5-20-09 Morning RoundUp

The bullpen just keeps getting worse and worse.

Kerry Wood took his turn Tuesday giving up two home runs balls, a walk, a triple and a sacrifice fly to blow a three-run lead in the ninth inning.

Sheldon Ocker game story.

MLB.com game story.

Wood said he didn't have a second pitch out there. Some could argue he didn't have a first.

Wood hasn't gotten regular work as of late. Four game losing streaks and 14-26 overall records isn't conducive for closers. Wood's last save opportunity came May 1.

MORE TRADE RUMORS

The previous post about possible players to trade seemed to spark some interest the other day and many of you are ready to ship Jhonny Peralta out of town.

Unfortunately, I feel like the poll was more about the fans hatred of Peralta than whether he is a tradeable piece or not. Mark DeRosa probably makes the most sense if the Indians are going to make a trade.

He is versatile and without a burdensome contract. Victor Martinez/ and or Cliff Lee would bring the most in return, but would the Indians want to trade one of its cornerstones and its best starting pitcher when the team is desparate for pitching?

Paul Hoynes addressed the issue, focusing on the rest of this year and next year. How would a trade make the Indians better for that run?

ESPN's Buster Olney did quite a bit of speculation in his most recent post. The Red Sox need a new Designated hitter as David Ortiz continues to struggle.

Ortiz will be back in the lineup today, when the Red Sox begin a series against the Blue Jays, and we don't yet know if Terry Francona is going to place him in a lower spot in the lineup. If Ortiz doesn't start hitting soon, the Red Sox will need to look for an alternative, using their surplus of pitching to try to make a deal for some talented young hitter, like a Matt LaPorta of the Indians.

The Mets already are considering first-base alternatives, because Carlos Delgado is having surgery today, writes Steve Popper. Mark DeRosa would be a perfect alternative, because if Delgado comes back in August, the Mets could use DeRosa in other ways. Talent evaluators with rival teams don't think the Mets have a lot to surrender in a trade, so they expect that New York will opt for a mid-level solution rather than a high-end player who would cost a lot.