I agree. Let's call the Angel's season a wash. They lack self-confidence and DelGado is a Met.

I don't agree that there was an error on Napoli tonight. That was bad fielding by McPherson who is a major disapointment. He can't hit lefties, he has not produced. Cabrera is having a terrible defensive year as is the entire team. Furthermore, What good is Kevin Greg without innings? And where is Donneley? Why doesn't he pitch before Shields? And why is the closer coming in during tied games or non-save situations? What is going on?

Conclusion: The Angels are moving to Omaha - to a small market where they can make a profit.

Eh... I don't know. The prevailing wisdom on blogs these days seems universally to be ditch your proven stars for prospects, and I do not agree with that in all cases. The AL West is very winnable for the Angels this year. When you're only 6 games out at this point and the division leader has a .537 winning percentage, and you're a big money club I don't think it's wise to bow out.

Adam Kennedy has really sunken himself into a hole, they'd probably get more for him in compensatory draft picks than a trade at this point. If they could get Soriano for a prospect who means less to the organization (Aybar, Saunders) then they should probably do it. As long as they keep Weaver, Adenhart, Kendrick, Wood, etc. they cannot be accused of abandoning their youth movement. Going after a big bat in the offseason is one thing, but you have to find somebody willing to take your money. If the Yankees throw a sack of money at Soriano or Carlos Lee gets extended all of a sudden once again, they'd out of luck, just like with Konerko.

The Angels are rich enough in prospects that trading one or two of them won't hurt, and indeed, they can't hope to find places for all of them, and all of them won't pan out. Let's face it, the new breed of online fan sometimes forgets these games are played for real and not just projected by PECOTA - every stud prospect is not a 100% sure thing, and plenty of teams have shown you just can't load up on them and watch the World Series rings flood in. Kenny Williams has fashioned a juggernaut of a team doing exactly the opposite of that; if you look at Baseball America's Top 10 White Sox prospects list after the 2004 season, they lampoon him for doing just that. But the name of the game is not impressing PECOTA or wowing minor league followers - it's winning the games and winning it all.

The youth movement hasn't gone as immediately well as people expected - Kendrick, Kotchman, Mathis, and Morales have not raked the way people assumed they would in the very early going (as opposed to the Dodgers' callups) and McPherson is doing better but still disappointed as to where it was promised he would be.

I think the Angels can stay true to their mission without giving up on the season, and they shouldn't.

Lastly I think it's somewhat presumptious to assume when and for who players now in Low A like Adenhart will be taking over for. I remember a time when Cubs fans projected that the "rotation of the future" were names like Brownlie, Sisco, Hagerty, Justin Jones, and Juan Cruz. Ouch.

Interesting that you say you would not deal Santana for Crawford. Even if the Angels would consider it, do you really think the Rays are prepared to trade Crawford for a #3 or 4 starter?

I would move Santana for Crawford in a second. For all the prospects that the Angels have, they are a little short on young OF talent. Crawford is locked in to a pretty favorable deal and would be very solid for them and potentially a star.

If they could get Crawford, the future lineup of this club is downright scary...

A six man rotation is nonsensical. Why clog up a roster spot with a number 5 starter? Would your starters relieve at all?

I think the Angels will probably look to trade Jeff Weaver asap to make spot for Jered.

The Padres should have drafted Stephen Drew, but your point is taken. That said, there's no way there are five starting pitchers on the Angels who are better than Jered Weaver. Sending him down seems like a strange move; then again, the Angels seems like a strange team right now.

Re the rumored Santana for Crawford trade comments above...

First of all, let me clarify what I wrote. I stated, "I'm not in favor of swapping Santana for Carl Crawford unless the latter can handle center field adequately." The operative phrase here is "unless the latter can handle center field adequately." Crawford is much more valuable in general as a CF and even more specifically to the Angels given their strengths and weaknesses. However, he has only played 52 games out there or less than 10% of the time.

Secondly, who says Santana is a #3 or #4 starter? As I've written before, I'm not big on such labels. Santana is young, has good stuff, and has performed well in the minors and majors. I think he is very solid now and has an even higher ceiling than what he has shown thus far.

Thirdly, I don't think a six-man rotation is "nonsensical" at all, at least not in view of the Angels' situation. Giving Colon and his shoulder an extra day's rest may not be the worst thing in the world. Skipping Santana on the road from time to time is certainly justifiable given his career splits. Keeping Jeff Weaver in the rotation only serves to increase his trade value. And even Jered could benefit by minimizing the number of innings and wear and tear on his arm this early in his career. Furthermore, as I pointed out a week ago Thursday, "Escobar, Santana, and the older Weaver could even be used in relief in between starts, strengthening a bullpen that tends to become too dependent on Scot Shields and Frankie Rodriguez for long stretches."

The Angels' season is over, really. They have committed so many errors it's simply not to be believed; had they actually had anything resembling good fielding, they would be vying with the A's for the division lead. It sucks that Jered Weaver is getting the shaft here -- and I agree with you, I'd just as soon see a six-man rotation and send the little-used Kevin Gregg down than the team's best pitcher over the last month.

Not sure I follow you on acquiring Hillenbrand; he's outproducing McPherson now, but (1) Hillenbrand is a notorious second-half slumper (post-All-Star-break .276/.310/.442 but .309/.357/.476 before), and (2) McPherson is still young enough that he could conceivably improve. D-Mac's hitting .268/.304/.464 now, which is about what you can expect to get out of Hillenbrand once you get him.

I hate, hate, hate the much-proposed Carl Crawford trade; too much of his value is tied up in his legs. I don't think he's going to develop into Roberto Clemente, one of his top comps, either; Darin Erstad seems a more likely comparison.

I with you when you say that it demoting Jered was the safe way decision. As for the Santana for Crawford deal, I don't think either team would go through with it. The 'Rays should want more than just Santana, and the Angels should be using Santana as a centerpiece to acquire someone tha can hit in the middle of the linup. I would love for StoneMan to throw the farm at the Marlins and get Cabrera. This team isn't far from where it needs to be. They don't need ot sell the farm, or the season.

Couple more things:

1) I am simply stunned by the lack of patience with McPherson. What, over the course of 200 ABs, he went from a top prospect to a bum? Give the kid a chance!

2) I think Crawford will hit for more power.

3) I don't have a lot of confidence in the Angels ability to handle young talent.

I have to agree with Nolan's comments regarding McPherson. As a Jays fan, I have seen Alex Rios go from savior (after his breakout AA campaign) to bum (his first 2 ML years) and back to savior again after the first 2 1/2 months of 2006.

As for Jered Weaver, I am stunned. I haven't read the interviews, nor have I seen him pitch, so I don't know what flaws he is expected to work on, but I can almost hear his agent (Boras?) telling him "Cheer up, only 5 1/2 years to free agency."

Let's be clear here: I'm not for Shea Hillenbrand. I only mentioned him because he has been linked to an Adam Kennedy trade now for a couple of weeks. The primary purpose of such a deal would be to make room for Howie Kendrick, who is primed to play in the bigs everyday and capable of adding more offense than Kennedy.

Hillenbrand would just be a rent-a-player DH-type who could also pinch hit and fill in at first base, if needed. Shea would NOT be allowed to play 3B other than in an emergency role, although his three errors in seven games this year would fit in nicely with the Angels' defense.

Lastly, I would only make such a swap if Toronto agreed to eat about a million dollars to even out Hillenbrand's ($5.8M) and Kennedy's ($3.35M) contracts. With about 55% of the season still remaining, the differential in their contracts works out to roughly $1.35M. I could handle the $350,000 but would require that the Blue Jays pick up the other million.

Rob -- When was it that you said the season was over in 2005? 2004?

Thank God Stoneman's had more nerve than Angels fans this year. Jered'll be up soon, I'm sure, and even without a trade the team still has a very decent shot at winning. Some times young players struggle.

Rich, I agree with your comments, but I wonder who among the big bats is available? Even looking at the offseason, I'm not sure there are anywhere near as many big bats out there as there are teams that are going to be very, very interested in getting them.

Hi Helen - After researching the matter a bit, I came up with the following possibilities (some are admittedly better than others but all of these free agents should be worthy of consideration, if healthy and at the right price):

Carlos Lee and Alfonso Soriano will likely be the hottest names this off-season. Both will be expensive and require long-term commitments. I think Lee is the better bet.

There are two candidates who are doing their thing in the next county over - Nomar Garciaparra and, yes, J.D. Drew. I'm as surprised as anyone that Nomar is hitting so well but if the Dodgers don't extend him because they want to hand the 1B position over to Loney next year, then I'd give some thought to working out a short-term deal with him. He might even give the Angels a hometown discount.

As far as Drew goes, let's not forget the opt out clause in his contract. Three years at $12M per is a million more than he is under contract for now. Drew has expressed a desire to play CF and would give the team a big bat in the middle of the order to boot.

Moving up Interstate 5, there are two Giants--Barry Bonds and Moises Alou--who are going to become free agents at the end of the year. Although Bonds obviously has some baggage to deal with, I think he and the Angels are a good fit for a year. Let's face it, Bonds really needs to move to the A.L. He has a home in Beverly Hills and would probably prefer signing with either the Oakland A's or the Angels.

Another Bonds-like option is giving Gary Sheffield a one-year deal. Something similar to what Nomar got ($6M plus $4M in incentives) might be fair to both parties.

While on the subject of shorter-term stop gaps, how 'bout Jim Edmonds? I would have to be satisfied that he was healthy but if the Cardinals failed to pick up the club option and Edmonds wanted to play another year, why not see if he could be had on the cheap?

I probably wouldn't pursue Cliff Floyd as he is too similar to Garret Anderson and Mike Cameron may not provide the production the Angels need.

If the team signs a LF/DH type like Lee, then that would allow them to move either Kendry Morales or Casey Kotchman. On the trade front, I don't know if the Marlins would go for it but I would certainly be in favor of giving them Morales or Kotchman plus Dallas McPherson, Jeff Mathis, and Ervin Santana in exchange for Miguel Cabrera.

Adding Cabrera and a couple of the above free agents would give the Angels one of the most potent lineups in either league to go along with a strong rotation and bullpen.

I have to agree with Nolan's comments regarding McPherson. As a Jays fan, I have seen Alex Rios go from savior (after his breakout AA campaign) to bum (his first 2 ML years) and back to savior again after the first 2 1/2 months of 2006.

That's not a completely accurate comparison. They have very different skill sets. Rios has finally started adding the power many people projected he might develop, while keeping the excellent contract rate he showed in the minors. McPherson, on the other hand, has "old player" skills that aren't likely to improve.

Just as it was unlikely Rios that would develop into Guerrero-lite (I'm still in shock and not completely sold), I doubt McPherson will ever be anything more than Rob Deer. (That's not an insult, but still a far cry from the superstar many were expecting.)

The problem with McPherson is that people pay more attention to the things he can't do rather than the things he can. It's a bias often leveled against hitters who strike out a lot and it's a shame.

I dislike when people drag out names like Alex Rios as a model of success and patience. It's extremely speculative. After 2004 I heard a lot of talk about Sean Burroughs being the next Adrian Beltre (MVP calibur Beltre, not the current Beltre) and Kip Wells and Adam Eaton have had two many Chris Carpenter comparisons for my liking. I'd prefer for people to cut back on using the exception-to-the-rule as support for these unlikely situations. Where does it end?

The Angels are 5.5 games back in a winnable division. How can anyone think it's over?

I'm also skeptical about the idea of counting on free agency to bail a team out for next year. It too often goes awry. Teams cut crazy deals, guys sign extensions, you're left empty-handed.

I'm dubious Drew exercises his option. I've heard the Dodgers aren't that high on Loney, so I'd expect the Dodgers to keep Garciaparra. There's a paucity of big impact bats. If Soriano and Lee end up off the market for whatever reason, the Angels would be in dire straights.

Also, Carl Crawford's reputation has really bounced around. It's swung from wildly overrated to underrated. If the Angels could grab Crawford for Santana, I'd do without question.

Santana has looked very good, but I've always thought his minor league numbers didn't quite live up to the #2 pitching prospect in baseball status he had a few years ago.

Matt -- and struggle, and struggle, and struggle. Kendry Morales has required at least two months to adjust to every level he's played at starting with AAA; his hot start just masked the beginning of this process.

Jurgen -- Even if McPherson turns in .250/.300/.450 lines on a regular basis -- and he's been hitting for a little more average of late -- he's got more value than Rob Deer ever had.

On the above McPherson line, that's a .750 OPS though, not the best production out of 3rd base. If you gave Russell Branyan more or less a full season's ABs minus ABs from strict lefty protection, it's not unlikely he couldn't do that. So how much value are we talking about here? That's okay, sure. But it's a letdown from the Troy Glaus or better numbers people routinely predicted. I don't think people are remembering how highly McPherson was regarded. In 2005 he was rated the 12th best prospect in all of baseball, on one of those funny Jon Mayo lists he was like 6th. The eleven guys ranked ahead of him were Mauer, Felix Hernandez, Delmon Young, Ian Stewart, Joel Guzman, Casey Kotchman, Scott Kazmir, Rickie Weeks, Andy Marte, Hanley Ramirez, and Lastings Milledge.

If his offensive numbers end up looking like Mike Cameron's for cheap, fine, but in lieu of what was expected I don't think it can be considered a great triumph. Better than some would-be All Stars, yes.

APiNG -- sure, McPherson's been a disappointment relative to what was expected. The thing I think everyone forgot was how old he was relative to his league, and how injury-prone he's been. By the time Troy Glaus was Dallas McPherson's present age, he'd been in the majors four years and had a couple 40-HR seasons under his belt.

McPherson can't be regarded as a disappointment because he hasn't had the CHANCE TO DO ANYTHING!!

I don't get this. If your team is 5 1/2 back in a winnable division, why demote your best pitcher to Triple-A?

We don't know at this point whether Dallas McPherson will be better than, worse than, or equal to Rob Deer. But if he turns in .250/.300/.450 type numbers, he will certainly fall short of Deer's offensive production. The latter's OBP was nearly the same as the league average and his SLG was 10% better. Defensively, McPherson doesn't really win many brownie points here by playing a mediocre third base.

But let's see how Mac performs over the course of this year first. This is the perfect time for the Angels to let him play and see what he can do. His trade value is nowhere near as high as it was two years ago when expectations were running more rampantly so the Angels may as well find out if he can hit and field well enough to be an everyday third baseman in the majors. One of three things will happen: (1) McPherson plays well and becomes the team's answer at 3B, (2) he plays well, increases his trade value, and the Angels deal him elsewhere, or (3) he doesn't play well and the Angels know with more certainty that Dallas isn't the answer. The latter could lead to the Angels' pursuit of Miguel Cabrera in more earnest or the conversion of Brandon Wood to the hot corner as early as next year.

Agreed completely on McPherson.

Although, I have to say that I don't understand the trade rumors surrounding Cabrera - he's making league minimum right now. I'm not sure if he's arbitration eligible after this season but, even if he is, he's not going to get *that* big of a jump...

Cabrera is making $472,000 and will be arbitration eligible at the end of the year. I think he is line to get a pretty substantial jump. By way of comparison, Albert Pujols asked for $10.5M and the Cardinals offered $7M in his first year of arb eligibility. I would guess that Cabrera gets at least $5M next year and more if, like Pujols, he winds up signing a longer-term deal.

McPherson's career numbers against RHP:
.267/.315/.505.
Robb Quinlan's career numbers against LHP:
.320/.360/.522

They are currently platooning. Also, both are extremely inexpensive. The Angels' problems now & going forward have nothing to do with production at 3B.

I don't believe I've ever said third base is a problem but, at the same time, I don't think it is a strength either. However, Robb Quinlan isn't really a third baseman. He has only played five games at the hot corner all year. Furthermore, I think it is misleading to give his career totals because they are heavily influenced by what he did in 2004, which was a year that was totally outside the norm for him. I will grant you that he can hit lefties. That said, he is 29 years old and not likely to get better from here. In my mind, Quinlan is nothing more than a backup corner infielder who can be used against LHP to give the everyday 1B and perhaps the 3B or DH an occasional rest.

Cabrera, on the other hand, is one of the top hitters in the game. He is only 23 years old and is among the league leaders in AVG (.346), OBP (.442), and SLG (.575) playing his home games in a ballpark that suppresses batting average for RHB by 5% and HR by 22%. Cabrera should definitely be pursued if he is available in trade. It would be silly not to at least test the waters to see what it would take to get him.

Oh, I think they should trade my own body parts, let alone D-Mac, for a future HoFer like Cabrera....

For all those doubting Carl Crawford's value...

Before today's game in which he already has his 10th HR of the season:

.313/.356/.488, .844 OPS
Now we bring in the fact that he had a shoulder injury the first month and a half of the season that he played through.
So taking that into consideration, let's look at his month by month stats.

April: .269/.340/.355, .695 OPS
May: .318/.345/.477, .822 OPS
June: .385/.407/.750, 1.157 OPS

Now I'm not suggesting that he is going to maintain a slugging pct of 750 or keep his OPS over 1.000. But it's fairly obvious that the shoulder injury affected his performance and that since being healthy, he has shown the power that many projected him to have.

He's on pace for 25 HR and 50 SB this year and that's the stuff of superstars.

Take away his stolen bases and he's still one of the best outfielders in baseball. The fact that he is incredibly fast and steals bases just adds to his value to any team.

He's 24 years old and has a very team friendly long-term contract.

To balk at a trade of Ervin Santana along with ANY prospect in the Angels system for Carl Crawford would be idiotic on the Angels part. But then again, judging by the Jered Weaver situation... maybe idiotic is to be expected.

Jered fall down, homers go boom.

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2006_06_18_lvgaaa_slcaaa_1

Mental toughness questions have gotta be raised here.

As bad a situation as the Marlins are in, I find it hard to believe that they can't carry someone making $5 or $6 million a year. Frankly, judging by this team's performance so far as well as the heap of talent they've got in the minors (Sanchez will be in the rotation next year), they may be able to contend for the Wild Card next year...I just don't see them dealing Cabrera...Makes no sense from their end...

Of course, if I'm the Angels, I'd give up Wood and Santana to get him - I just don't see it happening...

Hats off to everyone for an intelligent discussion.

Since my last comment above...

Oh, I think they should trade my own body parts, let alone D-Mac, for a future HoFer like Cabrera.

I can only answer that with a smile. : )

For all those doubting Carl Crawford's value.

I don't doubt his value at all. I like Crawford quite a bit but would like him even more if I knew he could handle CF for the Angels. Good breakdown on his stats. I agree. He is young and primed to get even better. But I would not trade Santana and ANY prospect for him if, by ANY, you mean Santana and Kendrick or Santana and Wood. As I've said before, if he can play CF, I would gladly trade Santana for Crawford. I might even be willing to throw in a second player in such a deal but not a top prospect.

Mental toughness questions have gotta be raised here.

I don't want to come across as an apologist, but I think the Angels are at fault here. First of all, Stoneman and Scioscia never should have sent Weaver down. Secondly, it was handled very poorly. To give Jered the bad news after the game on Friday night, send him on his way on Saturday, ask the heartbroken kid to start on Sunday afternoon, and expect another outstanding performance was downright dumb.

The Angels not only put a halt to Weaver's momentum but they have now set his confidence back, too. We'll never know, but I have no doubt that Jered would have kept the mojo going and performed very capably vs. the Padres on Sunday. The whole situation is really a shame for both Weaver and the Angels.

If Jered can't handle being sent back down to the minors through no fault of his own, should he even be in the rotation in the first place?

Howie Kendrick was handled stupidly, given inadequate playing time and then sent down when he unsurprisingly failed to produce. After a few 0-fers for Salt Lake, he turned around and started hitting .400. I'll give Weaver more starts to do the pitching equivalent, of course, but Weaver has no analogous excuse to Kendrick's.

Rich, I love this site, but I think you're overrating Santana and underrating CC. Now, I am a Rays fan, so I could just be biased here, but the stats yAk posted show a star, that looks like a potential Super-star. I could easily see him .900 OPSing very soon, to go along with 60 SB threat.

I also see no reason to question his ability to play CF. He's possibly the best athlete in the ML right now, and plays a GG quality defense in LF. The only reason he isn't a CFer is because he's always had uber prospects playing CF in front of him (Hammy and Rocco).

I know we're not a fan of counting stats here but here are a few, at the same age as:

CC has more hits than Pete Rose had.
CC has more stolen bases than Lou Brock had.
CC has more RBIs than Barry Bonds had.

Plus he's dirt CHEAP.

As for Santana, he hasn't really proven anything. He's got good stuff, but his numbers coming up the ladder aren't all that impressive. His K rate isn't particularly inspiring, especially considering his stuff. His walk rate is ok, but not great. He's certainly a good player, but the Rays would be giving up a star and possibly one of the best players in the league for a potential #2 starter and looks more likely to be a middle of the rotation pitcher to me, based on his stats? That doesn't sound like a very good deal to me. CC is worth signifigantly more than Santana. Probably Wood would have to be included, and at the very least, D-Mac and a low level prospect.

And the final thing, and possibly most important, THE DEVIL RAYS ARE NOT TRYING TO TRADE CC. Now, that may not seem like it makes much sense because he's in trade rumors everyday, but they are not trying to trade him. Other teams, such as the Angels want him, and are making trade offers. The Rays will trade him, if, they're blown away, but Santana isn't close to being blown away. Only if they are offered something they can't refuse, like a package of Wood and Santana will they move him.

Someone said the Angels would be stupid not to trade Santana *and* ANY one of their propsects for Carl Crawford? I do not agree with that. Like I said, it's interesting within this topic we have Crawford very underrated and very overrated. How do you trade Santana and a Brandon Wood for Carl Crawford? Brandon Wood last year had the best minor league year of anyone ever. Again, the best minor league year ever, from a shortstop. Forget about the California League and all that - how many players can you dig up who had well over 100 extra base hits in one season? I can't think of any. That would be impressive for a first baseman or a left fielder. But a shortstop? Insane. I would not involve Wood in any deal for Crawford.

One thing I should have said is that what APiNG is saying is very true. And one of the reasons CC isn't going anywhere. The Rays would have to get an absurd package for him because he's so cheap, young, and he's the face of the franchise offensively. That's precisely why it won't happen, because it would take a package that wouldn't be benifitial to the other team for the most part.

In the Angels situation, I do believe they would be stupid not to trade Santana and ANY prospect as I said.

Do I believe the package would be even in the long-term if the prospect turned into a superstar... maybe not. But the deal would benefit BOTH teams immediately.

The Angels have so many middle infield prospects that losing 1 would not cripple their long-term prospects. If they trade Brandon Wood, they play Erick Aybar or Orlando Cabrera. How much do they really lose in that situation?

Even if they did the unthinkable and traded Howie Kendrick, they have Adam Kennedy and a whole other slew of MI prospects coming through the system.

Let's look at the situation for the Angels. They are a team who isn't far from being World Series caliber. If they trade Ervin Santana, he's replaced by Jered Weaver, who is arguably a better pitcher and "prospect". I'm fairly certain that Jered would win more games this year for the Angels than Santana. So this is a winning situation for the Angels.

Let's look at them giving up either Wood or Kendrick. Wood leaving doesn't hurt the club. They have more than enough SS prospects, although Wood is the best. The loss in win shares would be minimal unless Brandon Wood has a breakthrough with his plate discipline and contact rates and becomes the next Miguel Tejada.

Carl Crawford would instantly become the team's second best player behind Vlad. He would also give a team with scoring problems a huge shot in the arm.

If I were the Angels, I'd be selling a Santana/Wood deal as a steal to the Rays and hoping they bought it. The Angels could move Crawford and Kendrick into the lineup and the offense would instantly become a powerhouse.

Where does Erick Aybar fit into the Angels current and future plans? It seems that the general consensus is that Howie Kendrick is ahead of him, so does that leave Aybar in limbo? If so, could he be used in possible trade bait to acquire a middle of the order bat?

I'm a Red Sox fan and I've got to agree with Tyler, the Rays fan. Crawford is scary. He and Gomes are the two Rays I do NOT want to see at the plate against the Sox. Crawford's power has really come on, too. Somebody on the Sox threw a shoulder high fastball to Crawford as a sort of a waste pitch to try and get an ill advised swing from him. They did. And he hit the ball 390 down the line for a homer at Fenway.
I think Crawford should walk more, but he's like Utley on the Phils, one of those guys who seems to know what he's doing and who scares the other team.
And I really don't understand worrying about Tim freaking Salmon's at bats or making GA a dh. So what? Crawford will save 15-20 runs in left field.

[i]The Angels have so many middle infield prospects that losing 1 would not cripple their long-term prospects. If they trade Brandon Wood, they play Erick Aybar or Orlando Cabrera. How much do they really lose in that situation?[/i]

I don't think that makes sense. You're not comparing equal prospects. That's like saying, the Twins should trade Francisco Liriano because they can plug in J.D. Durbin or Boof Bonser. Unequal prospects. Erick Aybar is a nice shortstop prospect, but he's not a game-changer like Wood is. Aybar profiles like a leadoff type hitter, but that's somewhat negated because he steals bases at a poor success ratio. Then there's Wood, who had arguably the best minor league season ever at age 20 at a position where offense comes at a premium.

You wouldn't trade Wood except for one of the elite cheap players of the game, and Crawford has not reached that status. Add in a pitcher like Santana and it becomes an unreasonable deal for the Angels and I think they'd be right to balk at it.

I just argued that Crawford is one of the elite cheap players of the game, so that's why I would make the trade.

If you don't think Crawford is that elite player, then you wouldn't trade for him anyways.

That's the main debate I'm sure most GM's are having.

As of now, he is elite. Check the stats.