jeremyb1
01-11-2004, 04:57 PM
I feel that if Williams decided to be crafty and focus on a few small moves to patch some holes, we'd have a much better chance going into this season. Here's what I'd do:
1. Step One: Trade for Keith Ginter. Ginter had a .352 OBP and a .427 SLG (.779 OPS) last season. Those numbers are above average for a second basemen, Ginter is still only 28, and he's not yet arbitration ellgible. I'm not sure Willie Harris is quite as bad an option as some seem to, but I am convinced Ginter would be much better. The best part is we could most likely acquire Ginter for next to nothing. After the Sexson deal, he's burried behind Spivey at 2B and Wes Helms at 3B. No one tends to value backup infielders all that greatly so a midlevel prospect should be enough to snag Ginter from Milwaukee.
2. Step Two: Let Rowand/Reed play CF. Rowand won't be an All-Star any time soon but people seem to forget that CF is a weak position throughout the league these days. Rowand is useful defensively (even his detrators have to admit he's a defensive upgrade over Everett) and has a career OPS around .750 (again not bad for the position) and crushed the ball after his recall last season. Reed is quite likely going to be a superstar so if the organization determines that he's ready and capable of playing CF in the majors he should be given a shot ahead of Rowand. Otherwise the possibility always exists that he could force his way onto the club midseason with a strong showing at Charlotte.
3. Step Three: Sign Antonio Osuna. There seems to be some perception that Osuna pitched poorly for the Yankees last season but his numbers were actually better than his strong '02 campaign with us. The Politte signing was a good move but bullpen still needs help and Osuna is the last remaining reliever with a strong track record on the market.
4. Step Four: Give the remaining relief assignments to Ginter and Wright. Ginter was terrific at Charlotte last season. With the numbers he posted in AAA, there's no reason to think he can't be at least an average middle reliever in the big leagues. Wright has the potential to be outstanding if he's used in the pen. The change might help his mental approach and his repetoire should translate very well to short stints.
5. Step Five: Sign free agent starting pitchers to minor league deals. It worked will with Loaiza. There aren't any starting pitchers in our price range left on the market while the players we could afford are not worth giving guarnateed money and denying Cotts and Rauch a chance to compete for the fifth spot. Instead of just handing the job to a young pitcher in our system however, we should bring in veterans with high upside to compete for the fifth spot. Guys like Scott Erikson and Robert Person coming off injuries will probably have a hard time finding a guaranteed deal so we should do our best to convince them to sign on a minor league contract with the prospect of winning a spot of the staff of a playoff contender.
1. Step One: Trade for Keith Ginter. Ginter had a .352 OBP and a .427 SLG (.779 OPS) last season. Those numbers are above average for a second basemen, Ginter is still only 28, and he's not yet arbitration ellgible. I'm not sure Willie Harris is quite as bad an option as some seem to, but I am convinced Ginter would be much better. The best part is we could most likely acquire Ginter for next to nothing. After the Sexson deal, he's burried behind Spivey at 2B and Wes Helms at 3B. No one tends to value backup infielders all that greatly so a midlevel prospect should be enough to snag Ginter from Milwaukee.
2. Step Two: Let Rowand/Reed play CF. Rowand won't be an All-Star any time soon but people seem to forget that CF is a weak position throughout the league these days. Rowand is useful defensively (even his detrators have to admit he's a defensive upgrade over Everett) and has a career OPS around .750 (again not bad for the position) and crushed the ball after his recall last season. Reed is quite likely going to be a superstar so if the organization determines that he's ready and capable of playing CF in the majors he should be given a shot ahead of Rowand. Otherwise the possibility always exists that he could force his way onto the club midseason with a strong showing at Charlotte.
3. Step Three: Sign Antonio Osuna. There seems to be some perception that Osuna pitched poorly for the Yankees last season but his numbers were actually better than his strong '02 campaign with us. The Politte signing was a good move but bullpen still needs help and Osuna is the last remaining reliever with a strong track record on the market.
4. Step Four: Give the remaining relief assignments to Ginter and Wright. Ginter was terrific at Charlotte last season. With the numbers he posted in AAA, there's no reason to think he can't be at least an average middle reliever in the big leagues. Wright has the potential to be outstanding if he's used in the pen. The change might help his mental approach and his repetoire should translate very well to short stints.
5. Step Five: Sign free agent starting pitchers to minor league deals. It worked will with Loaiza. There aren't any starting pitchers in our price range left on the market while the players we could afford are not worth giving guarnateed money and denying Cotts and Rauch a chance to compete for the fifth spot. Instead of just handing the job to a young pitcher in our system however, we should bring in veterans with high upside to compete for the fifth spot. Guys like Scott Erikson and Robert Person coming off injuries will probably have a hard time finding a guaranteed deal so we should do our best to convince them to sign on a minor league contract with the prospect of winning a spot of the staff of a playoff contender.