Is D-Mac gone by the trading deadline?
Its obvious with his performance and injuries Dallas MacPherson is way behind where Angels would like him to be. Yes, they need another lefty, preferably one with some power, on the bench. But they aren’t going to rely on D-Mac if he can’t fix the timing issues that he’s seemingly had since joining the big club late in ’04. Personally, I think the Angels rushed him up to the big leagues. Generally, it takes power hitters like Dallas, a bit longer to develop, and I don’t think he was ready, and Mike and Bill and Arte may be ready to give up on him, particularly with a another power hitter coming up the ranks in Brandon Wood. But where could we shop him? His marketability will be based on his performance, in whichever level he ends up. But if he doesn’t do well, he’s not that marketable. . .
. . .Wait a minute. I remember driving to Angel games and hearing a member of the Angel coaching staff –raving- about the upside that D-Mac has during pre-game. You know who that coach was? It was Joe Maddon, that’s who it was. Joe’s with the Devil Rays now, and I’m sure he wouldn’t mind a familiar kid coming to bat for him. But who in the heck could the Devil Rays give the Angels? Hmm, the Angels need a left handed bat. The Rays have a couple of those, two of which you can rule out immediately. Those two would be Carl Crawford and Joey Gathwright. They’ve been talking about trading Gathwright, but I don’t think that’ll happen, nor do the Angels have any need/use for him. That leaves Travis Lee, Sean Burroughs, and Aubrey Huff.
Lets start with Sean Burroughs, a 3rd baseman with a career average of .282, which isn’t bad by any means. His power leaves something to be desired with his career high being a mere 7. But I’ll cut him some slack for playing in the spacious grounds of PETCO park. He is certainly a viable option, especially only under contract for one year.
Now you’ve got Travis Lee. His career average is .259, but, aside from missing most of ’04. It has been above .270 since ’03. He has shown decent power in the past, a could be the option the Angels are looking for off the bench, or even has a starter at 1st base if Kotchman is struggling.
Last but not least you have Aubrey Huff. Aubrey Huff is the guy in front of Delmon Young. He’s a former All-Star with the power the Angels would love to have. He would be a more than viable option to spell Vlad, Kotch, or even take over the DH job if the same problems persist. Everyone in and around Tampa Bay believes that Delmon Young is ready, and that Aubrey Huff is holding the kid up. He, in my mind, is the most available of any Devil Ray. –But- is he willing to accept a role-playing or DH role? Also, are the Angels willing to pay 5 million for a bat off the bench? If he remains in Tampa Bay and the Angels suffer at 1B or if, God forbid, Vlad goes down, you have an option to trade for as a replacement. He the most intriguing of the Devil Rays.
Its something to think about. Most definitely. The best case scenario is that D-Mac becomes the player we thought he could be. But if not, there are some options. Besides, Figgy could be my everyday 3rd baseman any day of the week.
From deep in the hole 
Delmon’s not ready. They wouldn’t get rid of Huff now. The best bet is Burroughs in your scenario. Though Sean is a weak player who wouldn’t earn a roster spot with the Angels. Why focus on Dallas when the story of camp has been Kendry Morales.