Is this what we can expect for the next three months? We all knew there would be more trades than usual due to the dearth of quality free agents, but did anyone really expect that Josh Beckett, Carlos Delgado, and Jim Thome would all get traded in the span of two days?
The Beckett and Delgado deals are obviously intertwined, both tied to the fact that the Marlins are starting from scratch for the second time in seven years. Do you realize that in the 15 years the Marlins have existed, they have been terrible, then won the World Series, then had a fire sale, then won the World Series again, then had another fire sale? So anyway, Beckett, Delgado, and Mike Lowell are gone, and Juan Pierre, Paul LoDuca, and anyone else making more than $1.98 next year is likely to follow. Why did baseball expand into Florida again?
As for Thome, this is great for the Phillies. The common assumption was that the Phillies would be unable to move Thome’s contract until he had proven he was healthy, which wouldn’t happen until spring training, at which point no teams would have money left for him. So for the Phillies to get it over with so early is great for them, for Thome, and for Ryan Howard. And if Thome can regain form, it will be great for the White Sox, too. If nothing else, it got one of their creepy white guys off the team.
I can’t wait to see what else goes down this winter.
As a Phils fan, I was thrilled with the Thome deal. I love Jim, but this one was a no-brainer. Now to pick up a closer…