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Sunday, July 08, 2007 (7/08/2007 08:25:00 AM) - Al The Rangers and Brewers were close to a trade: Akinori Otsuka to the Brewers for Tony Gwynn Jr. Rosenthal seemed to dislike it, but I think it made sense for the Crew. Regardless, Bill Hall's injury thwarted the deal as Gwynn will be needed to man center. The new plan for the Brewers is to call up 29 year-old Grant Balfour, who's dominated in the minors. He endured elbow and shoulder woes before undergoing Tommy John surgery in May of '05. In the midst of his TJ recovery, Balfour developed the need for shoulder surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff and labrum. This guy would be pumping gas if he'd been born a few decades earlier. After the surgeries, the Twins cut Balfour and the Reds snagged him. Balfour rehabbed with the Reds but never made it to the bigs; the Brewers claimed him off waivers in October of '06. He's all the way back; Johnny Estrada was singing his praises back in February.---MLB Trade Rumors You can watch the Ken Rosenthal piece MLBTR is recapping here, just click on Full Count-Rosenthal when you arrive. It sounds like the injury to Otsuka delayed the deal, and Hall's injury has nixed it for now. This is actually huge news in many ways, as it shows us Doug is willing to trade youth for quality (at least blocked youth), what value Gwynn has in the open marketplace, and what Doug is looking for to improve the club. You have to wonder if the trade was almost done Thursday morning, as if you'll recall, the Brewers scratched Manny Parra from a start Thursday night, saying he was being considered for a callup. How exactly Manny would have replaced Bill's spot on the roster is unclear, but who knows? Balfour has been lights out at Nashville, and is likely to make an appearance soon...he probably has to be, as otherwise he would ask for his free agency, and Doug has shown no hesitation to do what's best for minor league veterans. 7/08/2007 08:25:00 AM |
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