The Jays and Twins have had some trade talks regarding Corey Koskie, but it doesn't look like anything is going to happen soon.
Is money the lone sticking point?"It's always about the money," Ricciardi replied.
Ricciardi could trade Hillenbrand tomorrow if he wanted to and keep Koskie as the DH but that's not going to happen.
"We're not moving Hillenbrand," Ricciardi said.
I find the strong commitment to Hillenbrand interesting. The things that Hillenbrand brings to the team that make him valuable are the versitility to play either corner infield position capably, durability, and consistency.
Koskie certainly isn't durable and after last season you can't be certain of what he'll do. However, Koskie, getting most of his at bats at DH, could certainly be more productive than Hillenbrand and given that he wouldn't be playing defense he would be more likely to stay healthy.
Hinske isn't consistent (his OPS+ has gone from 124 to 96 to 74 to 100) but other than the hamate bone problem he's been durable, and he's has been able to play both 3B and 1B (although I think Hillenbrand is better at both).
For me, I don't think there's that much of a difference between Hillenbrand and Hinske and Koskie, and if there's a good trade market for Hillenbrand I would certainly listen to offers. And if either or both of Koskie and Hinske don't work out at DH I would think you could find a replacement in a trade during the season, assuming the team is in playoff contention.
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