Thome has played just 26 games at 1b since 2006. Right now the Phils are hot after Cuddyer. My thinking is that if they sign Cuddyer they would move Utley to 1b, Polanco to 2b and have Cuddyer play 3b. Thome is there for leadership and for a power pinch hitter. Howard is expected back sometime in June, maybe earlier, so I don't think the Phillies have any intentions of using Thome at 1b unless it's absolutley necessary. They have enough options that can play there that they don't need Thome to play the field.

michael cuddyer cant play 3rd. they move utley to 3rd and polanco to second. cuddyer plays first

Cuddyer has player over 170 games at third base in his career. No chance Utley will play third. He has an arm similar to Chuck Knoblach. If the Phillies do sign Cuddyer, the infield will look like this until Howard comes back. Cuddyer (1B)-Utley (2B)-Rollins (SS)-Polanco (3B) or Utley (1B)-Polanco (2B)-Rollins (SS)-Cuddyer (3B).

I love the word "chum." It is most excellent.

What the hell does this have to do with baseball?

Jonathan Sanchez traded for Melky Cabrera.


http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7203609/kansas-city-royals-trade-melky-cabrera-san-francisco-giants-jonathan-sanchez

^ Seems like a sensible trade for both teams, although I have my doubts about Sanchez...opens CF in KC for that Crain stud who has all but demolished the minors...Sanchez becomes the #3 or #4 in their rotation I presume...Cabrera should thrive in SF with his power to the gaps...he quietly put a nice season together in KC...

great trade for the giants. they have a guy to hit behind jose reyes now.i dont think that cuddyer has played 3rd base in a very long time. jim thome used to play 3rd when he first came up too and he cant even play in the field now. cuddyer isnt too far off from that. he should hiit 265 with 25 homesruns and 90 rbis in that [hilly offense

This seems to signal that the Giants are gonna give up on resigning Beltran and going full bore after Reyes instead.

i think if they land reyes they have a better chance at getting beltran for a bargain. im sure that beltran is at the point in his carreer where he wants a world championship. i could totally see him taking a 1 year 5 mil contract with the giants IF reyes signs with the giants. remember beltran is at the end of the line. it will be hard for him to get more than 3 years 15 mil

what exactly do you want me to look at? the fact that there is a good chance that cuddyer will do what i said in the philly offense?

I wanted you to see that Cuddyer last played 3B in 2010, and i disagree with that Cuddyer can't still play the field. Idon't expect Cuddyer to be a Gold Glover, but he is more than capable of playing 3B if needed.

maybe you are right. he wouldnt be my 1st or second option at 3rd though

Decent trade for SF, good trade for KC, imo.

Milwaukee has Lorenzo Cain so Cabrera was a luxury coming off a nice season, so its a easy gamble to take on a pitcher who has a ton of potential like Sanchez. Granted, Sanchez has the look of the next Oliver Perez but if he can figure things out a total win for KC. If not, worth the gamble considering the cost.


SF...they filled a hole at an affordable cost, gave up a player they probably didn't really want any more. Melky had a nice year last year but so far 2011 is the outlier in his career, 2012 should let us know if he turned the corner or just got a little lucky.

Considering I picked SF the landing spot for Reyes, I am looking at this deal as a way to clear salarary for him, as now they found a way to bring in a CF'er without adding to their payroll.

Regarding Reyes, seems like Fthe Marlins have already made him an offer. Man I really hope he doesn't land within the Mets division.

It would be funny if they both ended up on the same team again, in the NL but on the opposite end of the country. Stranger things have happened.

A writer with CBS Sport reported that the Giants aren't going after Beltran, much less Reyes. That would be kind of an odd strategy, given how close they are to being a World Series contending team right now. Paying Zito $19MM and Rowand $12MM in 2012 is a huge anchor on making big moves though. Sabean has a good organization of picking young talent and was lucky in 2010 picking up scrap heap type of bargains. That is probably the way they'll go until those salaries are off the books.

I was kind of hoping that the M's would end up signing Cuddyer to play LF. I've always liked that guy. Hard to believe he's only 33. It seems like he's been around forever already. I would have thought he was like 36 or something.

As quiet as they've been though, I gotta figure the M's are making a run at Fielder or possibly Pujols. Then make Carp/Smoak the LF/DH positions. Fielder would probably be the best guy to have at DH, but he still wants to play 1B, so that is probably going to be a stipulation for signing him. At least until he's 30-31.

that writer for cbs said that brandon crawford would start at shortstop. that cbs writer doesnt know what hes talking about. EVERYONE besides that cbs writer link reyes to the giants.

It might be wise for the Giants to not sign Reyes and go after a power hitter since their team seriously lacks one. Sure Belt and Sandoval can hit 20 home runs but they don't have a pure 30+ home run guy on their team. Maybe they should go with Crawford at shortstop since he will make the major league minimum and spend money elsewhere.

Here are some free agent projections by various websites. Consider the sources for some of these because who knows how reliable some of these writers are.

http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7182272/putting-price-albert-pujols-prince-fielder-other-top-free-agents

http://eye-on-baseball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22297882/33089612

http://baseballhistorian.blogspot.com/2011/11/2011-2012-free-agent-predictions.html

http://www.thebaseballpage.com/content/top-50-free-agent-projections

Now Ken Rosenthal is saying the same thing too. Sabean is quoted that payroll will be the same as 2011, which was $125MM. With 13 arbitration players, theyre estimated at $120MM in 2012. Again the value of Zito and Rowand handcuff them.

Everything I have read from SF reporters is that the Giants wont be going after Reyes. I still have them as my landing spot for Reyes because its a natural fit and they do need offense, so unless they want to make trades at every deadline they need to address that.

And, yes, they do need a power hitter too. Maybe they can make another trade. Given their depth of pitching I wouldn't be shocked to see them trade Matt Cain. Both him and Lincecum are going to be due huge contracts next seasons, maybe they choose one and deal the other. They have the pitching depth to probably do that and offensive shortcomings to need to. Their pitching will take a hit at that loss most definitely, but the gain in offense might be greater.

Marlins being aggressive out the gate. Not only courting Reyes but Mark Buehrle as well and there is supposed interest in Fielder and CJ Wilson as well. And with the Nats being somewhat aggressive as well, apparent interest in Roy Oswalt, the NL East could be pretty interesting next years.

Aside from the Mets that is.

^ I will be interested to see how the Marlins fare in their pursuits, given how Loria has become anathema over the past few years via his totalitarian mismanagement of the club...the word is out on that piece of shit, and I wonder if the Guillen hiring will be enough to assuage some of the pursued players...at the end of the day, money talks and shit walks, but Loria's reputation could cost the Marlins in free agency.

I hope it does as I have long thought Loria to be the worst owner in baseball. Unfortunately, the Wilpons are challenging that throne these days.

With McCourt all but out of the picture, Loria and the Wilpons are definitely the two frontrunners for the worst of the worst.