By Gabriel Lundeen

Cappo, League 10

It’s too early to make big moves, and some would argue that you shouldn’t make any trades the first month of the season. I subscribe to that philosophy to a certain degree. I’m not going to go crazy and deal Johan away for spare parts because I’m in 9th place or something, but I’ve always been a bit of a Type A personality, and I love to make moves with my team. This little trade whetted my appetite, so let’s see if I improved my team at all.

THE TRADE

Darryl Houston Smith, co-host of FBM Live, and I made the following trade:

Darryl received Akinori Iwamura — I received Colby Rasmus

AKINORI IWAMURA - Things to like about Iwamura include multiple position eligibility, speed, and a bit of pop at the top of the new-look Rays’ lineup.  Iwamura, though, has limited upside and is unlikely to duplicate his Japan numbers.

COLBY RASMUS - Rasmus is the crown jewel of the Cardinals’ farm system, which is like being the [INSERT JOKE HERE].  He’s been compared to Carlos Beltran in terms of tools and potential, and he belongs in the same group of top NL prospects as Jay Bruce and Chase Headley. The mystery has nothing to do with his talent and potential but when the Cards will allow him to relegate Skip Schumaker or Ryan Ludwick to the bench.

Here’s Darryl’s take on the trade:

“For me, this was a ‘current needs dictate’ trade. I had hoped/gambled that Longoria and/or Headley would make their teams so that I could put one or both at my CI spot. That did not happen.  I was not happy with my waiver wire options, so a deal was necessary. No one can hope to compete with three minor leaguers on their roster (Headley, Longoria and Rasmus) no matter how much talent or potential they have.  All are going to be good players, but I think Headley and Longoria are slightly ahead of Rasmus right now as hitters.  Plus, the fit is better for a future 3B/OF/CI rotation of Braun, Headley and Longoria. This trio could be crucial to my teams success for years to come.

I have always liked Iwamura and was very happy to be able to get him. His position flexibility, and his everyday playing time right now, were key factors in this trade. The other player that might have worked was Ty Wiggginton, but I wanted to try for Iwamura first.  Rasmus is going to be the greater player, but Iwamura is a better fit for my team. As a safety, I added Jorge Cantu into my 3B/CI/1B mix and to serve as a backup to Todd Helton.”

As for me, here’s my reasoning: Iwamura was sitting on my bench. I also have speedy middle infielders in Brian Roberts and Eugenio Velez, so I didn’t feel that Aki was going to get a lot of playing time on my roster. He would have been a useful piece of the puzzle because of his multiple position eligibility, but I feel like I can replace his production off the waiver wire.

Rasmus, on the other hand, got me thinking about the season-changing boost that Hunter Pence gave my team last year and how great it would be to beat the rest of the league to a guy like that. I already have a really deep OF, but if Rasmus emerges as a strong option I can either trade one of my other outfielders to play him or package him with another player to upgrade another spot on my roster.  We don’t know what to expect of Rasmus, but I expect him to get the opportunity to play full-time this year if he comes out of the box strong in AAA and the Cardinals stink as bad as projected. Worst case scenario, bad news befalls Rasmus, and I drop him, but I would likely have thrown Iwamura back to the waiver wire at some point anyway. It’s a small risk that I’m willing to take in a keeper league.

THE FINAL BREAKDOWN

This could end up being a steal for me if Rasmus becomes the player scouts think he could be, but will the cost of rostering him indefinitely until he gets called up prove too high? Roster spots have value, and I’m wasting one banking on a minor-league call-up. You can handle one of those guys you’re stashing away on your roster, but any more than that is a big waste. Here’s hoping I’m stashing the right guy.

For the immediate future, this trade’s a win for Darryl, but I hope to have the last laugh when Rasmus goes nuclear on an unsuspecting National League and wins Rookie of the Year.