Responding To Bowden's Trade Ideas

I had a whole big post that was nearly finished up for publishing, right up until that moment when I accidentally deleted the entire thing. Lucky for me, SB Nation's brilliant auto-saving feature* was there to immediately save my mistakes. It's funny brutally lame how I can lose an hour's worth of writing in a few seconds.

*Which is usually totally awesome, by the way

But I've felt compelled to bother the world with my opinions for a while now, and what better way to do that than responding to the brilliance of one Jim Bowden. If you're not too familiar, he's the former GM of the Reds and Nationals that now works for ESPN. And while he's often mocked for being Jim Bowden, the reality is that this man gets how other GM's think.

So when he writes up trade suggestions, I don't immediately write them off. You want to know why? Because MLB general managers aren't writing them off. And if I'm that much smarter than all of these guys, I'd be on a yacht right now sending in trade ideas to the owner from my iPad (note: author would simply like to own an iPad).

Trade Idea No. 1: Tigers trade Andy Dirks, Don Kelly and Andy Oliver to Diamondbacks for Gerardo Parra

Bowden's logic: The Tigers should improve their outfield defense given that they've basically committed to poor infield defense, and Parra would certainly qualify as an upgrade. The Diamondbacks get to immediately replace Parra with Dirks while buying low on an intriguing lefty power arm in Oliver.

My thoughts: Doesn't a 24-year-old outfielder with plus defensive skills and a league average bat that's under team control for four years command more than this? Just because the Diamondbacks made a silly move and signed Jason Kubel shouldn't motivate them to treat Parra like a fourth outfielder. He'll still be able to get 500-plus plate appearances even in his current role, so Arizona would need to be impressed. Oliver, Dirks and Kelly just isn't too impressive.

Trade Idea No. 2: Rangers trade Martin Perez to the Twins for Denard Span

Bowden's logic: Rangers immediately improve outfield, can slide Josh Hamilton to left field and give Leonys Martin more development time. Texas also has a deep rotation. For the Twins, Perez gives them a good pitching prospect while allowing Ben Revere to take over full-time in center field.

My thoughts: Remember when the Twins were rumored to be trading Span to the Nationals for Drew Storen and some side pieces last year? Because if that's remotely true, then Minnesota would be simply nuts to turn down an offer of Perez, even if it's just him. Perez would become the Twins' top pitching prospect immediately. Part of me thinks that Texas could do better if it's willing to trade Perez, particularly given Span's recent concussion issues.

Trade Idea No. 3: Angels trade Mark Trumbo to the Rays for Wade Davis

Bowden's logic: The Angels could use some pitching depth and the Rays are still looking for a long-term solution at first base. With Davis essentially representing a surplus of pitching talent, acquiring Trumbo would give them a long-term replacement for Carlos Pena once his one-year contract runs out.

My thoughts: Wade Davis is a 26-year-old starting pitcher that's just put up consecutive solid seasons while pitching in the sport's toughest division. While I dont think that Trumbo is a worthless player, I simply don't understand why the Rays would trade Davis for Trumbo unless they viewed him as a quality everyday player going forward, which likely isn't the case. The Rays would be better off trading Davis for prospects and dealing with the first base issue later in the year.

Trade Idea No. 4: Yankees trade Dellin Betances and Austin Romine to the Dodgers for Andre Ethier

Bowden's logic: Ethier is a free agent at the end of the 2012 season and the Dodgers likely won't re-sign him, but the Yankees would certainly have the money. The Dodgers could land a couple of good prospects to build for the future.

My thoughts: This deal actually makes a good deal of sense to me. Ethier is a bad fit in L.A. long-term given his lacking defensive skills and the Yankees are always on the prowl for significant short-term improvements. While Betances and Romine are both good prospects, the deal wouldn't exactly leave a big hole in New York's system. And as for the Dodgers, getting Betances would give them another good pitching prospect and Romine gives them another potential option in addition to Tim Federowicz. They could try Jerry Sands in the outfield once again, too, now that he's blocked by James Loney again.

Trade Idea No. 5: Cardinals trade Shelby Miller, Zack Cox and Jon Jay to the Orioles for Adam Jones

Bowden's logic: The Cardinals need to add a new star to help in replacing Albert Pujols, and they have some solid pitching depth across the organization so it's okay to give up Miller. The Orioles are rebuilding under new GM Dan Duquette, and Jones is an obvious option to bolster the farm system.

My thoughts: No, no, no, no, no. At least if you're a Cardinals fan, this is a clear no. While Adam Jones is certainly a good player, this trade discussion seems to treat him as an elite player. And for everything that Jones has been in Baltimore over the past couple years, he's just not close to being elite. People have always salivated over Jones' upside, but this proposal seems to treat him like he's already reached it. Miller is a top 10 prospect in the entire game, Cox is a top 100 prospect, and Jay is already slotted in as the Cardinals' center fielder. Giving up Miller and Cox to upgrade from Jay to Jones would be beyond dumb, in my opinion.