Didn't Take Long

So, you want to know what happens in the forum during the off-season? Some people will make a proposed trade, just to get differing opinions on the deal. The original post will contain reasons that the deal could be made. Well, here it is November 1st and the forum has already gone through its first round of "Get Bay" dialogue.

Today, I proposed to trade Cliff Lee for Rocco Baldelli. A deal that I think takes a risky player off each roster. If Baldelli can't stay healthy, the Tribe can option out of the contract after one season. If Lee stinks the Rays have his salary for a couple of more seasons. If Baldelli can stay healthy, which he has been unable to for over three years, he could really be the perfect fit in the Tribes offense and salary structure. Would I make the deal? Probably not, I'd want Ben Zobrist or another prospect in the deal.

So, we had a few good comments back and forth and then I got the obligatory insulting...you're crazy post. A post that would vanish in prior years, but here's hoping that we can keep this one right here and track the two players during the season. I think it will be fun to watch Lee either return to form or continue on the road to being an enigma....or if Baldelli can finally stay healthy for an entire season and reach his earlier potential.

Many dumb ideas blossom in the Tribe Forum, I just hope it wasn't me that added to them!

602545.4. An extraordinarily dumb idea....
by CtownInFl, 11/1/07 15:28 ET Re: Cliff Lee/Rocco Baldelli? by MrNegative1, 11/1/07

Do you even follow baseball? Rocco is one step away from being out of baseball...heck, the D-Rays have even attempted (this past season) to try to RE-TEACH HIM HOW TO RUN!!!!! His hammy is so susceptible to tearing time and again, they were hoping that by teaching him another way to run, they could mitigate the injuries he suffers...laughable!

He has hardly played the last three years and is as brittle as glass...besides, even IF he was more or less healthy, it would be a bad trade. 1) TB is not so overstocked at the OF positions as they thought with Dukes basically out of the picture, Rocco damaged goods, Upton had to be converted from an infielder to a CF in order to fill the outfield last year. They also have to be concerned with Crawford's on=going wrist injury problems and Young is one mercurial outburst from a suspension.

Add to this is the fact that despite popular opinion, Cliff Lee has a lot more trade value than a 1 for 1 deal...he has a 60%+ win percentage as a ML pitcher and most of his problems can probably be attributed to his oblique strain, family problems and the fact that, well, like a lot of lefties, he is a spaceman...he seems to be popular with many of the players from the looks of the dugout shots in the post season.