Escobar Willing to Switch Positions

[dvoiss]

The solution here is quite simple. Since Escobar's major value is at SS and moving him makes keeping him not as important and JJ understandably won't move here's what you do. You either sign Hardy long term during the 09 season or trade him next winter. If you do sign him than you trade Escobar. Either way one of them should be gone by Opening Day in 2010. I would prefer to keep Hardy because I like his bat but clearly one of them must go.

[logan82]

dvoiss wrote:

clearly one of them must go.

or we can do nothing. We can leave Escobar in AAA until the end of the 2010 season when JJ can leave as a free agent. Nothing has to be done, nobody has to go.

[Brawndo the Thirst Mutilat]

If Escobar doesn't hit well enough this year to justify continuing to think about him as an elite prospect, and Hardy can be re-signed, it also might not be a terrible idea to consider the possibility that Escobar serve as the utility IF for the 2010 team (and maybe beyond). It might seem like a waste of service time, but those guys usually do see a pretty significant amount of PT, since middle infielders generally need more off days than anybody other than catchers (often a lot of DL time as well), and all-D is not a terrible route to go with that roster spot.

 

One danger in keeping Escobar in the minors too long is that if he never becomes a decent hitter, the most value he will ever have is in his early 20s, since that's generally where a player's defensive peak falls.

 

If Escobar continues to develop as a hitter, I think you've got a different discussion. In that event, he probably needs to be somebody's starting SS in 2010.