The Winter Meetings in Orlando have ended but that doesn’t mean the trades and signings have been finalized. Cliff Lee still has to sign a deal, Zack Greinke may be traded, and guys like Adrian Beltre, Derrek Lee, and Adam LaRoche are still out there. There are two other names that reportedly are available in trades and both to me can be difference-makers: Carlos Quentin and Matt Garza.
Is he available? The Chicago Sun-Times says he is, Kenny Williams says not really.
Why would the White Sox trade him? They signed Adam Dunn and re-signed Paul Konerko so they have power in the lineup. They need bullpen help and can’t afford to spend more money on free agents, so moving Quentin to get help is an option. He’s also set for a raise entering his second year of arbitration.
Why should my team go after him? Though he’s a career .251 hitter, he has plenty of true power and was an MVP candidate in 2008. You can’t find his pop too many places so he’s worth a gamble that the batting average will improve.
Is He Available? Multiple reports said he was being shopped by the Rays at the Winter Meetings and that he still is being shopped.
Why would the Rays trade him? They’ve lost Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena and their only truly reliable bat is Evan Longoria, so they could use some offensive help. On the other hand, they have a surplus of pitching including David Price, Jeff Neimann, Wade Davis, James Shields, and Jeremy Hellickson, so they can afford to deal from a position of strength to fix a weakness.
Why should my team go after him? He’s thrown back-to-back 200+ inning seasons and you know what you can expect from him. He’s reliable, a good strikeout pitcher, and he’s proven he can pitch in the playoffs. Most other teams would want to lock him up, not deal him, so he’ll be a nice addition for a team. He’s also under club control through the 2013 season.
