Choo Trade Links

Busy day. Not much time to go as in-depth as I would like to on this topic. Maybe after the game or tomorrow from my suite at the hotel in Beloit.

Here are some links to the three of the usual suspects of the blogosphere. USS Mariner seem to be down & J didn't have anything yet at Mariner Minors.

Lookout Landing: 49-52/Transaction Review

So I guess the M's made two sacrifices today - (1) Chris Snelling playing every day, and (2) Shin-soo Choo. As far as #1 is concerned, while it's going to kill him to sit on the bench (you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who enjoys playing more than he does), it'll keep him healthier, and it's not like he's never going to play. He'll get his share of big at bats over the next 2+ months, and who knows, maybe if Hargrove grows tired of Adam Jones we'll see a platoon in center. A more imaginative manager might even call on Snelling to pinch-hit for Ibanez against tough lefties, but that's probably going too far. The point is, having Snelling available on the bench is going to help more than it hurts, as his mere presence protects the team against injuries to any one of Ibanez, Jones, Ichiro, Sexson, Broussard, and Perez while also offering one heck of a bat. I'm fine with it.

#2 is more a point of contention, but here's one way to look at it - do you think Choo is ever going to post a two-and-a-half-year stretch like the one Broussard's going to have for the M's? I don't think he is, and for that reason I like the deal. He's going to have his uses, as he's mastered the ability to hit right-handed PCL pitching, but someone who can't play center field, hit many home runs, or touch lefties is going to have a difficult time establishing himself as a quality regular. Cleveland's got the right idea bringing him directly to the big club to platoon against righties, but there's a pretty good chance that that's all he'll ever be able to do, so why not trade one platoon hitter with a little potential for another platoon hitter with a successful track record?

Shin-soo Choo, like Asdrubal Cabrera, has been obvious trade bait since before the year began. There just wasn't room for him in Seattle, so Bavasi gave him a chance somewhere else in exchange for a player we can actually use. It's a good trade for both sides. Forced to choose, I'd much rather make this deal over again than the Perez/Cabrera one, because Perez only plays a third of the time, and I have reasonably high hopes of Cabrera becoming a quality middle infielder. Broussard plays more, and I like Choo less than Cabrera, so I don't have a problem with this one. I'm actually pretty stoked.

My emphasis. If the guys are Lookout Landing are pretty stoked, that's a good thing. I sometimes need to read a chapter from Chicken Soup for the Baseball Fan's Soul to cheer myself up after reading some of their dark, depressing posts. But, it's still a great writing guys.

Prospect Insider: The M's Got Better today...A Lot Better

Shin-soo Choo plus C+/B- minor leaguer to be named later for Ben Broussard? Another good trade, and the best move Bill Bavasi has made at the helm in Seattle.

That's the question. Who is the player to be named later? And when will it happen? Sorry. Those are the questions.

Best title goes to Marinerds: With or Without Choo

I'm going to miss seeing Choo's son running around the stands in Tacoma -- he really is one of the cutest little kids in existence -- but damn, Ben Broussard! Now there's some lefty sock! I think it's really ironic that the Mariners ended up acquiring both sides of the amazing Cleveland first-base two-headed monster platoon. Now the question is, does this mean Big Richie's also in for a Big Switchie?

I hope it's the Mariners show some Pride Where the Streets Have No Name and that the last game of the series is not a Sunday, Bloody Sunday. Maybe Choo may treat his start in Cleveland like New Year's Day and won't Get Stuck in a Moment That He Can't Get Out Of. I Will Follow with more later. It's almost game time.