It's the '07/'08 Hot Stove (or Grill) League

no transactions during playoffs, mang.

just rumors, and All-Yankee Tabloid Coverage means STIFLE for 3 weeks.

'08 Tigers-Pudge option exercised.

We never discussed rumors in other Hot Stove threads?

"Almost every player has shortcomings," Dombrowski said. "In Pudge's case, we wish he was more selective at the plate, but he did hit .281."

Cards resign Russ Springer, who quietly had a phenomenal year in relief.

Torii Hunter is going to sign for twice what he's worth with <insert team here>

<insert free agent here> is going to sign for twice what he's worth with <insert team here>

scuttlebutt from the warehouse: tejada to the cubs for pie, cedeno & marmol; ramon hernandez to the mets for x; intense talks for matt kemp.

<i>Torii Hunter is going to sign for twice what he's worth with <insert team here</i>

A free colonoscopy from my neighbor says it will be Texas.

ITALICS!!!

"Ooh, man, going back to manage in the NL Central and picking up where Jerry Narron and Pete Mackanin will be a tough act to follow but this Cincinnati Reds team is just unbelievable. I mean you've got so much talent from the younger guys like Edwin Encarnacion and the scrappy but powerful Brandon Phillips, and then you've got the veteran presence with Junior and dominant pitching from the big guy Harang. Arroyo with the leg kick going, younger pitchers with lots of promise like Dumbatrain and Homer Bailey, it just goes on and on for this exciting team, and when you've got someone like Josh Hamilton hitting seventh for you, you know your offense must be unbelievable. This is a professional organization, and one I'm glad to be a part of."

santana to yanks? that'd be rough.

lol @ Reds nevar winning again xp

The Reds bringing in an old 70s ex-Dodger to manage is killing me. If you followed the Reds in old NL West days, you HATED the Dodgers. Might as well bring in Orel Hershiser, Bill Russell and Davey Lopes to complete the package of evil.

I really was fine with Cincy giving Pete Mackanin a one year deal at the helm and seeing how things go.

I figure the Reds will be dealing Adam Dunn for a time share in Tampa and a pack of Beer Nuts any day now.

I'm crushed at Dusty getting swept up by Cincy the very day Bill Rhoden suggested in the Times that he'd be a bold hire by the Yankees. Oh, how I would have loved to see if Dustiny's hand with the Pitcher Abuse Points would have turned Hughes, Kennedy and Joba into the resilient, innings-eating machines that Kerry Wood and Mark Prior have become.

carligula (Oaktown): I enjoyed the who-signs-Barry-Bonds odds sheet... have you thought of doing one for Rodriguez?

Nate Silver: No, because I'd put the Angels at about 1:5.

The Reds bringing in an old 70s ex-Dodger to manage is killing me.

How do you think Giants fans felt?

are the angels setting up a fledgling cable sports network? do they have one already?

BREAKING

Joe Torre Rejects Offer for One-Year Deal With Yankees (NYT)

You know what this means -- all-Yankee NYC tabloid covers til Thanksgiving.

NYT seems to think Yanks will pick Girardi

edgar renteria flipped to los tigre for jair jurrjens and gorkys hernandez.

Are "Silver" Jair Jurrjens "Lenkman" and Gorkys "Zygotic" Hernandez any good? Never heard of them.

Yes, they are.

Wanted Renteria to be a Tiger but... hmmm.

I'm not certain, but both Jurrjens and Hernandez might've been considered top ten prospects. If they were not, they were very close.

Jurrjens' first two starts this year were against Cleveland. They hit him pretty hard the first time, but he came back less than a week later and basically shut them down -- that was impressive. He also has a tremendous amount of poise, but obviously that can only get you so far. I think he could be a solid, reliable fourth or fifth starter -- not great, but good. If Andruw Jones were to remain a Brave, there would be two people from Curaçao on the team.

Gorkys Park: outfielder who just turned 20, haven't seen him play. Put up pretty good numbers in Class A. So far: lots of speed (54 steals in 124 games), not a whole lot of power, but more is expected once he fills out a bit.

Would've been nice to see an eventual Maybin-Granderson-Hernandez OF. Oh well. The one thing that is kind of scary is that Maybin has been racking up all sorts of minor injuries.

(Top ten prospects within the org, obv.)

Just checked a reliable source. They were considered top FOUR prospects.

With all these declining thirtysomethings, they're obviously making moves to win immediately.

Maybe Eckstein will go to the White Sox and Renteria will one day be hit with an off-speed pitch from a WS pitcher and exact his revenge by stealing second on the next pitch and throwing a forearm into Eckstein. One can dream.

(Didn't mean that, really.)

Grady Little fired/Joe Torre hired?

I'm not certain, but both Jurrjens and Hernandez might've been considered top ten prospects. If they were not, they were very close.

Jurrjens' first two starts this year were against Cleveland. They hit him pretty hard the first time, but he came back less than a week later and basically shut them down -- that was impressive. He also has a tremendous amount of poise, but obviously that can only get you so far. I think he could be a solid, reliable fourth or fifth starter -- not great, but good. If Andruw Jones were to remain a Brave, there would be two people from Curaçao on the team.

Gorkys Park: outfielder who just turned 20, haven't seen him play. Put up pretty good numbers in Class A. So far: lots of speed (54 steals in 124 games), not a whole lot of power, but more is expected once he fills out a bit.

Would've been nice to see an eventual Maybin-Granderson-Hernandez OF. Oh well. The one thing that is kind of scary is that Maybin has been racking up all sorts of minor injuries.

-- Andy K, Monday, 29 October 2007 22:59 (Yesterday) Link

AWESOME. Renteria was the second-best player in ATL last year - perfect time to move him, especially for a good young arm.

how great would A-Rod and Torre TOGETHER AGAIN in Chavez Ravine be?

WTF:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3085166

So,

One piece of news about ARod's future = BAD FOR BASEBALL
Constant streams of Yankee/Torre news throughout the entire playoffs = GOOD FOR BASEBALL

Will Carroll's saying Torre's in for LA:

Behind the scenes, Grady Little was fired mostly for not being Joe Torre. There will be talk of clubhouse problems, but Little was undermined in the clubhouse by ownership. The more interesting news will be when the front office maneuvering plays out... The Torre move is clearly coming from the McCourt family as well as consigliere Tommy Lasorda. If player moves - really big player moves - are made shortly, we’ll know that the purse strings now have become puppet strings.

Is there more pent-up news ready to break after the World Series embargo? There’s definitely rumblings. I’m expecting news in St. Louis and Chicago as soon as Tuesday.

Finally, the Dodgers will turn the corner with new third baseman Miguel Cairo.

hahahahaha grady little didnt work out for you wow lololololololololol

Mattingly quits. Yet another unappreciative turncoat!

The new Yankees manager had no more and no less than one (1) RBI in 114 career postseason at-bats!

Those who can't BE clutch, teach clutch.

billy beane to thread. lol?

Grady Little resigned.

Torre LA pitch to A-Rod: "Perform however you like close-and-late, they'll be in the parking lot."

the parking lot has some nice views

ok oscar, good moves

Mets pick up Alou's option, re-sign Easley to 1-year deal

By MIKE FITZPATRICK, AP Baseball Writer
October 31, 2007

NEW YORK (AP) -- Moises Alou is staying with the New York Mets, and Damion Easley will return next season, too.

The Mets exercised their $7.5 million option on Alou's contract Wednesday, bringing back the 41-year-old left fielder who was limited to 87 games this season because of a quadriceps injury.

New York also re-signed Easley to a $950,000, one-year deal. The backup infielder and outfielder provided a boost off the bench in 2007 before a badly sprained left ankle ended his season on Aug. 18.

OSCAR?

Wright was on Daily Show last night. Jon Stewart described A-Ros as a "bad chemistry guy" (see, even he's a moron sometimes) and DW pointed out the benefits of 50+ homers.

lol, omar of course

yeah i saw daily show, was explaining the sabermetrics of it to my wife. also, how this would be an ilbb topic for morbs; she said, 'sure, he's pretty hot"

Zumaya out for part of '08. Injured shoulder moving personal items during CA fires.

Not a transaction, but...

I have to wonder if A-Rod is really going to get this 30 million dollar a year contract that they are hoping. If the NYY are not going to drop the cash, does anyone think that the Angels or Dodgers are really going to drop that kind of money? I don't see Boston making a move for him and the Mets have other needs and really those are the two teams that seem to go after the huge free agents. The Giants kind of makes sense, but after Bonds, do you think SF really wants to again put all of their eggs in the one basket?

I don't know, it seems to me that I could see this think back firing somewhat on A-Rod.

I was looking at Livan Hernandez as an interesting mid level free agent for some club, as the guy always pitches a bunch of innings, but I was surprised to see how far his K numbers have really fell. The guy only struck out something like 90 batters in just over 200 innings.

Maybe A-Rod doesn't actually care about getting 30+ million, and would rather make less somewhere with slightly more realistic expectations.

The Giants kind of makes sense, but after Bonds, do you think SF really wants to again put all of their eggs in the one basket?

Well yes, the Giants made a lot of money off of Barry Bonds. It's basically the only thing they know... sounds like a match made in hell IMO.

^^ shot at 1,000 hrs makes a great tourist attraction

Anna Benson could be coming to your town

Maybe the Baltimore Orioles didn't want to see what Kris Benson's wife Anna would wear to the team Christmas party because the team declined their 2008 option on the right-hander today, thus making him a free agent.

I have to wonder if A-Rod is really going to get this 30 million

The CW is that Boras would not have let him opt out unless he knew there'd be big offers. Under the tamper-dar, of course.

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) -- Alex Rodriguez may have another option if he can't get enough money from the Dodgers, Angels, Cubs or Red Sox.

The Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens have sent baseball's most coveted free agent a contract offer that includes incentives if he hits 75 home runs for them next season.

The team conjured up the idea after Rodriguez opted out of his $252 million, 10-year contract with the Yankees.

Hank Steinbrenner, a son of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, told the New York Times, "Does he want to go into the Hall of Fame as a Yankee, or a Toledo Mud Hen?"

The Mud Hens decided to find out, said Jason Griffin, a spokesman for the Detroit Tiger's top farm team.

The club created a Hall of Fame plaque of Rodriguez wearing a Mud Hens hat.

A letter sent on Thursday to Rodriguez's agent, Scott Boras, offered a deal with a bonus if A-Rod leads the team to 10 consecutive International League titles.

But the offer stipulates that Rodriguez will have to compete for a spot with Toledo third basemen Mike Hessman, the league's most valuable player last season.

"Would your client be willing to play a different position?" the letter asked.

classic

please don't tell me that's from the Onion

lol

The above is for real, yes.

Torii to Nats, plz.

They are stating that A-Rod starting offer is 12 yrs @ 30 million a year and I say good luck with that. I've read estimates that the Yankees are worth a bit more than a billion dollars, so Boras is wanting a contract worth 1/3 of the value of the most valuable club. That contract offer is probably worth more than the Marlins and a few other clubs.

i hope no team is stupid enough to fall for any of boras' bullshit. the dude should get a 6 year deal. suggesting someone should pay him 30 mill a year for his 39-44 yr old seasons is NUTS.

12 yrs has to be just an "opener"

Will Carroll, BP:

Alex Rodriguez isn’t headed anywhere yet, but he can cross Miami off his list. He’s not one to give a hometown discount and Jeffrey Loria’s not raising payroll. That means that one of the team’s big two is gone and everyone’s expecting it to be Miguel Cabrera. “He’s at the end of his time at 3B,” the baseball source told me, “but he’s still good enough to play 1B. They won’t get quite as much as [Jon Daniels] did for Mark Teixeira, but they’re looking for a different payoff.”

Maybe the opportunity to play for a great team would make hitting the gym more palatable. I think I'd let myself go if I played in front of 28 fans in Miami.

Someone will find out!

Asked of GMs by Jerry Crasnick:

Where do you expect Barry Bonds to be in 2008?

Responses: Oakland Athletics, 3; Texas Rangers, 2; Seattle, 2; Los Angeles Angels, 1; St. Louis Cardinals, 1; New York Yankees, 1; Tokyo Yomiuri Giants, 1.

Three respondents predicted that Bonds will retire, and one executive said he'll be "in jail."

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=crasnick_jerry&id=3098341

Tokyo Yomiuri Giants, 1

Alf (Cambridge, MA): Keith, I wouldn't dismiss the possibility of some kind of collusion. It's been a long time since the market for free agents acted rationally. So why would teams show restraint now?

Keith Law: (2:17 PM ET ) Because the market is SO bad this winter. Best FA pitchers are Lohse and Silva, guys who were both bounced from the Twins' rotation at some point in the last 24 months and who'd be fifth starters on most AL clubs? You want to give that four years? Good luck.

“He’s at the end of his time at 3B,” the baseball source told me, “but he’s still good enough to play 1B.

ate himself out of a position at 24, well done.

Low-OBP Cubs OF'er with sharply declined power NOT NAMED Craig Monroe to Detroit for Omar Infante.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/14/sports/baseball/14mets.html?ref=baseball
The Mets want to pay Torrealba 5 mil a year?

i guess its chump change for them

and i here i was sorta hoping the J's would go for him.

God no! Torrealba's road stats are bad, and he can't throw out runners any more than LoPuka.

yeah outside of coors he hit something like .210

oh! i thought he was good at the throwing out deal. nevermind then.

xpost

Torrealba ranked 21st among 29 qualifying catchers, according to Stats LLC, throwing out 17.6 percent (13 of 74). Lo Duca ranked a notch above him at 19.1 percent (17 of 89).

loduca's better!

loduca actually seems to fit the mold for blue jays catchers over the last decade.
(it is not a good mold)

hehehe, I KNEW it

"We will not negotiate with Scott Boras," the source told the Daily News. "He cannot be in the room."

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3109894

whats really funny is that 'the source', if not completely made up, is pretty clearly hank steinbrenner

hank steinbrenner is turning out to be more of douchebag than his old man.

it's nice when kids can surpass what parents were able to achieve. God Bless America (TM)

morbs - not just an american thing by any stretch of the imagination - read about one monarchy!

I am am honestly loving how douchey the sons steinbrenner are turning out.
hopefully they can sink this team through aggressive mismanagement asap.

a-rod to yanks: take me back, i couldn't find a prettier girl to date.

& she often does

nytimes (OH, SANSKRIT):

Rodriguez Talks to Yankees Without Agent
By TYLER KEPNER and MURRAY CHASS

Alex Rodriguez said all season that he wanted to stay with the Yankees, and now he is finally backing up those statements. Hank Steinbrenner, the Yankees’ senior vice president, said today that Rodriguez has told the Yankees he wants to return.

“He reached out to us through a third party,” Steinbrenner said in a telephone interview. “He has expressed a desire to stay a Yankee. He’s even willing to make certain sacrifices to do so.”

When Rodriguez opted out of his contract on Oct. 28, during Game 4 of the World Series, the Yankees insisted they would not chase him as a free agent. Club officials were bothered that Rodriguez did not return their calls and refused to meet with them in person.

A person close to the Yankees said that Rodriguez began speaking with team officials today without the help of his agent, Scott Boras. The person was granted anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. Asked if he had spoken with Rodriguez, Steinbrenner said, “I don’t want to comment on that at this point.”

THE SUBTLE PSYCHOLOGY OF HANK STEINBRENNER:

Steinbrenner said he spoke with Rodriguez by telephone shortly after Rodriguez opted out. In that conversation, which Rodriguez initiated, Steinbrenner said he told him about sitting next to Joe DiMaggio at the 1978 World Series.

“I asked Mr. DiMaggio, ‘Is there really a difference in winning a World Series ring as a Yankee and winning it with any other team?’” Steinbrenner said. “He said, ‘Of course there is.’ He said he could have won the same number of rings for another team, and it wouldn’t have meant a quarter of what it meant to win them as a Yankee.

“That’s all Alex had to wake up to. Does he want to win a Yankee ring or get another team’s World Series ring? There’s a big difference. I just wanted to make sure Alex understood that, because it appeared that he was going in the wrong direction.”

you have got to be fucking kidding me

just when you think they can't get more corny or self-important, they do

If and when A-Rod does sign, it'll be interesting to see if the media continues the narrative of a weak A-Rod finally breaking the spell of the svengali Boras, essentially going back to the yanks with his tail between his legs. Already, reports are coming out that cast doubt on the idea that Rodriguez is talking to the Yankees without Boras, or that he's somehow disobeying his all-powerful father agent. And what about the Yankees doubling back? Where's all of Hank's bluster about being insulted by the opt-out?

New York, which failed to make the World Series in all of Rodriguez's seasons, maintained Monday that it will not attempt to re-sign A-Rod now that he has opted out.

"No chance," Hank Steinbrenner, a son of owner George Steinbrenner, said Monday at Legends Field.
(...)
"The bottom line is ... do we really want anybody that really doesn't want to be a Yankee? How the heck can you do that? Compare him with Jeter. Jeter, since he was a little kid, all he ever wanted to do was play shortstop for the Yankees. That's what we want."

hank really might be even more entertaining/bonkers than his dad

lolz espn poll

9) Which player would you rather have?

David Eckstein
Alex Rodriguez

Hank seems to have a preternatural sense for hogging tabloid back pages. should be a fun year. while i like Girardi, i am kind of hoping for another 4-5 mangers in one season sometime in the near future.

i wonder if this is just a ploy to get 300 mill out of the angels

"We realize it could be a trap to get us back in the negotiations," one Yankees official told the Daily News. "But we don't think that's the case."

real masterminds over there

Shaun(NYC): What players if any, do you see actually getting traded.....and where to?

Keith Law: (1:43 PM ET ) Tejada, Bedard, Rolen, Cabrera, Coco Crisp, Lowry, for starters.

Alex Rodriguez could get a new contract from the Yankees that pays him at least $300 million if Rodriguez breaks Barry Bonds’s career home run record, according to two people involved with the negotiations.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/16/sports/baseball/16yankees.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

lowell in discussions to play first base for yanks??

will many teams be interested in taking crisp?? what can the sox get for him. his contract seems a little unwieldy after last year.

i'll bet teams would take crisp if the sox pay a bit of his salary.

btw...bedard for kemp, kershaw and broxton?

will many teams be interested in taking crisp?? what can the sox get for him. his contract seems a little unwieldy after last year.

um, Crisp's contract (08:$4.75M, 09:$5.75M, 10:$8M club option ($0.5M buyout)) seems very reasonable, even with his poor year(s) at the plate. Considering the salaries that Jones, Hunter, and Rowand are gonna get, I think a lot of teams will be willing to pay this for great defense and at least the possibility of regaining the hitting form of his last year in Cleveland.

lol arod + yankees 2gether 4eva

10 years lol

mankees better hope arod develops some bondian fondness for teh roids in a few years

Wait: Bonds did steroids?

YOU the fans stood up here. Understand that. Believe that. You were heard here. Understand that. Believe that. You weren't alone. There were other serendipitous circumstances. But that's OK. That's fine. All you hear, relentlessly, is that the fan's voice doesn't matter, that it's ignored, that it's irrelevant in our sporting world.

Mostly, that's true.

Just not this time. Alex Rodriguez heard you. He felt your wrath. He absorbed your scorn. If negotiations with the Yankees head where it appears they're heading - with Rodriguez returning, with the Yankees scoring a major coup against Scott Boras, bringing A-Rod back on their terms - then you are allowed a moment to stand up and take a bow.

Because you helped make it happen. Understand that. Believe that.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/11152007/sports/yankees/rodriguez_heard_voices_of_fans_286667.htm

understand

believe

YOU

This was the fourth-grader I talked to at a Modell's Sporting Goods in New Jersey a few weeks ago, who had asked his father if there was any way he could take back the No. 13 jersey he got for Christmas last year only to be told by his dad, in one of those harsh life-lesson lectures, that there's no warranty on baseball stars and greedy intentions.

here's what i bet the yanks are going for: dagger thru heart of sox by signing lowell. lowell to 3b, a-rod to ss, jeter to 2b. cano goes. that's what i'd do anyway.

...cano goes to MN as part of Santana deal.

lol let em have lowell - in a few years cano will be the best of the bunch

but theres no way jetes goes to 2nd - cant tred on captain winners ego like that

see this is where the sox are the yankees now trope gets ridiculous - sox never in a million years wouldve done that arod deal or even come close to it or for that matter signed anyone to a ten year deal. they didnt even bother getting in on the discussion.

Lowell did not hit esp well on road, btw. I'd let him walk.

Castro better start more than Yorvit at catcher this year, fer fucksakes.

do the mets have any chance of landing santana?

this winter, I doubt it. Don't think Omar will deal more than one out of Humber, Milledge, Gomez. But what do I know.

maybe the yankees can sign dustin pedroia to pitch for them

Maybe I'm just getting unsentimental in my old age, but FUCK YOU BRAVES FOR OFFERING ANYTHING AT ALL TO TOM GLAVINE.

That is all.

The Gambler fires Boras

http://blog.mlive.com/tigersinsider/2007/11/rogers_fires_boras_calls_tiger.html

Scutaro to Blue Jays for Kristen Bell and Graham Gouldman.

Kristian Bell, not:
http://www.givememyremote.com/remote/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/Kristen-bell-fanboys-leia.jpg

(One down, one to go...)

this is good news!

NEW YORK (AP) -- The New York Mets have broken off negotiations with free-agent catcher Yorvit Torrealba.

"We did not reach an agreement with Yorvit Torrealba. We are not in current ongoing negotiations with Yorvit Torrealba or his representatives," Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz said Saturday night.

The Mets and Torrealba were close to a $14.4 million, three-year deal, but weren't able to finalize the pact.

The 29-year-old Torrealba hit .255 with eight homers and 47 RBIs in 113 games for the Colorado Rockies this season. In the postseason, he hit .256 with a home run and eight RBIs.

I was sorta hoping the J's would have gone for something a little more... impact-y, lets say, at SS over the offseason.

not that scutaro is bad per se.

Garland for Cabrera is a terrific trade for the Angels! Maybe they'll finally give Brandon Wood a chance.

I thought it hadda be ORLANDO

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3118872

Mets on a roll w/ non-signings of Yorvit & Eckstein:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3118238

I thought it hadda be ORLANDO

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3118872

Where does that put Jazzhands Uribe? Didn't he recently re-sign? Can't remember the last time he played somewhere other than SS -- 2002/2003?

Mr. Kellman please report to the Yard for some hard Work, exciting developments about but we dont have yr email address, kplzthx1138

i think this opens the door for tejada to the angels and ramon hernandez to the mets. take my salaries, puhleeeeze!

D5: xndxkxllmxn at gmxxl dxt cxm (plug in appropriate vowels)

Hunter to Angels for 5/80 or 5/90, depending on who you ask. Poor little Gary Matthews.

Physical-pending one-year Kendall-to-Brewers deal

what Brewers thinking? Take Mota off Mets' hands for Johnny Estrada! (Who is OK, I guess, but I'd still like to see Castro start at least 70 games.)

i guess the brews figured they made it a little too close to the playoffs this year.

does anyone else think 5 years is a little much for Hunter? He's what, 33?

Yeah the general consensus seems to be that he's maybe only got another year or two at the most in CF and his bat doesn't play as well in the corners (and that's assuming he stays healthy which is a big if cuz CF don't necessarily age that well and he's already had a few dings here and there.)

I guess you old-style thinkers are in love with Estrada's OBP and tendency to only throw out 13% of his baserunners? Or is it his tendency to get into fistfights with coaches in the dugout? Or perhaps his hot-bear-like lack of fitness? Anyway, Mota is a hard thrower, Brewers have a lot of faith in Mike Maddux to make him good again.

Not happy with the Jason Kendall acquisition but he's the best available? Maybe? Well, hopefully Mike Rivera can platoon half the time or something, he's not bad at all.

Estrada's OBP, by the way, was a mean .296 this year.

yeah well, it was .374 or something that All-Star year with the Braves, and yes I know that's not gonna happen again. I haven't checked all his numbers. Didn't he just have 2 surgeries? His thrown-out rate usta be closer to 30% I read.

Time has done a number on him. Also, I know there's no quantifiable number on this, but "clubhouse cancer" has been associated with him for a couple of years. If we'd made the playoffs, I probably wouldn't care. Actually I don't care anyway.

What I'm saying is, good luck with him.

as with HGH, there is no test for clubhouse cancer.

castro/estrada combo should be ok

Estrada vs. Erstad train-wreck in 2005 was bad. Not Ray Fosse bad, but bad.

I guess the Angels missed out on ARod and figured they needed to rebound by signing another "big" bat. As if they need yet another guy who hits for a good batting average, has limited power, and rarely draws walks.

But yeah, Hunter's deal has all the potential that Darrin Erstad's deal did.

i.e. by decade's end, they could easily be paying $16M to a guy hitting .250/.310/.390.

however, they look like easy West winners next year.

or not, if vlad and TH both go tits up in july...

Many save opportunities no doubt looming ahead for Francisco Cordero:

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7480854

i know i say this whith every free agent signing - but wow, that's alot of money.

KEITH LAW
Hunter better than Matthews
Updated: 11/23/07

Way to go out on a limb.

Bludclot ARP3attack

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3122454

No CoCo, no Linebrink. Our pen is "Turnbow and Shouse and then we grouse."

"Turnbow and Shouse and beat your spouse"

"Shouse and Turnbow, by June they'll both blow"

Eek-a-Shouse

Shouse, Shouse, nobody's out

They are paying too much for Hunter, but they are paying way too much for every player these days. In Hunter's defense, he has shown more consistency than Erstad ever did. Darin Erstad is casebook for someone having one huge season and being able to back up the Brinks Bank truck. The most loopy thing about LA of Anaheim's big Erstad deal is that the Angels gave it to him two years after he actually did play like a big money player.

dudes: matt garza, jason bartlett and juan rincon for delmon young, brendan harris and someone pridie(?).

rays will have a pretty tough 1-4 next year and it looks liek they're still making a good faith attempt at getting their bullpen sorted out. watchout blue jays!

I'm disappointed his name isn't Someone Pridie.

The Twins will have a devastating left side of the infield.

I didn't realize that was a done deal.

btw, espnINSIDER is free this week, it appears.

How you feel about this deal appears to be contingent on whether you think Delmon Young will ever be anything more than a slightly more athletic Garrett Anderson. I'm saying probably not. Bartlett is a BIG upgrade over Harris AFAICT.

Young has a cannon (#4 of MLB RFs with 16 OAs)

Hmmn. Well if turns out to be Vlad Guerrero. . .

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=6959

OAs are deceptive though. You can rack up a lot of OAs just by having a ton of people run on you because they don't think you have a very accurate arm. That said I've heard Young has a good arm (even if he's not supposed a great fielder.)

Mets arre supposed to be fishing for either Bedard or Haren.

Bo (TX): Any chance at all that the Rangers become a player for Santana? 7 years of Santana is worth the prospects it would take to get the deal done.

Keith Law: (1:14 PM ET ) You only get one year of Santana. This is the big mistake everyone is making - if you acquire Santana, here is what you get: One year of his services at $13.25 million, plus a negotiating window (either a few days before you do the deal, or the full year afterwards). The value of that window is small, especially since you will have to pay him a market salary for those extra years. I think most of the published offers for Santana are too much because of the small value of that window.

lol larussa mad drunx http://www.breitbart.tv/html/8766.html

That's actually a damn good point, Keith Law.

But, thinking more about it, he's sort of full of shit:

1) I think there's a sense that whoever trades for him, if they can sign him in the negotiating window, will get a more affordable deal than bidding for him when he becomes a free agent.

2) In real terms, Law's point assumes that Santana will become a free agent after next season (i.e., trade for him now, giving up all this talent for one year of him, and then you have to sign him too, or wait a year, and sign him without giving up the talent), when, for all intents and purposes, he won't. The Twins' willingness to trade him, and other teams' desire to have him for '08 means that he's essentially a free agent now. The situation dictates that the cost of Johan Santana is talent+longterm deal, not merely longterm deal.

Anyway, if I'm the Sox, I do this deal in a heartbeat.

That deal seems too good for the Sox. Esp. since the Yankees seem to be making noises about giving up on Hughes (which seems thoroughly bonkers, but what do I know.)

yeah that deal is ace, aren't most reports saying that the twins are insisting on ellsbury instead of coco?

but i am not eager for the sox to sign him to an 8 year deal.

Yeah the deal seems less ace if they lose Ellsbury, but consensus seems to be that the Red Sox aren't giving up either him or Buchholz for just about anything and certainly not one year of Johan when the Red Sox already have a stellar starting pitching staff.

Time:Space:KazMat to the Astros, 3/15-16, LOL.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bb/5340665.html

The Astros will have a prototypical No. 2 hitter in Matsui, while also having Burke available as a backup infielder/outfielder or as a prime trade piece to help acquire a starting pitcher or a quality reliever.

Morning funnies

gooblar why do you do that deal??

we have everyone we already need.

Fair enough--which is reason enough for me to not be disappointed if we don't get Santana. We don't *need* him. But the chance to get the best pitcher in baseball for Jon Lester (ostensibly our sixth starter), Coco Crisp (ostensibly our second center fielder), and two prospects that have relatively modest ceilings is one I find hard to pass up. And who's to say we won't need him a couple of years down the road?

Santana, Beckett, Dice-K, and two from Schill/Wake/Clay does seem like overkill though, yes.

A page the Astros probably didn't consult before Kaz signing:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/parkfactor

bedard chat:

o's apparently rejected a package that at least included (if it did not entirely consist of) humber, heilman and carlos gomez.

Hendry's best offseason move thus far is losing the Kaz Matsui sweepstakes.

isn't that often the case? circumstances saving gm's from themselves?

see also: Rangers not overpaying for Torii Hunter

Tigers sign Rogers and Cruceta, DFA Shelton and T!MO.

http://blog.mlive.com/tigersinsider/2007/11/tigers_sign_rogers_and_cruceta.html

Wow, Omar M. having quite an off-season! I think Lastings is fairly overrated but you sell those types high, dude. don't need a no hit catcher and a platoon outfielder, thanks anyway.

Jose Guillen gets a huge deal from the Royals. I wonder what kind of language that contract has about steroids?

Rolen + $$$ for Capuano is word around here. I guess that's good for someone? (The Cubs?)

sort of surprised about the quentin deal also the nats deal for dukes. guess they're looking to unload kearns and lopez now.

re: milledge

the market on him has soured considerably and it may be that his offensive skills never really sinificantly eclipse ryan church.

Look for the Cubs to trade rehabbing former ace Mark Prior this week if they get even a decent prospect in return. The Cincinnati Reds, with new manager Dusty Baker, are one of the teams interested, but Prior's hometown San Diego Padres still appear the most likely destination if he's dealt.

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/cubs/679490,CST-SPT-cub04.article

The Braves, filling their need for a left-handed reliever, have acquired Will Ohman and infielder Omar Infante from the Cubs for Class AA reliever Jose Ascanio, according to major-league sources.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7525322?CMP=OTC-K9B140813162&ATT=49

lol @ Dusty Breaker

Joe Sheehan in Nashville:

Scene: Cal Ripken, Steve Finley and Jim Leyritz are sitting on a couch in the Opryland hotel.

Observer: “All that’s missing is Brian Sabean and a pen.”

yeah, that was hilarious.

"According to ESPN's Peter Gammons, the Red Sox and Twins are close to finalizing a Johan Santana trade after Boston added Ryan Kalish to the mix."

wow.

Johan Santana to the Red Sox is all but done. Jon Lester, a center fielder, Justin Masterson and Ryan Kalish are the package. More details now.

--Will Carroll, 5:15 p.m.

6:20 p.m., from Peter Gammons
• The Tigers have won the Miguel Cabrera sweepstakes. Detroit will get Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from Florida for six players -- Cameron Maybin, Andrew Miller, catcher Mike Rabelo and three minor league prospects.

"a center fielder"? WHICH ONE?

dear god... what a day.

It's gotta be Coco, I think, if Lester's in there (xpost).

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Marlins and Tigers are on the verge of completing a blockbuster deal that will send Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to Detroit for a package of six players.

A source familiar with the negotiations has told MLB.com that the Tigers are parting with outfielder Cameron Maybin and lefty starter Andrew Miller and four prospects for the final two players from the Marlins' 2003 World Series championship squad.

The deal was all but finalized as of late afternoon at the Winter Meetings.

The Tigers swooped into the sweepstakes for Cabrera and Willis on Tuesday and put together a package of players that the Marlins felt too tempting to pass up.

I've semi-frantically kept up on this all day and... HOLY MOTHERFUCKING SHIT.

HEAD = EXPLODED AND WHATNOT

holy shit

Did I REALLY need to move from 15 minutes away to 60 minutes away from Comerica Park?

(Of course I did, but......)

Granderson
Polanco
Sheffield
Ordonez
Cabrera
Guillen
Rodriguez
Renteria
Jones

Verlander
Willis
Bonderman
Rogers
Robertson

i wonder what the cabrera deal does to get things moving on the blalock, rolen and tejada fronts?

the first thing to move are the tears

With the love I have inside of me
We can turn this world around
We can live through all eternity
And we'll never touch the ground
We'll take a chance to ride upon a star
To a place that's far away
The light of love will shine on us
Forever and a day

Bustin' up on a cloud, shout out loud
You're the one for me
With your love by my side
The world will be mine
You're the one for me

With this true love I found
Picks my feet up off the ground to fly away
With this true love my dear
Takes away my every fear, don't go away

You just don't know what you did to me
But I'm not the same
Since you gave me love
That's sheltered from the rain
You just don't know how you make me feel
Your sweet lovin' girl, is so unreal
I've got love, love desire
From your lovin' my soul's on fire

I'm ridin' on a cloud
Got to shout it out loud, you're my all
Baby, hold on tight
For the rest of my life, don't let me fall

You're the one for me, yeah
You're the one for me

{Chorus to end}

You're the one for me, fatty
You're the one i really, really love
And i will stay
Promise you'll say
If i'm in your way
You're the one for me, fatty
You're the one i really, really love
And i will stay
Promise you'll say
If i'm ever in your ...
A-hey

All over battersea
Some hope; and some despair
All over battersea
Some hope; and some despair
Oh ...

You're the one for me, fatty
You're the one i really, really love
And i will stay
Promise you'll say
If i'm in your way
You're the one for me, fatty
You're the one i really, really love
And i will stay
Promise you'll say
If i'm ever in your ...
A-hey

All over battersea
Some hope; and some despair
All over battersea
Some hope; and some despair
Oh, oh ...

You're the one for me, fatty
You're the one i really, really love
And i will stay
Promise you'll say
If i'm ever in your way
A-hey

You're the one for me, fatty
You're the one for me, a-hey-hey
A-hey
A-hey
A-hey
A-he-he-he-hey

LOL

But according to sources he has already dropped 15 lbs.

Please let this be the year Dontrelle finally buys a D-Train record.

Hey, Dontrelle

Okay that deal is amazing for the Tigers.

Hamtramck?

In the 1961 Pony League World Series, Paciorek (a shortstop at the time) scored the winning run in the 10th inning to give Hamtramck, Mich., a 2-1 win and the title over San Antonio, Texas. Later, he played sports at St. Ladislaus High School in Hamtramck - a suburb near where Paciorek was born in Detroit in ‘46.

over/under on average Marlins paid attendance this year?

Maybe the Nats would like Scott Olsen.

tigers lineup is sick, but D-Train in the AL... uh good luck with that.

You're forgetting something -- D-Train will be pitching in one of the best pitcher's parks in the AL, so he'll surely do better pitching half his games in a park like that ... oh wait.

Please excuse my happiness over the Tigers obtaining a pitcher who is fun to watch. It was only five years ago that the team's starting rotation looked like this:

Redman
Sparks
Maroth
Weaver
Lima

Willis is replacing a combination of Chad Durbin, Andrew Miller, Mike Maroth, and Jair Jurrjens -- so, even a slight improvement over his '07 numbers would be a significant upgrade.

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/whitesox/680978,sox120407a.article

Less than a minute after listening to that message and doing his best to shake off the standing eight-count, Williams got a call from Sox outfielder Jermaine Dye asking what happened. Dye wasn't the only one asking that question as the Sox' offseason continued to go terribly wrong from what was hoped for.

Yes, they added shortstop Orlando Cabrera in a trade and free-agent reliever Scott Linebrink, but free-agent outfielder Torii Hunter and Miguel Cabrera were supposed to be the ''big fish'' that Williams spoke about three weeks ago. Those were the names Dye and Mark Buehrle were given when they signed contract extensions midway through the 2007 season.

Now Hunter is a Los Angeles Angel for 90 million reasons, while Cabrera is in the dugout of a division rival that instantly got a ''Hall of Famer'' in Sox manager Ozzie Guillen's estimation.

Asked if he was disappointed he didn't get Cabrera, Williams did his best Drew Rosenhaus and replied, ''Yes, next question.''

At best, I think Willis will have a year something like Zito 2007.

One insider believes that despite what the Yankees are saying in the press, the deal with the Twins for Johan Santana is anything but dead. "This is their M.O. in every way," he said. "I've been dealing with them for years on stuff like this, and they say it's not going to happen, and they wait for things to die down, and that's when they pounce. I bet they still get him."

--Kevin Goldstein, 2:50 p.m. ET

"At best, I think Willis will have a year something like Zito 2007."

That seems a little too pessimistic. Zito 2006 seems possible to me.

so apparently the Jays/Giants are talking a Rios for Cain swap - which I don't know what to think about really.

A healthy Rogers remains the key to le tigres' pitching staff, methinks.
Rogers' effect on Willis (and probably Bondo) could go a long way in bringing him (them?) back to where we (Tiger fans) hope he'll be.

But, is there any major downside to having 3 of 5 starters being lefties???

Matt (Hamilton, Ontario): If the rumour is indeed true, why would the Giants even consider dealing either Matt Cain or Tim Lincecum for Alex Rios?

Rob Neyer: (11:20 AM ET ) Because their projected lineup is a bad joke and Rios would be a great hitter in the National League. I know it would be painful to see one of those guys leave, but the Giants have to consider such things.

rios is too young. they should concentrate on glaus or bringing pierzynski back.

more Neyer:

The Tigers won 88 games this year. A lot of things went right for their hitters, and a lot of things went wrong for their pitchers. Cabrera balances a likely decline for some of the hitters, but Willis is a big question mark as he joins the Big Boy League. I think he might be the key to the Tigers' season.

reliable backpedaling from the Commish:

12:15 p.m., from Peter Gammons
• Don't expect to see a Twins-Red Sox or Twins-Yankees whopper. The sense is now that Minnesota will hold onto Johan Santana.

and lol:

11:22 a.m, from Jerry Crasnick
• With the Twins in search of middle-infield help, one potential target is free agent David Eckstein. "I've always had a lot of respect for him," said Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire. "He catches the ball. He knows how to play. He's a proven winner."

"He catches the ball."

Has any player ever received more faint praise than Eckstein? It's unreal.

E6ckstein.

Will Carroll: So what's the holdup? The long-known Sox and Twins deal for Johan Santana is on hold again due to medical issues. Jon Lester might need to see the Twins or an independent physician before the deal is finalized. While many are focusing on his history of cancer, that's not likely the issue here; the Sox, with their connections to The Jimmy Fund, have access to some of the best oncologists in the world. The Twins, I'm told, want to know that "his arm is pristine."

Hopefully this means the Twins are a little more concerned about Liriano's mechanics.

Current Twins 2B-3B-SS '07 slugging percentages:

Punto .271
Harris .434
Buscher .329
Casilla .259
Jones .338

And then:

Eckstein .382

Carroll again:

There's a lot of talk about the Mitchell Report suddenly, but it's not yet affecting how any team is acting. With the report once again scheduled to come out imminently, there's discussion of names it might name, and how the report's revelations will be handled. One name everyone expects to read is Barry Bonds, who most believe will sign with Oakland on a one-year, incentive-laden deal.

holee shit

Yeah if that's true that's creeeezy. I wonder what happens to Jack Cust.

I see there were Oakland denials of this about a week ago, tho

Especially since they still have Cust AND offered Piazza arbitration. There's no chance Bonds signs unless Piazza goes somewhere else.

The Marlins should be playing in the International League, what a joke. I think someone should buy them and move them to New Jersey or Las Vegas.

Who is going to play 3B for them? Do they have anyone at all who can play 3B?

they are one of the more profitable teams in baseball actually.

"This is not woe is the Marlins," Beinfest said, pointing to Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla and others still on the roster.

do not worry. there are others.

Jeremy Hermida was pretty awesome in the second half.

YET ANOTHER BLOCKBUSTER

Freddy Guzman to Detroit, Chris Shelton to Texas

Andruw to the Dodgers

Dontrelle to the Mets? No, that's not happening. Not anymore.

http://blog.mlive.com/tigersinsider/2007/12/dontrelle_to_the_mets_no_thats.html

Andruw Jones to LA, sensical as it is, is kind of blowing my mind

What's blowing my mind is the 2 years/$36M?!?! That seems like a steal!

"Light-hitting Juan Pierre, who had been in center field, could switch to left -- potentially reducing playing time for Matt Kemp or Andre Ethier."

Actually this comment in the ESPN article is the one that is baffling me the most!

haha, I'd love to see Torre bat JP & AJ 1-2.

Or use Pierre as a pinch runner/batboy

What's blowing my mind is the 2 years/$36M?!?! That seems like a steal!

-- Alex in SF, Thursday, 6 December 2007 14:27 (43 minutes ago)

2007
659 Plate Appearances, 74 Runs Created = 0.11RC/PA, one of the lowest in the Majors, certainly for a starter. Add in a 6.6 VORP in a contract year, rapidly declining offense/defense, career high strike out rate, career low walk rate, and I would say that I'm very glad that you're not in charge of my financials.

Can you show me evidence of his rapidly declining offense prior to 2007?

Even in 2007, his K and BB rate weren't too far removed from his career averages.

If he returns to 2005-6 levels, it's a huge steal for the Dodgers, definitely.

That's what makes it rapid.

I think the chances of Jones being an above average to very good OF (CF or RF) over the next two years is a lot better than Hunter being the same over the next two years AND the Dodgers don't have to pay him the same price over the next three years. It's a bargain.

And plenty of players have blip years where they underperform for whatever reason. The fact is prior to last year, Jones was consistently one of the best OFs in the game and the Dodgers are getting him while he's still young enough to perform close that same level and only committed to him for the next two years. This deal is as smart as Pierre's was dumb.

guys I meant that seeing AJ in a Dodgers uniform is blowing my mind - it's obvious that he's on the downslope

i greatly regret trading for AJ in the fantasy league last season.
nevar forget.

i'm sure he'll bounce back - but last year was an extraordinary "blip" from 50 home runs down to 24 (or something like that) & he hit .222! if i could capitalize numbers i would! right there! POINT 222!

Yes yes it was a terrible year (weirdly it was three grotesquely terrible months, two good months and one meh month, but whatever), but guess what that was LAST year! The Dodgers are paying for next year and the year after that. And Jones maybe ain't the second coming of Willie Mays anymore, but he's still a better than average fielder and is probably capable of being an above average corner outfielder (unlike Hunter, for example, whose offense only really plays in center.)

NY tabloid panic over Mets' pitching stasis is kinda lame. Uh, the Phillies won with THAT staff...

but he's still a better than average fielder and is probably capable of being an above average corner outfielder = 5th highest average salary in mlb?

I mean assuming Mets get the other Hernandez, what's wrong with

1. Pedro (fingers crossed)
2. Maine
3. Perez
4. Duque
5. Livan
6. Pelfrey, Humber or whoever they find between now and April

Not the Red Sox, but who is?

12:40 p.m., from Jerry Crasnick

• The Nationals have picked up two third baseman, signing Aaron Boone to a one-year deal and selecting Matt Whitney from Cleveland in the Rule 5 draft. Although Boone could fill a role as a backup at first and third, there are whispers that the Nationals are concerned about third baseman Ryan Zimmerman's health in his recovery from wrist surgery.

• At the moment, the Phillies are focusing on Tadahito Iguchi to fill their void at third base. Club officials don't much interest in Morgan Ensberg, who could be non-tendered by the Padres next week.

• The Marlins, in need of third baseman to replace Miguel Cabrera, could be a player for Ensberg. They also have the option of moving Dan Uggla to third base and playing Alfredo Amezaga at second base.

"but he's still a better than average fielder and is probably capable of being an above average corner outfielder = 5th highest average salary in mlb?"

The $$$ of the salary are less important than the total committment. It's $36M dollars for two years of a guy who could easily return to All Star form and is likely to at the very least be a 7/8 win above replacement player. And because of the low # of years, even if he turns out to be 2007 Andruw Jones for the entire time, at least he won't be on the books for very long (and he's still better than Juan Pierre either way.) Would you rather have three years of Mike Lowell for that same price? Or two years of Tori Hunter and then three more at the same rate as he turns more and more decripit?

In this market, 15-18 Mil for an outfielder isn't so bad. Bobby Abreu's skills have declined and the Yanks picked up his option (16 Mil or so?) without even thinking about it. Vernon Wells and Torii Hunter are both making around 17-18 Mil, they put up similar numbers and neither one are among the best players in the league. The only serious MVP candidates among OFers last year were Maggs and Holliday, and a lot of people thought Ordonez' contract was crazy at the time. The market is starved right now for above average players with superstar upside, and Jones/Hunter money looks to be the going rate now for that type of player.

Conclusion: if Santana doesn't insist on getting A-Rod money (but only over five or six years), he's nuts.

Padres re-signed Milton Bradley for 1 year 4mil, and selected a AAA infielder from Milwaukee named Crabbe in the Rule 5 to compete for the 2B opening.

no i agree generally with what you're saying, i just wouldn't use the word bargain.
xx-post

Well it's not a signing in a vacuum. Compared to the other deals this offseason and looking at the $ and the length, I think it's a pretty darn good deal (maybe I should have said PRACTICALLY a bargain haha.)

i just expected him to sign a short-term deal after his performance last year.

?

Anymore short-term and it'd be a... one year deal!

He would've been an awesome non-roster invitee.

Padres re-signed Milton Bradley for 1 year 4mil, and selected a AAA infielder from Milwaukee named Crabbe in the Rule 5 to compete for the 2B opening.

ah! the estimable callix crabbe.

great names in the rule 5. randor bierd? ray liotta?

sweet.

BenJoel (Chicago): What is Jim Hendry's fixation with 2B? He was going after Matsui, and now he's rumored to be chasing Brian Roberts.

Christina Kahrl: Well, one of these things is not like the other, and the real question there is whether anybody would equate the two. Matsui's a bad idea, while Roberts is a major asset. Put Roberts in a Cubs uni batting leadoff, then convert DeRosa back to utility play, possibly getting a lot of time in right, or deal him... I like that, assuming the Cubs can avoid dealing Soto or Pie in such an exchange.

Moneyball16 (Alberta): Andruw Jones Over or Under 250/330/480?

Christina Kahrl: I think Nate's leaked projection of .258/.345/.488 sounds about right as a mid-point, although I like the odds of his doing better than that.

Moneyball15 must've been taken.

The Cubs pieces in the Roberts rumors are Sean Gallagher and Ronny Cedeno, I think.

if so (re: cubbies rumor), boo. i've heard murton, veal, marshall and at least a good faith effort made at rich hill. who knows, though?

...and the jays are close to inking the duke!

Yeah, I heard Murton's name mentioned which makes sense if the Cubs really are going after Fukudome.

Pie's name is in there, too, but I think it's just a requirement to put his name in every Cubs rumor.

yeah, cubbies allegedly ruled out pie and hill out of hand, but to get a very good second basemen who is a legit leadoff guy w/ a little pop and is two years out from free agency, i don't think one of those dudes is too much to include.

I wonder how AJ and Mattingly will get on. Because I gather he was doing the opposite of whatever Terry Pendleton tried to tell him. I think he'll be better than '07, but not worth $36M/2yrs.

"worth"

A lot of talk in SF print/radio about Bonds current negotiations with 3 teams (1 NL, 2 AL teams) including the Oakland A's. I think Bonds is less than 2 years younger than Billy Beane.

have heard Cards in on that :/ put his locker next to ankiel, amirite

or albert p. :-P

the potential hideki matsui for giants pitcher "X" deal has me in a befuddled tizzy

The fact that the Giants want to trade Lincecum for ANYONE strikes me as kerrraaaazy.

^for real

at the same time - trading rios for lincecum is k-razy.

^ if you ask me

Lincecum: future dominant ace by everyone's measure
Rios: poor man's Torii Hunter

Then again, the Jays should be more concerned with building their offense right now.

^exactly.

the last line, that is. rios /= anyman's torii hunter!
and between mcgowan, marcum and litsch the j's should have enough "future" this-and-that's. it just doesn't make sense for the team and i'm glad the trigger wasn't pulled on this one.

everyone thinks lincecum's motion will get him hurt sooner rather than later. maybe the giants know something?

Yeah right.

Brewers - $10mn for Gagne

LOLs

The best part of the ESPN.com's story was a quote from Doug Melvin where he said (I'm paraphrasing) "yeah, he was terrible at the end of the year with Boston but we still see him as a potential closer". LOLOLOL at giving eight figures to a "potential" closer.

is here some theme going here to their bullpen?

gagne
riske
mota
torres
turnbow

that's a Riske pen alright.

And Torres might retire.

Bob (Los Angeles): You may have covered this somewhere, but how do you come out on Lincecum/Rios? I tend to think Lincecum has the higher upside, but that there's a lot less risk in the good hitter, particularly given the fact that Rios is already more established and that Lincecum is probably still looking at some growing pains.

Joe Sheehan: I'm not as thrown by the idea as most of the people I've talked to. The Giants are going to score 620 runs unless they add someone, and Rios has three controlled years left. His defense is great, and you need a great RF in that park.
And you make the essential point. Tim Lincecum has all kinds of talent, but how many pitchers, especially pitchers with funky deliveries and high college workloads, survive. This is a talent-alignment and a risk-management deal, and while I don't think it will happen, it's also not that crazy.

Risk schmisk. The Giants suck and won't be good for a couple of years at least. You want high upside going forward, not a guy who'll be long gone by the time you get good again.

GOOD GOD I LOVE THIS TEAM

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/nationalsjournal/2007/12/source_nats_agree_to_terms_wit.html

well, that's their first bum move in awhile. how's DC stocked w/ teen disco queens?

I'm interested in more info about this: "teen disco queens."

Kevin Towers, the San Diego Padres general manager, told The San Diego Union-Tribune he expected to learn as early as today whether Japanese free agent Kosuke Fukudome has accepted their multi-year offer, also saying he rated the Cubs as serious bidders.

link

Fukudome's ugly in that Hideki Matsui kind of way

Fuck You! Do Me!

"fwho koo doe meh"

fuck you dome.

otm

The Nats are stockpiling every problem child in baseball, aren't they? Now all they have to do is sign Bonds!

got mad luv for lo duke

Unless something's under wraps, as C Kahrl was saying in BP chat the other day, lumping in Milledge as a 'problem child' seems unfair. (However, some of those guys are bound to be undervalued talent, no?)

What could be hotter than Manny's grill? Manny's tighties, duh.

Cubs sign Fukudome to a reported 4 yr/$50 mil contract.

Tad Iguchi seems like a nice little pickup for the Padres. Too bad we don't have any outfielders at all.

Fuku in Wrigley PECOTA 2008 projection:

.289 /.401 /.504

That seems pretty fair.

I wanted the Padres to sign him really bad. I'm not looking forward to an outfield of Chase Headley, Scott Hairston, some shithead like Kevin Mench, and the rotting corpse of Brian Giles.

I guess now the Padres are talking about a deal that would net them Jason Bay and maybe Matt Morris or Xavier Nady. Jason Bay is just what they need... another formerly great Pirates outfielder with knee problems.

Two years after he first suggested that he'd benefit from a change of scenery, Orioles shortstop Miguel Tejada finally got his wish as he was traded to the Houston Astros today in president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail's boldest move to date.

In return for the four-time All-Star, the Orioles will get outfielder Luke Scott, pitchers Matt Albers, Troy Patton and Dennis Sarfate, and third baseman Michael Costanzo.

-Balt Sun

Wasn't there a time when the Astros were fairly well run? Wha' happened?

Well, they hired Ed Wade, for starters.

Am I missing something? Are any of those Houston players worth anything? I mean Tejada's coming off a bad year, but I'd still rather have a good right handed SS with pop in that ballpark than a bunch of junk.

aside from Scott, I dunno any of em, and am waiting for Christina Kahrl.

boldbury? what say you?

sort of a weird trade. i mean, probably figuring for change in leagues, scott and tejada have equivalent offense, but tejada's defense has really slipped. don't really know much about patton, etc. i'd cautiously give the o's the deg on this one, though i don't see it as our long awaited revenge for glenn davis!

Tejada has been in a steady decline (hitting and fielding) since signing his O's contract and has like 3 years/$40mn on his contract. The Astros aren't big enough to piss away money on aging, declining players.

actually, tejada only has 2/26 left on his k, but you are right about his decline. a move to minute maid ought to help his offense, but he's kind of a liability in the field if he stays at short.

Okay last year he was awful, but he was also injured for the first time in his entire career. Previous to that he'd been pretty consistently 300/350/500 w/ decent defense for his entire career. He's Luke Scott playing a premium position. Plus again he's a right hander with pop going to a league with a bunch of bandboxes. And that money is nothing compared to what free agents are getting these days.

wasn't paying attention to the article I looked at - 3/40 from 2007-2009. I guess they wouldn't really be on the hook for last year's salary.

Plus it's the kind of move which makes it look like Houston is TRYING to do something. Unless one of the half-dozen guys they gave up turns into somebody (and I didn't realize they had any somebodies in their minor leagues) then this is a good deal.

tejada wasn't horrible last year, but he's clearly adapting to his aging skill set, ie diminished power. he's only slugged over .500 three times, twice in his four years in b'more. it it likely that he he rises back above .500 at 31 after two years below? probably not. he does seem to have gotten better at getting on base in b'more, though, that may in part be mitigated by his proclivity for hitting into DPs.

i wouldn't say he plays shortstop. he certainly stands at the location in the infield where a shortstop generally plays.

you may be right, though.

Isn't Ty Wigs playing 3B for the Astros? (He's no great shakes, but he's still on the roster as far as I know...) And they've got Loretta and Matsui at 2B. I wonder if they're going to trade Everett or Loretta.

The Astros are going to be the new Orioles -- the worst big-payroll team in baseball!

i was just thinking that, barry. i forgot they had el caballo!

"The Astros are going to be the new Orioles -- the worst big-payroll team in baseball!"

Haha but the difference is that because the Astros play in the AL Central they might actually make the playoffs!

Rowand to the Giants for 5 years, 60 mil.

Ah, business as usual.

Haha he's only 30!

He's got to be the best Giants center fielder since at least the 1970s, though. I guess Brett Butler would be the main competition?

wall is padded?

Not sure Rowand will really be better than Marquis Grissom over the length of this contract to be honest.

WHERE IS THE LOVE FOR CHILI DAVIS

Brett Butler>>>Chili Davis. Brett was actually pretty darn good. No pop, but good fielder and good leadoff hitter. Juan Pierre wishes he were so good.

cruel world: will never hear Harry Carey say Fukudome :(

The team also announced it did not plan to offer deals to center fielder Nook Logan or left-hander Mike O'Connor by Wednesday's midnight deadline for unsigned players on the 40-man roster.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo(k)!

When he was 12 years old, Davis received a horrendous haircut, which earned him the unfortunate nickname "Chili Bowl". Later, it was shortened to "Chili".

Mark Prior just became a free agent. It's kind of sad but it makes business sense from the Cubs perspective, if his rumored salary demands are to be believed.

oh god, sabean and colletti are probably warming up their checkbooks.

The Rangers non-tender Akinori Otsuka:

Otsuka's career MLB stats:

ERA - 2.44
WHIP - 1.16
BAA - .222
K:BB - 217:80

meanwhile Eric Gagne gets a $10M contract... hmmm...

ya - Otsuka was a real head scratcher. what the hell is the logic behind letting this guy go?

old and hurt a lot? would think incentive based contract would still seem worth it though.

Yeah, health has got to be an issue. Anyway, dear Dombrowski: one of Otsuka/Calero, please.

Health has got to be an issue... unlike Gagne lol?

Twins just signed Everett heh.

Eckstein's a Blue Jay.

yup. not a bad pickup at 4.5 mil.

Health has got to be an issue... unlike Gagne lol?

Oh yeah.

Meanwhile...

PHOENIX -- The D-backs acquired pitchers Dan Haren and Connor Robertson from the A's in exchange for six prospects on Friday, and also dealt closer Jose Valverde to the Astros for pitcher Chad Qualls, infielder/outfielder Chris Burke and pitcher Juan Gutierrez.

Maybe Dan Haren can close!

Sigh. Well it was bound to happen. Quite a haul (SIX GUYS!) as far as I can tell.

Edmonds to Padres. Merry Christmas, Colby Rasmus.

He fills three of the Padres most favored player characteristics: old, white, and injured.

kuroda to the dodgers. shit.

http://yanksfansoxfan.typepad.com/ysfs/2007/12/the-official-yf.html

Ach, meant to go in the steroid thread, but who cares.

"cruel world: will never hear Harry Carey say Fukudome :("

I thought the very same thing, but at least I got to hear Harry say German Rivera, Buddy Biancalana, and Jesus Figueroa.

kind of related, but i find these imaginary contract clauses from the onion's baseball writer-amusing:

Royce Clayton
TORONTO BLUE JAYS

If he finishes the season with a batting average above .220, the Blue Jays pay him an extra $1 million. Finishing between .221 and .230 gets Royce a handicapped sticker on his car and the key to every bathroom in the city. If he does the impossible and hits above .231, Royce gets to choose any three people, players or citizens, to get beaned by B.J. Ryan fastballs.

Adam Eaton
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

Upon signing, Eaton received a certified doctor's note from the best psychiatrist in Philadelphia addressed to the commissioner's office, informing them that he must wear an iPod while pitching to drown out the inevitable boos that come with playing in Philadelphia. This, the doctor argued, will keep Eaton's fragile psyche in check, allowing the city's residents to sleep in peace without worrying about another "ugly incident."

jocampbell (Australia): Presumably the Marlins should have gotten a rather better swag for Cabrera (and Willis) than the As got for Haren. Did they?

Nate Silver: Almost definitely. I think there were two prospects in that deal that were better than anyone the A's got.

Prior's headed to the Friars
$1M/1yr

Wow. Those were his EXTRAVAGANT demands?!?!?

I'll say this for the Padres: there aren't a lot of teams in the league with six former all-stars in their rotation mix.

And even then I wouldn't even think they're the best rotation in their division... Arizona (Webb, Haren, Big Unit, Micah Owings), even San Francisco has a comparable if not better staff.

Yeah, well that's what happens when you have a bunch of old and/or broken down all-stars instead of a bunch of future all-stars.

Ya Cain and the Lincecum are so old and broken down.

Um you think maybe he's talking about San Diego?

Haha I'm so defensive about the Stupid Giants.

Leee heard "broken down" and "old" and just assumed I was talking about the Giants' offense, a reasonable assumption!

Hey now Rowand's bringing some new blood to the orange and black!

Jim Leyritz just totally killed a guy

Jim Leyritz would have made a great Anton Chigur.

Reigning Wood County Chuck Mangione Lookalike Contest winner traded to White Sox.

http://www.nickswisher.net/

http://bdd.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/1/3/3445503.html

Another nice haul for Moneybeane.

Jim Leyritz would have made a great Anton Chigur.

i read this as Jim Leyland. both are lolll

Not sure what to make of that deal. I mean I like Swisher, but he's a poor CFer and just a step below a true star. And the two pitching prospects are both supposed to be good, but TINSTAAPP and all that. Anyway time will tell.

Ratto's article about the trade had this great comment:

bears999 wrote:
This is the bright side of the efficient A's market. There is no need to buy season tickets. If the new, young AAA's are an exciting team to watch, just go and walk up. There will be plenty of good seats, except for when the RedSox coem to town. If they are not good, spend the summer doing something else. Horse racing neds new blood, and I hear the SF zoo is exciting.

Haha.

Way funnier than anything Ray Ratto's ever written.

Too soon.

brian roberts for ronny cedeno, sean gallagher and sean marshall/donald veal.

so they say...

so the O's are going for the '06 Marlins approach?

seems that way. latest bedard rumors: to m's for adam jones, chris tillman, calos triunfel and george sherrill or reds for homer baily, joey votto, johnny cueto and one other dude.

where was this Roberts rumor?

(I have no idea what team ronny cedeno, sean gallagher and sean marshall/donald veal are on)

multiple sources. other team is the cubs. that's where most of the action re: brian roberts has been happening, although there is also talk that the indians are putting an offer together.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2008/01/brian-roberts-t.html

Bedard for Bailey, Votto and two other guys?

Damn that is a tough price for the Reds if Bedard can become a free agent after next year. I don't know if Bailey or Votto will pan out to anything, but that stadium in Cinci I think can humble about any starting pitcher.

Bedard's stats are impressive considering he pitched in the AL East, which I think is pretty tough on pitcher stats. Putting Bedard as #2 in the Cinci staff would be improved.

Votto looked real good in his September call up and since Cinci refuses to either convert or move Griffey or Dunn to first, they need a regular first basemen. I think I would consider using Votto at least in a platoon possibly with either Jorge Cantu, who also played well in his try with Cinci or Jeff Keppinger.

Homer Bailey will only be 22 at the start of the season. Considering how far he has advanced, it seems kind of silly to throw him out for a one year loner, when they could keep Bailey around for another five seasons.

Personally I think the Reds should be trying to find people to build up their bullpen. Their starting pitching is no great shakes, but if the bullpen could hold a lead they would be a winning club.

That's one hell of a ballsy trade for the Reds, but considering the division they play in, it's not as risky as it would be for a lot of other clubs.

well, bedard would probably be cincy's #1, but a 1-3 of bedard, harang and arroyo would be formidable. also, bedard has two years until free agency, that's why the potential deals i've seen include so much from the other side of the equation.

also, cantu is gone. he was non-tendered by cincy and he signed w/ the marlins.

Is that a confirmed trade? Good deal for Baltimore if it is true. Lots of upside there.

I read Cinci isn't doing it.

I'm not sure that Bedard is that much over Aaron Harang. Harang puts in some innings, mostly as the Cinci bullpen is lighter fluid. The dude left with the lead to not get the decision ten times last year. As I said, that park in Cinci has to be the nu-king of the cheap home run.

I suppose the nice thing about getting Bedard for two seasons is a team could get a season and then try to deal him after next year to a big money club.

The problem is that the new Reds owners are wanting to win now and considering they have brought in someone like Dusty Baker who will blow at bats left and right for vet leadership, I'm not feeling that good. I would not be surprised if some of Bakers old players like Nefti or Rich Aurilla (who actually played OK when he was in Cinci) start showing up.

I'd rather see Cinci hold pat and see what they can get out of Bailey and Votto instead of dealing for a guy that won't be there in a year. Cinci has had some luck finding some talent out of other teams dregs with Josh Hamilton, Jeff Keppinger and Levi Burton. They have not had much luck when dealing established talent as they have gotten less than nothing out of Gary Majewski and Bill Bray.

The Reds have some interesting good young talent mixed with a couple of major big home run hitters. They will score runs, but everything comes down to getting that pitching improved and not kicking the ball around the diamond. Their defense was improved last year, but it is still pretty bad.

J's and Cards swapping 3rd basemen! wtf?
whoever gets the healthy one wins, i guess.

Nah Cards win either way. They HAD to get rid of Rolen.

ya - the more i think the more it looks sorta not-good for the J's.

Speaking of third basemen, who wants Brandon Inge?

Apparently no one.

"If I was Brandon Inge's friend," Dombrowski said, "I would tell him, 'You should catch.'"

I guess they don't hang out then?

wait so the a's traded swisher and haren, and are now dealing kotsay and street???? uh

um now the brewers have both jason kendall and mike cameron? braun moving to lf, bill hall to 3b, platoon of gwynn & gross in cf until cameron's suspension is over? what is happening?

*the orioles watch and wait*

could you guys plz specify these things are rumors, or link to actual trade stories? Rolen-Glaus is pending physicals (wow, what're the odds either will pass?).

lets hope hope one of them doesn't! $1.8 million to the Cards??!!!
Riccardi's reign of terror cannot come to an end soon enough.

how awkward will it be if the Rolen deal doesn't go through?

how did a hollowed out scott rolen not end up on the yankees?

morbs yr wish is my command

http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080114&content_id=2345176&vkey=news_mil&fext=.jsp&c_id=mil

"and are now dealing kotsay and street???? uh"

Kotsay:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3193556

Street:

?

The Chronicle also reported that an A's source referred to a rumored trade that would send arbitration-eligible Oakland closer Huston Street to Boston for outfielder Coco Crisp as "fiction" -- a favorite knockdown phrase of Beane's.

Please fail your physical, Kotsay. PLEASE.

bedard to the mets picking up again?

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2008/01/mets-prefer-bed.html

meh. everyday there's 4 new bits of speculation re: Bedard &/or Santana.

well, yeah. isn't that what this time of year is all about?

From Alan Schwarz on the NY Times Bats blog:

Christopher Shays, the Connecticut Republican, called the scene “surreal” in his opening remarks/diatribe, and then began some surreal questions of his own. He invoked the Black Sox scandal, and then suggested that players involved with steroids should be dealt with as harshly as Kenesaw Mountain Landis did with the Eight Men Out from 1919.

“Why should cheating be a matter of collective bargaining?” he asked rhetorically to Mitchell – who, as usual, had a measured and informed response.

“It has been settled law in the United States for more than 20 years that drug testing in the workplace is a subject of collective bargaining.” Showing some restraint, Mitchell omitted the requisite “duh”, given the solemnity of these proceedings.

Shays interrupted and plowed ahead: “But isn’t there a difference? The purpose of these drugs is not to give pleasure. It’s to give an unbelievable advantage to players.”

Shays continued, and later during his five minutes referred to Rafael Palmeiro as “Palmerry.” Mitchell kept his composure during a confounding question, regarding whether Palmeiro had tested positive “before his three-hundredth hit?”

A knowledgeable baseball fan despite recent events, Mitchell responded: “I’m sorry, before what?”

and more Schwarz:

Houston, you have a problem.

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform delivered its promised news early in the hearing regarding steroids today, saying that it was going to investigate Miguel Tejada, the All-Star shortstop recently acquired by the Houston Astros, for providing material false statements during the committee’s perjury investigation of Rafael Palmeiro.

Palmeiro testified in the previous round of hearings before the committee, on March 17, 2005, that he never used steroids. After his positive test for Winstrol later that year, the Committee investigated him for making false statements. While that investigation could not prove that Palmeiro had lied, it was possible that he had taken the Winstrol after his testimony.­ The inquiry did involve an interview with Tejada, who according to Committee chairman Henry Waxman might have testified falsely.

“In that interview, Mr. Tejada told the Committee that he never used illegal performance-enhancing drugs and that he had no knowledge of other players using or even talking about steroids,” Waxman said in his opening statement.

These hearings always wind up making Congress look worse than baseball does.

What are these family matters that Mattingly has to take care of? Is he adopting Andy Reid's kids?

http://www.kellie.de/fm1/fa_cast.jpg

sorry.

Ricciardi on Rod Barajas last off season:

"Look, we don't want anyone who doesn't want to be here. If you don't want to be here, we don't need you."

"We're happy with Zaunie and we'll remember this one."

Riccardi on Barajas this time around

"Here's 1.2 million, buddy!"

Rolen (wryly): "I can't believe I passed my physical."

oira61 (San Francisco): John, what's going on with Kyle Lohse? Couldn't he make the rotation of most major-league teams? Where do you think he'll end up?

John Perrotto: Lohse and his agent, Scott Boras, were hoping to hit the jackpot in a thin free-agent market but it didn't happen. He's almost certainly going to have to settle for one year now, which is far cry from the five-year deal he was looking for. I'd say he lands in either Philly or with the Mets.

Nick (NYC): Will the Mets end up with Johan?

John Perrotto: I think they will if they included Fernando Martinez in a deal. It seems that the Twins feel they can really bolster their farm system in a hurry by taking the Mets' offer.

Pete Happy is a Phillie. He might just hit 30 home runs in that stadium.

Apparently the Mariners are looking to trade every good minor league player they have for Eric Bedard (totally unofficial apparently and Baltimore is denying.)

w/r/t Pedro Feliz...

hoping that the Phils can sleep well at night paying $4M+ for a career .288 OBP guy.

dare I believe Mets as frontrunner for Johan?

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2008-01-29-twins-mets-santana_N.htm

Reports: Santana dealt to Mets

kept fernando martinez, too

fuckers

at least i'll get to hear that dipset "julez SANTANA SANTANA SANTANA" song in a nyc ballpark

wrong borough tho :(

a little luster back to the NL is good by me since the hometeam has zero chance of going anywhere

THUMBS UP ON THIS MOVE YES

as a red sox fan and occasional mets fan i could not be more pleased about this turn of events

As a Braves fan I don't really give a crap. The Mets will still find a way to blow it.

YANKEES LITE

Actually, now the Mets have a player that I actually like. If they get Bonds then I will like omg totally jump on the bandwagon.

you don't like pedro??

god thanks a lot you minnesotan bastardos, like we needed more pitching in the nl

FUCK YOU, JEW YORK

Wow, that's the best package they could get?

Wow, that's the best package they could get?

No.

well, maybe it was, if we can believe Klapisch's tale about the Yanks refusing to do a deal even without Hughes.

amazed about keeping Martinez and Pelfrey!

IN YO FACE, HANK

Now would be a good time for Frank Wren to see what it would take to get Erik Bedard. Unfortunately the first condition would probably be the death of Peter Angelos.

LOLrioles.

looks like someone's got their fantasy team name picked out!

Now would be a good time for Frank Wren to see what it would take to get Erik Bedard. Unfortunately the first condition would probably be the death of Peter Angelos.

-- Garrett Martin, Wednesday, 30 January 2008 15:57 (3 hours ago) Link

yeah, the worst part about this is that just a few days ago, when the bedard trade happened, all i could think is "man, the braves really could've put together a package for that dude" :[

the Mariners deal has maybe fallen apart though, I think. something about Adam Jones' old-man hips and/or Angelos being a cranky dick again.

ooooh!

GET IT DONE, WREN!!!!

bedard probably would end up being mike hampton 2.0 tho

no, the adam jones hip rumor is just that. mlb.com is quoting several sources as saying that bedard to the m's for "not pacman" jones, george sherill, chris tillman and two other dudes is imminent.

who knows?! i've heard this for weeks now, though if i were the phils and/or braves, i'd be seeing what i can pony up for bedard.

Santana wants Zito money. Mets are all "fuckin' Sabean..."

If Santana doesn't get it by Friday 5pmEST, he's still a Twin.

that's all?

and years...

Indications are that the Mets want to limit the guaranteed portion of the extension to five years, not including Santana's current contract, which expires after 2008. So if Santana's side is adamant that the deal extend beyond 2013, it's believed the Mets would insist that the back end of the contract not be guaranteed, but could include at least one vesting option year.

the mayor signed w/ the red sox? curious.

tick-tock on the santana deal... less than 2.5 hours and no budging.

deadline allegedly stretched to 6pm cst.

listen to Schadenfreude Shasta, TICK TOCK

DONE DEAL/good riddance

TAKE THAT BARRY ZITO!

Johan Santana reportedly will make $150.75 million over the next seven years under the terms of his deal with the Mets.

wow

If you calculate Santana's value purely relative to what Zito is earning, then this is a nice bargain!

yes.
it is also a gigantic wheelbarrow full of money.

That's a lot of cheddar.

Manny is so adorable.

okay, okay...the baltimore sun AND the seattle pi are saying that adam jones is in b'more for a physical today and the bedard to seattle for jones, george sherrill and 3 gigantic, young pitchers could be announced today.

if that's true - it's quite the deal considering what the twins got for Santana.

big bag of piss for the mariners

Granderson extended at roughly 5/30.

What are these family matters that Mattingly has to take care of? Is he adopting Andy Reid's kids?

http://media.courierpress.com/media/img/photos/2008/02/04/20080203-235840-pic-960405214_t220.jpg

Baseball coach's wife arrested

dude...she's 45? uh, rough life, i guess.

ts: kim mattingly vs tawny kitaen

I think that may be the face of meth. Only $50 bond. Sad.

fucking finally:

it's official. erik bedard to the m's for adam jones, george sherill, tony butler, chris tillman and kam mickolio.

yeesh.

AJ Pesh: The MPLS Star Tribune is reporting the Twins have signed Livan Hernandez to a 1-yr deal worth $5 million. Thoughts?

Rob Neyer: (12:34 PM ET ) Umm ... Didn't they do the same thing last year with Ramon Ortiz? Hernandez will post a 5.47 ERA while that $5 million is flushed down the toilet.

god lift them up where they belong: kris and anna benson back in the n.l. east!

that philly rotation is looking awfully fearsome!

Jeremy "FAT CATCHER" Brown, invited to A's spring training, announced that he would instead retire. Sensing defeat, Billy Beane signs another fat catcher (Matt LeCroy) to take his place.

Brown's career MLB line is pretty great!
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7759

.300/.364/.500 = retirement?

hey Brady Clark goes to Mets camp, hope he catches on, we still love him up here plus he's a 503er!

so i don't think we've done our usual predict-o-funtime thread (i don't really feel like starting one either) anyone want to take a stab?