Countdown to the Trade Deadline (5 Days Left)

I woke up this morning, eager to read the latest happenings in the world of Chicago sports, only to find that there is nothing really news-worthy to report. The White Sox lost... again, invoking memories of their nearly devastating collapse last year, and Sam-ME Sosa can't believe that he is not a "hometown hero." I guess you tend to fall out of favor with the fans when you skip out on the team 3 innings early on the last game of the year because you know you're not going to the playoffs, get caught on camera, and then still lie about it, saying you never left, the next day. My father argues that Sosa, with his fifth grade education, should not have been expected to handle all the pressure in an intelligent way, and that it is unfair to ask him to be the bigger person when Hendry and McPhail (by the way, I think his last name is ironic...think about it, McPhail) have 50 years of education between them. Huh??? Even if Sosa didn't finish middle school, that's exactly why these guys hire agents to be smart for them. Sosa's agent should have immediately got on the phone with his client and told him "come clean, apologize, and maybe you can still retire as a Cub." No way, I don't buy it. Sosa had some great years, but it's like Zinedine Zidane headbutting Italian defender Marco Metarazzi in the last game of his career. Are we supposed to forget the lasting images that these guys have left for us just because they performed at a high level in the past? Absolutely not. Michael Jordan didn't punch Karl Malone in his last game and Wayne Gretzky didn't skate into the locker room because his team was out of contention. Get off your high horse, Sammy. You might have been included in the list had you not acted like an moron, but I forgot, you couldn't help it because you have the IQ of a duck-billed platypus. Yeah, right. Now that I got that off my chest, let's move on to the second player that I feel can bring the Cubs some major value in a trade:

Aramis Ramirez
The most interesting rumor that has been circulating as of late has Ramirez, Jacques Jones, and Rich Hill headed to the Yankees in exchange for Alex Rodriguez and promising outfielder Melky Cabrera. Yes, you heard me right, A-Rod. Although, at times, Hendry appears to play the role of village idiot, he has a tendency to surprise you every once in a while, such as in 2004 when he pulled off the four-team deal which brought Nomar Garciaparra to Chicago. Of course Nomar went on to have two injury-riddled seasons with the Cubs and where is he now? Playing 1B for the Dodgers and having an all-star caliber year. Hendry's poor decisions always seem to get me sidetracked, so let's get back to the topic at hand.

Why it will happen: I'm not ready to say just yet that A-Rod is the second coming of Chuck Knoblauch, the star second baseman who the Yankees acquired in 1997 from the Twins; he was supposed to put them over the top, but instead wilted under the pressure of the New York media, earning him the nickname "Knob-Blockhead," but I am not ready to dismiss the notion either. It seems as if booing Rodriguez has become the popular fad in New York and with Yankee fans, when the booing starts, it doesn't stop. Players say that it doesn't bother them, but it does, especially when it happens in your own stadium and you can see how it has affected A-Rod's performance in the last couple of weeks. Things have gotten so bad for him defensively that manager Joe Torre actually played A-Rod at DH. Have you ever heard of an AL MVP having to be hidden away by making him the designated hitter? I haven't. And it didn't help because Rodriguez earned himself a golden sombrero in that game, meaning he struck out four times. I honestly think that there is no other solution but to trade him and if Brian Cashman, the Yankees GM, does indeed put A-Rod on the market, the Cubs are one of the few teams who could realistically pursue a deal due to their financial flexibility and the fact that they have players at positions which the Yankees are looking for. By acquiring Ramirez, Jones, and Hill, the Yankees would only have to deal with one team to fulfill all of their needs. The contracts of Ramirez and Jones would also match up with that of A-Rod's, thus avoiding awkward negotiations regarding how to split the cost of A-Rod's salary.

Why it won't happen: As I mentioned before, A-Rod is the reigning AL MVP and I seriously doubt that he wants to give in and say that he wants out of New York, which would most likely be the only way he is dealt anywhere because I don't think the Yankees front office will do it without him asking first. I think that doing so would scar him emotionally for the rest of his career, because it will provide him with doubt about whether or not he is as mentally strong as he thought he was. If this happens, any team that gets him in a trade might be receiving damaged goods. A-Rod also has a no-trade clause in his contract, although I do not think this would be an obstacle for the Cubs because in 2003, when Rodriguez was a free agent, he made multiple trips to Wrigley Field during the playoffs, saying that he would love to land in Chicago.

Prediction: A more realistic deal would send Ramirez and Rich Hill to Oakland for Barry Zito and Milton Bradley. Eric Chavez, Oakland's regular 3B, has really been struggling as of late, so perhaps moving him to DH for a while would benefit his confidence. Chavez is much better defensively than Ramirez, so this move would only be temporary. I see Ramirez as a perfect fit playing DH in the American League. In fact, from what I read, the entire AL West is interested in him, especially Seattle whose DH, Carl Everett, is only batting .230. I don't think the Mariners are an attractive trading partner, unless they are willing to include Rafael Soriano, a dominating relief pitcher, which I don't see happening. With that said, let's break down the rest of the teams in that division and see exactly what the Cubs could get in return...

How about Texas? They seem more than willing to trade Hank Blalock and have been actively trying to move Kevin Mench over the last couple of weeks. They have always been desperate for pitching, so including Hill and maybe Angel Guzman would more than likely get the deal done and bring the Cubs two excellent everyday players.

And let's not forget the Angels who have the deepest farm system in the league. They could offer the Cubs a number of cant-miss talents such as SP Ervin Santana, SS Erick Aybar, and 2B Howie Kendrick.

A quick side note: A deal with the Padres is also possible with the Cubs getting Jake Peavy, Scott Linebrink and Terrmel Sledge. Peavy has been struggling lately and the Padres are still in the hunt for first place and the wild card, despite his poor play. However, he is still considered an ace and San Diego actively shopped him around the league, looking for a third baseman, and almost reached an agreement with Boston for Mike Lowell. Linebrink is one of the top relief pitchers in the league. However, being a fly ball pitcher, he has thrived at the spacious Petco Park, something which might not translate into success at Wrigley, although that was the concern with Howry, who is one of the few bright spots on the Cubs this year.

So that concludes day two of the countdown to MLB's trade deadline. Up tomorrow is Michael Barrett. I will explain why I think he should go and talk about where he might end up.

What do you guys think so far? Are any of these trades, including the ones I mentioned for Maddux, realistic? Let me know. Hopefully I'll have a couple of more posts later today, depending on whether or not anything happens. I get the feeling it is going to be a slow day, but you never know...