First Time Caller, Long Time Moron

by Grant on Mar 15, 2005 3:21 PM PST in News Comment 23 comments

Is there anything better than sportstalk radio? Other than the 309,389,102,698 things you just thought of which are objectively better? I've often found myself talking to a complete stranger about baseball at, say, a grocery store, and while their fractured ramblings are fun to listen to, there is something missing. Talk radio gives that something, adding the element of nervousness and uncomfortability to irrelevant opinions. Pure gold.

The greatest of all sports talk traditions is the mock trade. Two rules of the call-in show mock trade:

Assume the prospect you've heard about on your team is as valuable as the best prospects in the game. If Daric Barton and Dan Haren add up to Mark Mulder, then Todd Linden and Brad Hennessey must equal Mark Mulder, too. Why didn't the stupid Giants trade for Mulder?
The scapegoat of the Giants needs to go in the trade. However, and this is crucial, the player's value is not affected by his being overpriced and/or terrible. In 2001, Marvin Benard was in every trade proposal. In 2004, it was Neifi. This year, make sure your trade includes Kirk Rueter. Now that makes it Linden/Hennessey/Rueter for Mulder.

That's all there is to it. This, of course, was all just a long-winded lead-in to my open call for trade ideas. The Giants might need a centerfielder. They could definitely use another strong bullpen arm. What are your mock trades?

To Mets:
Something from 3rd team

To Giants:
Mike Cameron
Cash

To 3rd Team:
Merkin Valdez
Craig Whitaker

That's the best I could do in limited time. Help me out with the 3rd team, or in cleaning up what the Giants are giving out.

0 recs | Comment 23 comments

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First Time Caller, Long Time Moron

To Cardinals:
Wayne Franklin
Ryan Jensen

To Giants:
Albert Pujols + $10MM per season through 2012

Jocketty would be nuts to turn this down.

by Albert Jones on Mar 15, 2005 4:03 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Re: First Time Caller, Long Time Moron

The "Serviceable" Ryan Jensen is currently in the running to be the Royal's 5th starter.

by mxmob33 on Mar 15, 2005 4:21 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Jensen

Jensen must be working on his eephus pitch.

How depressing to be a Royals fan.

by Albert Jones on Mar 15, 2005 4:46 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Well, duh...

Obviously this is after we've sent Feliz to KC for Jensen, Sweeney, and Greinke.

by squirrel on Mar 15, 2005 4:50 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Nobody Forgets DeJesus

We'll use him later to nab Johan Santana.

What do you need that for, Dude?

by Nick Schulte on Mar 15, 2005 4:55 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Feliz

Actually, Sabean has Pedro Feliz earmarked for a complicated timeshare trade arrangement with Milwaukee and Anaheim in which Feliz alternates weeks between the Brewers and the Angels while Sheets and Guerrero are traded to the Giants.

by Albert Jones on Mar 15, 2005 5:07 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Actually I heard

that Jensen is working on a knuckleball.

by The Balls of Summer on Mar 16, 2005 8:49 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

knuckler no more

I mentioned this a couple weeks ago in a comment.

From
http://www.fanball.com/index.cfm/sct.2/yahoo.1

"The Royals have told non-roster invitee Ryan Jensen that he'll have to stop throwing knuckleballs. 'They wanted me to get rid of a couple pitches and have three or four good pitches, so the knuckleball will probably be axed,' he said to the team's website. Jensen spent last season with the Giants organization, where they told him to throw knucklers 80 percent of the time."

by steve S on Mar 16, 2005 8:08 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Cameron

The Mets are trying to win now. They are trying to be the Yankees and try to win now now and later try to win now again. To give up Cameron the Mets would either need a bat that is better than Cameron in RF or someone equal with the bat and an improvement somewhere else, probably the bullpen.

No, I don't have any ideas on actual people.

What do you need that for, Dude?

by Nick Schulte on Mar 15, 2005 4:13 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Hmm

To add to that one

To Mets
Grissom
Torcato
Huff

To Giants
Cameron
Baez

To Rays
Valdez
Niekro/Vericker
Hennessey/Correia/Misch
Yusmeiro Petit

by irwin on Mar 15, 2005 4:19 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Tampa says no

I don't know anything about Petit but there is no way the Devil Rays give up Huff and Baez for those other three.

I also think the Mets would rather have Huff and Aardsma than those other two.

What do you need that for, Dude?

by Nick Schulte on Mar 15, 2005 4:47 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

It makes almost too much sense

To Mets:
Sammy Sosa
Larry Bigbie

To Giants:
Mike Cameron
Cash

To Orioles:
Merkin Valdez
Craig Whitaker

by The Balls of Summer on Mar 15, 2005 4:20 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Reueter

Isn't he a 10-5 guy? I'll be he would block any trade not to St. Louis.

by irwin on Mar 15, 2005 4:24 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I'm a mod over at the Coloarado Avalanche Board.

We get some of the best trade ideas ever over there.
You've gotta love homers.

To Colorado:
Jerome Inginla.
Dany Heatly.

To Calgary:
A bag of pucks.

To Atlanta:
Avalanche season tickets.

Sorry for the knucklepuck.
But there's gotta be someone else around here that can appreciate a little hockey?

No?
Alright.

Anyways, Grant, great idea for a thread.
Your writing is rad.

It seems so easy when you tell me, Just Believe.

by olympicjosh on Mar 15, 2005 4:38 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Actually

How about Whitaker and Valdez to Detroit, Urbina to the Mets, Cameron to the Giants? Also, Austin Kearns would be so dreamy in orange and black and cream.

I fear that in trade talks, however, other teams are going to want Williams and Lowry first and may not settle for Valdez. But turning, say, Misch and Valdez into something mildly useful would be Sabean's M.O.

by Dan from NM on Mar 15, 2005 6:50 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

T-shirt Idea

Paul Podesta's face grimacing with a cigar clenched between his teeth, grinning like a death skull, emblazoned with the line, "Trade 'em all, let God sort 'em out!"

"¡Que bochinche!" - La Comay

by leftymalo on Mar 15, 2005 9:39 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Mike Cameron?

I know he's a stud in the OF, and I know he hit 30 HR's last year, but the last time Mike Cameron cracked the .800 OPS line was in 2001. His lifetime OPS is .780. With those 30 HR's, he drove in 76 runs and scored 76. I'm not sure you want to give up Merkin and Whitaker for that. I guess I'm a little higher on Merkin than some people, but those are two of our top 10 Prospects according to BA.

BTW. It looks like the Mets have lost Steve Treachsel for the bulk of the season. They might be desperate enough to take something like Wayne Freanklin and Brad Hennessey or Kevin Correia. Now I'd do that trade.

by DrBGiantsfan on Mar 15, 2005 10:02 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I'm with the good doctor....

I'm assuming the reason everyone's pulling for this is because of his defense more than his offense (in which I'd give Marquis the slight edge), but there have been a lot of reports that his defense REALLY fell off last year, meaning that he basically offers no upgrade over Marquis. He's even an injury risk. I understand that looking at the age of the outfielders there are mental images of flyballs dropping all over the place and singles being stretched into inside the park home runs, but I'm not into giving up on the guy who was considered our best prospect last year for Mike Cameron.

by hammystyle on Mar 16, 2005 10:10 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

.....how about instead

I like Randy Winn, so Hennessey and Whitaker for Winn. Done deal, make it happen, you'll thank me when we're sipping champagne and taking turns defecating (in private) on the rally monkey.

by hammystyle on Mar 16, 2005 10:14 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Winn?

Really? What exactly do you like about his game?Are you a SC alum?

by irwin on Mar 16, 2005 11:56 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Winn

Very consistent over last three years...

about .290/.350/.430 14 hr 75 rbi 90 run 23 sb

Can play CF, I don't know, why shouldn't I like his game?

by hammystyle on Mar 16, 2005 1:52 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Not that he stinks

or is a bad guy. In fact, I have heard from folks that knew him in college that he is a really good guy.

But he isn't much of an upgrade over Grissom [if any] at the plate, in my opinion. As such, why acquire him? Do you think he is a better CF than Grissom?

If your plan is to platoon the two guys, then you would have a good Offensive CF {.303/.362/.486) and some felxibility. Unless Grissom got pissed at being benched.

In most people's opinion, Cameron is one of the very best defensive CF. Which is what the Giants need in PacBell, especially with Bonds & Alou. I think that is main reason for the interest, along with the belief that he can be had for a reasonable price.

by irwin on Mar 16, 2005 2:56 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Winn v. Cameron

True, Winn's not a HUGE upgrade in either department over Grissom, but I would say he is still a slight upgrade offensively and defensively, and is younger and faster. I think considering the published reports of Cameron's dropoff in the field that Winn could at least be on a par defensively with him (I don't really know, I haven't seen either play more than 10 times). Winn's cheaper in a trade and on the books, and I think the reason most people want to trade for Cameron is his rep on defense when he might not be that guy anymore. Either way, Merkin for Cameron doesn't sound that hot to me.

by hammystyle on Mar 16, 2005 4:19 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs