Billy Beane used to call Erubiel Durazo his "white whale", which meant that Durazo was a player Beane had coveted for a long time. "White whale" is a reference to the Mastodon album "Leviathan" , which rocks so hard that the white whale reference was rocked back in time to Beane before the album came out. There are still some holes in that theory, but if you can think of a more logical explanation for where the term "white whale" came from, I'd like to read it.
Point is, a white whale -- at least, in baseball terms -- is a player who you think would fit your team perfectly. My white whale used to be Asdrubal Cabrera of the Indians. He's a 21-year-old shortstop who is reputed to have a great glove. He had a fantastic season in AAA, and the Indians already had a long-term shortstop with Jhonny Peralta.
Alas, Cabrera is now close to untouchable. He's in the majors, and he's playing well. It probably would take something more than a Sanchez or Lowry to pry him away.
I've moved on. My new white whale is Steven Pearce. He's a right-handed hitter with power, he plays a position at which the Giants don't have any prospects, and he's blocked by Adam LaRoche. There are some problems, of course:
- The last couple of times the Giants have dealt with the Pirates, it, uh, hasn't gone so well for the Pirates. So the new GM for the Pirates probably won't be allowed to talk to Sabean.
- That's about it.
Comment starter: Your white whale. Free agent or trade, who is the one player you'd target if you were a GM?