I used to like Ryan Theriot.

As a player, he was never going to be an exceptional guy.  His range and arm limited him at shortstop to being an average (at best) defender.  At the plate, his lack of power meant that he'd never be a standout performer there.  But he was one of those guys that had a knack for getting the most from his skills.  As a young player in MLB, he provided great value for his salary level - getting league average or near-league average performance for the minimum salary.  The Cubs have had precious few of those guys around lately, so Ryan was very important to the team.

He also seemed like a decent enough guy - at least what we could see in front of the cameras.  We'd see him joke around with teammates and spending time with his family before or after games.  And as someone that hustled and "played hard", he has been an easy guy for fans to relate to and appreciate.

So why am I dead set on the fact that he should be traded at this point?

From a baseball perspective, Theriot is entering his arbitration years and his salary will increase rapidly.  His main value to the team - being a bargain for his level of performance - is coming to an end.  The Cubs have ample replacements to put in place.  Andres Blanco would not provide the same level of offense as Theriot, but is an oustanding defender at the position.  Darwin Barney pretty mucy is Ryan Theriot, but younger and cheaper.  And then there's the prodigy-in-waiting, Starlin Castro, who probably won't be ready to start the year, but is likely to be manning SS before the end of the season.

I also hate the way Theriot handled the Bradley situation.  From the time of Milton's suspension last September, Theriot has been front and center on every interview, radio show, newspaper and blog talking about what a terrible human being Bradley was in 2009.  I have never seen one player sell out a teammate to the same degree in any sport.  I'm not sure how he's done it, but Theriot hasn't taken much heat for doing it, either.  Maybe Bradley really was that bad and deserved the things that were said about him.  But I cannot condone Theriot selling out a teammate like that to the whole world.  Repeatedly.

Count me as one person who no longer thinks of Ryan as such a nice guy.

However, Theriot the ball player still has value to other teams.  He'll still be a relatively cheap shortstop that provides league average (or thereabouts) level of performance and is likely to be a fan-favorite wherever he lands.  I don't think the return on trading him will be huge, but I think we can either get a good prospect or a useful component for the major league team.

The bottom line is that Theriot's current perceived value around the league is likely to be higher than his value to the Cubs.  He should be shopped around the league to see what we can get for him.  If we can find a buyer that will give us a decent return, make it happen.