Not a big fan of Alou, but he has an electric swing. Would take it over Burke any day. I'm a big fan of Griffey. He just looks intimidating the box. That is all you need sometimes. It would be a terrific deal to make. I think the questions is... Should there even be a trade deadline. what is the point? There must be, but what is it?
Griffey would be great, but only if the Reds (A) asked for virtually nothing in return or (B) the Reds get good prospects from us, but have to eat some of his salary. But something has to be done. I was at the game Saturday night and it was pathetic. I don't think this team can reach the playoffs relying on Berkman and Ensberg alone - and they certainly wouldn't do much if they got there. By not making a move, you're writing off this season.
You don't want a bunch of players getting trade on the last day of the season for playoff purposes. The idea is that the players that make the playoffs should be the ones who decide who win the playoffs - you don't want whole new teams being created right at the end of the season. I think there's a deadline in all the major pro sports for this type of reason.
Jesus Ortiz was on 610 last week (or two weeks ago) saying that the Astros have been close to swinging a deal for Alou recently, but the price was the deciding factor. Lopez writing this article at this juncture is his way of saying that the team should go for broke and make the deal. If Baggy (a huge Alou fan) is pushing for this deal to happen, look for Drayton to intervene and bypass Purpura to make something happen. Hopefully, Berkman, Biggio, Oswalt, Pettitte, Ensberg, and more importantly Clemens starts to ask for management to step up to the plate and get them some much-needed help. I think Drayton wants to win BADLY this year. After getting so close last year and the debacle of an off-season, he's been given a new lease on life. Here's hoping he comes through with a bat before the end of the homestand. Anybody think Alou is resting his injured hammy so the Giants can see what they have in his replacement so the deal is more palatable on their end? Maybe he is hurt, but not to the extent that they're letting down in order to facilitate this trade going through... the last two points are idle conjecture by yours truly. Big series starting tonight... come on boys, get those bats in gear!! Cue dream music: Taveras -CF Biggio - 2B Berkman - 1B Ensberg - 3B Alou - LF Lane - RF Everett - SS Ausmus - C our line-up is automatically improved. I don't like Lane as a 5 hitter, but as a 6 hitter, his stats look very nice.
How is that different than the waiver system. It sounds like we can trade for anyone we want whenever we want to do it.
The waiver system lets the worse teams block trades by picking up said players. If the Cubs, Phillies, or Marlins want to block Alou coming to the Astros, they can by claiming him on waivers (and paying his salary). I actually think the waiver system should go and players can't be traded after the deadline, period, but this system is better than would be if there were a free for all during the last week of the season.
Remember, there is the possibility the current club would simply let the player go. Alou has enough money in his contract for next year that "getting stuck with the contract" would be a consideration for the Phillies, Marlins, or Nats.
Alou has a say where he goes though if he's picked up on waivers... and seeing how him and Bagwell were great friends and we're in first place in the Wild Card he'd be stupid to go anywhere else. He might consider the Cubs I guess, but he's not a fan of Dusty Baker.
I will be elated to have Ken Griffey Jr. now. Just back in May, I composed a solid write-up on the need and the realistic scenario of landing KGriff jnr. but I ended up deleting it because I was not sure it was not a stupid idea. Junior will be perfect in our lineup setup and will make us an instant threat in the POs. Other than San Diego and maybe LA pitchers (who are also goo in their own rights), I am not sure I want to rely on Burke, Lamb, Everret and Lamb to do damage in the POs against Smoltz, Hampton, Hudson, Mulder (despite high ERA), Carpenter, Morris, Sosa, Marquis (who mysteriously still finds a way to mystify us). Nightmares of what happened in the last 2 games just keep flashing in my head come playoffs time if we stick with this roster. Of course, there is the possibility of Backe and Bagwell coming back in early September and catching great momentum going into October but you cannot totally and realistically count on that. Alou is on the DL and seems a bit too fragile at this point. Junior is not that better in that department but he has hopefully managed to over his injury woe (at least this season)....knock on wood. I'd prefer him. Windows like these will not be there for us to capitalize. Of the course the enticement of the Reds moving Dunn to Houston is also worthy to be taken into consideration for long term betterment of team purposes.....but that is no guarantee either. So go Griff and hope for the best. Alou is quite old. So is Griffey (35). I am not sure if he will last till the end of his contract but I feel better knowing that he does not suck in the POs. In 59 career PO ABs, he has a .305 average, .644 Slugging percentage, .382 OBP and only 11 SO. Now if he can give us that this post season, we 'd be set.
All it takes is one team to claim him that has a record worse than the Astros. Alou has no say in it unless he has a no-trade clause. For example, if the Dodgers put in a claim, the Giants then have 3 options: 1. Recall him 2. Arrange a trade with the Dodgers 3. Let him simply go to the Dodgers who at that point takes on the rest of his contract. The player can't simply say, "I won't go" until he climbs to a team he wants to go to.
Jose De Jesus Ortiz article on Chron.com Alou deal unlikely According to a top National League official, the Astros have made a couple runs at acquiring San Francisco's Moises Alou, currently on the disabled list. Alou likely would turn down a deal to the Astros for two reasons: He wants to play for his father, Felipe, and he's hurt that McLane didn't sign him in the winter. And for all the fans wondering why the Astros haven't picked up a hitter, the answer is simple: Opposing teams aren't letting players through waivers. Because so many teams still have legitimate postseason aspirations, teams are quite busy blocking potential trades by making waiver claims, forcing teams to pull the players back. Here's just a partial list of hitters who were pulled back from waivers since the non-waiver trade deadline elapsed: Tony Clark, Jay Gibbons, Bill Mueller, Adam Dunn, Austin Kearns, Willy Mo Peña, Coco Crisp, Vladimir Guerrero, Lyle Overbay, Jeff Kent and Shea Hillenbrand.
Vladimir Guerrero?!! I can't imagine why the Angels would want to move this guy considering they are in fight with A's for the division crown right now.
Names on this list don't necessarily mean much. Most teams put every single player on their roster through waivers to expedite the process and to see what happens.
Tony Clark for Brad Lidge? Damn you for not making a deal, Purp. Everyone gets run through waivers. Everyone. Doesn't mean they want to move him, and there's no risk to do it. Teams try to mask the player(s) they actually want to trade by flooding the waiver wire. The old "dazzle 'em with bull****" strategy.
