Recent shortstop trade rumors

There have been rumors that Andy MacPhail is looking into trading for either the Rays Jason Bartlett or the Twins J.J. Hardy.  Both shortstops would be upgrades offensively over Cesar Izturis, while not giving up too much defensively.

The problem with this is that the Baltimore Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec is reporting that the Rays were asking for David Hernandez in return.  Hernandez clearly hasn’t reached his full potential yet and some see him becoming a power arm at the back end of the bullpen. Hernandez is too steep a price to pay for Bartlett who can become a free agent after next season.  If the Rays want bullpen arms, I would offer Alfredo Simon or Rick Vanden Hurk, but wouldn’t deal too much more than that.

Bartlett and Hardy are both non-tender candidates, meaning the Orioles could possibly just sign them later in the offseason.  Chances are they will be traded and the Orioles should definitely continue to look into both players, but not at the expense of David Hernandez.

If MacPhail can come through and get a middle of the lineup bat at third or first base, then finding a shortstop who can hit wouldn’t be as pressing a need.  The Orioles can always resign Izturis if they fail to upgrade the position through free agency or a trade.

Shortstop is one of the most important positions on the field to have a solid defensive player and Izturis is considered one of the best.  If the Orioles can land a Konerko or Dunn, then by all means resign Izturis.  On the other hand, if MacPhail has an opportunity to land a Bartlett or Hardy for a reasonable price he should jump at the opportunity.