Dontrelle Willis to (Insert Team Name Here)

12
Jul/071

Dontrelle Willis to (Insert Team Name Here)

It’s that time of year where the Dontrelle Willis trade rumors start popping up. The All-Star break is always a great time of the year to get rumors going as reporters have nothing better to do. I’ve always been against trading Dontrelle Willis. He is one of the most likable guys in baseball and while his numbers may be down, he is the clubhouse leader and innings eater GM’s are looking for. While Dontrelle at one point could be considered an ace, most look at him as nothing more than a number three starter at this point.

That brings us to the latest rumor which apparently is “gaining steam”. Dontrelle Willis to the Seattle Mariners. Per MLBTR…

According to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, Dontrelle Willis-to-Seattle buzz is starting to heat up. Willis could slide right in with Felix Hernandez to form a solid 1-2 punch atop the Mariners’ rotation.

I like the Mariners as trade partners with us for Dontrelle. It gets Dontrelle out of the National League and keeps him out of our division. They have plenty of excellent prospect packages they can put together that make alot of sense for the Fish. Jeremy Reed, Jeff Clement, and/or Wladimir Balentien would all fit in nicely. The name I am most keen on is center field prospect Adam Jones. Baker makes it clear that Jones would not have to be included in a package for Dontrelle Willis and a combination of Jeremy Reed and Jeff Clement with a Brandon Morrow throw in might get it done.

As you can probably tell I am on the trade Dontrelle bandwagon. I’m a huge fan of his, but it’s been clear the last few season that he has declined since his almost Cy Young 2005 season. It’s a shame he wasn’t traded after that season as we could be set at 2-3 position for the next 5-10 years. Right now might be an odd time to trade Dontrelle as he has been pitching mediocre ball lately and has been dealing with a tight forearm.

Larry Beinfest has made it clear that neither Dontrelle or Cabrera would be traded this year but we have heard those words in the past.