Buffalo Boy's Blog

John Parrish made his first start of the season. He went 6 innings allowing 1 earned run and walked only 2 in 4 hit performance. For a guy who has had control issues in the past, not half bad. He is a lefty and with Shaun Marcum out for at least one more start, Parrish will get another crack at a start before the All Star Break.

Here is my thought, if he pitches even reasonably well in his next start and of all things wins again to go 2-0, does the thought cross anyones mind to go ahead and trade AJ Burnett?

Im not by any means writing this team off on the season. the last week or so the bats have been going, the pitching has remained good and is what it has been all season, with consistency in the hitting as they have had recently, any pitcher has a chance to win a game. But Parrish may be getting a trial run here by injury. Burnett has been .500 this season and you could throw a lefty in there for a change of pace during series. If he goes .500 we expect it, AJ is getting paid $11 million a season to be a 15-20 game winner, something he has not been. 

I know Parrish has had limited success at the major league level and hes a 31 year old minor league journeyman but he is 10-1 this year at Syracuse of the International League and has been begging for a call up all year. Left handers always seem to mature later in their career anyway. Why not. Just don't trade Burnett to anyone in the division like the Yankees and maybe this could be a possibility flying through JP's cavernous mind.

It would be nice to have a lefty in the rotation who would no doubt make the other four righties all the more effective. If it comes at AJ's expense so be it, he wants a trade anyway. That and trading AJ may actually get you something usable from a contender who is desparate enough for an arm. Again, Im not saying that you write off the season, Im just saying you could get out of Parrish what you are getting now out of Burnett and still do reasonably well and maybe get something for Burnett that is usable, the old addition by subtraction line of thinking. 

If anything, the Jays can reinvest Burnett's and Frank the Tank's money in a high quality free agent left hander.