Winter Meetings--Day Two Update

With the winter meetings in need of a jumpstart and the big three of available pitchers (Johan Santana, Danny Haren, and Erik Bedard) remaining in dry-dock, the Tigers and Marlins have cooked up a legitimate blockbuster. Having failed to make a trade with the Angels involving Miguel Cabrera, the Marlins have agreed to send both Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to the Tigers for a parcel of six prospects. Cameron Maybin, Andrew Miller, and catcher Mike Rabelo headline the players coming from Detroit; Maybin will fill Florida’s longstanding need for a center fielder, while Miller will take Willis’ place in the Marlins’ rotation and Rabelo will be given a chance to succeed the departed Miguel Olivo as the No. 1 receiver in Florida. The other prospects are all pitchers: Dallas Trahern, Euologio De La Cruz, and Burke Badenhop, none of whom figure to be ready by the start of the 2008 season… So how does Cabrera fit into the Tigers’ lineup? He could replace Brandon Inge at third base, making Inge available for a follow-up deal. Or Cabrera could move to left field, with Inge remaining at the hot corner. An outfield of Cabrera, Curtis Granderson, and Magglio Ordonez would be most intriguing… My immediate reaction to the deal? I like the deal more from the Tigers' standpoint; Cabrera is a huge offensive talent (in more ways than one) who will benefit from having a tough manager in Jim Leyland. Willis won't be asked to be more than a No. 3 starter in Detroit, and that's just where he should be slotted. Frankly, I think the Marlins would have done better by taking the Angels' offer of Howie Kendrick (whom I like better than Maybin), Jeff Mathis (who's better than Rabelo), and Nick Adenhart...
If the Red Sox can acquire Santana without having to give up either Jacoby Ellsbury or Clay Buchholz, they will have pulled off the coupe of the decade. A package of Coco Crisp, Jed Lowrie, Jon Lester, and Justin Masterson would do little short-term damage to the Red Sox. Conversely, the Twins and new general manager Bill Smith will have to do a major selling job with their fan base, trying to explain how they could give up the game’s No. 1 left-hander without acquiring one of Boston’s two crown jewels. The Red Sox would only include Ellsbury by subtracting Lester from the proposal. The Twins will have to decide whether Ellsbury or an upper tier left-hander like Lester is more important in the long haul…

With Santana seemingly out of the picture, the Yankees have now turned their attention to the A’s and Haren. Oakland GM Billy Beane has put a high price tag on Haren, who is nearly two years younger than Santana. Beane wants Phil Hughes and two other top prospects in return, but has no interest in Melky Cabrera. A package of Hughes, right-hander Alan Horne, and outfielder Austin Jackson could be workable for both sides…

While Santana and Haren make most of the pitching rumor headlines, the Orioles have already begun intense trade talks involving their ace, Bedard. Several teams are in the mix here, most prominently the Dodgers. Hot and heavy for the prized left-hander, the Dodgers are said to be offering an enticing parcel of Matt Kemp and Jonathan Broxton. Kemp would give the Orioles some much needed outfield help while Broxton would fill the team’s bullpen void, created by the injury to Chris Ray, who will miss all of 2008. If the Dodgers’ offer doesn’t satisfy Baltimore, the Orioles could turn to the Blue Jays, who can offer an Alex Rios-driven package. It’s debatable whether the O’s would be willing to trade within the American League East; they certainly won’t deal with the Red Sox or the Yankees… The Mets are also interested in Bedard, to the point that they’ve offered Carlos Gomez, Mike Pelfrey, and Aaron Heilman, but that doesn’t match the quality of the Dodgers’ offer…

The Royals’ signing of Jose Guillen could lead to a trade of one of their other starting outfielders, either David DeJesus or Mark Teahen. With Guillen slated to play right field, Teahen will have to shift to left field, or perhaps move on to a team like the Cubs. (Teahen for Mark Murton has been broached.) With his fine defensive skills in center field, DeJesus would bring more in a potential trade. The Royals would then replace DeJesus (or Teahen) with Joey Gathright, who was a much improved offensive player in 2008 but somehow managed to get thrown out eight of 17 times on stolen base attempts. That’s an especially horrid percentage given that Gathright is the fastest player in the game.