As we are just weeks away from the July 31st trade deadline, there are some hot trade topics going around baseball.
Heath Bell, the closer for the San Diego Padres, could help out some contending teams in the bullpen. Rafael Furcal, shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers, could provide a spark if put in a winning position on an up and coming team. Matt Garza, starting pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, may be an answer as the 4th or 5th starter for a club over .500.
These moves are most likely to occur later this month, with some key trade pieces to be returned in the process. If you are an Orioles fan though, there may not be much, if any movement on the waiver wire in late July. Who knows if any team will give the Baltimore Orioles somebody of value in return?
Here are some names that the Orioles may put out there for trade bait:
Vladimir Guerrero: At the age of 36, Guerrero isn’t playing like the Vlad of old. Not only dead bolted in the designated hitters role, Guerrero has grown impatient at the plate with just 11 walks and a .279 batting average in 83 games. And not to mention, his hustle is so horrid that I sometimes believe that my 73 year old grandmother could outrun him. But let us not forget the Vladimir Guerrero of old. The one who has a career .318 batting average, a .380 on base percentage, 443 home runs, and 1,464 runs batted in. There are contending teams out there who could use that type of veteran presence in their lineup, day in and day out. Maybe Vlad is having a bad year…..or maybe he needs a quick change of scenery.
Derrek Lee: While reliable at first base with his glove, Lee hasn’t put up the type of numbers the Orioles expected him to have for 2011. Lee, 35 has been hitting .235 with 9 home runs and 28 RBI’s in the heart of the O’s lineup. Although despite the numbers, there may be a place out there that could use a player like Derrek Lee. Lee does have a World Series ring as a member of the 2003 Flordia Marlins, and has been to the playoffs on 3 other occasions with the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta Braves. Lee may never hit 46 home runs like he did years ago in Chicago but if there are any teams in the National League with postseason aspirations, they would be dumb not to have someone like Derrek Lee on their team.
Jeremy Guthrie: Oh my, this one hits the heart a little bit. Not because Jeremy Guthrie, 32 is related or anything. But in all of the years he has fought hard for the franchise, whether it was as the number 3 starter or the ace, he never got the wins that he deserved. In 2007, Jeremy Guthrie went 7-5 with a 3.70 ERA in 26 starts. Not bad for being a starter in the AL East….but what happened since then? 34-55 with a 4.20 ERA?!?! Is there something wrong with this statistic? Or how about being 3-12 with a 4.18 ERA in 2011? As the ace? I don’t think there is anymore that needs to be said. If the Baltimore Orioles organization has any respect for Jeremy Guthrie, they would make him the main trade bait. Imagine Jeremy Guthrie as the 5th starter for the Philadelphia Phillies, he would probably never lose another game! And I’m sure the Phillies wouldn’t mind having a solid number 5 starter on their team which is most likely heading to the National League Championship Games. I hope this happens for Jeremy Guthrie, he deserves it.
A very pleasant Saturday to the masses. I hope those of you on the east coast have successfully dug out of the massive amounts of snow that have come the last few days. Frankly, I’m tired of it and can’t wait for warm weather.
Anyway, there have been lots of little nuggets from around the sports world that have caught my attention and are certainly worth mentioning, so lets get to it.
In baseball, my guy Ken Rosenthall of FOX Sports wrote that Vladimir Guerrero’s best bet to play in 2011 could be the Orioles. Buster Olney (via Twitter) says the O’s are being told that Guerrero has an $8MM offer in hand, which is about $3.5MM more than they are willing to spend, including incentives. Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reported that Baltimore’s offer falls in the $3MM to $5MM range. Ideally, the O’s would love to get a deal done with Vlad today as they are in the midst of hosting the annual FanFest at the Baltimore Convention Center where reportedly, fan optimism for 2011 is high.
New York Yankees team president Randy Levine ripped Rangers CEO Chuck Greenberg for his public comments that the Rangers late push for Cliff Lee might have been what ultimately led Lee to sign with the Phillies. According to the Daily News, Levine called Greenberg “delusional” and said he would be impressed if Greenberg could get the Rangers off “welfare,” a reference to Major League Baseball’s revenue sharing. To be honest, I didn’t take Greenberg’s statement as any sort of boast or as a slam against the Yankees — he seemed to be saying that the Rangers made one last attempt to keep themselves in the mix and accidentally gave the Phillies time to swoop in —it’s hard to argue with Levine when he says Greenberg should “let Cliff Lee speak for himself.” Also, it’s hard to ignore the fact that Greenberg made some negative comments about Yankee fans during the playoffs.
The Cardinals are not seriously exploring the possibility of trading first baseman Albert Pujols because the superstar slugger, who has full no-trade protection, would veto any swap, writes Buster Olney of ESPN.com.
On the basketball court, the Washington Wizards lost last night in OKC in double overtime and have fallen to a dreadful 0-22 on the road this season. After trading Gilbert Arenas earlier this season, it appeared that the Wiz have rid themselves of the headaches. So much for that. After getting “blown up” by head coach Flip Saunders after a poor game, Andray Blatche was critical of Wizards fans and called in to a local radio show to defend himself.
The Miami Heat have been a popular source for controversey this season and for good reason. It started with LeBron’s comments on Twitter in which he educated us all on karma and then came out the next night and injured his ankle (Thanks again, LeBron). Now, the other two of the ‘big three’ are banged up and have missed time. After barely getting away with a win last night, Chris Perkins of FOX Sports Florida wonders if injuries will end up getting the best of the Heat.
KU’s Thomas Robinson lost his mother to an apparent heart attack. Thomas Robinson’s 7-year-old sister Jayla Robinson called him about 11 p.m. Friday. In a three-week span, Jayla and Thomas, a sophomore forward for the sixth-ranked Jayhawks, lost their grandmother, grandfather and mother. The entire KU men’s basketball team attended the funeral in Washington DC.
It’s been a rough off-season for some veteran players and a slower market in general for the usual Hot Stove season. However, the last few days have been exactly what some veteran players have been waiting for. A flurry of activity has resulted in some veteran players finding new homes for the 2011 season.
n contract, according to a major-league source. Jones, who turns 34 on April 23, will serve as a right-handed reserve, filling the role previously held by Marcus Thames, who earlier this week signed with the Dodgers.
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