Andrew,
You’ve been awfully quiet on the possibility of sending Konerko to LA for [RHP Scot] Shields and [IF/OF Chone] Figgins, or Crede for either of those. Do you think those rumors are true, and why are you so quiet about it?
– Jared, Oak Lawn
I’ve long been of the belief that any self-respecting sports fans should have as few mantras as possible, and that as few of them as possible should mirror actual sports mantras, i.e. “giving 110%” is inspiring when you’re on a playing field, but just plain pathetic when you, like me, are sitting in a bar yelling at strangers playing a game on television.
That said, one of the few fan ideals I cling to is to never believe trade rumors any more than you would believe any rumor around the office or the playground; most aren’t true, and even more are just twisted versions of someone’s made-up hypothetical nonsense. The Sox/Angels mega-trade ideas have been kicking around for some time, but there are quite a few reasons beyond stats that make either of them highly unlikely to ever happen.
For starters, Kenny Williams is not stupid. A gambler, yes, and sometimes a bit reckless, but not stupid. He knows that, for all intents and purposes, Paul Konerko is half of the face of the franchise right now and to trade him away would be suicide with one of the most unforgiving fan bases in all of sports. Anyone remember the summer of 1997? It was years before Sox brass was forgiven, and none of the players the Sox sent away were anywhere near the literal or figurative superstar Paulie is. Figgins and Shields are good players, and Figgins especially would be a fine addition to a team that needs a starter-caliber utility man to add depth at a few positions.
This is also exactly why the Angels won’t trade either of these two for Joe Crede. Crede, remember, played 47 games last year before getting back surgery. Back surgery! In case anyone forgot, Crede’s strength was in his acrobatics at the hot corner. Put something as vital as, say, the part of his body that basically dictates all of his athletic ability under the knife and you’ve got about the quickest way to go from “best defensive third baseman in the American League” to “possibly the biggest question mark in all of baseball.” Of course, it’s entirely possible Joe could come back with a vengeance, showing some of the greatness we’ve seen before. We know what he’s capable of, and so does everyone else. What no one knows is if that greatness is still at his disposal.
Now pretend you’re Angels GM Tony Reagins. Would you trade a solid utility man or premier setup man for an unknown quantity playing one of the most important defensive positions, all while you already have more than enough promising young infielders? I hope you would, but real life probably says you won’t. And no one would blame you for that.
Reilly:
How about them Cubs huh? Some good moves, plus Roberts on the way, I think we’ve got a chance. What do you think?
– Mike, South Loop
The Cubs acquired some good players this winter, and I see no reason they can’t be the winningest, most swept-in-the-NLDSest team in the worst division in the history of baseball. Here’s to a century of mediocrity and failure. . . and many more to come.
Andrew,
Did you see the thing about Josh Fields almost quitting because of his faith? What do you think about that? Who would play third if he had actually gone through with that?
– Marybeth, Tulsa, OK
Call me stupid, but I think personal priorities and devotion to anything are the best reasons for quitting any job. Had he actually had enough – which, from the sound of it, he didn’t – well, 100 games’ worth of Andy Gonzalez would have translated to 36 errors at third, which would’ve surely cost us as fans the dignity of not rooting for a last-place team because, you know, 90 losses is way better than losing 93 like those last-place Royals did. Yeah. In your face, Royals fans.