Free Juan Rivera--Update: Free! Juan Rivera!
The Nationals and Angels have called a press conference to announce a trade. It's probably safe to say that Jose Guillen is on his way to DC.
Sigh.
It's not that Guillen's a bad player. After the early damage of being brought up about 3 years before he should have--while losing valuable developmental time--he's been pretty useful the last few years. (Attitude trouble, excepting)
It's just that Juan Rivera is a not-all-that dissimilar player and he's much cheaper--and doesn't cost anything in terms of players. Oh well.
I'll have more later when we find out how much we're gonna pay.
UPDATE-- Ken Rosenthal says it's for Rivera AND a prospect.
It's too bad that JimBo is running the offices out of Florida, because I'd probably make a side trip to RFK on the way home to ram that trailer that serves as their offices with my car.
UPDATE 2--Apparently it's Macier Izturis.
With Guzman in the fold for the next 4 years, Izturis was expendable. He really wasn't much of a hitter in the minors and definitely isn't anyone to lose tooooo much sleep over. I'd assume this means Larkin's a lock to be the back-up on the team now.
Sigh.
It's not that Guillen's a bad player. After the early damage of being brought up about 3 years before he should have--while losing valuable developmental time--he's been pretty useful the last few years. (Attitude trouble, excepting)
It's just that Juan Rivera is a not-all-that dissimilar player and he's much cheaper--and doesn't cost anything in terms of players. Oh well.
I'll have more later when we find out how much we're gonna pay.
UPDATE-- Ken Rosenthal says it's for Rivera AND a prospect.
It's too bad that JimBo is running the offices out of Florida, because I'd probably make a side trip to RFK on the way home to ram that trailer that serves as their offices with my car.
UPDATE 2--Apparently it's Macier Izturis.
With Guzman in the fold for the next 4 years, Izturis was expendable. He really wasn't much of a hitter in the minors and definitely isn't anyone to lose tooooo much sleep over. I'd assume this means Larkin's a lock to be the back-up on the team now.
posted by Chris Needham at
2:08 PM
7 Comments:
This is just terrible. Bowden can't get fired soon enough. I feel like a Pirates fan or something.
By
Ryan, at 11/19/2004 2:56 PM
Ahhh! The sweet feeling of sickness, misery, and disappointment that makes us love this sport so much!
This really is a sport defined by pain.
By
Chris Needham, at 11/19/2004 2:57 PM
Anyone else glad they didn't lay out the 300 non-refundable dollars for tickets yet? :)
65-97 here we come!
By
Chris Needham, at 11/19/2004 3:09 PM
Chris Kahrl from Baseball Prospectus: "And now, in one day, I went from someone willing to put together a package of four seats with a few friends and associates to cover the whole season to someone who's suggesting that maybe we should settle for 30-40 games now that we're condemned to witness the fruits of such overactive moronics." And that was before this trade.
By
Ryan, at 11/19/2004 3:11 PM
It's... remarkable.
I'm... Puzzled.
I'd really like to know what's the "tought process" behind that.
And Robinson hasn't even begun to hammer you guys with his "creatives" lineup constructions.
Man, at least the Nordiques traded for Patrick Roy and won the stanley cup when they went to Colorado... This is so sad.
By
Olivier, at 11/19/2004 3:32 PM
my take: it was a good move. we're getting guillen for much less than he's worth if not for that late-season run-in w/ iron mike scoscia.
frankly, this guy's the best hitter we've got, and i'm glad bowden took the risk. hell, at least guillen can actually hit, unlike castilla and guzman.
thanks,
j
By
Jamie Mottram, at 11/19/2004 6:20 PM
I'd understand the anger and/or concerns if Rivera was, say, 22 or 23 years old. But he's only 2 years younger than Guillen and hasn't done nearly as much. (Calling someone a "not-all-that-dissimilar player" is an indirect way of saying "not as good.") Bowden didn't exactly trade our version of B.J. Upton for Guillen -- he traded a decent outfielder with good skills for a player has had several productive years and who is entering the prime of his career. Now, if he turns out to a knucklehead, that's bad. But the trade isn't.
By
Anonymous, at 11/20/2004 8:46 AM
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