Fill in the blank: Vargas, Mench, and prospects for ______

[LouisEly]

My answer:

 

One of Jon Garland or Javier Vasquez.

 

The White Sox are 10 games under .500, their offense is horrible and Mench would be an upgrade over what they have in LF (their only OF whose OPS even comes close to Mench is Podsednik if you can believe that). Mench and Vargas's salaries would cut the cost of adding either of those two in half (if they could take Dessens off the DL and throw him in, even better), and the playoff revenue would more than pay for the increase in salary. Perhaps the Sox could include some cash. Throw in one of the glut of A/A+ OFs (Ford/Cain/Brantley/Fermaint) and a pitcher (Dillard? McClendon? Garrison?).

 

I'm not sure what prospects it would take, but the White Sox, with their glut of starting pitching and dismal offense, would make a good trading partner. Vargas fills their SP spot, Mench is an upgrade in LF over Mackowiak, and they get some young talent. Milwaukee solidifies the rotation, and the salary exchange is reasonably close. Thoughts?

[TheCrew07]

Well my answer would depend on the prospects... if Gwynn, Jackson, Sarfate are the prospects... then whatever upgrades the pen or our depth elsewhere. If Inman, Jeffress, Salome, Brewer are the prospects, I veto!

 

The thing is though, the more I think about this the last month or so, other than another setup type reliever (more for next year), what does the Crew really need that they don't have? Aside of course from a superstar like Griffey, which the Brewers will never be able to afford with the original club eating up salary for us.

 

I felt all along that Braun and Yo would give the team a lift, and I feel the same way about Balfour and Parra down the road. Are their some small holes that could be plugged? Sure... but at what price?

[giffted1]

Adding a veteran starter sounds nice, but I'm not sure we need one and wouldn't want to create a hole by adding one.

 

The improvement over Vargas wouldn't be worth losing Jenkins' platoon partner plus prospects especially since we have players on the team that could take his spot. Mench has been great against lefties this year and unless we added someone with major league experience to fill his role I wouldn't consider dealing him.

 

I'd rather just let Gallardo, Villanueva, or Parra take his spot in the rotation and not have to watch Jenkins embarrass himself against lefties.

[loghome44]

Dunn.

not crazy bout his strikeouts though.

[UWRyan428]

I think we hit enough HR's already. Perhaps, someone who can get on base at a .400 clip...like Braun's schoolboy chum, Pat Burrell. He's having a down year and could probably be had for a song, with some salary relief.

[Fike85]

I would like to see Vargas traded if for no other reason than it would allow Villanuva

 

Burrell has a no-trade clause and it is unlikely that he would accept a trade to Milwaukee.

 

To go on a bit of a rant, Philly fans really hate Burrell, who happens to have a .391 OBP this season. Apparently they don't like players that average 30 HR, 32 doubles, and 95 walks a season.

[The Game Master]

I don't understand why so many want Vargas to be Traded?

 

Granted he is an averge starter and clearly he don't have much of a future of that with the Brewers.

 

But I have seen him pitch quit of bit and I've watch him sneak out of his Jeams and he has shown once in awhile that he could be a Strike Out Pitcher. I really belive if the Brewers could get him into the Bullpen and tell him they want him to be a 1 inning guy. He could let it loose and I belive he would find that he has the kind of stuff that would match any elite closer in the league.And that is the standard you try to reach for in a bullpen guy.

[hauser42]

I don't understand why so many want Vargas to be Traded?

 

He is not flashy, not a drafted Brewer, came over for a guy that was loved on this site ( Doug Davis).

 

Vasquez or Contreas.

[LouisEly]

I don't understand why so many want Vargas to be Traded?

 

Because he is perhaps the best option that can be used to get someone better.

 

Most teams don't want to give up a good player unless they get one in return who is major league ready and can step in and fill that position (like last year - including Mench in the Lee deal, and getting Vargas in the deal for Davis). Vargas, packaged with some prospects, can get a better starter because the other team gets a guy who is ML-ready and can adequately fill that starter role, and the prospects offset the value of the upgrade.

 

You're right - Vargas has not been bad at all for a 5th starter. But he can be used with prospects to get a #2/#3 level starter.