The “Trade Deadline Finalists” are in and according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, they are:
Ubaldo Jimenez (Tigers, Indians, Yankees, Red Sox)
Ty Wigginton (Yankees, Red Sox and Pirates)
Ryan Spilborghs (Red Sox)
Mark Ellis (Brewers)
Chris Iannetta (Padres)
Matt Lindstrom and Rafael Betancourt (Twins)
Any of you who have read my commentary know that I firmly believe, unless it is an absolute cannot-miss deal, you don’t trade Jimenez. Most teams won’t be able to match the asking price, and the Monforts would be stupid to take anything less than “the trade-of-trades.” Right now, the offers stand at top-prospects, and the Rockies have demanded that one must be a pitcher.
Packaging Wigginton and Spilly could be an option for some prospects. Wigginton hasn’t been here a full season and Spilborghs has been a decent outfielder, but both wouldn’t be terribly missed in the grand scheme of things.
Mark Ellis to the Brewers intrigues me because Ellis hasn’t been here a month quite yet. The Rickie Weeks injury is prompting this trade idea as a possible option to fill in at second base for the Brew crew.
As for Ianetta, Lindstrom and Betancourt I want to play “screw, marry, kill.” You screw Ianetta because he is an okay catcher and has just an okay bat, you Marry Lindstrom because he is a good relief pitcher and has some dirty pitching, and you kill Betancourt because he is one bad batter away from regressing into a melting pile of OCD pre-pitch rituals that result in warnings from the officiating crew for taking for-eh-ver to deliver one single pitch.
Its selling time at Coors Field, and aside from Jimenez, Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez and Todd Helton, everyone else should be on the poker table waiting to be dealt.
You need a corps of players to re-build around and the above pieces are a good start, they just need a better supporting cast.
