I understand we are a great deal away from the Hot Stove season, but I figured I should anaylze this before it gets lost in the muck of other news. This is what I woke up to reading ESPN.com's headlines:
When asked about Koskie's future, Ricciardi said: "I don't know. If Hill's on our club he's going to have to play every day. ... He may end up being a third baseman here."
If J.P. Ricciardi pulls that off, I take back all the bad things I said about the Koskie signing (well, most of them anyways). The thing is, I am 99% sure that this "rumor" is simply made up to fill space on a Rumor Central page that's main focus last week was on Jose Lima wanting to return to the Royals. Let's compare the two using a few different metrics, just for kicks, so that we are prepared to yell at one of the two general managers involved in the remote chance it happens:
All else aside, the difference in salary and age wins the battle for Morneau. Even if he does not fully develop into the high caliber hitter he looked to be last year, he will be a better deal than Koskie and most likely better as a hitter anyways. When the 2006 salaries kick in, it is definitely no contest in Morneau's favor. Koskie is going to make $5.25 million next season, which will dwarf whatever raise Morneau gets for his disapointing season. Not to mention Morneau supposedly played hurt all season for the Twins, hurting his production.
As for their 2004 seasons, Morneau beats out Koskie. Koskie was not healthy all year (but when is he ever healthy all year? He's missed at least 30 games the past three years, and 65 this past season. If the Blue Jays could somehow pull off this trade (which they will not) then they would have a much better offense in 2006 by killing about three birds with one stone. Hill would move to third, Hudson could stay at second, shoring up the infield defense, and Morneau could DH, since I refuse to say he should play first with his poor glove (95 and 89 Rate2 in 04' and 05' respectively).
With the age and salary difference, plus a positive production difference for Morneau most likely as soon as 2006, it would be insanity for Terry Ryan to move Morneau simply to get Koskie back to play third. Which is the main reason I think this rumor is simply made up from a conversation with J.P. Ricciardi. Of course he would think about trading Koskie for Morneau. If he did not want to make that deal, I'd think much, much less of him. That does not mean Terry Ryan wants to do it. But just like ESPN, I need something to write about, and the playoffs is not that something until the Red Sox win/lose a little more respectably. Plus, the Peavy injury seriously soured my taste for the playoffs yesterday. I'll most likely have playoff updates tomorrow or even later today. I'll have an open thread up like yesterday; everyone can leave their thoughts on the day's games. Good luck to your teams today!