Reports Squash Dye Discussion

Yesterday it was reported by several sources that the Phillies aren’t interested in trading for Chicago outfielder Jermaine Dye, considering the bounty White Sox GM Ken Williams wants in return. Rumors yesterday said the Sox wanted a young starting pitcher and other pieces.

The Phils don’t seem to have what the Sox are asking for, nor is it really the right price for Dye.

Meanwhile, it was reported that teams in the northeast are among the seven teams Dye has listed in his no-trade clause. To my count there are four northeast teams: the Red Sox, Yankees, Mets and Phillies.

It really baffles me why players elect to stay out of the northeast. Sure there’s inherit stress with playing in Boston, New York and Philadelphia, but arguably, the four teams in this region are the most successful franchises in baseball. In the last 10 years, the Sox, Yanks, Mets and Phils have won five World Series, and have participated in the series eight times.

One statistic I love pulling out is only three teams have had winning records every season since 2003: the Sox, Yanks and Phils. Clearly these are good teams devoted to winning. Sure, you may get booed a little louder than in, say, Chicago, but you’re likely going to win. It shows Dye and some of these players with no-northeast trade clauses really aren’t out for the championships. And those are players I don’t want on my team.