You are setting up a false choice. The choice is not Hassan on the 40-man or Lin on the 40-man. The choice is, Lin on the 40-man or Lin lost via the Rule 5 draft or waivers to create a free 40-man roster spot that could be used as needed. Given that there is no need to prematurely sacrifice Lin when the roster spot is not yet needed and no reason to prematurely add Hassan when he isn't yet needed, I don't understand the purpose of this discussion.Being a CF is a lot more than just defense..... You didn't say that Lin is the best Defensive CF on earth...
I have no problem admitting that Lin is a Elite defensive CF, but he has a noodle bat. His most comparable player is probably Iglesias, although I don't think Lin is as good a CF as Iglesias is a SS.
This is silly, my point was that Hassan would be more useful on the 40 man roster than Lin and I still believe that. Hassan has hit at every level and we already have an elite CF in the major leagues. Not to mention two or 3 backups that can fill in as CF's if Ells gets dinged up.
you are obviously overrating defense and I'm putting more weight in Offense. I said Lin is useful as a Pinch runner/ Defensive replacement and while there is some value in that, I'd rather have a guy who can competently handle the bat.
So yes if you are counting Offense (a huge part of baseball) then LIn makes Ellsbury look like Willie Mays..