Brewers trade Hardy to Twins for Carlos Gomez

[Houston]

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091106&content_id=7631070&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

[S.P. Rodriguez]

Hot Stove question: If, as that article speculates, Felipe Lopez is let go by Milwaukee, would you like to see Houston go after him to play 2B or 3B?

[BudGirl]

Doesn't Matsui have another year at 2B? 

[GreatBagwellsBeard]

Doesn't Matsui have another year at 2B? 

Yes.  And as inexorable as his contract is now, it would be 10X worse if we were paying him that much just to ride pine.

[S.P. Rodriguez]

Yes.  And as inexorable as his contract is now, it would be 10X worse if we were paying him that much just to ride pine.

How is that worse than 70 games on the DL in yr1 and 30 games in yr 2?  Not to mention, given the production he had at the plate last year, yr1 was probably the better year of the two. 

[chuck]

Yes.  And as inexorable as his contract is now, it would be 10X worse if we were paying him that much just to ride pine.

I think you mean execrable.

[SaltyParker]

How is that worse than 70 games on the DL in yr1 and 30 games in yr 2?  

Matsui missed 17 games while on the DL in 09

[Bench]

Matsui missed 17 games while on the DL in 09

In fact, his 132 games in 2009 were by far his career high (by 18 games (he played in 114 his rookie year), with 3 of his 6 major league seasons not seeing him play more than 100 games at all).

[Noe]

Carlos Gomez is the exact replica of Michael Bourn.  Good to have them both in the NL Central, should be interesting to see which one maintains that status of great leadoff, great CF.

[mrpink]

Carlos Gomez is the exact replica of Michael Bourn.  Good to have them both in the NL Central, should be interesting to see which one maintains that status of great leadoff, great CF.

Am I missing the sarcasm here?  Gomez is more Willy Taveras than Michael Bourn.

[Bench]

Am I missing the sarcasm here?  Gomez is more Willy Taveras than Michael Bourn.

Gomez is a lot more polished offensively at 23 than Bourn was.

[mrpink]

Gomez is a lot more polished offensively at 23 than Bourn was.

This may be true, but it's not saying much.

.229/.287/.337 really isn't polished.  I don't mean to say he won't be great (or even the exact replica of Michael Bourn), but he could also turn out to be a faster version of Corey Patterson with less power.

[Noe]

This may be true, but it's not saying much.

.229/.287/.337 really isn't polished.  I don't mean to say he won't be great (or even the exact replica of Michael Bourn), but he could also turn out to be a faster version of Corey Patterson with less power.

I usually base my opinions on what I see and not what stats tell me.  On pure talent alone, Gomez has the potential to be better than Bourn.  In 2008, there were many people who were saying Michael Bourn would never be the next Michael Bourn (or what he was in 2009).  In fact, some folks called him a AAAA player who had no business in the majors.

Tell me what you see wrong in Gomez's talent and I'll listen.

[mrpink]

I usually base my opinions on what I see and not what stats tell me.  On pure talent alone, Gomez has the potential to be better than Bourn.  In 2008, there were many people who were saying Michael Bourn would never be the next Michael Bourn (or what he was in 2009).  In fact, some folks called him a AAAA player who had no business in the majors.

Tell me what you see wrong in Gomez's talent and I'll listen.

I've only seen him play a few times (and only on TV), but I specifically remember wondering why he was so highly touted.  The only thing I thought was impressive about him was his speed and he's currently way too impatient to be considered a plausible leadoff hitter, much less a great one.  I'm not familiar enough to give an opinion about his defense, but it better be damn good to support all the hype he got before the Santana trade.  Have you really seen the guy play that much to say he's got as much talent as what you do?

[Noe]

I've only seen him play a few times (and only on TV), but I specifically remember wondering why he was so highly touted.  The only thing I thought was impressive about him was his speed and he's currently way too impatient to be considered a plausible leadoff hitter, much less a great one.  I'm not familiar enough to give an opinion about his defense, but it better be damn good to support all the hype he got before the Santana trade.  Have you really seen the guy play that much to say he's got as much talent as what you do?

Yes, why else would I look forward to seeing who becomes the best CF/Leadoff man in the NL Central between Bourn and Gomez?  (Talent alone won't make that happen, but I am strictly talking about the talent in this particular instance).