Another Shea Post

I don't know why this hasn't been suggested yet, but..

How much would it cost to maybe induce a coma in Hillenbrand for a few days?  Then, while he's out, we can just go in and change all of his calendars and datebooks to April.  Then, when he wakes up, he'll be none the wiser.  It's a plan SO brilliant, it CAN'T fail.

I'm starting a petition.

Regardless of his numbers, I love this trade. Sure we all were pretty fond of Accardo, and next year he could be a stud just like Nathan was. However, I thought Nathan was a much more seasoned prospect when we got rid of him and was prime for a breakout season. Accardo could be 1 or 2 years away, or he could be like this forever, just raw stuff with some mental issues. Hillenbrand gives us a much needed bat to replace Niekro, and spell Feliz in the field and Alou in the lineup, even if it is just for this one season. Our whole team are gonna be free agents next year anyway, so what's one more? Also, we did replace Accardo with another right-handed reliever who throws 95, and we still have Brian Wilson who has Robb Nen-ish stuff but is a bit behind Accardo in his development. If it was Hillenbrand for Accardo straight up, I might be more hesitant, but it looks like Sabean covered all his bases with this one. And lets face it, anything is better than Niekro at the plate.

I am a Blue Jays fan who just created a account here to give you my take on Chulk, whom most of you know as much about him as I do Accardo.

Chulk has two good pitches, a fastball that touches 95mph, and a real sharp slider. He racked up some enormous K numbers in AAA, but major league hitters doesn't seem to swing and miss as much as his slider than AAA hitters, so it is unlikely he will reproduce the 12K/IP type numbers in the majors. 8K/9IP is not unreasonable to expect from Chulk. Chulk also owns right handed hitters, not so much against lefties, but still servicable. Even if he is struggling, he can still be used as a ROOGY to get touch righties out.

In addition, no offense to you NL followers, but getting out of the AL East will most likely help him. Facing the powerful lineups of the Red Sox and the Yankees in Bandboxes like the Rogers Center is much different than facing the Padres in Petco. I fully expect Chulk to thrive in the NL.

From a Jays fan's perspective, I thought J.P. Ricciardi did a pretty good job with this deal. I only wondered if Chulk needed to be involved in the deal if the whole scandal didn't happen. Getting a quality reliever with "closer potential" while freeing up $2million dollars in salary room while bargaining from our position seems alright to me.

As for Hillenbrand, I hope he serves you guys well. If SF can deal with Barry Bonds and his circus, they can deal with Hillenbrand for half a season. Despite all the recent controversy, it was Gibbons who urged J.P. Ricciardi to bring back Hillenbrand last offseason, so the two obviously got along last year. As long as Felipe Alou plays him on a consistent basis, Hillenbrand should be happy enough for the remainder of the season. However, his career second half numbers left something to be desired for.