Did anyone else catch this rumor about Zito to the Mariners?...

by Elvez on Dec 9, 2005 3:50 PM PST

It's all in the past now, but I never heard about it when all the stuff was flying around earlier this week.
"Had Seattle acquired Pierre, an official of one club, who had knowledge of the Mariners' plans, said they would have offered center fielder Jeremy Reed and left-handed reliever Matt Thornton to the Oakland Athletics for left-hander Barry Zito. Billy Beane, the Oakland GM, is fond of Reed. But that would have been a stretch without additional prospects -- a scarce commodity for the Mariners."
(from http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/baseball/251438_mari09.html)

Here's the link to the Lookout Landing diary about this. My favorite quote is the first one: "Thornton is like a much harder throwing version of Zito with one twist, he sucks."

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that Lookout Landing link...

http://www.lookoutlanding.com/story/2005/12/9/113650/772#readmore

"...as wrong as Tom Jones covering Prince tunes. ~Mychael Urban

by Elvez on Dec 9, 2005 3:51 PM PST reply actions

I can't see BIlly making a deal like that

Reed has been absolutely punchless at the plate, and Thornton can't find the strike zone. Reed has upside, but that's not much of a return for a guy like Zito. Not that it matters now anyway.

by Little Rickey on Dec 9, 2005 4:25 PM PST reply actions

Most of the so called rumored trades

are nothing but silliness concocted by sportswriters who have had too much to drink and start fantasizing about things they know nothing about. Why would the A's want Reed? Why would they trade Zito to a rival? We go through this every winter, as for me I can't wait for spring training so that this speculation will end. I think that 90% of the time BB makes a trade which no one expected, or even hinted at. Nobody has an inside track on what BB
is thinking with the possible exception of Gammons and Gammons has said very little about the A's recently. I think BB is quite content to make a few modest additions or subtractions and let it go at that.

by china bob on Dec 9, 2005 7:58 PM PST reply actions

What's the problem with

trading Zito to a division rival? Would you really want to Beane to take an inferior package just to keep Zito out of the AL West? If you have two similiar offers, than yes, send Zito elsewhere. But take the best deal no matter where it comes from.

I don't hate, I just respond aggressively to stupidity

by grover on Dec 10, 2005 1:09 PM PST up reply actions

For what it's worth...

That particular rumor was completely fabricated by the columnist. The Mariners did indeed attempt to add Juan Pierre (albeit for a different package than the one mentioned in the article), but they never once contacted Oakland regarding Barry Zito.

Lookout Landing

by JeffS on Dec 10, 2005 10:13 AM PST reply actions