2011-12 Hot Stove League

http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/000/728/958/albert-pujols-money-contract_display_image.jpg?1297877008

2011-2012 Hot Stove Thread. How Long Until We Get to Troll Morbs?

well shit

better title here

better intro pic.

i mean - it's no "yes, this is dog" - but it'll do.

so poo-holes:

nyy, bos, phil are set at first base, for better or worse. dodgers and mets are in financial disarray. angels and cubs have enough money tied up in other terrible contracts.

can the cardinals afford (to lose) him? would the giants or white sox make a go?

i'm told that due to their regional tv deal the rangers are the next mlb financial superpower? kinda seems like they'd focus on pitching, but albert (or prince) would be a nice upgrade from mitch moreland, and they play in an enticing park . . .

Rangers want CC, so I think that will be their focus at first.

mark teixiera kinda sucks, could potentially see the yanks making a run at albert if he puts his name out there

yankees *need* cc, tho

teixeira hit 39 homers, plays a good 1b and is signed for five more years. the yankees are rich, but how many of these enormo contracts for fading stars can even they take on?

(maybe someone would take tex in a deal, but still)

i'm p sure the yankees could afford just about anything

but yeah they won't go after CC and pujols

i wonder if they'll go after cj wilson... they have enough young pitching talent that they don't NEED to sign a major starter after CC, but y'know

tex is gonna be one of the top 3 highest paid first basemen prob for the entirety of his contract but he's gonna be p average for the position if not next season than the one after

The Giants have the money and they have their own TV deal as well. problem is they have like 30 owners and they are looking to make money plus they still owe on their stadium. they will go after Carlos Beltran but won't go after the bigger names this off season. most pressing need for them is to lock up Matt Cain.

tex's WAR last year was closer to gaby sanchez than it was to prince fielder

i would love to see SF go after prince

tex has a ntc iirc

i'm really interested to see what happens w/ javy vazquez.

he was just about the best starter in all of baseball for the second half this year but reports kept saying that he was intent on retiring.

yeah tex won't get traded

i was gonna say that they could play him at DH or w/e but i forgot they have a rod locked up for six more years or w/e LOL

Pujols is likely to stay in St. Louis, but IMO that money would be better spent on Reyes and maybe an SP to upgrade over Westbrook. They've already got a big slugging 1B in Berkman.

the first part of your sentence is correct, but berkman ain't hanging on much longer

i should say, MIGHT be correct

can the brewers afford to do anything?

also: will the royals sign melky to a multi-year deal just because

how does pac-bell or whatever it is now play for righties?

from a friend of mine in san francisco:

The Giants are fucking idiots. They will sign Jimmy Rollins book it.

Rollins to the Giants makes a lot of sense given Sabean's history.

honestly it prob wouldn't be that terrible depending on length of the contract

he's still a top 5 SS in the NL, and the giants have almost literally nobody there

idk what he's asking... he made 8.5m this year, if they gave him something like 4 yr / 35 m i don't think it would be a travesty or anything. they'd prob be paying for some down years, but that would be a good pick up for them for the next two years

i could see him hitting a lot of doubles & triples in that park

Plus he's from here.

well whatever

i mean, if they get close to full years from posey & panda and let belt play all year, they still gotta be the favorites in that division

he'll be 33 and has been average for several years -- at $8m then sure, but it's not like he's a step towards salvation or anything

same thing with beltran

loved that ad with him asking to be hit in the belly tho

well he's not average for his position

also he'd be such a huge upgrade over the in house candidates

mark teixiera kinda sucks

cmon J0rdan, you're smarter than this.

Even if the Wilpons hadn't broke the Mets' finances, after the Bay and Johan deals they'd be inclined to pay for the decline of Pujols? Nertz.

well i was exaggerating slightly by the point that he's a declining power hitting first basemen getting paid like he's one of the best players in baseball still stands.

here's the ether from joe po

10. Mark Teixeira, five years, $112.5 million
-- A lot of Yankees fans were focusing on the decline of A-Rod because, well, that's an easy one to wrap the mind around. But, honestly, I'd be nervous about Teixeira. Sure, it was only five games, but he really looked old during the playoff series with Detroit. He will turn 32 years old in April, he's got five years left on his contract, and he too seems to be in clear and present decline. The last two years, Teixeira has hit .239/.326/.452 on the road. Overall, he's hit .252 the last two years, and his .487 slugging percentage is about 50 points off his career numbers, and ranks eighth among first baseman.

He's still a good player. Hey, he hit 39 homers in 2011. He's a fine fielder. If he stays right here, plays like this, it will be disappointing but not unmanageable for the Yankees. But, yeah, there's a reason they call it regression. in an era where many of the best teams load up with a truly great hitter at first base -- Detroit with Miggy; St. Louis (for now) with Pujols; Milwaukee (for now) with Fielder; Boston with Gonzalez and so on -- the Yankees have Teixeira for a long time. It's become a familiar Yankees story: They'll be hoping for someone to fight off the years. Five more of those years.

but it's the Yankees, burning $$$ is not a big deal.

right, except they want to have the best player on the field at every position, and tex is far from that now, and the distance is only growing

I think they would be wiser to upgrade their pitching!

well this off season, yes

Giants would be awesome with Reyes.. In that wacky OF he'd hit like 40 triples.

nyy, bos, phil are set at first base,

i wish. is howard even going to be able to play next season?

probably not, but the mere fact of his existence presumably rules them out of the running for pujols

do teams take out insurance against things like howard's injury?

did the phillies take out insurance against ruben amaro?

Jerry DiPoto to be Angels GM

my dream of a minaya run angels team is crushed..

DiPoto has his work cut out for him.. I feel like his first move should be to break the back of Scioscia's influence on personnel decisions. if he cant do that hes fucked.

how excited should i be about epstein moving to the cubs? can he actually improve things?

yeah i don't see why he couldn't turn them into the best org in that division, he's already got a bunch of smart people on board with him

because they're the cubs?

beat me to it

If he breaks both annoying curses he should go into Cooperstown instantly.

based on cubs/white sox moves so far i might be rooting for the cubs next season :/

waht does that even mean though

the cubs are in a huge market with a good payroll. they have been 'the cubs'/cursed/doomed for so long because of bad business practices and that's what they brought theo in to fix presumably

i sincerely hope he can fix 103 years of bad business practices

the cubs are not very good, and the division is getting pretty strong from top to bottom, but of course theo can turn things around

i don't think it's going to be quick tho

a lot of insider folks have implied that the cubs were not run like a modern organization under hendry

the problem w/the cubs for years has been at least seeming to eschew advanced statistical analysis in favor of old-school thinking, and even when they do chase a player who is reasonably SABR-friendly, it ends up being milton bradley. i mean hendry made that epic lofton/ramirez trade in '03, not to mention picking up derrek lee for choi, but they've been behind the curve for years. for awhile i think it was poor luck but since that idiot larry himes let maddux go they've been a team more inclined to get a bunch of "scrappy" vets instead of chasing after superstars (soriano doesn't count.)

the thing w/ the cubs is that the red sox organization's great drafting was able to counterbalance theo's off the rails FA signings of the past few years, but that is obv gonna take some time in chicago, especially if he has to overturn the whole structure of scouting there

it helped that theo inherited manny and pedro and nomar and damon and lowe.

the cubs have question marks everywhere and zero superstars (one potential in castro, i suppose.) beyond him, the most consistent solid player is aramis ramirez and he might be gone.

yeah their roster is shit, and it didn't help that they traded a bunch of good prospects for matt garza, as solid as garza is

cubs' current OFers and IFers:

jeff baker
darwin barney
starlin castro
tyler colvin
blake dewitt
bryan lehair
dj lemahieu
carlos pena
aramis ramirez
marlon byrd
tony campana
reed johnson
lou montanez
alfonso soriano

i won't even look at their pitching staff

except to say their second best starter is probably ryan dempster, who was the poor man's smoltz for awhile there but looks to be on the steep decline.

Soto is still above average right?

yeah soto is dope for a catcher

pretty much no one else on that list should be starting for a contender, except maybe byrd, but he's gonna fall off a cliff soon

soto's had a couple of great years but there are whispers about him being on the way out. fair or unfair, i think for the team he's been disappointing.

which imo is understandable but they should give him some time. he's not remotely bad despite the disappointing 2011 and while there are some decent catching prospects in the minors, he's already a proven commodity.

yeah... i mean, he's the least of their problems

reed johnson is underrated imo, always seems to play pretty well when he gets a chance. not a star or anything though obv. would love to see colvin turn it back around but he looked shitty this year.

colvin is not very good

i still <3 Reed Johnson big time.

but it's mainly because of "intangibles", so feel free to roll your eyes.

well .283/.341/.413 is v good for a utility player

Reed was on the Dodgers as a lefty killing 4th OF, which is what he should be, but he was a combination of shitty and injured for us.. He seems to do fine in Chicago tho..

Swisher/Cano options picked up /nonewshere

so the Yanks are out of the Carlos Beltran sweepstakes?

meh, they might pick him up as a fifth outfielder for $12 M /pigs

does anyone know if fukudome is staying in the states? certainly not worth 14.5 mill, but the guy still knows how to get on base.

He's kind of an ideal platoon guy, no?

Left-handed reliever Javier Lopez has agreed to an $8.5 million, two-year contract to stay with the San Francisco Giants, who also have picked up the $5 million contract option for fellow lefty reliever Jeremy Affeldt.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/10/30/SP0F1LOBDI.DTL#ixzz1cJipWWHD

4 million bucks a year for javier lopez???

i literally have never heard of javier lopez

spent a few years with the sox; sidearming lefty who has no idea where the ball is going.

he was great, this is a excellent pick up for the Giants

they were saying he probably would have gotten more in the open market

there are literally 20 guys who could do the same thing just as well but it's not my 8 million bucks

that's fucking insane

i have no idea how good or bad he was in the past but with the Giants he was money, probably would have not won the World Series without him:

The 34-year-old Lopez has gone 7-2 with a 2.38 ERA in 97 appearances since being acquired in a trade from Pittsburgh in 2010, one of general manager Brian Sabean's key additions during the Giants' improbable World Series championship run that season.

Lopez had a $2,375,000 base salary in 2011 and was two innings short of earning a $25,000 bonus for reaching 55 innings.

it's just a LOT of money for a guy who pitches 50 innings a year

34!!!!!!!!!!!

lefty specialists just aren't worth that much

randy choate was one of the three best lefty specialists last year and i think the marlins were paying him 1.5 last year

"we couldn't afford Beltran because we had to sign these two dope relievers"

^ 2012 giants title

never forget

Left-hander Pedro Feliciano and the New York Yankees have finalized an $8 million, two-year contract.

Monday’s agreement, which includes a $4.5 million club option for 2013, gives New York another left-hander in the bullpen to go along with Boone Logan.

also 34 at the time

lol good one, i forgot about that

When your offense is a heaping pile of suck I'd think your first priority in the offseason wouldn't be to shore up your bullpen with a guy who can get you a few precious outs in the 7th, but yeah, it's not my $8M.

larussa is retiring, apparently.

BNightengale Bob Nightengale
#STLCards Tony LaRussa very excited about future. Expect him to return and finish career with #Cardinals
51 minutes ago

Or not.

BJRains B.J. Rains
La Russa: "It just feels like it's time." #stlcards
2 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

BJRains B.J. Rains
Tony La Russa is retiring. #stlcards
19 minutes ago

He can always come back and manage an expansion team like Stengel

I really don't know why baseball writers bother to say tweet shit like "expect _____ to happen" within an hour of finding out.

La Russa is going to be a roadie for Dennis DeYoung.

http://p.twimg.com/AdF1_9VCMAAjsCb.jpg

the Albert repercussions, not good :/

If the Cards play next year like they did the first 120 games this year, he'll look like a genius AGAIN!

Who wants gr8060-day DL?

so is there a betting line out there on where Fielder and Pujols wind up?

Who wants gr8060-day DL?

― A Chuck Person's Guide to Mark Aguirre (Andy K), Monday, October 31, 2011 11:35 AM (7 minutes ago) Bookmark

i'm not even gonna pretend like i don't want the marlins to sign him

multimillion dollar reliever contracts just fucking kill me.

Grady Sizemore is a free agent, the Indians declined their option for next year.

so the yankees basically have to give cc a blank check right? would be pretty amazing if some other team snapped him up somehow

Details are unknown, but Atlanta has reportedly moved Lowe and his ugly contract — have to assume the Braves are paying most of that — to the Indians. It's worth noting that this is the last year of Lowe's contract.

The Braves will pay all but $5MM of Lowe's $15MM salary

Also pick up their option on Eric Hinske, decline option on Nate McLouth. Three good moves imo.

does terry f manage the cards?

^wild speculation

i think you'll be hearnig a lot of that in the coming days

so yeah, about CC opting out of his deal...

That didn't take very long!

when are teams going to figure out how awful the opt-out is?

i mean since he was still under contract they could've been negotiating for days or weeks prior to today, correct?

it just felt right, in my wallet

SI_JonHeyman Jon Heyman
Good for cc staying with yanks. Agreement is $122M for 5 yrs w 6th year vesting option for another $25M

Yes, how sporting of him.

Wow, what selfless sacrifice...

tbf props to him for getting it done today

were this a-rod we'd still be talking about it in december

per sherman: "Option killed if: end 2016 season on DL, spend more than 45 days on the DL in '16 with left shoulder injury or make at least 6 relief apps in '16 due to shoulder issues."

idk... i mean yes he's getting a fuckton of money, but he could've gotten that much money on the open market too. i don't think he should be congratulated or anything for staying w/ the yankees, but i think it's okay for us to admit that he clearly wanted to stay there for reasons besides the money.

disappointing. i wanted yankee fans to wring their hands for at least a few weeks

regardless; i shall be wishing for a speedy and humiliating decline, myself.

i can't root against cc; he's a cool dude

i mean i can root against the yanquis but not him personally

I like CC a lot. I was trying to figure out if I thought $122/5 years was too much, and I realized yet again that my sense of the marketplace is nada. But if you start from the premise that everybody's overpaid, he seems durable enough to warrant it.

fangraphs had an interesting bit about the lowe trade and how maybe it sets up an asdrubal cabrera trade (tribe now has 3 of the top 8 groundballers in the league, cabrera is coming off a career year, but is mediocre-poor defensively, even though their defense was no great shakes last year, tribe has more invested in kipnis and chisenhall).

The Tigers' run to the American League Championship Series could make the Tigers a free-agent destination, whenever the team chooses to be active.

"I think it helps but we have dollars," Dombrowski said with a laugh.

http://cmsimg.detnews.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=C3&Date=20111101&Category=SPORTS0104&ArtNo=111010525&Ref=AR

Woops.

The Yankees have declined their 2012 option on right-hander Andrew Brackman, making the former first-round Draft pick a free agent.

shoulda stuck to hoops

apparently klaw has been tweeting that brackman's deal was ridiculously advantageous for him. he called it "the worst draft deal [for the team] of all time"

seemed like a lot of $ for a very raw prospect who immediately needed tommy john. drop in the bucket compared to various shitty veteran contracts, tho, let alone for the yanks.

Vernon Wells' seven-year contract included an opt-out clause following the 2011 season. Monday night, Wells decided not to use it.

SHOCKING NEWS

LaCava turns down Orioles' offer of GM job.

smart man

wow. i would totally manage the O's!

Angelos is a menace.

if you're at the point where you can ascend to being interviewed for a GM job, i think you're prob in position to turn that job down w/ the confidence that you will interview again... and i think that might be the worst GM job in baseball

Joe Strauss
A man waits a decade for GM job, receives a chance, looks into the Orioles' abyss and flees. Need more be said?

not really

DeJon Watson is one of the last remaining candidates.. His background is in the scouting department and worked for the Indians before coming to the Dodgers like 3-4 years ago. Dude seems like he knows what hes doing and hasnt said anything completely insane so you got that going for you if you're an Os fan..

ugh. weak.

i'd take watson over the shit for brains internal candidate that interviewed in a heartbeat.

fahk.

am I sposed to know who LaCava is? (aside from the dead screwball comedy director Gregory?)

asst GM in toronto

you didn't answer his question.

yes, you are supposed to know.

Ben Lindbergh of BP on the Sizemore decline by CLE:

Since 1950, 21 players have had at least four seasons of 4.5 WARP or more through age 25. Nine are in the Hall of Fame; two more (Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Bonds) would be there with them but for being active too recently and/or allegedly brushing their teeth and seasoning their salad with Stanozolol. Six more are still active and range from Hall of Fame locks (Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols) to aging veterans who have built convincing cases (Scott Rolen, Andruw Jones) to players under 30 off to Cooperstown-caliber starts (David Wright, Evan Longoria). Two others (Dick Allen and Cesar Cedeno) fell short but along the way built robust WARP totals that have at various times put them, as they say, “in the discussion.”

That leaves us with two names. One is Grady Sizemore, who was proceeding along the Wright/Longoria path until starting to hit the skids in 2009 and falling off the map entirely over the last two seasons. The other is Jim Ray Hart, the only discouraging comp for Sizemore among all of these fast starters. The similarities are almost eerie: Hart was worth 5.2 WARP in his first full season at age 22; Sizemore, in his first season at the same age, managed 4.6. Over the next three seasons, Hart amassed 16.3 WARP, while Sizemore mustered 16.5. At age 26, the two fell off to 2.8 and 3.1, respectively. Hart never topped 1.0 WARP again, and so far the same can be said for Sizemore. Both suffered a series of injuries that took their tolls in both playing time and talent.

Beyond that, the comparison breaks down. Hart was a slow, defensively challenged third baseman; Sizemore, a speedy player with an athletic body and the leaked cell phone pics to prove it, won two Gold Gloves in center, though he didn’t crack the AL top 10 in center-field FRAA either time. That skill set gives Sizemore more options as he tries to keep his career alive; he could move to a corner or even DH if his bat recovers but his body prevents him from playing the field, an option that arrived too late to prolong Hart’s career.

Ken Rosenthal
Sources: #Cardinals have asked permission to interview Ryne Sandberg for managerial opening

http://i.imgur.com/GiYHX.jpg

haha, the roof would come off the Billy Goat if this happened:

http://mlb.sbnation.com/2011/11/2/2533456/ryne-sandberg-st-louis-cardinals-manager

xp!

urgent and key:

john mcdonald signs with dbacks for 2 yrs 3mil. the nl west has been locked up, people.

The thing is I have a suspicion you might be right. I won £36 on the Dodgers winning fewer than 85 this season - next season I reckon I'll make the opposite bet.

damn I should have made that bet

anyone giving this a shot?
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2011/11/mlbtr-free-agent-prediction-contest.html

i only even have even the vaguest of ideas with a few of these guys... (Cards resign Pujols? Cubs land Fielder? J's win out on Darvish?)

No Johnny Mac, Thermo; condolences.

ha ha.
indeed - there goes my J's 2012 WS hopes!

The good news is that it frees up some budget to go after Pujols.

Pujols would make for a terrible scrappy utility man.

too many HRs.

Dejon watson pulled his name out of running for o's gm.

heyman

Dejon watson pulled his name out of running for o’s gm. I don’t blame him either. Very qualified. Deserved better.

damn nobody wants this job.

kind of lol but mostly sad

Thome, Phillies agree to one-year deal

http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111104&content_id=25915372&vkey=news_phi&c_id=phi

makes a lot of sense

can he play first?

Should easily pass Sosa on the HR list, but no chance to catch Griffey without the DH (longshot even if there were).

probably could get away w/ it, and anyway ryan howard sucks at defense as it is. a thome/mayberry platoon at first base would prob come close to howard's production from this season.

Thome has not played defense since 2007. This should be interesting.

one of us should apply for the orioles' gm job

I'm out.

one of us should apply preemptively reject the orioles' gm job

wow you know it's serious(ly bad) when dan duquette is your leading candidate.

i thought for sure he'd never work in mlb again.

Perfect match of an owner no one wants to work for and a GM no one wants to hire. Kismet.

Ken_Rosenthal Ken Rosenthal
Confirming: Duquette is new GM of #Orioles, according to source. #MLB

should just contract this franchise

i know nothing about this man. what's his malfunction?

rest of this year's calendar btw:

Nov. 14: AL and NL Rookies of the Year awarded.

Nov. 14-15: General managers' meetings, Milwaukee.

Nov. 15: AL Cy Young Award awarded.

Nov. 15-16: Owners' meetings, Milwaukee.

Nov. 16: AL and NL Managers of the Year awarded.

Nov. 17: NL Cy Young Award awarded.

Nov. 21: AL Most Valuable Player awarded.

Nov. 22: NL Most Valuable Player awarded.

Nov. 23: Last day for teams to offer salary arbitration to their former players who became free agents.

Dec. 5-8: Winter meetings, Dallas.

Dec. 7: Last day for free agents offered salary arbitration to accept the offers.

Dec. 8: Rule 5 draft, Dallas.

Dec. 11: Collective bargaining agreement expires.

Dec. 12: Last day for teams to offer 2012 contracts to unsigned players.

what the why do they take so long to announce the awards

i don't remember it taking that long in years past? almost thanksgiving before mvps are announced??

To maximize the length of baseball chatter btwn the end of the WS and the winter meetings.

I think it's been like this for quite a while.

Jonathan Sanchez for Melky Cabrera

Dayton Moore was able to screw someone on a trade? incredible.

Royals also get minor league starter Ryan Verdugo.

theres just no way melky ever has as good a year as he had in 2010

i mean 2011

probably not, but on the other hand sanchez isn't that great

it seemed like a steal to me too but after seeing some ppl tweet about it... sanchez is actually two years older, has only stayed healthy for three full seasons, two of which were pretty decent but not great and he has a myraid of p obvious problems -- it seems like a very fair trade to me

also the mets are apparently serious about trading david wright

opinions vary; what have you seen that persuades you?

i think the persistency of the reports, and also the fact that if reyes leaves, it might make sense for them to kick the tires on a full on rebuilding project

That would be overestimating what it takes to win the NL wildcard these days, imho.

not sure what i think of this Jonathan Sanchez for Melky Cabrera trade. did the Giants get hosed? J. Sanchez drove the fan base crazy so i see why he is gone but did we get anything really back?

Winning the NL wildcard takes more than what the Mets have, apparently

sanchez is going to have 20 wins next season

he has that kind of talent but no

I belieeeeeve we are talking about 2012, Mr Fairweather Yankeefan.

Winning the 2012 NL wildcard will take more than what the Mets have, apparently

Melky is a bad defensive player.

Even in a good year he doesn't walk much. When he is making contact he is a valuable hitter, but like Pablo Sandoval and many other Giants hitters he simply doesn't get on base enough, and he doesn't make up for it with power or speed. He has gap power but that's about it. Signing Coco Crisp would've been a better choice I think.

Terry Ryan in at interim GM for the Twins. I can't find anything about why Bill Smith is stepping down?

he was fired, apparently

lol

it was still so perfect that the twins GM was named Bill Smith. will miss dude.

hahah i never thought about that but it's true.

The Marlins are meeting with everyone this week.

this can only end poorly

I love all these tweets or whatever from Heyman thats basically the 'yankees are interested in (insert free agent here)' times infinity

oh this is gonna go swimmingly *rubs hands together*

AmalieBenjamin
Duquette did, 10 minutes in the press conference, refer to building a contending club "here in Boston." Oops. #redsox #orioles

omg

http://beverlykelley.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c8f3e53ef0147e29aacd9970b-800wi

tsk tsk, must invoke Godwin's Law re the Sawx

This video that Yoenis Cespedes's advisers sent to MLB clubs is strange:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kREZHmOR1bg&feature=youtu.be

Phillies signed Madson to a fucking huge deal. Conversion to NL Yankees is fully complete.

The bike horns over "Sailing" -- my god.

good news for closers. bad news if you need a closer.

That Cespedes video is hilarious and not terribly impressive (except for the bit where he jumps 46" inches.)

There is a glut of potential closers available, below the hyped level. (cuz obv the Mets need one.)

Philths pretty Stankee, true.

Phillies signed Madson to a fucking huge deal. Conversion to NL Yankees is fully complete.

not quite the same. madson has always been a philly.

i'm pretty disappointed tho. closers are overrated and phillies desperately need batting upgrades and there are huge holes coming up in the lineup

Remember when there were semi-credible rumors about a Jonathan Sanchez for Prince Fielder trade? Good times.

Brisbee of SBN predicts Reyes will get $112 M, goes to D.C.

http://mlb.sbnation.com/2011/11/9/2548075/mlb-free-agent-rumors-jose-reyes-new-york-mets

why the fuck did the nats give werth so much money last year

Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes Move Derek Jeter to the outfield and ink Jose Reyes

that is from the what?

ny post, duh

ah. silly me. i should have guessed by the fact it's just 10 words repeated over and over.

or by opening the link

what link.

Brisbee of SBN predicts Reyes will get $112 M, goes to D.C.

http://mlb.sbnation.com/2011/11/9/2548075/mlb-free-agent-rumors-jose-reyes-new-york-mets

― Dr Morbois de Bologne (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, November 9, 2011 1:16 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

fwiw it's from the ny daily news

ah... apologies for ignoring the survey/ad. it will never happen again.

Madson deal not done yet.

Willie Bloomquist gets 2 years from AZ, market to go insane:

http://mlb.sbnation.com/2011/11/9/2549973/mlb-free-agency-willie-bloomquist-free-agency

New Padres unis don't look very different:

http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111109&content_id=25946088&vkey=news_sd&c_id=sd

uh, wilson ramos has been kidnapped

http://twitter.com/#!/Kevin_Goldstein/status/134432341048299520

as in, literally snatched from his home in venezuela

thats terrible

he's on the tigres de aragua (venezuelan winter league) roster (with lastings milledge!) but apparently hasn't played this year

i know that the sports media is kinda preoccupied at the moment, BUT A STARTING MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYER HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED AT GUNPOINT. like... on espn.com the headline is below albert haynesworth being claimed off waivers by the bears and the marlins giving jose reyes a tour of their new stadium

i do feel kind of bad that i didn't know that this guy caught the majority of the nat's games this year

it's still a major story, even if if its not the major story. today's world sucks as it always seems to come down to the all mighty dollar. i'm sick of it!

wtf

just upset and too drunk

i don't think it's the almighty dollar as much as 'oh those wacky latinos'

K Goldstein says there are a lot of unreported stories of Venezuelan players' family members being kidnapped. There was talk about this on the BP podcast last month.

And there's this, too:

Kevin_Goldstein Kevin Goldstein
More advisory: "Police investigations into kidnappings have revealed that police officers are often involved."

sports world not much an escape from shitty news lately

was it Venezuela that a ball player had shot someone on his family farm?

ah yes - it was Urbina.

fun fact from his wiki: He is the only player in major league history with the initials "UU" or "UUU".

iirc his siblings were also all uuu

Rod Barajas is taking his .700ish OPS to Pittsburgh. (.280 OBP/.4?? SLG)

@jay_jaffe Jay Jaffe
Flail thee well, Rod RT @mlbsecrets: Pirates sign Rod Barajas to a one-year deal bit.ly/dmNKXE

uh, wilson ramos has been kidnapped

http://twitter.com/#!/Kevin_Goldstein/status/134432341048299520

― J0rdan S., Wednesday, November 9, 2011 7:51 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

fuuuuck i have him as a $1 keeper in a 20 team ottoneu league

maybe u can contribute 2 his ransom

http://msti.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/gordon_barajas_baby.gif?w=450&h=252

rod barajas - never forget

dee gordon is 115 pounds soaking wet

Free agent outfielder/DH Pat Burrell, 35, said his career is likely over due to a nagging right foot injury, according to Janie McCauley of the Associated Press (via NBCSports.com). The former Phillie, Ray and Giant, however, has yet to make a final decision. The Phils made Burrell the No. 1 overall draft pick in 1998.

http://c0014039.r32.cf1.rackcdn.com/x2_940c0d5

Papelbon to Phillies.

@JSalisburyCSN Jim Salisbury
The Phils and Papelbon have reached agreement sources tell CSNPhilly.com. Pending physical.

...

the hell

amazing

YES! first top-50 signing and i guessed it right!

fuck.

jesus christ.. supposedly it goes up to 50 mil with incentives. 4 yr deal.

fuck spending that much on a fucking closer. they better have big plans to put some bats in the lineup.

thome not good enough for you?

i guess after the Madison rumours this may seem reasonable. but 11 mil for 4 years... for a closer?!
all i can think of is the 47 mil debacle that was BJ Ryan.

xposts

relievers are fungible and unpredictable.. ned colletti is an idiot but at least the dodgers seem to have a never ending parade of lockdown reliever dudes coming out of aa that you only need to pay 500k..

thome is not going to be an everyday player. we need a SS, a third basemen, and a left fielder. assuming mayberry jr plays LF everyday, that still leaves 3b + SS.

from what i understand he's going to platoon at 1b at best until howard is back (tho i've seen some ppl speculate that a thome platoon might actually be more productive than howard so....)

apparently Carroll is set to become the everyday SS for the Twins!

if he signs I'll be 2/2! :D

can the sox get madson for cheap now?

Carroll gets 2/7. Not alot of money for the guy, but I really dont think he should be starting or expected to keep being productive in his age 39 and 40 seasons..

like, does anyone think that the problem with the phillies this year was not good enough pitching??

the more i think about it the more i think this is a disastrous move

$50MM OF CHICKEN STRIPS

http://www.rotorob.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/Jonathan_Papelbon.jpg

Papelbake

Good read:

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/wilson-ramos-kidnapping-insider-dishes-on-reality-of-venezuela-baseball-111111

We are taken to the field every day in a team van with security on board. At the games, our security is with us as well — in the dugout, on the field, in the locker room. During the games, our security steps out in front of our dugout every half inning, and stays there until the game is ready to resume. They are all connected with earpieces and such. There is also a security guard down with the guys in the bullpen. Field security is also good. There are armed guards with saber-type swords and automatic weapons who walk the track occasionally with K-9 dogs. They don’t (mess) around.

insane

jesus!

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/11/11/wilson-ramos-found-safely

nice!

lol my display name :/

An exception can be made here, imo.

very glad that wilson is ok!

who's Carroll?

I loooove more reasons to hate the Philths. That fatass is DL-bound for sure.

carroll's been on the dodgers for the past few years. he hits .300... and that's about it. but he plays middle infield and hits .300, so you could prob do a lot worse.

and by .300 i mean .290

gets on base ok.

papelbon is not fat btw.

he will be.

lol @ morbz secret plan to sneak into his hotel room at night and shove snickers into papelbon's mouth until he's disgusting and fat

"snickers"

I think he arrived at disgusting awhile ago.

Phillies signed Madson to a fucking huge deal....

― strongly recommend. unless you're a bitch (mayor jingleberries), Tuesday, November 8, 2011

How about we try not to post 'scoops' this winter until deals are actually done? I was completely confused about this w/ Papelbon signing, jings.

In the year 2015, by the way, the Phillies will have $62.5 million or so committed to three players. Extrapolate that out to a 25-man roster just for yuks, and you get a $520 million payroll.

The offseason is young, and the Phils still need a shortstop! There's still a chance that they can get past the $100 million mark for 2015 this offseason.

Finally watched the LOL Cespedes video, from which I learned of his pig-roasting skills, and that I've made no mistake in ignoring Jay-Z's entire career.

K Goldstein analyzes:

Three times, Cespedes drifts to ball, including another behind-the-back catch, but the best part of the video is the tease, as on the first catch, he lines up to throw and then does not let it go. I still have no idea if this guy is Adam Dunn or Gary Maddox defensively. He's a 20-80 outfielder with a 20-80 arm. To be fair, I'm told he's damn good in center, but they refuse to show me that. You want to know why? Because it's time for more proof of “Core Strength” with him in a push up pose and his legs in stirrups as he kicks.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15469

How about we try not to post 'scoops' this winter until deals are actually done? I was completely confused about this w/ Papelbon signing, jings.

― Dr Morbois de Bologne (Dr Morbius), Saturday, November 12, 2011 3:15 PM (5 hours ago) Bookmark

well i don't think it's disputed that madson and the phillies agreed to a deal. it obviously was not signed, tho

Usually when a GM and an agent agree on a contract it's a done deal. Very rare for an owner to overrule his GM so publicly.

let's face it - we all would have stopped that too.

... most of us.

http://tracking.si.com/2011/11/13/report-jose-reyes-signs-with-marlins/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lukix4pNEu1qmc7hp.gif

cardinals hired mike matheny as manager -- he has no managerial experience

boxcar_fritz
Considering how terrible so many experienced managers are, I'm not certain inexperience is that big of a deal

well that's certainly true -- i don't think there's a rhyme or reason for picking a manager, so i don't get how anyone could categorically call it a bad hire -- i also don't get ppl being like WHOA AWESOME HIRE either

are there ppl who are being like that?

yes

i think there's probably an element of world series afterglow since the cards front office pulled basically all the right strings, but either seems presumptive to me

can you show me these ppl? are they on twitter or something?

yes -- jon heyman, i think, for one

All I know about Matheny is that he was a typical Giants signing: Sabes overpaid for him and then he went on the DL shortly afterward, which turned out to be a permanent trip.

all u can really grasp from a manager hire is broad intent--cards wanted someone young, maybe someone they had more control over?

i still would've tried to hire francona but \(o_O)/

i would have too!

the other thing is that if the cards front office wanted to take a risk with a manager that could turn out to be an inspired hire but could also just not work out, now would be that time to do it.

yeah

take sides: mike matheny vs. robin ventura

ryno must be like what the fuck

matheny has at least been around the cardinals for a long time after he retired and has done some instructing w/ them in spring training -- it's def an intriguing hire and i think the city will give him a chance. i don't think you could say either of those two things for ventura.

yeah, and matheny at least was a catcher, which is Where the Managers Come From

if only he were italian

no francona = a few million more for shortstop Albert

SI_JonHeyman Jon Heyman
#dbacks close to a deal with aaron hill (as @JimBowdenESPNxm suggested). it'll be in the $5-6M range.

holy shit! 3/3!

anyways. i think that looks decent enough for both sides.

Matt Kemp to get money from a stone

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/story/_/id/7233500/sources-matt-kemp-los-angeles-dodgers-160-million-deal

There were a bunch of rumblings that McCourt wanted to 'end things on a good note' with the fans and that they had money for a 'nine figure signing'. I assume this is both. It remains to be seen if they make a splashy FA signing too.. Im gonna assume they pray to god they get the Jim Loney of late 2011 and not the James Loney of April through June and not go after Fielder or Pujols but I could be wrong..

...and on the same day we sign Mark Ellis for 2yrs/9mil. goddamnit Ned.

I thought J0rdy was trolling yesterday, but anyway:

The Marlins are in a good spot to steal an All-Star from the Mets, who can't compete financially. One more time, with feeling: The Marlins are in a good spot to steal an All-Star from the Mets, who can't compete financially. When your dog comes up to you and meows tonight, just know that this is what started the end times.

http://mlb.sbnation.com/2011/11/14/2560984/jose-reyes-miami-marlins-signing-news

how bad is HanRam's defense?

like...

ah, i just don't get it.

his defense is not good -- he's too big to play short

also he can be a fragile player and getting away from double plays at second and cutting down on how much he has to run and dive would be a good thing

Reyes has posted bad defensive numbers for the last two years fwiw

sign reyes and poo-holes, trade hanle y for pitching

yeah i know -- he's still better than hanley and anyway you'd obv be okay with punting defense (so to speak) if you could get both bats in the line up

that's an xp to poly

i think the marlins are most likely just to sign reyes and a few pitchers -- the staff will be good if guys can stay healthy (...)

not as good as RA Dickey.

he's still only 21, but matt dominguez kind of sux

matt dominguez can't hit for shit

yeah, i don't really get it. just because he was the 12th pick four years ago doesn't excuse a .255/.325/.418 line over almost 500 minor league games. if he hadn't gotten hurt he *might* have been the marlins' opening day third baseman! (for a week or two, anyway)

no i don't think so -- they usually stick to spring training stats (gaby sanchez's ascension to the first base job was delayed by a full a year bcuz of this) and he hasn't ever hit anywhere

the funny thing about the reyes thing is that nothing would make me happier than stealing one of the mets' two good players and also mets' fans favorite players, but if the marlins finally go for broke and reyes is just not good... well that would be a delicious bit of irony

SI_JonHeyman Jon Heyman
Wilson, angels met forever. Wonder why it took so long. I'd have had only 1 question: what the heck happened in october?

HEY ABOUT YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP, JON HEYMAN

@clarkspencer
Source: H. Ramirez is not at all pleased at prospect of changing positions if #Marlins sign Reyes; the two aren't the friends many portray.

SI_JonHeyman Jon Heyman
#angels said to have serious interest in cj wilson. That's probably more than can be said for the rangers

Is he intimating that the Rangers have written off Wilson due to the postseason?

As for what happened in October... fatigue, maybe? 74 IP in 2009, 220 IP in 2010, 250 IP in 2011?

could have just been nerves... it happens to human beings sometimes.
maybe next year he's in the playoffs again and throws nothing but no-hotters.... who knows.

@clarkspencer
Source: H. Ramirez is not at all pleased at prospect of changing positions if #Marlins sign Reyes; the two aren't the friends many portray.

i love hanley plenty, but i think his reign over the franchise has lasted long enough. so many things have been done in order to not piss him off, that i think it would be good for the franchise to make a bigger commitment, monetarily and otherwise, to someone else. either he becomes a part of a team that doesn’t solely revolving around him, or he moves on. it’s gonna have to come to that point. he has to grow up.

would totally root for Reyes to play 60 games/year in Miami

i can understand him not being happy about being moved, tbh.

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lupnoa7Rfu1qzniimo1_500.png

I could easily see Wilson signing with the Angels.. he went to LMU.

love love love the cartoon bird

Mark Kotsay is a Padre, JEALOUS?!

wilson ramos is expected to play for los tigres de aragua tonight

A's had a meeting with Sidney Ponson. how cute.

official: Astros to NL West in 2013

AL West

So this basically means that interleague will go all year long instead of 2 periods a year?

yeah. xp

Also the two added wild cards in '13. Playoff format not yet announced, nor the specifics of the season's interleague schedule.

http://danny-knobler.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/8590096/33351762

Selig offered few details, in part because not everything has been decided yet, and in part because some things are dependent on the completion of the new collective bargaining agreement with the players (which will be done soon).

But here's what you can expect beginning with the 2013 season, now that it's official that the Astros are moving from the National League Central to the American League West:

-- Each division will have five teams, which is the main reason for the move. Having the same number of teams in each division simplifies the schedule, and also means that each team within a division can play the exact same schedule (which doesn't happen under the current format).

-- It's likely but not certain that there will continue to be an unbalanced schedule within each league. It's possible that each team will continue to play 18 games against each team in its own division, as is the case now.

-- The designated hitter rule will almost certainly remain as is, with the DH used in all games in American League parks, and with pitchers hitting in all games in National League parks.

-- There will be two wild-card teams per league, possibly as soon as next year but definitely by 2013. Most likely, the two wild cards will play a one-game playoff, with the winner facing the team with the league's best record.

One game playoff is fucking dumb. WE ALREADY PLAY ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY TWO GAMES.

Yes but this time it counts etc.

it's so weird to me, like, are they really making so much money off of two extra playoff games? like, if they just win full throttle and did a full extra series or something at least you could be like "well they're just trying to make a shit ton of money, lol america" but w/ TWO extra games it really just seems very pointless

tbh it probably is a decent chunk of money for doing absolutely nothing (such as figuring out the logistics of another series). like for tv ratings, a lot of ppl aren't going to watch the division series until there's an elimination game. tons of people will watch a one-game playoff.

1-game playoff aside, I imagine it's about the attendance & ratings bump at the end of the reg. season for those teams that might squeak their way in.

yeah that too

1 more playoff team + Cards' Sept 2011 will pay huge dividends for years.

WmC correct.

It's easy to argue that the plan increases the weight of FIRST PLACE over 162 games. Win the wild card and you could still be done in one.

Of course, if the win totals of the two teams playing the 1-gamer are 102 and 85, you may have a point.

i do kind of like that aspect of it.

i like the aspect of my team getting to play the astros every year

ha ha. i like that the J's only have to do better than *one* of the AL East juggernauts to make the playoffs now.

Hah yeah this whole plan is basically a boon for the NL East.

So pretty much the Marlins are going after another huge free agent bonanza that will only lead to a sell off the next year.

They were 29th in attendance and next year, new Marlin stadium included, they 'might' break 2 million. Even then, I don't even buy their numbers as every time I saw the place, there is like no one there. I got a feeling that stadium is going to be big flop. Might be wrong, but I bet I won't be.

People living in Florida don't care about baseball. The locals would turn out for spring training, but not 2 million of them. Tampa would draw a bit better if the stadium was on the right side of the bay, but they would still be middling at best.

it's an okay bet -- people in miami don't not care about baseball (tv ratings are always in the top half of the league) it's just that they don't care about any team that isn't really good or isn't playing a v important game that day -- if the owners invest in a team that can make the playoffs they'll make their money back at least

and even if there isn't an uptick in attendance (which there will be) they'll still be making a lot more cash bcuz they aren't kicking money back to anyone for the use of the stadium

also the marlins only sold off the 97 ws team -- the 03 team petered out naturally

Great news, Major League Baseball fans.

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/11/17/mlbs-players-and-owners-reach-new-labor-agreement/

According to FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, MLB’s players and owners have reached agreement on a new labor deal that will be officially implemented on Monday and will last for the next five seasons.

Full details of the agreement have not yet been released, but we’re expecting two major changes: an overall spending cap for teams in the amateur draft and a significant shift in the current free agent compensation system. Rumor has it that Type B statuses could be thrown out and that the requirements for achieving Type A status will be revamped.

Some would argue that capping draft spending is bad for the game in that it limits baseball’s ability to lure amateur athletes away from other sports, but labor peace is what’s most important and Major League Baseball will be able to boast 21 straight years of it when they announce this new five-year deal.

I don't know, the Marlins had to do salary dump trades for prospects on the big players on the 03 team though. At least they got Hanley Ramierez in the Lowell/Beckett trade, but they didn't really get anyone good back for Brad Penny or Derrek Lee or eventually Miguel Cabrera or Dontrelle Willis.

It wasn't nearly as overnight drastic as the 97 dump off, but they did end up dumping them all off. All of those trades pretty much gave over a key pieces for the Red Sox, Cubs, Dodgers and Tigers.

Brandon Wood is a Rockie! JEALOUS?

Prospects fail all the time, but Maybin and Miller were at least a decent return for Cabrera (in retrospect they were dumping WIllis just to dump him.) And they got people back for Penny.

maybe this was already mentioned somewhere but the Cubs hired Brewers hitting coach Dale Sveum as a manager.

I don't know, the Marlins had to do salary dump trades for prospects on the big players on the 03 team though

right but most of these guys (w/ the exceptions of lee & pudge) played for the marlins for like 2 more years after that, so it wasn't like the 97 team where they were throwing guys overboard basically immediately.

they did make a push in 05 too when they signed carlos delgado but then they had to get rid of guys

Prospects fail all the time, but Maybin and Miller were at least a decent return for Cabrera (in retrospect they were dumping WIllis just to dump him.)

They seemed like a "decent return" only at the time of the trade, right? Maybin and Miller were terrible for the Marlins.

well yeah, i think that's alex's point -- if you think about what other big name players have been traded for, a system's top 2 prospects are about as good as you're going to get -- also if the marlins hadn't foolishly traded maybin one year ahead of his breakout season for two replacement level relievers the trade might seem a bit better

Very bizarre that Badenhop turned out to be the most productive Marlin from that trade.

andrew miller was so bad that it's impossible for me to even envision how he was ever good

He was considered the best pitching prospect in his draft, but TINSTAPP.

Drafted ahead of Kershaw, Lincecum, Kennedy... blugh. (Can't really be upset since he allowed the Tigers to get Cabrera, but damn.)

if it's low enough the draft cap could be pretty bad for teams like the pirates, nats, etc since the draft was the only place they could outspend the large market teams and get an advantage

"Some would argue that capping draft spending is bad for the game in that it limits baseball’s ability to lure amateur athletes"

It's terrible for the game and pathetic giveaway to the owners.

yeah theres really no 'competetive balance' defense for it since the most aggressive draft spending teams of the last few years have been small market teams

what if that wasn't the case, tho?

if that wasn't the case than it would be a competitive unbalance at least by choice

then*

it's dumb, owners should be forced to spend money on kids imo

but they didn't really get anyone good back for Brad Penny

plaschke and simers would argue you guys got the HEART AND FUCKING SOUL of the dodgers as part of this deal..

Plus you got a sweet steroids hookup.

Goldstein on BPodcast called Duquette's working environment in Baltimore "the Holy Trinity of shit."

Brandon Wood is a Rockie! JEALOUS?

he's been quite successful at high altitude! having the pirates give up on you is never a good sign, tho

His OPS+ of 73 in Pittsburgh would have been an improvement at 2B and 3B for us last season :(

SI_JonHeyman Jon Heyman
Indians wanting sizemore back is indicator he'll be healthy. Thy are the 1 team that knows him and the history.

This guy has all the inside information.

so signing relievers is suddenly no longer going to cost teams a pic!

lol @ Philly!

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_luvgmsxn7B1qeqilqo1_500.jpg

so sick

yeah, i like it! otoh

http://www.terezowens.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/miami-marlins.jpg

ouch

so Prince Fielder still isn't anywhere, right?

a boras client if ever there was one

(not working out so well for ryan madson tho)

sort of amusing, not going to lie.

Nationals “have emerged as the favorite” for Prince Fielder

please let this happen

http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/newsstand/discussion/2012_hall_of_fame_ballot_collecting_gizmo

81 Full Ballots.

92.6 - Larkin
63.0 - Jack (The Jack) Morris
61.7 - T. Raines
58.0 - Bagwell
44.4 - Trammell
43.2 - Lee Smith
39.5 - E. Martinez
22.2 - L. Walker
21.0 - McGriff
18.5 - McGwire
13.6 - D. Murphy
11.1 - Mattingly
9.9 - R. Palmiero
2.5 - J. Gonzalez
2.5 - Bernie Williams !
1.2 - V. Castilla
1.2 - P. Rose (write-in)

wtf... switch Morris with Martinez!

raines looks to be moving up though!

the a's just don't even care any more do they

They're definitely spinning their wheels until they get a new stadium.

and then it's... look out - Marlins!

1. Jettison everyone
2. Sign Coco Crisp to a two-year deal
3. Profit

#2 definitely qualifies as ?????

poor jemile weeks

D-Train needs to tweet about Angry Boys more often.

The Marlins are "close" to acquiring Carlos Zambrano. Please let this happen.

marlins are turning into jim bowdens nationals.. bring us your tired, your weary, your emotionally unstable

i'm really not a fan of chris volstad, but zambrano was awful last year and hasn't looked much better this winter

http://www.drudgesiren.com/siren.gif THE PIRATES HAVE SIGNED LOGAN KENSING http://www.drudgesiren.com/siren.gif

Kensing hasn't pitched in the Majors since 2009, when he was with Washington. The 29-year-old made 26 appearances out of the Nationals' bullpen that year. He posted an 8.68 ERA, walked 12 and struck out 12 in 28 innings.

ugh. why do teams do shit like that? isn't that worse than replacement level, even? and even if it was replacement level, why not go for a young guy, also dirt cheap, with at least a hint of upside? i don't know anything about Kensing, does he have any upside whatsoever?

cuz even AAA teams need arms that they can wear out?

no clue whatsoever

yeah, a lot of low-level transactions like this are literally because teams have to fill out their rosters

maybe he's a really good guy

cuz even AAA teams need arms that they can wear out?

ah, i assumed this was for the pirates (MLB), but yeah, i guess if he's just going to be some dude in the minors it could make sense.

hahaha, yeah, maybe he's hilarious

looking at his stats i have even less of a clue

i mean yeah you have to fill out your rosters but there's no one in bradenton or the dsl? he's not even left-handed!

seriously... this Zambrano thing. how does this benefit the Marlins?!

i just read Joe Torre resigned his post and now wants to join a team of investors to buy the Dodgers. not sure what i think of that.

seriously... this Zambrano thing. how does this benefit the Marlins?!

― Porto for Pyros (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Thursday, January 5, 2012 12:48 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark

they're getting a pitcher who has been above league average every year of his career except last year for $2 million. it's not a bad deal unless you think really highly of chris volstad.

like... zambrano has 31 career and will be paid $2 million by the marlins this season. greg dobbs has 1.5 career war and will be paid $1.5 million by the marlins this year

When Zambrano is right he eats up innings. Maybe a change of scenery + Ozzie will help him. If not, cut the cord for 2 mil.

who should replace Torre as MLB discipline czar... Don Zimmer?

Volstad and Zambrano have basically been even in WAR the last two years. i just don't see the upside of playing roulette with the most volatile man in baseball.

(ok - the upside is the possibility of 2005 Zambrano showing up doing his best Mr Rogers impersonation)

(i do not see that happening)

between ozzie and big z and the tropical fish, i think i might be a marlins fan now?

As it was the Braves who caused his last big freakout, I'm all for his move to the NL East.

who should replace Torre as MLB discipline czar... Don Zimmer?

― Dr Morbois de Bologne (Dr Morbius), Thursday, January 5, 2012 6:20 AM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

betting a certain genius lawyer

better call Saul?

Torre didnt seem to do much of jack shit in his position except toe the company line so I imagine he's infinitely replaceable..

I still dont really understand how these ownership groups line up. Im pretty sure Torre wouldnt 'own' the Dodgers with that grove dude, but when and if the grove dude bought the team Torre would presumably be the pres of baseball operations? Seems like there's a similar situation with Magic Johnson and Stan Kasten, who I kind of prefer to Torre et al..

Volstad and Zambrano have basically been even in WAR the last two years. i just don't see the upside of playing roulette with the most volatile man in baseball.

― Porto for Pyros (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Thursday, January 5, 2012 10:34 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

well the bet i think is that zambrano's 2011 was just an abnormally shitty year where he either stopped caring/went temporarily crazy or w/e. if they get that guy, then obv it's not gonna work. but his track record beyond the last two years is much, much greater than chris volstad's

rick caruso owning the dodgers? awesome, i look forward to the dodger club having a streetcar, frank sinatra endlessly piped over the stadium speakers, and an anthropologie store next to the left field bleachers.

but his track record beyond the last two years is much, much greater than chris volstad's

this is true - but Volstad is still much younger. i'm not saying he *will* improve - but i like the odds of Chris improving, at least marginally, more than i do Carlos suddenly not being insane.

BNightengale Bob Nightengale
The #Rangers hired Josh Hamilton's father-in-law to be his new accountability partner. Michael Chadwick was huge in Hamilton's drug recovery

This won't end well, will it?

sounds like good work if you can get it

cubs get 1b anthony rizzo from san diego for andrew cashner

rip bryan lahair

woof that is an awful trade for sd

that can't be a straight up trade right?

The Cubs also get right-hander Zach Cates, 22, who pitched at Single A last season, in the trade. In addition to Cashner, the Cubs send minor league outfielder Kyung-Min Na, 20, to San Diego.

\(o_O)/

rizzo might've been overrated but trading a young first baseman who projects to have an above average bat for a guy who basically everyone thinks can only stay healthy as a reliever is kinda suspect

The Mets agreed to terms with the Venezuelan infielder Ronny Cedeno on a one-year contract worth $1.1 million with extra performance bonuses based on playing time in the event he becomes a regular player.

In seven seasons with the Chicago Cubs, the Seattle Mariners and most recently the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cedeno has batted .246, with a .286 on-base percentage. In 2,309 career plate appearance, Cedeno has walked only 115 times. He turns 29 on Feb 2.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4012/4677218140_d2b467ce2e.jpg

good mustache tho

replacement level baseball players are apparently really hard to find

cubs get 1b anthony rizzo from san diego for andrew cashner

rip bryan lahair
--mookieproof

Hah I forgot i read that quote from theo like yesterday that lahair was their starting 1b. He had a good run.

There was a little piece in the paper this morning in which Cecil Fielder was speculating on where his son would end up. "Prince has the desire to be a better hitter than his father--and some day he might be."

1) I thought they had a falling out and hadn't spoken in years--did they patch that up?

2) As much as I like Cecil (I was at teacher's college in 1990 in Windsor, and quite caught up in what was going on across the river), I hope he said that with a big, mischievous smile on his face.

He has been a better hitter than his father for some time now.

I don't know much about Cashner, but it's hard to overstate how bad Rizzo looked at the plate last year.

he was also 21 -- he was mashing so hard in the minors that they almost had no choice but to bring him up, but he obv wasn't ready

Beelzebud to be renewed as commish, quel surprise

barf

he was also 21 -- he was mashing so hard in the minors

It's true, but it was the PCL, you know? Mike Jacobs was mashing pretty hard as well. Prior to 2011 Rizzo was fairly pedestrian in the Eastern League.

But yes, he's 21, and he will probably be the next Mark Grace for the Cubs, and I will remember Cashner the way I remember Andy Benes IF I'M LUCKY.

OldHossRadbourn
Remember where I found you. RT @MrsHossRadbourn: I am appalled by @DallasLatos and her flapper morals.

really surprised that Bud is renewing for more years as the commish, MLB is doing really well so keeping things the way they are makes sense

people in power like to keep power

really surprised that Bud is renewing for more years as the commish, MLB is doing really well so keeping things the way they are makes sense
--Bee OK

Bud needs to clean up the fucking dodgers mess he started back in 2004

I haven't checked Old Ross for a minute but the Latos wife trolling is pretty great:

@DallasLatos @WRMC_BattyBeach and that is why "y'all" lost the great Civil War.

@WRMC_BattyBeach I fight with bears and savages. @DallasLatos is both which is decidedly unfair.

Spoken like a female named after a vile Southern city. RT @DallasLatos: @MrsHossRadbourn Your jokes aren't funny. The end.

As I have never frequented a public health clinic, I assume we have not. RT @DallasLatos: @MrsHossRadbourn I'm sorry, have we met?

I am appalled by @DallasLatos and her flapper morals.

i have no idea what all that is about.

Ryan Vogelsong signed back with the Giants for two years and $8.3 million and includes a club option for 2014.

https://p.twimg.com/Ai-ahYPCAAAAEwp.jpg

http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2012/0111/mlb_youngd_200.jpg

Da Meat Hook is looking slim

holy crap! that actually Dimitri?!

Mmm hmm

wau

really surprised that Bud is renewing for more years as the commish, MLB is doing really well so keeping things the way they are makes sense

Bud makes almost $20mn/year as commish. I wouldn't quit, either.

Now that the Reds have Ryan Madsen and Sean Marshall for next year, I have already seen written reference to the bullpen trio with Nick Masset the "Masty Boys".

Heyman says Kerry Wood will be "a lifetime Cub."

...
...
...

@MLB
BREAKING: @Yankees and @Mariners finalizing 4-player trade involving young studs Jesus Montero and Michael Pineda.

Pineda will be a lifetime Yankee.

wau

wow dude.. was pretty sure the yankees would trade him but I wouldnt have bet on Pineda.. not a bad trade tho.. might as well pick up a 23 yo pitcher with his whole future ahead of him..

supposedly Kuroda also just signed with NYY for a 1 year deal.. this dodger fan will miss u bro.

Good trade imo

i really like this for the yankees

montero seems pretty good, but getting a workhorse, high K pitcher who will top out as a great #2 starter at worst for an unproven, malcontent DH is a very, very good trade imo

totally

def see Pineda as the next Kerry Wood

saw him pitch at Anaheim last summer, looked HOF for 2 innings then totally came undone.

you must have some secret insights on the health of his right arm

he is a doctor, you know

I agree with Morbius on this one

dave cameron:

Maybe Montero’s good enough by himself to justify being the sole piece of value, but based on what other teams were paying for good young pitching this winter, I would have expected the Yankees to have to surrender a bit more than they gave up. The Yankees should not only be happy to have added a big time arm to their rotation, but should be excited that they didn’t have to decimate the farm system in order to do it.

so the full deal is Michael Pineda & Jose Campos for Jesus Montero & Hector Noesi

maybe pineda's arm falls off, maybe not. but montero is evidently not a catcher, and i'd rather have a killer young starter than a killer young 1b/dh

I'm p sure there's no logical reason for a yanqui fan to be upset about this trade, but I wanted to see Montero being Edgar Martinez, forever

WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENed I WAS AT A PARTY AND SOMEONE BROKE THE NEWS TO ME AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

In connection to Jesus Montero, High Heat Stats generated a list of all the players (38) in the last 15 years who had 4+ homers in their first 15 career games. Quite a mixed list, not surprisingly, but just looking at the best players on there, hard to top this: Pujols, Cabrera, Kemp, Braun, and Hamilton.

http://highheatstats.blogspot.com/2012/01/jesus-was-carpenter-now-hes-mariner.html#more

I'd rather take a chance on the pitcher, though.

Kemp is #1 on that list.. I remember when he came up he was like 21-22 and straight out of double a.. pitchers didnt know what to do with him so he would absolutely destroy any fastball over the zone. Once they learned to throw nothing but breaking pitches to him he was a k machine who got sent down to the minors a couple weeks later.

Glad everything worked out.

Pineda is great for 4 or 5 innings. Not so much after that. sometimes he looked unhittable and sometimes he couldn't find the plate. The Mariners are awful on offense, and Montero is young but also MLB ready. They can maybe play him at C for 50 games a year. It makes sense to me even if in general the Yankees seem like the winners of the trade.

it should be noted that it's very important imo that everything pineda did last year was in the majors... if montero had been up all year last year it would be a lot easier to make criticisms of him

It's also important that he pitched in Safeco, but I guess that didn't hurt Doug Fister too much after he left.

When a young hitter is traded for a young pitcher, isn't the team that trades for the pitcher almost always assuming more risk? But even without considering injury risk, it seems like a good trade for both. A lot of teams would ask for more in return for a (relatively) proven young pitcher but the 2010-11 Mariners might have been the worst hitting team of all time and had to do something drastic.

well montero can supposedly rake but he's not exactly, idk, dustin ackley or something

or mike stanton

the mariners are assuming a fair amount of risk themselves

FWIW: Last year Keith Law had Montero as the #4 prospect in baseball. Pineda was #21.

pineda also has an easily above average full year in the majors under his belt where as montero is coming off of easily his worst year in the minors since rookie ball, partly because he was put off by not being in new york, so i'm sure he'll love being 25 games under .500 in seattle

w/r/t pineda's safeco performance, he was definitely better at home (2.92 era vs 4.40, 1.01 whip vs 1.17, 9.6 k/9 vs 8.7), but some of that could be chalked up to luck, i'm sure. he did have an era over 5 in the second half of the season, which could be just some run-of-the-mill "rookie hits the wall" trend. pineda is less of a question mark but montero could be great. good trade for the yanks, though, they could have a potential ace. i see where the mariners are coming from too.

pineda definitely hit a wall, but before the season the consensus was that he wasn't even ready for the majors. it was a really impressive season.

it seems like there's a lot of nitpicking going on wrt pineda but we'll see what montero looks like after a full season in the majors himself

pineda's road ERA is that high cuz he had three really bad road starts in the middle of july when it was clear that he was just starting to tire, but it's not like he was some drastically different pitcher throughout the season away from safeco

don't have it in front of me but yes and his FIP bears that out

aaand here's dave cameron

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/a-quick-note-on-michael-pinedas-splits/

who also attempted to defend this trade on ussm using an argument i don't really agree with at all

i am assuming his health is better now? that's good.

Another list, from a reader comment:

Highest OPS, Debut Season, Age 21 or Younger, 1900-2011 (min. 50 PAs):
1. Willie McCovey (1959) 1.085
2. Daric Barton (2007) 1.067
3. Ted Williams (1939) 1.045
4. Albert Pujols (2001) 1.013
5. Jesus Montero (2011) .996

I'd still take the pitcher. But I'm going to discard my argument that it amounts to a risk/reward preference. Looking at that list, those aren't bad rewards.

uh get the fuck outta here comparing jesus montero's 68 september PAs to albert pujols and ted williams

Don't shoot the messenger.

Sometimes the messenger deserves to die

Guys I can't wait for spring training and we get to have people drawing conclusions from SSS

Daric Barton

I hadn't given a second's thought to the fact that the small sample size was a ceiling on the 4+-homer list (apples/apples), but only a floor on the OPS list (apples/oranges). Just caught my eye the names that turned up. But as I've said twice already, give me the pitcher.

Will somebody please just re-sign Prince Fielder already? (somebody = the Milwaukee Brewers natch)

http://soundcheckdublin.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/beer-pitcher.jpg?w=300&h=300

i actually think they offered him a 1-year deal. apparently he had some sort of problem with the idea.

bartolo : to the a's

zumaya to the twins

bartolo : to the a's

WOW

if hes half as good as last year you'll get;

Tigers catcher Victor Martinez could miss the season because of a torn ACL in his left knee, sustained last week while he was conditioning.

the al central, as exciting as ever.

cool trade bro but just glad I didn't start a poll to guess the date of the first NYC tabloid headline of Jesus, Montero after a walkoff win.

Astros got their DH.

hmm?

Pablo Sandoval just signed a three-year $17.15 million contract extension.

Jack Cust to Astros

the first NYC tabloid headline of Jesus, Montero after a walkoff win.

That is taking the name of the Lord in vain, and Cardinal Dolan wd not approve.

frankly I'm shocked the ilxor servers aren't down right now in protest of uh, SOPA, yeah, that's the ticket.

hamels signed to one year, avoids arbitration, gets $15 mil. assuming he has a good season going to do very well for himself next year.

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/01/18/marlins-on-deck-for-showtime-series-the-franchise/

Mets give Mike Pelfrey a 45% raise

WHAT THE FUCKETY FUCK

hazard pay

xp that is must-see tv

apparently Yu blinked and signed for 6 years.

$60 mil - only slightly over his posting fee
hope it works out for them. i'd love to see another big-ticket Japanese player actually make it in the majors

yu: $18.6m/yr including posting fee
cj wilson: $15.5/yr

tbh, I think the Rangers made a smarter deal when you put it like that

$18.6 m is approximately 5 WAR isn't it?

that's Garza/Carp/Kennedy level. I wish I knew more about Darvish but that's a pretty high bar for someone who's never played in the MLB before.

oh, i'm not sold on cj wilson and i presume nolan thinks he's a pussy. but it seems like an awful lot of money for a question mark -- i guess they can afford it, tho, so whatever.

haha *now* where will prince go?

AL West looking like pre-TB getting their shit together AL east - two juggernauts, two teams who suck and one team thats hopeless (hello Astros!)

p. sure the a's have devolved into hopelessness

I'd like to think that Fielder is just a LITTLE tempted to sign with the Tigers for a year or two -- just so he can hit more single-season HRs than his dad did as a Tiger.

Tampa sucks, or are they a juggernaut?

xposts

SBN had a column the other day about the A's having a plan, like it or not

I heard the Brewers were trying to get him to take a one-year deal but I really doubt it's going to happen. I'm not really sure who's still in the market for Prince now!

$18.6 m is approximately 5 WAR isn't it?

i think the current going rate is around $4.5 million = 1 WAR, so 18.6 would be almost 4 WAR.

Oliver Perez found a home somehow.

left-handers amirite

SBN had a column the other day about the A's having a plan, like it or not

does the plan involve going in the tank until someone allows someone else to build them a stadium?

not quite:

http://mlb.sbnation.com/2012/1/17/2712113/oakland-as-trade-seth-smith

btw Darvish $60 M/ 6 yrs

that post seems to be repeatedly arguing that the a's are putting together a team that is interesting....to baseball bloggers.

hahaha to his credit i just noticed that he said exactly that in the asterisk

orlando cabrera has retired. also, as a commenter below pointed out, he apparently untucked his shirt the instant a game ended?

http://mlb.sbnation.com/2012/1/18/2717428/orlando-cabrera-retirement

“My wife complained accusing, that I love BASEBALL more than I love HER. I told her, yeah, but I love YOU more than I love FOOTBALL.”

lol

Cardinals are hiring!

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15818

"Fausto Carmona" is not his real name, and 28 is not his real age.

deetz:

Cleveland Indians pitcher Fausto Carmona was arrested on Thursday in the Dominican Republic and charged with using a false identity, according to broadcaster Yancen Pujols.

Col. Maximo Baez Aybar, a police official, confirmed the arrest and tweeted that the pitcher's real name is Roberto Hernandez Heredia. He also tweeted that he is not 28 years old, he is in fact 31.

"Carmona" has played for Cleveland for six seasons and was named an All-Star in 2010. He posted a 7-15 record with a 5.25 ERA in 2011.

Last month, Miami Marlins relief pitcher Leo Nunez was arrested in his native Dominican Republic, but not charged, in an investigation looking into him using false documents to sign a professional baseball contract. He had to return to the Dominican Republic in the middle of the 2011 season when it was discovered that his real name is Juan Carlos Oviedo.

why are the police tweeting?

braggin 2012

I am Fausto Carmona.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15818

Tempted to wildly exaggerate my qualifications and apply for the dba one. Watch my terrible sql skills run the franchise into the ground.

what are we 30 days until pitchers and catchers report

its not like Lady Gaga is her real name

also most women are 29

http://bosoxgifs.imgur.com/beltre_head_rubs/

Brewers signed Japanese batting champion Norichika Aoki to a 2-year deal. Curious b/c their outfield seems pretty set with Braun/Hart/Morgan and Gomez as a backup. Perhaps they want to move Hart to first base?

I read they were tinkering with that idea.

yeah i think if Braun gets suspended they'll plug him in left w/ Gamel at 1st and just re-evaluate after 50 games. still not convinced that Gamel can really hack it but let's hope!!

also, I am totally ready for the Yu Darvish era to begin. awful puns aside, he's just got a great name, no doubt

Neyer suggests teams have no idea what Fielder's future is.

http://mlb.sbnation.com/2012/1/20/2720802/prince-fielder-fat-rumors-free-agent

that is a high quality url

nice url

a history of fat

Would you care to guess how many major-league players have stood less than six feet tall and weighed at least 275 pounds?

One: Prince Semien Fielder.

How many major-league players have stood less than six feet tall and weighed (or rather, been listed at) more than 250 pounds?

Five. Fielder, plus pitcher Bartolo Colon, Garland Buckeye, Rich "El Guapo" Garces, and first baseman Tommy Everidge, who got into 24 games with the A's in 2009.

was his father over 6'?

yeah that's crazy, I almost thought the Brewers would take him for a one-year deal and that he'd test the waters next year, but Milwaukee is nearing $100m in payroll already which is quite a bit for them

seems like Fielder to the Nats is probably going to happen, but with Texas likely out the Nats can definitely drag their feet a lil

cecil was 6'3" apparently

Brian (Springfield, MO):
With the news of the Fausto Carmona situation, is there a way for teams to better evaluate talent so that players don't have to pretend they are someone else. "Fausto" was signed, in part, because they thought he was 2 years younger than he was. Despite being the 2 years older, he still became an effective pitcher in MLB. Should teams/scouts not put such an emphasis on age when looking at players?

Kevin Goldstein:
It's a great question, a book worthy one even. It's clear that even if Carmona was going as Heredia, and was two years older, he probably would not have gotten the chance. That's a bad system. At the same time, I don't side with the people that are angry with Carmona. He did whatever he could to escape abject poverty.

'fausto' was an appropriate choice of name

ppl are way too focused on labels in the minors, eg matt dominguez is still a 'top prospect' -- because he had a nice high school career -- while dudes who can actually hit but are two years older wind up quad-a. you don't have to sign them for a decade.

and then there are the guys who somehow become legit major leaguers due to one decent season, like gary matthews jr. etc.

rip morgan ensberg

Yeah, but if you're rebuilding, it makes sense that if you have to choose between playing time for a guy who might be a star and will help you for 5+ years, and a guy who'll be merely capable for the next couple of years, you choose the high risk, high reward option. And age is important if you're trying to predict who will be starring for your team in five years time.

Quad-A guys are still valuable, having a player who's at or just above replacement level can be critical, e.g. if you're in a pennant race and a starter gets injured. There will always be a need to properly evaluate those kinds of players too.

"matt dominguez is still a 'top prospect' -- because he had a nice high school career -- while dudes who can actually hit but are two years older wind up quad-a"

Matt Dominguez also plays a premium position (apparently well), but yeah point taken the high school phenom tag seems to carry a lot of weight no matter how far removed the player is from those years.

Jamie Moyer signed a minor-league contract yesterday.

I tried one of those Kevin Bacon things with Moyer. He broke in with the '86 Cubs, where Davey Lopes (then 41) was also on the roster. Lopes began his career in '72 with the Dodgers; Hoyt Wilhelm (49) got in a few games with them.

So you can get back to Hoyt Wilhelm in two steps. Wilhelm was a 29-year-old rookie with the '52 Giants, though, and their oldest player was only 36, so the path narrows a bit there. I was hoping to get back to Cobb or somebody like that in three steps. (Nolan Ryan would probably be a more promising path--Moyer played with him in Texas in '89 and '90.)

If you can find a link from Moyer to Minnie Minoso, Minoso played with Satchel Paige his rookie year.
also Joe Gordon, who was a rookie in Gehrig's last full season

hmmmm

http://espn.go.com/boston/mlb/story/_/id/7487532/boston-red-sox-deal-marco-scutaro-colorado-rockies-clayton-mortensen

piazza was at the knicks game last night

http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/890249/piazza.jpg

i know morbs is moist right now

like he dressed for the belle and sebastian song

bleahhhh

so, would it be fair to call the guy the Sox got in exchange for Scutaro a "nobody"? i guess this was all about freeing up cash, but they couldn't have done better?

yeah he is a total nobody

As a Rockies fan I can report much glee. Mortensen isn't quite a nobody and after a good start for the Rockies (he was 6th or 7th starter early last season) he went rapidly downhill and no-one in the organisation seemed to think that highly of him. He's an extreme groundballer though and not completely hopeless, so he could feasibly Vogelsong it, I guess.

Not sure what to think about the Rockies "get old" strategy.. Granted they're not really blocking anyone but I can't see relying on a bunch of 35+ year olds working out..

i presume nolan arenado will be given every opportunity to take the 3b job tho

It's a placeholding strategy essentially. Only Cuddyer is long term, and only Cuddyer is baffling (honestly, I don't get that one at all - leadership and clubhouse stuff, maybe, as well as the thought when he was signed that he'd be a voice of experience on a young team).

The rotation is still young, and unlike the last couple of years, we do have some genuine prospects in Arenado, Rosario, Bettis, Pomeranz, Rutledge and Chatwood who will perhaps all be on the 25-man in 2013:

C Rosario
1B Helton/Cuddyer
2B Rutledge
3B Arenado
SS Tulowitzki
LF Gonzalez
CF Fowler
RF Wheeler
P Chacin
P Pomeranz
P White
P De La Rosa
P Chatwood
CL Brothers

That's a feasible opening day line-up for 2013, and all but two positions are 27 or under.

Though that makes me wonder what the oldest line-up could be...

C Hernandez
1B Helton
2B Scutaro (if extended)
3B Blake (if extended)
SS Tulo
LF Gonzalez
CF Fowler
RF Cuddyer
P Chacin
P De La Rosa
P Hammel
P White
P Nicasio
CL Betancourt

No way Casey Blake survives this season. Hes busted.

Also Im debating cancelling my online gambling account.. The only thing I would keep it open for is to bet on the Astros losing every single game this next season.. Is this a worthwhile idea - y/n? A dude did it for the Pirates like 2 years ago and made something like a 30% return.

only a 10% return in the end, IIRC. He started pressing after some losing streaks and that hurt him.

But if I were going to do it, the Astros would be my choice.

was he just betting straight up, or vs. the spread?

theres no spread for baseball is there?

on the site I use there is - it's almost always +1.5

He was betting the money line, I'm pretty sure.

I don't think Vegas casinos usually have a spread for baseball, but Bodog does

mlb.com has been putting out lists of its top prospects at each position. obviously these decisions are problematic and often arbitrary, but it remains somewhat interesting that the white sox are the only team (i think) to have no prospects listed anywhere.

the white sox rank dead last in this interesting ranking system

here's a summary:
http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/953613/sickelsfarmsystems1_medium.gif

I feel like a lot of this is going to change year to year, but I'm surprised the Astros don't rank higher considering the team they currently field is also quite shitty. Cards and Sox over Rays is also quite interesting. I guess I don't really know much about farm systems outside of Milwaukee's, but I'm surprised neither of their first rounders nor Tyler Thornburg ranked as even B+ prospects.

it's frustrating, because apparently the letter grades come from "John’s actual farm system rankings", which they never link to. I notice that a lot of articles on SBNation neglect to link to their references, whether it's something like this or something as simple as a big trade that happened. An article on vivaelbirdos will just dive straight into something like "Man, the Yankees made out like bandits in that trade, bla bla bla bla" without ever explaining what the trade was or linking to anything. weird.

anyway, tangent, but Suggest Ban Nation

dude seems to be assigning many significant digits to formulas based on arbitrary weighting and someone else's arbitrary letter grades?

lol at white sox hitters, tho

"John’s actual farm system rankings"

Minor League Ball is John Sickel's site. The ratings are done by team each year and are easily findable (I think he also puts out a book.)

lmao A's showing interest in manny

Omar comin!

that cool Omar is a good guy

Players on the '93 roster who are younger: Olerud, Alomar, Sprague, Green, Delgado, Hentgen, and another seven part-timers.

if you guys dont have Jose Canseco on Twitter I'd recommend it very much

I TROLLED JOSE CANSECO

aw jorge is weeping