Trade Rumor

The Dallas Morning Tribune is reporting that the Honey Dipt Phillies have approached the gb9 front office with a proposal that would see catcher Mike Napoli sent to the HDP in exchange for a struggling Travis Hafner. Both players spend considerable time on their respective benches.

Reached for comment, gb9 Director of Personnel Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, refused to either confirm or deny the offer, but he did throw cold water on the idea. "We are always happy to talk with the Honey Dippers, both teams have been in this league for a long time, and I think there is a tremendous amount of respect between the two teams," he said. "In this case, however, I do not think this would be a trade that reflected the mutual respect we have for each other."

De Cuellar pointed out that Napoli, while struggling to find playing time, is statically the fourth best catcher in the league and the 132 player overall, whereas Hafner has struggled mightily and is hitting a less-than-impressive .228.

De Cuellar did recognize, however, that not only is Napoli backing up AJ Pierzynski, but the gb9 management is often frustrated by the fact that he frequently needs to rest on the same days as Pierzynski, further undermining his utility. "We are certainly open to the possibility of trading Mike, for his benefit as well as ours," De Cuellar said. "But we need pitching, not benched designated hitters."