A recent entry proposed a series of trades for the Cleveland Indians to consider as a means to address their nearly-desperate need for offensive enhancements.
This writing is to simplify the prescription, though it may not necessarily read that way.
Seemingly, the most available veteran bat of significance belongs to Colorado Rockies' RH 3b Garrett Atkins, a 28 year old with two more seasons before free agency. He is an established meat-of-the-order run-producer, hitting for both power and average. He is being marketed because the Rockies have a sensational prospect named Ian Stewart, a Long Beach native who played on the same high school team as Yankee hurler Ian Kennedy.
Stewart is a LH bat who apparently can't convert to 2b, as had been considered in order to somehow squeeze both infielders into the same lineup and batting order. With Todd Helton entrenched and untradeable at 1b, Dan O'Dowd supposedly contacted his former front-office partner from his Cleveland days, Tribe GM Mark Shapiro, with a reported conversation asking for LHS Aaron Laffey and 2b Josh Barfield, the former San Diego Padre now toiling in AAA obscurity, otherwise known as Buffalo.
Shapiro should make it easy for O'Dowd to say "yes" to an alternative arrangement, as he has some expendable assets who figure to have some value on an open market. Shapiro should offer to broker for O'Dowd deals involving both RHS Paul Byrd and LH OF David Dellucci, as well as for SS Jhonny Peralta, should it be O'Dowd doesn't want the trio directly transferred to his roster.
StL, AtL, the Mets, maybe the Dodgers are examples of NL clubs that would be expected to welcome a reasonable opportunity to add a vet hurler like Byrd. Whatever it is O'Dowd wants from whichever of those organizations willing to accomodate him can become his, with the trade partner receiving Byrd from Cleveland.
Similarly, whatever it is that Dellucci and/or Peralta can bring for O'Dowd via a trade-away from the Indians can become Colorado's. All of that booty can accompany RH 3b Andy Marte for Atkins, with Marte heading west because it is assumed the rookie Stewart might need an occassional platoon partner and because Marte might find himself in the thin air of a new league. Cleveland would also get versatile infielder Clint Barmes.
In brief, that's Byrd, Dellucci, Peralta and Marte to Colorado for Atkins and SS Barmes, who has been playing 2b---a conversion Jhonny might execute were O'Dowd to accept him directly. The newcomers become Cleveland's new left side of the infield, with Asdrubal Cabrera joining Barfield in the Bisons' infield.
The new batting order? Choo/Gutierrez RF, Francisco LF, Sizemore CF, Martinez C, Hafner DH, Atkins 3b, Aubrey/Garko 1b, Blake 2b, Barmes SS. Carroll and Shoppach round out the non-pitching varsity roster. Adkins might move up in the order once he acclimates to his new league. For now, there is that LH/RH alternating in place.
Additionally, Shapiro should approach another of his former front-office cronies to extract LHR Damaso Marte from the Pirates and GM Neil Huntington, so that the pen would include Jensen Lewis, Masa Kobayashi, Marte, Rafael Betancourt, Rafael Perez, Joe Borowski and AAA promotee Rick Bauer.
Manager Eric Wedge should be able to win the division with this collection, so long as he can get over his obsessions with Grady at leadoff and Travis in the three-hole.
What is more, this advice is free.
Read the complete post at http://www.xanga.com/MALeonard/658476376/simplified-solution-for-tribes-need.html