In My Book: A JJ Putz For JJ Hardy Trade Makes Sense

The Milwaukee Brewers were known for their youth in 2008. In 2009, it seems they are trying to get even younger.

The Brewers are actively shopping Prince Fielder, Mike Cameron and JJ Hardy. They are also looking for pitching; that's where the Seattle Mariners come in.

The Mariners are also willing to trade their own JJ, closer JJ Putz. Putz is elite and would be a great addition to the Brew Crew.

Putz for Hardy is fairly simple and a very good trade for both teams but what about making it even more complex? You could add Corey Hart to the mix. The Mariners could then offer up Ryan Rowland-Smith into the equation as well. But Rowland-Smith might not cover it, maybe one of the Mariners other young pitchers such as Mark Lowe could keep the scale even.

So here’s how it looks right now:

Mariners receive: Corey Hart and JJ Hardy

Brewers receive: JJ Putz, Ryan Rowland Smith, Mark Lowe.

That seems pretty fair. The Mariners would then be replacing Raul Ibanez’s bat and gaining an amazing short stop while the Brewers would be bolstering their pitching staff.

Yuniesky Betancourt would of course find himself a spot on the trading block. Teams that could be interested in him include Royals, Athletics, and many other teams seeking youthful players.

The Mariners have enough bullpen help to be able to withstand the loss and the Brewers have the outfield to sustain Hart’s departure.

The Brewers would be an even better team and the Mariners would also be another great team. They’d have no weakness’s except for the catcher which may not be a weakness after Kenji Johjima batted .333 in September.

Expect the Brewers and the Mariners to have a lot of talks this off season. Let’s hope Zduirencik has the knowledge and plans to get the Mariners back in contention.

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