The baseball winter meetings swung into full gear today, with major moves all over the place as bad teams got new players in hopes that these new players could be better than what they trotted out on the field a year ago.
Let’s get right down to it with today’s blockbuster:
Cincinnati trades INF/OF Ryan Freel and two prospects to Baltimore for C “Razor” Ramon Hernandez and cash
Wow! A team with 8 straight losing seasons trades a utilityman for a lazy catcher from a team with 11 straight losing campaigns! This move has October written all over it. On one hand, you have an oft-injured, imaginary-friend-having, light-hitting, hustling, “gym rat” outfielder/infielder clubhouse guy and on the other hand you have Razor Ramon.
Well, the O’s fans seem happy:
This is really about getting rid of Ramon. He was a constant source of frustration last year behind the plate and wasn’t much better hitting. With our savior Matt Wieters on the fast track to the bigs, it was clear there was no place for Ramon.
What about Reds fans?
As for Freel, well, he projects to be a worse hitter than Hernandez and that’s assuming that he could actually stay healthy enough to be in the lineup. The trade does leave the Reds with a dearth of outfielders. At the point the starting outfield will be Bruce, Dickerson, and Norris Hopper. So, yeah, um, they need to fix that.
Amazing! So much excitement. The deck chairs on the Titanic never looked so well arranged!
Do you want to know my take? No? Too bad!
Razor Ramon had no spot in Baltimore, this is true. The only time he’d play would be when Matt Wieters, the future of the O’s franchise, got a splinter while sanding down a full size ash tree into a bat with nothing but the grit from the emery-like skin on the palms of his hands, the hands that saved Baltimore. He also presided over some of the worst pitching performances in history. In fact, he was able to showcase his versatility by playing both catcher and first base during this game. Lazier than most, Razor knows you can’t spell atrophy without trophy.
As for Freel, he likes to make catches that get himself hurt. Getting hurt is a valuable skill for a baseball player to have, so this is a good addition. A favorite of ESPN’s because of his whiteness and his hustle, he’s a frequent contributor on Web Gems. If he played for the Red Sox, he’d be an MVP candidate. This will hopefully re-open the Reds-to-Orioles pipeline that once featured the legendary Chris Sabo. Goggle up!
Elsewhere around the league:
Jake Peavy could still be traded: Peavy-Zambrano-Dempster-Harden-Lilly as a rotation sure would add to the schadenfreude for non-Cubs fans when they choke in the playoffs. Fact: Peavy has a 12.10 career playoff ERA. He should fit in well.
K-Rod to the Mets: It’s good to cash in before your arm explodes.
Indians close to signing Kerry Wood: It’s also good to cash in after your arm explodes.
CC rumors abound: The Giants desperately need two left-handed starters making over $100 million. Also, a CC-Jamarcus Russell garlic-fries-eating contest would draw huge crowds.
