Baseball Musings: Shoulder Problems

January 25, 2006

Shoulder Problems

Guillermo Mota's shoulder is now holding up the deal. Although some are reporting he failed his physical with the Indians, Mota's agent puts a different spin on what happened:

Katz contended that Mota ''did not flunk his physical." Instead, Katz said, the acquiring club in these instances is ''allowed to have higher standards. It's their right and entitlement.
''He's working his tail off and will be fine for whichever team he's pitching for."

So the rumored deal remains just a rumor. The trade with the Phillies is a go.

The two-part trade included the Indians sending left-hander Arthur Rhodes to Philadelphia for outfielder Jason Michaels to replace Crisp. That part of the trade, according to a major league source, has been approved by both teams, but is in limbo awaiting the first part of the transaction to be completed.

So why is Mota's shoulder good enough for the Red Sox but not good enough for the Indians? Boston needs this trade more than the Indians do. The leak reinforced that, as Red Sox Nation is very excited about getting Crisp, judging from the comments on this site. That puts the Indians in the driver's seat. The Indians front office appears to want a sound pitcher, not just a healthy one. Cleveland is in a position where making or not making the deal doesn't change the short term prospects of the team. They can walk away from the trade. They're holding out for the deal they want. Good for them.

Posted by David Pinto at 07:34 AM | Trades | TrackBack (0)

Comments

The sentiment at OverTheMonster and by the Sox fans on Sickels's site is opposition to the trade. The Sox would be much better off just trading a reliever to the Phillies for Michaels than giving up Marte and a reliever for an OF who is a worse fit for their needs and only slightly better (albeit notably younger). The general sentiment is that Crisp is better than Michaels, but the difference isn't even close to the value of Marte.

The Bard/Shoppach inclusion just makes the deal much worse for the Sox.

Posted by: Craig A. Damon at January 25, 2006 08:49 AM

Fully agree. The Sox should make a deal for Michaels and call it a day. At worst, he platoons with Harris. Since Theo has publicly returned, this deal is surprising given Larry's quote to Gammons.

Posted by: El Guapo's Ghost at January 25, 2006 09:34 AM

I want to echo Craig and Rich Garce's Ghost. I don't think RSN is totally on board for this trade. The folks at Fire Brand seem to be squarely on the fence for this deal with many wondering if Coco Crisp is worth Andy Marte. I'm inclined to agree.

Posted by: Benjamin Kabak at January 25, 2006 10:37 AM

As a Phillies phan/blogger, I hate the trade. I would much rather deal directly with the Red Sox than get the scraps from the Indians.

Posted by: Tom G at January 25, 2006 12:49 PM

One more way of thinking about the trade.

My problems with Crisp are a moderate OBP and mediocre defense in CF. The only thing that separates him from a replacement level player like Alex Sanchez is some modicum of power. Something like 120 points of Slg%.

Marte is very likely to put up a Slg% more than 120 points above a league average 3B, with an OBP at least as good as the average. So Marte + replacement player = Crisp + league average 3B. I assert that the Sox would be as good by the end of this year if they stayed with a replacement level CF (Stern and Machado are in house) and played Marte instead of Lowell as they would be with if the proposed trade goes through and they play Crisp and Lowell. And much better beyond this year

Posted by: Craig A. Damon at January 25, 2006 02:01 PM

The vast majority of RSN - particularly the fans with the knowledge and passion to post on Red Sox message boards- are vehemently against the Marte/Crisp trade.

... Sox Sweep Again, RedSoxNation.net

Posted by: SoxSweepAgain at January 25, 2006 03:54 PM

What about Cory Sullivan the CF for the Colorado Rockies? He seems to be expendable in Colorado and he has good speed and a history as a leadoff guy and he would likely come cheaper than Crisp and others whose names have been thrown around in trade talks. Just a thought.

Posted by: Mikey at January 27, 2006 01:51 PM