Bah, work blocked Foxsports.com.  Fortunately, my laptop came in and it is sweet.  Windows Vista does take some getting used to, however.

Anyhow, here's what I was going to post on Friday.  The Rangers Report will be up later.

So, to borrow from Will Carrol, powered by Dell, onto the show...

On The Block – Jon Garland

I decided to bring back On The Block, partially because I missed doing it, partially because the trade market has become a bigger factory nowadays, especially since free agency is starting to suck in terms of sexy names.  It just won't appear as often.  So, let's check it out.

The Why:  Garland has actually been heavily shopped as far as last off-season, and was mentioned in a trade to Texas (for John Danks and Nick Masset, which ultimately was done for Brandon McCarthy) and was nearly traded to the Astros for Jason Hirsh, Wily Taveras, and Taylor Buchholz (until Kenny Williams blew the deal by asking for Hunter Pence at the last minute, when the deal was done.)  Now, however, there is more of a movement to move Garland, who is entering his walk year and has been displaced in the rotation by Javier Vazquez and Mark Buehrle, the Sox’s two co-aces.  Garland himself has already announced that he doesn't expect to be in Pale Hose next season.

The Rumored Asking Price:  Apparently, all that Williams is asking for is two relievers, though one of them has to be a proven commodity and needs to have closer potential.  Evidently, Williams feels that he was burned when he acquired Masset, Andy Sisco, and David Aardsma.

Can A Trade Be Done:  Yes.  With the coming winter being bare in starting pitching, Garland, despite a bit of a collapse after the All Star break, will be very attractive, especially with that asking price, which is likely going to be improved upon as the market develops.

The Good:  Garland has proven to be a major league innings eater, something that is becoming quite valueable with pitchers spending more and more time on the DL due to various ailments.  However, one other thing that makes Garland attractive is that he is a groundball pitcher and keeps the ball in the park, a benefit for many teams, especially those that have homer friendly parks.  Overall, he’d be a quality middle of the rotation guy for most of the teams around the league.

Potential Hang-ups:

• Money –Garland is due $12 million dollars in his final year. 
• Health – The only other one I can think of is that the two White Sox pitchers moved last off-season, McCarthy and Freddy Garcia, have both spent time on the DL, making one wonder if Garland may be headed to the DL at some point in the season. 
• Kenny Williams – Williams is ambitious to a fault.  No, that's not quite right.  I feel he tries to screw you as royally as possible (which is why the Astro deal imploded).  He's not a stupid man by any means, I just think that he tries to go for the big splash far too often. 

Potential Suitors – In Alphabetical Order

• Arizona Diamondbacks –The Dbacks have a surplus of talent in the farm system and lack any sort of reliable starting pitching coming into next year, with both Doug Davis and Livan Hernandez heading into free agency.  Plus, as a sinkerballer, Garland will thrive with a Gold Glove caliber middle infield behind him.
• Colorado Rockies – Rumor has it that the Rockies could offer Brian Fuentes in exchange for Garland, in an attempt to make the salaries balance out.  It’s going to take a lot more than that in my opinion, as Williams won't take a one year rental of Fuentes.  He'll probably insist on 3B Ian Stewart in the deal as well (who would fill a hole, allowing Williams to trade current 3B Joe Crede for the actual relief help) or 23 year-old reliever Juan Morillo, who has closer potential and, according to Baseball America, was reportedly clocked at 104 mph a few years back, to complete the deal.  There could be something here.
• Houston Astros – Ah yes, the Astros.  While I don't think the Stros need another starter (They could have a decent rotation of Oswalt, Backe, Williams, Wandy, and Sampson next year, which isn't bad), ownership may decide that they don't trust the young kids enough to compete, which would be a shame.  However, a deal involving Chad Qualls and RHP Paul Estrada, who many feel is a closer in the making, would work, though the Astros would likely insist on a window to negotiate a contract extension.
• Los Angeles Dodgers – The Dodgers may need some pitching depth, depending on how Derek Lowe and Jason Schmidt are doing, along with the troubles that have come with Esteban Loaiza.  Garland not only could be a horse in that lineup, he would also allow them to acquire a pair of picks by letting Garland leave.  While Kenny Williams would likely demand Jonathan Broxton in any deal, the Dodgers could instead offer him Rafael Furcal and Takashi Saito, filling two needs at once, along with allowing the Dodgers to allow their top shortstop prospect, Chin-lung Hu, to move into Furcal’s place at short.
• New York Mets – El Duque is likely done, leaving a potential rotation of Glavine, Martinez, Maine, and Perez, with some semblance of Mike Pelfrey or Philip Humber attempting to be the fifth starter.  Minaya likes to go for the big splash and, to be fair, Garland isn't a bad fit here.  However, New York doesn't have anything that fits with what Williams was asking for, unless a deal can be done for Aaron Heilman and Humber/Pelfrey.
• Seattle Mariners – Oddly enough, I do like the fit here with the Mariners.  Garland would move to a nice, spacious ballpark, would have an excellent infield defense behind him with Gold Glove candidates everywhere but first and he'd be an improvement over Horacio Ramirez, likely to be a non-tender candidate this winter.  One problem - The Mariners won't trade Brandon Morrow, who would likely have to be a part of any deal to work, though the Mariners could intrigue Williams by offering him Wladimir Valentin, a young outfield prospect that could handle centerfield, but would be a supurb outfield corner thanks to his huge power potential. 

If I Had To Make A Deal - I would do the following:

• Seattle Gets - RHP Jon Garland
• Chicago Gets - OF Wladimir Valentin (he's blocked anyway PF), LHP Eric O'Flaherty, RHP Sean Green

It's not a sexy trade, but it gives Chicago some decent relief help in the bullpen while giving them a potential centerfielder of the future, since it's looking like Ryan Sweeney's power won't ever come and that he might now be able to handle center.