Melky Carera is not a good baseball player. There, I’ve said it. However, it seems that he would have some value on the trade market due to his age and solid defense, as his name has been linked to a few teams on multiple occasions. The White Sox have been mentioned various times, and Fangraphs did a little writeup on players who might fit the needs of the Sox, with Cabrera among those listed:
Cabrera is where Byrd was in 2005 – a promising young player coming off a lousy major league season with a questionable future in his current organization. He was essentially a replacement level major leaguer last year, but he’s only 24 and has a strong minor league track record. A switch-hitter and a decent runner to boot, he’s more of a classic leadoff type than Byrd is, and he offers more long term upside. He might only add one or two wins over Wise in 2009, but he’d also be a potential answer in CF in 2010 and beyond.
I think that this is a very optimistic view of Melky. That being said, all the Yankees need is for one club to believe it. I could not find a match with the White Sox after a quick perusal of their 40-man roster. Do you have any ideas on that front?
On a related note, I have been advocating that the Yankees take advantage of the Nationals outfielder surplus and nab Elijah Dukes on the cheap. However, some here have voiced concerns about his violent history and poor makeup. Well, according to Phil Wood of MASN, Lastings Milledge may soon become the odd man out in Washington:
Speaking with Ray Knight this evening prior to Nats Xtra, we both agree that, as things currently stand, Milledge is the fifth outfielder. Looking at the quintet of Milledge, Austin Kearns, Elijah Dukes, Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham, Lastings – in terms of big league accomplishments – ranks last.
Having 5 outfielders who are all basically starters is a bigger problem than it looks. I can’t help but think that Dunn, Dukes and either Willingham or Kearns would provide more offense AND defense than Milledge has shown.
I know that Mike Rizzo has been working the phones trying to make a deal to lessen the logjam out there. I’ve heard from scouts that Milledge has legitimate trade value, given his age, his relatively low salary, and his offensive output during the second half last year.
Milledge is not perfect either, but he is a young player who has been criticized for immaturity. He makes baserunning errors and occasionally throws to the wrong base, but those things generally fade with time and experience. In the right clubhouse, he might flourish into the player that his talent suggests he should be. I am not sure about the parameters of a deal, but any move would likely start with Ian Kennedy.
What do you think?
