Adam Dunn to the Nationals
According to the reports he's getting a 2-year deal and the team's website is reporting that Dunn will take over as their everyday first baseman, leaving Nick Johnson as a candidate to be traded or released.
I like this move for the Nationals for a number of reasons:
1. He's automatically their biggest HR threat
2. He gets on base a ton, which will create some RBI opportunities for the guys behind him
3. He's a "name" player that should get the Nats some much desired positive ink
4. Even with his imperfections, Dunn is a known commodity on team full of "ifs" and "maybes"
They say he'll hit 4th, which is fine (though a case could be made he'd be better off in front of Zimmerman), and I suspect he'll put up numbers like he always does.
Dunn's not the best ballplayer in the world but he has two tremendous offensive skills that set him apart from most other ballplayers...
Bobby Abreu to the Angels
GREAT move. G-R-E-A-T.
Abreu is a pretty nice upgrade over Garret Anderson and he comes at a reasonable price.
His power numbers have declined a bit the past three seasons but then again so had Anderson's. The biggest differences between Abreu and Anderson are on-base percentage and on the base paths.
Abreu has a .405 career OBP and has never walked fewer than 73 times in a full Major League season. By comparison, Anderson has a .327 career OBP and has never walked more than 38 times in a big league season.
Abreu has seven 100-RBI seasons (including six in a row entering 2009) and has eleven straight seasons with at least 19 SB's (20+ in each of the last ten seasons. By comparison, Anderson has had just four 100-RBI seasons and has reached double digits in steals only twice (the last time coming in 2001).
Abreu, while not the defender he once was, is clearly a better defensive player than Anderson as well.
This is a big upgrade for the Angels - the best in the West just got better.
Other teams seeking OF help
I guess the Dodgers don't have a good fallback option for Manny now that Dunn and Abreu are gone. Maybe this pushes the two sides toward a deal. Without Manny, the Dodgers lineup is looking awfully lean...
Guess the Braves have to work a trade now.
Cards might have some OF depth to move but they'll only do it for a starting 2B like Kelly Johnson or some serious pitching help (Mike Gonzalez?). Rick Ankiel, Ryan Ludwick, Skip Schumaker, Colby Rasmus, Chris Duncan, Brian Barton and Joe Mather are all contending for OF spots in STL. Ankiel or Ludwick would be most attractive to the Braves, I assume.
Been rumors about those two getting together before...
Blue Jays sign Kevin Millar
M'kay, not sure I see how that makes much of a difference for the Jays.
Millar is okay but he's not exactly going to send them over the top.
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In light of the contracts that Abreu and Dunn signed, and also Burrell's, what do you think of the deal the Phils gave Raul Ibanez? It looks to me like they misread the market in a big way. I just can't see Ibanez as THAT much more valuable that these other guys.
ReplyDeleteTo me, the one question mark with the Dunn signing would be the fact that the Nats have so many OFs already. None are as good as Dunn, so I guess they just suck it up and make room. Maybe they're figuring that, if Nick Johnson gets hurt, they'd be able to slide Dunn over to 1st Base.
Totally agree about Ibanez - I'd rather have Abreu than Raul. Better all-around player.
ReplyDeleteThe Nats have already said that Dunn will be their full-time 1st baseman. Johnson will almost certainly be traded or released at some point.
Oh, that clears things up. I hope Johnson is able to latch onto some AL club and put together a season as a DH. The man can hit when healthy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info.