A mini-symposium on the pending Troy Glaus-for-Scott Rolen trade:
Beyond The Box Score: On paper the deal is pretty equal based on both players having issues, injuries, and past success with a chance to rebound in 2008, but the Cardinals seem to have gotten the slight edge based purely on age and clubhouse tension.
Halos Heaven: This seems, at least offensively, to be a steal for the Cards. Rolen at his offensive peak of the last 3 years was Glaus' average over the last 3 years. Defense, on the other hand, is a different story...
I'm Writing Sports: Wow, way to get younger… by one year. What was the purpose of this trade? (Glaus) is already a watered down version of Rolen, and he's coming off nerve surgery in his foot. Rolen has also been suffering from injuries over the last few seasons, and his relationship with (Cardinals manager Tony) La Russa has been strained, but a pissed off Rolen is better than a happy Glaus any day of the week.
Drunk Jays Fans: This move would also seem to fall in line with the (David) Eckstein addition, in that Rolen is a gritty player. He's more in the line of guys that get dirty and play hard visibly. I asked this question after the Jays new shortstop is signed and I'll ask it again. Is J.P. (Ricciardi) actually listening to those guys who phone into (Mike) Wilner's radio show saying that the Jays need more heart?
Paraphrasing from a favourite Pinky and The Brain episode (the one where The Brain becomes a country singer — "Bubba Bo Bob Brain" — who plants subliminal messages in his songs), it's not half-bad; it's not half-good, either. It's just different.
Let's stress the deal is pending physicals for both players... it could take a week just to examine the knees of both players.
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Haha, great quotation: that's my favorite Pinky and the Brain episode, and I'm a huge fan of the series. I think this deal could make sense for the Jays, but both players seem incredibly similar, with Glaus having an edge in hitting and Rolen a slight edge in fielding statistics. It would make sense for the Jays to try and improve the defense at the expense of some offense, but I'm not sure if the jump from Glaus to Rolen defensively is worth what you're giving up offensively... it's also a bit of a crapshoot whose injuries will hurt them more.
hahahah...zzoort
So Sager, what are you going to do tomorrow night???
Try to take over the Jays???
lmao
As for the Glaus = Rolen, I personally believe the Jays are getting the better deal since they Jays will find a way to make it up at the plate... Although, they'll screw it up somehow, of that I'm sure.
NR,
Are you contemplating what I'm contemplating? I think so, but if our knees bent the other way, how would we ride bicycle?
Nothing like a good ol' fashioned "challenge trade." As for Rolen having problems with Gibby b/c he had problems with La Russa, I doubt it.
Does anyone think it's hilarious that Rotoworld say the Jays would "suddenly" have one of the best infield defences in the AL, considering they were far and away the best in baseball last season?
Of course, that was with McGlovin, not Little X.
Bad deal for Toronto. Rolen is a wreck physically. Glaus will play more than Rolen this year. How will Rolen hold up on the turf @ Rogers Centre?
I predict Scutaro will see more AB's @ 3B this season than Rolen.
I think the PED soap opera is a factor also. Toronto is a high profile club in this story - McNamee, Clemens, Glaus, Zaun & Thomas. Glaus, who doesn't like the press to begin with, won't be hassled about this as much in St. Louis. Can't wait for Zaun to be asked about Thomas and all that come spring training.
Ricciardi is getting rid of an unhappy veteran who wants out and this is the best return he thinks he can get.
Rolen was a great, great player when healthy but he hasn't been healthy in a long time.
Disappointing.
One more thing. Toronto is stuck with this 32 year old wreck for another 3 years. Ricciardi will be long gone by then anyway and the contract will be somebody else's to eat.
Terrible deal - and first off Glaus is a horribly underrated defensive third baseman - his lateral movement is a weakness but his ability to charge the ball and make the throw across the diamond is superb.
Rolen is nothing close to Glaus offensively (it's apt to say his offensive peak is pretty well a Troy Glaus average season) and there are no guarantees he'll rebound from where he was last year. Even Glaus on an injury year didn't see the decline Rolen did. As for the injury bits - we're shipping Glaus off because of the turf, but assuming the equally injury-prone Rolen will have no trouble with the turf?
JP has got to be gone after this year unless these moves somehow pay massive dividends.
What was one of the biggest problems with the Jays hitting last season? Their hitting against right-handers.
Here's the splits vs. RHP, Rolen vs. Glaus:
2007
Rolen: .287/.341/.429
Glaus: .235/.334/.394
2006
Rolen: .310/.381/.540
Glaus: .238/.334/.471
2005
Rolen: .234/.318/.372 (he was injured much of that season)
Glaus: .263/.353/.523
2004:
Rolen: .302/.379/.579
Glaus: .255/.359/.586
(The '04 numbers probably don't have much weight.)
True, Glaus is underrated defensively. These are third baseman, though, whose value is about 75/25 to 85/15 offence/defence (Canadians always seem to get the ratio backwards for some reason). It's not a terrible trade unless Rolen is an even bigger physical wreck than Glaus.
Slightly unfair that you put "he was injured much of that season" for only Rolen's 2005, no?
If JP wanted to make the team better at hitting righties, maybe get a left-hander?
Yes, Glaus was injury-plagued and his numbers nosedived in the second half of '07, my mistake for mentioning it, I was busy yesterday.
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