J.J. Hardy
Roto champ Taro-san sez:
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How about JJ Hardy Doc? It might be the PERFECT time to buy low on him with Yunel Escobar breathin over his shoulders and the slow start offensively.
I don't necesarily think that the bat is going to translate at Safeco in the AL, but all we're asking for is a 700-750 OPS with tremendous defense. Isn't that what a lot of people were fantasizing about with Betancourt?
If we're in buying mode, Hardy is a SERIOUS upgrade over Yuni. We're talking 4.5-5 wins or so over a full season. He could be our Gutierrez at at an even more valuable position.
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Make it so, number one. Another Brew acquisition? I wonder if Capt Jack's eyes give the nod of approval on Hardy's glittering d-stats.
D-O-V/MC consensus is jelling towards the idea of getting an Omar-style anchor for the infield defense, positioning you to flip Beltre (the consensus doesn't want to see what the next number is in Beltre's Safeco travails).
Hardy's bad start has him at .216/.297/.339, and RotoWire notes that he just went through an 0-for-28. "Buy Low" is champ's reaction to this slow start, and we concur. Even if Safeco zaps Hardy's 25 homers, I'm looking at him as a glove whiz and the offense is a bonus.
Ironically, JJ Hardy *is* precisely what Yuniesky Betancourt dreamed of being: 25 homers, 30 doubles, and defense worth paying to see.
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What would the Brewers want? We'd love to ask, but fear the price. I can easily see them asking for three of our best-and-brightest, selling Hardy as a budding Craig Biggio-style gold-glover who adds serious offense into the bargain. (Biggio was actually Hardy's age-23 comp, per b-ref.com.)
Hardy would be wunnerful, but you've got to be prepared to commit to him long-term, and to do that you've got to factor in that he's a bad hitting match for the park.
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Still and all, as Bill James would say, you've got to have a catcher. The Mariners need a good shortstop.
All glove SS's are going to be smallish and right-handed. The Mariners may just have to accept the Safeco hit on whichever RH, 180-lb shortstop they go with. Would *you* give up Michael Saunders, Juan Ramirez and Alex Liddi to get a shortstop you could win a pennant with?
Good stuff,
Dr D