The Relief Market

OMG the trade deadline is like 2 months away!!

I've always believed that the bullpen is what comes last to a championship club. A stud closer isn't necessary for a team 20 games out of first place. After a team has built up a solid lineup and rotation, it should look to bolster its pen. For that reason, the relief market is always particularly interesting to me around the trade deadline.


Honestly, who doesn't need relief help at this point? The Yankees have more pressing needs, and the Red Sox are looking pretty solid in the 8th and 9th with Okajima and Papelbon, so the AL East should be good for now. But the two teams at the top of the AL Central, Cleveland and Detroit, are in dire need of bullpen help. The Tribe's closer is Joe Borowski, and the Tigers sport a relief corps that includes Jose Mesa.....

In the NL, the Phillies are the obvious trade candidate, and the Mets may look to bolster their pen for the stretch run. I've heard more than enough Scott Linebrink trade rumors over the past two years; I would rather look at under the radar guys that may be able to help a contender in the late innings of a pennant race.

• The Rangers have made Eric Gagne available. No one doubts his stuff, but his ability to stay healthy has always been an issue. He's owed $6 million this year, with an additional $5 million in incentives. It probably wouldn't take an elite prospect to get him, especially if the receiving team pays most of the contract. Another formerly effective guy coming off injury is Octavio Dotel in KC, who I think the Royals signed with the intention of rehabbing him and pawning him off at the deadline.
• Speaking of the Royals, Zach Greinke was recently moved to the bullpen and may be a legitimate trade candidate. Greinke was a high-level prospect with an impressive rookie season in 2004. The Royals don't really have a pressing need to keep a young, high-upside setup man with emotional issues. It almost makes too much sense.
• Then there's the slew of mediocre dudes who are improving their trade value for bad teams. Al Reyes is acting all sweet and stuff in Tampa Bay; if they don't trade him I will tear my eyeballs out. My buddy Brian has a weird crush on Jeremy Affeldt; he's another formerly promising prospect who couldn't cut it as a starter. He's having a solid season in Colorado, but his peripheral stats aren't promising (14 BB to 12 K). And finally, Damaso Marte is filth mode in Pittsburgh. It's going to be hard for the Pirates to trade another strong reliever after shipping Mike Gonzalez to the Braves last fall, but I'm pretty sure this was the best case scenario for them when they signed him to a 2 year extension through 2008: go lights out, improve your trade value, and then net us a top prospect at the end of July. He's only owed $2.75 million this year and $2 million in '08. Highly tradeable.