Any trade involving a pitcher of his caliber would demand major league proven talent in return – and a LOT of it (not necessarily in terms of quantity but definitely quality). The M’s are rebuilding, that is a fact known from the start of ST (that they were able to compete a bit in May and June was a tribute to their pitching staff). A rebuilding team isn’t necessarily in a position to acquire top notch veteran talent (at least not in the middle of a season where it is apparent they are going nowhere fast). Their top priority is to evaluate the talent throughout their system - bring up the kids who are excelling in the minors and see what they've got - in order to determine what they need going forward and how best to get it – who adds value to the team, who can be a valuable chip in trade.
I've heard some fans mention that teams don’t usually build around pitching. Well, that may or may not be true, I don’t really know (though it seemed to work pretty well for the San Francisco Giants). What I do know is that Safeco Field is a pitcher’s park and that has to be considered as the rebuilding progresses. The strength of this team (despite their blip this road trip) is pitching. IMO – you find ways to strengthen your weaknesses without weakening your strengths. You find a way to keep Felix and Michael (25 and 22 respectively) at the top of your rotation while getting creative in improving the offense. You don’t flush top notch pitching for unproven minor league talent or veterans that won't be enough to make a difference.
Here's to Felix holding court in Safeco Field for YEARS to come...
may he one day wear the ring, with his one and only team, that a king is deserving of.
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