Teams looking at Huff...why I won't give up on a trade

[splitterpfj]

Baltimore and Philly have both been in contact with Aubrey Huff's agent, if they're looking at guys like that...I refuse to believe all hope is dead regarding Mench or Jenkins.

 

www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baseball/bal-os1207,0,5794685.story?coll=bal-sports-headlines

 

Ditto Emil Brown, Reggie Sanders and Jacque Jones.

[PeaveyFury]

Well, either we're not caving in to their offers of basically crap in return (Lopez) or guys they don't need/want for various reasons (Lieber), or the Brewers' OF's were actually their third or fourth option behind Gonzalez, instead of their second like we were told.

[JohnBriggs12]

splitterpfg,

 

You stumbled on something here but you draw the exact opposite conclusion that I do. As you point out, Huff, Brown, Sanders, Jaque Jones are also being shopped. I'd throw out Marcus Thames as another. Plus still available as FA are Cliff Floyd, Jay Payton, Trot Nixon and Preston Wilson.

 

Mench and Jenkins fall pretty much at that same level.

 

That's plenty of supply if you are shopping for mediocre outfielders.

 

But where's the demand? Baltimore, Philly, perhaps one or two others.

 

Plenty of supply, not much demand. Nobody's going to give up value when there is so much supply out there.

[splitterpfj]

I have no idea who else is looking JBriggs. I also don't know how GMs would rank the guys they have to pick from.

 

The Brewers aren't going to be able to push anyone around with the guys they're offering, but I still think they can get a deal somewhere.

 

If it's true that eight teams asked about Mench, we've only discussed Baltimore, Philly and LA here, who are the others?

 

One team that seems to be looking is Pittsburgh, they wanted to make a splash and get LaRoche, but they missed, I think something is possible there, but I don't know what they'd be offering.

 

Can't you just see it...here we sit with extra infielders and extra outfielders....and we end up signing Mark Redman.

[miwokE]

Washington? San Diego (LF)? Florida (CF)? St. Louis? Pittsburgh? Cincinnati? Colorado? Cleveland? Oakland? Texas? Minnesota? might feel like they have a hole in their outfield...might not.

 

I think JB is right, though. You have a somewhat long list of risk/reward free agents with Floyd being the highest and the others less (until recently that list included Luis Gonzalez who I, for one, am surprised was the first to go). What Mench and Jenkins and Clark offer is durability at the possible expense of the high end upside. I'd say there is a market there, but more FA cards need to fall and more injury questions need to be answered.

[deeswan]

Rumor central on ESPN.com says the O's have made a 2 yr., $9 million offer to Jay Payton.

[tony2sweet]

Why not trade Jenkins, Mench, and T-Bow for a starting pitcher like Kris Benson. Then we could turn around and sign Huff. I would much rather have Huff than Jenkins or Mench and feel Huff would be more versatile and productive, that makes more sense for the Brewers.

[endaround]

Because Jenkins is better than Huff, likely cheaper and only signed for one year.

[Big Reed]

a vaild point was just made hidden inside that post.

 

a brewerfan said he'd rather have Huff than Jenkins or Mench. I would also rather have Huff. and I believe most GMs would rather have Huff.

 

the problem in trying to trade jenkins or mench is that a GM can sign huff for a couple of million more and not have to give up anybody to do so. While melvin is trying to make a trade involving jenkins and mench, other Gms are still shopping for FA outfielders. melvin is obviously trying to get something in return. if you are a GM, why give melvin something of value when you can just go out and sign a nixon or a payton, or a gonzolez, or a huff?

 

jenkins and mench are good outfielders, but there are too many other FA outfielders gms can sign without giving up anything.

 

it was pointed out if you sign a FA, you may be looking at ending up with a long ternm deal on a guy. that's not the case with this year's FA hitters. Piazza signed for one year to be a dh. Payton signed for 2 years. Nomar signed for 2 years. Gonzo signed for 1 year. jenkin's one year deal is not as attractive as we might think it is.

 

I don't see jenkins or mench being traded anytime soon, and definitely not before all of the other FA outfielders sign with somebody. I also don't believe the brewers will receive much in return for either jenkins or mench while guys like huff, nixon and lofton are still available.