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Around SBN: Pacquiao vs Bradley: Potential Undercard Fighters

The Final Word On The JJ Putz Trade Saga

John Paul Morosi gives us the lowdown on the M's/Tigers/Rays potential ménage à trois that preceded negotiations with the Mets and the Indians:

You may remember that the Tigers’ best chance to acquire Putz came during three-way conversations that included the Rays and Mariners.

Seattle officials wanted a centerfielder, and they did not believe that Detroit prospect Matt Joyce could play the position on an everyday basis. So, the centerfielder would have needed to come from Tampa Bay – and the Mariners wanted Perez.

So, as we guessed a few weeks ago, Fernando Perez was the target and, ultimately, the holdup, as the Mariners wanted a center fielder who wasn't available. Were it not for BJ Upton's shoulder injury, today we'd be talking about a different outfield.

Different by name, anyway, but not necessarily different by style - Perez, like Gutierrez, would've been a defense-first acquisition. It's hard to say much about his glovework since he only appeared in 23 games with Tampa Bay, but Perez is one of the fastest motherfuckers in the league, and that being the biggest factor in determining one's aptitude in the field, I have to imagine that he'd be a defensive asset as a full-time CF. Having watched him in September and the playoffs, it's difficult to dream up many fly balls he wouldn't be able to outrun.

However, while Perez looks like he's probably valuable with the glove, developmentally he seems to be a year or two behind Gutierrez at the plate despite being the same age, and with a game built around speed and little power, he comes with a lower ceiling. The 17 homers Gutierrez hit between AAA and the Majors in 2007 were more than twice as many as Perez has ever hit in a season, and Perez's 25% strikeout rate against better competition is too high for someone who doesn't draw a ton or walks or hit the ball over the fence. Perez has work to do, and while Gutierrez is no slugger, he's better-equipped to help us now, and in the long run stands a better chance of holding up as more than a fourth outfielder.

I like Fernando Perez, and I like that Zduriencik is fond of that kind of player profile, but all in all, I'm also rather fond of what we got. If Gutierrez is able to top out at even just a league-average batting line, I'm going to love him forever.

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That's what I was thinking!

Whereas Gutz could become a poor-man’s Carlos Beltran. Or Mike Cameron. Or some zombie in-between (ouch!)

I like Gutz a fair bit better than Perez…

This signature space for rent.

by PositivePaul on Jan 16, 2009 3:42 PM PST up reply actions  

Pardon me if I've misunderstood you, Jeff, but

are you saying that Gutierrez will hold up as a 4th outfielder, or Perez?

Big Z is the MAN.

by .Taylor on Jan 16, 2009 6:08 PM PST reply actions  

So does the Randy Johnson chain now continue

with Endy Chavez, Guitierrez, Heilman, et al?

by Fin on Jan 16, 2009 6:11 PM PST reply actions  

Eh?

You're trying to kidnap what I've rightfully stolen.

by Sentinel on Jan 16, 2009 6:14 PM PST up reply actions  

Mark Langston -> Randy Johnson -> Reed, Morse, Halama?

Reed → Gutierez, Endy Chavez, et al

There are no good individual basketball statistics.
54!

by joof on Jan 16, 2009 6:15 PM PST up reply actions  

This just in...

I’m an idiot. A quick look over at Baseball Reference helped. Thanks.

You're trying to kidnap what I've rightfully stolen.

by Sentinel on Jan 16, 2009 6:16 PM PST up reply actions  

YES!

I’d count it!

This signature space for rent.

by PositivePaul on Jan 16, 2009 6:41 PM PST up reply actions  

So basically we have a chain that goes back all the way from 1981

when Langston was drafted, to today with Endy, Guiterrez, Heilman, and Morse, who came from the Garcia trade.

by Fin on Jan 16, 2009 8:40 PM PST up reply actions  

I wonder what the longest chain would be.

All the way back to ’81 is a pretty long time for something like this to continue.

You're trying to kidnap what I've rightfully stolen.

by Sentinel on Jan 16, 2009 10:06 PM PST up reply actions  

Maybe further

I’m not sure of this, but didn’t we take Langston with a comp pick?

by The Ancient Mariner on Jan 17, 2009 6:05 AM PST up reply actions  

I double-checked--yes, we did

We got him with a second-rounder we received in compensation for the Texas Rangers signing Bill Stein in December 1980. Stein was our starting 3B in 1977-78 before losing his job to Dan Meyer.

by The Ancient Mariner on Jan 17, 2009 6:10 AM PST up reply actions  

where can you check things like that?

I want to see if I missed any comp picks on this

http://img.imgcake.com/tracingrichiesexsonx1.jpg

tracking every mariner fan’s favorite tall first baseman as a Brewer

---
Juuuust a bit outside!!
http://www.rightfieldbleachers.com

by Jack Moore on Jan 17, 2009 6:30 AM PST up reply actions  

I like Fernando Perez a lot

But I’d still definitely take Gutierrez over Perez.

by davidcameron on Jan 16, 2009 7:56 PM PST reply actions  

I think most would agree Gutierrez > Perez

but we still don’t know what we would have gotten to go along with Perez in the trade. I don’t think it would have been as simple as Putz→Detroit. Joyce→ TB. Perez → Seattle.

by coasty141 on Jan 17, 2009 9:47 AM PST up reply actions  

From what I can piece together

We would’ve lost JJ and gained Perez, Wilkin Ramirez, and Casper Wells.

by Jeff Sullivan on Jan 17, 2009 6:04 PM PST up reply actions  

Perez is indeed the awesome....

but Gutz, as it stands, is better at the plate. At any rate, our starting OF in ‘09 shouldn’t be a walking joke anymore.

Is that the light at the end of the tunnel, or the headlights of an oncoming train?

by Benne on Jan 17, 2009 10:41 PM PST up reply actions  

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