Monday, February 21, 2005

A PTI-inspired rundown of recent events:

Looks like the Mike Cameron rumors aren't dead yet.

A proposed three-team deal (Astros get Cameron, A's get Chris Burke, Mets get Eric Byrnes) was nixed by the Mets. I don't know about this proposal. I understand that Burke kind of came out of nowhere to have an excellent year last year - he had slugged under .400 in Round Rock the year before. But maybe something 'clicked' last year. One of the posters at one of the Astros forums floated this trade proposal:

Astros get Cameron
Seattle gets Brooks Conrad and Tim Redding
NYM get Raul Ibanez

I like this offer more, although count me in the corner that thinks Conrad may eventually be better than Burke. One thing about Conrad, though - I think he's more likely to be coveted by saber-friendly teams. Which brings me to...

Peter Gammons reported Byung Hyun Kim is throwing better this spring than in the past, and the Red Sox are still looking to move him.

I'm all about BHK. Say what you will about his recent struggles or his 2001 World Series - here are his career numbers:

419.7 IP, 455 K's, 3.37 ERA

And he's 25 years old.

Here's the thing, though - Kim has repeatedly said he wants to start, not be a reliever. So trade Brooks Conrad and Luke Scott (another saber-friendly guy) for him, and you've got your new 5th starter.

So who, then, should we trade for Cameron? Well, Seattle still needs young pitching, and they do seem to love speed, so maybe....

Astros get Mike Cameron
Seattle gets Willy Taveras and Taylor Bucholz and Fernando Nieve
NYM get Raul Ibanez

Just a thought. I'd really like to acquire Cameron, and I'd like getting BHK almost as much, but I don't want to part with Chris Burke or Ezequiel Astacio. Too optimistic, huh?

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