Wow, pk, I bet you're dancing on the ceiling.

So any trade involving Lopez would probably have to have a SS coming here, no?

I can see Lopez being dealt. His "me first" attitude doesn't seem to fit in well with this team right now. I could see a trade with the Orioles being done if the O's deal Brian Roberts. Maybe Lopez for one of their minor league pitchers like Hayden Penn?

It's a given that an organization does not adjust to the "emotions" of the single individual, so before this gets worse, use Felipe Lopez to trade for more talent (if there's a market). The more visible the discontent, the greater the loss of trade value.

"Attitude is a choice, and I can only control mine."

BRAVO Manny!

The Nationals, trying to trade shortstop Felipe Lopez, are scouting the Royals' Angel Berroa as a possible replacement. The Orioles are believed to have interest in Lopez, who is guaranteed $4.9 million this season.
Lopez, 27, also has played 82 games at third base and 55 at second in his career, and his ability to fit in at multiple positions could increase the number of teams that are interested in him.

The Giants need all the help they can get, and the Twins and White Sox remain unsettled at second base. The Cardinals also could view Lopez as an upgrade over their new shortstop, Cesar Izturis.

Berroa, the 2003 American League Rookie of the Year, is in camp with the Royals as a non-roster player. He appeared in only nine major-league games last season, but is guaranteed $4.75 million in '08 as well as a $500,000 buyout.

from Kenny Rosenthal

I don't suppose we could get Macier back from LAA?

Didn't think so.

Barry squashed the Lopez-for-Penn rumor in the chat this week, but he did say that a trade between the two teams is not impossible.

Honestly, I think Belliard is the more likely of the two to be moved. He has a two-year deal, and he only makes $1.75 million per. That's cheap for a .290 hitter.

Lopez's perceived attitude problems make the possibility of a trade even harder than his $4.9 million and current .205 average.

Or Cabrera back from Chicago...

~~~~~~~~~~~

I don't suppose we could get Macier back from LAA?

Didn't think so.

Posted by: CE | March 21, 2008 11:59 AM

Rosenthal mentions the Twins, prompting me to reiterate - for the last time, I promise - my Belliard-for-Casilla option.

Not a straight-up trade, mind you, but I'm sure Bowden can work out the details.

I get very upset when I hear management talking about "losing" a player who makes nearly $5 million annually. I wonder if FLop more worries about being "devalued" by being a bench player when he becomes an FA after the season, when versatility between the two middle infield positions may actually make him more attractive to potential suitors.

i love how people think lopez is crappy and should be traded, and then turn around and propose trades for players/prospects with value, as if the other team wouldn't know that lopez hasn't been hitting since 2006 (and some here would say not even then). what on god's green earth would make you think the Os would give hayden penn for him?

hello? is it me you're looking for?

I think you hit the nail on the head. Don't ever forget who is agent is...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wonder if FLop more worries about being "devalued" by being a bench player when he becomes an FA after the season...

Posted by: natsscribe | March 21, 2008 12:06 PM

@cosign 231

Doesn't anyone realize if JimBow could have gotten ten cents on the dollar for FLop during the offseason he would have been moved by now?But other teams saw his bad attitude and bad body language throughout 2007 and didn't want to offer anything. If FLop is a bench player this season, he should suck it up, polish his image and then go away.

To heck with you FLop...C'mon Matty Chico, earn that rotation spot baby - mow 'em down!

good for you CE. I'm still waiting for natswriter's response.

CE, maybe you should see Geoge Carlin's latest HBO special too. Get back to me when you hear his thoughts, which are very true, on the national anthem.

I can see Lopez being dealt. His "me first" attitude doesn't seem to fit in well with this team right now. I could see a trade with the Orioles being done if the O's deal Brian Roberts. Maybe Lopez for one of their minor league pitchers like Hayden Penn?

Posted by: Hayden | March 21, 2008 11:54 AM
__________________________________________

Can you please send me whatever marijuana you're smoking that makes you think the O's would trade Hayden Penn for that clown?

I can see the team dealing Lopez for another player that another team is desperate to get rid of. I don't see the Nats dealing Belliard because his stats are better and they are going to want to hang onto him.

"I get very upset when I hear management talking about "losing" a player who makes nearly $5 million annually."

You don't hear management saying that. You don't even read quotes of management saying that. What you read is beat writer speculation that says that. There is a difference, you know.

Unless of course you're a Nats beat writer or reporter yourself down there in Viera talking to management yourself. But if you are, then what are you doing here on this blog?

I suggested for someone like Hayden Penn because the Orioles have him bumped down quite a bit as a prospect over the years. He was a top at one point, but has since been bumped behind guys like Olsen and Johnson. It was merely a thought IF the O's deal Roberts.

Thanks Dave for asking the right questions in a way that gets somekind of information out of the Acta and Jimbo on Lopez. Not just the same old same old today.

"Honestly, I think Belliard is the more likely of the two to be moved."

Why? As Dave says, "If you bench Lopez, you might lose the player -- emotionally speaking. If you bench Belliard, you might lose the clubhouse." Don't you think you'd run even greater risk of losing the entire clubhouse by trading Belliard just to coddle Lopez? True, due to Lopez's attitude he's become a much less attractive commodity on the market than Belliard. But at some point you just have to cut your losses and move on. The last thing you want to do is destroy your team just to keep one player happy. Especially when you don't even own that one player after this season is over.

Plus, the team is acting like they actually want to WIN. Belliard stays, I bet.

Non-tendering Lopez back in November seems like a good move now doesn't it? Yes 231 we would have had to find a back up SS over this past winter.....and yes I have already found you several that could have been had for less than $5 Million and would have been an improvement over both Lopez and Guzman's defense. Just saying sometimes cutting your loses early makes sense.

CE, natswriter, and others check it out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXT8HENbXSc

CE, natswriter, and others check it out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXT8HENbXSc

I suggested for someone like Hayden Penn because the Orioles have him bumped down quite a bit as a prospect over the years. He was a top at one point, but has since been bumped behind guys like Olsen and Johnson. It was merely a thought IF the O's deal Roberts.

Posted by: | March 21, 2008 12:27 PM
-------------------------------------------

We will most likely deal Roberts but part of the return would be an adequate middle infielder who would either play 2nd or play SS and let us move someone else to 2B.

There's no way Penn would be traded for the previous mentioned Nats player. Penn will be pitching in the big leagues for us by the middle of the year.

I have to say that JP should work some minor league deal with the Nationals. He has to know that here, the minute he get velocity back, if it is ever going to come back, he will have a spot in the ML rotation. ...and F-Lop rubs Manny the wrong way.

OMG! I can't believe I almost agree with the troll. As much as I despise the AngelO's, I don't see what assets from that meager roster would be beneficial to the nats unless it's a salary dump. OTOH, the Birds do have experience in dealing with shortstops with bad attitudes...

i was willing to see what happened with flopez for this year, jayb. i don't think this team is more than a 500 team, so it was worth a shot to see if he could pull his head out of his butt. but there's no "gamble" without "risk," and sometimes you lose them. looks like this was a lost gamble, but it really didn't cost the team, in the big picture, all that much. he's only signed through this season and this is a 500 team at best, so he won't hurt them too much, even if the nats keep him.

i know you gave some options last fall, but none of them would have made this team contenders, so, fwiw, i don't think that made the gamble any worse.

but i know we're going to continue to disagree on this. not a huge deal, tho, i'm sure we'll disagree on other things, too. ;)

Good point 231-I propose Lopez for Hanley Ramirez-even up.

I made one of the comments about Cordero last night after he gave up that homerun. I was really just joking about him returning to last season's form. I know he had personal issues early on last season, and he's had a great spring so far, even after last night. Opponents are probably still batting under .100 against him. I would have liked to seen us win last night, especailly the way Perez pitched, but you can't win them all. I have all the faith in the world in the Chief and I am glad he's part of our team. I totally agree that even though it's frustrating, these things happen and one blown save is definitely not a cause for concern.

As for Lopez, I think he's in a pretty deep hole right now. I just think he's done here in DC, but I don't know what happens now. It's a realyl tough situation to handle, but that's why JimBo makes the big bucks.

Here's an interesting take on the national anthem:

"Here's a civic custom that I don't understand. Maybe you can help me. Taking off your hat when a flag passes by or when some jack *$@ at the ballpark starts singing the national anthem. They tell you to take off your hat. What the f*^@ does a hat have to do with being patriotic? What possible relationship exists between the uncovered head and a feeling that ought to live in your heart? Suppose you have a red, white, and blue hat? Suppose you have a hat made out of a flag? Why would you take it off to honor the flag? Wouldn't you leave it on and point it toward the flag? And what's so bad about hats that you have to take them off? Why not take off your pants? Or your shoes? They tell you that at the airport, they say 'Take off your shoes.' They tell you it's a national security. So taking off your shoes could be patriotic too."

George Carlin, "It's Bad For Ya"
(cleaned up for this precious blog, of course)

419+1, the reason I think Belliard is more likely to be moved isn't because the Nats want Lopez more. It's because there's not much of a market for him.

Belliard, on the other hand, has trade value. I think Bowden signed him to the extension with the intention of trading him later.

Although the FO wants to field a competetive team, this really is all about the future, right? So what makes more sense for this team's future? Trading Lopez for a bag of balls just be rid of a player who will be gone next season anyway, or trading Belliard - who also doesn't factor into the team's long-term plans - for a legitimate prospect?

It's not about coddling Lopez. I think the clubhouse would handle a Belliard trade better than a Belliard benching, because it shows his worth was acknowledged and respected.

I could be wrong. Maybe Bowden can find a way to scare up something by packaging Lopez with a reliever, or even with Young. But right now, the reason we want Lopez gone is the same reason other teams don't want to trade for him.

Who invited freedom-hater to our party? Go away. You're adding nothing to the BASEBALL conversation.

In general, a man taking his hat off is a sign of respect and deference. This is extended to be a sign of symbolic respect or deference to his country when the National Anthem is sung.

Wearing a hat made of the flag is, according to flag etiquette, the categorically unpatriotic. To make a hat from the flag would require one to destroy it in a way that neither pays tribute nor shows respect to the symbol.

This extends to wearing clothing displaying the flag. Wear a hat with the flag on it, and you're sweating on the flag. Wear a shirt with the flag on it, and you're spilling mustard on the flag. And underwear with the flag printed on it? I'll leave that alone.

I could go into more detail, such as which way the union should face when the flag is festooned during a parade, but I'll refrain.

Replace "the categorically unpatriotic" with just plain "disrespectful." Grammatically sound and semantically accurage.

This extends to wearing clothing displaying the flag. Wear a hat with the flag on it, and you're sweating on the flag. Wear a shirt with the flag on it, and you're spilling mustard on the flag. And underwear with the flag printed on it? I'll leave that alone.

Posted by: John in Mpls | March 21, 2008 01:33 PM
__________________________________________

Then why do so many people wear flag-themed clothing (especially around the 4th of July)? Why are these products made to begin with? Are the businesses that produce them unpatriotic? Are they simply capitalistic? If so, isn't capitalism a foundation of the U.S.? Are all of the people that buy and wear anything flag-related unpatriotic?

Freedom-Lover

Looks like Church threw out Zimmerman -- trying to stretch a hit into a double?

Hey Freedom-Lover, to quote Team America: World Police:

What would you do
If you were asked to give up your dreams for freedom?
What would you do
If asked to make the ultimate sacrifice?

Would you think about all them people
Who gave up everything they had?
Would you think about all them War Vets
And would you start to feel bad?

Freedom isn't free
It costs folks like you and me
And if we don't all chip in
We'll never pay that bill
Freedom isn't free
No, there's a hefty in' fee.
And if you don't throw in your buck 'o five
Who will?

What would you do
If someone told you to fight for freedom?
Would you answer the call
Or run away like a little ?
'Cause the only reason that you're here
Is 'cause folks died for you in the past
So maybe now it's your turn
To die kicking some a$$

Freedom isn't free
It costs folks like you and me
And if we don't all chip in
We'll never pay that bill
Freedom isn't free
Now there's a hefty in' fee
And if you don't throw in your buck 'o five
Who will?

You don't throw in your buck 'o five. Who will?
Oooh buck 'o five
Freedom costs a buck 'o five

well at least the title of this entry is appropriate.

trees are blooming. time for baseball.

As hard as it is to believe, Lopez may actually have value to a contender or a team that has a major hole. Rosenthal trotted out 3 or 4 teams where he'd fit. The Dodgers I think would still rather take on Belliard, just because they are lookign for a stop gap until LaRoche or Nomar are well.
The Penn stuff is interesting. I threw it out there more or less as a joke off the top of my head ("Barry - could you and Carig start a rumor about serious negotiations between the Nats and Os over Lopez? Say, for Radhames Liz or Hayden Penn?") on the Lopez bench entry and it has more or less taken on a life of its own. Barry's (and 231's) judgment is probably right. One of the things in the back of MacPhail's mind probably would be John Maine, another O's pitcher who bombed his first time up who they sold short. Penn is no longer their top guy in AAA (Liz, Olsen, perhaps Albers from the Astros) or their best arm in the system (the starter they got from the Mariners sounds top tier), but they are not going to give him away. Lopez to the Os makes some sense, but I can't figure out what beyond Brian Fahey would be coming back.

The O's are trying to rebuild. Regardless of the talent disparities between Lopez and Penn, why would they trade a top-tier prospect for a player in his walk year? Someone called the Lopez-for-Penn idea a "rumor", but I think a rumor implies that someone heard it from an actual source (and not from the voices in their head).

IF Flop is traded, it will most likely be with one of our relievers, so as we could get something in return. I don't know how stupid this would sound, but a package of Flop plus Cordero could get a decent prospect. I would think that Rauch would easily slide into the closer spot with Hanrhan becoming a set up man. Or possibly keeping Rauch as the set up and moving Hanrahan to the closers spot?
(once again submitted with the understanding that I am more a fan and less of a baseball mind).

Lopez to the Giants for Rich Aurila?

Lopez to the Dodgers for Jeff Repko?

Lopez to the Reds for Bill Bray? (kidding)(kind of)

Lopez to the Astros for John Patterson? (kidding again)

i'll be fine with whoever we trade as long as we get the best player or the highest upside in return. so that probably means we package some pitching. still longterm, but it's getting harder.

felipe, do you think that should have been an error?
"no...hell no!"
but it was a play you should have made, wasnt it?
"i threw the ball hard, you cant judge this kind of stuff by fielding percentage, i know i am where i need to be"
hitting close to the mendoze line and making an error a game?
"i wanna [RF] start, i deserve it"

felipe, do you think that should have been an error?
"no...hell no!"
but it was a play you should have made, wasnt it?
"i threw the ball hard, you cant judge this kind of stuff by fielding percentage, i know i am where i need to be"
hitting close to the mendoza line and making an error a game?
"i wanna [RF] start, i deserve it"

I still like the idea of a trade with the Tigers. They need BP help and could use a backup for SS/2B. Both Renteria and Polanco were on the DL last year and they are in "Win Now" mode, so having a high priced backup is OK. If they could deal Inge to LAD, then they might want a Lopez on the bench. We could get back Iorg, the 2007 pick at SS who is #2 in their currently meager system, but #2 nonetheless. We might also ship them a Schroeder or Colome who really helps their BP. We would need at least another prospect back or perhaps something from the LAD as part of a 3 way trade. I suspect they would think that Leyland could keep him in line.

Remember, players who have made it to the ML, command a fair amount in comparison to prospects. See the Milledge trade as an example.

A trade with the Twins might be part of a package to keep Rule 5 draftee, Whitney as well. Might be able to get back Brendan Harris who can play SS or 2B.

"A trade with the Twins might be part of a package to keep Rule 5 draftee, Whitney"

Whitney came from Cleveland. Guzman came from Minnesota

That's six really good posts in a row. Hate to break that streak.

Schroder with two unearned runs in the 5th (error, home run), then gets touched up in the sixth (two doubles and a triple) for three runs.

I don't think any of us are filling out our roster as this point, though.

One guess whose error that was...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Schroder with two unearned runs in the 5th (error, home run)

Posted by: John in Mpls | March 21, 2008 03:13 PM

new post

Don't assume ignorance just because I don't agree. Maybe on some "Stadium Patriotism" blog someday, I'll get back to this.

The issue here was people being rude, which is a different question.
********************
CE, maybe you should see Geoge Carlin's latest HBO special too. Get back to me when you hear his thoughts, which are very true, on the national anthem.

Posted by: Freedom-Lover | March 21, 2008 12:22 PM

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