The shelf life of potential

Ben Godar

The latest mega-trade rumor to keep us satiated has Mark Prior going to the O's for Miguel Tejada, and I'm shocked that Cubs fans aren't pleading for Jim Hendry to get this done.

Well, maybe shocked is too strong a word. Every team loves its prospects, those can't-miss kids who batted .700 in high school and belted a few thousand home runs. But the Cubs organization and its fans seem particularly enamored with whoever's taking the field in Iowa.

It's taken half a decade to realize Corey Patterson isn't a five-tool guy, just a tool. Bobby Hill was touted to have 30-30 potential. And he still does, as long as the categories we're talking are games played and at-bats. And that's to say nothing of Kevin Orie and Gary Scott.

But Prior's more than a prospect, he is a major league pitcher. But four years into his professional career, folks still talk about him like a prospect. After all, he's a guy with Cy Young potential and number one type stuff. But there comes a time for every player when their value shifts from their potential to their production, and I think it's time for the Cubs to call in their bets on Mark Prior.

Only once has he started 30 or more games in a season. So no matter how solid he may be in the games he pitches, penciling Prior into your rotation means you'll also be giving the ball to a guy like Glendon Rusch for 10-15 starts. Factor that in and Prior's value to the team looks a little different. But what about the games Prior does start? In the two years since his spectacular 2003 season, Prior's ERA is 3.82. That puts him more in the Brad Penny, Doug Davis camp than the Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez range.

Compare that value to the value of Tejada - a 29-year-old shortstop, averaging 28 homers and 110 RBI, winner of an MVP ... Oh yeah, he also has hasn't missed a single game since 2000. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

I can sympathize with the Cubs fan wearing the Mark Prior jersey clamoring for the team to take him off the trading block. But if I had the chance to get my hands on Miguel Tejada, I'd clean out Prior's locker personally.