Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Heightened Expectations

Hello again, readers! I don't have much to do beside read fan fiction on Harry Potter 7, so I resolved to continue on my entry from earlier today. As the above photo makes abundantly clear, this write-up will be covering the trade possibilities of one Eric Gagne.
I stated earlier that Teixeira was a mercenary for hire. Well, Gagne has not shown the same ruthless determination to milk the market that Tex has, but I believe that the odds are almost insurmountable of him signing a deal. And he's even more so of a rent-a-star than Tex, seeing as this year is the last on his deal.
But here lies the delicious portion of this situation: You can never have enough throwers. Ever. I don't care if you're Detroit in 2009, with more pitchers than a Beantown bar at midnight. Quality hurlers are a commodity every team is desperate to lay their hands on.
And quality is the key word with Gagne. He's posted an ERA of 1.23, blown one save in fifteen opportunities, and alleviated most of the injury concerns that surrounded him due to his last two years with the Dodgers. Simply put, he's been dominant.
It's this that makes me reluctant to deal him. Not only is Gagne singular in his ability to close a game, he's the type of electric presence that I simply love having. There are some players in sports that excite the fans simply by walking out onto the field, and Eric Gagne fits snugly into that category.
Now, what can the Rangers expect in return? The endless Ugueth Urbina comparisons are certainly fitting. But I don't think the Rangers will get the same sort of haul in this deal- Florida was being Florida, acting out of desperation, selling every possible commodity in preparation for a seasonal run for a world series to facilitate five more years of SUCK. Some will look at Adrian Gonzalez plus mediocre prospects, consider that Gagne is better than Urbina was, and suggest that a player of Kotchman or Loney caliber should be made available. Keep dreaming. Gonzalez was an unproven commodity, the latter two are hitting .300+ at the major league level at a young age.
But while you won't be getting prime pieces for Gagne, you could certainly recieve worthy compensation. Let's say, for instance, that Curt Schilling's injuries are worse than feared. The Red Sox theoretically prepare to move Jonathan Papelbon to the rotation (as they planned to do all along before discovering that he was a shut-down ender) and seek the man to pitch back-to-back with the tremendous Okajima. You wouldn't get Lester or Ellsbury, but could you pry away Manny Delcarmen? Unlikely, but possible.
Detroit develops a distrust of the usually steady but always scary Todd Jones? You can cross out Maybin, Miller, etc in a straight up deal. But would a desperate Detroit (highly unlikely) be prepared to swing a monster for both Texas' closer and their first baseman? In that case, we could see some serious young talent flying from system to system.
There will be a multitude of teams interested in Gagne. But as with Tex, Jon Daniels is demanding a bounty higher than the player's actual value. And I repeat my stance on this matter:
You go, Jon.
But eventually, let's make these damn deals happen.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

dude... should i post some harry potter spoilers... like who dies????

Or Moyal said...

If you attempt to, I will track you down and tear out your innards individually.