Montreal is in an interesting spot – started the season red hot, they had a below .500 record in June and are 6-6 so far in July. 1.5 games behind the Senators, they’re first in most major pitching categories (4th in home runs allowed) and hitting, while not 1st, are 2nd and 3rd in most categories. This isn’t a bad team with glaring holes or issues.
Need: Bench Depth
It’s really tempting to put starting pitching here. ”But Graham, you just said that they were first in every category – why do they need pitching?” With injuries to Clemens and Correa, for a team that built itself a ridiculous rotation, they’re depending heavily on guys who they didn’t necessarily want to. That being said, they went all in on Matt Young and Clemens last year and it didn’t lead to a World Series, so expect them to be a little more cautious. The Montreal bench, while not anything close to bad, is something this team may nitpick and try and improve.
Possible Targets
Bret Barberie – Boston Red Sox: Not a world beater obviously, but controllable depth who can play a few different positions.
Kevin Sefcik – New York Yankees: Sense a theme? Montreal loves guys who can play a ton of different positions. Sefcik isn’t inspiring in full time play but is young, controllable, and can play all over the place.
Lance Blankenship – Florida Marlins: Feels like a pipe dream, but going on the theme of position flexibility, could be deployed all over the diamond in the truest rental way.