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Landestoy Luke

By Landestoy Luke

Luker’s just going to throw some random things out there today. No real format, free flowing…just how the L-man likes to roll.

James Loney isn’t the answer for the Dodgers at 1B. He’s going to start getting expensive and his 2007 season where he OPSed  .919 is looking like an aberration. Middling power with average on-base skills and overrated defense all adds up to someone the Dodgers should trade while there is still the perception that he has value.

The Brewers have talked of trading Prince Fielder. He’s going to be a free agent soon and will be in a position to demand a contract similar to what Mark Teixeira got from the Yankees (8 years, $180 mil). Milwaukee can’t match that kind of contract, nor should they. Big players generally don’t age very well. In fact, they flat out just fall off cliffs later in their careers and Prince isn’t exactly the picture of fitness. He can go on all the diets he wants, but his body type is still his body type. He may be fine for the first couple seasons of the deal, but after that, the Brewers won’t be getting their money’s worth. They can move him and make the team better at a number of different positions.

It’s probably time for Angel fans to give up on any hope that Howie Kendrick is ever going to be something more than an average player. For all the talk about what a great swing he has, he’s been nothing more than your run-of-the-mill filler at 2B. He’s going to start getting expensive, and in that regard, he’s the Angel version of Loney. The Angels could look into trading him, but given the lack of viable alternatives at 2B, they’re more likely to hold onto him past his expiration date.

The good news for Yankee fans is they’re most likely going to make the playoffs. Bad news is, the Yankees are hurting depth wise. With Andy Pettite and AJ Burnett hurt and Phil Hughes and Javier Vazquez struggling, the rotation has a lot of question marks after CC Sabathia. The bullpen, outside of Mariano Rivera, is a mess. They’ve talked with other teams about relief help, but the asking price always starts with prized catching prospect Jesus Montero and the Yankees won’t deal him. Derek Jeter’s poor year has been masked by Robinson Cano’s breakout, but the lineup doesn’t have anyone readily available to step in should someone get hurt.

Finally, Stephen Strasburg’s injury may be a blessing in disguise. He’s thrown more pitches this season than in any other season in his career and with the Nationals out of contention for anything, it might be best for him to just sit. Yeah yeah…old schoolers will think he’s being pansied, but old schoolers don’t have millions of dollars and the future of a franchise invested in this kid. Climb back into your moth balls and keep your mouths shut while the people still gainfully employed make real decisions.

Landestoy Luke is a former semi-pro baseball player in the California-Nevada Independent League. Luke had a bit part on the television show “Small Wonder”, portraying “Baseball Player #3”. After spending some time as an advance scout in the Mexicali League, Luke now spends his time as a freelance writer.