Who Says No First?

I know I haven't been writing/podcasting nearly enough, but that's what happens when you're working, trying to find an apartment 1,200 miles away, and oh yeah, you just got married. So we have nearly one month of baseball remaining before the trade deadline, and I wanted to "propose" a couple of trades and see what everyone thinks. My favorite teams are the Indians, Reds and Blue Jays, so I have constructed a slew of trades in my head that I'd like to see happen. Or at least want to hear what YOU think about them.

Trade #1
Cleveland sends Jeanmar Gomez (RHP), Scott Barnes (LHP), Russ Canzler (1B/OF) and Tony Walters (SS) to
Minnesota, sending Josh Willingham (LF) back to the Indians.
Why it makes sense: Everyone knows that the Twins are out of it for this season. Without a serious change in the forecast down the road, it'll always be a similar outlook. The deal for the Twins gets them a viable option at first base against left-handed pitching (Justin Morneau is batting .096, 7-for-71, against lefties), two Major League-ready starters from each side of the rubber in Gomez and Barnes, and a lower-level prospect who can play either shortstop or second base down the line.
Its clear to everyone that the Indians need something, anything, to play left field. The platoon of Johnny Damon, Shelley Duncan, and Aaron Cunningham are batting a combined .200 (70-350), have 8 home runs between them, have driven in 33 runs and are just plain awful. PLUS, Cunningham is a right-handed batter, giving something much needed to the Indians' lineup.

Trade #2
Cincinnati sends Billy Hamilton (SS), Daniel Corcino (RHP), Chris Heisey (LF) and Logan Ondrusek (RHP) to
Minnesota, sending Josh Willingham (LF) and Francisco Liriano (LHP) back to the Reds.
Why it makes sense: This gives the Twins a LOT of talent that is still at least 2 years away. Hamilton is tearing it up in High-A, Corcino has drawn comparisons to Johnny Cueto, and Heisey and Ondrusek are basically throw in guys to help the worst team in the American League get through this season. The Reds are in a special time right now. They are clearly the cream of the crop in the National League, but in this day and age, there is no such thing as a 10-year dynasty. At best, you're looking at a 5-year span of being on top, and Cincinnati is right at the beginning of that. Right now the Reds have the best right side of the infield, one of the best starting pitchers, and one of the best young right fielders around. If you add Willingham as the starting left fielder, plus a lefty as strong as Liriano as your #2 pitcher, you solidify your chance for a World Series run. I know people are reserved about sending away more of prospects, but the time is NOW, not 3 years from now when Hamilton and Corcino will be here.

Trade #3
Toronto sends Jake Marisnick (OF), Adeiny Hechavarria (SS), and Aaron Sanchez (RHP) to
Milwaukee, sending Zack Greinke back to the Blue Jays.
Why it makes sense: The Blue Jays need a starting pitcher if they're going to make a run at the playoffs this season. They're sitting right at .500 right now, and the three guys they're sending away won't be to the big leagues for at least a few more years. Joey Bats is heading towards the end of his prime, and if they're going to go for it, now is the time. With as many injuries to the starting rotation, a front-end starter would be a huge addition. I imagine the Brewers will probably be asking for even more than what I've put on the table for Toronto, but I'd consider this a package worth just about any one pitcher on the market. The Brewers have Braun locked up, but the rest of the team is not going to succeed around him. Marisnick and Hechavarria offer pieces that will produce around Braun for years to come.

Trade #4
Cincinnati sends Chris Heisey (OF), JC Sulbaran (RHP), and Kyle Lotzkar (RHP) to
San Diego, sending Carlos Quinton (OF) to the Reds.
Why it makes sense: Going back to the logic of Trade #2, the Reds need a right-handed bat. Quintin may be a liability in left field, but with Drew Stubbs and Jay Bruce and their top-tier defense, Carlos could practically hide in left field. He has so much power that his Petco Park numbers are deceiving... Get him in the Great American Bandbox, and the perfect cleanup man for the lineup is in place. Meanwhile, San Diego gets a good player for left field, and two pitching prospects that would fit in nicely with Luebke and Volquez in the future.

Trade #5
Cleveland sends Joe Smith (RHP) to
Texas, sending Jared Hoying (OF) back to the Indians.
Why it makes sense: Okay, so maybe this makes no sense at all, but it'd still be fun to see!!

Let me know which teams you think would say no first, if any... I'd also love to hear any potential trades with YOUR favorite team that you'd like to see in the next month!

Where were you five years ago today?

Here's an interesting fact for you: the 2012 calendar year now matches exactly with the 2007 calendar year (thanks to this years' leap year). Why is this interesting? Well, now it is simple to look back at certain events from the Class of 2007's senior year and say I remember exactly what I was doing on this day. Last Sunday, as the graduates were receiving their diplomas at Fort Loramie High School, I was playing baseball at a friends' house and was thankful I was not sitting in a gym listening to 18 year olds' perspectives on life (no offense to valedictorian speeches intended, but seriously, I've heard one good speech in 6 years of High School graduations, and that was Nate Ruhenkamp's).

Today I sit on a relatively cool June morning, relaxing, enjoying life, and think back five years. On June 2, 2007, everything was the exact opposite. It was hotter than Hades, I was on top of the world and a little nervous at the same time. At this time five years ago, I was playing third base in the Ohio State Baseball Championship game. That was the day that I became not only "Kyler Ludlow, 2007 graduate of Fort Loramie High School," but also, "Kyler Ludlow, 2007 graduate of Fort Loramie High School, and State Champion." In my wildest dreams we made it to that point, but I never really thought much about winning a state title before that. After winning the first game of the State, the general consensus for our team became, "We've come this far, might as well win it all." I remember laying in bed on the eve of the championship and running through everything in my head: the disappointment from the previous years, the hours driving to and from fall ball games, the late nights playing for the ACME team, getting our arms ready for the season by throwing after basketball practice... in January. It all seemed surreal at the time, and even now as I look back, it still seems too good to be true.

On this day five years ago, I wanted to win and celebrate with my friends, start designing our Championship rings, and get ready to go to college. I wanted to live with no regrets and move on with life; get away from Fort Loramie and what I grew up with, and become my own man. Now, after the parties and college have all passed by, my wedding exactly one week away, and a move to Florida coming shortly after that, I start to get that surreal feeling again. The friendships I've made and sustained since high school will prosper no matter where I call home, the hours I put in studying and working toward my professional goals will pay off, and I'll be forever bound to those twenty members of that State Championship team, and the town we brought it to.

Five years later, I still feel proud of what we did that day. My hope is that in five more years I will be able to write that the surreal feeling that envelopes my life today still seems too good to be true. And I'll do so wearing a bright gold State Championship ring on my finger.