This is a hot stove trade rumor circulating on the internet that just blew my mind:
"An intriguing trade rumor circulating has the Phillies sending All-Star outfielder Bobby Abreu and veteran catcher Mike Lieberthal to the Yankees in exchange for catcher Jorge Posada, pitcher Carl Pavano and third base prospect Eric Duncan. "
I'd modify it slightly and then pull the trigger. If I were Brian Cashman, I'd pull Posada off the table and trade the kid Duncan and a fully-paid Pavano for Abreu and Lieberthal. In effect, Philly would be adding a starter to their rotation for free, getting a major hitting prospect and ridding themselves of Lieberthal's bad contract and diminished skills. As for Abreu, well, this isn't fantasy baseball folks, trades don't have to be fair and balanced. Philly is willing to trade Abreu as it is so my offer isn't any worse than the one I cited above. Posada's slightly less diminished than Lieberthal and has a worse contract coming up in 2006-2007 ($8M in 2006, $12M guaranteed in 2007 if he catches 63 games in '06). To be sure, Posada at his current state, is still better than Lieberthal ever was (for evidence, look at Posada's VORP - 4th among AL catchers) but my guess is that Philly isn't really serious about getting Posada as they are in getting Pavano and Duncan at a good price.
For the Yanks, they would solve their vacancy in CF (this would involve either moving Abreu to CF or moving Matsui to CF and Abreu to LF) and add another bat which I would argue they desperately need to offset holes in the lineup at C and 1B. For the Phillies, they reduce bad payroll (Lieberthal), add a relatively young starer for free (Pavano), a hot hotshot hitter (Duncan) and move on without a guy that, for whatever reason, they've soured on (Abreu).
Is Abreu as great a player in real life as he is in fantasy baseball? You're goddamn right he is. Brian Giles was just given $30M for the next three years because he has a career OBP of .413 and a career OPS of .954. He no longer hits for power but those stats say that he's productive at the plate. Bobby Abreu's career stats in those categories? .411 and .923, respectively. The Yanks NEED to make this trade.
PS - If you're wondering what the Yanks will do with Lieberthal if they're holding onto Posada, the answer is, most likely, buy him out and let him be a free agent. Maybe Philly will bring him back at a better price (although I think there are CBA rules that close the window on such a negotiation for a certain period of time). Maybe he'll sign on with a team that needs a catcher -- Toronto, Anaheim, San Diego and the Mets are all shopping.
I'd modify it slightly and then pull the trigger. If I were Brian Cashman, I'd pull Posada off the table and trade the kid Duncan and a fully-paid Pavano for Abreu and Lieberthal. In effect, Philly would be adding a starter to their rotation for free, getting a major hitting prospect and ridding themselves of Lieberthal's bad contract and diminished skills. As for Abreu, well, this isn't fantasy baseball folks, trades don't have to be fair and balanced. Philly is willing to trade Abreu as it is so my offer isn't any worse than the one I cited above. Posada's slightly less diminished than Lieberthal and has a worse contract coming up in 2006-2007 ($8M in 2006, $12M guaranteed in 2007 if he catches 63 games in '06). To be sure, Posada at his current state, is still better than Lieberthal ever was (for evidence, look at Posada's VORP - 4th among AL catchers) but my guess is that Philly isn't really serious about getting Posada as they are in getting Pavano and Duncan at a good price.
For the Yanks, they would solve their vacancy in CF (this would involve either moving Abreu to CF or moving Matsui to CF and Abreu to LF) and add another bat which I would argue they desperately need to offset holes in the lineup at C and 1B. For the Phillies, they reduce bad payroll (Lieberthal), add a relatively young starer for free (Pavano), a hot hotshot hitter (Duncan) and move on without a guy that, for whatever reason, they've soured on (Abreu).
Is Abreu as great a player in real life as he is in fantasy baseball? You're goddamn right he is. Brian Giles was just given $30M for the next three years because he has a career OBP of .413 and a career OPS of .954. He no longer hits for power but those stats say that he's productive at the plate. Bobby Abreu's career stats in those categories? .411 and .923, respectively. The Yanks NEED to make this trade.
PS - If you're wondering what the Yanks will do with Lieberthal if they're holding onto Posada, the answer is, most likely, buy him out and let him be a free agent. Maybe Philly will bring him back at a better price (although I think there are CBA rules that close the window on such a negotiation for a certain period of time). Maybe he'll sign on with a team that needs a catcher -- Toronto, Anaheim, San Diego and the Mets are all shopping.
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