Shaking it Up

[RockintheRed]

First it's the offense, now it's the bullpen that's refusing to come through for us lately. Check that, offense is still anemic with runners on base as well. I have more confidence that our bullpen will pull though, but we really should assign a temporary closer spot to someone in the bullpen to give some stability to the back-end. Perhaps it's time to call Chris Perez up to the big leagues. A shake-up could be coming soon.

As for the offense, there are a few moves we should explore. Joe Mather, who's absolutely raking in Memphis, could easily replace Chris Duncan as an outfield platoon. He'll turn 26 in July and is hitting .321/.429/.617 in 81 AB, including 5 home runs and a healthy .296 isolated power. As for Duncan? I love the on-base skills and the potential power threat he has (that is, untapped potential at the moment), but his best attributes project as a good DH or first baseman. The DH's are seriously struggling in the American League this year, and a number of teams need a first baseman. The Blue Jays recently acquired Kevin Mench and Brad Wilkerson to help the outfield, and Duncan would be a sizable improvement over them. Of course, we all know of Anthony Reyes' availability. A package of both Anthony and Duncan could make it more appealing for a team to part with a "top prospect and another piece."

I thought I'd check-in with some possible targets we'll have on the trade market, as some have made some news:

• Khalil Greene, shortstop for the Padres, hit his third home run of the season last night, bringing his line up to .214/.258/.331 in 145 AB. He is still hitting into some bad luck with a .257 BABIP, but he is hitting line drives at a healthy 21% clip. I think Greene should be one of our top targets if we're seeking to add another true power threat to the lineup. The Padres are 15-25 and in last place in the NL West, so there's a good likelihood they would listen to offers this season. Greene is due $6.5 million next year, the last year of his contract, and he plays very good defense. The OBP makes me gag, but I don't know if there's a whole lot of better options. This report card isn't pretty...

• I must have missed this one when it first happened, but Sean Rodriguez, shortstop, has been recalled by the Angels to start for injured Chone Figgins. This will be interesting to watch as it'll be a bit of a showcase for the prospect in the big leagues. In 30 AB with the Angels, Rodriguez is batting .233/.324/.233 with 3 walks and 10 strikeouts, grounding out 63% of the time.

• Brent Lillibridge still continues to struggle for the Triple-A Richmond Braves, batting .183/.236/.248 in 109 AB. Brian Barden seems like a better option at this point.

• Ben Zobrist has finally started his 2008 campaign with the Tampa Bay Rays.

• Would the Yankees care to trade a struggling arbitration-eligible player for another guy having a sub-par year? Robinson Cano is batting just .183/.237/.303 in 142 AB. Hank must be pretty mad by now.

Finally, I'd like to give a shout-out to the good folks at Maritz, who (according to my source) make this a daily read. Thanks for reading and feel free to add to the discussion!

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[BleacherBum593]

Another player who's hitting the ball down in Memphis is Nick Stavinoha.

That said, I'd love to see Joe Mather be brought up to replace Duncan. Better bat, plus the D improves in our OF.

Duncan plus Reyes should bring us a top prospect from somewhere. Probably a better fit with an AL team for Duncan (DHing). But, that probably won't happen till we get closer to the trading deadline.

[RockintheRed]

True, Nick Stavinoha is another guy that merits some attention. Mather has more power though, which puts him ahead of Stavinoha in terms of value, IMO. I think if they make a trade it will definitely be in June or July, but it's something to monitor as we go along.