Q.  Aren't you the guy who complains when there's too much soup off of one oyster?

A.  Granted, but we're goofing off, not presenting tablets of stone.

You don't make trade proposals because you expect to see them in the paper the next week.  You make them because you're more logical than the real GM's.....

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Q.  Okay.  I'm on SSI because I'm bored anyway.  You might as well ahead now.

A.  Trade scenarios we infer off the Figgins-2B concept.  If you're wont to using "just a look-see" spring training reports to try to Kreskin the local GM:

• Offers for Lopez are jelling, so Tui/Hannahan figure at 3b (M's not liking Tui at 2b)
• Lopez is the 3B going forward - doubt that the M's buy into breakout-year scenario, so see next...
  

Question is, if Figgins gets settled at 2b, then what happens with Ackley in 2011?  

Zduriencik's mindset is that you don't let minor leaguers worry the 25-man roster too much.  Young players get there when they get here.  Strange as it sounds, I doubt that Ackley's future is even taken into consideration if Figgins moves over.

But if the switch sticks, the M's are probably better defensively in 2010, and then they move Figgins back in 2011.

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=== Roto Corner Dept. ===

If I knew that Jose Lopez was likely to be traded -- with no IF coming back -- I'd probably flip him and Figgins, so that Tuiasosopo and Hannahan could play 3b.

The D-Rays have Zobrist and Longoria at 2b and 3b, so Jose Lopez wouldn't be in on a Carlos Pena deal (unless it were 3-way).  The Brew have Weeks and MaGehee, so no way Lopez is part of a Prince Fielder deal.

..............

The Padres, however, have a 35-year-old David Eckstein at second base, and a career minor leaguer backing him up.  A $3m Jose Lopez would be the very first thing the Padres would want.

Who do the Padres have backing up Adrian Gonzalez?  Kyle Blanks, who stands a towering 6'6" and has "slimmed down" from 300 lbs. to 275 coming into camp.

Blanks played a full 1/3 season for the Pads last year, and slugged .514 with a 140 OPS+ ... at the age of 22.  He had 10 dongs and 9 doubles in just 148 AB's.  He walks a lot, too. 

Stop and think a second.  If the M's had a 22-year-old come up last year and slug 10 homers in 148 AB's, OPS'ing 140, would you be at all enthused going into 2010?

.................

I know, Blanks is pencilled in at RF, but how serious would you be about that?  This dude makes Shaq look like a Winter Olympics participant.

.................

Jose Lopez is a super cheap, mammoth! upgrade over David Eckstein for the Pads, and if you like your 22-year-old Big Donkey at 1B, you could argue that Lopez + Blanks help your club almost as much as Eckstein + AGone, anyway.

And then, of course, let's talk about all the other players the M's give San Diego.

.................

Or if not, maybe we could just deal JLo for Bigger Donkey anyway...

Roto-riffically,

Dr D