Helping Ben

I put my GM hat on today & decided to be Ben Cherington. I'm looking for power bats at the trade deadline. I'd like them to be outfield bats, but I'll take a 3B or 1B if I have to & I'll convert them or someone else on my roster to play the outfield. At this point I would say everyone on my roster is up for grabs & I'm willing to trade 3, 4 or 5 pieces to get 1 back. Guys like Koji, Lackey, Doubront, Peavy, Drew, Gomes, Pierzynski, maybe Lester if you're not going to re-sign him would be available from the big team. Anyone in AAA including Mookie, JBJ, De La Rosa, Webster, Renaudo & Barnes are all fair game. Perhaps the most affordable & most available power-hitting big leaguer is Paul Goldschmidt from Arizona. Arizona is out of the pennant race. The D-backs are dying for quality pitching & we can give them a package of big league & AAA arms. Goldschmidt, 26, is a 1B, but perhaps we can move Napoli to 3B or OF next year & keep 2 big bats in the lineup. Goldie is a 30/100 guy & he hits the ball with power, a middle of the order bat for sure. Another affordable guy is Yoenis Cespedes from the A's. The Red Sox & A's have been good trading partners over the years & the A's could shore up their bullpen with Koji & add a quality starter like Lackey for another pennant run. If I want to look to the future & get cheaper guys with high upside, I'd shoot for Steven Souza, 24, a 6'4" 225 lbs outfielder, right-handed bat from the Nationals AAA team. Or Gregory Polanco, 22, 6'4" 220 lbs outfielder, left-handed bat from the Pirates who just made his debut with the big club. Again, the Pirates & Nationals are hurting for pitching & we have numbers. In the off-season I would pursue Giancarlo Stanton, 24, Mike Trout, 22 & George Springer, 24. Remember - everyone is available for the right price. John Henry will have to open his pocketbook to keep his team competitive. So let's see if Ben goes after any of my picks -- Paul Goldschmidt, Yoenis Cespedes, Steven Souza, Gregory Polanco, Giancarlo Stanton, Mike Trout, or George Springer. These are all 20-somethings who will be hitting their prime in the coming years.