Yes, it's true. It really hurts to part ways with Manny after 4 great seasons for us. Even worse is trading him to the favorite to take our division next season. However, the time has come to build around some new players. Hopefully Manny, Dave, and Jamie will help us win that elusive championship this season before moving on to Brooklyn. If so, I'll have no regrets.
So, this one certainly helps get me off the fence about my plans for next season. We're not going to make a strong playoff run (at least not on purpose), but we won't be doing a total teardown either. I'll put the official "For Sale" sign on most of my 30-somethings and try to find them new homes with a 2007 contender. I think that we have a good enough core of players to bounce back strong in a year or two, so I'll be most interested in younger players who can help me soon. Picks and prospects are nice, but young players who have already reached the majors are even more appealing. We could also make room for injured players who could bounce back strong next year. In positional terms, our greatest areas of need are pitcher, catcher, and OF. A "2B of the future" who could take over for Kennedy soon would also be nice.
So, who do we have to offer? I'm so glad that you asked! All stats below are unadjusted and all contracts are for the just completed 2006 season.
1) Jason Giambi - 1B/DH, A5 3x3, 976 OPS in 579 PA, 37 HR. Would come off his A in a trade down to a B12. What contender wouldn't appreciate a big bat like this in their lineup?
2) Ichiro! Suzuki - RF/CF, A4 1x4, 322/371/416 in 752 PA, 45 of 47 SB, GG with -5 arm
3) Andy Pettitte - LHP, B11, 4.2 ERA in 35 starts and 214 IP. Solid veteran starter.
4) Esteban Loaiza - RHP, B3, 4.89 ERA in 26 starts and 155 IP. Much better after disastrous April when he was pitching hurt. Started G2 for A's in ALDS!
5) Melvin Mora - 3B, B6, 274/345/391 in 705 PA. Off year, but you could do a lot worse at 3B.
6) Mike Redmond - C, B1, 341/369/413 in 190 PA. Even better vs. LHP with crazy 1.010 OPS.
7) Jeff Cirillo - IF, B1, 319/372/414 in 290 PA. Also killed LHP with 945 OPS and can play all over the infield.
Okay, I'll stop there for now. I'm willing to talk about others and I may end up keeping a couple of these guys, but this should be enough to generate some interest. Bring on the offers! I'm starting to feel the trading fever again.
