Need a reliever? An outfielder? Come on down!

Well, as you can see from the last round of signings, I got two relievers. The truth, however, was that I was not expecting to get both.

My original plan was to have Alfano come back for one final year and possibly transition to Cowherd to be the closer of the future for me. However, I lowballed Alfano when making offers to him last year and didn't think he'd return to me. I made him another offer anyway, but also offered a contract to Morales (who I figured I did have a good shot at).

Well, as it turns out, I got both of them -- and now have a crowded bullpen. I have three pitchers who could be closers - Alfano, Morales and Cowherd. Between the three of them and Pompey and Maus, I've got a VERY solid five man bullpen.

That leaves me with two relievers on the outs. One of them is Daniel Hosmer. Hosmer is a guy who is showing improvement. I actually recruited him originally to be a starter (he has an endurance of 7), but then thought better of it and returned him to the bullpen. He had his best season in 2008, going 4-2 with 8 saves and a 3.95 ERA. Despite his control rating not being so hot, he still had a better than 2:1 strikeout/walk ratio last year. He won't make a good closer, but I think he could be an ideal man in your bullpen and maybe even a spot starter.

The other guy I have is George Quinn. George is an old player for a rookie - he's 29. He made his debut last year with 1/3 of an inning at the end of the year. George is a player with AMAZING stuff and TERRIBLE control. Despite that, his numbers in AAA over the last two years have been very good. I truly think that he could be a benefit to some bullpens, especially since he works for the minimum.

In addition to a crowded bullpen, I also have a crowded outfield. I already have my three starters (Collazo, Cuesta and Merriweather) penciled in for this year. I brought back Roberto Casarez for one last go-around as a bench contributor. But that leaves me with several extra backup outfielders.

Gregory Rico is a left-handed hitting centerfielder, who will hit for average, but not a lot of power. He made his debut last year, hitting .267 in 28 games. He is a good runner and should steal some bases for you. If he could hit better, he'd be in my starting lineup. He'd also make a good pinch runner.

Leonard Matz is a guy I picked up off the scrap heap before the 2007 season. He's not going to hit for average, but he has good power numbers - over the last two seasons he hit 46 homers in AAA. Of course, he's not going to do that in the majors (at least not right away), but certainly he might do better than another player sitting on your bench. Leonard plays rightfield and catcher (?!).

Efren Penrose is a righty hitter who can play all three outfield positions. He also made his debut last year, hitting .250 with one home run in 24 at bats. Although his power ratings aren't so great, he does have some pop in his bat, hitting 22 home runs over the last two years in AAA and the majors. He's hit over .300 in the minors for the last three years in the minors. He's ready to move up to the big time.

Last, but certainly not least, is Ryan Oquinn. Oquinn has the most experience of the bunch, with 201 major league games under his belt. He has pretty much average ratings across the board. Last year, he hit .330 coming off the bench. He could be ideal as a pinch-hitter or even a regular at a weak position.

So, that's it. I have extras in the pen and in the green. And now for what I need in return:
What I need is a third baseman. For several years, I had Jonathan Dillow at third and two years ago turned the job over to Marcus Bond. Now, don't get me wrong -- Bond is a serviceable player. He has great ratings, he can run, etc. I just, for some reason, seem to have bad luck with the left side of my infield (players such as Spencer Solomon and Richard Hassel who were good players before they got to Brooklyn, suddenly stop hitting as soon as they hit my infield. (Maybe there's some radioactive material buried between second and third at Wolf Stadium??) I think that elsewhere Bond could be a good hitter. But last year, he hit .221. He also stole 19 bases and, had he gotten on base more, could have stolen a great deal more.

But I need new blood there. It should be a player who can hit well, and, in an ideal world, one who can steal bases. I've never had a legitimate leadoff man since day one in this league -- which is probably why I'm dead last in steals over the history of the league. I think this may be the last piece of the puzzle that will allow me to topple Mack off the top of the league.

Of course, I'm willing to look at prospects too.

As for the bullpen, I'm really only looking to trade Hosmer or Quinn. However, for the right deal, I might be persuaded to part with one of the other relievers.

So, send your offers down by email!

Zev