Traded 2B Ronnie Belliard to St. Louis for 2B Hector Luna
So which angle should I attack first?
(1) Hector Luna vs Ronnie Belliard
Obviously Ronnie is the better player as of this moment. He's been a very consistent offensive player since the Indians picked him up 2.5 years ago. He's an intelligent hitter, turns the double play as well as anyone around, and he looks like a super-deformed Manny Ramirez. His range isn't very good, so he'll play an extremely deep second base.
The reason the Indians made this deal is service time. I believe they have him under their control for the next four seasons, and he shouldn't be eligible for arbitration until after next season. That being said, we don't really know if he can be an everyday second baseman.
(2) Hector Luna vs Draft Picks
Is Luna worth foregoing whatever draft pick compensation the Indians were going to get for Belliard? It depends. If Luna proves that he can play second base every day, the Indians save a lot of money that they can use to improve the team elsewhere. If he's just a utility player, then no.
(3) Hector Luna vs Joe Inglett
Luna's the better player, and he should be getting most of the PT at second base the rest of the season. An Inglett/Luna straight platoon doesn't make a whole lot of sense for me; Super Joe is more of a utility player from my standpoint, and he should be getting experience doing just that in August and September.
(4) Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?
Ask me in two months.