Strotorious

If Nixon comes back he'd have to get #7. Drew should take #43 in honor of the ground out to second, assuming of course he couldn't get a backwards K.

He'll probably be traded, but not any time soon. The Sox have to wait until after Santana's fate is decided, plus Crisp's value should go up once Rowand is off the market. Philadelphia makes sense since they're not expected to resign Rowand and I've heard they're interested in Tavarez. Does anyone know if the Phillies have anyone we could use?

As a former Phillie fan, I'd say this trade could work out well for the Yankees or completely blow up in the faces. Abreu was underrated for so long he very quickly become overrated. Despite his production, he's never been a fan favorite as everyone keeps calling him. There's been a noticeable lack of effort on his part the past year or two, he shies away from the media, he refuses to play anywhere in the lineup other than 3. 4, or 5, he's not a good clutch hitter. A lot of that comes from being in a losing clubhouse for so many years, so the change might be just what he needed to revitalize his attitude. On the other side though, the Yankees may find they have their very own Edgar Renteria on their hands.

I had a chance to see him play this weekend when the came to visit the R-Braves and he was very impressive. 3-4 plus a walk. On all three hits he absolutely stung the ball and his one out moved a runner from second to third. He's really turned it up the past month or so, raising his average about 20 points. He's now up to .282/.363/.398. He's been mainly playing SS, but I still see him as a 2B. On a ball hit up the middle he showed great range and agility making the catch, spinning, and throwing from shallow center, but the throw had nothing on it and the runner beat it. I know everyone keeps dogging him on his arm strength but having seen it myself I have concerns about his ability to make plays from deep in the hole.

There is another option at centerfield that makes a lot more sense then giving up Marte to get Crisp. My second team is the Phillies so I've seen a lot of Jason Michaels. He is a very good player who has been underused his entire career. He's a consistent .300 hitter with a very good eye that bumps his OBP to .400. He's a great situational hitter and a great clutch hitter. He's only average defensively and doesn't steal a lot of bases. The Phillies are making him available and are in dire need of pitching. If we offered Clement/Arroyo/Wells for Michaels they might even throw in some prospects too. But as much sense as it would make for both teams, I still don't see it happening.