The Underground Insight 7.30.07: The Final Countdown

Posted by JD Koziarski on 07.30.2007

No, not the entrance music of the current SHIMMER champion, Sara Del Rey, but the last few hours before the MLB Trading Deadline and The Insight looks at some deals that have already been made, a few rumored moves, and some players who very well may be on the move.

The Show

Even though I am well aware that the usual effect of a blockbuster deadline deal is not as impactful as one may expect – bringing in an All-Star player for two months is usually only worth a couple wins – I still get excited around this time every year. As somebody who enjoys watching and analyzing general managers as much as I do the game itself, seeing how GMs in various positions act always intrigues me. Who's a buyer? Who's a seller? Will Pat Gillick sit on his hands again?

The answer to the last question is, obviously, no. With the recent injury to Chase Utley, Gillick was left in a position where he absolutely had to make a move. And he did so by acquiring Tadahito Iguchi from the White Sox for minor-league (A) right-handed reliever Michael Dubee. This is one of those trades that works out very well for both teams. Iguchi is a free agent after the season, and his contract is designed to not bring his former team draft pick compensation. Some White Sox fans have complained that Kenny Williams did not get enough in return for Iguchi, but here are some factors to consider: Iguchi hasn't been very good this year, they likely were not going to keep him, they have a second base prospect (Danny Richar) they're really high on, and no other teams were interested. In other words, the White Sox are lucky to have even gotten a decent kid out of the situation. For the Phillies, Iguchi will be a fine stopgap for 4-6 weeks until Utley is ready. And all it really costs them is $1 million and a minor leaguer who won't be in anybody's plans anytime soon.

In what has been a really slow year for movement, the Iguchi deal leads the pack. That is followed closely by Kenny Lofton returning to the Cleveland Indians, the only team he's played with for more than one season. In return, the Rangers get a minor league catcher named Max Ramirez. Lofton has started twice so far for Cleveland, playing left field and batting second. Like the Iguchi deal for Philly, the Indians didn't give up too much for a two-month rental. Lofton is still going strong and although he's pretty bad defensively, he's having one of his best years in a long time.

In a fairly curious move, the Houston Astros dealt struggling – but generally solid – reliever Dan Wheeler to Tampa Bay for third baseman Ty Wigginton. I actually like Wigginton more than most, but I'm not sure what this trade does for the Astros in the future. In a corresponding move, Morgan Ensberg was designated for assignment. Ensberg is having a down year, but he's a better player than Wiggy. Tampa is still Tampa, except now they might have a decent reliever for a year or two.

Speaking of Tampa, they also traded the disgruntled (and recently very bad) Jorge Cantu to Cincinnati with outfielder Shaun Cumberland for right-hander Calvin Medlock, Southpaw Brian Shackelford, and future considerations. I have a hard time believing that Cantu is as bad as he's played the past two seasons, so I'm gonna go ahead and say Cincy is getting a steal here. I don't really care about the other players in the deal. Cantu is the guy who matters. Tampa Bay didn't think he could play, so let's see if he Cantu.

Like I can ever resist a bad pun.

The only other significant move of note so far is the acquisition of Scott Linebrink by the Milwaukee Brewers. Linebrink is one of the most consistent relievers in baseball, so he should certainly help the Brewers. The Padres have a very deep bullpen, but on the surface it seems curious they would risk that in the middle of their own race. But the Brewers gave up three pitching prospects for him! Lefty Joe Thatcher comes from Milwaukee and slides right into the mix in San Diego's bullpen. The other two, righty Will Inman and lefty Steve Garrison, bolster the Padres' system. I don't like the idea of giving up three minor leaguers for a rent-a-reliever, but hey, Milwaukee is the first place team and Doug Melvin seems to know what he's doing.

In two moves that are so minor they barely need mentioning, Scott Hairston was traded to the Padres and the Cubs finally unloaded one of the most useless baseball players today, Cesar Izturis. Let's move on to things that haven't happened.

Some names keep popping up these days: Jermaine Dye, Mike Piazza, Octavio Dotel, Mark Teixeira, Brad Lidge, Eric Gagne, Adam Dunn, and Conor Jackson (hey, didn't I call that one recently? I sure did!). The thing is, some of these guys aren't the real steals.

A reliever like Dotel or Lidge will require departing with a key prospect or two and teams just don't seem too keen on doing that these days. With that said, one decent-but-not-spectacular reliever who could and should be on the move is Devil Rays closer Al Reyes. Reyes has come down from his early season success, but he's always been solid and could help a team that needs to plug one hole in the bullpen (Cleveland, perhaps?) I don't think Tampa would require a whole lot in return, either.

Without any contacts inside the game, I can't really give any insight into whether the big names will be moved, but the White Sox need to move Dye. The A's need to move Piazza (and Kielty, Kennedy, Kotsay, anybody else with a "K" name, and possibly even Shannon Stewart). The Rangers absolutely do not need to move Teizeira. General manager Jon Daniels is making a huge mistake by not throwing a whole lotta money at Tex. The guy is 27 and has a career OPS+ of 127. Yeah, keep that dude.

After doing a little research, here are some guys who could fit the rent-a-player mold quite nicely.


Royce Clayton, SS, Toronto Blue Jays

Alright, I know Clayton is terrible. But I have an idea in mind here. See, a few teams, including the Tigers, need a backup infielder right now. Clayton is the perfect guy who can fill out a bench. Even though Clayton is 37, he hasn't experienced a lot of decline. He's always been this awful. And he's better than Neifi Perez and the Tigers traded for him last season!

Matt Stairs, 1B/OF/DH, Toronto Blue Jays

Let's see if JP Riccirdi can do some good for once. Stairs is still a tremendous hitter and there are some AL teams (Minnesota?) who could use a little pop. A team taking on Stairs' contract would owe him less than $300K for the rest of the year. Great lefty bat off the bench, can play a couple positions (poorly), and no obligation to him after 2007.

Russ Springer, RP, St. Louis Cardinals

Like Al Reyes, Springer is an ancient reliever who won't cost a team as much as the marquee names. Also like Reyes, Springer is a solid reliever who should do exactly what he's brought in to do: bolster a bullpen. Linebrink may have set the price of middle relievers too high, but if not, Springer is a guy the Cardinals should look to move in the next two days.

Ryan Klesko, 1B, San Francisco Giants

Klesko is still a really good hitter and is a guy the Yankees could really use (Andy Phillips? Come on now.). He doesn't have the power he once did, though that could be partly because of the ballpark he plays his home games in. He's still an On-Base Machine, and would really help the Yankees make that final push for the Wild Card or even the AL East.

Aaron Boone, 1B/3B, Florida Marlins

Aaron Boone has a history of helping out a team after coming to them mid-season, right Red Sox fans? Boone's having an excellent year for the Marlins and Larry Beinfest seems to make a habit of moving guys like him for some young player(s). If I'm a GM I'd rather get Stairs for first or Ensberg for third, but Boone might come a little cheaper. Boone could be a fit in Minnesota if they want to try to make a late-season run at the AL Central or the Wild Card.

Josh Fogg/Rodrigo Lopez, SPs, Colorado Rockies

If any Rockies fans read this column, please don't be angry with me. I know your boys are only 3.5 out of the NL West lead, but the truth is they're very unlikely to soar past three teams and win the division. I'm not saying it's impossible, but it's not likely. The good news is that this Rockies team is filled with some very talented young players. That is why I think they should try to enhance the chances for them in the next few years by moving Fogg and/or Lopez. The Phillies, Mets, and Cubs could all use one more starter. Even the Brewers and Angels could use a guy. The Rockies have two guys who can go and lots of teams who can use them. Let's see if Dan O'Dowd can do something here.

Scott Podsednik, LF, Chicago White Sox

Podsednik is terrible; everybody who knows anything knows that. He can't play the field, he's a below-average hitter, and he's injury prone. But wouldn't he be a decent guy off the bench for a contender? The Braves and maybe the Dodgers could use Podsednik for a couple months. It's not like the White Sox want him back anyway.

Enter the Sandman

Lots of people who have insider knowledge are predicting a rather slow trade deadline. The big names probably won't move because the teams holding the cards want top prospects and contenders aren't willing to part with those players. But there are sure to be a few small deals done, so that's what I tried to focus on this week. For the sake of general baseball interest, Dye, Piazza, or one of the big-name relievers moving would be great, but there's a good chance it doesn't happen. But please, please, pleaaaaase can somebody figure out a way to get Kiko Calero off Billy Beane's hands? Please.

Speaking of the Athletics, I saw that Ken Schmidt basically did a "State of the Phillies" column this week. So I figure that next week, why not do a State of the Oakland Athletics column? I talk about them enough, so next week I may as well dedicate the whole shebang to the Green and Gold.

For curious minds: The word "shebang" is in Microsoft Word's dictionary but "impactful" is not. Go figure.