With an overpriced free agent market bearing little fruit, it's looking more and more like Bill Bavasi will have to explore different trade options to plug roster holes, dealing valuable players within the organization in exchange. So who's untouchable? Morosi:
The first two make sense, but the third is somewhat surprising - labeling Betancourt as off limits hearkens back a little bit to Jim Bowden's refusal to include Pokey Reese in the Ken Griffey Jr. deal. They're different players, of course, what with Betancourt being younger and having a higher ceiling, but the point is that both he and Reese are glove-first infielders who're never going to win a batting title. So, yeah, if you ever wondered about the front office's opinion of infield defense, there you go.