More trade advice help

[Red Leader]

R H HR RBI SB BB AVG OBP SLG OPS

C V. Martínez
1B R. Sexson
2B C. Utley
3B M. Mora
SS D. Jeter
OF J. Bay
OF J. Gomes
OF M. Holliday
Util T. Hafner
Util B. Hawpe
BN C. Crisp

Pitching
IP W L SV R HR BB K ERA K/9
SP B. Myers
SP B. Penny
SP K. Escobar
SP C. Hamels
RP J. Papelbon
RP T. Gordon
P B. Ryan
P C. Ray
BN E. Bedard
DL J. Patterson
DL R. Harden

Initial offer sent to me was Hawpe and Penny for Fielder and Jason Lane.

He has an open P spot and wants to send 2 hitters for a hitter pitcher.

I told him I'd do F. Garcia and Fielder for Penny / Hawpe.

Also told him I'd consider Garcia, Fielder, and J. Reyes for Penny, Bedard, Hawpe and Crisp?

Are either of those deals good for me? I like Fielder a lot and want to get him somehow.

His roster is:

C J. Mauer
1B M. Teixeira
2B R. Weeks
3B M. Ensberg
SS M. Young
OF I. Suzuki
OF B. Bonds
OF L. Berkman
Util J. Reyes
Util P. Fielder
BN J. Lane
BN G. Jenkins
BN C. Shelton


SP F. García
SP D. Davis
SP C. Capuano
SP J. Lieber
RP T. Hoffman
RP B. Fuentes
P J. Westbrook
P --empty--
DL J. Contreras

[Red Leader]

What about Penny, Bedard and Hawpe for F. Garcia and Fielder? Giving up too much?

In about 3 weeks, I'm going to have Crisp, Harden and Patterson all back, so I'm going to need to cut 2 players from my roster. Currently that means I'd have to cut two of Bedard, Penny, Escobar, and Hamels. (I was going to keep Hamels and Penny) If I deal 2 pitchers for one that just clears one more spot for me and I'd keep Garcia and Hamels and drop Bedard and Escobar when Patterson and Harden come back. I'm about ready to drop Bedard as is now, so why not throw him into the trade and hope I get some value for him in return.

What other offers should I make to get Fielder knowing that he wants Penny and Hawpe in return?

[Red Leader]

Should I just do Penny for Fielder straight up? He said that he put Hawpe in as a throw in, same with Lane. I view Hawpe as better than a throw in, I don't feel that Lane is any better than a throw in. Penny hurt his back somewhat in the last start, and throws in Coors field this week, so he might not help short term. His injured past makes me concerned about the long term as well.

If I do that, my SP's are: Myers, Escobar, Hamels and Bedard (weak) for the next 2-3 weeks. I could still drop Bedard for Haren, if that's an upgrade that would keep me afloat until my pitchers get back.

[Johnny Footstool]

I like Brad Penny's upside more than Garcia's, but I'd say Penny and Hawpe for Garcia and Fielder would be a pretty even deal. I wouldn't offer more.

[Red Leader]

He doesn't want to give up Garcia now.

He said he'd do Penny for Fielder straight up. I like Fielder a lot, especially with Sexson struggling so much, that helps me there, but dealing Penny away really cripples my pitching staff for the next 2-3 weeks.

[Red Leader]

I guess what I'm trying to find out is what is my depth chart here:

Assuming I do the trade, I'd have:

C- V. Martinez
1B- P. Fielder
2B- C. Utley
3B- M. Mora
SS- D. Jeter
OF- J. Bay
OF- J. Gomes
OF- M. Holliday
UT- T. Hafner
UT- B. Hawpe
BN- R. Sexson
BN- C. Crisp

SP- B. Myers
SP- K. Escobar
SP- C. Hamels
SP- D. Haren
RP- J. Papelbon
RP- T. Gordon
P- C. Ray
P- B. Ryan
DL- J. Patterson
DL- R. Harden

Seeing that, my pitching is going to be pretty weak until both my SP's get back off the DL. When they do get back, I still have to drop 2 players. Should that be Bedard and Crisp? Is Crisp too valuable to just drop? I was hoping I could use him off my bench when I needed SB's, but I could use his roster spot more for a SP. Who should I try and trade? It would be ideal if I could get a good SP for a RP and Crisp, but that isn't likely to happen. Just not sure what to do with my roster, and it's getting closer to the time I need to do something (BTW, Fielder ranked 25th in Yahoo for all players over the last month, I definately think he's more valuable than Penny).

[Red Leader]

Things just went crazy.

The owner that has Pedro says that he got an offer for him. Wanted to know if I could beat it. I offered J. Gomes and K. Escobar for Pedro and Kearns.

Still have the other offer of Penny for Fielder on the table.

Could end up giving up Escobar, Penny and Gomes for Pedro, Kearns and Fielder.

[Buckeye33]

If you get Pedro and Kearns for Gomes and Escobar you need to buy the other guy a case of beer and say thank you very much.

Gomes will hit more HRs then Kearns, but other than that Kearns should stay pretty close to him. Pedro will only outpreform Escobar by like, a lot.

[Red Leader]

If you get Pedro and Kearns for Gomes and Escobar you need to buy the other guy a case of beer and say thank you very much.

Gomes will hit more HRs then Kearns, but other than that Kearns should stay pretty close to him. Pedro will only outpreform Escobar by like, a lot.

He's still considering it. He really likes Jonny Gomes. I made a trade with this guy last year, something like Freddy Garcia and Cesar Izturis (who I had picked up after Nomar went down) for Eric Chavez and Marcus Giles. He's still unhappy about that trade and now thinks I'm trying to screw him everytime I send him an offer. He may ask me to throw in Hawpe along with Gomes and Escobar for Kearns and Pedro. I could probably do that, although I think I'd rather give up Crisp.

The Penny for Prince Fielder trade was accepted already, and I dropped Erik Bedard and picked up Ted Lilly. Not a long term move, I'm going to lose this player no matter what once Patterson / Harden come back. I just like Lilly's matchup better than Bedard's or Haren's (the other pitcher I thought about picking up).

[Red Leader]

HELP!!!!!

This guy just sent me the following trade:

OF Jonny Gomes and SS Derek Jeter
For
SS Jhonny Peralta, SP Pedro Martinez and SP Randy Johnson.

What do I do with that?

If accepted I'd have:

C- V. Martinez
1B- P. Fielder
2B- C. Utley
3B- M. Mora
SS- J. Peralta
OF- J. Bay
OF- M. Holliday
OF- B. Hawpe
UT- T. Hafner
UT- R. Sexson
BN- C. Crisp

SP: B. Myers
SP: P. Martinez
SP: R. Johnson
SP: K. Escobar
RP: J. Papelbon
RP: T. Gordon
P: B. Ryan
P: C. Ray
BN: C. Hamels
DL: R. Harden
DL: J. Patterson

I'd have to cut T. Lilly for this trade to go through.

I'd also have to either trade or cut two of K. Escobar, C. Hamels, or C. Crisp to get Patterson and Harden back on my active roster.

What are the projected PECOTA figures for Peralta and Jeter. I know I'd lose SB's as Peralta doesn't steal bags. I'm not really too fond on getting Randy Johnson, and he knows it, that's why he offered him. I could try and negotiate that part of it, and make it :

OF Gomes and SS Jeter for SP P. Martinez, SS Peralta, and Kearns or Rios instead of the Big Unit.

Here's his current roster:

C B. McCann
1B R. Howard
2B L. Castillo
3B E. Encarnación
SS J. Peralta
OF Á. Ríos
OF J. Dye
OF A. Kearns
Util N. Garciaparra
Util E. Chávez
DL M. Alou
DL J. Cantú
Pitching

SP F. Hernández
SP P. Martínez
SP B. Tomko
SP K. Rogers
RP Fr. Rodríguez
RP H. Street
P R. Halladay
P W. Rodríguez
BN M. Maroth
BN R. Johnson

[pedro]

I wouldn't do it. Peralta is off to a bad start and Jeter and Gomes are crushing it. plus Johnson and Martinez are injury risks.

[Buckeye33]

Well, you don't need Johnson. Take him out of the deal and try to get Rios or Kearns.

You will lose AVG and SB with Peralta instead of Jeter but will gain R and HRs. Peralta has struggled some and he still has as many HRs and just a few less RBIs as Jeter and has scored a few more runs. Over the whole season, I believe they will be pretty even.

If you can get Rios instead of Johnson I would make the trade. Sure, Pedro is an injury risk but every pitcher is.

I would do Gomes and Jeter for Pedro, Peralta, Rios.

[pedro]

If you do want to do it RL, ask for someone other than Peralta and pick up Carlos Guillen on teh waiver wire if he's available as you said he was.

[Sabo Fan]

PECOTA:
Peralta: 19 HR, 73 RBI, 70 R, .274/.345/.462
Jeter: 15 HR, 80 RBI, 101 R, .298/.365/.431

Jeter comes out ahead there, runs scored being the big difference. However, if you can get Pedro, Peralta and Kearns back for Gomes and Jeter, I'd do it. Rios hasn't proven himself to me yet and I like Kearns a lot better. As much as I like Gomes, he has to cool off eventually and his trade value is about as high now as it'll get. I'd cash him in now if I could. I think Peralta will heat up and while he won't perform at the level he did last year, I think he'll outperform his PECOTA numbers. I wouldn't worry too much about your roster crunch right now, you've got some time before those two come off the DL and in that time you can work out some other deals to alleviate the logjam.

[IowaRed]

First off, I wouldn't trade Jeter unless I was blown away by the offer and I don't think you have been. I wouldn't hesitate to drop Bedard outright and maybe look for a 1B on the WW, and I agree that you should stay away from Johnson. I like the Penny for Fielder offer, and while I think Sexson will come around, he needs to be on your bench for now. Overall, I'd say you are in very good shape with Harden and Patterson expected back about June 1. You can easily survive until they get back

[Red Leader]

I declined the Gomes / Jeter for Pedro, R. Johnson, Peralta trade. He sent me an email and told me he knew I'd decline it, he just wanted to try.

I told him that the Gomes / Escobar for Pedro / Kearns trade is about as far as I'd take it, if not, I'd stick with what I had. He said he'd get back to me later this week. He just traded Vlad to get Pedro and Kearns, so he wants to hang onto them for a little bit before he turns around and deals Pedro.

I don't know why I have this feeling like I have to get Pedro...maybe its the fact that I have Harden / Patterson on the DL and their returns keep getting pushed back coupled with the fact that the pitchers I have on my team collectively had their worst performances of the year last week. Their usually aren't too many "ace" pitchers made available for trade in our league, that could be another reason. People tend to hold onto really good pitchers. When he told me Pedro was available, I went into "must get him" stage. Pedro really would help me in W, ERA, K, and especially K/9. If I didn't have to give up more than Gomes to get him, I'd be fine with the deal. When he starts asking for me to throw in other players I don't want to move (Hafner, Martinez, Jeter, Holliday), it makes less sense for me.

[Red Leader]

Now that I have acquired Prince Fiedler, that makes Richie Sexson expendable. A guy in my league said that he might be interested in a trade of 2B/SS Felipe Lopez for Sexson. That would give me a replacement for Jeter if I wanted to move him in another trade. Even if I don't end up trading Jeter, which I really don't want to do, wouldn't this be a decent trade considering Felipe's SB potential and the fact that I don't really have a core SB guy, and the fact that Sexson is struggling so bad and doesn't seem to be turning the corner and it's mid-May?

[Johnny Footstool]

Sexson for Lopez seems like a great deal and would free you up to move Jeter.

[IowaRed]

With Fielder in place, no reason to pass on a Sexson for Lopez deal. I still wouldn't trade Jeter unless I was blown away by an offer. Would this guy have any interest in Hawpe as well? I'd be trying to sell high with him.

[Red Leader]

With Fielder in place, no reason to pass on a Sexson for Lopez deal. I still wouldn't trade Jeter unless I was blown away by an offer. Would this guy have any interest in Hawpe as well? I'd be trying to sell high with him.

No, I made a mistake by offering up Hawpe to about 6 different teams about 2weeks ago, so everybody knows I'm trying to sell him now. I've only gotten real low ball offers for him, like Jason Lane for Hawpe.

Seems like nobody wants to give me what I consider equal value for Hawpe, so at this point, I'm better off holding onto him and hoping he can keep up his pace at least a little while longer until more teams buy into him being "legit".

Still working to see if that other owner will do the Sexson for Felipe trade.

[Red Leader]

Couldn't work that Sexson for Felipe trade. He wanted me to throw in a closer with Sexson for JUST Felipe. Can't do that even though I can afford to deal a closer, that's just not a smart deal value wise. That's getting absolutely nothing out of Sexson. I should be able to get Felipe straight up for the closers he was asking for (Gordon / Papelbon / Ryan) if not more.

I have approached another owner about Sexson (his only 1B is Aubrey Huff). Asked him if he'd be interested in Sexson and Escobar for Brian Giles and Peavy. Not really too high on Giles, but he'd be on my bench anyway and I'd spot start him. He helps in H, R, BB, AVG, OBP. Peavy would be nice to have, though.

[IowaRed]

You may need to sweeten that deal a little to get Giles and Peavy. I think Giles would fit in pretty well for your scoring setup

[Red Leader]

You may need to sweeten that deal a little to get Giles and Peavy. I think Giles would fit in pretty well for your scoring setup

Yeah, if accepted as proposed it would definately be a good deal for me. The guy I sent the offer to rarely, if ever, accepts trades, so I'm not looking for it to be accepted no matter how I propose it.

He might do Sexson for Giles straight up, but I don't think that's a great deal for me. I'd be giving up probably 15 HR's or so and would probably be neutral in RBI. I'd lose SLG% and gain OBP. Don't want to do the deal unless Peavy is involved.

Not sure how I could sweeten the deal any. He doesn't really need offensive players. I might be able to throw a RP in.

Here are his pitchers:

SP Jo. Santana
SP J. Peavy
SP A. Pettitte
SP J. Garland
RP B. Lidge
RP B. Wagner
P E. Guardado
P J. Weaver

He could probably use another closer with Lidge struggling and Guardado out of the picture. He also could use another SP with Weaver sucking like he does, and Garland struggling.

On offense he's pretty well off. He still has Jr on the DL and has to cut a player to make room for Junior:

C I. Rodríguez
1B A. Huff
2B A. Soriano
3B G. Atkins
SS É. Rentería
OF C. Beltrán
OF V. Wells
OF B. Giles
Util T. Glaus
Util S. Rolen
BN G. Anderson
DL K. Griffey Jr.

I'm guessing he'll drop Garrett Anderson to activate Griffey. He won't deal Beltran, or Wells. I've asked him a million times.

[Red Leader]

He said he'd think about:

Escobar, B.J. Ryan, and Sexson for Peavy and Carlos Beltran.

He's also considering Escobar, C. Ray, and Sexson for Peavy and Giles or Griffey.

I'd rather do the first, although, if I did either, I could pick up J.J. Putz, who's a free agent.

[Sabo Fan]

He said he'd think about:

Escobar, B.J. Ryan, and Sexson for Peavy and Carlos Beltran.

He's also considering Escobar, C. Ray, and Sexson for Peavy and Giles or Griffey.

I'd rather do the first, although, if I did either, I could pick up J.J. Putz, who's a free agent.

I'd do that first deal in a millisecond if the other guy goes for it. If you're hurting for saves later on in the season after dealing Ryan you can probably pick up a guy who will get you some down the stretch for a bad team on the waiver wire, which is what I usually do.

[Red Leader]

Ok, a guy in my league dropped SP Felix Hernandez. Should I drop Coco Crisp and pick him up and spot start him against weaker teams until Harden and Patterson come back? I don't know if I'll really need Coco. I've got a decent OF and Sexson as my bench player is ok with me, although I think typically you'd want the guy that hits for higher AVG to be your spot starter guy.

What do you guys think? Take a chance, drop Coco and pick up Hernandez to see if he turns it around? If he does, I'd be in real good shape at SP.

[westofyou]

I have Felix.. currently he's riding the pine with RJ.. I also have Prior on the DL

I'm hating it.

From BP


# So now the party line is that Felix Hernandez is overstriding. Hernandez got the win, but Lookout Landing does a fine job showing why this adjustment wasn’t much of an improvement. I took a look at video on Hernandez and don’t see his stride as the problem. His balance--key on the head--is still abysmal and his delivery is inconsistent, leading to less movement on his fastball. Right now, Hernandez is a mess, but he’s a healthy and ineffective mess. That’s not what the Mariners were expecting.



The Red Sox inch closer to getting their outfield back to where they want it. Coco Crisp is scheduled to take batting practice on Monday and could be a few days away from a rehab assignment. Crisp has had some setbacks in his rehab unrelated to the finger, so once his stamina is back, he should come pretty quickly. I expect him back in the lineup before May ends. The Red Sox also should get Gabe Kapler back after rehabbing a torn Achilles. Kapler is a good spare part, but if he loses anything from the injury, he’ll be less valuable and his popularity and history with the team could quickly become a negative. The Red Sox will get a long look at him at Pawtucket, where David Wells ran his mouth and made it through his rehab outing. Wells had no problem with either his knee or the opposition at Triple-A, and should replace Lenny DiNardo in the rotation next time around.

The Cubs waited a long time for Kerry Wood and he’s already sore again. Wood insists this is normal post-start soreness exacerbated by the fact that he’s still working himself into shape, but the team panicked and held him out of a side session. A decision will be made on Monday if his scheduled Tuesday start will be pushed back. I don’t belive this is serious or that Wood will miss his start. Mark Prior, on the other hand, is more worrisome. He’s still missing his normal velocity in Arizona, making some wonder how an illness could continue to sap his strength. A shoulder injury would be an easier explanation, though sources with the team continue to insist there’s no structural problem.

[Red Leader]

Well, Felix is healthy at least. I'm sure they'll continue to tinker his delivery until he gets it right. I probably will be getting Harden back around the beginning of June and Patterson back (hopefully) about 2 weeks after that. Has anyone ever been on the DL longer for forearm tendonitis that was initially listed as a day to day thing? Gawd. Anyway, with my offense nicely producing, I don't know that all need Coco as much as I need another really good SP.

R H HR RBI SB BB AVG OBP SLG OPS
C V. Martínez
1B P. Fielder
2B C. Utley
3B M. Lowell
SS D. Jeter
OF J. Bay
OF J. Gomes
OF M. Holliday
Util B. Hawpe
Util T. Hafner
BN R. Sexson
BN C. Crisp

Pitching
IP W L SV R HR BB K ERA K/9
SP B. Myers
SP K. Escobar
SP D. Haren
SP C. Hamels
RP J. Papelbon
RP T. Gordon
P B. Ryan
P C. Ray
DL J. Patterson
DL R. Harden

Ideally, I'd like to have 1 offensive bench player and one pitcher on the bench. I'd like to trade a RP and Sexson or Crisp for either a really good starter or a really good hitter. Can't find any takers on any of those deals.

As for my pitchers, they're struggling to get wins. I think it's just a luck thing. Myers and Escobar have pitched pretty well for the most part, but can't get any W's to show for it. Haren has been great as of late, he might be a keeper even after Harden and Patterson come back. Which leaves Hamels. I love his impact in K and K/9, but he also struggles to get wins. I'm not sure if I should try and deal him, or if I should just drop him when Harden and Patterson come back. It'd be easier to keep some of these pitchers if I didn't have 4 RP's, but I don't want to just drop any of them, they're all good. Can't find any takers for any of them, though.

what to do, what to do...

[Red Leader]

Teams in my league that need saves have the following players.

Who should I target in return for Sexson / Ray or Crisp / Ray

SP Freddy Garcia
SP Chris Capuano
SS Jose Reyes
SP Francisco Liriano (doubtful he'd trade him)
1B Jason Giambi
OF Grady Sizemore
OF Jermaine Dye
OF Austin Kearns

Which of the above do you think would be a realistic return for that package I'm offering, and which player would help my team the most?

[Buckeye33]

I'd look to get Capuano, Sizemore, and/or Liriano.

Garcia will get quite a few wins as well since he is playing for the White Sox.

[Red Leader]

I don't think the guy that has Liriano will move him for anything. He drafted him and has held him all year. I doubt he's going to give him up now unless I totally overpay for him. I shouldn't have even put him on the list. His SP's are: Carpenter, Arroyo, Buehrle, Kazmir, Liriano, and J. Thomson.

I have asked the guy that has Capuano and Garcia if he'd be interested in Ray / Crisp for Garcia, or Ray / Sexson for Capuano. His closers are Trevor Hoffman and Fuentes. So, he's got 2, but they haven't been very active so far this year.

This is the guy I got Prince Fielder from for Brad Penny. He just got Contreras back from the DL and picked up Randy Johnson off waivers, so he now has some pitching depth.

[IowaRed]

Well now isn't really the time to look for a deal on Freddy G. but he is obviously piling up the wins so it might be okay to overpay a little. Capuano is definitely another guy I'd target. Hopefully, Crisp comes off the DL with a hot streak so he's easier to move

[Red Leader]

Would any of you forego all of this, drop Crisp, pickup Felix Hernandez and keep the 4 closers I have?

I'm just having a hard time with my roster with those 4 closers. They help in SV's, ERA, K, and K/9, but I'm getting crushed in IP, W, and L each week because I don't have another starter. Ideally, three would be suffice, but I could get by with 4, I'd just have to cut or trade one of Sexson or Crisp to give me a bench pitcher.

[Buckeye33]

I'm a skeptic of Felix personally. He is so young and has now had all these issues so far this season. To much has been put on his shoulders this year. It was very unrealistic to expect him to just simply dominate at 19.

He could be OK the rest of the season, but it is going to take another 3-4 starts to get to that point IF it even happens. Even if he starts pitching better, his pitch count limits effect him in a lot of categories.

Capuano and Garcia are who I'd go after if I was you. Everyone seems to think Capuano will fall off, but he simply keeps going out and getting it done.

I would not simply drop Coco Crisp. People drafted him for a reason. Just because someone is on the DL doesn't mean you should just drop them cold. I know you have some roster numbers issues but you should at least wait to see how Crisp does to start off the DL.

With Patterson and Harden on the DL you are going to have to drop 2 good players eventually unless you can work out some 2 for 1 trades.

Sexson/Ray or Sexson/Ryan should be able to get you Garcia or Capuano I would think.

You're going to have to work out some 2 for 1 trades or you're simply going to have to drop quality players eventually.

[Red Leader]

With Patterson and Harden on the DL you are going to have to drop 2 good players eventually unless you can work out some 2 for 1 trades.

Sexson/Ray or Sexson/Ryan should be able to get you Garcia or Capuano I would think.

You're going to have to work out some 2 for 1 trades or you're simply going to have to drop quality players eventually.

Man do I know that. Thanks, Buckeye. I was trying to figure out what I would do if both Harden and Patterson came off the DL today. I think I'd drop Crisp and Hamels to activate them. I hate the idea of dropping Hamels. His K ability is really awesome and he's done well so far, with little show as far as ERA, W, L. He shouldn't have been trotted out against MIL in the 7th with a high pitch count and up by 3 runs, but he was, and he's still winless because of it. Hamels, most likely, is the worst pitcher on my roster, though, including my relievers. That's not such a bad thing. Maybe I can still tempt another owner with him and get a good SP for Hamels and Ray. That'd take care of 1 spot. Still comes down to me having to drop or trade either Sexson or Crisp. I think Sexson's numbers will improve as the season goes on. He could hit 30 HR between now and the end of the season. If he does, Crisp's numbers will be a lot easier to replace on the waiver wire. Not many 30+ HR hitters are sitting on the wire, but there are a ton of 15 HR, 15 SB guys there now: Carlos Guillen, Orlando Cabrera, Randy Winn, etc, etc.

[Buckeye33]

I think I'd drop Crisp and Hamels to activate them. I hate the idea of dropping Hamels. His K ability is really awesome and he's done well so far, with little show as far as ERA, W, L

Well, this decision might be made a lot easier soon. Hamels has been scratched from his start today with soreness in his throwing shoulder. He is going back to Philadelphia to be examined.

[Red Leader]

Well, this decision might be made a lot easier soon. Hamels has been scratched from his start today with soreness in his throwing shoulder. He is going back to Philadelphia to be examined.

Yeah, just read this on Rotoworld. If I drop Hamels the top candidates to pick up are: Felix Hernandez, Matt Cain, Tim Wakefield, or Jake Westbrook. I'm leaning towards Wakefield for the short term because he has a start against TB this weekend and he is something like 19-2 against them in his career.

[Red Leader]

Crisp could be activated from the DL on Monday.

[Red Leader]

Harden Update:

At least the prognosis is good for starter Rich Harden. He threw 40 pain-free pitches in the bullpen before Tuesday's game in Chicago and is getting closer to returning.

Harden expects to throw a simulated game Friday or Saturday, then head off for a minor league assignment next week.

Harden would like to return by the June 6-8 series at Cleveland, but the A's may want two simulated games and/or two rehab assignments, however, which would push his return back another seven to 10 days.

The key is getting Harden to 60 pitches in a rehab assignment, so he could throw 75 pitches upon his return.

Harden played long toss longer than usual before taking the mound and wasn't exhausted at the end of his session. He's happy with his stamina at this point and is excited there's a light at the end of the rehab tunnel.

[Red Leader]

Patterson Update:

Had Washington Nationals right-hander John Patterson been healthy for the past month, last night could have been his 10th start of the season. As it is, he has appeared just four times, and though he and General Manager Jim Bowden anticipate that Patterson will be able to overcome the tendinitis in his right forearm and be pitching in the majors by June 10, there are no guarantees.

Patterson is 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA in his four starts. He has been playing catch regularly and threw two bullpen sessions late last week, after which his arm felt stiff again. But he was back playing catch from 170 feet or so yesterday, "working on my mechanics."

"It's no big deal," Patterson said of the soreness he felt after his bullpen sessions. "Those things are expected during rehab."



So, in summary:

Hamels is going to Philly to be checked out today and is going to miss hit start tonight, and most likely his next start.

Crisp will be activated off the DL on Monday.

Harden will go on a minor league rehab and will most likely be back in the majors by June 12th or so.

Patterson is still throwing bullpen sessions and will likely go on a rehab stint at the end of the month. He should be back in the majors by June 12th or so as well.

June 12 is about 3 weeks away. Uggh.

My pitching staff is being held together by less than Paul Wilson's shoulder.

I need to make a trade for a SP, I think.

I was offered SP Jon Lieber for RP Tom Gordon. Lieber is a decent starter, but I don't like that trade. Seems to me that I should be able to get more for Gordon.

[Red Leader]

Turned down the Lieber for Gordon trade, and he countered with Freddy Garcia and Jon Lieber for Tom Gordon and Rich Harden.

I rejected that less than 10 seconds after it was offered. I think he got my point.