Since my role is to contradict Battlekow...

by Jeff Sackmann on Dec 6, 2006 9:50 PM CST in Transactions Comment 13 comments

The Phillies just acquired Freddy Garcia. What's more, they kept Aaron Rowand--they got Garcia for a pair of young pitchers including Gio Gonzalez, who was part of the Jim Thome trade last year.

Now, we know the Phillies are interested in Mench (or Jenkins--really, the two are undifferentiable at this point) and Turnbow, and they've been rumored to be interested in Damian Miller as a part-time/backup catcher. We need a center fielder; they have an extra one. We want starting rotation depth; they have it.

Lieber + Rowand for Mench + Turnbow + Miller? We take on a few bucks, but everybody gets what they want. We even have room to include Steve Bray in the big-league bullpen if by some miracle nobody picks him in tomorrow's Rule 5 draft.

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Change of heart

Actually, I am coming around on the Giant Head. His numbers are Jenkins-like, but at half the salary. Plus, Jenkins' "I know I'm great" still bothers me.

Assuming Mench has cleared his giant head in the offseason, I still think he's undervalued, even with arbitration.

Still, if it takes Mench to make the trade you mention above, then do it, though I still would rather have him than Jinxie. (The trade you propose puts Billy back in left, I would think.)

"C'mon, boys, let's get 'em some RUNS!" --- Daron Sutton, pretty much every game of the 2005 season.

by roguejim on Dec 6, 2006 10:28 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

yeah...

it would put Billy in left. I do, however, find myself more accepting of that if we have a REAL CF...like, one who can play above-average CF. Pierre? No. Lofton? No. Roberts? Ha. But if we have Rowand and Hall in the OF, we have a backup CF in Hall (no need to carry Clark or Gwynn on the bench unless we want to) and the OF could be very good defensively.

by Jeff Sackmann on Dec 6, 2006 11:19 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

seems like a relatively fair trade...

rowand alone makes up for millers veteran scrappyness or w/e bs that is. but rowand is a hard working all out player (at least in the little i've seen of him). i still feel that somehow the phills get a better deal here. Turnbow could bounce back, same with Mench. Lieber is OLD--sooo...who knows.

by Michael M on Dec 6, 2006 11:01 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

To further contradict

Rotoworld thinks the White Sox are after Damian Miller, so he may be unavailable to the Phillies.

Also, the Phillies don't want Mench anymore:

Outfielder Kevin Mench had been mentioned as a part of the proposed deal, but the Phils appeared to have cooled on him today, possibly because they could be holding on to Rowand, who is also a righthanded hitter.

by battlekow on Dec 6, 2006 11:25 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

maybe they want jenkins :)

but hey, if they want to send us Lieber for Miller and Turnbow, let's do it.

by Jeff Sackmann on Dec 6, 2006 11:27 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

That would be a hell of a deal

We need to think of some way to get them to give us Jason Jaramillo, though. He'd fill the John Vanden Berg role of Moderately Talented Local Catcher nicely.

by battlekow on Dec 6, 2006 11:43 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

rowand

We don't really want Rowand. I live in Chicago so I've seen him play plenty. His defense is great but he can't hit- he grounds out to the shortstop about 200 times a year. Honestly, ask the guys at Southside Sox about this.

I'm starting to grow pretty attached to the idea of Mench, too. He can't be any worse than he was this year, he's not that expensive, and he keeps Billy out of left. Worst case scenario is he's making slightly more than Counsell to be a part of an effective platoon.

Has anybody heard anything about Koskie lately, by the way?

by gsparks on Dec 7, 2006 12:06 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

on koskie...

Last I heard Koskie was cleared to play next year and should be ready for ST.

by Michael M on Dec 7, 2006 12:11 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

hope so

i hope your right!!!!

by baseballdan1092 on Dec 7, 2006 12:16 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Kinda

Gord Ash on Koskie:

Third baseman Corey Koskie missed the second half of last season with post-concussion syndrome but recent reports are encouraging and the Brewers expect him to be ready for spring training.

...

"Dr. Collins says he's clearly making progress," said Ash. "Is it as quick as we would like? No. But he's making progress and he needs to take this next step of introducing activity to his daily regime to see how he reacts to that. So far, so good."

by battlekow on Dec 7, 2006 12:41 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs