Baseball Thread 5 - #5 George Brett Has a Story to Tell

I'm not going to talk Pirates today, because it's obvious some of us (hi oop!) won't ever see eye to eye.

But we can discuss Kansas City's acquisition of Yuniesky Betancourt for minor leaguers Danny Cortes and Derrick Saito. If you go by Baseball America rankings, Cortes was the team's top pitching prospect entering the season.

http://www.kansascity.com/385/story/1317069.html

Horrible deal for the Royals. I don't like the idea of giving up something -- even with Cortes' recent arrest -- for an overpaid, underachieving shortstop who can't hit and is lousy with the glove.

 

I agree that it's hard to figure out why any team would even want Betancourt, let alone give up something good for him.

 

Here we go again.

I guess alienating an entire clubhouse isn't a terrible and shameful mental mistake? Chronic tardiness isn't a terrible and shameful mental mistake? Showing up late to your own surgery (that's from Moddy, whose word is gold on the Nats) isn't a terrible and shameful mental mistake? Acting like such an idiot in high school--I'm sure you've heard the stories, Lastings liked them YOUNG--that it takes months for THE METS, who are about as concerned with good character as I am with the price of tea in China, to sign you, isn't a terrible and shameful mental mistake? Pissing away two chances--including one with the worst team in baseball--isn't a terrible and shameful mental mistake?

I know what you'll say, b/c you'll always defend as a great guy Lastings and every other player who has ever worn a big league uniform: He's just a kid and the above-mentioned errors don't qualify as "terrible and shameful mental mistakes" b/c nobody got hurt or some silly crap like that. Well, the guy's got a ton of talent and he's crapping it all away b/c he's an idiot. That is terrible and shameful, and the Pirates--who need to tear down and rebuild the entire franchise--are going to get what they deserve by investing in him at this pivotal time in team history.

 

Local news in Atlanta reporting Francoeur to Mets for Ryan Church

 

AAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA

Dear Tebow, please let this be true.

 

If nothing else, you'd think Lastings has a better chance of succeeding in Pittsburgh than Francoeur does in New York.

Can't see that working out AT ALL for the Mets.

 

God, yes.

Church isn't great, but he's OK, outside of that hilarious third base gaffe a few months back. His mistake seems to be that Jerry Manuel hates his guts.

Francouer peaked 12 years ago. That the Braves would trade him WITHIN THE DIVISION would seem to be a giant fucking neon sign that they think he is completely finished. So of course the Mets made the trade.

This will be awesome.

 

Royals fans should be relieved they didn't get Frenchy first.

I don't know how Braves fans should feel. Church is a walking concussion. At least there remained a sliver of hope that Frenchy could be somewhat productive. Or not. So maybe it's a salary dump. Good enough, I guess.

 

Sorry, I don't trust in Frank Wren's evaluation skills that much. (Though he was correct on Smoltz and, to a lesser extent, Glavine/Hanson, though that was kind of a no-brainer for a GM).

 

I hate this deal if for no other reason than it forces me to agree with BYH. What a stupid trade for NY.

 

That'd be the best thing ever if KC traded for Betantcourt and Frenchy on the same day.

This is a pretty nice alternative, though.