Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Hough
His contract is set to expire after this season, but we can afford him, and I expect that we would be able to extend or re-sign him. I would be looking to do that ASAP. But I would say it's pretty important to win this year because you never know if you're going to be in this position for the next couple of seasons. Plus the league is brand new and teams have very few prospects yet to replace players who start declining. We haven't had our first draft, and there aren't many young players on reserve lists.
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This is something I often struggle with as my team's GM. In order to give you a response I was 100% sure is the move I would make, I would need a lot more information and that's not reasonable in a forum thread.
I'm attracted to youth, probably to my detriment. You claim that you already have a very good 2nd baseman who you say
could start showing the effects of aging soon. You didn't say will start showing. So, I'm assuming that you've got 3, 4, maybe 5 years left in your current 2nd baseman. If you decide to keep the prospect at 2B are you planning on moving him up to your big league club next season? What I mean is, will you end up having two 2B players and forced to make that decision - who starts at 2B? - next season or two seasons from now? Plus, you said your prospect 2B still needs to improve to be better than your current 2B (mostly defensive improvements are needed).
Unless his luck changes completely, you know that if you take this pitcher, you're gaining a potential #1 on some teams and he'll slip right into your #2 rotation spot, right? Plus, #3 and #4 SPs are pretty darn good too, right? Sounds like you could have a nasty rotation the rest of the way. Are the other 3 pitchers young/healthy enough to be around for a handful of more years?
I know these aren't answers...they're questions I'd be asking myself, but ultimately, I think it all comes down to what you wrote and I highlighted at the top of my response. There are never any guarantees in baseball, but to me, it appears that trading for that pitcher could possibly help you earn more than one championship. Keeping the 2B still needs some work... With what I know, I think I'd go for the bada$$ pitcher now. Pitching is so important and this cat is going to be responsible for 25% of your starts. I think that's a bigger & better impact than a 2B that still needs some development that no one can guarantee will happen.
I wish I had better advice. Good luck! Please, let us know which direction you take.