We can get a premium, expensive major leaguer in the last year or so of his deal for Pineda+whatever. Maybe a troubled guy with friction on his team who's not expensive yet. I'd still swap Pineda + Guti +some for Colby Rasmus, or maybe 2008 Grady Sizemore, even though we'd need to find even more pitching once we did that.
But prospect-for-prospect trades are rare, and usually happen when two teams have minor league BATS that are blocked in the bigs and swap them for unblocked positions. The last one I can think of like that was Toronto and Oakland. I can't think of the last quality minor-league pitcher who was swapped straight up for a quality minor-league hitter.
If we'd raise payroll, I'd be more than happy to trade Pineda for a thumper, but it wouldn't be a cheap thumper. Prince Fielder would be one of the few options I see on the 2012 FA docket, and we've got that position filled already.
Nobody's giving up a good SS. We could use a 3B, but who would we get? Edwin Encarnacion? No thanks...
I just don't see where Pineda fits in trade at this exact moment, Taro. He's a commodity, whether he's in our rotation or getting us another MOTO bat. But until he does it at the major league level you will be getting pennies on the dollar for him or using him in a multi-player trade for a costly hitter.
And after he does it on the major league level it's REALLY hard to cut bait and assume he'll get injured.
Beane did a really good job of running his Big Three out there and maximizing their time with him, then trading them when they were getting expensive.
It takes a pair of serious brass ones to do that, though, and it never netted him so much as a playoff series victory. *shrugs* My guess is Pineda's here for a while, so I'm gonna start praying now that his arm stays healthy and productive.
~G
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