Offer to Angels on the table

[luismatos]

it would take a lot more than Miggy and Hoey just to get KRod, forget Wood.

Any closer versus an all-star caliber ss and the ss wins hands down. Money-ball, people. A good closer is nice to have, but everyday players and starting pitchers are much more valuable. I was thinking the trade might be a little light, though, only due to the fact that KRod is one of the better closers in the game. So, Maybe Miggy, Hoey, and Olson/Penn for KRod and Wood? Think about it...If Miggy = Wood + Saunders (not necessarily a given yet, but let's go on that premise), then wouldn't Saunders + Hoey + Olson/Penn = KRod? I think so. I guess that is just a matter of opinion...But, Hoey is a guy who could be a future closer, his stuff is pretty ridiculous. Olson and Penn each have their strengths and either of them could be good #2-3 starters down the road.

[ijoshyounot]

Yeah, I would side with Moose on this one. I played baseball back in my day and I'm sure that many on here did. Fact of the matter is, the SS has a much slicker angle as far as throwing it than the SS does.

Wikipedia has my back on this one:

Linky

Linky II

Whether or not it's more difficult is pretty much beside the point. Personally, I think a stronger arm is required moreso for a 3B than a SS, but that's just my personal opinion. Also, in my humblest of opinions, I think it's pretty close. I've never heard of a 3B that's regarded as good that had a weak arm. Come to think of it, they've all had cannons for arms.

What Moose's point actually is is that it's pretty typical for any decent 3B to have a good arm. That's all his point really is. I'm not sure exactly how that is refuted.

Also, according to this article, Figgins has:

Linky III

That would actually refute both, saying that he can play SS and he has a good arm.

You could have JUST added that to the wiki article

[El Gordo]

Are you high?

<img src = "http://www.allstarssportsacademy.com/trivia/baseball_diamond.jpg">

Look again, 3b has a longer throw almost every time, especially if a SS is ranging up towards second base. The throw in the hole/foul territory for a 3b is way longer than any throw a SS will have to make.

I'll let you play the range card next, want to take a stab at it?

This isn't true, the throw the SS makes from the hole is the toughest throw. It's longer in most cases than a 3B throw because the 3B plays in more than the SS, it's the nature of the two position. Plus the SS is off balance moving in the opposite direction. Brooks perhaps the greatest of 3B ever did not have the arm of a good SS.

[El Gordo]

Belanger or Brooks? Sadly, Blade is gone, but I would love it if someone out there asked Brooks this question if they ever run into him.

Brooks would be the first to tell you he didn't have Belangers arm. He didn't have Schmidt's arm. He played in, cut the ball off and got rid of it quickly to compensate.

[El Gordo]

Yeah, I played third, short and I also pitched.

It's more common to see a SS with a weaker arm than a 3rd baseman with a weaker arm.

If you want a MLready prospect for SS you probably won't find one better than Wood. The only question I have is the quality of his defense. Every thing I've seen would indicate that it's pretty good. I would expect him to be an upgrade over Miggi on D.

[mikezpen]

I hope the guy's half as good as everybody here seems to think he is. Frankly, I think Brandon Wood's going to be a terrible disappointment to them.All they'll have to do up here is throw him down-and-away sliders. He won't get all those fat PCL fastballs.Misses too many w/his glove, too. Roch echoed these same concerns the other day.

And Joe Saunders looks very hittable.Think Bruce Chen without all the home runs. I hope LA turns the Orioles down flat.

[SHAWN555]

I hope the guy's half as good as everybody here seems to think he is. Frankly, I think Brandon Wood's going to be a terrible disappointment to them.All they'll have to do up here is throw him down-and-away sliders. He won't get all those fat PCL fastballs.Misses too many w/his glove, too. Roch echoed these same concerns the other day.

And Joe Saunders looks very hittable.Think Bruce Chen without all the home runs. I hope LA turns the Orioles down flat.

If this is true about the players. Why would the angels turn down the deal?

Wouldnt they rush to finalize the deal and get rid of the players for Tejada?

I understand the fact that there are concerns with almost every prospect, but we are not going to get more in return than Wood and Saunders. I believe that they have shopped Miggy and this is the best return we can get.

We move Tejada and get his replacement and a fourth or fifth starter, I say its a great deal. We needed to get a shortstop this offseason if we moved Miggy and this deal solves that position. Now we can move Bedard and plug other holes with talented youth.

[mikezpen]

Shawn, if that's all we can get, then wait. You have two more years to deal Tejada. As for your question about why the Angels didn't make the move, maybe it's because they are in the Cabrera hunt too.

If this is all we can get, then I wonder if this isn't another case of Angelos pressing the Front Office to dump Tejada. A junkballing 5th starter and a mediocre-to-poor fielding shortstop who fans more than a quarter of the time? Totally stupid trade.

[Rockbird]

LoL. That rotation would be ridiculous:

Hmmmm.....

Kendrick, Adenhart, Mathis, Rivera for Cabrera

Wood and Saunders for Tejada

Aybar, Willits, Marek, Morales, E. Santana for J. Santana

C Napoli

1B Kotchman

2B Figgins

SS Tejada

3B Cabrera

LF Matthews

CF Hunter

RF Guerrero

DH Anderson

SP Santana

SP Lackey

SP Escobar

SP Weaver

SP Garland

RP Rodriguez

RP Spier

RP Shields

Nahhhhhhhhhhhhh.....

[Tony-OH]

3rd baseman typically have as strong or stronger arms than SS's in the majors. Eckstein is example A.

Nope. Although third basemans typically do have strong arms, the shortstop will normally have a stronger arm because he normally not only has a longer throw most of the time but also because it takes more time for the ball to get to the shortstop than the third baseman. Eckstein is the exception to the rule for shortstops.

[Tony-OH]

Are you high?

Look again, 3b has a longer throw almost every time, especially if a SS is ranging up towards second base. The throw in the hole/foul territory for a 3b is way longer than any throw a SS will have to make.

I'll let you play the range card next, want to take a stab at it?

Not only is your tone not necessary, but the fact that you are embarrasingly wrong might make you think twice as well. Ask any scout and they will tell you it's more important for a shortstop to have a good arm than a third baseman. Not only does it take the ball longer to get to the shortstop position but that vast majority of the time the throw is longer due to the normal positioning of a professional shortstop deep.

Third base is a reaction position and although the throw from behind the base is probably one of the longest throws an infielder will have to make, it's a rarity.

Shortstops normally have one of the strongest arms on the team. Oh, and I'm not sure where you are going with the range thing but yes, range is a big factor when determining who can be a shortstop and who can't along with arm strength.

[droper]

How good would the Angels be with Tejada in that lineup? That's how they should look at the trade.

Figgins, Kendrick, Vlad, Tejada, Hunter, Kotchman, Matthews JR, G. Anderson and Napoli

That still leaves them with Willits, Rivera, Izturis, Aybar, Morales and Mathis to fill their bench.

And a rotation of Lackey, Escobar, Weaver, Garland and Santana with a bullpen of K-Rod, Shields and Speier. It's almost too ridiculous to imagine.

[TonySoprano]

I was told we have an offer on the table to trade Tejada to the Angels for Wood and Saunders.

Thus ends the dreams of Kotchman. A moment of silence, if you please.:SuN044:

[ChaosLex]

Thus ends the dreams of Kotchman. A moment of silence, if you please.:SuN044:

Is that smilie wearing a sweatband?

[wildcard]

I don't think this trade will going through because the Angels still look like the front runner for Cabrera.

However, Wood/Saunders is better than Aybar/Santana. Wood will be a high error SS with power that will probably mature into an about average to star major league player.

Aybar is also a high error SS, but does not have Wood's offensive upside. Either young SS is going to have more range than Tejada.

Santana is a questionable starter because of his huge losing record and ERA away from home.

Saunders had a bad years, and appears to take a couple of years to adjust to the higher levels. His result are better then DCab's and he would likely take over the 4th starter role or be a good bargaining chip to flip for something else the O's need.