I/O:  An Atlanta paper suggests that the Braves, with a hole at 1B, could go after Adrian Gonzalez or Adam Dunn to play 1B.  Just speculation on their part.

CRUNCH:  Interesting to hear an NL city inquire about the defensively-challenged Dunn, who is one of two or three players in the majors with genuine "80," plus-plus-plus, power.

Also interesting to hear amigos, who drool over the idea of the 300-lb. Prince Fielder, run screaming into the night over Adam Dunn.  :- )

With Dunn, you don't bring him in and hope that he'll hit.  With Dunn, you write 40 homers and 110 walks into your lineup, and then you move on to the next subject.  Dunn's consistency is incredible.

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=== OF Bradley Paradigm ===

Assume that Gonzalez is not available.  Assume that Jason Bay won't take $12m to play here.  Then if Milton Bradley gets 100-120 games LF, you've got 1B/DH open.

Dunn's acquisition would mean simply that Bradley would be an outfielder.  Is that feasible?  I'm not sure how much Bradley DH'ed for the NL Cubs last year, but you could look it up.

Zduriencik said that Junior doesn't rule out a DH type, right?   And I know that Dunn is supposed to leave his glove in Washington. :- )  But suppose you had this:

1. Dunn - 120 games DH, 30 games 1B with LHP's going
2. Bradley - 100-120 games LF
   
3. Griffey - 40 games DH, 30-40 games LF
4. Carp - your first baseman
   

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=== SSI No Absolutes Need Apply Dept. ===

As far as Dunn's glove at 1B, (1) you're talking about him playing occasionally at 1B, and (2) even with defensive penalties, Dunn still may be better than Mike Carp in 2010.  The more so, if Dunn plays 1B in games wherein he won't get many ground balls.

It makes no more sense to get emotional about bad defense, than it does to get emotional about a hitter striking out.  All players need their positives and negatives weighed as a whole. 

Earl Weaver played Boog Powell at 1B when he weighed 300 lbs.  Bat-first 1B's are nothing new to baseball -- and you're talking about Dunn playing there one game a week, to get Junior into the lineup.

How good a defender is Prince Fielder going to be the next several years, do you suppose?  UZR had him at -8 to -10 runs a year in 2006-08.  How about after he moves from his lightweight earlier 20's to his heavier late 20's?

.....

Having a 1B/DH jobshare between Dunn, Carp, and Griffey would give Wok the chance to run an Earl Weaver / Whitey Herzog platoon based on who was pitching (both sides) that day.   You've got LH Cliff Lee or LH Rowland-Smith facing a RH lineup on grass, fine.  That's Dunn's 1B game that week and Junior gets in.  Coupla days later, Junior gets an LF game.

I wouldn't expect the M's to do it, because bad defense seems to offend them, and because Bradley is better off DH'ing.  But if the other plans fell through, it would be possible to get Dunn's 40 homers into the AL West pennant race.

Not likely.  But the Dunn option isn't so different from the Prince Fielder option, give or take your three best prospects.

Happy Xmas,

Jeff