Rumorville: J.J. Hardy

Courtesy of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Also hearing Brewers shortstop J.J. Hardy and free agent Rafael Furcal still being mentioned in connection with the Braves again, which leads me to believe the Braves are indeed still at least talking to teams interested in [Yunel] Escobar or deals that might possibly include him.

(Personally, I’d trade him for nothing short of an ace pitcher.)

This Escobar [stats here] seems to be someone to get excited about.  For one, he plays second, shortstop, and third, which means we could be on our way for an all-Escobar infield someday.  He's the same age as Hardy, but was drafted 4 years later (2005 vs. 2001), so he's under team control (and is cheaper) for longer.  Plus, in 833 ABs, he has an OBP of a whopping .373.  That's pretty exciting.

Here's what Rotoworld has to say:

Hardy is more expensive than Yunel Escobar, and it'd likely cost more to acquire him than the Braves would get back if they moved Escobar in another deal. Maybe it'd somehow work out if the Braves were able to trade Escobar for Delmon Young, but that's a long shot, and they'd still have to come up with a way to pry Hardy away. The Brewers would like request either Jair Jurrjens or Tommy Hanson.

Jurrjens is a young starting pitcher with some potential, though he hasn't pitched enough in the majors to indicate what kind of pitcher he'll be. Tommy Hanson is called "an ace in the making" by mlb.com. 

I still don't think Hardy will be traded, given our dearth of defense and Hardy's recent proclamations of wanting to stay in Milwaukee.  Still, Escobar's offensive skills better fit what the Brewers need than do Hardy's.