Three comments. 1. Assumptions that we'll never get any value out of Alonso except in trade are based on the further assumption that Joey Votto will sign a long-term deal beyond his arb years. There's no evidence for this assumption. 2. Regarding strength and certainty, it certainly doesn't seem to me that RZ represents the attitude of negotiating from strength. People are falling all over themselves to come up with ever greater packages to trade for Lee. If he's negotiating, I hope Walt's a little more measured. 3. Is it at all bothersome that we now seem to be investing all of our hopes in acquiring something we do not have rather than in concentrating on what we do have? Does that strike people as the characteristic of a good organization? I'm happy to go on record as opposing a trade for Cliff Lee, as I also opposed trading off many of the players RZers now love for Bedard some time back; and this is not simply because I'm opposed to trading, as I supported the trade for Scott Rolen--for real, longer-term value--as strongly as anyone on RZ.