Speculation: Left-Handed Bench Options

[Miamarlin21]

OK, so I've been pondering this for a while so I thought I'd make a thread on here to discuss. We all know we need a left-handed bat off the bench. I was fine with re-signing Chad Tracy, but now that he's in Japan, we need to get a find a new one. Internally, we have outfielders Bryan Petersen and Scott Cousins who bat left handed, but I don't see either as a primary option.

Here's a list of free agents who bat left-handed and are realistic options for us:

Russell Branyan
Eric Hinske
Casey Kotchman
Nick Johnson (coming off surgery, may have to take major pay cut)
Eric Chavez
Jeremy Hermida
Laynce Nix
Matt Stairs
Cory Sullivan
Brad Hawpe
Hank Blalock


Now, my first choice would have been Mark Kotsay, but the White Sox re-signed him already. So with who's available, I'd want: Hinske, Kotchman, Chavez, Hawpe, Nix, Stairs, or Blalock.

Who do you guys want?

[FishFanInPA]

Barry Bonds

Seriously though, Hawpe might interest me

[Nick]

I lol'd at Hermida.

[Valid]

Would really love Hinske; wanted him last year.

P.S.: Nady is a righty.

[Miamarlin21]

Thank you Valid. I always want him to be a lefty, not sure why.

[nny]

Hinske is all kinds of awsm

stairs would also be good too since he's experienced off the bench, not a Luis Gonzo repeat of "omg I'm absolutely terrible when I don't start" which is my fear for several of those names

[AdamRavs]

Russell the muscle would give us some pop off the bench

[Fish and Chips]

The only thing that worries me about Branyan is that he strikes out 38%, and that will only be amplified in a bench role.

[Erick]

The best guy there is Hinske. Atlanta supposedly offered him a 1 yr./1.5 million dollar deal to return, though.

[Valid]

I think Nick Johnson could be a major steal.

[FishFanInPA]

major steal if he plays 15 games.

[Big Z]

Hinske,somehow = playoffs

I like Nix as well as Stairs, but I think he might be done already.