6/3/4 = 13
MrBattafaglia
9/25
Last one: Yankees send Robinson Cano and Ian Kennedy to the Dodgers for Matt Kemp and Scott Elbert.
ejmabluejays
9/25
Red Sox trade Justin Masterson for Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Texas gets young pitching and the Sox get Varitek\'s successor without having to give up Bucholz.
ejmabluejays
9/25
Another one: Jays trade Adam Lind for Brian Roberts. Lind could step in at LF or 1B for the O\'s and gives them another solid corner bat, while Roberts would solve the Jay\'s SS hole (they\'d move Hill over to SS if healthy; I\'ve read in a few places that Hill would be ok at SS). They\'ve got John McDonald as a defensive sub if needed, as well as utility guys Scutaro and Inglett.
incaficious
9/25
I would like to see an article in the next few months that focuses on the long-term health of, say, the top 50 keepers. By long-term I specifically mean the next three years. Thanks.
wcarroll
9/26
How do you define the top 50 keepers?
amerigo1
9/25
I have 2 proposed trades as a braves fan.
Jeff Francouer, Brent Lillibridge, and a minor league pitcher to Dayton Moore\'s liking (Reyes, Hanson, Morton..etc.. for:
Zack Greinke, and the carcass of Jose Guillen.
The only stretch I see is for the braves to take on Guillen, but I think Moore will insist on it, because I don\'t know how motivated he will be to move Greinke.
The braves get a young valuable starter in the mold of a young Maddux and a right fielder stop gap to Jason Heyward.
The Royals would be betting on the rise back to stardom for Francouer, rise to relevance for Lillibridge, and also a young starter to replace Greinke in the rotation.
The second trade comes next!
wcarroll
9/26
Francoeur has little or no value now, especially for pitching.
MrBattafaglia
9/26
What about Francoeur for another (arguably) no value guy like Homer Bailey?
sgshaw
9/25
Michael Bowden and Stolmy Pimental of the Red Sox to the Rangers for Jared Saltalamachia.
mswain784
9/25
Jason Donald for Josh Fields, assuming Joe Crede is extended.
amerigo1
9/25
2nd braves trade:
Kelly Johnson, Brandon Jones, and a minor league starting pitcher

to:
Oakland for:
Justin Duchscherer and a relief pitcher..

The braves get another starting pitcher they need that won\'t cost a fortune and some relief depth

Oakland gets a cost effective player to take Marc Ellis\' place.(Kelly Johnson)
More outfield depth in the corner(Brandon Jones)
and another starting pitcher prospect that they love to keep adding to their pile.

The key to both of these trades is twofold:
the need for Braves starting pitching next year is very dire
and the need to NOT go into the free agent market to get it is also just as dire.
They don\'t have the reputation for doing it anyway(always trade for it) and they finally are going to get some good draft picks out of this horrible setback of a season.
Don\'t wanna lose them on signing somebody like Ben Sheets or Derek Lowe.
Thoughts?
wcarroll
9/26
No one buys this one as a realistic offer.
MrBattafaglia
9/25
I lied. Last, last one: Indians sell high and trade Cliff Lee and Ryan Garko to the Brewers for Prince Fielder and Brian Shouse.
wcarroll
9/26
7/6/6 = 19

None though the Brewers would do this, but it\'s a credible offer to build from. Lee is a tough one to read on how a particular team would scout and how the Indians see him internally, esp with Carmona and Westbrook signed.
IvanGrushenko
9/25
1) Huston Street for Asdrubal Cabrera

2) Daric Barton for Brandon Wood
robertcfox
9/25
Andruw Jones for Edgar Renteria. From what I can tell, Renteria\'s option for 2009 comes out to $8 million. Jones would play LF and hope to get his groove back.

The finances of the deal are too much for me to figure out, but they both are under (expensive) contract for 1 more year with teams that don\'t want them.
IvanGrushenko
9/25
3) Bobby Crosby for Gary Sheffield plus $7M
Ophidian
9/26

Orioles Get:
Chin Lung Hu, Rickie Weeks, Delwyn Young

Brewers Get:
Melvin Mora, George Sherrill, Hong Chi Kuo

Dodgers Get:
Brian Roberts, Lorenzo Cain, Carlos Villenueva
Ophidian
9/26
Hmm... on second thought, the Dodgers may need to kick in another pitcher (James MacDonald?) to the Brewers for this to fly.
wcarroll
9/26
Orioles wouldn\'t do that, nor would the Brewers.

Dodger fan? :)
Ophidian
9/26
Not really, mostly shifting around pieces that seem to have fallen out of favor or don\'t really fit. Props to any GM\'s that can work out a reasonably fair 3-way deal b/c these are HARD to even up. The value levels are probably all messed up for the veterans in that listing, in part because I\'m actually finding it really opaque to figure out who does and doesn\'t get worked up over salary in some of these.

Thought process was something like:
Orioles need a SS desperately, and the Dodgers seem to be really down on Hu. Hey, the Dodgers need a 2B or 3B next year assuming they don\'t do something stupid and resign Blake! But that just shifts the blackhole from SS to 2B in Baltimore, maybe I can pull in a third team.. Ooh, Milwaukee seems to be burying Weeks, maybe he could use a change of scenery. They do have holes at 3B and Closer, maybe I can get Baltimore out from under that... Now what else do I need to shuffle around to even things up so this actually gets done *throws prospects into the mix all over*.

Baltimore gets younger with up the middle players that it needs, while giving up guys that won\'t be good when the rest of the roster is. Milwaukee has Hardy to shift to 2B, Escobar to play SS, and fills a pair of big holes. That it doesn\'t sufficiently address the pitching depth in MIL may be the scary part, although Gallardo/Parra/Suppan/MacDonald/Bush doesn\'t seem like *that* bad a rotation next year, with Jeffress knocking on the door. Dodgers obviously get the veteran leadoff hitter that is just the type of player Ned & Joe like, while giving up players they don\'t have a position for or seem to care about. Dewitt shifts back to 3B.

Comments on the misses in this reading of it welcome.
bahays
9/26
Bryan Anderson of the Cardinals to Oakland for Huston Street.
wcarroll
9/26
4/3/2 = 9

Not enough for Street, tho the market is very fluid on closers.
nmhesketh
9/26
In order for the orioles to compete, they\'ll need up the middle talent (ESP shortstop). So I propose sending Chris Tillman and Costanzo (or someone of his ilk) for jack Wilson and Paul Maholm. While I believe Tillman is a legit piece, having Wilson would give them one of the strongest quads up the middle in baseball (Weiters, Wilson, Roberts, and Jones). While the trade would focus on plugging the sink hole offensively, Maholm would be a nice piece in that he would give you cheap league average innings until a better option is developed/signed.
Ophidian
9/26
What?! No way you trade one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball (Tillman) for an arb-eligible guy with a 4.15 FIP (in the NL Central no less) and a .687 OPS SS with a bad contract... that\'s crazy talk.
ejmabluejays
9/26
BJ Ryan to the Mets for Aaron Heilman and Damian Easley. Heilman shifts to the rotation to replace Marcum. Ryan\'s salary off the books frees the Jays up to sign a heavy hitting DH (like Manny or Bradley, for example).
mswain784
9/26
I\'d like to resubmit Ronny Cedeno, Rich Hill, and Donald Veal for Huston Street + throw-ins.

I think that deal works for both teams pretty well and is about market value for Street. Plus these teams worked out the Harden deal earlier, and Oakland seems willing to take on the Cub\'s excess talent.
MrBattafaglia
9/26
This is too much fun to stop. Marlins trade Dan Uggla and Scott Olsen to the Dodgers for Chad Billingsley and AA INF Ivan De Jesus.

Looking over Ivan\'s year I would hope the Dodgers say no but I still propose this trade because I could see the Dodger front office doing this. But I must ask: does Olsen still hold any viable value?
krgrecw
9/26
Braves send Jeff Francouer to the Rays for Andy Sonnastaine. The Braves would get a young back end starter with upside, which they need, and the Rays get a young everyday RF\'er that still has a chance and could use a change of scenery.
bahays
9/26
Jered Weaver to the Diamondbacks for Conor Jackson.





Sorry Will, but I\'m going to keep doing this as long as you allow. I haven\'t thought this hard since.............
wcarroll
9/26
4/4/5 = 13
Reasonable, but everyone thinks they\'d need to keep Dunn to make this possible and getting the Angels to deal anything is tough
Clonod
9/26
Will, anything on The Colby and Boggs for Matt Cain?
wcarroll
9/26
Not enough.
jklein
9/26
Perhaps the last one....Jason Marquis for Andruw Jones and cash.
wcarroll
9/26
CONTEST CLOSED.
ephinz
9/26
With a weak NL West, the San Francisco Giants have an opportunity to improve on offense the same way the Tampa Bay Rays improved on defense in 2008, except the Giants don\'t have to win 99 games to win their division.

The bait will be one of their young starting pitchers. Matt Cain makes the most sense. His age and make-up keep him very attractive to any other team who doesn\'t spend all day and night worrying about future costs.

While Ryan Howard is a good fit, he is a $10+ MM hitter and the Giants need more than one hitter to make the leap towards 85 wins and play-off contention. With Cain under control for three more seasons, anything the Giants get back would have to match/or exceed those years of control.

Matt Cain and Nate Schierholtz to the Chicago White Sox for 1B/OF Nick Swisher and 3B Josh Fields.
bmd838
9/26
Ichiro to the Yankees for Ian Kennedy and Melky Cabrera
bmd838
9/26
Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks to the Royals for Zach Greinke and David DeJesus.

Brewers drop Fielder before he gets expensive (and before he suffers from Mo Vaughn syndrome) and get something for Weeks before his value drops further (he\'s already 26). Greinke pairs with Gallardo for a very strong 1/2, and DeJesus gives them a CF to replace Cameron and the leadoff man they\'ve been lacking. Slide Gamel into first, and that\'s a pretty good team.

The Royals get a marketable superstar for an attempt at contention (whether they should attempt this push or not is another matter, the Meche and Guillen signings indicate they\'ll try). They also get a flier on Weeks, who could still develop into an All-Star.
bmd838
9/26
I just saw the contest closed. Oh well...
treerat
9/26
Time to \'fess up...I\'ve got an uncle who is a real live ML GM (I can\'t say which one, but Halloween is his favorite holiday) and he helped me with this a little.

Twins send Boof Bonser, Francisco LIriano, and Joe Nathan to the White Sox for ........A.J. Pierzynski.

Twins then sign Armando Benitez 4yr/40m, opens up a spot to bring Livo back, and install Joe Mauer as their bullpen catcher.

If this isn\'t genius, I don\'t know what is. And it proves not everyone can be a GM.
amosap
9/26
Milwaukee sends Prince Fielder to the Angels for Brandon Wood, Jordan Walden, and Reggie Willits.

This assumes that Teixeira goes elsewhere as a free agent. Gamel slides to first for the Brewers, Wood is groomed as their 3B, with likely trades of Hall and Hardy ahead.