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Monday, January 03, 2005 |
It's Not Easy Being Green
So much for that. Shawn Green's off to Arizona, along with some cash, though the details are a bit murky; the Dodgers will either get Yankees prospect Dioner Navarro and a pitching prospect in exchange if the Diamondbacks complete the Randy Johnson trade, or former Dodger catching prospect Koyie Hill and a pitching prospect if they don't. One thing's certain, though, and that's whatever DePo says, you can be absolutely sure he won't hold to it tomorrow:
"We're not shopping Shawn Green," he said. "If people want him, they have to come calling to us. I'd love for Shawn to be playing first base for us and hitting in a lineup with the rest of these guys."Urgh. Well, we'll get to see how useful Choi is over a whole season.
Update: The New York Daily News reports the paperwork for the Randy Johnson trade is on Bug Selig's desk, by which I assume that Green will indeed waive his no-trade clause. If Green and the Diamondbacks work out an extension, it's possible -- likely, even -- that Green would take less money per year and work the $16M owed this year into following years. If that's the case, Arizona gets a nice insurance policy in case his shoulder goes out for good.
Update: MLB.com repeats the Times story above, adding the cash would be $8-$9M, half Green's 2004 salary. The key, then, is knowing the name of the pitching prospect.
Comments:
I don't believe DePo is headed in the direction of free agency; the market is overheated and in any case, appreciably thinner and too expensive. I believe he wants to pursue a trade or two for a starter, which may be less expensive than a new free agent. Unloading Green also gets rid of another Malone-era contract, which can only be a good thing, much as I dislike seeing him go.
One more thing -- while we don't necessarily know which direction the Dodgers are taking -- is this a rebuilding year or are we going to be competitive? -- remember that the division is still fairly weak:
* The Giants have improved themselves at a couple of positions -- I think -- and I expect them to be our principle competition.
* The Snakes will be minus Randy Johnson, and plus a couple aging questionable sluggers. The changes they have made aren't that big an improvement, and may have made the team slightly worse. They would have rebounded anyway, but their offseason moves may well have reversed that trend somewhat.
* The Rockies still have Todd Helton's (and, IIRC, Denny Neagle's) enormous contract to deal with. Even though he's producing, he's not earning the kind of money he's making. Amid declining attendance numbers, those bad contracts will provide the cinderblocks to send the Rocks to the bottom of the division again.
* The Padres are starting Dave Roberts in centerfield? Well, it could work. Just don't look for them to do too much unless their young starters start making big improvements.
In short, this is a winnable division with no clear leader. The Dodgers have a lot of fixin' to do before they look like a team that could capture it, but if the free agent market ambushed DePo (as I think it may have -- why not re-sign Beltre?), we could be in for a multiyear rebuilding project.
* The Giants have improved themselves at a couple of positions -- I think -- and I expect them to be our principle competition.
* The Snakes will be minus Randy Johnson, and plus a couple aging questionable sluggers. The changes they have made aren't that big an improvement, and may have made the team slightly worse. They would have rebounded anyway, but their offseason moves may well have reversed that trend somewhat.
* The Rockies still have Todd Helton's (and, IIRC, Denny Neagle's) enormous contract to deal with. Even though he's producing, he's not earning the kind of money he's making. Amid declining attendance numbers, those bad contracts will provide the cinderblocks to send the Rocks to the bottom of the division again.
* The Padres are starting Dave Roberts in centerfield? Well, it could work. Just don't look for them to do too much unless their young starters start making big improvements.
In short, this is a winnable division with no clear leader. The Dodgers have a lot of fixin' to do before they look like a team that could capture it, but if the free agent market ambushed DePo (as I think it may have -- why not re-sign Beltre?), we could be in for a multiyear rebuilding project.
The Arizona papers are pretty quiet on the possible Dodgers-D-Backs trade. This article:
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=34125
... mentions the trade but doesn't have nearly the info the LA Times article has. (Pitching prospect? What pitching prospect? We don't have any pitching prospects... I exaggerated, of course, but as long as the list of pitching prospects doesn't include some guy named Brandon Webb, that's not too bad.)
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=34125
... mentions the trade but doesn't have nearly the info the LA Times article has. (Pitching prospect? What pitching prospect? We don't have any pitching prospects... I exaggerated, of course, but as long as the list of pitching prospects doesn't include some guy named Brandon Webb, that's not too bad.)
Stefan -- interesting point. If I'm DePo, I'm angling for Brian Bruney: somebody close to ready for the show, but not irreplaceable in the system. 10.0 K/9, 2.10 K/BB rate, and a solid track record in the PCL. Maybe Edgar Gonzalez, too, but he's a bit iffier; his 6.0 K/9 rate is a mite low.
Yeah, the D-Backs were loaded with young arms that got their chances in the show last year and did just awful -- in other words, prospects with major league experience. I'd hate to see Mike Gosling be the prospect, because he finished the season strong, but I'd be guessing if I knew which (if any) of the staff will end up being serviceable major league pitchers.
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