Mahay for Donald? Just kill me already

by dajafi on Jul 29, 2008 1:12 PM EDT Comment 14 comments

Update, 1.50pm: Stark now says the Phillies are "not close."

Jayson Stark puts the bullet in the chamber:

Left-handed reliever Ron Mahay could be on the verge of heading to the Phillies.

According to clubs that have been speaking with the Royals, they've been having extensive conversations with the Phillies about a trade that would send Mahay to Philadelphia for shortstop prospect Jason Donald, a member of the U.S. Olympic baseball team.

It's believed that as many as 10 teams have contacted the Royals about Mahay, who is signed for next year at $4 million. Most of them have come away with the impression that the Royals aren't motivated to trade him. But in Donald, the Phillies have a commodity for which Kansas City has been searching aggressively. So the fit appears better with the Phillies than with any of the other teams on the Royals' list.

It would be hard to overstate what a #&%@^ disaster this would be. Mahay's 37. He's signed for $4 million next year; between him, Lidge, and Romero, we'd be back to the Ed Wade days as far as overspending on relief.

Donald, meanwhile, is a 23 year-old infielder with Reading who has hit better at every level he's played in the minors, and now projects as a low-cost, big-league contributor; by next spring, he could be an upgrade on Eric Bruntlett or even challenge Pedro Feliz for the third-base job.

Please, please, please don't let this one go through.

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great minds huh dajafi…. lol… (look to the right)

by foos05 on Jul 29, 2008 1:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, but you didn’t get all flipped out and hyperbolic…

by dajafi on Jul 29, 2008 1:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Here’s maybe some good news: Happ officially recalled.

If they use Happ as the lefty reliever, no need for Mahay, and we get to keep one of our few remaining semi-close position prospects.

by dajafi on Jul 29, 2008 1:20 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Well that’s what I would hope would happen, but the stark piece makes it feel like these aren’t exactly new talks about Mahay… They may just be recalling Happ until the Mahay shitbomb goes off, or incase it doesn’t. I thought I read this morning that they don’t feel Happ is actually a bullpen piece… IMO, this is the deal…

They pulled Happ up today… If Myers goes out and lays an egg tonight, they pull the Mayhay deal late tonight or tomorrow, move Happ to the rotation, DFA Rudy, and move Myers to the pen. Now, that’s not what I WANT to happen, but this would fit Gillick perfectly… Your opinion?

by foos05 on Jul 29, 2008 1:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sure, if they trade, say, Jake Blalock for Mahay.

by dajafi on Jul 29, 2008 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

good god no

been following the team from afar (i.e., not on TGP/BSG), and this would really put a damper on things. I didn’t mind the Blanton trade, just because he’s relatively cheap and locked up for the next couple years, but moving Donald (who seems to be in high demand) for a reliever just makes no sense. And to think that I really didn’t have much to criticize the Phils over (save for the annual Dallas Green bash-a-thon) this year.

by Alex Falzone on Jul 29, 2008 1:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

thinking about this a little more...

If the Phils flipped Donald for Brian Fuentes, I wouldn’t be as bothered. He’s a better pitcher, but more to the point, they could reload the system with the two picks they’d get when he left as a free agent.

Fuentes might or might not be on the market, and with Troy Tulowitzki, Cliff Barmes et al on hand, the Rockies may well not even be interested. But I point this out because it’s not that I’m hysterically over-valuing our prospects or that I’m indifferent to the need to strengthen the bullpen—I just think Donald for Mahay would be a dumb move.

by dajafi on Jul 29, 2008 1:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Jason Stark is such a tool. It’s almost as if he post that, it got back to the Phils that it was up and they got his “contact” to call him and say that it’s not close anymore… so he pissed us all off for nothing… In regards to Fuentes, I’d do that deal, but I think I read yesterday that they’ve officially opted to hang onto everyone and take a run at it… I think they’re only like 5 or 6 back at this point, and in that division, that’s nothing.

by foos05 on Jul 29, 2008 2:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I used to love his work when I was a kid. It seemed so witty at the time. I think it was in HS or college when I started to realize he sucked.

by taco pal on Jul 29, 2008 3:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m very, very glad I didn’t read about this until it had already been disproven. I’m on vacation and it would’ve ruined a beautiful day.

I had hoped that after winning the division with the mess we had in the bullpen last year they’d have come to the learned that paying out the nose for $4 million 37 year old lefties wasn’t entirely necessary. Or that they learned the same from getting brilliant work out of Romero and Durbin, two retreads.

by bugbear on Jul 29, 2008 3:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Zolecki reported at 5:09 pm that although the deal isn’t close right now, that could still change. Not sure what to make of that, but it isn’t exactly good news.

Some of the comments on that blog post are quite amusing/appalling.

by taco pal on Jul 29, 2008 7:58 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Rob Neyer also mentioned it today in his chat, as a steal for the royals if it happened.

And just to contrast something said earlier, the blanton trade stiunk

by jemagee on Jul 29, 2008 9:38 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

maybe its irrelevant but...

didn’t the royals just get a shortstop (moustakas) in the draft last year? 2nd overall? if they did get donald, wouldn’t the plan be to move him to third anyway and gordon to first?

by char6587 on Jul 30, 2008 12:38 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Moustakas has already been moved to 3B, and is pretty far away. The Royals might not be that interested in Donald if they don’t think he can play SS, as while Aviles has hit well for them, he’s even less of a SS than Donald.

by bugbear on Jul 30, 2008 1:29 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs