Saturday, November 12, 2005

Unleashing the Power of the Back Seat Drivers

With so many luminaries posting words of wisdom on this site, I think it's time we unleash our power on the greater sports world. So with that in mind, I hereby initiate this attempt to start a rumor, and if we've got any readers out there, maybe they'll take this and run with it. If things go really well, there will be a new centerfielder patrolling Wrigley next season. So with thanks to my friend Hyim for thinking this up, I present to all of you:

Vernon Wells to the Cubs for Corey Patterson and prospects

If the Yanks can trade for Wells, why can't the Cubs? The Baby Bears have, I believe, a deeper farm system than the Bronx Bombers do. In Patterson, they can also supply a young centerfielder to replace Wells - one that the Jays might be willing to take a chance on if the other prospects are right.

There are a few obstacles to this move:

1. Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi has said that Wells is not going anywhere. Ok, that's a pretty big obstacle. But he explained that statement by pointing out that "[i]f we take him out of the equation, that's a major hole we've got to fill. We're not going backward. We want to go forward." Wells is due nearly $5m/year for the next two years; if Ricciardi could add the former #1 prospect in all of baseball (Patterson) and two solid prospects, is that going forward or backward?

2. This is 2005, not 2007. Wells has two more years under contract. The time to move Wells is July 2007, not now.

3. Texas Two-Step: Wells is from Texas, I understand, and the Rangers are rumored to be in the mix if Ricciardi goes shopping. Not that I think the Rangers could beat the Cubs' top offer - but the more teams that get into this, the harder it is for Cubs GM Jim Hendry to sweep in under the radar to grab Wells.

But that's all for another day - you know, the day when Jayson Stark and Peter Gammons start talking about Vernon Wells in Midwestern pinstripes, not East Coast ones. Let's see how far this can go...

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