12/09/2005 10:52:00 AM by Rob

Nobody is indispensable

The one on the left is Miguel Tejada. Perhaps, the one on the right is also named Miguel Tejada, I'm not sure. But it's the man on the left that concerns me.

He is a man who happens to be the best shortstop on the planet. Yes, A-Rod, you, too. We should have signed him two years ago, when we had the chance. But the great big thick 800-pound Ape, Sammy Sofa, took all the money. Even more annoying, a do-little named Alex Gonzalez took a good portion of whatever money was left in the Tribune's niggardly Baseball Salaries Budget. I wasn't paying particularly rapt attention in B-school, but even a dense fog like myself understands the notion of a Sunk Cost, and AGon was a sunk cost if ever there was one.

If the Cubs braintrust had an ounce of brains or guts, Mr. Tejada would be entering his third year under our employ.

Well, seems that Mr. Tejada is unhappy with his lot in life with his chosen employer, the Baltimore Orioles. But you know this. You probably also know that if things go like they usually go in our world, he will be traded to the Red Sox for Planet Manny.

But this doesn't HAVE to happen. If Jim Hendry can push his ass away from the table, and do something a little different, it is WE who can have Miggy Tejada.

One thing you have to chew on, and quickly. Why is this guy bitching about being an Oriole, 24 months after he took their megamillions? His teammate Melvin Mora suggests that Miggy's beef is in the lack of pitching. His boss is always throwing money at the offense (like what happened to himself). So, do we want this crybaby?

In a word, yes. He's right, he couldn't be more right. Perhaps he could have been a bit more stoic, yes. But getting him, and lumping him in there with Ramirez, Lee, and Pierre, makes the lineup almost Dusty-proof.

So who do we trade for him? It has been chopped and diced every which way over at Desipio, and the consensus seems to be that Lee, Ramirez, and Zambrano are the untouchables here. Big Z goes without saying. Lee did too much for us last year for us to reward him with a one-way ticket to Baltimore. Ramirez? Even though he's hamstringy, he's the best 3rd baseman we've had in 30 years, and as Andy said, using him to get Tejada is like digging an unfillable hole to fill another. You can also stick Juan Pierre in this category, too.

Henry Blanco, aka Hank White, is also off limits. If you have to ask why, then I guess you and me aren't sitting next to each other in church anytime soon. Church!

What about Prior? The Franchise, the fran-cheezie? Doubtless, if Prior was shipped there, he'd suck. I know that in every fiber of my being. So, trade, right? Well, that depends on whether you feel that Prior is going to win 20 with US someday? I'm not so sure, anymore, and I have company. There are many others who still have faith in him, and I'm afraid, rightly or wrongly, that Jim Hendry still deems him untouchable.

Me? I'd fight it real hard. I'd offer up everyone else first, Corey, Walker, Cedeno, Neifi, Barrett, Murton, Pie, Hairston (ha!), Guzman, Rusch, Williams, Dopriak...but if all else fails, I'd do it.

Does that mean that Prior is no longer the Franchise?

Yep. Until he wins 20, he can't use that nametag anymore. Honeymoon's over, dude.

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