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I still think Taro's "I would take Guti over A-Gone" to be the epitome of buying high on Guti, and I'm nowhere near that.  No wonder he's reluctant to trade him. :)  Gutierrez did start off last year with a bang though.  The ideas of why it ended with a whimper say more about the speakers and their beliefs about Franklin than they do about Franklin, honestly.
I don't have a need to move Guti.  If we were gonna do it, I would play Saunders in CF barring a CF in return.  If we're not gonna play Saunders in CF then I'd trade HIM instead as soon as we get a good LF.  I think they have similar offensive upside, and both should play a glove position if possible.
I also think Safeco DOES help CF numbers, but that doesn't mean Franklin wouldn't be a good CF anywhere else.
If we keep Gutierrez, though, I would want him hitting 5 or 6 instead of 3.  If he's the best power bat in the lineup then our lineup is obviously suffering.
In 2012 our lineup should look something like:
Ichiro (final contract year)
Figgins (if he's still here)
Ackley
Smoak
DH
Guti
LF
Olivo
Ryan (I think Nick Franklin will still be in AAA)
We should be able to make a go of it with that offense.  I'd rather trade Guti+ to get Rasmus, and go 2/3/4 with Ackley, Rasmus and Smoak, but let's keep our pipe dreams to a minimum. ;)
~G