Stupidity is contagious

The baseball talking heads at the the WWLiS continue to amaze me with their constant inanity. The only explanation I have is that there must be something in the water at the Worldwide Leader.

I've already skewered "Baseball Tonight" expert (Term used very loosely), and noted chubby guy, John Kruk, in regard to his asinine trade suggestion of Joel Zumaya for John Smoltz. It was funny...once. The Tiger fanbase just laughed at both Kruk and the trade, and dismissed the scenario as ludicrous. Unfortunately, the Worldwide Leader won't let this rumor die a well deserved death.

Steve Phillips, showing exactly why he no longer a MLB GM, agreed with Kruk's tripe on Sportscenter last night. It's one thing for a dufus ballplayer best known for having a testicle removed coming up with lame ass trade scenarios. But for a former major league general manager? One who worked in New York, of all places? An analyist we are supposed to take seriously? Unlike Kruk, who no one takes seriously, and is better used as comedy relief. I'm flabbergasted, to put it mildly.

Mention Zumaya in a trade package for someone along the lines of Bobby Abreu, and I'll at least listen. The Tigers need a left hand stick more than another starter. I'm not sure I make that trade, but I don't dismiss it as lunatic ravings. It would make sense, in that Abreu is still an impact player. But Smoltz? What do you get out of him in the not so long term? Maybe 2 years, max? Comapred to a decade plus of Zumaya? Dave Dombrowski unloading Zumaya for pennies on the dollar would put him FIRE MILLEN territory.

Zumaya for Smoltz has Smoltz for Doyle Alexander written all over it. Even then, I won't ridiclue the Tigers for making the Alexander trade, as the young Smoltz was an unproven minor league prospect in 1987. But trading a pitcher like Zumaya, who has HUGE upside, and has already established himself as a major leaguer, for an aging pitcher? That's a trade I would ridicule.

Why don't these so called experts do just a modicum of research? The Tigers have minor league prospects that they would be much more likely to trade, players that other teams would have interest in aquiring. Say, Humberto Sanchez, Jordan Tata, Jair Jurrjens, to name a few solid prospects off the top of my head. No way Dave Dombrowski trades any major pieces off of the Tiger roster, unless it's for an impact player that will be around for more that a year or two.

Say, someone like...Bobby Abreu. Even Carl Crawford. But as I said, even for an impact position player, I would definitely take more than a small pause before touching the young core.

The bobble heads at the Worldwide Leader should be talking about more realistic aquisitions than a longshot such as Smoltz, or the newspaper rumors that swirl around Abreu and Crawford. Names like Aubrey Huff, Matt Stairs, and Jeromy Burnitz are much more realistic.

Let's consider the Zumaya for Smoltz subject, CLOSED.