Hot Stove 2k5/2k6

Brilliant work as always, Mr. Hicks - you evil fucker.

I hate to diss on Pittsburgh, but that club is run by a bunch of no fun bums.

How exactly does it work that he can become a free agent after three years, instead of six? Yeah, I know that he signed a contract for x years, but is there a non-Japanese precedent where a player was poached from another pro league and could circumvent the normal rules in this way?

Steve Carlton - 1972
Jim Palmer - 1972
Frank Viola - 1987
Vida Blue - 1976
Wilson Alvarez - 1997 (wheeeeee!)

Alex's scenarios make sense: trade him if a killer deal comes along, keep him otherwise. IF Harden gets 25 stars, AND Crosby plays 130-140 games, AND Swisher finds a happy medium between sucking and streaking, AND they can stop Kendall from sucking, the A's are gonna be hawt.

Jacobs/Castro or Castro/Piazza?

THE A'S! They should totally take an inexpensive flier on Pizzaface! Slap Hatty's ass on the bench where it & its low SLG ass belong! Maybe even get a nice "3rd catcher" in the bargain, too!

And have the Delgado out of Florida rumors died down?

From Dan Shaunnessey's column...

So is Boston going to completely blow up this team and start from scratch?

Does Torre get "promoted"? I figure if Donny Baseball is going to be the manager, Torre will not be fired and he will not resign, instead Joe will be promoted to President of Yankee Greatness next Gene Michael's VP of Concerned Looks. Brian Cashman needs to quit if the Boss doesn't fire him, every year at playoff time he looks a bit more sickly and pale.

My Sox friend says Mueller wants to go to a west coast team, and one team that could really use a third baseman after Randa returns to Kansas City is my San Diego Padres. I'm not sure if it's a good fit or what kind of prospect I'd give them, but he's a hell of a lot better than Sean Burroughs.

Despite [Blue Jays GM] Ricciardi's pessimism on meaningful trades, one deal that he will try to complete, sooner rather than later, is the reassignment of third baseman Corey Koskie to Minnesota for first baseman Justin Morneau.

The Koskie three-year contract for $17 million (all figures U.S.) seemed necessary last winter, but with the emergence of Aaron Hill and with the Jays insisting they want to keep Orlando Hudson, the Anola, Man., native is an impediment to the Jays' progression. Ricciardi was asked about Koskie's future.

"I don't know," he replied. "If Hill's on our club he's going to have to play every day. I don't think it would do him any good to be a reserve. It will play itself out.

...

The Twins were upset when they lost Koskie to the Jays. Many in Minnesota blamed the Twins missing the playoffs on the absence of Koskie in the clubhouse. [ED NOTE: Yeah, it was Koskie's moxie that caused the Twinkies to miss the playoffs, not their woefully inept offense.] The Jays might be willing to pay the difference in what the Twins had offered last winter and then throw in a mid-level prospect to get Morneau for first base.

The Twins left a two-year, $8.25 million deal on the table. Koskie will earn $11 million over the next two seasons. The Jays would have to make up $2.75 million, which is the difference.

No doubt JP had this long-game in mind when he signed Koskie in the first place. Cough cough. Cough.

PULL THE TRIGGER TERRY RYAN!

Hinske had a good year excepting one AWFUL stretch in May-June, and his strong 2nd half should give him some trade value. I think that's how Jays management sees it too. Trading him + resigning Hillenbrand and/or trading for Morneau would be OK.

Justin Speier was the setup guy last year and was easily their best reliever (0.95 WHIP). He and Batista should switch jobs.

That's the official word ... if that's true, it shows a remarkable shortsightedness by the Marlins franchise, which isn't so surprising when you consider that

Loria's a putz.

Depending on if Clemens retires, I think the Astros will somewhat stand pat. If the Rocket hangs them up, that will free up some cash to make some deals.

Koskie + prospects + Jays picking up the tab for Morneau sounds good for Minnesota but given our luck Corey will hit .250 and the prospects will all be starting pitching (which we are not exactly hurting for) and Morneau will turn into Toronto's answer to Papi.

Go A's.

Pads get crappy 3B; Nats get crappy starter; Sean Burroughs gets an invite to BALCO HQ. Nats win!

IF this means that Glaus goes to 1B and Erstad goes to CF (assuming Damon walks as well, & he probably will, esp. w/ his boy Millar going buh-bye), then maybe it's an OK trade. Of course, that leaves a Manny-sized hole in LF that can't be filled via free agency - the only OF worth a damn out there is Giles, and it makes no sense @ all to sign Giles when you just traded away someone that's the same age and about a thousand katrillion times better. Never mind that acquiring Glaus & Erstad will up the Gimp Quotient in the Fen by about 5000% percent.

Maybe they do a one-year-deal with Reggie Sanders or Jeromy Burnitz or Matt Stairs (or Bernie!) as a stopgap measure, but a stopgap for what? The one notable (i.e. the guy w/ the press luv) OF prospect the Sox have (Brandon Moss, age 22) just made it to AA for a total of 23 ABs, and the 2K6 free agent OF crop (Dye? Lee? BARRY?) doesn't look so promising.

They should hang a mondo-sized UNDER CONSTRUCTION sign over the Green Monster. And raise ticket prices again.

Starting pitchers right now = Wells being Manny, Clement wiping his ass after shitting himself for the last 6 weeks of the season, Wade Miller pitching like Sox-era David Cone, Brandon Arroyo's not-so-even flow, and the Schill taking baby steps back from his sucking-it-up 2K4 post-season. And Wakefield bathing in the blood of virgins (that throw like a girl). Bullpen = waiting for the wheels to re-attach to Foulke and fall off Timlin. And trying to forget about Jeremi Gonzalez.

I'm guessing the Papelbonbon & one / two of the other wunderKs will get a chance to fill the rotation, while I REALLY HOPE the front office goes the cheap route (or, um, the Hansen route) re: bullpen solutions - fuck giving Wags or Hoff $7-$9M per to pad their IRAs. And let the Yankees overpay for BJ. I wouldn't mind the Sox throwing down some cash for Millwood, though, while going the Dierker-Astro route re: weaning starting prospects on MLB hitters via the bullpen.

certainly, ray miller was no slouch as a coach, but i don't know that he carries the sway amongst current players as mazzone does.

This is just a hunch, but I figure Byrd will stay in LA of Anaheim.

The thing I could see the O's doing is taking a couple of affordable picks on guys Mazzone has scouted and perhaps thinks he could work with like many of the retreads he brought back from the scrap heap in Atlanta.

i'll be curious to see what happens to the outfield, curious to see if they make a move for overbay, curious to see who ends up opening day catcher.

Update: Perez signed a two-year, $5 million contract with the Cubs on Tuesday, the Associated Press reports.

Despite signing this new contract, where Neifi fits in to the Cubs' plans is unknown. The Cubs recently exercised second baseman Todd Walker's option and are expected to make a serious run at shortstop Rafael Furcal. With the emergence of youngster Ronny Cedeno, it's hard to imagine Perez being an everyday player next season.

i mean, bowden still has a job...but then you'd probablyhave to pry neifi out of dusty baker's cold, dead hands.

oh for fuck's sake

This is some Affirmative Action For Braindead Idiots capitulation, isn't it?

Maybe they just brought him in for some chuckles?

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=padresmetstrade&prov=st&type=lgns

Omar LOVES these guys who don't walk.

Assorted Mets sites suggest the trade was a salary dump, and Nady will be either all-purpose UT/PH or platoon 1b ... or a chip in a Huff-Baez or Manny deal.

While this isn't along the lines of dealing Joe Nathan, I have a feeling this could come back to bite the Giants hard.

i mean, that's juan pablo escobar money!

Five year deals for pitchers give me the willys.

Top 5 Most Helpful NL Relievers, by Inherited Runs Prevented

Player, Team, Inh Runs Prevented

Scott Eyre, SFN, 12.5
Al Reyes, SLN, 8.9
Julio Santana, MIL, 8.0
Dave Weathers, CIN, 7.3
Roberto Hernandez, NYN, 7.1

Yowsa!

Now, I know and you know that Eyre was a top-20 reliever in Expected Wins Added, but really, what does this kind of money for a situational lefty achieve? Besides possibly cutting into Pepto use in the dugout, but even then, that sweet pink relief is just going to be repurposed by the beancounters who will have to fret that much more about how to maximize the Cubs' legalized scalping profits. More basically, though, it's as if the decision to give up on Mike Remlinger served no didactic purpose whatsoever. Skip avian flu, there's a creeping case of Wade-ry in the Windy City, as Jim Hendry feverishly tries to give his manager a pitcher he's comfortable using, at whatever absurd price, just to avoid further confrontations on whether or not the organization might want to trust any of the homegrown kids Dusty hasn't heard of. Just as it didn't work with Remlinger in '03-'05, I guess I'm just not wild about how this is going to turn out.

I don't Lowell's deal (4Y, $32M ?) was outrageous, since there are very few 3B'men who put up 30HR with a near-900 OPS every year. But Lowell inexplicably stunk last year, and who knows whether it was a one-year abherration or a sudden decline in skills. Now's the time to trade him while several teams would still be willing to take a chance, because after another season like 2005 the Marlins would likely have no choice but to cut him and eat the contract.

Jeffrey Loria is cruising for a cockpunch.

It is the same story with the Marlins, their attendence never took off liked they hoped after winning it all and they struck out in getting a corporate welfare stadium built just for them with tax dollars. So in response, they are trying to cut payroll like mad.

Blalock's gotten more and more mediocre each year as his home/road splits get worse (a mild bounceback Lowell would be just as good, maybe better than Blalock) and neither prospect is in any way a proven commodity. Beckett is reasonably cheap (entering arbitration), Lowell's contract is fairly short.

Hanley+prospect sounds much worse to me - I was under the impression that Ramirez could be a top-shelf SS in a couple of years.

I am firmly aboard the Blistery McPus-sack bandwagon. If Lowell can return to something approaching his 2000-2004 form, this trade is a huge steal.

That trade is worth it if nothing else to get Beckett. He will still only be 26 when the season starts.

San Diego should try to get Kevin Youkilis from Boston to fill that gaping void at 3b. Youkilis has hit pretty good in the limited playing time he has had and it is appearant that the Sox are never going to give him a full time shake. As much as he has been called up and down, Youkilis has to be nearly out of options, so I think Boston would deal him pretty easy. Besides that, he is a cheap bet that might work out OK.

Make it so, Manny!

Keep those hands gloved, Josh!

Gammo sez that Youk! might slide over to first, which is cool, too, tho I do like the notion of flipping Lowell somewhere else and letting Youk! get a shot at the hot corner. There was also some talk of bringing back Dave Roberts as a stopgap CF guy - maybe the Youk! deal would involve that? (Don't trade Youk!) Gammo's vision of a Beckett / Papelbon / Lester rotation is dreamy in a totally unsubstantiated way.

PS - For whatever ridiculous reason, I totally love having former proto-Eckstein Craig Shipley as part of the Red Sox front office.

are BOTH millar and mueller FAs?

Lowell's BP ratings:

2002 +13
2003 +2
2004 +10

Youkilis:

2003 (Portland): +7
2003 (Pawtucket): -2
2004 (Pawtucket): +3
2004 (Boston): +6

Whether or not Lowell can still hit is another story, obviously.

Related: John Henry got online last night and answered an assload of questions. Great read.

A trade rumore I came across is that the Cubs are looking to get Juan Pierre from the Fish in a deal for Corey Patterson and maybe Sergio Mitre.

SANTO DOMINGO (AP) - One of baseball's most fearsome offensive duos in 2005 — Red Sox's David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez — appears to be history.

According to Ortiz, "Manny is not returning to Boston."
"Manny is living through a difficult situation (in Boston) that only he and his family know and he no longer wants to play there," said Ortiz after arriving early Monday in the Dominican Republic.

Ramirez has asked for a trade in each of his five seasons with the Red Sox, but apparently this one is definite.
"I spoke with him last week before he left for Brazil and he told me that he wants to go to a team in the West," Ortiz, the Red Sox's designated hitter, said.

Ramirez has three years left on his $160 million contract. Because of his status as a player with 10 seasons in the major leagues and five with the same team, he is allowed to approve any trade.

"I found out that that they are doing everything possible to trade him," Ortiz said.
The Los Angeles Angeles of Anaheim have been named as a possible destination for Ramirez, as well as the New York Mets.

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=37083

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/ny-spmets112405,0,3173460.story

Barring Petit becoming Nolan Ryan, I'm OK with it.

anyways, does it seem to anyone else that the blockbuster trading this offseason might have a coolign effect on projected free agent contract insanity?

2005: $4,000,000
2006: $13,500,000
2007: $14,500,000
2008: $16,000,000
2009: $12,000,000 (team option, or $4,000,000 buyout)

There are a bunch of incentives, mostly tied into MVP balloting, that could guarantee that fourth year.

The most important thing mentioned in that article:
Unable to build a new baseball-only stadium in Miami, the Marlins announced yesterday that they would seek to move the franchise as soon as 2008.
Which was news to me. Where do the Marlins go?

The Mets DID get $7 mil from the Marlins, which eases that killer back end a bit.

More supposed wheeling & dealing in Boston, this time involving Los Rangeros (from the Globe via thee source for sports gnus, G3rard C0s10y Got Herpes From Carlos D Dot Com):

"According to two major league sources, the Sox have spoken with the Texas Rangers about trading for first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2000 draft. The 23-year-old Gonzalez, who hits lefthanded, split last season between Triple A Oklahoma and Texas. He hit .338 with 18 homers and 65 RBIs in 326 at-bats with Oklahoma, .227 with 6 homers and 17 RBIs in 150 at-bats with Texas.

"While the Rangers are believed to be interested in acquiring an outfield prospect, possibly Double A outfielder Brandon Moss, the Sox are likelier to offer up Triple A catcher Kelly Shoppach (above). Shoppach is a native of Fort Worth."

If this happens (whee!), I can still see Youk getting 400 PAs - the article suggests a 1B platoon between AG-L & Youk-R, & I imagine Youk could give Lowell a breather against the occasional rightie. Here's hoping Gonzalez didn't dip into the Carlos Pena PEDs.

They should merge Tampa and Miami into one team and have a reverse draft with the leftover players.

With the right owners and marketing, I think Indianapolis could support a major league club, but the two Chicago teams and especially Cincinnatti would never let it happen. It would also be sticky as the long running minor league Indianapolis Indians franchise (founded in 1902) would be deep sixed and it does draw very well.

Indy tried to get a club back when the Rockies and Marlins came into the game and had a pretty good name "Indianapolis Arrows" and some sharp looking uniforms drawn up playing off of the Indianapolis Indians colors and style.

Not that California needs another ballclub, but hey how about that Billy Beane!

I wonder how much cash the Phils are going to eat out of Thome's contract. With that trade, it looks like the Sox must be giving up on Konerko. Is the Big Hurt done? He obviously cannot stay healthy, but I would hate to see him hanging on someplace else.

Carolina has their own league, which is a bit different than some places.

Another possibility I have heard is moving the Marlins to NJ, which I cannot see the Mets, Phils or Yanks wanting to happen.

If this is the Sox's "strategy", then it makes no sense. Why give up on Konerko (presumably because they feel he will be too expensive) for a guy who makes MORE money, is worse defensively at the same position, has had major injury problems, and won't be much more productive than Konerko even if he IS healthy?

So, now that Thome's in Chicago, where does the Hurt go? Minnesota? Can Morneau play the field, or is he strictly a DH?

Fuck Loria.

From many things I have read, Rowand is great fielding centerfielder and there have been some questions about Posednik's arm strength. I'm sure Posednik has the speed to get the job done, but it is still probably a step down.

At this point, I don't think you can count on much from The Big Hurt. Like Juan Gone and Bagwell, he seems to be too far beat up physically to hold up for a whole season. Thome might get this way, but other than last season, he has not missed that much time.

You never can count on how good a bullpen will be year to year, but adding Mota to the group has to make it the deepest in the AL.

Would Philly really deal away Bobby Abreu? He is going to be 32 next year and might be near the end of a contract, so maybe they are trying to get what they can for them.

I read something that the Yanks have expressed interest in getting Ichiro from Seattle. I don't see what NY really has to offer and I doubt the M's would really want to let go of such a solid and popular player.

So in other words:

Red Sox get:

Josh Beckett, p
Mike Lowell, 3b
Guillermo Mota, p

Marlins get:

Hanley Ramirez, ss
Anibal Sanchez, p
Jesus Delgado, p
Harvey Garcia, p

Delgado is a decent righty power prospect who had Tommy John surgery when he was 18 and hasn't really ever put up overpowering numbers in rookie ball or the Sally league.

Garcia throws hard and put up good K/9 numbers in Greenville last year, but is lightly regarded within the organization.

Yowza.

For some reason I was thinking Mota was going to the White Sox. That Red Sox trade might end up one of those really lopsided trades down the line that ends up in alltime bad trade lists. Boston needs pitching of all types, so I suppose Mota couldn't hurt.

Cabrera can be a nightmare in right, so I would imagine he will be boot central at third. I'm sure he will be real motivated now.

In fact, the Prospectus annual's Blue Jays article last spring was about some dumb moves they had made (eg Koskie) and how there should be no such thing as a "sabermetrically approved franchise." Few teams adhere to such principles consistently enough to get near such a category.

Nate Silver made a numbers-oriented case on BP last week that this Marlins teardown can be justified by the numbers, ie they would likely not win anything by retaining the core they had.

Baseball-wise this is probably true, but it's still not exactly good business sense to be seen (esp. in Florida) as having a huge fire sale where every player must go.

The problem with his reasoning is that the expected win distributions are probably broad enough to justify a fire sale by almost any team. The other problem, like Alex said, is that it demoralises the fan base (incl. season ticket holders and possible sponsors), particularly only two years removed from a World Series win (and it's not like the 2003 club cost megabucks). But Loria wants out of Florida anyway so he can get to work on ruining baseball in a third city, so fuck him.

You've got be shitting me. The Rangers want to trade for Juan Pierre and Orlando Hudson? I guess having no pitching was OK, now they're gunning for no hitting at all as a throw-in?

I am absolutely certain that the Florida Marlins will not exist in 2009. What I do not yet know is whether they will be the Las Vegas Nouns, or whether this is the first step towards contraction in 2007. It is very easy for me to see a scenario where the Marlins and the Kansas City Royals cease to exist, and quite frankly, few people care. The Royals have little to no hope of being competitive in the next five years, and are being administered in a way that calls to mind the phrase "make them as comfortable as you can."

Amazement!

I doubt that Juan Cruz ever gets out of the bullpen. Cruz would look good for the first inning or two as a starter, but then would be completely out of gas after three when he was with the Cubs.

It happened a couple of days ago, but the Cubs also added a 31 year old ROOGY named Bobby Howry for a three year deal. I've never seen this guy pitch, but his numbers for the past two years in Cleveland look OK. Howry doesn't strike out very many people. Ho hum...we will see. LaTroy Hawkins looked like a good signing at the time and he had better numbers than either of these new guys.

"I don't know," Ryan said Monday.

But fear not, fans of Toronto! They're making a run @ Brian Giles, too! BOO JAYS IN 06!

The question remains: WHY DIDN'T THEY MAKE SPEIER THE CLOSER (considering he was one of the most effective short relievers in the league last year)?

And now Ricciardi is looking for another high-ranking officer/free-agent, making a five-year, $55-million offer to outfielder Brian Giles. The 34-year-old left-handed hitter batted .301 this season with 15 homers and 83 RBIs in 158 games for the San Diego Padres.

Age ain't nothing but a number my ass!

'04 was '04. In '05 he was great. Guys jump in and out of the closers' role all the time.

I also haven't forgotten Batista's attempt at closing in 2005!

The Giles offer is similarly mind-blowing. Ricciardi took calls on the radio after every Wednesday night Jays game and *every week* somebody would ask him "how about going out and spending $10/yr on a big free agent slugger?" and *every week* he would say "no, it's not cost-effective, the days of having guys like Delgado and paying eight figure salaries to one player are over".

Bleh.

looks like the first big signing of the flanagan era will be...paul byrd?

(though apparently, there have been abreu trade talks)

The Baltimore Sun reported Tuesday night that Konerko rejected a five-year, $65 million deal offered by the Orioles.

The other team after Konerko, Los Angeles Angels, reportedly offered a five-year, $60 million contract. The Los Angeles Times reported that Konerko met with Angels officials, including manager Mike Scioscia and general manager Bill Stoneman, in Anaheim on Tuesday.

A source told Stark that the White Sox had recently jumped back into active negotiations with Konerko. And according to another source who has been in frequent contact with the White Sox, the team was simply laying back to let someone else establish Konerko's market value -- with the understanding that if Chicago matched the years and came reasonably close on the dollars, Konerko would re-sign with the White Sox. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Mets spodsedly talking Toby Hall and/or Julio Lugo with TB. Minaya doesn't want to give up Heilman.

gogogogogogogogogogogogogogogogogogogogoogogo

DO IT DO IT DO IT!!!!!!

JIM THOME was a big reason for his decision. WSCR is ON FIRE about the K. resign, they love him. And I'm not sure it counts as flushing money down the drain to resign your 40-hr star when you actually just won the World Series.

I've heard Abreu to the Cardinals.

Twins trade for pretty good infielder SHOCKER!

Yankee haters rejoice, the Boss has signed someone who is probably bound to blow at least one big playoff appearance for the next few years.

Fifty million dollars for BJ Ryan is definitely a nuttier contract, although Furcal's deal comes in a solid second.

Los Yanquis lost somewhere between $50 and $85mln last season, with more possibly on the way. Ouch.

*note that said duplicate is the mirror universe version where Joe Mauer has a goatee and Justin Morneau hits like Albert Pujols

To be honest, I don't mind it at all, it just means there will be another season with the Dodgers out of contention, which to me is a good thing. The Dodgers have become a joke franchise starting when they were sold to Fox. I'

xpost ha ha

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2247973

Hard-throwing right-hander Gaby Hernandez was one of the precious few arms New York had in its system. New York chose the Miami native in the third round of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft out of Belen Jesuit High School and he has, for the most part, looked impressive.

Hernandez split this season between Class A Hagerstown of the South Atlantic League (6-1, 2.43 ERA in 18 starts) and Class A St. Lucie of the Florida State League (2-5, 5.74 ERA in 10 starts). He tossed a no-hitter to clinch the first-half title for Hagerstown but the more experienced opposition in the Florida State League didn't have as much trouble with his lively, low-to-mid 90s fastball as did the free swingers in the Sally League, hitting 100 points higher against him (.298-.197). But he allowed only one earned run over eight innings in his last two starts, giving the indication that he was beginning to make the necessary adjustments. His strikeout-to-walk ratio (132-40) was indicative of his desire to attack hitters on the mound.

"We are excited to add an experienced starting pitcher to our rotation, one that represents the team we are trying to build both on and off the field," general manager Mark Shapiro said.

The Furcal deal pales in comparison to this one. Did Shapiro have a gun to his head when he said that?

Once again, the Dodgers got scooped.

They had a chance to rectify their worst player evaluation mistake in the past 25 years by regaining catcher Paul Lo Duca, whose clutch hitting and clubhouse leadership meant more than any other player in leading the Dodgers to the division title in 2004, as the team proved by shutting down in the playoffs after Lo Duca was exiled to Florida.

The Dodgers have had a gaping hole at catcher ever since Lo Duca's departure, and the real deal would have filled it more ably than free agent catchers Ramon Hernandez or Bengie Molina.

Dioner Navarro is the team's future behind the plate, but at 21, he's too raw for the team to afford to play him every day and hope to catch the Padres next year.

What's worse is that the New York Mets gave up only a minor league pitcher and another player to be named later to acquire Lo Duca, a package the Dodgers could easily have matched.

While they were at it, they could have seen if the Marlins would be willing to take on clubhouse malcontent Jeff Kent, rendered expendable with the signing of Rafael Furcal, a player who brings much-needed leadoff speed and unimpeachable character to the Dodgers' clubhouse.

Pardon me, Jams, while I revive the Anna Benson thread...

A's let Hatteberg go, right?

"We would never, ever have signed with New York if they had said they were going to trade us. I was Miss [Politically Correct] for the Mets the entire time I was there."
--Anna Benson, wife of Mets pitcher Kris Benson (New York Daily News)

"I have no deal with Playboy."
--Benson, responding to the allegation that the Mets are trying to trade her husband because she has a deal to pose in Playboy

"How are they going to sit there and say it's so controversial when they sign someone like Delgado, who turns his back on our flag?"
--Benson

"Playboy is all-American. Everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Cindy Crawford has posed. They didn't turn their back on the flag."
--Benson

I'm not sure Byrd's deal is any sillier than the one the A's gave to Esteban Loiaza. Both of those guys have had about 2.4 decent seasons (cumulatively) throughout their careers and were signed for about the same amount of money.

Yeah, they declined his option.

Perhaps I have 'CHEMISTRY' confused with 'CHARACTER'.

Those rumors are just idiotic. I doubt Beane is considering anything like that.

FRANK FUCKING THOMAS RIGHT NOW

I'm surprised that Burnett's agent didn't up his price after a bunch of closers were given 10M. If Loiaza is worth 7M/yr, then Burnett is worth more than 11M/yr.

A's get 22y/o Chad Gaudin from the Jays (who Toronto released to make room for BJ) for a PTBNL. Gaudin put up some intriguing minor league #s over the last few years (although his September call-up #s are getting increasingly worse):

Minor league totals:
ERA: 2.83
WHIP: 1.15
K/9: 7.86
K/BB: 3.16

2005 Syracuse SkyChiefs (TOR AAA-aff.)
23 Games Started
150.1 IP (6.5 IP/start, 2 CG SHO)
9W - 8L
ERA: 3.35
WHIP: 1.16
K: 113
BB: 35
K/9: 6.77
K/BB: 3.23

I believe that Oakland will have rights to Gaudin until 2010 (unless I don't understand this completely, feel free to correct me).

On top of all this, the A's are reportedly pursuing both Milton Bradley and Frank Thomas "very aggressively", whatever that means.

Better trade rumor: David Wells to the Dodgers for...HEE SEOP CHOI?!

YES YES YES YES YES

COME TO BEANTOWN HEE SEOP

That is one of the funniest phrases in baseball history

I'm actually glad to have this out of the way with. On the one hand the contact is too much, otoh the J's can check off something they set out to do this offseason. I would have been much more aggravated if J.P. had gone out and spent all that stupid money on Ryan and then NOT landed a starter.

"The other interesting rumor of the day involved the Red Sox and their recent acquisition, Josh Beckett. As the rumor circulated, the Red Sox had found something in Beckett’s MRI that forced a recision. According to several sources, this was not only not true but not even possible. Trades follow certain rules and procedures and while there are mechanisms for returning damaged goods, they usually take place during the trade. One where outside physicians were consulted hardly seems one where something could sneak by and MRIs are as reliable as the boozy blonde wandering between Common Ground and Gossip, the aptly named bar in the Anatole."

Here's Joe Sheehan with hemlock for Jays fans:

you look a little deeper and you realize that the Blue Jays aren’t even getting the guy you see in the stat lines. Burnett has a significant and persistent home/road split, one that cuts across his entire performance record. His career ERA at Dolphins Stadium and its aliases is 3.20; everywhere else in the world, it’s 4.26. ...His strikeout-to-walk ratio, home-run rate and IP/start all show similar trends.

... We’ve made a lot of progress in player projection, but there aren’t 20 players in all of organized baseball I can point to and say, “they’re going to be good for the next five years.” There certainly aren’t five pitchers about whom I can make that claim. The Jays have made a $100-million bet that they’ve identified two, and given that this is an organization that has shown a persistent inability to identify its problems or acquire reasonable solutions, I have no reason to think that they know something about Ryan and Burnett that no one else does. The likelihood, the strong likelihood, is that the Jays are going to be paying these two guys $24 million or so in 2010 for something like 88 innings of 5.12 ball.

...It’s really not a matter of whether the Devil Rays will pass the Blue Jays in the AL East, just a question of when. To look at how these two franchises, each caught in a difficult competitive environment, have chosen to tackle the problem, is to see the difference between the game’s past and its present, between money as a panacea and money as a tool.

Between getting it and not.

Sheehan's being needlessly pessimistic. Did he throw a shitfit when the A's signed Danny Haren to a long term deal? Isn't Blanton also locked up for a few more years? Sure, they're not getting as much money, but teams take 5-6 year gambles with pitchers all the time. If they're young, then it's a defensible move. OTOH, if you're going to be paying $15M to Kevin Brown when he's 40, then it's not.

The Jays DID need to spend money to get a good starter. They did NOT need to spend money to get a good closer.

Sheehan's caveat seems to imply that Burnett's established lack of durability makes a 5-year commitment the sort of gamble a mid-level team can't afford to make. Never mind the cost! In comparison:

Haren - 4 years, $12.65 M
Harden - 4 years, $9 M

BIG difference.

Dr. Morbius cut out the more pertinent part of Sheehan's mini-rant, namely, that the Jays haven't done anything to improve their offense this offseason. They're a team without a lot of power and a streaky offense (= impatient, low OBP) that plays in a homer-friendly park. Their top four starters (Halladay, Burnett, Chacin, Towers) might be the best front four in the league next year, but if the team can't hit ...

But it doesn't! What it boils down to is that gambling $100 million dollars that you have identified TWO pitchers who are going to be good for the next five years is a POOR gamble. Those Haren and Harden deals are gambles, too, but compare what Beane is risking to what Ricciardi is. These guys are playing with completely different stakes.

Millwood's asking price just went up, that's for sure (who is chasing Millwood now, anyway?)

o's get latroy hawkins for steve kline.

ETA until Gygax arrives w/ LT's stats as a Jint: 3 hours.

ERA: B
WHIP: U
K: H
BB: B
K/9: Y
K/BB: E

apparently they've tabled a 4/27 offer to ramon hernandez, are putting together an incentive package to offer frank thomas and are trying to do something for adam dunn. if hernandez and thomas are signed, they'll deal javy.

Breathlessly awaiting Dusty's first words on Juan Pierre.

i'd be curious to see offensive splits as dh & c.

he's better offensively than ausmus

he's better offensively than ausmus

actually, if you're looking for a larf, dig ryne sandberg's free agent rankings on yahoo. good times, man. good times.

1. Baseball Jesus
2. Nomah
3. Ambiguously Hetero Catcher
4. Preston Wilson
5. Jacque Jones
6. Kenny Lofton

... wait for it ...

7. Carl Everett
8. Alex Gonzalez
9. Sammy Sosa
10. BRAD AUSMUS

"Roger Clemens was arguably the NL's most dominant pitcher. Here's why he didn't deserve the Cy Young Award."

quick question: why hasn't anyone signed reggie sanders (hello power hungry al teams...i'm looking at you bawalmer)? why isn't someone taking a flyer on eduardo perez?

Renteria to Hotlanta
Andy Marte to the D-Rays
Julio Lugo to the Beanpot

Lugo'd be a great off-day utility guy, too. Maybe they can bring back Nomah and pay him a couple million to get 300+ ABs.

[x-post]

Eduardo Perez: 36 years old
Reggie Sanders: 38 years old

seriously though, he's still totally useful. my guess is that he's looking for a two or three year deal. i'd put the chances as good-to-great that the braves nab him. who's the third outfielder other than andruw and frankfurter?

"I basically ignore any rumor involving the Red Sox, Yankees and Mets. Really. My accuracy rate is well over 99%; if you think about it, almost every story that gets floated about these teams is the product of a media/news ratio far in excess of national safety guidelines. When you have that much media feeding rabid fan bases, all kinds of silly things are going to grow legs and run.
Maybe Manny Ramirez will be traded…this time. But until it happens, I’m sticking with the Northeast Corridor Theory and ignoring the chatter."

http://www.metsblog.com/blog/_archives/2005/12/7/1438978.html

No Milledge, pleeeease!

sage advice...but not very fun!

i say, let the baseless speculation coninue to run rampant!

Perusing the Sam Horn message board leads me to believe that Boston fans don't realize the dangers in dealing with Schuerholz. Other than Schmidt and Dye, none of the top prospects dealt away by Atlanta these last 15 years have amounted to much of anything. There's still time with Wainwright, Capellan, and Meyer, but none of them have advanced from where they were when they were traded. If the Braves are so big on shopping Marte, there must be something we don't know about him.

Atlanta's other options in left are Kelly Johnson and Ryan Langerhans. Johnson takes a walk, Langerhans is a good defender, but neither would be anybody's first choice. Rosenthal reports that the Braves are talking to Nomar, probably to play left or first base, but who knows what the hell is going on. Sanders would make sense, but he blew it his one previous year in Atlanta. There's some speculation they might try Betemit out there if they trade for a shortstop.

PG said he figures Ortiz will talk him into another season in Boston and Manny will be Manny in the end.

Dan Patrick just mentioned that the MFYs offered Wang and Cano for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis. The Marlins declined the offer.

That deserves the slow clap.

their reserve of middle aged, hispanic first basemen w/ impeccably groomed moustaches had dipped below acceptable levels.

Keith: Elaine, you don't know the first thing about first base.
Elaine: Ha, ha. Well, I know something about getting to first base. And I know you'll never be there.
Keith: The way I figure it I've already been there, and I plan on rounding second tonight at around eleven o'clock.
Elaine: Well, uh, I'd watch the third base coach if I were you 'cause I don't think he's waving you in.

I thought the Overbay to Jays story was still a rumour (involving Shea Hillenbrand somehow). I hope this is true, because the Jays need some patient hitters ffs.

i want to know...ray king for larry bigbie and aaron miles? huh.

btw...current thinking at o's central has javy being dealt if they can get an upgrade at pitcher or outfielder, otherwise, primary 1b/dh. they've also been talking about dealing javy for finley. yeesh.

Wilkerson for Soriano is classic Underrated for Overrated.

The Mets declined to arb-offer ROBERTO HERNANDEZ!!! Their worst fuckin' move of the winter if they can't pick up someone as good -- or unless he pitches like a 41-year-old next year.

Bensons now allegedly headed to Texas for Nix and a pitcher.

The Cards are going to have to get another bat, losing Larry Walker to retirement and the unknown of Scott Rolen's injury problems. Reggie Sanders is also a free agent and is getting up there in years.

So where does the Rocket end up now that the 'Stros declined arbitration? I don't think he will hang it up. So does this turn into another Red Sox/Yankees bidding war?

DALLAS -- The Tigers worked to finalize a $16 million, two-year agreement with Kenny Rogers on Thursday in a deal that will give Detroit a 41-year-old All-Star left-hander it hopes can provide veteran leadership to a young rotation.

Rogers' decision to sign with the Tigers was first reported by the Detroit Free Press on its Web site.

A person involved in the negotiations, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced, said the sides were in the process of completing an agreement that would pay Rogers $8 million each season. After the deal is put on paper, Rogers will have to pass a physical.

"We've made some progress," Tigers president Dave Dombrowski said Thursday, refusing to confirm the deal.

i don't know about javy...he's apparently receptive to more dh/1b. w/ gibbons probably also handling dh/rf/1b, my guess is that they sign burnitz or daryly ward and do some wacky rotation b/w 1b, dh, rf. maybe trade one of them during spring training if walter young can make the squad.

flanagan might be an okay gm for a team that had it's shit in order, but the o's need someone creative who has the will and mind to shake things up. ugh.

xpost

We're pretty happy about this trade, except for my son, who is gutted because the Brewers traded both his favorite players this year (Overbay and Junior Spivey); brings us a potential starter, a good utility infielder, and a maybe bullpen guy. I hope Lyle gets mad paid by yr Birds, BB; it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy, but we got Prince Fielder just WAITING to bust some shots out the park.

Also, we don't mind getting Danny Kolb back, considering we got Jose Capellan for him last year and only had to give up stinky Wes Obermueller. Kolb is a Milwaukee guy and he will return to form. CLOSER BATTLE PERHAPS with him and Turnbow, but right now he'll be a great set-up mang.

1B Prince Fielder
2B Rickie Weeks
SS J.J. Hardy
3B Bill Hall

Brett (Elderon, WI): Joe, what's your thoughts on the Brewers headed into 2006? Heard you call them a sleeper on MLB Radio - are they a bonafide contender for the Wild Card if the Astros plummet because of run-scoring woes? Thanks.

Joe Sheehan: The Brewers would be better served by not getting caught up in the hype and planning for 2007 and beyond. They are likely a .500 team right now, and pushing too hard in '06 could hurt their chances to have a real run atop the Central.

The Melvin-led front office really knows what it's doing, though. They draft well, they develop pretty well, and they haven't made mistakes at the major-league level. It's a well-run franchise right now.

ElAngelo (NY, NY): I don't think the swag the Brewers got for Overbay was awful, but was that really the best they could have done?

Joe Sheehan: Think about what Overbay is: a first baseman without a ton of upside, without great secondary skills. He's 29, about to get expensive, and may not age well due to his size and lack of speed.

Don't underrate the package, either. David Bush should have made 32 starts for the Jays this year. He's kind of a Jeff Suppan, league-average innings-eater, if left alone. Given that the Brewers had to deal Overbay, that alone is good return.

Jim (TB): How could you allude that the rays will soon be better than the Jays when you know nothing about how a rookie GM is going to do. Plus the rookie GM is taking over from the worst GM in history and their 2nd starter is Mark Hendrickson.

Joe Sheehan: Actually, I do. See, the Rays are putting together a team of smart guys, from Gerry Hunsicker and Andrew Friedman down through the support staff. It's not about one guy making the calls, but using everyone's skill set to make the right decisions over time.

Given that approach, plus the talent in the system already in place from years of drafting in the top five, and there's a whole lot of upside here. The money will be there as well, when it's needed, as Stuart Sternberg is capitalized well enough to make the investments, as he's going now with Tropicana Field.

The Brewers and Devil Rays are bookworthy teams, the ones we'll be talking about in the latter half of this decade.

A couple seasons ago I had Hardy and Hart on my fantasy team's minor league squad, and dreamed of getting the entire future Milwaukee infield. Unfortunately Fielder and Weeks were impossible to acquire.

I'm going to be surprised if the Jays identify and play their best infield, while also getting some value for the guys who aren't in that group.

The Jays still need at least two bats. They're trying very hard.

Completely OTM. I'm a bit shocked that he can have them pegged so well, yet still trot out BS lines like "it's not a matter of if the DRays will pass the Jays in the standings, but when ... some teams get it, some don't ..."

Whatever. BP has had a lingering distaste for the Jays ever since the Koskie signing, and recent events have sent emotions running a little high. The problems with the Koskie signing were:

1) overpaying for an average player
2) signing a player at a position where they already had some depth

They may have overpaid for Ryan and Burnett, but they did fill two gaping holes in their pitching staff and didn't trade away their future in order to do it (yeah yeah, draft pick compensation, but they didn't give up any *current* prospects in their system). You read Sheehan's comments and you'd think they'd been doing this for years and had completely emptied their farm system, like the Yankees.

thanks a lot, asshole.

if the o's were having trouble signing dudes before, though, having your star player ask for a trade certainly isn't going to help things.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AoPYEJkAD5Q4ABAhwcTLK7YRvLYF?slug=ap-mets-franco&prov=ap&type=lgns

a few franco factoids courtesy of mlb.com's marty noble:

• His new manager has been retired as a player for 13 years -- yet Franco's first 11 seasons in the Majors (1982-1992) were Willie Randolph's last 11 seasons.

• Franco's first All-Star Game -- 1989 in Anaheim -- was Randolph's last. Franco was the Most Valuable Player in the All-Star Game 16 years ago.

• Franco made his Major League debut on April 23, 1982, before David Wright (born Dec. 20, 1982) and Jose Reyes (June 11, 1983) were born. Playing for a Phillies team that included Pete Rose, he faced a Cardinals team that included Keith Hernandez and Ken Oberkfell, now the manager of the Mets' Norfolk affiliate.

• He broke into the big leagues two years before Dwight Gooden, and he still is playing now that Gooden is eligible for Hall of Fame consideration (following the mandatory five-year waiting period for inclusion on the ballot).

• When Franco played his first game in the Minor Leagues -- for Butte in 1978 -- Pedro Martinez was six years old, Carlos Delgado and Cliff Floyd were five, and Carlos Beltran was one. And John Franco couldn't vote.

Whoa, what about your homeboy Speir, buddy boy???

Manny Ramirez for Miguel Tejada makes so much sense it'll never happen. Manny can go hit 53 homers in a place where the games don't matter, which is just what he wants. Tejada can play in a place where all 617 at-bats feel like playoff at-bats, which is just what he wants.

Tangentially related: four-game Sox Pax went on sale this weekend. All of the weekend and Mets/Yankees packs sold out before I could get into the website (the worst-kept secret in Boston is how many ticket packages wind up in the hands of brokers and scalpers, despite the team's earnest efforts to ensure otherwise), but I managed to grab two seats way the hell back in section 4 for the following games:

April 19 (Devil Rays)
May 23 (Yankees)
June 19 (Nationals)
September 29 (Orioles)

Total cost: $241. Still, if anybody finds themselves in Boston one of these days this summer, let's catch a game.

Hey, I just said they filled a big hole in the pitching staff. The fact that they could have filled it without spending $50M is another matter.

milton bradley to the a's for "one of their top prospects."

The guy is a strong fielder (better at SS apparently) who can play three positions who gets on base and has good speed. I'd say that's pretty solid.

i dunno, dude.

hey-ooooooooooo!!!

happy holidays all, go bosox.

!!!

My famous New Year's Eve punch:

one whole lime sliced
one whole lemon sliced
one whole tangerine sliced
one whole orange sliced
one whole grapefruit sliced
375ml Bacardi orange rum
375ml Tanqueray gin
375ml Chambord liqueur
1 36oz. hawaiian pineapple juice
1 36oz. ruby red grapefruit juice
3 16oz. cans Sparks
2 12oz. cans Hansens energy drink
1 12oz. can Hansens grapefruit soda
1 12oz. can Hansens mandarin orange soda
2 bottles cheap champagne

Pour everything but Sparks and champagne into large punch bowl with ice. Pour in Sparks and champagne prior to serving.

thanks gygax.

Chris Young: Individual Stats (Batting)

Team	From	To	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	AVG
BB	04/07	09/05	126	466	100	129	41	3	26	77	254	70	129	32	6	.377	.545	.277
PS	10/04	11/10	24	83	9	21	5	1	2	11	34	8	25	3	0	.326	.410	.253

dunno how old he is.

This is interesting nonetheless, perhaps JT Snow will be wearing Dodger Blue by April.

http://www.photofile.com/Photos/Albums/05_Baseball/Studios/Mets/Images/05WrightDavid.jpg

CHECK OUT THE VORP ON THAT GUY.

http://www.nomaas.org/cashmoney.html

thank you, thank you. i'll be here all night folks (though grudz seems like a decent signing).

MINNEAPOLIS - The Twins are bringing Tony Batista back to the States.

After searching for a third baseman since the season ended back in October, the Twins finally found their man. The club signed Batista to a one-year deal on Thursday, though the terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Yay! Bring on the career .298 on-base percentage!

Batista might provide power, but he also has some head-scratching traits. His career on-base percentage is .298. And he doesn't have a lot of range at third, although he has good hands and a good arm.

"He's got the most unique set of stats," Ryan said. "He keeps driving in runs and keeps hitting the ball over the fence, but there are some things that don't equate. It's not ideal, but you're getting a tradeoff here."

UNIQUE

What the hell? Did Allard Baird win the World Series of Boggle or something?

What I would love to see is an entire team of Lopez's!

TS: Corey Koskie's much-ballyhooed "clubhouse presence" vs Tony Batista's "uniqueness".

Here's Rotoworld's little blurb: http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/player_main.asp?sport=MLB&id=6484

I thought the new GM was supposed to NOT be a dumbass.

Damon, who played the last four season with the Boston Red Sox, will replace Yankees veteran Bernie Williams in centerfield. He also gives the Yankees a natural leadoff hitter and allows Derek Jeter to hit in the No. 2 spot.

The left-handed hitting Damon turned down the salary arbitration offer from the Red Sox earlier in the day, thus freeing him to negotiate with any team, including the Red Sox.

Damon hit .316 with 10 home runs and 75 RBIs last season and stole 18 bases.

A++++++++++++

Ponson, 29, will give the Cardinals additional depth in their starting rotation, increasing the chances that the team will trade a starting pitcher for a second baseman or corner outfielder.

"The Red Sox could actually end up huge winners here. There’s a rumor making the rounds that they’re trying to deal Matt Clement to the Mariners for Jeremy Reed. If they can do that, they will have replaced Damon with, essentially, a Damon Starter Kit, complete with functional arm and 25-year-old legs, and saved $20 million a year in the process. The Sox may feel they don’t have the rotation depth to make a deal like this, but the available pool of pitchers is deeper than the available pool of center fielders, and the cost savings could go a long way come midseason. If they get Reed, they’ll never miss Damon."

Jeter - 35
A.Rod - 34
Damon - 35
Matsui - 35
Giambi - 38

Jay Jaffe commented on this on the BP-internal list earlier today:

"Bowden fleeced Towers in the Lawrence/Castilla deal
Daniels fleeced Bowden in the Soriano/Wilkerson deal
Towers fleeced Daniels in the Young/Eaton deal

The circle is complete."

any thoughts on non-tendered dudes?

did wade miller get hurt again or do the sawks just not want to take the chance?

PLENTY of guys?

OTOH, overpaid players making $10M per season are very easy to come by for the Blue Jays. They've got this down to a science.

I got wondering who was left on the free agent market and found this site at ESPN charting who signed where and who was left.

Considering how much Millwood, Burnett and starting pitchers are getting, I have to think Jeff Weaver is going to get way overpaid by someone. I am suprised Weaver is only 29.

I'm also suprised Preston Wilson wasn't coming up in discussion for the Yank centerfield job or other teams needing someone out in center. He is not great, but you could do worse. I would rather have Wilson than Encarnacion, which the Cards just signed.

Richard Hidalgo and Jeromy Burnitz are both still available. I figure if Hidalgo has another decent season at the plate left, it will be next year. That guy is one of the most up and down players of recent years and I am sure drove Astro fans batty going from good to terrible in consecutive years. Burnitz wasn't as bad as I figured he would be for the Cubs, but he is getting old.

What team is going to sign Julian "Yeah I'm Nuts" Tavarez. I'm sure there are some people looking for bullpen help considering making a deal with that looney. I think it would be fun if he pitched in NY or Boston, so that is where I hope he ends up.

Is it just me or everytime I see veteran reliever Jay Powell's name listed, I keep thinking he is Jay Howell and think "Damn, that guy is still pitching".

I'm surprised that's all they had to pay him to come to texas!
I'm just glad boston didn't get him.

Colletti wants Seo to start, and he should fare well in LA, SD and SF... good luck in COL and ARI though...

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2283336

Ricciardi is a genius.

But Koskie's trade value was virtually nil due to a combination of injury, inflated contract, and massive on-field suckage. The fact the Jays ditched over half his salary and cleared the roster spot (he was arguably their worst regular last year, so giving his AB's so somebody else this year will improve the club) is a boost to the team.

http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/spo/med/2006/01/ipt/1137089462.jpg http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/spo/med/2006/01/ipt/1137089462.jpg http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/spo/med/2006/01/ipt/1137089462.jpg http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/spo/med/2006/01/ipt/1137089462.jpg http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/spo/med/2006/01/ipt/1137089462.jpg http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/spo/med/2006/01/ipt/1137089462.jpg http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/spo/med/2006/01/ipt/1137089462.jpg http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/spo/med/2006/01/ipt/1137089462.jpg http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/spo/med/2006/01/ipt/1137089462.jpg

Orioles agree to deal with Millar

BALTIMORE (AP) -- First baseman Kevin Millar agreed to a $2.1 million, one-year contract Thursday with the Baltimore Orioles, who hope the former Boston Red Sox star can provide leadership and some punch in the lineup.

"I see him playing a lot of first base, designated hitter and in the outfield," Orioles first-year manager Sam Perlozzo said. "We get a guy with playoff experience, someone who was part of a World Series team. We can use that kind of player in our clubhouse. It gives us a little chemistry."

The 34-year-old Millar, who can make an additional $2.6 million in performance bonuses, hit .276 with 25 home runs and 96 RBIs with the Red Sox in 2003. It was during that season that he coined the phrase, "Cowboy Up!" -- which became Boston's battle cry in September and into the playoffs.

Millar also fell in love with the with the intense competition of the AL East, and the opportunity to stay in the division made Baltimore his first choice among the teams that tried to sign him.

"This division is where you want to be as a baseball player. There's nothing like it," Millar said. "It's like 162 playoff games."

Millar batted .297 with 18 homers and 74 RBIs for the World Series champions in 2004, but his production dropped last year, when he hit .272 with nine homers and 50 RBIs. He did, however, remain a leader in the Boston clubhouse, and he hopes to do the same in Baltimore.

"I like people. I like my teammates. I can't stand cliques," Millar said. "I'm not a very good player, but I will bring a presence (where) there's not many cliques. If there's an intangible, I bring that intangible."

"Kevin will be missed," Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield said. "He was the guy that always kept things light and humorous and funny. Baltimore is getting a pretty good hitter and a great teammate, a guy that makes things fun."

Most of all, the Orioles want Millar's right-handed swing to bolster a lineup that struggled to score in 2005.

"It's certainly a piece that helps us along the way," Perlozzo said. "We're starting to fill some holes."

Millar is a career .289 batter over 932 games and exactly 3,000 at-bats. He has 111 homers and 471 RBIs.

In six full major league seasons, he has averaged 17 home runs and 67 RBIs. He is a career .302 hitter with runners in scoring position, and has a career on-base percentage of .365. He hopes to see a return to those sorts of numbers in 2006.

"I expect myself to have a way better year, statistically," Millar said. "I think Fenway, to an extent, got me pull-happy. I started trying to pull every solitary pitch possible."

Primarily a first baseman during his three years in Boston -- he made 102 starts at first base last year, with 12 starts each in left and right field -- Millar has played 425 games at first and 352 in the outfield. He also has appeared in 28 games at third base.

Orioles executive vice president Mike Flanagan conceded that Millar and Jeff Conine -- also signed by Baltimore this offseason -- are similar players, but he said their presence would improve a clubhouse that became tense and fractious in the second half of 2005, when Rafael Palmeiro was suspended for using steroids and the team plummeted in the standings.

"It was an extroverted ballclub that became just the opposite the second half of the season, so it's been a conscious effort to make sure we can try to maintain that energy," Flanagan said.

http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20060112/thumb.mdgb10301122317.orioles_millar_mdgb103.jpg http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20060112/thumb.mdgb10301122317.orioles_millar_mdgb103.jpg http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20060112/thumb.mdgb10301122317.orioles_millar_mdgb103.jpg http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20060112/thumb.mdgb10301122317.orioles_millar_mdgb103.jpg http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20060112/thumb.mdgb10301122317.orioles_millar_mdgb103.jpg http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20060112/thumb.mdgb10301122317.orioles_millar_mdgb103.jpg http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20060112/thumb.mdgb10301122317.orioles_millar_mdgb103.jpg http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20060112/thumb.mdgb10301122317.orioles_millar_mdgb103.jpg http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20060112/thumb.mdgb10301122317.orioles_millar_mdgb103.jpg http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20060112/thumb.mdgb10301122317.orioles_millar_mdgb103.jpg http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20060112/thumb.mdgb10301122317.orioles_millar_mdgb103.jpg

Branyan, a lefty, hit .257/.378/.490 (.280/.405/.538 vs. RHP) in 85 games in 2005 and how's this split: he hit .325/.438/.614 on the road.

I can't imagine that he's gonna last too long on the waiver wire.

I think the price is a dollar actually.

If the Padres bite, they will have just about every mediocre 3b guy in baseball on the roster.

Jeff Weaver should get the kind of money that’s been doled out to Jarrod Washburn and Matt Morris, because he’s been just as good a pitcher. If a team can bring him into the fold for less, and especially if they can limit their commitment to two years, they will have picked up a significant edge on the teams that have paid mid-rotation starters like aces all winter long. Look for Weaver to be the 2006 version of Millwood or Loaiza, the late signing, the forgotten one, who has a significant impact on the season and makes big money next winter.

oh, and some dude named epstein is coming back to work in the front office.

All winter long, the Orioles have talked about adding an arm to their starting rotation. That talk turned into action Saturday, when Baltimore dealt Jorge Julio and John Maine to the New York Mets in exchange for Kris Benson.

The trade has been confirmed by sources in both clubs and a formal announcement is expected later this afternoon.

With the return of Theo Epstein all but formalized, the Red Sox now appear on the verge of concluding a heretofore tumultuous offseason by acquiring both center fielder Coco Crisp and shortstop Alex Gonzalez.

And not a moment too soon.

According to baseball sources, the Red Sox and Cleveland Indians have agreed in principle on a deal that will bring outfielder Crisp to the Sox in a multi-player trade. The deal was agreed upon several days ago under the condition that Cleveland be able to acquire another outfielder to replace Crisp, presumably Jason Michaels from the Philadelphia Phillies.

There was some indication that the Phillies and Indians were hoping to complete the deal for Michaels as soon as last night. Cleveland was believed to be sending one of two relievers - left-hander Arthur Rhodes or right-hander Rafael Betancourt - to the Phillies in exchange for Michaels.

The Red Sox will send a package including reliever Guillermo Mota and prospect Andy Marte to the Indians [for Coco Crisp].

With the loss of speed has been a bit more power, not sure if Boston needs that trade off though just yet.

Trading Edgar Renteria & cash for Coco Crisp doesn't have the same flair, I have to say.

let's look at the trade this way: essentially the sox will be dealing edgar renteria and mota for crisp and his very average 287/332/424. factor in that marte will almost certainly start for the tribe and they get jason michaels' 291/380/442 to replace him and it's an absolute STEAL for cleveland. they get better at TWO positions through this.

grady played center. oh grady...

cf sizemore
lf dubois
rf michaels/blake
1b broussard
2b belliard
ss perhalta
3b marte/boone
c martinez
dh hafner

that's pretty goddamned solid

xpost

Coco Crisp:

2003 pre-AS SB/PA: 5%
2003 post-AS SB/PA: 3%
2004 pre-AS SB/PA: 5%
2004 post-AS SB/PA: 3%
2005 pre-AS SB/PA: 3%
2005 post-AS SB/PA: 1%

That is what I would call a steep decline trend, basing "speed" on stolen bases per plate appearances.

2003 pre-AS SLG: .349
2003 post-AS SLG: .354
2004 pre-AS SLG: .415
2004 post-AS SLG: .472
2005 pre-AS SLG: .459
2005 post-AS SLG: .471

And this is what I would call a rather steep slugging trend.

"I honestly have to tell you...I hate your fucking guts. Forget about how un-American you are, how politically retarded you are, or how fat you look while slobbering your political garbage all over everyone, mainly, I despise you for the fact that you make money off of influencing the young minds of America to be Bush-haters.

You are a pariah to our nation...a fat kid that got beat up by the jocks at school, and this has formulated your hatred of America. If I didn't know any better, I would thing George W. himself went to school with you and kicked the shit out of your pie-hole everyday for being such a candy-ass. If you are so passionate about politics, use some of your blood-making money to make it a better place instead of making movies that only benefit your fat-ass fanny-pack. No one likes to see Hollywood try to engage our minds with their ridiculous and one-sided political rants during award ceremonies. Your "movies" are just a façade for your own political agenda, which, by the way, is fucking warped.

You are a selfish, pathetic excuse for an American, and you can take your big fat ass over to Iraq and get your pig head cut off and stuck on a pig pole. Then, you can have your equally as fat wife make a documentary about how loudly you squealed while terrorists were cutting through all the blubber and chins to get that 40 pound head off of you. I dare you to go to Iraq and diarrhea all over our soldiers; they would love to strip you naked in the streets and leave you so that the terrorists can pick you up and dispose of you the way terrorists do. If you believe that Iraq and Al-Queda were not together, go over there and see for yourself. "

"No, actually, these are not my real fun-bags. After breastfeeding three kids, I was constantly tripping over my jugs whenever I tried to walk anywhere. So, I got a much deserved boobie job. If anyone has a problem with it, they just might get slapped in the face with one of my ripe melons."

Weren’t you a stripper?

"Yes. After divorcing my ex-husband, I was a single mom who had no education. So, instead of sitting on my fat ass and collecting welfare, I decided to lie in the bed that I had made for myself and do whatever it took to take care of myself and my child. It is not something that I like to brag about, but it is definitely something that I am proud of."