New 3rd base options

All it took was one injury to Andy LaRoche, and the good old trade rumor mill has been given new life.

Now take a deep breath for this one... Guess who's being talked about as a potential trade option for 3rd base? But you'll never guess...

Why it's Brandon Inge, of course!

This on again, off again trade talk has seen the switch flipped back on, all because LaRoche is out for 2 months. How serious is it? Well, mlbtraderumors.com doesn't exactly make a specific link for it, but they seem to more in the speculation stage. For the last time, the guy had 1 good year and that's it. Let it go!

Another name being tossed around is one that has also popped up in the past, Joe Crede. I will admit that this one has me intrigued just a teeny, tiny bit. It was just 2 years ago that he hit .283 with 30 HR and 94 RBI. He also had +20 HR seasons the previous 3 years (ok, he had 19 in 2003, but close enough!), so he has shown pretty decent pop. But, last year was a disaster as a bad back held him to 47 games and 4 HR.

A couple of different sources to check out concerning Crede. The first is from South Side Sox where they accurately point out that not only does Crede bring more power than Inge, but he's also in the last year of his salary, as opposed to 3 years and $19.1 million for Inge. Perhaps he can be plugged in with Nomar Garciaparra for the time being, then be reevaluated when LaRoche is healthy. It could work.

The second is from ESPN's Buster Olney, who points out that scouts claim Nomar's unusual throwing style from 3rd could mean he's not being counted on there for the long haul. Interesting point, though I tend to think that is just scout-talk and wouldn't read too much into that.

Man, Nomar has got to be feeling like crap right now. There was a time when he was one of the top players in the game, now people talk as if he's completely washed up. He's practically handed the 3rd base job, yet the Dodgers might not want him to play that much. Oh ya, he also was hurt the other day when he was hit on the right wrist by a pitch.

IMHO (cool Internet slang), I would take a serious look at bringing in Crede. BUT, the price has to be reasonable. What would the White Sox want? If it's an arm out of the bullpen, I'd consider that. If it's a young stud, then forget it. For a reasonable price, this deal may very well happen.

Juan Pierre and Brandon Inge talk

While the Dodgers are going through Spring Training trying to sort out outfield, 3rd base, and 5th starter issues, a couple of names keep popping up about either coming or going.

The first is Juan Pierre, who went from being a big outfield signing last year to feeling completely unloved this year. Not only has he been squeezed out of center field, but possibly of being an everyday starter as well. Now, there's rumblings about the A's showing interest in him, despite their history of shying away from big contracts. Could it be true? Well, the names Emil Brown, Travis Buck, and Chris Denorfia don't exactly leap off the page at you, so you could see why adding a player with past success to their outfield would work.

But, according to the original source of this rumor, Susan Slusser, that's not going to happen anymore. And quite frankly, I don't think anybody is surprised that this rumor was a dud all along.

The next guy is Brandon "7 Year" Inge, who I wrote about back in December about a possible 3rd baseman. It was shot down back then, but apparently wasn't dead and gone quite yet. Inge is regarded as a popular player with Detroit, which is a bit odd considering he hasn't exactly lit the world on fire from the plate recently. True, he hit 27 HR and 83 RBI 2 years ago, but hasn't touched those numbers since then. Joe Torre and Larry Bowa are fans of his, which is why this one won't go away.

But (again), Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times says that this one is also not going to happen. Why? Well, considering he's owed $19.1 million over the next 3 years, that may be a good reason.

I think once and for all, Pierre, Nomar Garciaparra, and Andy LaRoche will all be with the Dodgers for the foreseeable future and keep battling for playing time.

No 7 year Inge in LA

Just a quick note about the Dodgers' interest in Brandon Inge. There is none. That's it. Jayson Stark from the Winter Meetings put an end to that talk.

Inge suffered through a very tough start of this past season. It took him until his 8th game to collect one hit! He finally got over the Mendoza line on May 9th against Seattle. He ended up with a .236 AVG, 17 HR, 71 RBI. With the exception of his .287 AVG in 2004, he's never hit over .261. Granted he did hit 27 HR and 83 RBI in 2006, so the potential for power numbers may still be there.

My take is that I'd much rather let LaRoche and Garciaparra platoon than trade for Inge. He's not worth it anymore.