According to Boston.com, The Milwaukee Brewers "might" be taking a look at moving shortstop JJ Hardy to Boston in exchange for pitching. It's a good feature on how baseball GM's analyze and execute trades, with Brewers GM Doug Melvin getting asked a few questions along the way. Boston Globe writer Nick Cafardo says:
"Melvin is trying to determine whether to shore up the pitching now or wait until things get dire. He wouldn't comment on whether he's engaged in talks with the Red Sox on shortstop J.J. Hardy; he did concede that his Triple A shortshop, 22-year-old Alcides Escobar, is ready for the big leagues, but, he said, "We have a very good shortstop."
I'm as excited as anyone for the arrival of Escobar to the bigs, but trading Hardy at this point would be a big mistake. To date he's got 24 RBI's, .234 avg, and 5 home runs—not great, but it could be worse, as Brewer fans know Hardy is prone to long slumps.
However, Hardy's defense is undoubtedly the best in the starting infield, and what he lacks in consistent hitting power he more than makes up for in his stonewall defensive presence.
One look at the Red Sox pitching yields a few scenarios: Brad Penny would most certainly be the pitcher sent in the trade, mainly because I can't see the Red Sox parting ways with anyone else in their starting rotation (and don't say Tim Wakefield, thank you).
I say the best case scenario is to offer a package with Corey Hart, who is by all means expendable with our outfield depth and his lack of offensive consistency. The question is: Who would want to deal a solid starter or reliever for a guy like Hart?
If I'm an opposing GM, I'm passing.
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