Baseball Update

I’d like to start a trade rumor based on virtually nothing… Coco Crisp to Texas and Gerald Laird to Boston. This trade makes sense for both teams. Texas has been looking for the answer in Centerfield since the departure of Gary Matthews Jr after the 2005 season. Crisp plays a Gold Glove caliber CF, and gives the Rangers a young, relatively cheap ($10 million over the next two years) outfielder with speed who can hit at the top of the order in a pinch. Laird has become expendable thanks to the acquisition of Jarrod Saltalamaccia in the Mark Teixeira trade. Boston on the other hand no longer needs Crisp with the emergence of Jacoby Ellsbury. Boston could use Laird as a cheaper (he made just over $400K last year), younger (28) version of Doug Mirabelli with more upside both at the plate and behind it. Both these players have become expendable with their current clubs due to development of younger players behind them, and both could fill major holes if this trade goes through.

In other news, Jon Garland has been traded from the Chicago White Sox to the LA Angels of Anaheim. This move makes it likely that Ervin Santana will be out of the Angels rotation. And to think, just a couple years ago, Santana was rumored to be the central piece of a blockbuster trade with Boston that would have sent Manny Ramirez to LA. The Angels apparently balked at the inclusion of Santana, and the trade fell through. Good call Angels.

Tom Glavine went back to the Braves for a one year eight million dollar deal. Wow. First, how is Glavine still making eight million per season!? His ERA was nearly four and a half last year, and now he will have to face the Mets’ lineup instead of having them back him up. Second, does this mean the Braves think they are a 42 year old Glavine away from a post-season birth? Really? With the Mets and the Phillies ahead of them? Don’t get me wrong, I like Glavine, but he’s going to be the 4th starter on this Braves team at best. I just can’t see paying a 42 year old 4th starter $8 million. The Braves have Buddy Carlyle and Lance Cormier, a couple under-30 starters who pitched well in triple A though had trouble at the major league level. The two combined to go 10-13 in 32 games (29 starts) and would combine to make less than $1 million next season. Is Glavine’s 13-8 record and slightly lower ERA worth the extra $7 million? If the Braves aren’t confident in either of these guys, Carlos Silva and Kyle Lohse are a couple of free agent starters who can probably be had for a 3 year $25 million deal. Both have far better stuff than Glavine, and have been consistent and durable 200 inning guys over the last half decade. If they don’t want to make a commitment of that length, Bartolo Colon can likely be had for a 1 year deal. This is a Cy Young caliber pitcher when he’s right. Granted, he might be totally ineffective, but he could win 18 games in the National League. With all these possibilities, it makes no sense for the Braves to commit to Glavine so early in the off-season. Glavine would probably still be there in January, and if he’s not, would you really be that worried about it?