Hadn’t really thought about Sanchez. He is 31, and prior to last season, had a couple pretty good seasons for a second baseman.
He doesn’t walk much, so he is pretty dependent on his BA to be productive. When that fell last year, it got ugly. Could be a buy low situation, or he could be declining (or, both, really). He is owed 4.5 mil in 2009 and has a 2010 club option for 8 mil. Average defense, by all accounts, and I think I saw it mentioned he has played some 3rd base, which could be helpful.
All in all, probably not worth the $ for a marginal upgrade over Jamie Carroll.

ah yes vazquez with a beard… dreams so sweet.

If we are going scrap heap, why not Orlando Cabrera? He’s the completely unspectacular with the bat, but a solid defender (although maybe not as good as he was once thought) and consist as it gets over the past few years.

I just posted something over at Paul’s place about Sanchez, but I would definitely not be happy if that’s the direction the team went. As I said over there, when somebody mentions the name of a guy I don’t know real well, my first response is usually to look at the player’s graphs over at fangraphs.com. I did that with Sanchez and, um, no. That looks like the picture of a player just beginning a decline, who probably doesn’t have much margin of error in the first place.

Interesting thing to worry about. What if we sign Furcal and Furcal sucks eggs?

Responding to your question directly. If Peralta can’t field third base, then one of two things have happened: (1) he’s totally collapsed defensively at 27, or (2) there are some skills unique to third base that he can’t acquire for whatever reason. If it’s (1), then Jhonny’s not a baseball player any more, since I can’t imagine his bat would hold up any further down the defensive spectrum. I assume you meant (2), though. I think it’s unlikely we’d get there. The Indians saw Jhonny at third in the minors, and are seeing him there this winter. So hopefully they’d have a good enough gauge on Peralta-as-third-baseman not to paint themselves into that corner. If they do, I guess they’ve got to flip him to somebody as a shortstop. Fortunately, it’s a massive position of need throughout baseball and Jhonny’s got lots of stick for it. I have to think Shap could engineer a trade that returned a third-baseman for him.

My take, then: your hypo would be sub-ideal, but not season-threatening.

He is a short stop, and has the arm for the position (3B). Maybe he ends up being no better than Blake at third, but I would hardly call that a “bust”.

Beltre’s splits the last three years:

home: .252/.311/.432/.743
away: .287/.338/.503/.841

He’s not an on-base guy, but he plays great defense, hits for power, and is still only 29 (he’ll be 30 next April). Get him out of Safeco, and I think he’ll put up a decent line. The downside is that he’s a year away from free agency and is a Scott Boras client.

Is he available?

First thing that caught me was the .353 baBIP, but he did have a 24.1% LD rate. He was almost exclusively used against RHP, but as you state it, he wouldn’t be used for anything more than that here.

He didn’t have as good of a campaign in 2007 overall, but if you look only at his plate-appearances vs. RHP it doesn’t sound so bad (781 OPS, but once again a .340 baBIP). This is where a better breakdown of his BIP would come in handy (anyone know where we can get fliner % for hitters?) as its possible to make a case that he has the ability to be a high LD/Fliner type hitter.

he still plays?

Here’s the link on that rumor

http://www.sportsline.com/mcc/blogs/entry/8590096/12037280

he has to be on another team for two more years to cease being a twin that i don’t want.

Maybe I’m missing something, but my impression is that Bartlett is a good fielder and a not-particularly-good hitter (at least by the numbers). He would be an upgrade at SS defensively, but certainly not offensively — Jhonny had a similarly bad OBP and outslugs him by a mile. For that matter, apart from SB, Jamey Carroll’s offensive numbers last year weren’t far off Bartlett’s. I haven’t watched Bartlett a lot, I confess, so maybe he’s that good a fielder. But, trading Choo AND a prospect for him … I don’t know.

I have no idea what you mean by “Carroll is a part time player and Bartlett is not.” Players who are part-time players are such because they’re not good enough to play every day. And a part-time player for one team may be a starter for another team, and vice versa. So I don’t know what you mean by that classification. If you mean that Bartlett is better than Carroll, then just say that.

What Carroll lacks in the age advantage he makes up for in patience. Despite 100+ less ABs Carroll walked 12 more times and struck out 4 less times than Bartlett.

Are you sure he’s a solid defender?

Ok, I understand your opinion that Bartlett is “solid” enough to acquire even though his offensive output is less than Jamey Carroll’s and his defense is likely on par.

I just don’t agree.

Step back from the ledge dude. Droobs at 2B is not a bad thing. The argument that he’s our best SS may not be wrong, but it has yet to be proved that he’s not a better 2B than a SS.

The same could be said of BP, actually.

I’m still stubbornly holding out for a Casey Blake signing so I can trash the FO, but I’m starting to think that Wedge and Shap will finally admit, weeping at night under a gibbous moon with a couple of beers on the cliff over the quarry where they pledged to be joined at the hip forever, that Casey and his griity beard has got just too uptown for them, and they’ll have to make do with what they got.

Which means Asdrubal at 2B, Jhonny at SS, and… what? They got Marte, Carroll and Barfield. You could see a variety of infield alignments with that mix, but if it comes down to it, Marte is going to get first playing time at 3B. He’s on the roster fer chrissakes, and is the best third baseman.

Maybe we can get Pedroia instead

I hear he has a hot wife.

See this is what I keep thinking. The only person who disagrees and has a valued opinion on the matter is Tango, which I’ll admit makes me pause a bit.

According to +/-, he has been +30 over the past three seasons, though this past year was his worst. Who says that he’s bad?

Wow

that

is

interesting.