Bucs Interested in Glaus?

Not a whole lot new in the Post-Gazette's new article; it's mostly just a rehash of the now-familiar rumors about Lyle Overbay and Wily Mo Pena - and, unfortunately, Kevin Mench. Dejan Kovacevic points out that the Pirates might take a look at Troy Glaus also. He adds that even with roughly $33 million (according to Ken Rosenthal) left on Glaus' contract, the Diamondbacks would want the Bucs to take on Luis Gonzalez' $11.5 million contract for 2006 as well. (Gonzalez also has a mutual option in 2007 for $10 million.)

This actually sounded like a reasonable idea to me until I checked - Gonzalez seems younger than he is because he started hitting rather late in his career, but he's 38, and he's in decline:

2003. .304/.402/.532
      
2004. .259/.373/.493
      
2005. .271/.366/.459

Gonzalez still has an excellent batting eye, and he had a better OPS on the road last year than at home, so it's not as if his remaining power is a home-field mirage. But his power is leaving him, he's unlikely to ever hit .300 again, and he's a huge injury risk. Gonzalez is also a 10/5 player, so he can block any trade.

But KFFL relays the news that Arizona is merely looking to unload one contract, not two, and that Glaus could be the guy. This makes some sense - true, Glaus' contract is only a year old, and it's not as if he has underperformed expectations. But the D-Backs have a new general manager who is probably smart enough to recognize that the team has a ton of corner infielders, with Chad Tracy already hitting well, Tony Clark coming off a good year and prospect Conor Jackson ready for a big league job. In the new free agent market, Glaus' contract, which looked insane when it was signed, suddenly seems reasonable. For the right price, he'd be a great addition for the Bucs.

Or, they could just trade for Kevin Mench.