Will they throw the season under the bus? Or will they take a leap toward making it three division titles in a row?
The ditching of Alfonzo was a step toward taking the leap.
Trades of contributing players for prospects indicate laying 2006 out into the busy intersection.
Trades of anything (especially prospects) for an overpaid but hopefully productive veteran (aka the Missing Piece) indicate taking a leap.
TRADEBAIT
40 Man Roster Players and what their being traded would indicate:
Garret Anderson
(Other than being a salary swap for some other disastrous contract, this is not going to happen with 10-5 veto G.A. as comfortable kicking back in the Anaheim clubhouse as anyone)
Jose Arredondo
(Super prospect would yield a lot in the proper package)
Erick Aybar
(Strong prospect could bring a bat from a bottom-tier team; Izturis -- let alone Cabrera and Wood -- makes Aybar expendable)
Chris Bootcheck
(please get healthy, throw well and bring us something in a trade before you get old)
Jason Bulger
(As part of a package to a non-contender he will bring something, or could be flipped for a minor prospect if we are gutting things by July)
Orlando Cabrera
(If we are out of it on July 31st, he?ll bring us a fortune in futures)
Hector Carrasco
(we are stuck with him, save a salary swap - and it is horrifying to think for whom that might be)
Bartolo Colon
(A trade of Bart would signal Arte is preparing to sell the franchise)
Brendan Donnelly
(An indicator Stoneman is tossing ?06 away; while he is not our best reliever, an Angel bullpen absent Donnelly is just not as good)
Darin Erstad
(as he is the ?team Leader? a July 31st trade would only happen if he were unhappy, a contender was hungry and also had a need for a light hitting, aging glove and dugout patrolman. Due to his time on the DL in his career, he is not a 10-5 Veto guy. By July 31, there would only be about $2 million of his salary left, so a contender falling apart might bite the bullet, but we wouldn?t get a lot in return)
Kelvim Escobar
(Like Cabrera, he?d bring in a boatload of treasure, but the season would have to be officially flushed down the toilet ? it is more likely he will be signed to a multiyear deal than traded)
Chone Figgins
(Could be traded with minimal impact on the club and bring in something to help us win now, although you can bet the whiners will remind us of his greatness twenty seasons later even if he doesn?t do anything else in his career)
Kevin Gregg
(represents injury insurance for the pitching rotation, but is a tempting, low-cost #4 starter for a rebuilding team ? could yield anything from a top prospect to an overpaid proven veteran, but a trade of him for anything other than a stud starting pitcher or big bat would be an ?adios? to 2006)
Nick Gorneault
(wouldn?t bring anything unless he were packaged, and only then to a rebuilding team)
Vladimir Guerrero
(if Iran nukes us and the league contracts to ten teams and a radiated Dontrelle Willis throws 200 mph with his new third arm, Vlad might go to the Marlins if we eat most of his salary)
Maicer Izturis
(unless some other GM has the mancrush of the half-century on him, Maicer has the supersub-Sub role here at least into his arbitration years)
Greg Jones
(as part of a package he might yield us a benchwarmer)
Howie Kendrick
(untouchable barring being within a game of first place on July 31, and his yielding a future HOFer who is still in his prime ? and the other team would have to be eating some of that HOFfy hotdog?s salary)
Adam Kennedy
(would not indicate giving up on 2006 unless it was just for prospects. If he gets us a big bat from a NL contender perhaps we meet up with AK as the opposition in the last week of October)
Casey Kotchman
(Stoneman has too much face to save, He?s here through 2008 minimum, Mono be damned)
John Lackey
(there are 20 major league teams whose entire farm systems would not be enough to compensate for Lackey)
Jeff Mathis
(tempting to package him up for a big bat in July just to get a ring now)
Dallas McPherson
(a gambling contender could dump a top shelf prospect for his bat if it warms up and we give up; conversely, he could yield an overpaid or near-free-agent stud pitcher from an out of contention team this July)
Jose Molina
(a rebuilding franchise could see him as a handler of pitching staffs future and offer up a tempting veteran stick; a contender with an injured backstop could tempt with AA and AAA goodies)
Kendry Morales
(would yield the player that puts us over the hump in 2006, but is surrendering the ?08 ? ?10 seasons. This trade would have Smoltz for Alexander written all over it)
Tommy Murphy
(maybe as part of a package from someone who is giving us an overpaid outfield bat with Murph representing the low cost OF replacement)
Mike Napoli
(the way things are going, Napoli gets traded only if it is alongside Scioscia)
Robb Quinlan
(a contender looking for a platoon bat could dangle something our way in July as easily as a rebuilder that likes Robb?s salary might offer a proven bat/arm/glove for our hopeful ?06 stretch run)
Juan Rivera
(the season is surrendered if we trade Rivera, save he is part of a package that yields, dare I say it, Manny or the equivalent)
Francisco Rodriguez
(for a can?t miss closing prospect and another top shelf/low wage bat after we have given up and some other team is betting the farm on ?06)
J.C. Romero
(for a B-List, A-Ball prospect whether we are contending or not... get him out of here)
Tim Salmon
(he?d retire before we trade him ? not gonna happen)
Ervin Santana
(if we are in it and he yields us someone?s ace, maybe... otherwise, if we have given up on the season, there are few prospects in baseball worth chucking him away for... we?re just too deep into this experiment to quit if it cannot yield postseason glory now)
Joe Saunders
(as part of a package if we are contending late, sure, I will even drive the kid to the airport to get him off to the new team if need be)
Steven Shell
(if he is traded, we are definitely in the race and a rebuilding franchise will be hyping him to their fans for months on end)
Scot Shields
(say we are ten games out on July 31st and the Mets are desperate for bullpen help. If Shields could yield us Lastings Milledge, I would urge Stoneman to make the trade. Otherwise, Scot?s about as untouchable as Vlad and Bart)
Jeff Weaver
(he will be DFAd soon, perhaps the best indicator that Stoneman puts winning now ahead of his ego)
Reggie Willits
(seeing as we are the only team that values useless speed by AAA 4th outfielders, I just don?t see him even fitting into a package deal, but stranger things have happened)
Esteban Yan
(I could see someone thinking he would help in their bullpen... someone in one of those Taiwanese semipro leagues... more likely to be DFAd and not soon enough)
Note that Nick Adenhart, Jered Weaver and Brandon Wood are not on the 40-Man roster (which is actually at 39-Men, as Alfonzo's DFA opened a spot) and would only be traded as part of a blockbuster if we were contending ? and that is so far from Stoneman?s style that it is downright science fiction to even type those words...