Comeuppance!
>> Tuesday
Son of a bitch. I hate it when stuff I do, say or write comes back to bit me in the ass. And boy, did it ever. Remember around the trading deadline when the Cubs traded for Jason Kendall, and I laughed haughtily - gregariously, even - at how stupid they were?
Well, fuck me, because the Brewers, if these sources are correct, are on the verge of feeding me my words in the form of a giant, Jason Kendall-sized middle finger.
Now, don't get me wrong. I've got nothing personally against Jason Kendall. Aside from being kind of a hothead, he seems like an alright guy that his teammates seem to like, or at least tolerate. But the guy is old and hasn't been a legitimately productive hitter since 2003, when he went .325/.399/.416 with 6 homers (seriously - six). On top of that, he's possibly the second-worst defensive catcher in the majors (in terms of throwing out runners), behind only the guy the Brewers are looking to replace, Johnny Estrada.
Believe me, I'm not upset that the Brewers got rid of Estrada. Johnny was terrible in 2007 and has an intolerable penchant for swinging at everything while displaying a Herculean aversion towards taking a walk. In that sole regard, yes, Kendall - and his .375 OBP - is an upgrade.
No, the trade doesn't make me mad because it's necessarily a step backwards, it makes me mad because it's such a deliberate and obvious step sideways. Replacing one no-hit/no-field catcher with an identical model just doesn't jive. It's not the kind of move we're accustomed to seeing from Doug Melvin, because at the end of the day it does little to nothing in terms of improving the Brewers for the future, or even the present.
I would have preferred to see the Brewers go out and spend bargain bin money on a plus defensive catcher, regardless of the offensive sacrifice. With a linup that features Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Corey Hart, Bill Hall, JJ Hardy and Rickie Weeks as legitimate 20+ HR threats, the Brewers can afford to take a hit at the plate, provided they're getting a meaningful defensive contribution behind the plate. With Kendall, they'll get neither the defensive boost they'd like over last year's performance nor the offensive upgrade they might expect from a new backstop.
The one caveat to the whole thing, of course, are the rumors that Estrada was dealt because of feuds with pitching coach Mike Maddux and some members of the pitching staff. If it's true, it might help, at least in part, to explain what appears to be a completely hollow move from the Brewers front office.
Posts
4 comments:
Matt -
Did you hear Braun is open to moving to left field. Here is how my fantasy plays out. Brewers move Bruan to LF, Hall goes to 3rd, Hart in RF...oh who can we get to play center? How about doing a threeway trade with the rays yankees (probably involving sheets) for Crawford.
Yup, thats right - pure genius.
Speaking of bullshit deals, the cubs are on the verge of signing kaz matsui to a 3 year deal...I wonder if they forgot how shitty this jag played in New York before having a somewhat decent season this year in colorado...jeeez
On the plus side, you guys finally get a real hitter who doesn't need those things called, batting gloves
I'm totally opposed to the idea of trading Ben Sheets in the off-season. I've given it a lot of thought, and quality starting pitching (albeit oft-injured quality) is exponentially more valuable as a mid-season trade commodity. Dealing him in the off-season is foolish. Get your first half from him, then sell if he starts off well. If he doesn't, let him walk after the season and take your compensatory pick, because he'll be a type A free agent without a doubt.
I'm not totally opposed to Crawford, he's a decent player, but he's not worth trading Ben Sheets, not by a long shot. I'd rather have the Brewers make a move for David DeJesus if they were going to upgrade the outfield and go from there.
Post a Comment