Will Athletics Trade Bobby Crosby? Fat Chance!

It's hard to believe that Atheltics shortstop Bobby Crosby not so long ago was one of his team's top weapons, so highly regarded that he actually hit regularly in the No. 3 hole despite his mediocre batting average and lack of consistent power.

And now fans are expected to believe that Crosby will be dealt in the off-season to make way for untested 2005 first round pick Cliff Pennington? Why? In the first place, no one wants Crosby, and in the second place, Pennington is even worse, with "bust" written all over him.

But even if Pennington should find himself over the winter -- a very big if -- who would want Crosby, who at 28 has been unable to stay healthy for even a single season since his rookie campaign. His series of injuries even include a broken back.

Just how bad is he? Consider that Dodgers scouts studied Crosby when star shortstop Rafael Furcal went down to an injury in the midst of this year's critical pennant race, and passed in favor of Royals minor league veteran Angel Berroa, the one-time top rookie who hit just .234 in his last major league season two years ago.

Yes, expect Bobby Crosby to hang around for the last year of his contract with the Athletics next season, not because he deserves to, but because there is no one to take his place, and worse, no one wants him.

Rafael Furcal To Have Surgery, Dodgers Screwed

Tomorrow's LA Times reports that Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal will undergo back surgery tomorrow and miss a minimum of 8 weeks.  Joe Torre cannot be happy since the club's run production has declined by almost 2 runs per game since Furcal went down.  

The Angel Berroa trade looks really good now (just kidding), as he and Luis Maza should hold down shortstop (just kidding) until Nomar Garciparra returns from his rehab assignment to save the day (just kidding).

Now would be a really good time for Ned Colleti to get off his ass and do something other than trade for players in the Royals farm system.  With this abysmal offense, the Dodgers certainly cannot rely on Berroa or Maza, even until Garciparra returns.  Even then, it will probably be only a matter of days until Garciaparra ends up on the DL again with a sunburn or lice or something.

Nomar is the wildcard here.  He went 3-3 tonight for AAA Las Vegas and is 5-8 on his current rehab stint.  If all goes well he could be in the lineup this weekend against the Giants.  In the unlikely event that he handles shortstop and improves upon the .213 combined batting average of Maza and Berroa (which would probably qualify him to hit 5th), Colleti will likely hold off on any trades for a shortstop.  

In any event, the Dodgers season continues to get worse, and while we're talking about bad news for the Dodgers, its worth mentioning that Andruw Jones could be activated soon. 

Dodgers Moving Nomar Garciaparra To Shortstop

The Los Angeles Times reports that former corner infielder Nomar Garciaparra could begin a rehab assignment next week, and will do so as a shortstop. Starting shortstop Rafael Furcal is now expected to miss at least another three weeks, and the Dodgers are apparently uncomfortable with recently acquired former Royals shortstop Angel Berroa, which begs the question of why General Manager Ned Colletti even bothered trading for him.

Since Nomar can barely stand at third base without getting hurt, one has to wonder whether the Dodgers regard his absence from the roster as vital to winning games, and are therefore trying to get him hurt again. If this is the plan, applause for Colletti, but it is doubtful he is that sophisticated.

This move also indicates that the Dodgers are committed to promising rookie infielder Andy LaRoche as a backup at both third and first base.