Thursday, May 20, 2004 |
Providing Trade And Comfort
At Mariners Wheelhouse, Jeff speculates the M's will pick up Paulie next year based on his status as an aging vet with a quality if low-powered bat, and an unrepeatable career year behind him in 2001. The vitriol being hurled right now at Bavasi in the Mariners' blogosphere is intense and constant; the fear now has become that the team will bite at even more of the same toolsy-but-poor-hitting rookies at the trade deadline and even after the season's end. After the Looper/Ketchner for Cabrera deal, Bavasi's skills as a barterer of human flesh have legitimate reason to be called into question.
What I wonder about is DePodesta's.
Have we, as Dodger fans, been too willing to give him the benefit of a doubt because of the team's early success? I've said his moves looked good before. But how good do they look now that the PTNBL is Andrew Brown? DePo rooked Bavasi, it seems, on the Ketchner trade, but you never know until the kid makes it all the way up. Still, early returns are encouraging, with a 1.69 ERA, 7.98 K/9 and a 3.05 BB/9. So that's a big drop from his single-A numbers, but not unexpected. And what of Grabowski? His two-homer game aside, he's been mostly ineffective at the plate, spending more time at or below the Mendoza line than above it. Olmedo Saenz and José Hernandez have been good in limited action, but neither is the answer to any question aside from "Who should be in reserve?"
The jury's still out. But the fact is, the team needs help, and, apparently, sooner rather than later. We're waiting, DePo.
: 5/20/2004 10:17:00 PM
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