When I
first started this website, and for quite a time before that, I hated Juan
Pierre.
People
that read this website know that it took me a long time to stop hating him. He
was nothing but good for them in 2009, and I actually started to like the little
scamp.
He
accepted his role without complaining, he produced in nearly 400 at-bats and he
played better than average defense in left field.
That's
why I have to say that trading JP at this point makes no sense.
The guy
is a team first player, who does a lot to help the club win. He was also a nice
insurance policy to the current flake in left field, Manny Ramirez.
This is
Manny's last year in Los Angeles. He's old, he's temperamental and he's
streaky. He wants to be a DH, and by exercising his option, he guaranteed
himself $20 million dollars, even if that means he throws a fit, goes into
Operation Shutdown or forces the Dodgers to trade him. Or all of the above.
When
one of the three, or all of them, happen, the Dodgers are going to be in
trouble. They won't have Pierre to play in left, they will be eating half his
salary and will be doing the same thing with Ramirez.
First
of all, Manny is not going to return to form in 2010, so if he plays all year,
the Dodgers are just swallowing $20 mil, and if they trade him, they'll have to
pay a substantial chunk.
I haven't even got to the part where we talk about who the Dodgers got for Pierre. Nobody. That's right, no real human beings to this point.