Almost immediately after acquiring OF Larry Bigbie from the Orioles last night, Colorado thought they had an agreement to flip Bigbie to Boston in exchange for C Kelly Shoppach (above, 21 HR’s, 67 RBI’s in 2005 for Pawtucket).
Problem is, the Red Sox supposedly reneged on the agreement, and now the Rockies are making noises about putting Theo Epstein on their Do-Not-Call List. And can ya blame them? Manny Who? How can the chance to posses Larry Bigbie not be priority No.1 at Fenway this weekend?
In a somewhat related note, Boston have picked up OF Jose Cruz Jr., a player whose 2003 Gold Glove means about as much as a Golden Globe Award (ie. nothing) from Arizona.
I guess I’m doing the same wild speculating about trades (altho I dont work for ESPN) but If Billy Wagner goes to the Sox, Shoppach comes to Philly.
No matter how much Boston needs to replace Trot Nixon (hey, whatever happened to that Payton guy?), Billy Wagner is worth way more on the open market than Larry Bigbie. Shoppach has to be dealt…you can’t sit on a big league-ready catcher like that, not with ‘Tek blocking his path.
If the current 1-4 road trip were enough to turn Omar into a seller rather than a buyer, I’d be keen on Cameron + Looper or Hernandez for Shoppach. The Mets will need a catcher next spring. But I’m sure Boston would still prefer Wagner.
Yep, RSN would lay out the red carpet for Wagner and the Phils can spare him. Ugueth Urbina has been as close to flawless as you can get after a brief rocky trans period (one run given up at Coors Field in his last 13 appearances), would seamlessly take Wagners spot and Shoppach would be a perfect replacement to put the deserved Phils pariah Mike Lieberthal out to pasture. A deal between the Phillies and Sox involving Wagner could be a win-win flip for both teams