Cliff Lee:
- FOX Sports.com writes that the Dodgers are pushing hard for Indians’ ace Cliff Lee, who is also being pursued by the Phillies. Philadelphia has already made a formal offer of Triple-A right hander Carlos Carrasco, shortstop Jason Donald, catcher Lou Marson and Single-A right hander Jason Knapp to Cleveland for Lee.

- Yahoo! Sports is also reporting that the Phillies are on the verge of acquiring Lee for Carrasco, Knapp and two more minor league players.

Jack Wilson and Ian Snell:
- According to a report by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates have traded shortstop Jack Wilson and Ian Snell to the Mariners for Jeff Clement, Ronny Cedeno and right handed pitchers Aaron Pribanic, Brett Lorin and Nathan Adcock. Clement is a 25-year old catcher who had been hot in Triple-A in May, but the Seattle organization seemingly soured on him long before that.

Freddy Sanchez:
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting that a deal between the Pirates and Giants involving second baseman Freddy Sanchez could be imminent. Sanchez has been held out of the Bucs’ last couple games due to a knee injury, which could have slowed down negotiations between the two clubs. But apparently the injury isn’t serious and a deal could be done as early as today.

- The Gazette is reporting that there is no major issues with Sanchez’s knee and is currently listed as day to day.

- Dejan Kovacevic writes via his Twitter page that Sanchez gave the Bucs a contract proposal of 3-years, $20 million, but the club rejected it.

Jarrod Washburn:
- The Brewers are no longer pursing starter Jarrod Washburn according to FOX Sports.com. Milwaukee apparently doesn’t want to give up any of their top prospects in order to make a push this season, so what you currently see is what you’re going to get with the Brewers the rest of the season.

- Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse is reporting that the Reds have acquired outfielder Wladimir Balentien from the Mariners in exchange for RHP Robert Manuel.

With the MLB trade deadline approaching on Friday, I have zero time to waste writing a creative intro that you’ll either a) take the time to read or b) take the time to read.

So I’ll cut right to the chase: I have got about a million random thoughts and predictions (25, actually) bouncing around in this noggin of mine, so I’ve decided to compile them in one heaping pile of organized chaos below. Feel free to add your own thoughts and predictions in the comments section and then we can play a couple rounds of “I told you so!” after the trade deadline passes on Friday.

1. I was close, but wrong with my prediction early last week that the Blue Jays will trade Roy Halladay to the Phillies. They would have traded him to the Phillies, but Philadelphia didn’t want to give up a promising major league starter in J.A. Happ, their top minor league pitching prospect Kyle Drabek, and a promising minor league outfielder named Dominic Brown in order to complete the deal. And who could blame them? That’s one steep price to pay, even for a player of Halladay’s caliber.

2. Instead, I fully believe that Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi was never going to trade Halladay in the first place, unless he was so blown away by an offer that he couldn’t pass it up. Halladay isn’t a free agent until after the 2010 season, so Ricciardi used this past month to gauge what he could potentially get for the ace for next year.

3. That said, if Philadelphia changes its mind, then Ricciardi has no choice but to deal the “Doc.”

4. For those who think the Yankees will come out of nowhere and land Halladay because “the Yankees get everybody,” think again. The Bombers won’t be the surprise team that swoops in with an offer at the last second – the Red Sox will.

5. A week ago, I thought there was no way Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez (and their manageable contracts through 2010) would be dealt by Cleveland. But now I’m buying into the notion that one, if not both, will be traded by Friday.

6. Indians Prediction #1: Cliff Lee winds up with the Rays or Phillies.

7. Indians Prediction #2: Victor Martinez winds up with the Red Sox or Dodgers.

8. This won’t please many Giants fans, but forget about names like Freddy Sanchez, Victor Martinez and even Nick Johnson, and start thinking about names like Ryan Garko, Marco Scutaro and Aubrey Huff.

9. The Giants won’t sacrifice their future by giving up prospects Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner, Tim Alderson or Angel Villanlona in a trade(s), even though they’re still in contention and in much need of offense.

10. Any team (ahem, the Red Sox) that thinks they’re going to get Adrian Gonzalez via a trade by Friday’s deadline is dreaming.

11. The Yankees are going to acquire an arm by Friday, but I don’t think it’s going to be a big name like Halladay or Lee, or even a not-so-big name like Ian Snell or Bronson Arroyo. If I had to make a prediction, I bet either Joe Beimel, John Grabow or Ron Mahay is in pinstripes by the end of the week.

12. In wake of the Cardinals acquiring Matt Holliday, Cub fans would probably love to see their club make a move to stay on top of the NL Central (they’re a half game up on St. Louis as of this writing). But what does Chicago have to offer in terms of prospects? They’re not going to trade third base prospect Josh Vitters and they’ll more than likely hang onto Jeff Samardzija given how inconsistent the back end of the bullpen is. So again, what do they have to offer?

13. Scott Rolen is going to be dealt by Friday. To whom I don’t know, but there has to be a team in need of a decent hitting third baseman and the Jays seem committed to finding a trade partner for him.

14. While we’re talking about old, injury-prone, but still decent third basemen, substitute the name “Troy Glaus” for “Scott Rolen” in the above sentence, as well as the “Cardinals” for “Jays.”

15. Freddy Sanchez…Freddy Sanchez…Freddy Sanchez…I’m stumped. I think he would be a great fit for the Giants, Cubs or Twins, but the Giants don’t want to part with any of their top prospects, the Cubs don’t have any top prospects outside of Josh Vitters (who they won’t part with) and the Twins seem content on sticking with Nick Punto and Alexi Casilla up the middle. So maybe Sanchez will wind up staying in Pittsburgh, which seemed unthinkable about a month ago…

16. …all right, all right – what fun is it to speculate that one of the bigger names on the trade market is staying put? (Roy Halladay is already filling that role.) I’ll take a wild stab in the dark and totally contradict what I wrote at No. 8 (hey it’s my column – I can do whatever the hell I want) by saying Sanchez goes to the Giants for Fred Lewis, Kevin Frandsen and Kevin Pucetas.

17. Giants fans just read that above prediction and want to know where they can send me a box of cigars. Pirates fans just read it and want to know where they can FedEx me the head of a dead animal.

18. Another team that could emerge as a possible trade suitor for Sanchez is the Tigers, who would love to add another bat for a second half run.

19. One potential move that I could see the Cubs and Pirates making is a deal for John Grabow, who could be had for a reasonable price (a couple of mid-level prospects) and would help Chicago’s inconsistent bullpen in the second half. But will the Pirates trade within the division?

20. The Twins and A’s shortstop Orlando Cabrera seem like a match just waiting to happen. Now Minnesota just has to put together a decent package to get Oakland GM Billy Beane to sign off on the deal.

21. Is it just me or are the Angels linked to every player on the trade market? I mean, more than any other team, that is. As of this writing, the Halos are targeting Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Victor Martinez, me, Michael Wuertz, George Sherrill, my boss, Scott Kazmir, Rafael Betancourt (before he was dealt to Colorado), your boss, and Matt Capps. Out of all of those names, I think Wuertz might be the only player the Halos move on.

22. After acquiring reliever Rafael Betancourt, I say the eventual Wild Card-winning Colorado Rockies are done making moves. Why would they need to add anyone? They haven’t lost since June 4.

23. One team that has been eerily quiet over the past couple weeks is the Brewers, who are currently three games back of the Cubs in the NL Central. Milwaukee keeps its farm system stocked with prospects like your Uncle Teddy keeps his cooler stocked with Bud Light, so something tells me the Brewers are bound to make a big move before the deadline. Those sneaky bastards are up to something…

24. Another team that has been quiet is the White Sox although unlike the Brewers, I don’t think Kenny Williams and Ozzie Guillen are working on anything. I think the Chi Sox are going to go to battle with the Tigers and Twins with what they currently have on the roster. Still though, it’s not like Williams to sit on his hands, so keep an eye on the Sox.

25. Even though the Rangers are contending in the AL West and would love to add a starter, they’re not going to give up any of their young prospects and make a rash move. Texas has the best farm system in all of baseball – they’re not going to mortgage their future for just one season.

With the All-Star break quickly approaching, many MLB teams are trying to figure out whether or not they’ll be buyers or sellers later this month. It’s a tricky game front offices must play, because they don’t want to alienate their fans by suggesting that their club is already out of contention with half the season left to go, but teams also don’t want to miss out on adding a piece for the future because they’re hanging onto a veteran that won’t play a significant role down the line.

That said, I’ve compiled a ranking of the five most intriguing names that either are on the trade market, or could be. Granted, every player outside of guys named Pujols, Jeter and Howard could potentially be on the trade market, but I tried to keep the list to only those names that continue to pop up in the weekly rumor mill, whether their teams have officially those names as available or not.

Two names you won’t find on the list are Dan Haren and Jake Peavy, even though they have been brought up in various trade rumors. The Diamondbacks aren’t going to trade Haren unless some team offers a ridiculous package (as in multiple top prospects) and Peavy’s injury situation has all but killed his trade value. I would be shocked if either player gets dealt this season.

1. Matt Holliday, OF, A’s
Even though he hasn’t exactly set the league ablaze with his bat so far this season, Holliday is still an easy choice for No. 1 on this list. He becomes a free agent at the end of this season and while the A’s aren’t going to give him up for a copy of Jose Canseco’s book, they’d certainly like to get something for him before he walks at the end of the year. Holliday would probably be most successful moving back to the NL since he’s struggled a bit since joining Oakland, so teams like the Cardinals and Giants (two clubs desperate for bats and willing to part with prospects) would be ideal fits. At 29, he still has years of production left in him and he’s the best pure hitter available on the market.

2. Jermaine Dye, OF, White Sox
The Sox are one of those teams that are still trying to figure out if they’re going to be buyers or sellers. They’re currently just three games back of the Tigers in the AL Central and it wouldn’t make sense to trade away one of their best hitters if a postseason berth is in sight. But just three weeks ago, the Sox were in the midst of a funk and rumor had it that they were considering dealing Dye, Octavio Dotel and even Bobby Jenks for prospects. If Chicago comes back from the All-Star break and starts slumping again, it might be difficult for GM Kenny Williams to pass on the opportunity to build for the future by trading the 35-year old Dye to a potential contender desperate for offense like the Giants. The problem is that Dye has a limited no-trade clause in his contract for the next two seasons and would have to waive that in order to join another club. Would he be willing to waive his no-trade clause to join a contender? Or will he stick with the Sox hoping that in the end, they’ll be a contender themselves. Time will tell.

3. Yunel Escobar, SS, Braves
Truth be told, Escobar intrigues me more than Holliday and Dye because of his youth (he’s only 26). But I just don’t know how likely it is that the Braves would deal him, even though his name surfaced in this trade rumor earlier this week. Outside of getting a couple chances to pinch hit, Escobar has rode the pine the past five games. Granted, that’s mostly due to a hip injury, but the Braves are rumored to be willing to give Escobar up for a good hitter because they’ve grown increasingly frustrated by his immaturity. He had an incident last week where he pointed to the press box and mouthed an expletive after the official scorer charged with him an error during a game against the Yankees. So if the Braves don’t want him, why would anyone else? Because the kid can hit a little (he’s batting .293 with seven home runs and 40 RBI) and he plays a premium position (shortstop). If Atlanta were willing to take a little less to ship him out of town, Escobar would be intriguing to a team like the Red Sox, who desperately want a shortstop.

4. George Sherrill, RP, Orioles
With the O’s currently residing in the basement of the AL East, they’re debating whether or not to make Sherrill (who is garnering a lot of attention) available. The Marlins are reportedly interested and they would surely have the prospects to help Baltimore build towards the future. The problem is that they don’t currently have a replacement for Sherrill and they’re not going to give him up for cheap. He currently owns a 2.51 ERA and has 17 saves on the year. He’s also under team control through 2011 and has been fantastic in his last couple outings. He would definitely bolster a contender’s bullpen, although once again, he might command a steep package seeing as though Baltimore isn’t desperate to move him.

5. Garrett Atkins, 3B, Rockies/Nick Johnson, 1B, Nationals
I couldn’t decide between these two because they both play corner infield positions and each bring something different to the table offensively. Atkins was facing a possible demotion to Triple-A in early June, but is starting to see some regular at bats again. Considering he’s only hitting .224, why would Colorado be putting him back in the lineup when Ian Stewart has already belted 14 home runs this season? One theory is that the Rox want to boost Atkins’ trade value and the only way to do that is by playing him. Colorado is in desperate need of bullpen help and would love to add a reliever so they can continue to push for the NL Wild Card. If they can get Atkins hot, they can deal him for the bullpen help they sorely need. One team that has already been mentioned as a possible suitor is the Red Sox, who just placed Mike Lowell on the DL.

Johnson is a middle-of-the-order bat, although he hasn’t been hitting the long ball much this season. He is, however, batting .295 with 20 extra base hits. The Giants have been tied to Johnson, as they would love to add more protection for Pablo Sandoval and Bengie Molina in the order.

- According to SI.com, the Mariners have yet to receive any interest for third baseman Adrian Beltre, who Seattle would love to move because he’s in the last year of his $64 million contract.

- One name that continues to be involved almost daily on the rumor mill is Indians utility man Mark DeRosa. According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Cardinals and Yankees have expressed interest in DeRosa, but neither are willing to give up young pitching like Cleveland covets.

- The Mets are rumored to be interested in DeRosa, Nationals first baseman Nick Johnson and Orioles one-bagger Aubrey Huff, but Newsday’s Ken Davidoff writes that the club shouldn’t make any stupid trades just to fill a spot while Carlos Beltran is on the DL.

- MLB.com reports that the Diamondbacks could become sellers soon and that pitchers Doug Davis and Jon Garland, as well as second baseman Felipe Lopez could all be on the trade block.

- The Phillies want to add an arm, but the pitchers they’re looking at (Erik Bedard, Jake Peavy, Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo and Jason Marquis) are either hurt or playing for contending teams.

- The Dodgers have interest in Seattle pitcher Jarrod Washburn according to MLB Fanhouse and Juan Pierre’s name has come up as a potential trade piece.

I get it – baseball trades are fun. They’re fun to speculate about, they’re fun to debate and they’re fun to analyze. But just because a club needs a bat, an arm or is just looking to shrink salary, doesn’t mean that a trade needs to happen.

I’ve compiled a list of five trade rumors and where they originated. I then discuss why each of them makes sense, but why they also don’t necessarily need to happen.

Rumor #1: The Red Sox will trade for Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Why it makes sense: Boston is growing impatient waiting for Jed Lowrie to recover from a wrist injury that has held him out since mid-April. They’re also tired of watching Julio Lugo (who is equally bad offensively as he is defensively) make a mockery of the game whenever he trots onto the field. While Nick Green has done well filling in for Lowrie while he’s been hurt and for Lugo while he continues to work on being the most overpaid player in professional sports, the Sox feel they could do better with Wilson. (There’s also a rumor making the rounds that Boston wouldn’t have to give up any top prospects in order to acquire Wilson – they just would need to take on the rest of his salary.)
Why it doesn’t need to happen: Wilson is excellent defensively, but he brings very little to the table in terms of offense. He’s also overpaid himself, as he’ll make $7.25 million this year and $8.4 million in 2010 despite being limited at the dish. While waiting for Lowrie to return to the field has been a slow death for the Sox, he’s cheaper than Wilson and gives the team a better overall player at the position (when he’s healthy, of course). Plus, Green has played well and Boston might be better served holding onto prospects in order to make a more productive move around the trade deadline (i.e. adding another bat in case David Oritz plans on hitting south of .200 all season) than one involving Wilson.

Rumor #2: The Giants will trade for Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla (Sun-Sentinel)
Why it makes sense: The Giants are playing better than most expected this season, but they’re doing it all with pitching. They’ve surrendered the fewest runs this year (233), but have scored the third fewest (248) themselves. San Fran might not be able to catch the streaking Dodgers in the NL West (as of this writing, the Giants are seven games back of L.A. in the division despite being six games above .500), but if they continue to play well, the Wild Card is certainly attainable. But they need offense – badly. While Uggla’s batting average has been atrocious all season, he does have 11 home runs and 40 RBI so the thought is that he could add much-needed pop to the Giants’ lineup.
Why it doesn’t need to happen: Yes, the Giants do need offense. But don’t forget that they play in a pitcher’s park so even if they did acquire Uggla, who knows how his power would translate to AT&T Park. And his average is death so if he’s not going to hit home runs, he’s not worth acquiring (and don’t forget that his defense is brutal, too). The Giants’ current starting second baseman is Emmanuel Burriss, who has zero pop and has struggled at the plate despite tearing it up in the spring, but he has an outstanding glove and he’s young. It’s rumored that the Marlins would be looking for young pitching in exchange for Uggla, but it’s not worth it for the Giants to give up a young arm like Jonathan Sanchez (even though he’s struggling) to acquire Uggla while there are still options within the organization (and I don’t necessarily mean Burriss, who has been brutal, but Kevin Frandsen, who has been absolutely hosed by the organization this season). Plus, the Giants aren’t one bat away from making a deep postseason run – they’re two or three bats away. Acquiring Uggla isn’t going to change that. The Giants have also been linked to players like Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko and I would say the same thing about them as I do about Uggla – those players aren’t worth giving up young arms with the Giants still a year or two away from seriously competing. Unless they could get a young bat in a deal, San Fran GM Brian Sabean should stand pat and continue his rebuilding plan.

Rumor #3: The Cardinals will trade for Astros shortstop Miguel Tejada (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Why it makes sense: Manager Tony La Russa desperately wants to add another bat to the lineup to help protect Albert Pujols and upgrading the left side of the infield while Troy Glaus and Khalil Greene continue to miss time is a necessity as well. Tejada would cover both needs as he’s hitting .344 with six home runs and some feel as though he can play third base if needed, although he has never actually played there before.
Why it doesn’t need to happen: First and foremost, there’s no guarantee that the Astros would want to trade within their own division. Plus, despite currently being three games under .500 and in last place, Houston is only four games back of the Brewers in the NL Central, so they’ll hang onto Tejada if they feel as though they have a shot at the playoffs (however slim those hopes may be). But looking at this from the Cardinals’ perspective, acquiring Tejada doesn’t make as much sense as going after someone like Cleveland’s Mark DeRosa, who is also rumored to be available. Tejada will earn $13 million in 2009 and is set to become a free agent in 2010. Chances are, St. Louis wouldn’t re-sign Tejada in the offseason and they’d probably have to pay Houston a premium because it would be a trade down within the division. Throw in the fact that Tejada isn’t that great of a defensive player and adding him makes little sense. A guy like DeRosa would still give the Cards a quality bat, a better defender who has actually spent time at third base, and cheaper player to boot.

Rumor #4: The Padres will trade Adrian Gonzalez (ESPN.com’s Buster Onley)
Why it makes sense: It doesn’t make sense unless you look at it from the view of the Padres’ front office, who wants to cut team salary significantly. (That’s why San Diego has been actively shopping Jake Peavy.)
Why it doesn’t need to happen: This is more of a notion than a rumor. As previously noted, the Padres want to cut salary but they’ve been unable to move Peavy, so speculation has it that they could wind up dealing Gonzo if the right trade comes along. But while cutting salary is important to the front office, GM Kevin Towers can’t just give up a young slugger like Gonzalez in a cost-cutting move. Obviously Towers would get a couple of prospects in exchange for Gonzo, but would he be willing to take a lesser deal just to free up some money? If so, that would be incredibly disappointing for a Padre fan base that has embraced Gonzalez and hopes that he’ll still be around when San Diego eventually is competitive again (whenever that might be).

Rumor #5: The Red Sox will trade Brad Penny (Boston Globe)
Why it makes sense: With John Smoltz set to come back soon from a rehab assignment, Penny will be expandable to the Red Sox, who have discussed moving him to the pen (despite his unwillingness) when Smoltz returns to the mound. Boston seemingly has an abundance of starting pitching and if they could get a couple of prospects or a position player of worth in exchange for Penny, why not move him?
Why it doesn’t need to happen: A lot has been made about Boston’s pitching depth, but things could go from good to ugly at the drop of a dime. Dice-K has been brutal and has already made one trip to the DL. Josh Beckett started off slow, recovered to pitch incredibly well over the last month but then was shelled yesterday in Philadelphia. Smoltz is set to return from his rehab assignment, but who knows how he’ll pitch once he faces major league batters again. So essentially yes, the Red Sox do have a ton of depth. But that could vanish in a heartbeat and while Penny has looked good in his last three starts, teams aren’t going to be willing to overpay for the 31-year old’s services – especially knowing that Boston has an abundance of arms. In the end, holding on to Penny for depth and in case of injuries to other starters might be worth it in the end. Of course, if some club offers a top prospect in exchange for Penny (which is doubtful), then all bets are off.

The Chicago Tribune is speculating that the Giants could make a push to acquire Cubs first baseball Derrek Lee. The paper notes that San Fran’s pitching is good enough to keep them in contention, but the team desperately needs a big bat and Lee could be a viable option given that Chicago has a couple of replacements for him in Micah Hoffpauir and Jake Fox.

While rumors are definitely fun to discuss, this one looks like it has no teeth. The Cubs haven’t given any indication that they want to deal Lee and even if they have considered it, he’d still have to waive his no-trade clause. (And why would he waive it to go to a team like the Giants?)

The Giants make an easy target in all of this because yes, they do need a bat. Aaron Rowand, Pablo Sandoval, Bengie Molina, Randy Winn and Juan Uribe don’t exactly strike the fear of God into opposing pitchers. But GM Brian Sabean has to be smart here and even though San Fran is playing well, it’s probably not worth it for the Giants to trade young arms (which they’ve got plenty of) so that they can put a band-aid on a deep gash.

Now, if a situation comes up and a club is willing to part with a young bat in order to get a couple of arms, then all bets are off. If the Giants can get a young, productive bat this season that could also add to their rebuilding process, then Sabean would be a fool not to jump on the opportunity. But how often do clubs make young bats available?

The Giants have already been linked to the Marlins’ Dan Uggla and the Nats’ Adam Dunn. Now Lee’s name has been throw into the mix and while it would be tempting for Sabean to add a bat to his weak lineup, none of the aforementioned names are going to help the Giants win a World Series this year so why bother? Why sacrifice the future for half a season?

We’ll see if this rumor grows any legs, but I hardly doubt it will.

Apparently the near-Jake Peavy deal between the Padres and White Sox woke up other general managers in baseball, because trade rumors are starting to kick up around the league.

One of the bigger rumors is that the Giants are interested in Marlins’ second baseman Dan Uggla. According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the offense-needy Giants would have to give up a young starter to swing a deal for Uggla, and both Matt Cain and Jonathan Sanchez’s names were brought up in the report.

Even though San Fran has one of the worst offenses in baseball (they currently rank dead last in the NL in runs scored, on base percentage and slugging percentage), Giants’ GM Brian Sabean should be kicked repeatedly in the stones if he trades Cain for Uggla straight up.

Cain is pitching in his fourth year already and he’s only 24. His career record of 35-44 suggests he’s light years away from becoming a productive pitcher, but his career ERA of 3.63 paints a better picture. He’s a pitcher that has been cursed with poor run support over his career, but that has changed this season and he’s now finally getting the attention he deserves while posting a 5-1 record and 2.40 ERA so far in ’09.

Uggla would give the Giants’ lineup much-needed pop, but his .200 batting average is death right now and who knows how his power would transfer to a pitcher-friendly AT&T Park. Ask Aaron Rowand how it feels to hit in that home run-killer that the Giants play in. He hit 27 dingers three years ago with the Phillies and managed just 13 last year in his first season with Frisco.

I know I might regret saying this because after all, he was the nitwit who traded Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser for ass clown A.J. Pierzynski in 2003, but Sabean isn’t stupid enough to trade Cain for Uggla straight up. The Giants need offense, but it can’t come at the cost of sacrificing a potential 20-game winner in Cain. Sanchez might be another story considering he is less of a sure thing than Cain is, but even he might not be worth giving up for an average-killer like Uggla.

Believe it or not, the Giants are headed in the right direction. They’re stacked with young pitchers (including two minor league prospects Madison Bumgarner and Tim Alderson) and have a couple of emerging position players who will be ready for the show by 2011 (or sooner). They’re probably not going to catch the Dodgers or make a serious run at the NL Wild Card this year, so there’s no sense panicking and trading away young pitching for guys like Uggla. They’d be better off giving youngsters Emmanuel Burriss and Kevin Frandsen more playing time and hoping one of them can emerge as a quality seventh or eighth hitter in the lineup. (Not too mention that both Burriss and Frandsen are better defensively than Uggla is.)