Offseason: That is right sports fans, the regular season starts now. Congrats to my Giants for winning to top off the 2012 season. + Show Spoiler +
Now that it is all over though comes one of the most exciting times in baseball, the off-season. This is a time when the trades, releases, moves, and free agents comes in full force.
Once pre-season rolls around we will update the OP with more updated information. For now, we are going to start covering some of the big off-season moves.
Management Moves: Astros: No longer an NL club - changed to American League.
Front Office: White Sox: Buddy Bell promoted to VP/Assistant GM
Managers: Rockies: Walt Weiss Marlins: Mike Redmond Red Sox: John Farrell Blue Jays: John Gibbons
Coaches: Dodgers: Mark McGwire as hitting coach from Cardinals. Cardinals: John Mabry signed as Hitting Coach. Red Sox: Juan Nieves as Pitching Coach. Marlins: Tino Martinez as Hitting Coach. Astros: Eduardo Perez as Bench Coach.
Player Moves: There are a ton of free agents, offers, declines. We will just post trades and signings here: Royals: Ervin Santana traded to Royals from Angels for Minor League pitcher Brandon Sisk. Orioles: Ryan Adams suspended 25 games for banned Amphetamine. A's: Resign Bartolo Colon, 1-year deal. Yankees: Eli Whiteside off waivers from the Giants. Padres: Yasmani Grandal suspended 50 games for testosterone. Blue Jays: Jeremy Jeffress from Royals for cash, signed Maicer Izturis to 3-year deal. Red Sox: David Ross signed to Red Sox, 2-year deal. Tigers: Sign Torii Hunter to 2-yea deal. Blue Jays: Huge deal with the Marlins. Blue Jays got Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes, Emilio Bonifocio, and John Buck. Marlins got Yunel Escobar, Adeiny Hechavarria, Henderson Alvarez, Justin Nicolino, Jacob Marisnick, Jeff Mathis, and Anthony DeSclafani. Giants: Jeremy Affeldt signed 3-year deal. Cubs: Scott Baker signs with Cubs. As: The As send Tyson Ross and A.J. Kirby-Jones to San Diego for Andy Parrino and Andrew Werner. Blue Jays The Jays sign free-agent Melky Cabrera to a 2-year deal. Royals: Jeremy Guthrie signs as free agent with Kansas City, 3-year deal. Angels: Ryan Madson, 1-year contract. Braves: BJ Upton - 5 year contract. Yankees: Andy Petitte, Mariano Rivera, and Kevin Youkalis - 1 year contracts each. Reds: Jonathan Broxton - 3-years. Braves: Trade Tommy Hanson to Angels for Jordan Walden Nationals: Trade Alex Meyer to Twins for Denard Span. Pirates: Russel Martin signed - 2 years. Rangers: Joakim Soria - 2 year deal. Giants: Angel Pagan (4 years) and Marco Scutaro resigned, Andres Torres resigned for 1 year deal. Red Sox: Shane Victorino, 3-years. Nationals: Danny Haren - 1 year. Mets: David Wright - signed largest Mets contract, signed until 2020. Rangers: Trade Michael Young to Phillies for Josh Lindblom and Lisalverto Bonilla. Dodgers: Signed Hyun-Jin Ryu - 6 years, signed Zach Greinke - 6 years. Angels: Josh Hamilton - 5 year deal. Red Sox: Ryan Dempster, 2-year deal. Royals: Xavier Nady - minor league deal.
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Post moves here for the offseason and we will do some updates. What free agents/offer declines are most intriguing? Who do you want to see come to your team? What moves must your team do this offseason to be competitive?
What my Giants need: I think we need to trade Timmy. It has been made rather clear that he does not seem to want to be in SF, so I think we need to get something for him.
I am not sure though if we can wait for Belt at 1st to develop more. He has moments of brilliance and plays a damn good defensive 1st, but he really needs to figure out some of his batting issues.
We also are going to need a good strong plan for 2nd. Overall though, if we can get another good strong hitter, in almost any position, then we will be in good shape. That has been the story for a while now though.
As for other teams, I just can't wait to see what ends up happening to A-Rod in NY. They are many a talks swirling about him going to another team and the Yanks eating his contract. We will have top see though.
Not exactly sure what I want for the Nats. Laroche and Burnett opted out, and Edwin's deal is done, so those are holes to fill.
Initially I was thinking sign Bourn, move Morse to first, keep Tyler Moore on the bench. But with how great our prospect Brian Goodwin has been this past year and now in the AFL, I could see him coming up this year and being our Center Fielder of the future, with Morse in left and Moore at first to start.
As for fifth starter, I have no idea where to begin. I'm not in love with the idea of Greinke, and I'm very apprehensive of Lohse. I don't think Jackson or Lannan will be back. Kuroda for 1 year could be an OK option, if he takes it.
The Los Angeles Angels have traded right-hander Dan Haren to the Chicago Cubs for closer Carlos Marmol, according to multiple reports.
The move was first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times. A source confirmed to ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine that Marmol was traded to the Angels on Friday.
Haren finished 12-13 in 30 starts with a 4.33 ERA last season for the Angels, who had a $15.5 million option on Haren's contract for 2013. The Angels faced a Friday deadline on whether to exercise Haren's option or pay him a $3.5 million buyout if he became a free agent.
Marmol, who had to waive his no-trade clause to accept the deal, was due to make $9.1 million in 2013 in the last year of his three-year, $21 million contract.
Marmol appeared in 61 games for the Cubs in 2012, earning 20 saves and going 3-3 with a 3.42 ERA.
In his seven-year career, all spent in Chicago, Marmol appeared in 452 games, compiling 115 saves, a record of 21-28 and a 3.38 ERA. He was a National League All-Star in 2008. He pitched for the Cubs in the postseason in 2007 and 2008.
Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto was criticized for not acquiring a veteran closer last winter. The Angels began the season with Jordan Walden as their closer, but he struggled and Dipoto traded with the San Diego Padres for Ernesto Frieri, who had an up-and-down season. The Angels' bullpen had a 3.97 ERA, 12th in the American League.
Also Friday, the Angels did not extend a qualifying offer to free agent outfielder Torii Hunter, MLB.com reported, so Los Angeles will not receive a compensatory pick in next year's MLB draft if Hunter signs with another team during the offseason.
The Los Angeles Angels have traded right-hander Dan Haren to the Chicago Cubs for closer Carlos Marmol, according to multiple reports.
The move was first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times. A source confirmed to ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine that Marmol was traded to the Angels on Friday.
Haren finished 12-13 in 30 starts with a 4.33 ERA last season for the Angels, who had a $15.5 million option on Haren's contract for 2013. The Angels faced a Friday deadline on whether to exercise Haren's option or pay him a $3.5 million buyout if he became a free agent.
Marmol, who had to waive his no-trade clause to accept the deal, was due to make $9.1 million in 2013 in the last year of his three-year, $21 million contract.
Marmol appeared in 61 games for the Cubs in 2012, earning 20 saves and going 3-3 with a 3.42 ERA.
In his seven-year career, all spent in Chicago, Marmol appeared in 452 games, compiling 115 saves, a record of 21-28 and a 3.38 ERA. He was a National League All-Star in 2008. He pitched for the Cubs in the postseason in 2007 and 2008.
Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto was criticized for not acquiring a veteran closer last winter. The Angels began the season with Jordan Walden as their closer, but he struggled and Dipoto traded with the San Diego Padres for Ernesto Frieri, who had an up-and-down season. The Angels' bullpen had a 3.97 ERA, 12th in the American League.
Also Friday, the Angels did not extend a qualifying offer to free agent outfielder Torii Hunter, MLB.com reported, so Los Angeles will not receive a compensatory pick in next year's MLB draft if Hunter signs with another team during the offseason.
Well this is sure interesting. Marmol is good, but trading Haren? I guess the price difference came into as well. Hmm. I also found that Ryan Adams of the Orioles has been suspended 25 games for testing and having an illegal amphetamine in his system. As it is 25 games, it was not roids, but must have been narcotics.
Management Moves: Astros: No longer an NL club - changed to American League.
Front Office: White Sox: Buddy Bell promoted to VP/Assistant GM
not only are the BLue Jays without a manager , a 3rd base coach and a bench coach... in reality they do not have a GM either. They have a corporate politician posing as a GM.
Angels decline Haren's option after the deal fell apart with Marmol. I guess he'll command good money even though he had a mediocre season because there aren't that many options for a front-line starter. Angels trying to free up money so that they can re-sign Grienke, but he's basically the No. 1 option for SP this year.
Nothing's going to happen with A-Rod, that albatross of a contract can't/won't be moved for at least another 2 years. He still has 5 years and 110 million dollars left on the contract extension, and I don't think the Yankees are willing to eat up that much of the contract. The Steinbrenners are aiming to get to the 189 million threshold so that they don't pay the luxury tax with the new roster. Plus, the Yankees don't have anybody ready in the minors to promote, unless you entertain the idea of having Eduardo Nunez play a full season.
On November 03 2012 07:30 TheAmazombie wrote: What my Giants need: I think we need to trade Timmy. It has been made rather clear that he does not seem to want to be in SF, so I think we need to get something for him.
I am not sure though if we can wait for Belt at 1st to develop more. He has moments of brilliance and plays a damn good defensive 1st, but he really needs to figure out some of his batting issues.
We also are going to need a good strong plan for 2nd. Overall though, if we can get another good strong hitter, in almost any position, then we will be in good shape. That has been the story for a while now though.
As for other teams, I just can't wait to see what ends up happening to A-Rod in NY. They are many a talks swirling about him going to another team and the Yanks eating his contract. We will have top see though.
Why do you say that about Timmy? Do you have a source? Selling low on him right now doesn't make any sense and we do not have anyone to replace him, unless you want to pay for Grienke.
Belt will be fine as long as he gets consistent playing time.
The highest priority for the Giants right now is the outfield. I want to bring back Melky for cheap.
On November 03 2012 07:30 TheAmazombie wrote: What my Giants need: I think we need to trade Timmy. It has been made rather clear that he does not seem to want to be in SF, so I think we need to get something for him.
I am not sure though if we can wait for Belt at 1st to develop more. He has moments of brilliance and plays a damn good defensive 1st, but he really needs to figure out some of his batting issues.
We also are going to need a good strong plan for 2nd. Overall though, if we can get another good strong hitter, in almost any position, then we will be in good shape. That has been the story for a while now though.
As for other teams, I just can't wait to see what ends up happening to A-Rod in NY. They are many a talks swirling about him going to another team and the Yanks eating his contract. We will have top see though.
Why do you say that about Timmy? Do you have a source? Selling low on him right now doesn't make any sense and we do not have anyone to replace him, unless you want to pay for Grienke.
Belt will be fine as long as he gets consistent playing time.
The highest priority for the Giants right now is the outfield. I want to bring back Melky for cheap.
So in the past Tim has talked about want to play for his home in Seattle, he turned down a huge offer last year, and has always seemed to not really plan to stay in SF. I seriously doubt, if they don't resign him this offseason, which I don't see happening, that he will resign as a free agent with SF. I think that they might try to get something for him instead of nothing. I know that there are many rumors as well going around that Sabean, even though he says otherwise, is currently shopping Timmy, or at least keeping him as a trade option. Giants have a knack for finding good young pitching or solid older pitching. It is not a perfect system, but they tend to do alright. Hell, a lot of pitchers would have done more for us this season than Timmy. I just feel overall that even when he is not worth as much right now, they should at least think about it if Sabean even has the slightest feeling that Timmy does not have any intention of resigning.
I could see the Yanks eating A-rods contract. I doubt they would just play him off the bench, but you never know. It is all speculation.
The word around the campfire is that Giants great Matt Williams is applying and one of the lead candidates for the manager position in Colorado. I love Matt and would love to see him as a major player in baseball again, but as a Giants fan I despise the Rox and want them to fail at the same time. Damnit! This is the problems of a baseball fan in the modern era. Haha.
Players signed new deals today: Oliver Perez re-signs with the Seattle Mariners for 1.5 Million, one-year deal. Hisashi Iwakuma re-signs with the Seattle Mariners for a 2 year deal Joel Peralta re-signs with the Tampa Bay Rays for 2 years, 6 Million with an option for a 3rd year.
John Mabry promoted as hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals after Mark McGuire left.
On November 05 2012 08:32 TheAmazombie wrote: I could see the Yanks eating A-rods contract. I doubt they would just play him off the bench, but you never know. It is all speculation.
I still don't see the Yankees being able to move A-Rod to any team. If you're talking about a deal similar to the trade with A.J. Burnett, that deal was much easier to move because the contract was for 2 Years, 31 Million dollars left. The Yankees only chipped in 13 million for the Pirates to take him. The size of that contract really prevents a deal made by either side. The only option I see is to start A-Rod at third base, or sign a third baseman and let him DH. The problem with that idea though is there are not that many third basemen in the market (The only 3B on the market are Youkilis, Chavez, Polanco, Rolen and Inge).
The dark days of the never ending Arod contract... oi. On the positive side of things, at least I know the Angels and Tigers will probably be much worse off right as Arod's contract is expiring. Whoo schadenfredue.
On November 06 2012 10:01 zer0das wrote: The dark days of the never ending Arod contract... oi. On the positive side of things, at least I know the Angels and Tigers will probably be much worse off right as Arod's contract is expiring. Whoo schadenfredue.
I find 80% of my baseball experience is steeped in schadenfreude.
On November 06 2012 08:35 Phelix wrote: Players signed new deals today: Oliver Perez re-signs with the Seattle Mariners for 1.5 Million, one-year deal. Hisashi Iwakuma re-signs with the Seattle Mariners for a 2 year deal Joel Peralta re-signs with the Tampa Bay Rays for 2 years, 6 Million with an option for a 3rd year.
John Mabry promoted as hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals after Mark McGuire left.
On November 05 2012 08:32 TheAmazombie wrote: I could see the Yanks eating A-rods contract. I doubt they would just play him off the bench, but you never know. It is all speculation.
I still don't see the Yankees being able to move A-Rod to any team. If you're talking about a deal similar to the trade with A.J. Burnett, that deal was much easier to move because the contract was for 2 Years, 31 Million dollars left. The Yankees only chipped in 13 million for the Pirates to take him. The size of that contract really prevents a deal made by either side. The only option I see is to start A-Rod at third base, or sign a third baseman and let him DH. The problem with that idea though is there are not that many third basemen in the market (The only 3B on the market are Youkilis, Chavez, Polanco, Rolen and Inge).
Yeah, as for A-Rod, that may be. I really don't know enough of what the Yanks have for other 3rd base options, but as it looks now if they don't go out and get Rolen or Polanco, which I don't think they will, then you will probably just start A-Rod, but I imagine there might be a short leash if that ends up being the case.
Other player moves: the Yanks sign Eli Whiteside off waivers from the Giants. I have to say that I always felt that Whiteside was a really strong backup when he played for us consistently a few years back, but I imagine that something was not working right for him because in the last couple of years they left in the minors and brought up other young backups instead.
Jason Bay was so bad with the Mets that they terminated his contract a year early, and are able to spread the 21 million dollars that the Mets owed him.
MLB is thinking about changing the rules on September call-ups. In the current system, rosters expand to 40 on September 1st. What MLB is thinking is that the rosters should have a smaller, consistent limit because of minor league baseball playoffs, as well as balance where a team would have an advantage in the number of players.
On November 08 2012 11:13 Phelix wrote: Jason Bay was so bad with the Mets that they terminated his contract a year early, and are able to spread the 21 million dollars that the Mets owed him.
MLB is thinking about changing the rules on September call-ups. In the current system, rosters expand to 40 on September 1st. What MLB is thinking is that the rosters should have a smaller, consistent limit because of minor league baseball playoffs, as well as balance where a team would have an advantage in the number of players.
So I heard about an idea to make it where they are allowed a 40 man roster, but can only pick 25 each night that will be available for each game in an attempt to curtail this long ass games in September with a million pitching changes. I think it might be a good idea.
On November 08 2012 12:20 TheAmazombie wrote: So I heard about an idea to make it where they are allowed a 40 man roster, but can only pick 25 each night that will be available for each game in an attempt to curtail this long ass games in September with a million pitching changes. I think it might be a good idea.
That sounds like a good idea, except that teams would abuse it by removing the players that were planned to give a day off, such as the starting pitcher who threw the previous game.
Actually, I'd advocate removing this rule, because why should the last month that teams are able to expand and use their rosters while this isn't allowed in any other month. Also, this would most certainly get rid of the arbitration clock process for players, a rule that makes no sense at all to any fan.
On November 08 2012 12:20 TheAmazombie wrote: So I heard about an idea to make it where they are allowed a 40 man roster, but can only pick 25 each night that will be available for each game in an attempt to curtail this long ass games in September with a million pitching changes. I think it might be a good idea.
That sounds like a good idea, except that teams would abuse it by removing the players that were planned to give a day off, such as the starting pitcher who threw the previous game.
Actually, I'd advocate removing this rule, because why should the last month that teams are able to expand and use their rosters while this isn't allowed in any other month. Also, this would most certainly get rid of the arbitration clock process for players, a rule that makes no sense at all to any fan.
Well, it does in the sense that it gives some young players a chance, especially for teams that are not in the running, work on getting some guys some at bats, some pitches, some experience. I agree that it can be a bit annoying, but overall I like the rule. I am not against though some changes to it.
More news from today, and I want some opinions from Blue Jays fans:
Maicer Izturis signed to 3-year deal with the Jays. Also, the Jays pick up pitcher Jeremy Jeffress from Royals for cash. Now, I don't know enough about these players or how they would fit into the Jays club to =make any informed opinion. Is this a good thing?
Congrats to Buster on the Silver Slugger! AL Silver Sluggers: Prince Fielder Robinson Canó Miguel Cabrera Derek Jeter Josh Hamilton Mike Trout Josh Willingham A.J. Pierzynski Billy Butler
NL Silver Sluggers: Adam LaRoche Aaron Hill Chase Headley Ian Desmond Andrew McCutchen Jay Bruce Ryan Braun Buster Posey Stephen Strasburg
As many Giants fans booed and hissed at Zito over the years, I was always a Zito fan and supported his efforts. It always bothered me that people would give him so much crap, but when you saw his run support over his tenure with the Giants he was almost always one of the most shafted players in all of baseball. It is good to see him get some recognition for his efforts. He kept trying when he could have just taken the money and gone away into that cold night. =)
Good to see Tino Martinez back into baseball as he becomes the hitting coach of the Florida Marlins. Eduardo Perez, the previous hitting coach, goes to the Houston Astros as the bench coach.
I remember those years where Zito would get low to no run support, as well as Matt Cain over those years where the Giants offense was non-existent. Plus, his singing is hilarious, especially his rendition of A Man's Gotta Do What A Man's Gotta Do.
On November 10 2012 08:19 Phelix wrote: Good to see Tino Martinez back into baseball as he becomes the hitting coach of the Florida Marlins. Eduardo Perez, the previous hitting coach, goes to the Houston Astros as the bench coach.
I remember those years where Zito would get low to no run support, as well as Matt Cain over those years where the Giants offense was non-existent. Plus, his singing is hilarious, especially his rendition of A Man's Gotta Do What A Man's Gotta Do.
Tino is a good baseball man. Too bad he is on the Marlins...let's see how long it takes for them to fire or trade him. In other news from the day though, David Ross signs 2-year deal with Red Sox.
Jeffress has a really nice arm and good stuff... he has a tonne of potential.
the problem is he has been caught for drugs in the minors on 2 occasions and has a rumoured reputation for being a "problem child"... AA believes the Blue Jays alleged superior club- house//organization karma/vibe/feel can turn around a "problem child".
Jeffress is a good "shot in the dark" type of pick up... he cost nothing and will probably end up being nothing... but it can't hurt to try.
its interesting to see what happens when u pick up a collection of "problem children" such as Jeffress, Escobar, and Rasmus and put them in the same dugout.
izturis is a solid utility guy who can back up any where on the infield freeing up Alex Antho to "wheel and deal" with infielders. should the music stop while 1 of hte chairs is not filled the Manager can plug Izturis into this place.
Izturis is more valuable to Toronto than your garden variety utility guy because he is NOT AMERICAN. Americans are loathe to go through customs and dislike the "cultural change" between Canada and the USA. NonAmericans are always adjusting to this and going through customs so its easier for the Jays to hold onto a non-American.
Miami gave them a new stadium just to see one year of 'superstar' spending.
Yeah, I posted a great article in the 2012 thread about how the Marlins owners were basically con-men that stole a bunch of money from Miami on a sack of lies about their team, and half-way through last season they were already proving themselves to be those con-men. Not to mention that park looks stupid as hell.
This is why civic institutions should absolutely never pay for the construction of "public" sport stadiums. While it's a pretty terrible thing, I hope cities like Sacramento and Oakland are watching.
I thought it was good to see someone calling them out other than just the fans...then again it is not like Florida fans seem to give 2 shits about any of their teams half the time anyway (except the Heat that is.)
I'd like to just echo the comments that Alan Ashby and Greg Zaun have made about how much this trade improves the Jays. It does not make them a certainty to make the playoffs, but it improves their chances in 2013.
Johnson is on the last year of his contract though.
Keep in mind that the new Marlins manager was the High-A ball manager in the Jays system and knows a lot about the minor leaguers headed to Miami.
Hechavarria will never be a very good hitter. Right now there MIGHT BE 3 shortstops in the majors that are better fielders than Hechavarria.. The question with Hechavarria is can he hit .250 and get a few walks so that he is not a liability in the batting order. Unless Hechavarria goes on a Lenny Dykstra style steroid binge he'll never be a power hitter.
Reyes will greatly improve his offensive statistics in the Rogers Centre.
Henderson Alverez is going to be a very very good pitcher... like 150+ career wins.
The Blue Jays gave up a shit-tonne of talent to contend for 1 year... if they do not re-sign Johnson.
I link up the live interview of Alan Ashby and Greg Zaun when it becomes available.
I thought it was good to see someone calling them out other than just the fans...then again it is not like Florida fans seem to give 2 shits about any of their teams half the time anyway (except the Heat that is.)
and an extension to the article, written this week
On November 14 2012 14:32 slyboogie wrote: This is why civic institutions should absolutely never pay for the construction of "public" sport stadiums. While it's a pretty terrible thing, I hope cities like Sacramento and Oakland are watching.
ironically, Jeff Loria fucked over Montreal because the city refused to build the Expos a free stadium.
No one should be suprised at the scumbaggery that is Loria and his ownership of teams with the Expos and the Marlins. However, as long as Bud Selig is there to pick and choose owners, and the fact that cities and municipalities are willing to finance new stadiums, while the ownership group only has to pay a small share of the costs, I don't see this type of behavior stopping anytime soon.
On November 15 2012 02:55 Ferrose wrote: Anyone know anything about the latest batch of Japanese FAs that want to come to the MLB this year?
Well, there's not much that I know about the Japanese players that are not over here yet. There are two players that I know of: Kyuji Fujikawa is a closer from the Hanshin Tigers who pitched in the WBC, and Hiroyuki Nakajima, a shortstop that went through the posting fee system last year, but did not sign with the Yankees.
Of course, there was the big lefty Ryu Hyun-Jin from Korea, where the Dodgers posted $27 million for him.
I'm of the opinion that sports team are the same as yachts. But I also appreciate intellectual honesty and philosophical consistency. Loria is honest and consistent in his behavior - he's scummy and greedy, but I don't think anyone didn't already know this. Honestly, as bad as I feel for the fans of the Marlins and citizens of Miami, you should never use public money to enrich....rich dudes.
Tigers are going to sign Torii Hunter for 2 years and 26 million. Hopefully we still have enough money to keep Anibal Sanchez, but the rumor is that he is looking for 6 years and 90 million. That is crazy money for his value.
On November 15 2012 04:25 feanor1 wrote: Tigers are going to sign Torii Hunter for 2 years and 26 million. Hopefully we still have enough money to keep Anibal Sanchez, but the rumor is that he is looking for 6 years and 90 million. That is crazy money for his value.
WTF?! 15mil a year for a guy who's claim to fame was a no-hitter when he was a kid? I think Anibal is good, but not 15mil a year good, let alone worth signing to a long-term contract.
On November 15 2012 04:25 feanor1 wrote: Tigers are going to sign Torii Hunter for 2 years and 26 million. Hopefully we still have enough money to keep Anibal Sanchez, but the rumor is that he is looking for 6 years and 90 million. That is crazy money for his value.
WTF?! 15mil a year for a guy who's claim to fame was a no-hitter when he was a kid? I think Anibal is good, but not 15mil a year good, let alone worth signing to a long-term contract.
Then again, SP has no depth this year. The top SP FAs are Grienke, Sanchez, Kuroda, and Haren. When these are your options, and teams are always desperate for pitching, anything can happen. This is crazy, but the market dictates the price. Besides, out of all those starters, Sanchez does have the upside as Grienke, Haren, and Kuroda are already established/old.
On November 15 2012 04:25 feanor1 wrote: Tigers are going to sign Torii Hunter for 2 years and 26 million. Hopefully we still have enough money to keep Anibal Sanchez, but the rumor is that he is looking for 6 years and 90 million. That is crazy money for his value.
WTF?! 15mil a year for a guy who's claim to fame was a no-hitter when he was a kid? I think Anibal is good, but not 15mil a year good, let alone worth signing to a long-term contract.
Then again, SP has no depth this year. The top SP FAs are Grienke, Sanchez, Kuroda, and Haren. When these are your options, and teams are always desperate for pitching, anything can happen. This is crazy, but the market dictates the price. Besides, out of all those starters, Sanchez does have the upside as Grienke, Haren, and Kuroda are already established/old.
I totally understand this, but at the same time, it sounds like more teams need to spend some time and money establishing a farm system like the Giants have. Their formula is to draft and develop young pitchers (SP and RP), then if they work out they can either keep then for the team for cheap for a good number of years, or trade them for bats. It is not a perfect system, but it confuses me as to why more teams don't work on developing young pitchers as much. For the Giants it is also good because it feeds right into their pitcher-friendly ballpark and brand of west-coast NL ball.
On November 15 2012 05:44 JimmyJRaynor wrote: the only way a low budget team can take down a big budget team over 162 is with home grown starting pitching.
in a short playoff series any team can beat any other team...
didn't Canada beat the USA in a WBC game?
Exactly. This is why I never understood why The Pirates would constantly trade away any decent prospects they had...then wonder why they still can't even get to a +.500 season since Bonds left in '92.
On November 15 2012 02:55 Ferrose wrote: Anyone know anything about the latest batch of Japanese FAs that want to come to the MLB this year?
theyre all 30-somethings in the later stages of their careers. and they will be asking alot considering past jp deals ... dont think they will get picked up unless they take less money
On November 15 2012 05:44 JimmyJRaynor wrote: the only way a low budget team can take down a big budget team over 162 is with home grown starting pitching. in a short playoff series any team can beat any other team... didn't Canada beat the USA in a WBC game?
Exactly. This is why I never understood why The Pirates would constantly trade away any decent prospects they had...then wonder why they still can't even get to a +.500 season since Bonds left in '92.
he looked so skinny sliding into home plate in that 1991 playoff game. it looks like Barry Bonds kid brother is playing for the Pirates in that game
On November 15 2012 05:44 JimmyJRaynor wrote: the only way a low budget team can take down a big budget team over 162 is with home grown starting pitching. in a short playoff series any team can beat any other team... didn't Canada beat the USA in a WBC game?
Exactly. This is why I never understood why The Pirates would constantly trade away any decent prospects they had...then wonder why they still can't even get to a +.500 season since Bonds left in '92.
he looked so skinny sliding into home plate in that 1991 playoff game. it looks like Barry Bonds kid brother is playing for the Pirates in that game
I know. I remember watching that game live and rooting for the Pirates at the time as well. Haha. They lost Bonds and Bonilla that season and have never recovered. Last season, almost...but just a few games shy of that .500 mark.
On November 15 2012 09:41 Jaaaaasper wrote: Well the blue jays lose all right to complain about spending in the AL east ever again. The Marlins are going fire sale again, I for one am shocked.
I am sure you are. It is a bit weird...I mean, Marlins have a history of fire sales, but only after winning World Series titles...strange, huh?
They lost all rights to complain when the Tampa Bay Devil Rays made it to the playoffs in 2008.
The bottom line is that Friedman has out-General-Managed Ricciardi and Anthopoulos by an order of magnitude.
The Blue Jays need to find a better General Manager and Beeston's nose is getting bigger and redder every year proving he is just a stinkin' drunk who rode on the coat tails of pat gillick's genius.
according the Johnson's agent he will declare free agency at the end of 2013. this is a high price to pay for 1 year.
On November 15 2012 16:17 monty wrote: affeldt re-signs for 3/18. this is too many years for an old reliever ;/ and torii hunter's deal is gonna drive up the price for outfielders this offseason verlander and kershaw should've won the cy youngs
if a pitcher follows the Nolan Ryan exercise regime ( no easy feat ) and injuries do not pile up then they can maintain their velocity until they are 45.
Affeldt's injuries have been non-baseball related and were not to his throwing arm.
San Fran obviously knows him very well. If he has been injury free the past few years then its not a horrible deal.... it is the reality of the marketplace when it comes to holding onto reliable injury free veteran pitching.
You guys could get Alex Anthopolous to be your GM and he can give him away for sandwich draft picks like the Blue Jays did with Scott Downs.( and u can't even get draft picks for most lost FAs with the change in rules )
On November 15 2012 16:17 monty wrote: affeldt re-signs for 3/18. this is too many years for an old reliever ;/ and torii hunter's deal is gonna drive up the price for outfielders this offseason verlander and kershaw should've won the cy youngs
if a pitcher follows the Nolan Ryan exercise regime ( no easy feat ) and injuries do not pile up then they can maintain their velocity until they are 45.
Affeldt's injuries have been non-baseball related and were not to his throwing arm.
San Fran obviously knows him very well. If he has been injury free the past few years then its not a horrible deal.... it is the reality of the marketplace when it comes to holding onto reliable injury free veteran pitching.
You guys could get Alex Anthopolous to be your GM and he can give him away for sandwich draft picks like the Blue Jays did with Scott Downs.( and u can't even get draft picks for most lost FAs with the change in rules )
Not to mention, I think that even with Affeldt half-healthy he still maintains some of the best left-handed breaking movement. I think that it is not an unreasonable amount, but a tad high. When we have a bullpen with him and Lopez in there, those late-inning heroics by opponents can often be kept to a minimum.
Uh boy, Selig is spending some time "looking in to" the Marlins-Jays trade. Now, I know this is common, but it is very uncommon for him to speak about it and speak about looking into the pending trade. Let's see what the old boy has to say about this one...
Melky Cabrera signs with the Jays for 2-YR, $16 million deal. Guess Toronto really wants to own the headlines in the early offseason. I don't think that Melky will encounter the same success in the AL.
On November 17 2012 09:10 Phelix wrote: Melky Cabrera signs with the Jays for 2-YR, $16 million deal. Guess Toronto really wants to own the headlines in the early offseason. I don't think that Melky will encounter the same success in the AL.
He hit well in SF, and the Roger's Centre is a much more hitter-friendly park......
On November 17 2012 09:10 Phelix wrote: Melky Cabrera signs with the Jays for 2-YR, $16 million deal. Guess Toronto really wants to own the headlines in the early offseason. I don't think that Melky will encounter the same success in the AL.
as long as he stays on steroids or testosterone or HGH or whatever it was he'll hit just fine in Toronto.
The Blue Jays organization has a fuck tonne of experience getting the most out of players from the Dominican. The park is hitter friendly.
John Gibbons re-joins as the Jays Manager. Having arguments between Ted Lilly and Shea Hillenbrand on the first stint didn't disqualify him for the job.
Gibbons is a pretty good manager. During parts of his first stint the with Blue Jays their payroll was 25% of the Yankee payroll. Considering the talent on the team and the # of games they had to play against teams with giant payrolls a 305-305 record is pretty damn good.
David Wells threw a ball into left field when ask to leave the game by Cito Gaston during a heated shouting match on the pitching mound. in 2010 Cito had a shouting match with Kevin Gregg on the mound. Later Kevin Gregg apologized. David Wells never did. What David Wells did do though, is have his best pitching years under Cito Gaston despite the fact that he hated him.
Anthopolouseseses job is on the line and he knows it. So he made an ultra-safe choice in a guy he knows very well. If I were in Anthopolouseseses position i'd be doing the same damn thing.
On November 22 2012 09:34 JimmyJRaynor wrote: Gibbons is a pretty good manager. During parts of his first stint the with Blue Jays their payroll was 25% of the Yankee payroll. Considering the talent on the team and the # of games they had to play against teams with giant payrolls a 305-305 record is pretty damn good.
David Wells threw a ball into left field when ask to leave the game by Cito Gaston during a heated shouting match on the pitching mound. in 2010 Cito had a shouting match with Kevin Gregg on the mound. Later Kevin Gregg apologized. David Wells never did. What David Wells did do though, is have his best pitching performances under Cito Gaston despite the fact that he hated him.
Anthopolouseseses job is on the line and he knows it. So he made an ultra-safe choice in a guy he knows very well. If I were in Anthopolouseseses position i'd be doing the same damn thing.
Yeah, but Boomer was Boomer. Hell, he even claimed to be hung over when he threw his perfect game in '98. Also, there is a big difference between a young Gregg and a young Wells. Not defending his behavior, but that was sort of his style. Ha.
On November 22 2012 09:34 JimmyJRaynor wrote: Gibbons is a pretty good manager. During parts of his first stint the with Blue Jays their payroll was 25% of the Yankee payroll. Considering the talent on the team and the # of games they had to play against teams with giant payrolls a 305-305 record is pretty damn good.
David Wells threw a ball into left field when ask to leave the game by Cito Gaston during a heated shouting match on the pitching mound. in 2010 Cito had a shouting match with Kevin Gregg on the mound. Later Kevin Gregg apologized. David Wells never did. What David Wells did do though, is have his best pitching performances under Cito Gaston despite the fact that he hated him.
Anthopolouseseses job is on the line and he knows it. So he made an ultra-safe choice in a guy he knows very well. If I were in Anthopolouseseses position i'd be doing the same damn thing.
Yeah, but Boomer was Boomer. Hell, he even claimed to be hung over when he threw his perfect game in '98. Also, there is a big difference between a young Gregg and a young Wells. Not defending his behavior, but that was sort of his style. Ha.
David Wells was 29 when he threw the ball into left field and Gregg was 32. Examining their careers it appears Cito Gaston's "tough love" approach clearly worked. I could care less about the silly whining and moaning these guys do.
Wells pitches better when he is in a bad position with his manager.
MIAMI -- When Mark Buehrle signed a four-year, $58 million contract with the Marlins last December, the veteran left-hander felt he would be with the organization for the long haul.
But on Monday, the Gold Glove Award-winning pitcher was traded to the Blue Jays as part of a 12-player deal.
Per team policy, the Marlins do not include no-trade clauses. But Buehrle claims he was given verbal assurances that he wouldn't be moved.
On Wednesday afternoon, Buehrle and his agent, Jeff Berry, co-head of CAA Baseball, issued a statement regarding the trade.
"In an offseason of change and uncertainty, the overriding factor in Mark's signing with Miami was Ozzie Guillen and the level of comfort his presence provided Mark and his family," Berry said. "While the Marlins were the highest bidder, baseball had already made Mark a wealthy man, so money was far from the most important factor in his decision.
"Throughout the recruiting process, the Marlins made repeated assurances about their long-term commitment to Mark and his family and their long-term commitment to building a winning tradition of Marlins baseball in the new stadium. This was demonstrated by their already completed signings of Ozzie, Heath Bell and Jose Reyes."
What I find odd, that I had not heard about, was that Florida does not do no-trade clauses. It is understandable considering the jack-asses that run the place. I was sure in my head that Mark would have signed a no-trade clause. I guess I just figured that no one stays with the team long enough to envoke a no-trade, so I never realized it before. I am sure they told Mark whatever he wanted to hear to get him to sign.
MIAMI -- When Mark Buehrle signed a four-year, $58 million contract with the Marlins last December, the veteran left-hander felt he would be with the organization for the long haul.
But on Monday, the Gold Glove Award-winning pitcher was traded to the Blue Jays as part of a 12-player deal.
Per team policy, the Marlins do not include no-trade clauses. But Buehrle claims he was given verbal assurances that he wouldn't be moved.
On Wednesday afternoon, Buehrle and his agent, Jeff Berry, co-head of CAA Baseball, issued a statement regarding the trade.
"In an offseason of change and uncertainty, the overriding factor in Mark's signing with Miami was Ozzie Guillen and the level of comfort his presence provided Mark and his family," Berry said. "While the Marlins were the highest bidder, baseball had already made Mark a wealthy man, so money was far from the most important factor in his decision.
"Throughout the recruiting process, the Marlins made repeated assurances about their long-term commitment to Mark and his family and their long-term commitment to building a winning tradition of Marlins baseball in the new stadium. This was demonstrated by their already completed signings of Ozzie, Heath Bell and Jose Reyes."
What I find odd, that I had not heard about, was that Florida does not do no-trade clauses. It is understandable considering the jack-asses that run the place. I was sure in my head that Mark would have signed a no-trade clause. I guess I just figured that no one stays with the team long enough to envoke a no-trade, so I never realized it before. I am sure they told Mark whatever he wanted to hear to get him to sign.
Meh, shouldn't be a problem for the Jays which is all that really matters to me at this point.
Pretty excited for the season. With the current roster, I'd say the the division is a good possibility if the team stays healthy and some players step it up a bit (Romero, Rasmus, Lind).
MIAMI -- When Mark Buehrle signed a four-year, $58 million contract with the Marlins last December, the veteran left-hander felt he would be with the organization for the long haul.
But on Monday, the Gold Glove Award-winning pitcher was traded to the Blue Jays as part of a 12-player deal.
Per team policy, the Marlins do not include no-trade clauses. But Buehrle claims he was given verbal assurances that he wouldn't be moved.
On Wednesday afternoon, Buehrle and his agent, Jeff Berry, co-head of CAA Baseball, issued a statement regarding the trade.
"In an offseason of change and uncertainty, the overriding factor in Mark's signing with Miami was Ozzie Guillen and the level of comfort his presence provided Mark and his family," Berry said. "While the Marlins were the highest bidder, baseball had already made Mark a wealthy man, so money was far from the most important factor in his decision.
"Throughout the recruiting process, the Marlins made repeated assurances about their long-term commitment to Mark and his family and their long-term commitment to building a winning tradition of Marlins baseball in the new stadium. This was demonstrated by their already completed signings of Ozzie, Heath Bell and Jose Reyes."
What I find odd, that I had not heard about, was that Florida does not do no-trade clauses. It is understandable considering the jack-asses that run the place. I was sure in my head that Mark would have signed a no-trade clause. I guess I just figured that no one stays with the team long enough to envoke a no-trade, so I never realized it before. I am sure they told Mark whatever he wanted to hear to get him to sign.
Meh, shouldn't be a problem for the Jays which is all that really matters to me at this point.
Pretty excited for the season. With the current roster, I'd say the the division is a good possibility if the team stays healthy and some players step it up a bit (Romero, Rasmus, Lind).
Unless Lind goes back on the juice what you saw last year is what you are going to get. Rasmus had a career year last year so don't expect more from him than what you got last year. Romero should be better than he was last year. Evidence suggests he was pitching with tendonitis in his knees. Hopefully, that will be taken care of during the off season.
Farell was known as a guy who tinkered a lot with his pitchers' mechanics. You have to wonder if this led to the spate of catastrophic injuries last year. Too bad teh GM ( a la Nolan Ryan ) couldn't step in during this time period and offer a "bird's eye" view to get the Manager to lay off of his constant change to pitcher's mechanics. O ya, he knows fuck all about baseball.
Pretty interesting introduction to how aging and injuries lead to decreased pitching effectiveness.
MIAMI -- When Mark Buehrle signed a four-year, $58 million contract with the Marlins last December, the veteran left-hander felt he would be with the organization for the long haul.
But on Monday, the Gold Glove Award-winning pitcher was traded to the Blue Jays as part of a 12-player deal.
Per team policy, the Marlins do not include no-trade clauses. But Buehrle claims he was given verbal assurances that he wouldn't be moved.
On Wednesday afternoon, Buehrle and his agent, Jeff Berry, co-head of CAA Baseball, issued a statement regarding the trade.
"In an offseason of change and uncertainty, the overriding factor in Mark's signing with Miami was Ozzie Guillen and the level of comfort his presence provided Mark and his family," Berry said. "While the Marlins were the highest bidder, baseball had already made Mark a wealthy man, so money was far from the most important factor in his decision.
"Throughout the recruiting process, the Marlins made repeated assurances about their long-term commitment to Mark and his family and their long-term commitment to building a winning tradition of Marlins baseball in the new stadium. This was demonstrated by their already completed signings of Ozzie, Heath Bell and Jose Reyes."
What I find odd, that I had not heard about, was that Florida does not do no-trade clauses. It is understandable considering the jack-asses that run the place. I was sure in my head that Mark would have signed a no-trade clause. I guess I just figured that no one stays with the team long enough to envoke a no-trade, so I never realized it before. I am sure they told Mark whatever he wanted to hear to get him to sign.
Meh, shouldn't be a problem for the Jays which is all that really matters to me at this point.
Pretty excited for the season. With the current roster, I'd say the the division is a good possibility if the team stays healthy and some players step it up a bit (Romero, Rasmus, Lind).
Unless Lind goes back on the juice what you saw last year is what you are going to get. Rasmus had a career year last year so don't expect more from him than what you got last year. Romero should be better than he was last year. Evidence suggests he was pitching with tendonitis in his knees. Hopefully, that will be taken care of during the off season.
Farell was known as a guy who tinkered a lot with his pitchers' mechanics. You have to wonder if this led to the spate of catastrophic injuries last year. Too bad teh GM ( a la Nolan Ryan ) couldn't step in during this time period and offer a "bird's eye" view to get the Manager to lay off of his constant change to pitcher's mechanics. O ya, he knows fuck all about baseball.
Pretty interesting introduction to how aging and injuries lead to decreased pitching effectiveness.
Lind's pretty pricey so I'd imagine he's staying... Maybe he should get back on the juice :/ I don't think Rasmus had that great of a season. He had one phenomenal month and hit a few home runs but his overall averages were down. I'm still expecting more out of him as he reaches his late 20's. Didn't know about Romero's situation well but that does sound like good news.
And yeah, last years injury situation definitely left me wondering what the deal was with the pitchers. It just doesn't seem like it could have been totally coincidental.
On November 23 2012 06:19 Mazer wrote: I don't think Rasmus had that great of a season. He had one phenomenal month and hit a few home runs but his overall averages were down. I'm still expecting more out of him as he reaches his late 20's.
based on what? Blue Jay's PR propaganda?
on average an MLB player's offense peaks at age 27 and then slowly declines. The steroid era has interfered with this general trend. Jose Bautista and the guys Cito Gaston has instructed on hitting over the years have been an exception to this rule. Cito is not with the team on a day to day basis any longer. So Rasmus best shot at substantial improvement is .. (more) steroids.
On November 23 2012 06:19 Mazer wrote: I don't think Rasmus had that great of a season. He had one phenomenal month and hit a few home runs but his overall averages were down. I'm still expecting more out of him as he reaches his late 20's.
based on what? Blue Jay's PR propaganda?
on average an MLB player's offense peaks at age 27 and then slowly declines. The steroid era has interfered with this general trend. Jose Bautista and the guys Cito Gaston has instructed on hitting over the years have been an exception to this rule. Cito is not with the team on a day to day basis any longer. So Rasmus best shot at substantial improvement is .. (more) steroids.
So he's turning 27 in 2013... and you think it's unreasonable to think he may hit better when he's at the typical peak batting age? Yeah, I'll admit I'm being optimistic since I'd argue he's trending downwards but I still think it's in the realm of possibility that he will improve (sans steroids).
I'm curious to see who the mariners will sign this offseason. Its no secret we need some offensive talent. I'm hoping the fact that we've moved the fences in at safeco will help us lure right handed free agent hitters. The addition of a strong hitter at a corner outfield spot seems the best choice, or maybe a solid first baseman- but part of me still hopes Justin Smoak will reach his potential this year, and turn into the slugger everyone is seattle has dreamed he would be.
Some background on the minor leaguer that the Nats gave up for Span (cause I don't know crap about the Nats' farm system), he's 22 and had pretty good stats in A and high A last year and was picked to play in the futures game. He's 6'9" (holy crap!) and apparently has been clocked with a 99 MPH fastball before.
RHP Alex Meyer - 6'9" with room to build onto that body. Has been clocked at 99 (with some more muscle, he can hit 100, very intriguing) with a nasty slider that touches the low 90's. His control is questionable, but seems to be making reasonable improvement to that aspect. If he doesn't work out as a starter, he will be a great bullpen arm with high velocity. Should rise through system fast.
Like the deal for the nats. Pitching prospects are kind of a crapshoot, especially since he has issues repeating his delivery. Span for 2-3 years should be a perfect bridge to Goodwin. Now we just need a 5th starter, and whatever ends up happening ou of laroche-morse-moore at first will be good enough to round out the team.
Hanson was such a highly rated prospect with Atlanta, Heyward and Hanson were supposed to sort of lead the future there. I don't mind the trade but Hanson really hasn't been good and he hasn't shown much since his promotion.
Am I missing something with Pagan? .288/.338/.440/.778 with 8 home runs and 56 RBI doesn't seem like $10 million a year numbers to me. Not as bad as that Victorino deal though.
And god damn Nats. Dan Haren might be past his prime but he might be the fifth starter in that rotation. So stacked.
Edit: After looking at some other deals done this offseason, seems like Pagan's deal isn't really that abnormal. MLB is weird.
Lots of deals going on in the Winter Meetings, should be interesting after the meetings end and discuss which teams came out on top.
I have mixed feelings on the Hanson for Walden trade. On one hand, the Braves dealt a No. 2 SP, but the upside is now that the game is effectively six innings with the Walden-Venters-Kimbrel combination.
Well, now the Yankees have to address the A-Rod situation with the left hip injury that was not disclosed during the playoffs. As I said before, there are not many options at 3B, Yankees should use Eduardo Nunez at 3B unless Jeter doesn't make it back by Opening Day.
Am I missing something with Pagan? .288/.338/.440/.778 with 8 home runs and 56 RBI doesn't seem like $10 million a year numbers to me. Not as bad as that Victorino deal though.
And god damn Nats. Dan Haren might be past his prime but he might be the fifth starter in that rotation. So stacked.
Edit: After looking at some other deals done this offseason, seems like Pagan's deal isn't really that abnormal. MLB is weird.
Sorry I have not been updating the OP recently. I will get to it soon with these. Also, the Giants resigned Scutaro as well.
The city of Toronto was lucky to have such a great man represent their baseball team for 30 years.
Congrats to Cheek. At least he makes sense, unlike last year when that tool McCarver got in for some weird reason that no one seems to agree with or be able to explain to me.
Am I missing something with Pagan? .288/.338/.440/.778 with 8 home runs and 56 RBI doesn't seem like $10 million a year numbers to me. Not as bad as that Victorino deal though.
And god damn Nats. Dan Haren might be past his prime but he might be the fifth starter in that rotation. So stacked.
Edit: After looking at some other deals done this offseason, seems like Pagan's deal isn't really that abnormal. MLB is weird.
Its called supply and demand. With the lack of good free agents out there you're going to have to overpay for trash.
Lisalverto Bonilla is a 22 year old starter-turned reliever currently with the team's AA affiliate and playing for Escogido in the Dominican League.
And we finish with the 22 year old Bonilla, a 6’1″, 170 Dominican right-hander who is an unorthodox prospect. Bonilla may very well have a starter’s arsenal, but the Phillies have been using him in the bullpen to get him to use his fastball more often. Bonilla’s fastball ranges from the low-to-mid 90′s with nice sink, and looks to be a plus pitch. But Bonilla has fallen too much in favor with his excellent changeup that features great arm action to go along with nice sink. With Bonilla working more off his fastball, his changeup only increases in effectiveness. To complete his arsenal, Bonilla shows a slider that flashes plus but has been very inconsistent. It will be interesting to see whether Bonilla will be converted back to a starter or whether he will remain a reliever, where he could have late inning potential. Bonilla has been on his game throughout 2012, going 3-2 with a 1.95 ERA, a 12.4 K/9, a 3.2 BB/9, and a 0.2 HR/9 in 25 relief appearances and 37 IP as he has worked his way up from High-A to Double-A.
Lisalverto Bonilla is a 22 year old Dominican righty who stands an unimpressive 6’1” and weighs in at a slender 164lbs. He really accelerates his arm well, though it comes through late and his mechanics are difficult to repeat. Bonilla’s frame is small enough that evaluators have concern about his ability to hold up under a starter’s workload. The Phillies (who are hard pressed to give up on anyone as a starter until they absolutely have to, which I love) conceded this and moved Bonilla into the bullpen for the 2012 season.
As you can see from the first quote, he was scheduled to play in the Futures' Game, but he suffered a non-baseball injury to the thumb on his throwing hand the day before the game and missed the rest of the season.
Lisalverto Bonilla has a 1-4 record with two saves and a 7.50 ERA in 14 games for Escogido. Bonilla has struck out 16 batters in 12 innings. The 22-year-old righty posted a 1.55 ERA in 31 combined relief appearances with Class A Advanced Clearwater and Double-A Reading during the 2012 regular season, prior to suffering a season-ending injury in July.
Well, Greinke signs with the Dodgers for a six-year, $147 Million deal (in negotiations right now), pushing the Dodgers payroll over $210 Million this season. Imagine when Kershaw hits the open market, and how much is he going to command with the Dodgers. This is the most expensive team in history, which is not going to be surprising due to their TV deal which nets them $6-7 Billion for the next 25 Years. They're not done yet in Free Agency, since I think they have one more big signing left to round out a rotation.
I haven't felt this way as a LAD fan since they signed Kevin Brown (and was too young really to understand much).
The owners are shelling out the cash and aren't making/taking in terrible contracts contrary to some opinions--Crawford being the riskiest that could backfire obv--. The players taken in won't be too old at the end of the deals and Beckett pitched well for them after the trade. The guys they gave up are another story though (delaRosa, etc) as they could definitely come back to haunt Colleti and company, though they are also focusing on their farm system now and will be okay to handle hopefully.
As for rotation, they have Kershaw, Greinke, Ryu, Beckett, Billingsley, Capuano, and harang. Last few seasons have been filled with questions about who are the #4 and #5 starters so this is a nice situation to have.
Lindblom, one of the pitches traded for Young, was also a nice piece they gave up last season to get Victorino irc.
FIRE DAYTON MOORE!!!! Wil freaking Myers?!?! For James Shields and Wade Davis. Christ. The second best prospect in baseball...under cost control for 6 more seasons.
On December 10 2012 14:06 slyboogie wrote: FIRE DAYTON MOORE!!!! Wil freaking Myers?!?! For James Shields and Wade Davis. Christ. The second best prospect in baseball...under cost control for 6 more seasons.
As a Rays fan I'm giddy. Wil Myers and Evan Longoria for years and years - and we're probably going to keep David Price long term also. Shields will probably end up like Scott Kazmir. All those innings has to be taking their toll, not to mention the guy is extremely homer prone.
Glad we got rid of Upton. The guy is a pox on the field and in the club house. How many times does Longo have to get in his ear about hustling. With Myers in the outfield even if he is only a prospect, I still feel like it is a huge upgrade for defense alone. Yes, while Upton has a cannon he is consistently a poor defender due to not hustling. A shame too, because if Upton actually put effort in the guy could be a monster.
In any event, Odorizzi is going to be better than Davis ever was as a SP, especially with the best pitching coach in the majors. A starting rotation of Price, Hellickson, Moore, Cobb, Odorizzi/Niemann/Archer...talk about depth (Nats, who?). Hopefully Montgomery can turn it around, and that kid 3B seems like he could be decent down the road, but really...we have probably the best 3B in the league in Longoria so no rush there.
I hope KC does well - they use to be awesome with Bo Knows and George Brett/Sabrehagen.
Exactly! Myers is horrible enough - but between Odorizzi and Montgomery, you KNOW the Rays got at least 1 starting pitcher in the deal. This is a crime.
On December 10 2012 14:06 slyboogie wrote: FIRE DAYTON MOORE!!!! Wil freaking Myers?!?! For James Shields and Wade Davis. Christ. The second best prospect in baseball...under cost control for 6 more seasons.
In any event, Odorizzi is going to be better than Davis ever was as a SP, especially with the best pitching coach in the majors. A starting rotation of Price, Hellickson, Moore, Cobb, Odorizzi/Niemann/Archer...talk about depth (Nats, who?). Hopefully Montgomery can turn it around, and that kid 3B seems like he could be decent down the road, but really...we have probably the best 3B in the league in Longoria so no rush there.
Yeah, this is obviously a fleecing by Friedman. I'd still take the Nats top 5 over anybody (Rays, Dodgers, whoever), but Rays have the edge 6 and 7 I think.
I'd call myself a fan, but no where near a "huge fan/expert" but what do you guys think of the Blue Jay's moves and their chances of winning the east/whole thing?
On December 10 2012 15:26 NbSky wrote: I'd call myself a fan, but no where near a "huge fan/expert" but what do you guys think of the Blue Jay's moves and their chances of winning the east/whole thing?
They have a good chance, if pitching comes around and Romero doesn't put up the same season he did last year. I still think the Rays are the favorite, with Boston looking like they are going to come in last. If I were to rank the AL East at this point it would probably look like:
1) Rays 2) Jays 3) Orioles 4) Yanks 5) Sox
The Yankees are going to be atrocious this year - I can't see a team with an average age of almost 40 coming in first place, especially with A-Rod on his last legs (literally). Relying on Rivera, Pettitte, Jeter (who will not have the year he had last year), and a terrible rotation... Thus, opening the path for the Jays.
I expect the Yankees' age to be a bigger factor in the postseason than the regular season... even with the improvements, I don't see the Jays improving that much. Rays will be scarier in a few years, but in the short term the loss of Wade Davis and James Shields will be felt, even with their starting pitching depth.
So something like:
1. Yankees 2. Rays 3. Blue Jays 4. O's 5. Red Sox
Is what I'm expecting (maybe with the Rays on top). As for the Dodgers- I think they're just piling it on at this point. Sign enough big contracts/make enough big trades, some of them are bound to suck. Personally I think Hanley, Crawford, and A-Gon are going to blow up in their face. And potentially Greinke (his underlying numbers are always great, but they never really materialize into greatness- well, least after his Cy Young season).
Also, I don't think I ever mentioned this, but I found it pretty hilarious all of the articles I read about A-Gon coming to the Dodgers said something to the effect that "he's better than James Looney, it can't be bad!" It's like, of course when you use James Looney as your baseline you can convince yourself anything is good. That's the best that can be said about a guy that looked like a legit 50 homerun threat if he ever got out of Petco? The guy's power has dropped off a cliff, this has danger signs all over it.
On December 10 2012 14:06 slyboogie wrote: FIRE DAYTON MOORE!!!! Wil freaking Myers?!?! For James Shields and Wade Davis. Christ. The second best prospect in baseball...under cost control for 6 more seasons.
LOL. As a Tigers fan, I was actually getting pretty scared of the Royals this season, but selling the farm for James Shields and Wade Davis...thanks for the AL Central.
The Yankees will still be on top of the AL East, as zer0das states, because the age factor mostly affects the postseason, where they don't have any short-bursts of offense in a series.
Oh Red Sox, having a payroll of $125+ Million and going to be in last place, while having all of their contracts end in 3 years. Maybe it's time to start rebuilding instead of these silly stop-gap measures.
The Royals-Rays trade basically secures Dayton Moore's job through 2013. If the Royals get to the postseason with Shields, and big leaps from their young players, he'll prove all the doubters wrong. It is a big gamble, and I don't like the trade from the Royals side, but I don't think this was a one-sided trade at all.
Who knows how Myers will develop in the majors? We've all seen how great minor-league numbers doesn't translate to major-league success. What the Royals have traded is big-risk for a proven track-record geared towards the 2013 season. If this doesn't work out, here comes the fire sale of 2014 and rebuild again.
On December 11 2012 05:48 Phelix wrote: The Yankees will still be on top of the AL East, as zer0das states, because the age factor mostly affects the postseason, where they don't have any short-bursts of offense in a series.
Oh Red Sox, having a payroll of $125+ Million and going to be in last place, while having all of their contracts end in 3 years. Maybe it's time to start rebuilding instead of these silly stop-gap measures.
The Royals-Rays trade basically secures Dayton Moore's job through 2013. If the Royals get to the postseason with Shields, and big leaps from their young players, he'll prove all the doubters wrong. It is a big gamble, and I don't like the trade from the Royals side, but I don't think this was a one-sided trade at all.
Who knows how Myers will develop in the majors? We've all seen how great minor-league numbers doesn't translate to major-league success. What the Royals have traded is big-risk for a proven track-record geared towards the 2013 season. If this doesn't work out, here comes the fire sale of 2014 and rebuild again.
Myers is not a top 3 prospect based solely on numbers, but on ability. Scouts look at things like quickness, bat speed, plate patience, range, growth potential (muscle, etc.), etc. There's a reason he is right behind Jurickson Profar and Dylan Bundy and it isn't because he hit 37 homers between AA and AAA last year. Guy is going to be a monster, though, he does have a lack of plate patience, but hey, we had Pena so he can't be any worse. :p
I still can't fathom how we picked Tim Beckham over Buster Posey though...Posey was about as a sure thing as you're ever going to get (like Mike Trout).
Am I missing something with Pagan? .288/.338/.440/.778 with 8 home runs and 56 RBI doesn't seem like $10 million a year numbers to me. Not as bad as that Victorino deal though.
And god damn Nats. Dan Haren might be past his prime but he might be the fifth starter in that rotation. So stacked.
Edit: After looking at some other deals done this offseason, seems like Pagan's deal isn't really that abnormal. MLB is weird.
Its called supply and demand. With the lack of good free agents out there you're going to have to overpay for trash.
Pagan isn't trash. He was a lead off hitter for the majority of the season, so his primary stat isn't RBI/HRs, it's runs/stolen bases (95 runs; 29/36 steals). If he was a middle of the order hitter, then the Giants front office would have been stupid to sign him at that price. For what his job is, he does more than an adequate job.
I mean Michael Bourn is expected to get a contract up to 100m (or was, before the market dried up). Pagan and Bourn are essentially the same type of player, just that Bourn is significantly better at getting on base and scoring runs.
Not to say that the Giants didn't overpay him though, I would say he's worth 4 years 32m, but hey, the CF market was really short this off-season.
On December 11 2012 05:48 Phelix wrote: The Yankees will still be on top of the AL East, as zer0das states, because the age factor mostly affects the postseason, where they don't have any short-bursts of offense in a series.
Oh Red Sox, having a payroll of $125+ Million and going to be in last place, while having all of their contracts end in 3 years. Maybe it's time to start rebuilding instead of these silly stop-gap measures.
The Royals-Rays trade basically secures Dayton Moore's job through 2013. If the Royals get to the postseason with Shields, and big leaps from their young players, he'll prove all the doubters wrong. It is a big gamble, and I don't like the trade from the Royals side, but I don't think this was a one-sided trade at all.
Who knows how Myers will develop in the majors? We've all seen how great minor-league numbers doesn't translate to major-league success. What the Royals have traded is big-risk for a proven track-record geared towards the 2013 season. If this doesn't work out, here comes the fire sale of 2014 and rebuild again.
Myers is not a top 3 prospect based solely on numbers, but on ability. Scouts look at things like quickness, bat speed, plate patience, range, growth potential (muscle, etc.), etc. There's a reason he is right behind Jurickson Profar and Dylan Bundy and it isn't because he hit 37 homers between AA and AAA last year. Guy is going to be a monster, though, he does have a lack of plate patience, but hey, we had Pena so he can't be any worse. :p
I still can't fathom how we picked Tim Beckham over Buster Posey though...Posey was about as a sure thing as you're ever going to get (like Mike Trout).
Which is why 20 somewhat teams passed on Trout right? haha
I feel like I'm in some sort of baseball purgatory. I know the Yankees are probably going to make the playoffs, but the chances of them getting past an ALCS opponent... practically nil. I feel like it has been this way since 2009. But they're not really bad enough to blow the team up either (and good luck getting rid of Arod).
On December 11 2012 05:48 Phelix wrote: The Yankees will still be on top of the AL East, as zer0das states, because the age factor mostly affects the postseason, where they don't have any short-bursts of offense in a series.
Oh Red Sox, having a payroll of $125+ Million and going to be in last place, while having all of their contracts end in 3 years. Maybe it's time to start rebuilding instead of these silly stop-gap measures.
The Royals-Rays trade basically secures Dayton Moore's job through 2013. If the Royals get to the postseason with Shields, and big leaps from their young players, he'll prove all the doubters wrong. It is a big gamble, and I don't like the trade from the Royals side, but I don't think this was a one-sided trade at all.
Who knows how Myers will develop in the majors? We've all seen how great minor-league numbers doesn't translate to major-league success. What the Royals have traded is big-risk for a proven track-record geared towards the 2013 season. If this doesn't work out, here comes the fire sale of 2014 and rebuild again.
Myers is not a top 3 prospect based solely on numbers, but on ability. Scouts look at things like quickness, bat speed, plate patience, range, growth potential (muscle, etc.), etc. There's a reason he is right behind Jurickson Profar and Dylan Bundy and it isn't because he hit 37 homers between AA and AAA last year. Guy is going to be a monster, though, he does have a lack of plate patience, but hey, we had Pena so he can't be any worse. :p
I still can't fathom how we picked Tim Beckham over Buster Posey though...Posey was about as a sure thing as you're ever going to get (like Mike Trout).
Which is why 20 somewhat teams passed on Trout right? haha
They passed on Trout because he wasn't a big prep prospect in Jersey. He wasn't adequately scouted, it was a failure of a geographical nature. Drafting is, obviously, never going to be perfect, but after Rookie, A, High-A, AA...on and on, we tend to have more data points to work with.
Anyways, Myers is the only position prospect in Jurickson Profar's league.
Looks like the Reds are landing Choo Shin Soo for Drew Stubbs and Didi Gregorious.
Been aching to see Stubbs leave Cincinnati for ages. Gregorious could be something special but we needed another OF and Choo brings so much to the table. I might get the chance to use my extremely limited Korean skills at the stadium lol
On December 12 2012 08:34 p4NDemik wrote: I'M GEEKIN OUT MAN
Looks like the Reds are landing Choo Shin Soo for Drew Stubbs and Didi Gregorious.
Been aching to see Stubbs leave Cincinnati for ages. Gregorious could be something special but we needed another OF and Choo brings so much to the table. I might get the chance to use my extremely limited Korean skills at the stadium lol
Good, you won't have to endure the maddening world of Drew Stubbs and his performance any longer!
In other news, I cannot picture what Kevin Youkilis will look like without any facial hair.
On December 11 2012 05:48 Phelix wrote: The Yankees will still be on top of the AL East, as zer0das states, because the age factor mostly affects the postseason, where they don't have any short-bursts of offense in a series.
Oh Red Sox, having a payroll of $125+ Million and going to be in last place, while having all of their contracts end in 3 years. Maybe it's time to start rebuilding instead of these silly stop-gap measures.
The Royals-Rays trade basically secures Dayton Moore's job through 2013. If the Royals get to the postseason with Shields, and big leaps from their young players, he'll prove all the doubters wrong. It is a big gamble, and I don't like the trade from the Royals side, but I don't think this was a one-sided trade at all.
Who knows how Myers will develop in the majors? We've all seen how great minor-league numbers doesn't translate to major-league success. What the Royals have traded is big-risk for a proven track-record geared towards the 2013 season. If this doesn't work out, here comes the fire sale of 2014 and rebuild again.
This is how the sox are rebuilding, holding onto their prospects and signing players that will keep the spot warm until the new guys are ready, while having a chance to compete in 2013. They think that the window for their farm system to turn out a new round of players is 2-3 years from now, but they have the money so that they can sign some pieces that they think will keep the relevant until then. The other thing they are doing in signing guys who do well in a club house so that they have a team that their own fans don't hate. And napoli rakes so freaking hard in Fenway that if he maintains that stat line for three years, he will walk out with 3 all stars and at least one mvp. He hits so well in Fenway its freaking scary.
On December 11 2012 05:48 Phelix wrote: The Yankees will still be on top of the AL East, as zer0das states, because the age factor mostly affects the postseason, where they don't have any short-bursts of offense in a series.
Oh Red Sox, having a payroll of $125+ Million and going to be in last place, while having all of their contracts end in 3 years. Maybe it's time to start rebuilding instead of these silly stop-gap measures.
The Royals-Rays trade basically secures Dayton Moore's job through 2013. If the Royals get to the postseason with Shields, and big leaps from their young players, he'll prove all the doubters wrong. It is a big gamble, and I don't like the trade from the Royals side, but I don't think this was a one-sided trade at all.
Who knows how Myers will develop in the majors? We've all seen how great minor-league numbers doesn't translate to major-league success. What the Royals have traded is big-risk for a proven track-record geared towards the 2013 season. If this doesn't work out, here comes the fire sale of 2014 and rebuild again.
This is how the sox are rebuilding, holding onto their prospects and signing players that will keep the spot warm until the new guys are ready, while having a chance to compete in 2013. They think that the window for their farm system to turn out a new round of players is 2-3 years from now, but they have the money so that they can sign some pieces that they think will keep the relevant until then. The other thing they are doing in signing guys who do well in a club house so that they have a team that their own fans don't hate. And napoli rakes so freaking hard in Fenway that if he maintains that stat line for three years, he will walk out with 3 all stars and at least one mvp. He hits so well in Fenway its freaking scary.
You are correct in the fact that they need better PR with the clubhouse and the fans for the debacles last year with Valentine, but the contracts to those veterans don't make sense at all. I thought the Sox were trying to develop Lavarnaway as the Catcher, but then why sign Napoli? Do they expect Ellsbury to develop as a Corner Outfielder now that Victorino is here? This is the problem of big-market franchises, where teams need to placate their fans and not go into full tank mode, expecially one that spends a lot. I don't believe Napoli will hit like that in Boston, his season in 2011 was fueled by an insanely high BABIP.
Seattle's offseason: Spend $10 Million on a scoreboard. Ok, they re-signed Oliver Perez.
In other news: Where does Anibal Sanchez go from here? I don't see any teams left willing to sign such a big deal for him, now that Greinke picks the Dodgers over the Rangers, and the Rangers are not as enamored about Sanchez. Yankees are attempting to get under the 189 Million Luxury Tax Threshhold. Tigers are likely, but I don't see them signing for such a big deal.
On December 11 2012 05:48 Phelix wrote: The Yankees will still be on top of the AL East, as zer0das states, because the age factor mostly affects the postseason, where they don't have any short-bursts of offense in a series.
Oh Red Sox, having a payroll of $125+ Million and going to be in last place, while having all of their contracts end in 3 years. Maybe it's time to start rebuilding instead of these silly stop-gap measures.
The Royals-Rays trade basically secures Dayton Moore's job through 2013. If the Royals get to the postseason with Shields, and big leaps from their young players, he'll prove all the doubters wrong. It is a big gamble, and I don't like the trade from the Royals side, but I don't think this was a one-sided trade at all.
Who knows how Myers will develop in the majors? We've all seen how great minor-league numbers doesn't translate to major-league success. What the Royals have traded is big-risk for a proven track-record geared towards the 2013 season. If this doesn't work out, here comes the fire sale of 2014 and rebuild again.
This is how the sox are rebuilding, holding onto their prospects and signing players that will keep the spot warm until the new guys are ready, while having a chance to compete in 2013. They think that the window for their farm system to turn out a new round of players is 2-3 years from now, but they have the money so that they can sign some pieces that they think will keep the relevant until then. The other thing they are doing in signing guys who do well in a club house so that they have a team that their own fans don't hate. And napoli rakes so freaking hard in Fenway that if he maintains that stat line for three years, he will walk out with 3 all stars and at least one mvp. He hits so well in Fenway its freaking scary.
You are correct in the fact that they need better PR with the clubhouse and the fans for the debacles last year with Valentine, but the contracts to those veterans don't make sense at all. I thought the Sox were trying to develop Lavarnaway as the Catcher, but then why sign Napoli? Do they expect Ellsbury to develop as a Corner Outfielder now that Victorino is here? This is the problem of big-market franchises, where teams need to placate their fans and not go into full tank mode, expecially one that spends a lot. I don't believe Napoli will hit like that in Boston, his season in 2011 was fueled by an insanely high BABIP.
Seattle's offseason: Spend $10 Million on a scoreboard. Ok, they re-signed Oliver Perez.
In other news: Where does Anibal Sanchez go from here? I don't see any teams left willing to sign such a big deal for him, now that Greinke picks the Dodgers over the Rangers, and the Rangers are not as enamored about Sanchez. Yankees are attempting to get under the 189 Million Luxury Tax Threshhold. Tigers are likely, but I don't see them signing for such a big deal.
Victorino is playing the corner, unless els is traded, and napoli is playing first base. And my impression of napolis' hitting has to do with the fact that Fenway is built almost perfectly for him to hit home runs, and in a 50 pa or so sample has hit a a insane clip. And lava still has minor league options, and needs to use them to work on defense. He can't prove much more with his bat in the minors, but his defense and pitch calling could use the time.
Andres Torres resigned to the Giants - 1 year deal. The Gazelle is back...such a huge part of our 2010 World Series Championship team. I can't wait to see him patrolling the outfield again. It was weird to watch him hit...always used one of the biggest, heaviest bats in the league. Welcome back!
On December 14 2012 04:40 TheAmazombie wrote: So Hamilton is heading the Angles after all.
Interesting. I didn't even know they were in contention for him. That relieves me a little, because I had figured seattle was going to pick him up, and I wasn't too excited about that.
On December 14 2012 07:53 Jaaaaasper wrote: The west coast is the new north east coast, the huge contracts are flying like the the al and nl east a few years ago.
Yeah, that is what they have been building towards, making the Dodgers the new Yanks and the Giants the new Red Sox.
On December 14 2012 08:32 MassHysteria wrote: Yup, and the Red Sox Giants won 2 of the last 3 titles so that's it for about 70 years or so... Yankees Dodgers dynasty is up next.
That may be true, but as long as it really rekindles the rivalry, I will be happy. I have never had as much fun as I had when watching hardcore rivalry games between the the Giants and Dodgers, when tempers fly and the teams are not just opposing sides, but enemies. I love it. This is also why I think they should do away with interleague play and have more divisional games, games that actually matter, games that fans really want to see.
On December 14 2012 08:21 TheAmazombie wrote: Also, Ryan Dempster, 2-year deal with the Red Sox. Too bad...I always thought he would have been a good fit with my G-Men.
I like him with red sox, he comes cheap for this year, on a two year deal, and has potential to be a solid number 2 or a amazing number 3.
So who is going to make the most ridiculous offer for sanchez? In a more sane market i would love him to the sox for 4 years 12 million a year, but now its more like 6 for 20 a year. Man i love it when the free agent market is thin.
On December 14 2012 08:21 TheAmazombie wrote: Also, Ryan Dempster, 2-year deal with the Red Sox. Too bad...I always thought he would have been a good fit with my G-Men.
I like him with red sox, he comes cheap for this year, on a two year deal, and has potential to be a solid number 2 or a amazing number 3.
So who is going to make the most ridiculous offer for sanchez? In a more sane market i would love him to the sox for 4 years 12 million a year, but now its more like 6 for 20 a year. Man i love it when the free agent market is thin.
Sanchez to the cubs for 5/75
I wouldn't say cheap, but that's the market rate for such a shallow pool. He didn't pitch so well at Texas last year (kinda unlucky with a .338 BABIP), but I don't think he's an AL pitcher, and certainly won't survive the AL East throughout the season. Always loved his pitching motion...one of the most quirkiest if I ever saw one.
Well, Sanchez going to the Cubs is a slight surprise, given that they are still a couple of years away from any contention in the playoffs. He's still mulling an offer from Detroit, and should take that offer if he wants to get another shot at the World Series.
So who has the better lineup now? Dodgers or Angels?
Dodgers: Carl Crawford Andre Ethier Matt Kemp Adrian Gonzalez Hanley Ramirez Mark Ellis Luis Cruz A.J. Ellis
Angels: Mike Trout Erick Aybar Albert Pujols Josh Hamilton Mark Trumbo Howie Kendrick Alberto Callaspo Chris Iannetta (Kendrys Morales)
I would give it to the Angels for the better depth, but if Crawford and Hanley starts producing like they have in the past I think the Dodgers would have the edge. And as for pitching, Dodgers take it easily.
Either way, it will be very interesting to watch my Giants play them next year. Our lineup doesn't even come close, but our players play with so much heart and camaraderie. Also, if Lincecum reverts back to form, our rotation is about as solid as it gets.
On December 14 2012 08:21 TheAmazombie wrote: Also, Ryan Dempster, 2-year deal with the Red Sox. Too bad...I always thought he would have been a good fit with my G-Men.
I like him with red sox, he comes cheap for this year, on a two year deal, and has potential to be a solid number 2 or a amazing number 3.
So who is going to make the most ridiculous offer for sanchez? In a more sane market i would love him to the sox for 4 years 12 million a year, but now its more like 6 for 20 a year. Man i love it when the free agent market is thin.
Sanchez to the cubs for 5/75
And the Tigers keep Sanchez at 5/80 mil. Locking up one of the strongest top 4 rotations in baseball.
I wonder what the Tigers are gonna do about that fifth rotation spot with Rick Porcello and Drew Smyly. Both are only 23 and have huge ceilings but I guess one of them will have to go to the bullpen or worse, traded.
The Tigers' payroll was ridiculous even before they re-signed Sanchez, so I really hope they don't sign Rafael Soriano. As good as Bruce Rondon seems to be, I don't want an unproven rookie with only 9 innings pitched in AAA to be the closer for a team with serious world series hopes this year.
Edit: Thankfully Dombrowski has said he doesn't want to sign Soriano, but he's extremely high on Bruce Rondon. Guess we'll see what spring training has in store.
On December 15 2012 18:44 Ferrose wrote: I wonder what the Tigers are gonna do about that fifth rotation spot with Rick Porcello and Drew Smyly. Both are only 23 and have huge ceilings but I guess one of them will have to go to the bullpen or worse, traded.
The Tigers' payroll was ridiculous even before they re-signed Sanchez, so I really hope they don't sign Rafael Soriano. As good as Bruce Rondon seems to be, I don't want an unproven rookie with only 9 innings pitched in AAA to be the closer for a team with serious world series hopes this year.
Edit: Thankfully Dombrowski has said he doesn't want to sign Soriano, but he's extremely high on Bruce Rondon. Guess we'll see what spring training has in store.
Porcello is likely to be dealt. Try and get a reliever or SS out of the deal
I don't know that trading D'arnaud would be worth it or not. I'd rather see Arencibia gone. But I guess if we're going all in for 2013, it makes sense if he could have a season like last year's.
On December 15 2012 18:44 Ferrose wrote: I wonder what the Tigers are gonna do about that fifth rotation spot with Rick Porcello and Drew Smyly. Both are only 23 and have huge ceilings but I guess one of them will have to go to the bullpen or worse, traded.
The Tigers' payroll was ridiculous even before they re-signed Sanchez, so I really hope they don't sign Rafael Soriano. As good as Bruce Rondon seems to be, I don't want an unproven rookie with only 9 innings pitched in AAA to be the closer for a team with serious world series hopes this year.
Edit: Thankfully Dombrowski has said he doesn't want to sign Soriano, but he's extremely high on Bruce Rondon. Guess we'll see what spring training has in store.
Porcello is likely to be dealt. Try and get a reliever or SS out of the deal
Yeah, I heard about them maybe trading Porcello and maybe Brennan Boesch to the Pirates for Joel Hanrahan and maybe or another player, or maybe trading Porcello to get Asdrubal Cabrera. I don't want to see Porcello go though cause I think he'll be good later on since he has great sabermetric numbers but not great ERA and WHIP.
But I think most people want him gone, because they just go "but dude his ERA is almost 5.00 he sucks."
Well, I can't fault Toronto for all of these moves, they see the AL East being vulnerable with the Yankees and Red Sox retooling, and Baltimore should regress a little. The Mets got good prospects and I think they can develop into a strong rotation 2-3 years from now. Of course, the Wilpons are still bad owners, but Selig has a good relationship with them, so they won't be forced to sell.
I wonder who's going to pay for Rafael Soriano now, he opted out of a $14 Million option for a chance to close.
From thestar.com(http://www.thestar.com/sports/baseball/mlb/article/1303328--12-things-to-know-about-r-a-dickey)
R.A. Dickey is an articulate deep-thinker with a dark past and the meanest knuckleball the major leagues have seen in a long time.
That’s only scratching the surface.
Now that he’s coming to Toronto as another one of Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos’s earnest off-season acquisitions, it’s time to peel back some of the layers of this man of mystery.
1. R.A. stands for Robert Allen.
2. He’s 38, and spends much of his time in his hometown of Nashville with his wife, Anne, and their four kids.
3. When warming up, Dickey gets pumped up to “The Imperial March” from Star Wars (a.k.a. Darth Vader’s theme song).
4. When he’s up to bat, he strolls out to the theme song from “Game of Thrones.”
5. He creatively names his bats. One is called Hrunting, named after the sword used to kill Grendel’s mother in the epic poem, Beowulf.
6. Another is called Orcrist the Goblin Cleaver, inspired by a weapon in J.R.R. Tolkein’s The Hobbit.
7. He’s slated to publish a trio of children’s books. One of them is a picture book called Knuckleball Ned, a story about “staying true to yourself through adversity.”
8. He keeps a stack of books in his locker to peruse in his free time. (Last summer, his reading list featured John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men and Killing Lincoln, by Fox pundit Bill O’Reilly.)
9. Dickey is known to pepper his speech with words such as “edifying,” “antithetical,” and even “deus ex machina.”
10. His acclaimed autobiography, Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity and the Perfect Knuckleball, came out this year.
11. The book revealed that he was sexually abused by his female babysitter when he was 8, and by a teenage boy when he was in Grade 4.
As a Mariner's fan, pretty excited about this trade. As almost everyone knows, seattle desperately needed a middle of the lineup bat. And since we're bringing in the fences at Safeco, Vargas's value was diminished for Seattle since he's a flyball out pitcher. So I don't mind trading him away, though I did like him. Also, we have good pitching prospects coming up the farm system that should be around soon to fill in gaps in the pitching rotation if we need.
I am a little worried about how they're going to find room to play Morales, Smoak and Montero at two positions. I'm really hoping smoak develops this year...
On November 15 2012 01:21 JimmyJRaynor wrote: Henderson Alverez is going to be a very very good pitcher... like 150+ career wins.
sorry ... in what way do you think alverez is a good pitcher?
Super late reply but Alvarez is the only blue jay ill miss in this trade. He had bad year, terrible control and he may need some mechanical changes, I don't know. This guy has sick stuff. Mid 90s fastball with a ton of movement, very good change up. One day he'll be at the front of someone's rotation, I'm sure of it.
red sox and pirates working for a trade with hanrahan and a unnamed going to the sox for two b prospects and two unnamed players. This could be the sox freeing up rosters spots, but the unnamed players make me wonder if there is something more than cherington picking up another relief pitcher. Maybe a back up catcher to go with him.
So Hall of Fame voting today...no one got in this year in the standard balloting process. Here are the results:
A player is eligible for 15 years on the standard ballot if they receive at least 5% of the vote the previous year. In order to get in, a player must receive at least 75% of the vote. What do you guys think? Any surprises here? Seeing the votes that Biggs got, I think he is a shoe in either next year of the following. Morris might actually get in next year as well, it will be his last shot.
Bernie Williams and Kenny Lofton falling off is really sad. Neither really deserves to be in the HoF, if it was MY Hall of Fame, but they were both very very good players. Don Mattingly at least got his years on the Ballot. I'm also mildly surprised that the voters didn't just push Morris in a dying gasp attempt to validate antiquated narrative building.
My childhood hatred of the Yankees kind of clouds my judgment concerning Williams so I won't comment one way or the other on him. It definitely feels odd that Kenny Lofton garnered so little support. He was exceptional in his role, it just so happens his role didn't really involve hitting tons of home runs or driving in bunches of runs. He was either always playing his way into the playoffs on a great team, or playing his way into a trade to a team that was going to the playoffs. I can understand him not making it, I just can't understand him having so little support.
Was his name somehow connected to steroids and I haven't heard it/don't remember it?
Don't believe Lofton was connected to roids, but he played during the era, which might lead to lower appreciation for what he brought to the table since everyone else was roided up and producing ridiculous numbers.
On January 10 2013 16:00 slyboogie wrote: Bernie Williams and Kenny Lofton falling off is really sad. Neither really deserves to be in the HoF, if it was MY Hall of Fame, but they were both very very good players. Don Mattingly at least got his years on the Ballot. I'm also mildly surprised that the voters didn't just push Morris in a dying gasp attempt to validate antiquated narrative building.
I have to agree with you. Both of those guys (Lofton and Williams) were amazing players (as well as Finley) that were great baseball men as well as people you knew would always contribute to your teams. Yeah, maybe not Hall material, but definitely examples of how the game really should be played.
On January 10 2013 17:32 Roffles wrote: Also, who gave Aaron Sele a vote? Holy fuck lol.
That 4.61 Career ERA deserves a vote.
Honestly, this type of year was going to come out of the steroid scandal, where the voters would not vote anyone associated in that era. Of course, there will be a few that get in eventually, like Biggio and Piazza.
On the other hand, I don't know if Morris will ever make it. I don't see writers would vote for him after the 15 Year Eligibility is up, and there are a few candidates that are practically shoo-ins for next year. His career accomplishments are about the playoffs, but his regular season stats aren't very good (3.90 Career ERA).
On January 10 2013 17:32 Roffles wrote: Also, who gave Aaron Sele a vote? Holy fuck lol.
That 4.61 Career ERA deserves a vote.
Honestly, this type of year was going to come out of the steroid scandal, where the voters would not vote anyone associated in that era. Of course, there will be a few that get in eventually, like Biggio and Piazza.
On the other hand, I don't know if Morris will ever make it. I don't see writers would vote for him after the 15 Year Eligibility is up, and there are a few candidates that are practically shoo-ins for next year. His career accomplishments are about the playoffs, but his regular season stats aren't very good (3.90 Career ERA).
I do really hope (and am convinced) that Biggs will get in, but I was never sold on Piazza...pretty good hitter, but not outstanding, and he was a god-awful catcher. I always saw him as an overrated player, but then again because it was the steroid era, it might earn him a few extra points.
The option reportedly rests on whether the right-hander finishes 120 games combined over 2013 and 2014...Washington will lose its first-round draft pick, and the Yankees will gain an extra pick after the first round.
The option reportedly rests on whether the right-hander finishes 120 games combined over 2013 and 2014...Washington will lose its first-round draft pick, and the Yankees will gain an extra pick after the first round.
About time he got a deal...opted out a $14 Million Option, to get a 2 Yr, $14-Mil Average contract. I think he priced himself out of the market since all the other relievers were grabbed early, but a good deal nonetheless to compete with Atlanta's bullpen. Clippard, Storen, and Soriano makes a fierce 7-8-9 combination.
Darren Oliver will be interviewed on Prime Time Sports tonight at 6:40 pm.. i'll be interested to see what he has to say as opposed to the PR spin coming from his agent the past few months.
Darren Oliver will be interviewed on Prime Time Sports tonight at 6:40 pm.. i'll be interested to see what he has to say as opposed to the PR spin coming from his agent the past few months.
Didn't he want a significant raise over his last contract of $3 Million? I guess since Texas didn't have any interest in him, he didn't have many other options but to play in Toronto. Good for the Jays and him as well.
Michael Morse rumored to be traded in a three-way deal to Seattle...This move makes zero sense for Seattle at all, since they don't have a spot for him except DH, and he has stated that he doesn't like it.
C - Jesus Montero 1B/DH - Justin Smoak 1B/DH - Kendrys Morales 1B - Mike Carp (Yes, I know he's the backup 1B, but Smoak can go one of those terrible slumps) LF/DH - Raul Ibanez
Where will they stick Morse unless they have decided to end the experiment of developing Smoak/Carp...none of the players have great defense. Seattle really prays that Montero can catch; if they don't, they will even have bigger problems.
Darren Oliver will be interviewed on Prime Time Sports tonight at 6:40 pm.. i'll be interested to see what he has to say as opposed to the PR spin coming from his agent the past few months.
Didn't he want a significant raise over his last contract of $3 Million? I guess since Texas didn't have any interest in him, he didn't have many other options but to play in Toronto. Good for the Jays and him as well.
Michael Morse rumored to be traded in a three-way deal to Seattle...This move makes zero sense for Seattle at all, since they don't have a spot for him except DH, and he has stated that he doesn't like it.
C - Jesus Montero 1B/DH - Justin Smoak 1B/DH - Kendrys Morales 1B - Mike Carp (Yes, I know he's the backup 1B, but Smoak can go one of those terrible slumps) LF/DH - Raul Ibanez
Where will they stick Morse unless they have decided to end the experiment of developing Smoak/Carp...none of the players have great defense. Seattle really prays that Montero can catch; if they don't, they will even have bigger problems.
It was confirmed quite a while ago. I'm sad about the trade - loved having Morse on the team, great guy. Disastrous fielder, especially in the OF, but tons of fun, massive bat. Maybe SEA could stick him at SS? That's where he originally was in their organization
Didn't he want a significant raise over his last contract of $3 Million? I guess since Texas didn't have any interest in him, he didn't have many other options but to play in Toronto. Good for the Jays and him as well. Michael Morse rumored to be traded in a three-way deal to Seattle...This move makes zero sense for Seattle at all, since they don't have a spot for him except DH, and he has stated that he doesn't like it. C - Jesus Montero 1B/DH - Justin Smoak 1B/DH - Kendrys Morales 1B - Mike Carp (Yes, I know he's the backup 1B, but Smoak can go one of those terrible slumps) LF/DH - Raul Ibanez Where will they stick Morse unless they have decided to end the experiment of developing Smoak/Carp...none of the players have great defense. Seattle really prays that Montero can catch; if they don't, they will even have bigger problems.
Darren Oliver denied he "personally" asked for a raise in the interview i alluded to in my post. He threw his Agent under the bus.. .and then drove the bus over his agent 3 or 4 times. Darren is a good pitcher.. and really bad liar.
Darren Oliver will be interviewed on Prime Time Sports tonight at 6:40 pm.. i'll be interested to see what he has to say as opposed to the PR spin coming from his agent the past few months.
Didn't he want a significant raise over his last contract of $3 Million? I guess since Texas didn't have any interest in him, he didn't have many other options but to play in Toronto. Good for the Jays and him as well.
Michael Morse rumored to be traded in a three-way deal to Seattle...This move makes zero sense for Seattle at all, since they don't have a spot for him except DH, and he has stated that he doesn't like it.
C - Jesus Montero 1B/DH - Justin Smoak 1B/DH - Kendrys Morales 1B - Mike Carp (Yes, I know he's the backup 1B, but Smoak can go one of those terrible slumps) LF/DH - Raul Ibanez
Where will they stick Morse unless they have decided to end the experiment of developing Smoak/Carp...none of the players have great defense. Seattle really prays that Montero can catch; if they don't, they will even have bigger problems.
Not a lot is making sense for the Mariners right now. I still think they have another trade in the works.
Enjoy John Jason, Oakland fans. That mofo is clutch
Didn't he want a significant raise over his last contract of $3 Million? I guess since Texas didn't have any interest in him, he didn't have many other options but to play in Toronto. Good for the Jays and him as well. Michael Morse rumored to be traded in a three-way deal to Seattle...This move makes zero sense for Seattle at all, since they don't have a spot for him except DH, and he has stated that he doesn't like it. C - Jesus Montero 1B/DH - Justin Smoak 1B/DH - Kendrys Morales 1B - Mike Carp (Yes, I know he's the backup 1B, but Smoak can go one of those terrible slumps) LF/DH - Raul Ibanez Where will they stick Morse unless they have decided to end the experiment of developing Smoak/Carp...none of the players have great defense. Seattle really prays that Montero can catch; if they don't, they will even have bigger problems.
Darren Oliver denied he "personally" asked for a raise in the interview i alluded to in my post. He threw his Agent under the bus.. .and then drove the bus over his agent 3 or 4 times. Darren is a good pitcher.. and really bad liar.
if he does want to retire, why wouldnt you want your final year to be with a [potentially] blockbuster team? an extra 3 mill in the bank wont hurt either
Oh dear, Napoli lost $34 Million guaranteed due to a physical (The reason was that he has a bad hip). Now with the Red Sox for 1 Yr-5 Mil with incentives up to 13 Mil.
Of course, Carl Pavano will miss 6-8 weeks rupturing his spleen while shoveling snow in his Vermont home. This guy must be the most unluckiest guy in the world.
This pick-off move is now called a balk. On one hand, I like this change because it speeds up the game, and out of all the times I watched baseball, I've seen this move worked once. More often than not, this move was just a change of pace to throw off the runners/hitter. The downside to this move is now the runner on first can get a slightly bigger jump without having to worry about the fake.
I felt remorseful for a moment, like one single hot wheel was stolen from my long forgotten/distorted childhood memories. After that moment passed, it makes perfect sense. No qualms whatsoever.
This pick-off move is now called a balk. On one hand, I like this change because it speeds up the game, and out of all the times I watched baseball, I've seen this move worked once. More often than not, this move was just a change of pace to throw off the runners/hitter. The downside to this move is now the runner on first can get a slightly bigger jump without having to worry about the fake.
I used to get kids with this all the time in little league!
Is this just an MLB change? It's really weird since the MLB is usually super traditional and unyielding with the rules.
On January 28 2013 15:41 BloodNinja wrote: I hope so, as a righty, the lefties get all the BS pickoffs that already should be balks to begin with but never get called.
You did not just say that. Pick-offs and their relation to slide steps and altogether compact deliveries to the plate are about way way way more than getting the odd out at first base by catching a baserunner unawares. Just by the sheer fact of being a lefty there is an inherent advantage that is accounted for in milliseconds that are important when it comes to preventing extra bases of all sorts.
On January 28 2013 16:44 p4NDemik wrote: You did not just say that. Pick-offs and their relation to slide steps and altogether compact deliveries to the plate are about way way way more than getting the odd out at first base by catching a baserunner unawares. Just by the sheer fact of being a lefty there is an inherent advantage that is accounted for in milliseconds that are important when it comes to preventing extra bases of all sorts.
Good base-stealers can read a lefty just as easily as a righty.
On January 28 2013 16:44 p4NDemik wrote: You did not just say that. Pick-offs and their relation to slide steps and altogether compact deliveries to the plate are about way way way more than getting the odd out at first base by catching a baserunner unawares. Just by the sheer fact of being a lefty there is an inherent advantage that is accounted for in milliseconds that are important when it comes to preventing extra bases of all sorts.
Good base-stealers can read a lefty just as easily as a righty.
#1) Why are you limiting this to stealing bases. A good pick-off move effects way more of the game than you are giving it credit. Scouts don't look for good base-stealers. They look for good base-runners. #2) This statement does not really serve your argument. It would if the entire league was populated by exceptional runners. The fact is it is not, and average, mediocre, and bad players give more respect to lefties. #3) I am not disputing whether this statement is actually true or not.
And another big steroid scandal begins. A-Fraud, Nelson Cruz, Gio Gonzalez, are the big names, although it appears that gio did not receive banned substances.
If this is true I'm quite happy the Reds traded Grandal and kept Mesoraco. Even if Grandal has put up better numbers initially. Will need to read up on it fully tomorrow.
This year is the first time I've ever been excited for spring training lol. Usually I just ignore it, but right now I'm so incredibly hyped for the upcoming season that I'll jump on any kind of baseball action. I've spent the past couple months consuming copious amounts of baseball blogs, following all the trade rumors and learning everything there is to know about Seattle's farm system. I'm ready for some real action now... one can only take so much hypothetical pre-season analysis
On February 07 2013 08:41 itkovian wrote: This year is the first time I've ever been excited for spring training lol. Usually I just ignore it, but right now I'm so incredibly hyped for the upcoming season that I'll jump on any kind of baseball action. I've spent the past couple months consuming copious amounts of baseball blogs, following all the trade rumors and learning everything there is to know about Seattle's farm system. I'm ready for some real action now... one can only take so much hypothetical pre-season analysis
Good deal bro. I am always exciting for pitchers and catchers to report and get the preseason started. While I don't follow it too much during the preseason, it is just the precursor and that gets me excited. I make it a point every year when players start reporting to rewatch Ken Burns' "Baseball." (Including the 10th Inning) That gets me ready for every season.
Well shit...they sure locked up King Felix in a big way...or the biggest way ever for a pitcher. 7 year, 175mil...he is damn good, but is he worth that?? With contracts like that, if he starts to falter, no one will want to take him off of Seattle's hands unless they bite the big one. Not sure about this...they better now spend some money to get him an actual team to play with.
the ownership and front office are under a lot of scrutiny right now for the mariners. Felix is our only star player, and is loved by the fan base. Locking him up like this was something they needed to do.
These are screenshots of the line and barren emptiness for single game ticket sales that started today. Baseball in Florida just doesn't work, especially Miami. Selig should really dump Loria as an owner...this is madness.
I understand that he dumped McCourt because of bankruptcy issues for the Dodgers, and how the Fox network contract was going to basically fund his personal issues, which doesn't bode well as the commissioner. Selig supports the Mets because he's friendly with the Wilpons, but Selig has repeatedly called out on the Marlins ownership group to spend more money, irrespective of the interest of Baseball in Florida. (I don't think it works there because there's an abundance of baseball with Spring Training/College Baseball, as well as the out-of-state population who would rather support their "home" teams).
These are screenshots of the line and barren emptiness for single game ticket sales that started today. Baseball in Florida just doesn't work, especially Miami. Selig should really dump Loria as an owner...this is madness.
I understand that he dumped McCourt because of bankruptcy issues for the Dodgers, and how the Fox network contract was going to basically fund his personal issues, which doesn't bode well as the commissioner. Selig supports the Mets because he's friendly with the Wilpons, but Selig has repeatedly called out on the Marlins ownership group to spend more money, irrespective of the interest of Baseball in Florida. (I don't think it works there because there's an abundance of baseball with Spring Training/College Baseball, as well as the out-of-state population who would rather support their "home" teams).
This is sad. Florida has never really given two shits about their teams. They should dump Loria, but they should also just move those franchises or fold them. Remember when the Rays were amazing a few years ago and they had to give away playoff tickets, and still could not half-way fill the stadium? It is really a shame. I feel bad for the true Marlins and Rays fans that are out there.
These are screenshots of the line and barren emptiness for single game ticket sales that started today. Baseball in Florida just doesn't work, especially Miami. Selig should really dump Loria as an owner...this is madness.
I understand that he dumped McCourt because of bankruptcy issues for the Dodgers, and how the Fox network contract was going to basically fund his personal issues, which doesn't bode well as the commissioner. Selig supports the Mets because he's friendly with the Wilpons, but Selig has repeatedly called out on the Marlins ownership group to spend more money, irrespective of the interest of Baseball in Florida. (I don't think it works there because there's an abundance of baseball with Spring Training/College Baseball, as well as the out-of-state population who would rather support their "home" teams).
jays tickets go on sale 15th, hopefully someone will take pics :D
Bourn goes to the Indians! I don't understand their maneuvers at all...trade Choo and get Swisher and Bourn to 4 year contracts, plus they are older than Choo. Plus, they don't really have a chance in their division, seeing as the Tigers are the dominant favorites, and they are definitely not good enough for a Wild Card.
In the typical odd injuries that plague baseball players, Joel Peralta hurt his neck while getting out of his Camaro in order to get a sandwich. Link
I think Bourn/Swisher are fine additions for the Indians. If their pitching can click, Indians should be over .500 this season, especially with Francona leading the way. Don't count Cleveland out this season.
AL East is anyone's guess.
AL Central will of course be competitive between the Tigers and White Sox. However, I think the Royals have upgraded their pitching, and have a nice core of young hitters, I think Cleveland/Kansas/Minnesota will actually keep it interesting in the Central.
AL West has the Rangers and Angels, two powerhouse hitting teams. Angel's took Hamilton but the Rangers still have a strong lineup of home-run hitters. And of course the A's with their sabermetric strategy always manage to keep things interesting.
Anyone able to give a scouting report on Ryu Hyun-jin? (Dodgers new pitcher from Korea) He was snapped up from the posting system for around $25 million. Is he as good as what Dice-K was in his peak?
If this guy is correct then granderson cano a-roid and braun will be suspended for failing a ped test. And the tweet that people have been claiming states he was joking was for a previous tweet, not this one.
Man have the yankees had a clean star other than jeter in the past ten years?
the fact that Romero is claiming there are "no mechanical issues" contridicts the action of the team. He was sent to single "A" Dunedin. The place a major league pitcher goes to rebuild themselves from the ground up. You do not go to Dunedin to "tweak things". AAA is the place for that. Every start he makes will be watched carefully by the fans in Toronto.
I'd wager it's not only a mechanical issue but also a mental issue. It's better for him to go to single A than AAA, because there'll be absolutely zero pressure on him to succeed. And there's precedent to pitchers being sent to single A and improving their game.
Cliff Lee is a pitcher who showed flashes of brilliance like Romero has but got sent to single A when he was the same age as Romero (28), and look how he ended up. Roy Halladay got sent to single A as well at age 24, although he was no where near the level of Romero and Lee before that.
Edit: And according to Anthopoulos, they also chose single A so he can be in a warmer climate and work with the pitching coach they have there.
On March 30 2013 01:53 Ferrose wrote: I'd wager it's not only a mechanical issue but also a mental issue. It's better for him to go to single A than AAA, because there'll be absolutely zero pressure on him to succeed. And there's precedent to pitchers being sent to single A and improving their game.
Cliff Lee is a pitcher who showed flashes of brilliance like Romero has but got sent to single A when he was the same age as Romero (28), and look how he ended up. Roy Halladay got sent to single A as well at age 24, although he was no where near the level of Romero and Lee before that.
Edit: And according to Anthopoulos, they also chose single A so he can be in a warmer climate and work with the pitching coach they have there.
Jesus, Illitch is really breaking the bank here. I just hope he can keep his form because long-term contracts like this always scare me :x
Its 5 more years on top of the 2 @20mil he already was owed. So 5 years at 28 Million per year, big time money. Tigers have Cabrera coming off his contract in another couple years too.
Verlander has shown no signs of wear and tear so far and likely would have been looking at 30/year if he got to free agency.
On March 30 2013 01:53 Ferrose wrote: Cliff Lee is a pitcher who showed flashes of brilliance like Romero has but got sent to single A when he was the same age as Romero (28), and look how he ended up. Roy Halladay got sent to single A as well at age 24, although he was no where near the level of Romero and Lee before that.
Halladay was sent down when he was 23 in 2000... he had ZERO full years as a major league starter on what.. 20 major league starts in his career up to that point. Halladay completely modified his delivery in "A" ball. He used to throw straight over the top and relied upon a 4 seam fast ball and a curve ball that broke straight down. The 2-seam sinking fast ball was not in his repetoire. Halladay spent more than a year rebuilding his delivery from scratch. There is no talk of Romero spending more than a year in the minors. The only pitch the post 2001 Halladay kept from his pre-2000 MLB pitching was the 4-seam fastball.
There is zero talk of Romero going away from the delivery and pitches he used from 2008 to 2011.
You can't compare Halladay's demotion to Romero's. Two totally different cases. Romero is coming off elbow and knee surgery. Halladay's problems had nothing to do with health problems.
They got Buster for 8 years, option on a 9th, for only 161 mil. I have seen 7 year deals before, but not 8/9, and for a price that seems possibly like a steal to lock a player like that in for the majority of his career.
EDIT: Shit, also a full no-trade clause! That is almost unheard of for a player that has yet to hit free agency. Wow.
As a Houston-area resident, I hope every year that the Astros do well but end up getting disappointed by miid-late May. I hope that changes this season. Perhaps a few more games like tonight's will help.
On April 02 2013 02:02 ranshaked wrote: Let's go Mets!
Where the highest paid outfielder so far this season is Bobby Bonilla!
I must say the Marlins are going all out in an attempt to increase attendance, adding Jose Fernandez to the roster. He is a top prospect in the organization, but has not played above High-A.
Any estimates on the attendance of the Marlin's home opener this year? I think that getting over 10,000 will be hard.
On April 02 2013 09:06 MassHysteria wrote: Kershaw: 9.0 IP, 4 hits, no runs, 20 first-pitch strikes out of 30 batters faced 1 HR batting
94 pitches and no walks, not a bad performance.
If we look at Verlander's and Felix's contract, I think we have to agree that Kershaw is going to get roughly ten kajillion bajillion dollars. Or $220 million over 8 years.
On March 31 2013 12:12 Zeller wrote: Does anyone know if there is a poster/fathead version of this map for sale? It's called "The United Countries of Baseball"
I'd love to own it and have it on my wall at home.
That's pretty fucking cool. I wonder if those borders are just arbitrary, or if there is some kind method behind it.
Mariners win their first game! Hngh!!! delicious Now comes one of my favorite parts of the season. Seeing how long the team can go undefeated!
Not too difficult to draw that up, just pull from the MLB blackout map:
There is overlap, but when it comes down to it they do a pretty good job of getting the general boundaries correct in the "battleground areas" where teams are competing with each other. At least in my experience concerning Midwestern teams they do.
On April 03 2013 11:40 mtvacuum wrote: Yu Darvish perfect through 8 innings against the Astros.
Damn, gives out a hit with 26/27 outs. At least it was Darvish who didn't make the play to break up his own perfect game. Darvish is pretty fucking good.
HA HA HA see the stunned look on RA Dickey's face when that fly ball carried all the way out of the park.
for any pitcher to succeed in the Rogers Centre they must keep the ball down... that high knuckle ball may be ok in the green pastures of the national league.. but not in the concrete convertible that the BLue Jays play in.
Josh Johnson and Mark Buerle are in for a rude awakening.
I do wonder how much the Yankee tickets are going to cost in the final 3 games at home against Tampa in September. I kinda want to go to hopefully see Mo's last game.
Somehow, if the players on the Yankees can get off the disabled list quickly, I do see them making a decent run to have a shot at the playoffs. That team is built for the regular season.
I know it's the first week but holy shit some players really came to play this season.
Kershaw - hasn't allowed a run yet, 16 k's, hit's a HR in the opener.
Justin Upton / Chris Davis - Homerun maniacs so far
finally, I was really skeptical all last year...but Bryce Harper looks like the real deal. He is a pure machine at the plate, I think he lives up to the hype this season.
On April 08 2013 06:07 Jaaaaasper wrote: Red Sox 13-0 Blue Jays Sox hit 6 homeruns, including 3 from Will Middlebrooks and there were at least 3 balls that almost went out.
Absolutely ridiculous day for Middlebrooks.
I feel like although yes, the AL East is wide open. I feel like the Orioles are the strongest candidate, with the Red Sox sneaking in there. Yanks are old and the pitching isn't what it used to be, Blue Jays are looking overhyped, and I feel like the Rays pitching won't match last years production, and their batting isn't anything too special as a whole.
Just looking at the Marlins season opener...going to be a long year for the near-empty ballpark. Announced attendance was 34,439, but I definitely didn't see that many out there.
On April 09 2013 12:04 Phelix wrote: Just looking at the Marlins season opener...going to be a long year for the near-empty ballpark. Announced attendance was 34,439, but I definitely didn't see that many out there.
Yeah, they announce paid attendance, not how many people actually show up generally, so that includes all the season ticket holders that didn't go to that game and promo tickets given out and all that. Too bad...
On April 09 2013 12:04 Phelix wrote: Just looking at the Marlins season opener...going to be a long year for the near-empty ballpark. Announced attendance was 34,439, but I definitely didn't see that many out there.
Yeah, they announce paid attendance, not how many people actually show up generally, so that includes all the season ticket holders that didn't go to that game and promo tickets given out and all that. Too bad...
There was a groupon sale for 50% off for opening day tickets AND you got tickets to I think Sunday or Saturday Philly game. There were several packages ranging from $25-$75. This season is going to be turrable, even though I do like watching young players play since they tend to surprise you, I just wish it wasn't the majority of our team. I can't imagine attendance tomorrow breaking 20k since there is a Heat game in town as well.
On April 13 2013 01:24 Phelix wrote: Carlos Quentin charges the mound against Zack Greinke and Grienke will miss 4-6 weeks with a broken forearm.
Granted as a Padres fan I'm biased but all of the "outrage" in the sports media today has about put me over the edge. If the tables are turned and a Padres pitcher is hurt by Kemp or Gonzalez charging the mound or if it's a pitcher for the Astros or Pirates you wouldn't see nearly the "outrage" today that you are. The only reason the media is in a uproar is because it's an expensive Dodger that's hurt.
Was the HBP intentional? Of course not, but when it occurs and Quentin starts walking towards you instead of walking towards him and saying something maybe, just maybe, Greinke should have at least looked a little apologetic. Instead he decided he had to man up and defend his turf.
With that being said, Quentin will get a suspension (I'm guessing 6 games) and the big winner in all of this is the Giants. I am interested to see if Kemp gets a couple of days for going after Quentin in the players parking lot after the game.
That dipshit better be suspended 4-6 weeks too then. Maybe if that talentless thug stopped leaning over the plate he wouldn't be one of the most hit batters in the majors.
It's like Carlos Quentin wants to get hit by balls. It's his 7th year in the majors and he's been hit by 116 of them already! He's on track to get hit by at least 200 by the end of his career. :/
Greinke doesn't deserve to get bopped because the other guy can't control himself. Even if he said something provocative (which he probably did), Quentin shouldn't have even tried to do anything. Most people I see get hit take the fucking hit and just walk to 1st base. Of course I don't know what was said, but it could have been along the lines of "can you just walk?" Quentin was already motioning toward Greinke before anything was said anyway.
Plus if you look at the actual pitch, it was barely getting into the batter's box. Quentin basically turned into the pitch instead of pulling back.
I like how the NHL used to handle these kinds of issues. Scott Stevens ends the career of Eric Lindros in the 2000 playoffs and doesn't even get a 2 minute penalty.
Grienke should've ran like hell when Quentin charged him. The catcher prolly should've bear hugged him just as he took the 1st step forward.
i love how the BLue Jays try to wrap themselves up in the flag of the Dominican Republic, but let Carlos Villanueva go.
On April 20 2013 06:55 Phelix wrote: Jeter out until All-Star Break. Oh well, time to rely on more Eduardo Nunez.
10 games, Stanton has no HRs or RBIs. Marlins as a team only have 4 HRs. Intentionally lowering his value to get traded...is a possibility.
I'd say the biggest factor is that pitchers aren't going to give him much to hit. I'd rather walk Stanton and pitch against almost any other Marlin hitter.
Stanton needs to be traded, he deserves to be on a quality ball-club.
Well the Mariner's season went to shit really quickly. Losing two series against the Astros is not how they wanted to start the season (sorry Houston fans ;p)
I was working at this game, but sadly I was making a sale at the time and didn't see the play unfold on the field. It was hilarious to see the reactions of the fans around me and their looks of complete and utter disbelief.
Was anyone watching this game live? This has got to be shopped, either that or Ben Revere drinks a shitload of Red Bull.
That's one of the best OF catches ever.
what you mean 1 of the best 1,000,000 OF catches ever ?
did you see the first 2 steps he took right after the ball was hit? he misjudged it. its a nice catch made to appear more spectacular because his first few steps were bad.
Ichiro Suzuki woulda had that ball in his hip pocket. Devon White caught line drives like that every week... and 1 of his World Series catches became a triple play.
the Revere catch was "nice"... was it one of the best OF catches in the 100+ year history of baseball .. ummm .. not even close.
Was anyone watching this game live? This has got to be shopped, either that or Ben Revere drinks a shitload of Red Bull.
That's one of the best OF catches ever.
what you mean 1 of the best 1,000,000 OF catches ever ?
did you see the first 2 steps he took right after the ball was hit? he misjudged it. its a nice catch made to appear more spectacular because his first few steps were bad.
Ichiro Suzuki woulda had that ball in his hip pocket. Devon White caught line drives like that every week... and 1 of his World Series catches became a triple play.
the Revere catch was "nice"... was it one of the best OF catches in the 100+ year history of baseball .. ummm .. not even close.
Who the fuck does this guy think he is?! They show so little care for their team in any way, and now he starts meddling in day to day managing affairs?! Does he think he is Steinbrenner now? The Marlins ownership have gone out of their way to show their stupidity every damn year...
I wouldn't bother me so much if the ownership actually seemed to care at all about their team, their fans, and their situation, but no, they screw players, screw the city of Miami and seem to laugh about it, and now seem to care about this stupid thing?
They need to get rid of that crook and have the league own the team until they can find a suitable owner. Baseball can't afford more bad publicity after the steroid era.
On April 27 2013 13:39 Ferrose wrote: They need to get rid of that crook and have the league own the team until they can find a suitable owner. Baseball can't afford more bad publicity after the steroid era.
I agree. These guys that run the Miami organization don't give 2 shits about the city, the team, or baseball. They treat the franchise like a couple of rich kids with a fancy toy they just like to show off and have around. It is at a point that I would almost like to see the fans just turn away and boycott the team until something changes...but historically Florida fans were never that passionate about their team in the first place it seems. Oh well...eventually something will have to change.
On April 27 2013 09:57 TheAmazombie wrote: Who the fuck does this guy think he is?! They show so little care for their team in any way, and now he starts meddling in day to day managing affairs?! Does he think he is Steinbrenner now? The Marlins ownership have gone out of their way to show their stupidity every damn year...
I wouldn't bother me so much if the ownership actually seemed to care at all about their team, their fans, and their situation, but no, they screw players, screw the city of Miami and seem to laugh about it, and now seem to care about this stupid thing?
The guy is insane. Unfortunately I don't see him going away any time soon. It's really unfortunate for Marlins fans, they deserve better. Even if the guy doesn't care about baseball, he's ruining his business. He's playing with a lot of players and staffs' livelihood. Marlins fans get a free pass to be Tampa Bay Ray fans until Jeff Loria sells the team or by some miracle decides to be the owner he's supposed to.
its the city's fault for falling for Loria's obvious fraud act. Before pulling off this stunt Loria had an extensive track record of sleaze bucket tactics and unethical behaviour. Look at all his dealings with teh Expos and Montreal.
No one should be surprised by Loria's actions over the past 4 months or so.
I have tickets for Tigers-Braves tonight, and it's been cold and rainy all day. Maybe I shouldn't go to April baseball games anymore...
By the way I know it's kinda late but every game is free to watch in HD today on MLB.tv as a promotional free preview (except Tigers-Braves because it's on ESPN). Enjoy some nice Sunday baseball without having to use shitty streams.
Apparently even Mickey Mantle wasn't above cheating to give himself a little bit of an extra edge at the end of his career (Like many other ball players over the years).
Apparently even Mickey Mantle wasn't above cheating to give himself a little bit of an extra edge at the end of his career (Like many other ball players over the years).
Haha, yeah, a lot of these guys cork at the end of their career...(COUGH, Sosa, Bell, COUGH COUGH.) That is actually funny though in that most of these bats don't see the light of day after being used. Nice find.
Apparently even Mickey Mantle wasn't above cheating to give himself a little bit of an extra edge at the end of his career (Like many other ball players over the years).
Haha, yeah, a lot of these guys cork at the end of their career...(COUGH, Sosa, Bell, COUGH COUGH.) That is actually funny though in that most of these bats don't see the light of day after being used. Nice find.
The other example that was brought up in the article was Pete Rose who also had his corked bat discovered when it was auctioned off apparently.
So I am usually one that will stand on the side of the umpires for blow calls and such because it is a really hard job and some calls are so close that is is near impossible to be 100% with them, and usually upon replay they are, but the home run issue the other night was just blown, and now this issue in the Angels game where the umps clearly didn't know the rule, at any time any one of them could have pulled out their rule book to be sure, and just plain let the illegal pitching change happen...
Later Bo Porter says that as he understood it, he could change if the batter changed, but here is the actual rule:
(b) If the pitcher is replaced, the substitute pitcher shall pitch to the batter then at bat, or any substitute batter, until such batter is put out or reaches first base, or until the offensive team is put out, unless the substitute pitcher sustains injury or illness which, in the umpire-in-chief's judgment, incapacitates him for further play as a pitcher.
(c) If an improper substitution is made for the pitcher, the umpire shall direct the proper pitcher to return to the game until the provisions of this rule are fulfilled. If the improper pitcher is permitted to pitch, any play that results is legal. The improper pitcher becomes the proper pitcher as soon as he makes his first pitch to the batter, or as soon as any runner is put out.
Rule 3.05(c) Comment: If a manager attempts to remove a pitcher in violation of Rule 3.05(c) the umpire shall notify the manager of the offending club that it cannot be done. If, by chance, the umpire-in-chief has, through oversight, announced the incoming improper pitcher, he should still correct the situation before the improper pitcher pitches. Once the improper pitcher delivers a pitch he becomes the proper pitcher.
He must face at least that batter or any substitute batter...it seems pretty friggin clear to me and to every announcer and anyone else that understands the game...this is not a "gray area," it is clear.
Am I missing something here or did they just plain fuck this one up? Even though the protest was rescinded due to the Angels winning, I still feel that MLB needs to issue a statement on this one...
The LA KIngs look really really good. They just eliminated a very tough team.
last year Don Cherry picked the Kings to win the Cup
nice game by Lester last night. nice to see Farrell succeeding .. he is a good baseball man.
On May 10 2013 17:20 TheAmazombie wrote: So I am usually one that will stand on the side of the umpires for blow calls and such because it is a really hard job and some calls are so close that is is near impossible to be 100% with them, and usually upon replay they are, but the home run issue the other night was just blown, and now this issue in the Angels game where the umps clearly didn't know the rule, at any time any one of them could have pulled out their rule book to be sure, and just plain let the illegal pitching change happen...
Later Bo Porter says that as he understood it, he could change if the batter changed, but here is the actual rule:
(b) If the pitcher is replaced, the substitute pitcher shall pitch to the batter then at bat, or any substitute batter, until such batter is put out or reaches first base, or until the offensive team is put out, unless the substitute pitcher sustains injury or illness which, in the umpire-in-chief's judgment, incapacitates him for further play as a pitcher.
(c) If an improper substitution is made for the pitcher, the umpire shall direct the proper pitcher to return to the game until the provisions of this rule are fulfilled. If the improper pitcher is permitted to pitch, any play that results is legal. The improper pitcher becomes the proper pitcher as soon as he makes his first pitch to the batter, or as soon as any runner is put out.
Rule 3.05(c) Comment: If a manager attempts to remove a pitcher in violation of Rule 3.05(c) the umpire shall notify the manager of the offending club that it cannot be done. If, by chance, the umpire-in-chief has, through oversight, announced the incoming improper pitcher, he should still correct the situation before the improper pitcher pitches. Once the improper pitcher delivers a pitch he becomes the proper pitcher.
He must face at least that batter or any substitute batter...it seems pretty friggin clear to me and to every announcer and anyone else that understands the game...this is not a "gray area," it is clear.
Am I missing something here or did they just plain fuck this one up? Even though the protest was rescinded due to the Angels winning, I still feel that MLB needs to issue a statement on this one...
umpires should have the entire rule book memorized. the amount of memorization required by a physician or an accountant still dwarfs this requirement. and for what they are paid it is a small request.
On May 10 2013 17:20 TheAmazombie wrote: So I am usually one that will stand on the side of the umpires for blow calls and such because it is a really hard job and some calls are so close that is is near impossible to be 100% with them, and usually upon replay they are, but the home run issue the other night was just blown, and now this issue in the Angels game where the umps clearly didn't know the rule, at any time any one of them could have pulled out their rule book to be sure, and just plain let the illegal pitching change happen...
Later Bo Porter says that as he understood it, he could change if the batter changed, but here is the actual rule:
(b) If the pitcher is replaced, the substitute pitcher shall pitch to the batter then at bat, or any substitute batter, until such batter is put out or reaches first base, or until the offensive team is put out, unless the substitute pitcher sustains injury or illness which, in the umpire-in-chief's judgment, incapacitates him for further play as a pitcher.
(c) If an improper substitution is made for the pitcher, the umpire shall direct the proper pitcher to return to the game until the provisions of this rule are fulfilled. If the improper pitcher is permitted to pitch, any play that results is legal. The improper pitcher becomes the proper pitcher as soon as he makes his first pitch to the batter, or as soon as any runner is put out.
Rule 3.05(c) Comment: If a manager attempts to remove a pitcher in violation of Rule 3.05(c) the umpire shall notify the manager of the offending club that it cannot be done. If, by chance, the umpire-in-chief has, through oversight, announced the incoming improper pitcher, he should still correct the situation before the improper pitcher pitches. Once the improper pitcher delivers a pitch he becomes the proper pitcher.
He must face at least that batter or any substitute batter...it seems pretty friggin clear to me and to every announcer and anyone else that understands the game...this is not a "gray area," it is clear.
Am I missing something here or did they just plain fuck this one up? Even though the protest was rescinded due to the Angels winning, I still feel that MLB needs to issue a statement on this one...
umpires should have the entire rule book memorized. the amount of memorization required by a physician or an accountant still dwarfs this requirement. and for what they are paid it is a small request.
no excuse for this
Exactly...the rules are not too difficult, plus aren't they all supposed to carry a copy of the rule book in their back pockets for instances such as this, when they may not be 100%? I read a quote that hit home where the writer said "Out of the 6 people on the field who are paid first and foremost to know the rule book, the 4 umps and 2 managers, only Scioscia appeared to know what he was doing."
What I would do to see the Reds take a team with a winning % > .500 to town. This team can't do jack diddly right now against any team that they'll be facing if they make the playoffs. They've beat the living shit out of teams at home though, which I've been really loving.
So the Astros President/CEO resigns...don't know much about him but there will be pressure for Nolan Ryan to leave the Rangers to get full control and power of rebuilding the Astros, rather than playing second fiddle for the Rangers.
I know, "human element", blah blah blah. I do watch baseball for the human element. The element of the players. Not of the umps.
At least, I'd be curious to see it tried out. It would feel weird not seeing an ump standing behind the catcher, but i think it'd be worth investigating to see if the consistency merits the change. You could still keep umps in the field. Just have robots call balls and strikes.
I'm sure this has already been discussed to death, i just wanted to give my opinion as it is currently
On May 15 2013 11:51 itkovian wrote: I'm ready for robots.
I know, "human element", blah blah blah. I do watch baseball for the human element. The element of the players. Not of the umps.
At least, I'd be curious to see it tried out. It would feel weird not seeing an ump standing behind the catcher, but i think it'd be worth investigating to see if the consistency merits the change. You could still keep umps in the field. Just have robots call balls and strikes.
I'm sure this has already been discussed to death, i just wanted to give my opinion as it is currently
We've had that before, it was called Questec. The pitchers and batters didn't like it because of its various flaws, such as borderline breaking pitches, glitches in the system, camera angles to review, and the operator setting the strike zone. Until these kinks work out, the system shouldn't be used.
Curt Schilling broke a Questec machine once, and he was fined. The umpires hate it as well.
I have a hard time imagining that there isn't some form of technology that can call balls and strikes better than a pair of human eyes. But if that's the case, then I suppose its worth waiting until the technology is precise enough before testing it
The MLB could help fund a few projects to develop new technology, then test them in the minors and pick whichever one works best. I'm willing to bet that there are plenty of engineering students who are baseball fans out there.
A lot of it also has to do with the way stadiums are built, and how getting proper camera positioning for Questec would be difficult. If the base coaches interfere with the camera, the system is basically pointless.
The major problem with Questec was that pitchers were not getting those borderline calls that the veterans would usually get. I remember Tom Glavine, when he was with the Mets at the twilight of his career (Shea was a Questec Park), performed badly compared to non-Questec parks. Also, late-breaking pitches would be called a strike due to the fact that the ball nicked the corner of the plate, even if the pitch is caught in the opponent's batter box. Of course, this factor could be adjusted with the system, but I would prefer baseball to not use replay on subjective calls (balls and strikes).
I think the current system of Questec is to review the umpire's calls and make sure that they are calling the strike zone correctly. If I remember correctly, ~80% of the calls are correct; I guess it's up to the fans to say whether this is good enough, or should the system be used.
Not sure if this is the wrong place to post this, but I didn't see a fantasy baseball discussion thread so hopefully I won't incur too much wrath if you guys hate posts like these.
This is my first season playing fantasy baseball and I don't consider myself very knowledgable about the players and their histories. I got offered 2 trades today that I'd love second opinions on.
The first one is I get Madison Bumgarner for Jon Lester and Alexi Ogando
The second is I get Pablo Sandoval and Ryan Howard for David Wright and Alexi Ogando.
Here's a screenshot of my team if that helps: http://i.imgur.com/vTU9L3m.png Not shown in that screenshot that I also have are: Matt Cain, CC. Sabathia, Anibal sanchez, and Mat Latos
On May 15 2013 13:58 Phelix wrote: I think the current system of Questec is to review the umpire's calls and make sure that they are calling the strike zone correctly. If I remember correctly, ~80% of the calls are correct; I guess it's up to the fans to say whether this is good enough, or should the system be used.
That's actually a dishearteningly low percentage. I was hoping they were around 90 or 95 percent correct.
So some people are calling for Mattingly's head, I don't really know why though. If anything fire that tool Ned Coletti!
It is hard to defend him when he sends out Kershaw for like 130+ pitches two nights ago though. Kershaw is such a beast, yet he snuck up on people since he plays in the West. I have been able to watch him since he had buzz from the minors and the guy is an ultimate competitor and a genuine great guy. If the Dodgers don't resign him and blame it on cost then all those moves they made to take a boatload of money will seem so stupid (even more).
On May 15 2013 14:23 Doughboy wrote: Not sure if this is the wrong place to post this, but I didn't see a fantasy baseball discussion thread so hopefully I won't incur too much wrath if you guys hate posts like these.
This is my first season playing fantasy baseball and I don't consider myself very knowledgable about the players and their histories. I got offered 2 trades today that I'd love second opinions on.
The first one is I get Madison Bumgarner for Jon Lester and Alexi Ogando
The second is I get Pablo Sandoval and Ryan Howard for David Wright and Alexi Ogando.
Here's a screenshot of my team if that helps: http://i.imgur.com/vTU9L3m.png Not shown in that screenshot that I also have are: Matt Cain, CC. Sabathia, Anibal san chez, and Mat Latos
It's fine to post about fantasy here, I think the TL leagues died off so you don't hear about it much anymore (I might be wrong). I wouldn't make either trade. First trade isn't particularly great. Bumgarner for Lester without Ogando would be reasonably fair, because I think chances are both keep performing at their present rate. Unless Ogando is sitting on the bench and you don't need him and you think Bumgarner is vastly superior to Lester, it doesn't make any sense to make that trade.
2nd trade is even worse. You don't even have a corner infielder slot, so you have no need for Sandoval or Howard, since you already have Fielder and Wright (who are both vastly superior). You'd be slightly upgrading your utility slot at the cost of a loss at 3rd base (Sandoval might be doing better now if you ignore steals, but historically Wright is way more valuable and that's probably not going to change this year), and that's completing ignoring you have to give up Ogando too. Not even close to worth it. Doesn't help Howard is in the twilight of his career and is an albatross at this point.
On May 15 2013 14:23 Doughboy wrote: Not sure if this is the wrong place to post this, but I didn't see a fantasy baseball discussion thread so hopefully I won't incur too much wrath if you guys hate posts like these.
This is my first season playing fantasy baseball and I don't consider myself very knowledgable about the players and their histories. I got offered 2 trades today that I'd love second opinions on.
The first one is I get Madison Bumgarner for Jon Lester and Alexi Ogando
The second is I get Pablo Sandoval and Ryan Howard for David Wright and Alexi Ogando.
Here's a screenshot of my team if that helps: http://i.imgur.com/vTU9L3m.png Not shown in that screenshot that I also have are: Matt Cain, CC. Sabathia, Anibal san chez, and Mat Latos
It's fine to post about fantasy here, I think the TL leagues died off so you don't hear about it much anymore (I might be wrong). I wouldn't make either trade. First trade isn't particularly great. Bumgarner for Lester without Ogando would be reasonably fair, because I think chances are both keep performing at their present rate. Unless Ogando is sitting on the bench and you don't need him and you think Bumgarner is vastly superior to Lester, it doesn't make any sense to make that trade.
2nd trade is even worse. You don't even have a corner infielder slot, so you have no need for Sandoval or Howard, since you already have Fielder and Wright (who are both vastly superior). You'd be slightly upgrading your utility slot at the cost of a loss at 3rd base (Sandoval might be doing better now if you ignore steals, but historically Wright is way more valuable and that's probably not going to change this year), and that's completing ignoring you have to give up Ogando too. Not even close to worth it. Doesn't help Howard is in the twilight of his career and is an albatross at this point.
It's fine to ask for advice on Fantasy Baseball.
First trade is a possibility on your confidence that MadBum is going to outperform both Lester and Ogando. Well, you do have lots of starting pitching, and the fact that the innings cap will probably hurt you in the long-run. Overall, I would tepidly make the trade because I love MadBum, but it's unlikely that both will be keeping up their performances.
Second trade, I would never do because I will try to avoid aging veterans coming off surgery, which is what Ryan Howard basically is at ths point. Wright and Sandoval have similar value, so a Howard for Ogando trade is one I would not accept. Plus, based on your positional needs, neither would be necessary as you would be swapping 3B, and already have a good 1B.
On May 15 2013 13:58 Phelix wrote: I think the current system of Questec is to review the umpire's calls and make sure that they are calling the strike zone correctly. If I remember correctly, ~80% of the calls are correct; I guess it's up to the fans to say whether this is good enough, or should the system be used.
That's actually a dishearteningly low percentage. I was hoping they were around 90 or 95 percent correct.
It's hard to ump when you have to judge the height and plate with pitches that come in at less than half a second for an average pitcher with a fastball. To make that judgement call can being correct, I cut them some slack. Bad calls happen to both teams, so it's just part of the game.
Plus, yelling at a umpire vs. yelling and beating the Questec machine/operator wouldn't be the same.
They are allegedly considering having an official in a booth, and having umps wear headsets like soccer referees.
In bad news, David Price is on the 15-day DL with a strained triceps in his throwing arm.
And why isn't Manny Machado getting more attention? 20 year old kid is hitting .343/.379/.541 and leads the majors in hits and is first in the AL in WAR. He's blowing Mike Trout and Bryce Harper out of the water.
well, i wouldn't say blowing them out of the water. he has a lot of hits but not great obp for that average, nor spectacular slugging. harper has been through a pretty big cold streak recently and his OPS is still way higher than Machado. That said, yes, Machado is very good.
I went in to work when the Tigers were winning 5-1 in the fifth and Cabrera already had 2 homers. I check now and see he had 3 but they lost 11-8. Way to blow it on national TV.
The 8 game losing streak is over! In extra innings too, how exciting. Now the Ms just need to go on a 9 game win streak to get back to even. no big deal.
Was gonna go watch Ryu pitch yesterday vs the Angels but decided to just watch the Heat game instead. The guy is pretty damn good though. Want to check out more of him.
Major League Baseball will seek to suspend about 20 players connected to the Miami-area clinic at the heart of an ongoing performance-enhancing drug scandal, including Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun, possibly within the next few weeks, "Outside the Lines" has learned. If the suspensions are upheld, the performance-enhancing drug scandal would be the largest in American sports history.
Tony Bosch, founder of the now-shuttered Biogenesis of America, reached an agreement this week to cooperate with MLB's investigation, two sources told "Outside the Lines," giving MLB the ammunition officials believe they need to suspend the players.
One source familiar with the case said the commissioner's office might seek 100-game suspensions for Rodriguez, Braun and other players, the penalty for a second doping offense. The argument, the source said, is the players' connection to Bosch constitutes one offense, and previous statements to MLB officials denying any such connection or the use of PEDs constitute another.
Player Team Ryan Braun Brewers Everth Cabrera Padres Melky Cabrera Blue Jays Francisco Cervelli Yankees Bartolo Colon Athletics Nelson Cruz Rangers Fautino de los Santos Free agent Gio Gonzalez* Nationals Yasmani Grandal Padres Fernando Martinez Astros Jesus Montero Mariners Jordan Norberto Free agent Jhonny Peralta Tigers Cesar Puello** Mets Alex Rodriguez Yankees
* Sources told ESPN that Gonzalez received only legal substances ** minor leaguer, not a member of the MLB Players Association
Edit: He homered again on Friday! 4 HRs and 10 RBI in his first 5 games. What a talent.
Yup, the guy is a beast. Athletes his size in the US usually don't play baseball lol. (dance with Korean pitcher Ryu -who did excellent as well yest- at end of video)
edit: another outfield assist on 6/8/13. Should be his 3rd of the season though on his 2nd game, the 3rd basemen was so surprised by his perfect throw after a catch that he was out of position and didn't make the tag.
On June 27 2013 01:54 MassHysteria wrote: Where your team at amazombie?? =P
Brooms coming out at chavez ravine today.
Fuck man, I know. Our pitching has been subpar, we lost Pagan for about the entire season, Vogelsong's been out for quite awhile, Gaudin is out, Crawford has been in and out, Panda has been in and out, Scutaro is just getting back into the swing...between him and Pence they are the only couple hitters that we can rely on at the moment. Then again, June we have been beat up, but it has also been our hardest month road-trip wise, so we will see. I am never worried until August. Zito usually always turns it on come July-August, Cain has finally been pitching again, Bum is awesome, and Timmy is well...having his issues.
We will see come August. I don't see any team in the west running away anytime soon, so I think we will be fine as long as we can hover near or above 500.
On June 13 2013 13:50 Ferrose wrote: The phrase "spoiled gem" is used way too often with Tigers' starting pitching. Looks like we aren't winning the world series this year either...
Half of everything I hear about the Tigers now a days has been how much they waste their good starting pitching.
Ya I agree amazombie, we can almost count on Giants to make a nice run before it's over too. I don't even count the Dodgers out yet and they're in last place right now. I have to hope they go on a run though.
edit: yesterday was first game I've had on from beg. to end this season. Was a good game too.
Stupid Chris Davis. Going to rob Miggy of a second straight triple crown
And how about Michael Cuddyer? Age 34, 26 game hitting streak, reached base safely in 45 straight games dating back to April 21. And he has 14 home runs and 16 doubles so it's not like he's just getting weak hits.
And the Pirates are the best team in baseball and the first to 50 wins. Let's see if they can actually keep it up past the all star break this time.
Very nice NoNo from Homer Bailey, very doiminaiteing almost zero balls hit hard, and only one close play. Hope this gets the reds out of thier recent funk.
On June 24 2013 03:23 KelianQatar wrote: 11 in a row!! Where's that little sabermatrician Raynor now? He probably snapped his calculator in half and is hiding in his mom's basement.
i'm here.
my criticisms of the Blue Jays general manager has to do with his RELATIVE lack of real competitive baseball experience. Nothing to do with sabermetrics.
He is good enough to be the AGM of an MLB team, but not good enough to make final baseball decisions. The guy is just out of his element when trying to deal with guys like Friedman and Ryan regarding baseball stuff.
i've been saying this since the day he was hired. AA is not qualified to be a baseball decision maker for an MLB team.
the jays needs to fire AA and Roger Media needs to give Andrew Friedman the autonomy and wheel barrel full of money that he deserves.
if that means getting rid of Paul Beeston then so be it. he refuses to wear socks and his feet stink up the whole office.
So this is the first year where Miguel Cabrera is finally the starter in the All-Star game...never thought about it that way before.
I laughed when the AL final vote are 5 RH relief pitchers, and no closers...where is Greg Holland? It is as if that MLB decided to throw darts at the teams and pick a relief pitcher.
On July 09 2013 07:42 Phelix wrote: So this is the first year where Miguel Cabrera is finally the starter in the All-Star game...never thought about it that way before.
I laughed when the AL final vote are 5 RH relief pitchers, and no closers...where is Greg Holland? It is as if that MLB decided to throw darts at the teams and pick a relief pitcher.
Then the NL final vote is 5 hitters (Puig is going to win that, easily).
The home run derby participants are out. For the NL: David Wright (c), Carlos Gonzalez, Michael Cuddyer (apparently they are good friends or something), and Bryce Harper (why the fuck)
AL: Robinsin Cano (c), Prince Fielder, Chris Davis, and the fourth is TBD (please be Verlander)
Danny Salazar will be a guy to watch in the future. 99 mph 4-seamer, and a split finger pitch that falls off the table at 58 feet. He has a smooth effortless delivery. Many pitchers with his kind of delivery avoid injuries.
The blue jays have a lot of high strike out guys. Therefore, it is hard to tell how good a strike out pitcher he really is without seeing more of him.
I understand it was no-no but when was the last time a manager let someone throw 148 pitches? This for a guy who's lost so much velocity over the years in no small part due to how much he's pitched.
this week Lindblom threw 119 pitches over 5 innings that is more stressful than 148 pitches over 9 innings. earlier Holland 125 pitches over 6 and 2/3.
Generally, Texas lets their starters throw a lot more pitches because Nolan Ryan thinks "pitch count management" does very little to prevent injuries.
I'll let you and Nolan debate this one.
When you get to be president of a baseball team you can keep the pitch counts of all your pitchers under 90.
On July 14 2013 20:47 JimmyJRaynor wrote: this week Lindblom threw 119 pitches over 5 innings that is more stressful than 148 pitches over 9 innings. earlier Holland 125 pitches over 6 and 2/3.
Generally, Texas lets their starters throw a lot more pitches because Nolan Ryan thinks "pitch count management" does very little to prevent injuries.
I'll let you and Nolan debate this one.
When you get to be president of a baseball team you can keep the pitch counts of all your pitchers under 90.
I think Ryan is generally right though, the pitch count control issue - Verducci's Rule or whatever, has probably swung too far. Every pitcher has a different body, it's up to the pitcher, the manager and the trainers to make that decision.
The Verducci Rule is about young pitchers and how much they should pitch per season in order for their bodies to adjust to an increased workload next season. The reason is that young pitchers throw less innings in the minors (shorter season, I believe), and how if a young pitcher increases their workload in majors too much (+30 innings), there will be performance troubles/injury issues.
Though I do agree each pitcher has its own limits, and it has been a phenomena where pitchers are decreasing in velocity. I mean, Jered Weaver now throws high-80s fastballs and he's not even 30 yet.
On July 15 2013 03:43 Phelix wrote: The Verducci Rule is about young pitchers and how much they should pitch per season in order for their bodies to adjust to an increased workload next season. The reason is that young pitchers throw less innings in the minors (shorter season, I believe), and how if a young pitcher increases their workload in majors too much (+30 innings), there will be performance troubles/injury issues.
Though I do agree each pitcher has its own limits, and it has been a phenomena where pitchers are decreasing in velocity. I mean, Jered Weaver now throws high-80s fastballs and he's not even 30 yet.
I know what the rule is, but it's not a RULE. It's a conception, unproven. We can always find pitchers who increased their innings count or pitch count and were fine - you have to make the leap eventually. I haven't seen any research indicating if there's an ideal age or season to do it, but I feel like teams have been overly cautious.
Jered Weaver was never really a hard thrower - his 4-seamer was always around 90-91 and remarkably straight. Who knows?
Actually they have found some very good research on pitchers increasing their workload too fast (from one season to the next). I'll try to find some links.
With that said I also agree with the Ryan approach. These two approaches/ideas combined is what I opine to be ideal.
1 big contributing factor towards pitching injuries is taht a freak of nature guy like Mariano Rivera can use a pitch for only 1 inning that never hurts his arm for whatever mysterious reason. The pitch catches on and every starter in the minor leagues starts trying to throw it. However, in general in 1965 no starting pitcher would dare even begin to throw that kind of pitch.
It was all 4-seam fast ball, overhand "12-6" curve, and straight change. The starters had the Ryan/Seaver drop and drive delivery that was immune to mild lower body tiredness. Tampa Bay does it right. Very few organizations follow their basic structure.
As long as pitchers are screwing around with really odd pitches...and all you need to do is try to throw 20 or 30 of "the next big really cool pitch" to see for yourself how dangerous the pitch is.
Sure, Tom Henke can throw an odd version of the split finger fastball and never hurt his arm. Lincecum could never throw this pitch because Henke's fist is the size of Lincecum's skull. The problem is that some starting pitchers are trying to throw this kind of pitch.
On July 15 2013 05:18 JimmyJRaynor wrote: 1 big contributing factor towards pitching injuries is taht a freak of nature guy like Mariano Rivera can use a pitch for only 1 inning that never hurts his arm for whatever mysterious reason. The pitch catches on and every starter in the minor leagues starts trying to throw it. However, in general in 1965 no starting pitcher would dare even begin to throw that kind of pitch.
It was all 4-seam fast ball, overhand "12-6" curve, and straight change. The starters had the Ryan/Seaver drop and drive delivery that was immune to mild lower body tiredness. Tampa Bay does it right. Very few organizations follow their basic structure.
As long as pitchers are screwing around with really odd pitches...and all you need to do is try to throw 20 or 30 of "the next big really cool pitch" to see for yourself how dangerous the pitch is.
Sure, Tom Henke can throw an odd version of the split finger fastball and never hurt his arm. Lincecum could never throw this pitch because Henke's fist is the size of Lincecum's skull. The problem is that some starting pitchers are trying to throw this kind of pitch.
Which pitches do you think cause injuries besides the split finger fastball? I've heard the slider does, but if you told me I could throw a slider for 3 years before I blow out my shoulder but make the Show? I'd do it it in a heart beat.
pitch count matters more when the guy is stressed and fatigued. didn't catch the lincecum game, but if he was still throwing well at the end of the game the absolute number of pitches doesn't matter that much.
anytime a guy gets out of his repeatable mechanics due to fatigue/overthrowing etc, then that's a heightened injury risk
there's some research on sliders and injuries. there are some high profile starters who throw sliders more than 35% of the time suffering serious injuries, but it seems that curveballs are not that much safer. depends on how the guy throws it i guess
On July 15 2013 08:18 slyboogie wrote: Which pitches do you think cause injuries besides the split finger fastball? I've heard the slider does, but if you told me I could throw a slider for 3 years before I blow out my shoulder but make the Show? I'd do it it in a heart beat.
if i were in "AAA" hitting .310 with no power. i'd be the first guy taking steroids. if i can increase my pay by 10 to 100 times i'm going to sacrifice my long term health.
Also, if u only increase your weight by 10% or 20% you can live a long time after having taken steroids. Ben Johnson (he only gained a few pounds) isn't dying young from steroid use... its Eddie Guerrero and Ric Rude who increased their weight by 50% and died in their 30s and 40s
actually, everyone's elbow and shoulder are built slightly differently so a pitch that pitcher "A" may be able to do with no problems with cab be big trouble pitcher "B".
However, the safest pitches are the pitches that were thrown by starters who pitched complete games all the time in the 1950s 60s and 70s. So we are talking about the Seaver/Ryan/Fergie Jenkins repertoire plus the screw ball and knuckle ball.
You can "feel" when a pitch is bad for you. just by throwing it a bunch of times. Basically , a pitcher should have as much shoulder and elbow pain and fatigue as the starting catcher experiences. It should be lactic acid type pain at most. Any kind of ligament strain or tendon inflammation is flat out unacceptable... if you try a new pitch and are given a hint of these tendon and ligament problems... you need to remove that pitch from your arsenal.
The "no pain no gain" philosophy does not work when it comes to pitching.
"working with the pain" only applies in certain calculated instances when recovering from an injury and the scar tissue is still breaking down.
i know all these details through a combination of personal experience and my own research when trying to recover from soft tissue injuries.
i played catcher and pitcher.
On July 15 2013 10:08 oneofthem wrote: pitch count matters more when the guy is stressed and fatigued.
i'm a big fan of the Seaver/Ryan drop and drive delivery for minimizing these stress and fatigue issues that arise after pitching for more than 60 minutes.
Nolan Ryan may look like a fat old man now. The guy is a walking encyclopedia of pitching and baseball knowledge... and just a great baseball man in every respect.
On July 15 2013 08:18 slyboogie wrote: Which pitches do you think cause injuries besides the split finger fastball? I've heard the slider does, but if you told me I could throw a slider for 3 years before I blow out my shoulder but make the Show? I'd do it it in a heart beat.
if i were in "AAA" hitting .310 with no power. i'd be the first guy taking steroids. if i can increase my pay by 10 to 100 times i'm going to sacrifice my long term health.
exactly, same here. And the thing is that if you apply this to real-life jobs, most people would do the same. If you tell any professional that they can increase their performance and pay, by taking some pills, I am pretty sure the majority would do it.
And I remember reading a good artice about Nolan Ryan and his pitching opinions. I looked for/ read more information on it b/c intrigued me so much (this was years ago before the Rangers recent success). The guy really is a baseball genius.
Some really interesting info. What do you guys think is the reason for Lincecum's velocity drop? Also, what about Mariano Rivera's cutter is dangerous to throw? The grip is almost the same as a 4 seamer.
On July 15 2013 10:08 oneofthem wrote: there's some research on sliders and injuries. there are some high profile starters who throw sliders more than 35% of the time suffering serious injuries, but it seems that curveballs are not that much safer. depends on how the guy throws it i guess
They're now on a 5 game win streak, biggest of the season. I'm glad Brad Miller and Nick Franklin are adjusting well to the big leagues. If they keep up the performance, we've got a solid, young middle infield for years to come.
I don't want to get too optimistic (because i've been a mariners fan the past 10 years), but i feel that they can get back to .500 by the season's end.
Next year I think they'll be able to compete. Especially if their young pitchers can make the jump to the bigs.
On July 15 2013 12:38 zulu_nation8 wrote: Some really interesting info. What do you guys think is the reason for Lincecum's velocity drop? Also, what about Mariano Rivera's cutter is dangerous to throw? The grip is almost the same as a 4 seamer.
Right? I feel like tons of guys throw cutters and they're basically fine. Cliff Lee, James Shields, Roy Halladay are some really special pitchers who throw the cutter at least 15% of the time, or 51% of the time in Doc's case.
Lincecum hurt his shoulder, which is an awful injury for pitchers to recover from. But I believe he toned down the velocity long ago, and now, with the injury - he probably just can't command a 93 mph like before or maybe even get there.
Does it have anything to do with his delivery? I was reading about how Trevor Bauer copied Lincecum's delivery in detail and was thinking, well that sucks.
On July 15 2013 12:38 zulu_nation8 wrote: Some really interesting info. What do you guys think is the reason for Lincecum's velocity drop? Also, what about Mariano Rivera's cutter is dangerous to throw? The grip is almost the same as a 4 seamer.
Right? I feel like tons of guys throw cutters and they're basically fine. Cliff Lee, James Shields, Roy Halladay are some really special pitchers who throw the cutter at least 15% of the time, or 51% of the time in Doc's case.
Lincecum hurt his shoulder, which is an awful injury for pitchers to recover from. But I believe he toned down the velocity long ago, and now, with the injury - he probably just can't command a 93 mph like before or maybe even get there.
As of 2005 Halladay no longer throws a standard cut fastball due to an arm injury. The reason Halladay had the "hardest cut fastball in baseball" for some time was that it really wasn't a cut fastball.
Halladay does not throw this pitch
When the MLB pitch tracker identifies a pitch it does not examine the grip and rotation of the pitcher's wrist. The tracker examines how the ball breaks and estimates what pitch it probably is based on how the ball moves through the air. Halladay's modified 2-seam fastball behaves like a cut fastball.
The MLB pitch tracker is impressive, but it is not 100% accurate.
For some people the standard cut fastball shown in the video is not an issue. For others it causes elbow problems. This has to do with the thickness and positioning of the connective tissues in a players elbows and shoulders.
As an extreme example, RA Dickey has no ulnar collateral ligament. This alters the entire system of forces he puts on the ball as he throws it and impacts the stresses on his elbow in a profound way. On the outside he may look like he is throwing a ball just like every one else. But, if you talk to an orthopaedic expert, he is not.
It is a lot easier for a reliever to throw a pitch that is stressful on the elbow and shoulder for 1 inning than it is for a starter to throw 100+ pitches over 6 or more innings.
Try and throw a cut fastball yourself. From a mound and following the youtube video. Throw it as hard as you can 30 times. Then do the same thing with the slider. That'll show you first hand how dangerous these pitches can be for some people.
Well the MLB finally did something and suspended Ryan Braun for the rest of the season. I'm sure it won't be the first suspension as a result of being connected to Biogenesis.
On a positive note, Tom Cheek posthumously receives the Ford C. Frick award this Saturday.
On July 23 2013 09:56 oneofthem wrote: should just grandfather in roids like they did greenies and whatnot. who gives a fuck
the problem with this is that guys who were born to be welterweights at 170 lbs will " 'roid themselves up to 260 lbs" like Eddie Guerrero did and die on the baseball field at the age of 35.
I've noticed a rather large number of players simply will not ever swing at a first pitch. I watched more then a few first pitch waist high fastballs cruse past Jose Bautista then I'd like.
Its one thing to not swing at a first bad pitch but it seems the pitchers are on to these guys and that first pitch is often the best hitting pitch they will get.
Does baseball have a stat to compare guys that will sometimes swing at first pitches vs those that don't?
This is one of the first things the originator of Sabremetrics, Bill James, proved conclusively. "First Pitch Swingers" are less successful hitters.
Really good hitters receive less strikes. Really good power hitters receive even less strikes. Lousy hitters with no power get first pitch strikes all the time.
Therefore, hitters like Barry Bonds, Frank Thomas, and Prince Fielder receive less first pitch strikes. Therefore, they swing at the first pitch less. And, these hitters draw more walks.
Generally speaking, hitters who swing at the first pitch most often are the least successful hitters in the game.
I feel like this is the beginning of a decline for Boston. The rotation is relying on rookies now after all the injuries. There's been more than a few overperfomers in the first half, hard to imagine all of them keeping it up. Tampa Bay on the other hand seems like the real deal.
Rofl I had the Dodgers and Over at 9.5. Going into the 9th Jays were up 3-2, haven't lucked out like that in awhile. Anyways the Dodgers are looking scary, the difference between the team that played the first team 50 games and the team that is playing now is insane.
On July 25 2013 11:48 MassHysteria wrote: Oh man, feel you on that one Jays fans. That one must have hurt after being an out away. Ethier is pretty hot lately. A-Gon has been solid all season. Hanley when he has been in.
An organization's personality is reflected in its leadership. the management team of the Blue Jays has very little competitive baseball experience.
As a result, you get a team that can not perform the fundamentals of the game because at its deepest level management does not respect these fundamentals. In their eyes Dustin Pedroia's baseball IQ is of little value because these guys have never played a competitive game. A baseball team is just a giant fantasy league team in Anthopoulos's eyes.
At a basic level Alex Anthopoulos does not know how to scout baseball players nor does he know how to hire a good scout.
The Blue Jays assembled a starting staff of injury prone guys accustomed to pitching in large parks. I said this the day Anthopoulos was hired. Fire Anthopoulos now.
On July 26 2013 12:01 MassHysteria wrote: Have you guys ever seen Greinke bat? Solid (something I didn't know before this season). Has to be one of the best batting pitchers.
Micah Owings was a pretty good hitter. If only he had been an average pitcher on top of that.
If Alex Rodriguez is intent on fighting his looming suspension in an effort to stay on the field and protect his contract, commissioner Bud Selig is prepared to throw the book at the steroid-stained Yankee by invoking one of his office's most extreme privileges — the right to take action against a player to preserve the integrity of the game, the Daily News has learned.
By invoking that rarely used power - embodied in Article XI, Section A1b of the game's collective bargaining agreement - Selig would attempt to effectively keep Rodriguez from ever returning to the field by bypassing the grievance procedure outlined in the joint drug program MLB operates in conjunction with the Players Association.
Rodriguez would be suspended immediately for interfering with MLB's year-long investigation into Biogenesis, the South Florida anti-aging clinic that allegedly supplied performance-enhancing drugs to the aging infielder and other players and would later be hit with an additional suspension for violating baseball's drug program.
MLB investigators believe Rodriguez attempted to intimidate witnesses and purchase incriminating documents to keep them out of the hands of baseball officials.
IDK but I'll be pleasantly surprised if they do zulu. Like I alluded to pages ago, it's pretty much MLB trying to find a way to help the Yankees out of that deal at this point.
And yes! Brian Wilson 'the Beard' signs with Dodgers.
On July 31 2013 03:55 MassHysteria wrote: IDK but I'll be pleasantly surprised if they do zulu. Like I said pages ago, it's pretty much MLB trying to find a way to help the Yankees out of that deal at this point.
And yes! Brian Wilson 'the Beard' signs with Dodgers.
That's gonna be hilarious if he works his way back to the majors and plays a game at AT&T Park.
On July 31 2013 14:25 Ferrose wrote: Damn, can't believe we traded away Garcia. I hope Dombrowski knows what he's doing.
I'll have to look up José Iglesias when I get home.
He's a defensive whiz at shortstop with not much power, a singles-type hitter. His average is high, but that is buoyed by the insane BABIP he's having (.376), and that he's never hit .270 in a full season in the minors. In short, he got acquired because of the Biogenesis scandal with Peralta. Mostly a bench player, but the Tigers farm system didn't have anyone ready.
Anyone have any good baseball blog recommendations? What do people think of fangraph and Tom Tango?
Boston doesn't have anyone who can play 3B at replacement level now. We also have half of the team becoming free agents after this season. There's gonna be a lot of gambling on prospects.
On July 31 2013 14:25 Ferrose wrote: Damn, can't believe we traded away Garcia. I hope Dombrowski knows what he's doing.
I'll have to look up José Iglesias when I get home.
He's a defensive whiz at shortstop with not much power, a singles-type hitter. His average is high, but that is buoyed by the insane BABIP he's having (.376), and that he's never hit .270 in a full season in the minors. In short, he got acquired because of the Biogenesis scandal with Peralta. Mostly a bench player, but the Tigers farm system didn't have anyone ready.
Yep, that would make sense. Peralta is a good bat, but the Tigers need a more defensive infield. Garcia was arguably the brightest prospect in the organization, but outfielders are a dime a dozen.
On August 01 2013 12:23 zulu_nation8 wrote: Anyone have any good baseball blog recommendations? What do people think of fangraph and Tom Tango?
Boston doesn't have anyone who can play 3B at replacement level now. We also have half of the team becoming free agents after this season. There's gonna be a lot of gambling on prospects.
There is this guy called xander boegarts, you might have heard of him. That and the fact that middlebrooks learned how to take a walk, I think the sox can take the division, especially now that half the rays rotation is on the dl and they don't get the Astros twice in one month.
No point in starting the clock on Bogaerts now, especially to play him at 3rd if he's gonna be the starting SS next season. Middlebrooks didn't get called up which is bad news. Rays have a ridiculous rotation still because of Chris Archer even if Matt Moore injury is something serious. I'm just not feeling the Holt/Snyder platoon.
On August 01 2013 12:23 zulu_nation8 wrote: Anyone have any good baseball blog recommendations? What do people think of fangraph and Tom Tango?
Boston doesn't have anyone who can play 3B at replacement level now. We also have half of the team becoming free agents after this season. There's gonna be a lot of gambling on prospects.
NBC Hardballtalk is imo best MSM blog. FanGraph and TomTango are great if you want go into stats. Baseball Think Factory and Baseball Prospectus also, though latter require sub for a good chunk of its stuff.
Alex Rodriguez will be suspended Monday, likely through the end of the 2014 season, sources told "Outside the Lines" Saturday.
About 12 other players will also be suspended Monday, according to sources.
Several sources familiar with the talks said tense deliberations between Rodriguez and commissioner Bud Selig's office broke down completely Saturday after Selig told officials he would no longer negotiate.
Milwaukee outfielder Ryan Braun was the first player to reach an agreement with MLB on a suspension for his connection to the Biogenesis case. The 2011 NL MVP accepted a season-ending 65-game suspension last month.
The Yankees have said they expected Rodriguez to be accused of recruiting other athletes for the clinic, attempting to obstruct MLB's investigation and not being truthful with MLB in the past when he discussed his relationship with Dr. Anthony Galea, who pleaded guilty two years ago to a federal charge of bringing unapproved drugs into the United States from Canada.
Rodriguez's suspension will likely run through the end of the 2014 season, sources told ESPN's "Outside the Lines" on Saturday.
The Yankees also expect Rodriguez to be eligible to play Monday night, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney, because they expect his suspension to be tied solely to a drug-policy violation and thus eligible to be appealed.
At least our front office was smart enough to get a replacement for Peralta at the trade deadline. We're still kinda fucked though at 2B and 3B with the injuries to Infante and Cabrera though : /
"Rodriguez's discipline under the Basic Agreement is for attempting to cover-up his violations of the program by engaging in a course of conduct intended to obstruct and frustrate the Office of the Commissioner's investigation," Selig said in the statement.
I'm disappointed they didn't have the balls to throw him out of the league altogether.
11:16 PM: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is now reporting that the man died after he was taken to the hospital. Just awful.
10:11 PM ET: Terrible news out of Atlanta this evening. According to Alexis Stevens of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a man is in critical condition after falling “at least 30 feet” from an upper deck at Turner Field. His name has not been released. Police said he was transported to the hospital around 9 p.m. ET.
There aren’t many details right now, but the fall occurred during a lengthy rain delay prior to tonight’s game between the Phillies and Braves. Here’s an announcement from the team:
There was an accident earlier tonight at Turner Field with a spectator falling from the upper level. The spectator has been transported to the hospital. The Atlanta Police Department are investigating.
And Kershaw is clearly the best pitcher in baseball (despite his W-L record) but it is crazy when you realize he is 49-0 in his career with 4 or more run-support.
And everyone knows something about Kershaw now, but I have been wanting to come and post on here about another 25 year-old pitcher that doesn't get much recognition. Kenley Jansen has pitched 59 innings now (tops among relievers) and has 87 strikeouts to 9 walks! Oh and he has a 1.96 ERA and .821 WHIP while taking over the closer role mid-season (which he enjoys). 18 saves.
It's unlikely, but, it'd be hilarious if Miami gets as many wins as Toronto.
Toronto's triple "A" team move from Las Vegas to Buffalo has paid dividends all year. Hopefully, the Jays can get a longer term deal with the Buffalo Bisons.
I can't wait to hear more about the big Pujols lawsuit against Jack Clark.
On August 19 2013 16:56 Roffles wrote: Ryan Dempster is a hero. Don't even care that he gave up the bomb.
that's funny, because everyone reasonable recognizes that he's a scumbag thug that got what was coming to him. a-rod should have moonwalked around the bases.
Steroids have turned MLB into the laughingstock of the major sports. How Selig has handled it also hasn't helped, but to essentially watch people like Ryan Braun cheat others and cheat their organizations is pretty pathetic.
Ban Rose for life, but let Braun cheat the system and still win MVP. It's a filthy disgrace. Just ban these guys for life.
I'd just plunk ARod over and over until his suspension kicks in. Fuck that guy.
On August 20 2013 04:06 Roffles wrote: Steroids have turned MLB into the laughingstock of the major sports. How Selig has handled it also hasn't helped, but to essentially watch people like Ryan Braun cheat others and cheat their organizations is pretty pathetic.
Ban Rose for life, but let Braun cheat the system and still win MVP. It's a filthy disgrace. Just ban these guys for life.
I'd just plunk ARod over and over until his suspension kicks in. Fuck that guy.
It's actually the opposite - among the major sports, baseball has the most strenuous testing policy. It's just that because it has the longest legacy, people care more about it. You know that multiple people have said there were NBA players in the biogenesis case, and there's been nary a peep about it from the league? You really think the only performance enhancer NFL players are taking is adderall? Come on now.
On August 20 2013 04:06 Roffles wrote: Steroids have turned MLB into the laughingstock of the major sports.
I don't really think it has to be honest, just none of the other sports really pursue heavily punishing steroid users. You think no one in basketball is on at least HGH? Or football? Not to mention the Olympics and cycling are rife with performance enhancing drugs and other illegal stuff.
Why the other major sports seem so ambivalent probably has to do with money more than anything else, and exposing how dirty a sport is kind of creates a bit of a mess in the process. Also if someone is caught roiding in the NFL, it's pretty much business as usual after a 4 game suspension.
I just think the way Major League Baseball has handled the entire situation, with the publicity that it gets has tarnished the feel of the game.
Yes, it's pretty obvious that everyone in Cycling was on steroids, but at least they set a precedence and just banned people for life. On the flip side, no one in the other major leagues seem to really care, which in the eyes of spectators doesn't mean a thing. Yes, I think Richard Sherman did roids, but the NFL doesn't care, so why should we?
I think either lay down the law and protect the integrity of your game, or just don't do anything about it. Being where MLB is, in a state of constant disarray thanks to steroids is why people think the game's pretty much a joke now.
On August 20 2013 04:06 Roffles wrote: Steroids have turned MLB into the laughingstock of the major sports. How Selig has handled it also hasn't helped, but to essentially watch people like Ryan Braun cheat others and cheat their organizations is pretty pathetic.
Ban Rose for life, but let Braun cheat the system and still win MVP. It's a filthy disgrace. Just ban these guys for life.
I'd just plunk ARod over and over until his suspension kicks in. Fuck that guy.
Throwing at him only humiliates yourself, as we saw with Ryan Dempster. If you really want to make A-Rod look bad, strike him out four times a game. Don't throw at him like a thug, especially since you're in the AL where you don't have to go into the batter's box yourself.
Steroids and the Yankees GM is screwing around on his wife.
On August 20 2013 04:06 Roffles wrote: Steroids have turned MLB into the laughingstock of the major sports. How Selig has handled it also hasn't helped, but to essentially watch people like Ryan Braun cheat others and cheat their organizations is pretty pathetic.
Ban Rose for life, but let Braun cheat the system and still win MVP. It's a filthy disgrace. Just ban these guys for life.
I'd just plunk ARod over and over until his suspension kicks in. Fuck that guy.
Every sport involving "pure power" without any need for cardio is infested with steroids and HGH and other drugs.
All the way back to the "Ben Johnson scandal" that kicked off the discovery of a steroid problem. Every single sprinter in the 100m of the '88 soeul olympics has tested positive for steroids and admitted their guilt.
100m sprinting is as much a contest of biochemists as it is athletes. Humans can not run 100m under 9.8 seconds.
As far as american sports goes (or most popular in USA), baseball is the most scrutinized though. Part of that is because of the culture of baseball. MLB players are expected to conform to the culture/traditions of 'America's pastime' and its romanticized history that goes back over 100 years now.
Players in the NBA and specially the NFL, have more leeway in the things they can do. Yasiel Puig, a rookie that oozes raw emotion when he plays, is already considered 'cocky' by MLB standards. He would be tame by NFL/NBA standards. (People like Vick would not have been allowed to play in the MLB again, etc..)
Back on point though, baseball also gets the most flak for steroids because not only is it the sport with the most history behind it, but it also has the most advanced statistics of the major sports (due to the nature of the game partially). It is the only sport where you can objectively compare who was the greatest of their era just by looking at the numbers and seeing how those players did against their competition.
Baseball is also more of a skill-based sport than something like basketball. The guys work on their batting swings for years before even making the majors and it isn't something that can be helped by athleticism, just pure skill (that is why you can make it as a 5'7 player in MLB). Steroids can help you get more power from the same swing though. For this reason, people have a problem with the 'cheaters'. They not only cheat to try to get ahead of the players working naturally (whoever that is), but they also taint the numbers so that it isn't easy to compare their statistical numbers with players from eras before them. The whole process of seeing how good a player is compared to Babe Ruth and others (which is something that baseball people love) is tarnished.
Baseball is also in a way considered "pure" in the sense that it comes from the "pastoral" times, before the "industrial" and current "information" era. It originated as a way to kill time while being out in the fields. The "baseball purists" want to keep alive how the game comes from a time before ours. Steroids only helps tarnish that in the sense of baseball history and era comparison going forward.
Enough babble, just some random (maybe wrong) thoughts I wanted to post. I am sure there is more to it.
edit: I feel the need to say how I never addressed how luck plays a big part in baseball. A guy can only control where the ball goes so much, then the rest is up to luck. Home runs isn't something that fits in this though.
A-Rod has always liked to rise to occasions. Which is why it hasn't surprised me if he gets/continues to be hot in the middle of all this.
Plus, he might just be juicing. I mean what a better time to juice for him than right now when no one suspects, right? One step ahead in the metagame. =P
It's kind of disgusting that the ump didn't eject Dempster, even after throwing at A-Rod four times in a row.
It's also kind of funny how the Boston fans give A-Rod all that shit even though they idolize David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, two known steroid users. I'm glad that the A-Rod homered and the Yankees won.
Edit: The other thing that I hate, is that it's a bitch move to throw at someone in the AL. The pitcher doesn't have to step into the batter's box himself and risk retaliation.
It's kind of disgusting that the ump didn't eject Dempster, even after throwing at A-Rod four times in a row.
It's also kind of funny how the Boston fans give A-Rod all that shit even though they idolize David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, two known steroid users. I'm glad that the A-Rod homered and the Yankees won.
Proven is a bit of a strong word in regards to them using steriods in 2003, as he wasn't on the Mitchel report but instead on a deeply flawed list that had more names that positive tests, questions about the legitimacy of the testing, and legal over the counter supplements may have showed up as a positive tests. A very brief summary of the allegations
It's kind of disgusting that the ump didn't eject Dempster, even after throwing at A-Rod four times in a row.
It's also kind of funny how the Boston fans give A-Rod all that shit even though they idolize David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, two known steroid users. I'm glad that the A-Rod homered and the Yankees won.
Edit: The other thing that I hate, is that it's a bitch move to throw at someone in the AL. The pitcher doesn't have to step into the batter's box himself and risk retaliation.
i dunno, having your fastball hit right back at your helmet-less head might be a bit more dangerous
On August 28 2013 03:43 Phelix wrote: Everyone should be excited: The Pirates are selling playoff tickets! Simulators predict that the Pirates have a 96% chance of making the playoffs.
I'm happy for them, but teams with a better chance have fallen off before T_T
On August 28 2013 03:43 Phelix wrote: Everyone should be excited: The Pirates are selling playoff tickets! Simulators predict that the Pirates have a 96% chance of making the playoffs.
On August 28 2013 03:43 Phelix wrote: Everyone should be excited: The Pirates are selling playoff tickets! Simulators predict that the Pirates have a 96% chance of making the playoffs.
I'm happy for them, but teams with a better chance have fallen off before T_T
it'd be pretty hard for either the pirates reds or cardinals to let the diamondbacks come from 7.5 games back to take the last wild card with only 25 games left
still stranger and bigger collapses have happened in baseball before... dont think its going to happen to the pirates this season
Lackey gets a win while pitching his worst game of the year. I wonder how long it will be before W/L is abolished or at least moved to the back end of stat pages.
And I thought I was spoiled with Kenley Jansen here, but Aroldis Chapman is a beast. Beast. It was my first time seeing him pitch (pitched on all 3 days).
Kershaw = beast who doesn't get enough recognition. + Show Spoiler +
It’s nearly the middle of September and Clayton Kershaw has a ridiculous 1.92 ERA. We’ve seen starters put up sub-two ERAs in the last couple of decades -- Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez and Greg Maddux each did it twice in their careers -- but the last lefty starter to finish a season with an ERA under two was John Tudor of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985 (1.93).
Platoon disadvantage Lefties face a much harder task in attempting to post consistently low ERAs compared to righties. They simply face more batters coming from the opposite side due to the amount of right-handed hitters compared to left-handed hitters in the big leagues, making Kershaw’s accomplishments the last several years even more impressive.
This season, Kershaw has faced 834 hitters, 669 of them have come from the right side (80 percent). By comparison, when Clemens had his 1.87 ERA in 2005 for the Houston Astros, he faced 838 hitters with 399 coming from the left side (48 percent).
Causing trouble with his curve In addition to leading the majors in ERA, Kershaw is also third in baseball in opponent’s batting average at .194, trailing only Miami Marlins rookie Jose Fernandez (.182) and Yu Darvish (.191).
The key pitch in Kershaw’s repertoire is his curveball. Opponents are hitting .084 against it this season, making it the best hook in the National League.
Despite only throwing it 12 percent of the time, more than a third of Kershaw’s 208 strikeouts this season have come on curveballs (71). That’s because he saves it almost exclusively to finish off hitters. Of the 381 curveballs he’s thrown this season, 279 have come in two-strike counts (73 percent).
Roughing up the rivals Today, Kershaw takes on the San Francisco Giants for the fifth time this season. In the previous four starts, the Los Angeles Dodgers ace is 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA, allowing just 14 hits over 32 innings.
This dominance over his rivals to the North is nothing new. In his career, Kershaw has more wins (11) and a lower ERA (1.32) against the Giants than he does against any other team he has made at least three starts against.
The ERA king Barring several rough outings down the stretch, Kershaw will become the 25th lefty to win the ERA title in the Division Era (since 1969), having already done it twice himself in 2011 and 2012.
The last National League pitcher to take home three straight ERA titles was Maddux from 1993 to 1995. And the last lefty to do it was a man who comes up often when Kershaw is discussed -- Sandy Koufax. The Hall-of-Famer won the ERA title five straight years from 1962 to 1966.
up 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th, craig kimbrel loaded the bases on 2 walked batters, and the nats won when andrelton simmons let a ball under his glove. I don't want to get my hopes up, but I'm starting to believe
Bring on the playoffs already...Can't wait (going to first 2 games)
And Hanley Ramirez should be MVP if he played enough. Just look at his numbers. Then look at his numbers again, this time realizing he plays shortstop. Beast..
The best pitcher in baseball this season put forth an effort that would rank with some of the best pitchers in postseason play.
A dominant seven-inning effort by Clayton Kershaw helped the Los Angeles Dodgers to an easy 6-1 win in their NLDS opener over the Atlanta Braves.
Kershaw racks up the Ks Kershaw’s 12 strikeouts were the most by a Dodgers pitcher since Sandy Koufax had 15 in Game 1 of the 1963 World Series against the Yankees.
12 K, 1 R or Fewer, 3 H or Fewer Postseason Start vs Clayton Kershaw 2013 LAD ATL Cliff Lee 2010 TEX NYY Tim Lincecum 2010 SF ATL Roger Clemens 2000 NYY SEA Pedro Martinez 1999 BOS NYY Kevin Brown 1998 SD HOU Livan Hernandez 1997 FLA ATL Mike Mussina 1997 BAL CLE Nolan Ryan 1986 HOU NYM Ed Walsh 1906 CHW CHC
The only other Dodgers pitcher with 12 or more strikeouts in a World Series game was Carl Erskine, who had 14 for the Brooklyn Dodgers against the Yankees in 1953.
Kershaw tied the postseason single-game record for consecutive strikeouts with six, matching the mark previously done by Hod Eller (1919 Reds), Moe Drawbowsky (1966 Orioles), Todd Worrell (1985 Cardinals), Mike Hampton (2003 Braves) and Homer Bailey (2012 Reds).
The six also tied a personal best streak for Kershaw in any game.
Only four lefties have had more strikeouts in a postseason game than Kershaw did.
Koufax heads that list for his 1963 performance, followed by John Candelaria (1975 Pirates, 14 against the Reds), Randy Johnson (1997 Mariners against the Orioles, 13) and Cliff Lee (2010 Rangers against the Yankees).
How he won Kershaw got two strikeouts with his fastball and 10 with his breaking pitches.
Braves hitters missed on 16 of 29 swings against Kershaw’s curve and slider. They fouled off 12 of the other 13. The only one they hit in play among the 51 he threw was Justin Upton’s nubber back to the mound in the fourth inning.
The 16 breaking ball swings and misses were the most for any pitcher in a postseason game in the five years for which we have pitch-performance data.
By ESPN Stats & Information | ESPN.com
edit: Kershaw didn't have his best stuff either. But just for giggles:
I mean, it's bad, but the catwalks have an impact on many less plays yer year than the green monster does. TBH I think Fenway is a much worse gimmick park.
On October 08 2013 09:19 zulu_nation8 wrote: Postseason is just such a different game. Rays rotation dominated BOS in regular season but are now getting dumped on.
The sox won the season series. The rays have had problems with the sox all year.
Also Fenway is small because of size constraints when building it. It has both history and millions in repairs and improvements on its side that the trop doesn't. And on a semi related note, if you guys are ever catching a game in Boston, the monster seats are some of the best in baseball. I can't recommend them enough.
Can’t wait for David Price and his girlfriend's tears to explode on twitter after the game. They'll probably rip the Tampa crowd for not showing up or something.
Best sports interview I've seen in a while. Specially when AJ Ellis talks about Greinke and his fantasy football team. A little lengthy but worth it until the end when Mattingly comes out also.
On October 14 2013 12:09 Slaughter wrote: Makes me laugh at how things are going now considering I was seeing Sox fans talk about how overrated Detroit's pitching is before the series started.
Right after I found this thread and read this comment, Papi takes Benoit deep on the first pitch.
On October 14 2013 12:09 Slaughter wrote: Makes me laugh at how things are going now considering I was seeing Sox fans talk about how overrated Detroit's pitching is before the series started.
Right after I found this thread and read this comment, Papi takes Benoit deep on the first pitch.
Hope Hunter is okay.
Same old Tigers, starter pitches a gem and the bullpen blows it.
Good day to be a Boston sports fan. Patriots epic comeback into Red Sox epic comeback. Scherzer had me ripping out my hair for reals. But thank god Papi found some new juice that works, need him to bail us out for another 5 years.
On October 16 2013 08:45 Zdrastochye wrote: What a pitchers duel this series has become. Really uninteresting baseball, and I say that being a hardcore Boston fan.
You are not a fan. A 1-0 game is one of the most intense things in baseball. I just can't explain it to you unless you care for your team to win.
I kinda wonder, how concerned are the Sox that they have barely put up any runs against Tigers starters and how concerned are the Tigers that their run of shut down pitching will continue? This series is really interesting considering if the Sox lose the next game they have to beat Scherzer and Verlander AGAIN.
The Sox Tigers series goes back to stomach-churningly close 1 run affairs after Peavey blew the fuck up in game 4. Only having to win 1 of 2 in Fenway makes me thing the Sox can go to the world series regardless of who's pitching.
God, I was so wrong about the Red Sox this year since I didn't expect their team to do much. I thought this was a rebuilding year for their team. Looking forward to this rematch of the 2004 World Series.
outside of ortiz every boston regular with 100+ games played had an ops+ between 110 and 130.
boston had a far below expectation year with pitchers last year, so it's not surprising that those guys rebound.(though lackey seems to have found some magical milkshakes) and their FO is still damn good at finding depth offensive players. so they were not really as bad as last year made it seem.
breslow with a stinker. i hope he feels embarrassed. honestly i never understood him getting the nod over some other pitchers. I guess he had a few decent outings early in playoffs and they decided to roll with him. His questionable crap somehow held up until today
Regular Season: .292/.390/.572 Playoffs: .277/.384/.528 beltran deserves to be in the Hall of Fame well, well before ortiz does. it's a shame that ortiz will likely make it and edgar martinez won't.
On October 25 2013 13:22 Antoine wrote: Regular Season: .292/.390/.572 Playoffs: .277/.384/.528 beltran deserves to be in the Hall of Fame well, well before ortiz does. it's a shame that ortiz will likely make it and edgar martinez won't.
Are those Ortiz or Beltran stats?
I think Ortiz is going to have a huge amount of trouble getting in because of the PEDs, even though he's removed the scourge of it for the most part. The fact that he's pretty much never played defense also isn't going to help him. There's a possibility that he hits 500 HRs though, and everyone whose done that's cleanly is in, so he might stand a chance if he can get the PED stain off.
that's Ortiz. Beltran I believe is .287/.352/.483 in the regular season, .335/.447/.720 in the postseason. and of course he has the very good fielding record and superb baserunning.
But that was a good play by the 3rd baseman even if he was called for obstruction. He has to try to do everything possible if he realizes they are about to lose, even if it means leaving a tough decision up to the umps.
That is something that was upsetting about Ethier in the 9th inning of one of the NLCS games. He had a chance to get in the way and possibly obstruct the 2nd baseman catching the ball and disrupting the double play on Puig at 1st and instead didn't do anything and it was a DP..
On October 27 2013 13:30 slyboogie wrote: Yes, I'm fairly sure it's the right call. Middlebrooks was laying on the basepath.
There some images out there that make it looks like he took a weird turn and Middlebrooks was out of the standard basepath. He would have been safe barring a amazing play, so the call was okay, but that he wasn't in the standard basepath. Let me go try and find it so you guys see what I mean. the person who uploaded it editorialized it already, apologies for that. + Show Spoiler +
Also the umpire was atrocious on calling balls and strikes. I don't think he was a very good pick to do the world series. It was dana demuth.
On October 27 2013 13:30 slyboogie wrote: Yes, I'm fairly sure it's the right call. Middlebrooks was laying on the basepath.
There some images out there that make it looks like he took a weird turn and Middlebrooks was out of the standard basepath. He would have been safe barring a amazing play, so the call was okay, but that he wasn't in the standard basepath. Let me go try and find it so you guys see what I mean. the person who uploaded it editorialized it already, apologies for that. + Show Spoiler +
Also the umpire was atrocious on calling balls and strikes. I don't think he was a very good pick to do the world series. It was dana demuth.
the basepath arguement doesnt matter because his raised his legs would have impeded the runner at which ever angle the runner took.
On October 27 2013 13:30 slyboogie wrote: Yes, I'm fairly sure it's the right call. Middlebrooks was laying on the basepath.
It was definitely the right call. It was also the correct play by the 3rd baseman. Everyone did everything correctly imo. I meant the 3rd baseman made a "good play", though not necessarily a "legal one", since at that point you just want to do everything you can to give your team a chance. Even if it means making it a tough decision for the umps to call..the point is he tried everything he could, which is what I disliked about that Ethier play I posted.
i do know Cliff Johnson used to show up stinking/falling down drunk for almost every playoff game. making it "appear" that he had "choked under pressure".
On October 28 2013 11:29 Chewbacca. wrote: Surprised this thread isn't more active, no baseball fans on TL? Sox finally open this one up a bit with a three run homer!
I have little vested interest when I despise both teams and just want the Cardinals to win because they are the lesser of two evils. But then I'll have to put up with obnoxious Cardinals fans during the year.
On October 28 2013 13:00 L_Master wrote: Whacky ending 2x in a row...kinda agree with zulu.
Guess that evens the "karma" though
You can say yesterday was whacky, since I don't remember seeing any game ending that way, but if you think that retiring one more batter to end the game vs catching a base steal is a huge difference - sure, it's "whacky". Cardinals got SLAPPED across that fat face, plain and simple. 2-2 baby, no obstruction call this time to buy you a win
The home plate umpires have got to get more focused. Every time I see a bad call the batter looks back at the ump like "are you kidding me?"
I even saw a called strikeout that went over the outer line of the opposite batting box.
Before I was a baseball fan this was my biggest qualm with the sport. That the home plate ump can just call whatever he feels like calling when it's on the line. Actually he can call whatever he wants even if it's wrong, and then throw people out of the game when they run out of the dugout to come spit in his face.
Seriously, get some better umps, I'd hate to see the final at-bat of game 7 be a called strikeout that was clearly a ball.
On October 28 2013 13:00 L_Master wrote: Whacky ending 2x in a row...kinda agree with zulu.
Guess that evens the "karma" though
You can say yesterday was whacky, since I don't remember seeing any game ending that way, but if you think that retiring one more batter to end the game vs catching a base steal is a huge difference - sure, it's "whacky". Cardinals got SLAPPED across that fat face, plain and simple. 2-2 baby, no obstruction call this time to buy you a win
On October 28 2013 13:26 hp.Shell wrote: The home plate umpires have got to get more focused. Every time I see a bad call the batter looks back at the ump like "are you kidding me?"
I even saw a called strikeout that went over the outer line of the opposite batting box.
Before I was a baseball fan this was my biggest qualm with the sport. That the home plate ump can just call whatever he feels like calling when it's on the line. Actually he can call whatever he wants even if it's wrong, and then throw people out of the game when they run out of the dugout to come spit in his face.
Seriously, get some better umps, I'd hate to see the final at-bat of game 7 be a called strikeout that was clearly a ball.
And this was the best called game of the series thus far. On the bright side Jim Joyce is next, and is probably the best umpire in baseball.
He presumed it wasn't a strike and an ump showed him. You don't presume in the majors, boy.
He got what was coming, just like Ellsbury vs Tigers. Same spot, same outcome.
So it went over the plate? I didn't see that then, and I don't see it now when I watch the slow motion replay over and over. It's clearly over the batting box line as it passes the plane of the plate.
Rangers got fleeced. Prince is declining across the board, and his contract is one of the 4 or 5 worst in baseball, where as kinsler is only bottom 20 and at least plays defense while his offense declines.
rangers just wanted to make room for profar. kinsler has a pretty severe home/road split. prince may be beast in arlington and they do need the offense. the contract is a fair big chunk but they are shooting for a title anyway so if they are going to spend on this type of players this is the time to do so
Kinsler has also always had an injury every year. I've drafted him in several fantasy teams and I always had to have some backup MI to make up for his guaranteed missed time year after year.
On December 03 2013 11:18 Jaaaaasper wrote: And it turns out the nats gm has compromising pictures of someone in the tigers owners family, becuase the tigers just got robbed.
The Nats rotation is looking pretty good on paper. Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmerman, Doug Fister, and probably Tanner Roark in the 5th spot unless the Nats go pick up another pitcher. They better hope those starting pitchers hold up, because the bull pen was a train wreck.
I hope the yankees know that pitching and defense wins championships not old/injury prone players. I feel really bad for their fanbase they really can't go the youth rebuilding mode route. They don't have time considering their stadium and alot of money involved. It's a must win every free agency offseason mode.
On December 10 2013 03:24 lamprey1 wrote: Roy Halladay is teh greatest fucking pitcher to ever fucking pitch for the fucking Toronto Blue Jays. Dave Stieb can go fuck himself.
People want to teach their children honesty and strength of character should look at the EXAMPLE Roy Halladay set.
I feel like this is a good time to mention: despite people scoffing at my suggestion Fielder might be worth more WAR over the duration of his contract than Pujols (about halfway into their first season), currently their WAR over two seasons has been:
Fielder: 7 WAR (4.8+2.2) Pujols: 4.4 WAR (3.7+0.7)
Granted Pujols was troubled most of the season with a foot injury, but hey, that's a risk you take with 10 year contracts. Also worth noting: Pujols is 33 (34 in a month), Fielder is 29. 7years to go!
Is Buster Olney really trying to say that Mike Trout topping $400 million someday is out-of-the-box thinking (legitimate question, I don't have Insider)? I think it's fair to say that anyone who is informed would agree that if they sign him for 10yrs/300 right now, it's probably a good deal for the team. He is the best 22 year old player ever and the best player in the league.
After reading some of the preview though, I think he is trying to put it into perspective after the Cano deal I am guessing.
On December 22 2013 01:50 MassHysteria wrote: Is Buster Olney really trying to say that Mike Trout topping $400 million someday is out-of-the-box thinking (legitimate question, I don't have Insider)? I think it's fair to say that anyone who is informed would agree that if they sign him for 10yrs/300 right now, it's probably a good deal for the team. He is the best 22 year old player ever and the best player in the league.
After reading some of the preview though, I think he is trying to put it into perspective after the Cano deal I am guessing.
WARNING: Pure Speculation.
Mike Trout has a classic case of "moon face" and is a heavy,heavy steroid abuser. His body will break down. Trout don't look like no "ATP Tennis" level of steroid abuser. He looks like "WWE Wrestler level" of abuser. He better be careful because if he continues abusing steroids at the rate he is currently doing so he may have big time health issues in his 30s and 40s.
/speculation.
If he is not on steroids then he should have a 20 year career. HoF-ers like Eddie Murray and George Brett come to mind who "blossom with power and on-base prowess before 23". Generally, high on-base power guys who blossom before 23 have very long careers. It is crystal clear that Eddie Murry and George Brett never touched steroids though.
Conversely, players who do not bloom until 25 often have a short peak and start to decline early.
If Trout is not on 'riods then handing him a 10 year contract is a no-brainer.
No team should risk letting their young stars go to arbitration unless they know something we don't. Trout will break the arbitration record by a mile and not tying him up early creates animosity between the organization and the player. The Rockies were able to buy out two of Tulowitzki's free agent years for vastly, obscenely, below his market value (10 and 16 million) just by giving him a long term deal early in his career and then extending it later. He would easily command a Cano sized contract in the open market given his defense is as good as Cano's offense and Tulo's offense is far better than Cano's defense (Tango said this), SS is also a more valuable position than 2B. If the Angels wanna tie up Trout now, they need to probably double Tulo's contract for his arbi years, then start at something like 35-40 million a year, most likely more.
I can't think of a reason besides injury or juicing where a team should let a young star go to arbitration, even Lincecum didn't decline until after his arbi years. Relievers probably should rarely if ever get long term deals, other than that unless a player is delusional about his self-worth, there's just no reason to wait.
Now that I look at Tulo's contract, I'm really puzzled at why he thought it would be a good idea. It pays him 14m with a team option for 15m the next year when he's 36 and 37. He could probably sit out another two seasons and it would still be worth it to the Rockies. He's also most likely never going to win a ring playing at Coors Field.
Team-friendly Long-term contracts early in a career are not that awful for the player. It looks like the player is surrendering crazy crazy value, like with Tulo and Evan Longoria and even Ryan Braun. But the fact is, dudes get hurt, they flame out - and the first hundred million is, ultimately, less valuable than the second.
Look at a player like Grady Sizemore - he was insanely productive and very valuable. But he got hurt and he'll never pull that 2nd big money contract. I bet Jason Heyward wishes he was bought out of his Arb years now.
That being said, Trout is going to make buku bucks. Buy out the Arb years, 10 years/380 million
That's true, I guess with Tulo's injury history, he took less money per year but in exchange for a longer contract and more insurance. The Longoria deal is much more team friendly. The Rays did as good of a job as a small market club could have with him and Matt Moore.
On January 15 2014 13:33 zulu_nation8 wrote: Kershaw arbitration, not sure why the richest team in baseball couldn't offer up the money.
Looks like they avoided it by signing him to a 7-year, $215m deal. The largest ever for a pitcher, surpassing Justin Verlander's 7-year, $180m contract signed in 2013.
It says that he has an out clause after five years, so maybe he can go sign a 10-year, $500m contract with the Yankees when he's 30
And it isn't confirmed, but I think I read/heard the Dodgers ownership has approved almost $900 million in player salaries since they took over. Incredible, b/c they are also being pretty smart about it if you look deeper into what they are doing.
yankees do the 'wish we had a time machine to get darvish but nop' signing with tanaka. i was incredibly frustrated by their inaction with darvish and in ifa in general the past handful of years, now it has already come back and bit them in the ass and might bite even harder if tanaka is a flop
it's really dumb for a franchise that can be very smart in some areas to be late to the most obvious, effective and need filling game that is the closing IFA window by so much.
On December 08 2013 01:50 TriO wrote: I hope the yankees know that pitching and defense wins championships not old/injury prone players. I feel really bad for their fanbase they really can't go the youth rebuilding mode route. They don't have time considering their stadium and alot of money involved. It's a must win every free agency offseason mode.
offense gets you to the playoffs, and the yankees lose a huge chunk of money if they don't make it.
the yankees have enough resources that they can keep the playoffs thing afloat by FA signings (overpriced for other teams, but not for what marginal revenue they represent to the yankees), while also have enough resources in theory at least to sign top amateur and intl talents every year. their shit farm system is just a representation of the failure of their minors system both froma resource allocation viewpoint and also from scouting and development. it's not really crowding out by ML commitments over minors commitments. their development system is an utter joke and it's incrediby frustrating
On January 23 2014 01:41 oneofthem wrote: offense gets you to the playoffs, and the yankees lose a huge chunk of money if they don't make it.
the yankees have enough resources that they can keep the playoffs thing afloat by FA ....
Sabremetrics 101 here guy a starting pitcher has a larger influence on the outcome of a game than any position player. which is why the first thing Pat Gillick did when he took over the Mariners was get rid of Junior and ARod.
More Sabremetrics 101. good pitching beats good hitting. hitters feed off of a pitcher's mistakes.. which is why 1 or 2 hot starters can dominate a lineup of sluggers.
Example, 1993 World Series. Blue Jays score 15 runs in game 4 and 8 runs in game 6. They hit the ball all over the park. Rockets every where. In game 5 the great Curt Schilling makes the Blue Jays look like a team of AAA players. There are dozens more examples like this.
On December 08 2013 01:50 TriO wrote: I hope the yankees know that pitching and defense wins championships not old/injury prone players. I feel really bad for their fanbase they really can't go the youth rebuilding mode route. They don't have time considering their stadium and alot of money involved. It's a must win every free agency offseason mode.
offense gets you to the playoffs, and the yankees lose a huge chunk of money if they don't make it.
the yankees have enough resources that they can keep the playoffs thing afloat by FA signings (overpriced for other teams, but not for what marginal revenue they represent to the yankees), while also have enough resources in theory at least to sign top amateur and intl talents every year. their shit farm system is just a representation of the failure of their minors system both froma resource allocation viewpoint and also from scouting and development. it's not really crowding out by ML commitments over minors commitments. their development system is an utter joke and it's incrediby frustrating
Well, they can't sign top amateur and international talents anymore because there is a hard cap on spending in the drafts/talent pool. Yes, the Yankees farm system is a joke, so barren that they could not find anyone to play 2B/3B this year without going to the bottom of the free-agent pool to sign some backups. Girardi is a good manager that is capable to squeezing out more than most with that binder of his, but even that has its limits.
I thought that the goal for the Yankees this year was the 189 plan. Guess that's not happening with Tanaka.
to the sabr 101 guy above. you need to take some 102 lessons apparently. run differential still predicts win loss records, and we were talking about making the playoffs. the yankees were replacing negative war players with veteran FAs who may not be value according to a higher level of replacement value than what they had internally. so it's totally worth for them to sign guys like beltran etc if they were replacing the corpse of vernon fucking wells.
for a roster like the yankees, who had decent pitching last year but absolute dog vomit offense, signing offense is absolutely the right thing to do. pitching win is also generally more expensive on the market than offense as well. it's not a general statement about pitching vs offense but situation specific.
reports are that the yankees want to go hard in this year's intl class and basically take a big penalty and take next year off. they might be afraid of some sort of intl draft coming up, but yes, as i've said repeatedly in other places they should have done that before the current intl cap system. texas and bluejays went all in the year before they put in the cap and the yankees did jack shit.
I don't even know if they can take it off next year (2015 season), according to COTS, the Yankees have payroll obligations of 126 Million with 8 players, and that's not including Tanaka. Including Tanaka, I think the costs are going to be 145 Million for 9 players, not including any potential FAs/Arbitration Eligible players. Gardner and Robertson are going to be FAs after this year, and Jeter as well (but who knows if he's going to retire).
On January 23 2014 06:59 oneofthem wrote: to the sabr 101 guy above. you need to take some 102 lessons apparently. run differential still predicts win loss records, and we were talking about making the playoffs. the yankees were replacing negative war players with veteran FAs who may not be value according to a higher level of replacement value than what they had internally. so it's totally worth for them to sign guys like beltran etc if they were replacing the corpse of vernon fucking wells.
for a roster like the yankees, who had decent pitching last year but absolute dog vomit offense, signing offense is absolutely the right thing to do. pitching win is also generally more expensive on the market than offense as well. it's not a general statement about pitching vs offense but situation specific.
your original blanket comment about offense getting u into the playoffs needs to be proven in all cases. not just 1 very specific team in 1 specific situation... in the most difficult division in baseball.
as far as "least expensive way".
does Tampa sign offensive stars? no, they build a starting pitching factory. it is the least expensive way to do it. Tampa has literally no resources.
a generation ago the Blue Jays did the same thing, and competed very well with the same over spending Yankees
this is the least expensive way to build a consistent playoff contender. with a starting pitcher factory in your minor league.
for this u need a baseball scout/genius at the top with total autonomy. guys like Friedman and Gillick do not grow on trees.
but, again, this is the cheapest way to make the playoffs. and its a pitching heavy approach.
Both the Jays and Rays had to endure the constant exit of top pitchers and they had to be replaced over and over again.
It was just proven last year that everything starts with management, not offense or defense or pitching or anything. You can have all the right pieces but if you have a terrible clubhouse then you aren't going anywhere
i didn't say hitting rather than pitching gets you to playoffs as if it's exclusively one or the other. i said offense helps you get to the playoffs (implying that it is less effective within those playoffs) please this is pointless.
basically price per win on offense is lower than it is for pitching and if you are looking at getting efficient wins out of run prevention you'd rather invest in defense, rather than signing typical fa pitchers. i don't see why you saw this need to type a huge essay on a simple issue. durr obviously i don't believe that pitching is not important
the original spur of the discussion was 'what the yankees should be doing.' the poster i was responding to had this idea that the yankees shouldn't sign that many (mediocre) fa and instead rebuild their minors.
but the problem is that 1. yankees can do both. 2. it is very worthwhile for the yankees to at least remain mediocre on offense to get to the playoffs, which represents great value. like it or not you need a stable everyday lineup with not that many holes to get to the playoffs.
On January 23 2014 18:58 oneofthem wrote: i didn't say hitting rather than pitching gets you to playoffs as if it's exclusively one or the other. i said offense helps you get to the playoffs (implying that it is less effective within those playoffs) please this is pointless.
ok, great. thanks for the clarification. obviously, the rays (friedman) and jays (the gillick era) had some hitting. both teams lean on a non stop flow of quality starters coming from the farm.
This is why I do not like Anthopolous, he trades away too much pitching.
On January 23 2014 08:45 zulu_nation8 wrote: omg a sabermetrics debate on TL, all this time browsing sports threads has been worth it.
here is a closer look at the Blue Jays from a sabremetric perspective.
and he had a heart attack 2 years ago as well? the fact, he isn't saying what type of cancer it is is kind of ominous. his game 5 , 1993 world series start in the Philly vs. TO World Series was some of the greatest pitching ever.
Better than Bud Selig demanding his farewell tour this year.
This isn't going to become a trend, because I think there are a few requirements that are going to be hard to meet to merit this type of celebration.
What I see are the requirements: Upstanding citizen of the game Staying with one franchise for their playing career Potential HOF player Announce retirement at pre-season
With the advent of Free Agency, the opportunity for one player to stay in one team is going to be rare. I wouldn't know who would be the next player that would have this farewell tour. I'd assume Dustin Pedroia if anything else only because he looks like the type of player that would stay in one team and having success.
Chipper had his farewell tour, now Jeter gets his. I don't think it's something any player gets, but sure-fire HOFers like Jeter and Chipper are going to get theirs. Not only is it a sign of respect for the great players of baseball, but more than anything, it makes money for the teams they visit. People are going to buy tickets across the country to see Jeter play their team for the last time.
Also, can someone make a 2014 thread or what? I would but I'm on a laptop in a very comfortable position watching the Urban Invitational on MLB Network. I need some more baseball reads. Hook it up someone.
Good chance that neither of them live up tp the hype. Abreu may not have the bat speed to catch up with major league pitching, and Tanaka is viewed by most evaluators as a number two rather than a ace, and some see him as a number 3. Hence Abreu going for that little to the Chi Sox and only the Yankees offering that much money to Tanaka. We shall see.
On February 26 2014 08:55 Jaaaaasper wrote: Good chance that neither of them live up tp the hype. Abreu may not have the bat speed to catch up with major league pitching, and Tanaka is viewed by most evaluators as a number two rather than a ace, and some see him as a number 3. Hence Abreu going for that little to the Chi Sox and only the Yankees offering that much money to Tanaka. We shall see.
cuban hitters tend to deliver but yea he is not as athletic as the other dudes. still even if cuban league is aaa his numbers should translate monstrously.
What's the Trout deal for? Couldn't they have just given him the same money for another year? Is it just like a good faith kind of thing? Everyone gets the minimum for three years I don't understand why teams do it differently, it only means a bigger arbitration deal, not that Trout will ever get to arbitration. The numbers they're throwing around, 150m for 6, is kinda low though.
given that trout has complained about his pay, the downside of not doing this deal, or a deal for 1.5m/2m w/e the number doesn't raelly matter, is pretty much going to dwarf the 500k more you are paying him this year, even if you know he's going to test FA. the arb buyout negotiation can still save a bunch, plus you don't want an unhappy trout producing less
Did he ever complain though? I thought he's always publicly said he just wants to concentrate on playing. I just don't see how paying him an extra 500k or w/e now can save on his next deal. If he's unhappy he may take a shorter deal but I doubt that has anything to do with not given a raise as a 2nd year player, which frankly is a ridiculously stupid thing to complain about even for Trout. Everyone goes through the same thing. If the Angels really wanna make him happy then they mind as well offer him a long term deal now like Rays did with Moore instead of giving him this empty show of a contract. I'm trying to remember who else has had more than minimum contracts, Tulo, Howard, and that's it?
On February 27 2014 07:14 zulu_nation8 wrote: Did he ever complain though? I thought he's always publicly said he just wants to concentrate on playing. I just don't see how paying him an extra 500k or w/e now can save on his next deal. If he's unhappy he may take a shorter deal but I doubt that has anything to do with not given a raise as a 2nd year player, which frankly is a ridiculously stupid thing to complain about even for Trout. Everyone goes through the same thing. If the Angels really wanna make him happy then they mind as well offer him a long term deal now like Rays did with Moore instead of giving him this empty show of a contract. I'm trying to remember who else has had more than minimum contracts, Tulo, Howard, and that's it?
ervin santana is using the blue jays to create a bidding war. he won't sign with the blue jays... he is just telling every one he is so that someone will match their offer.
i knew Santana would not want to sign with an AL East team in a hitters ball park for 1 year when he is attempting to turn 1 year of good performance into a long term deal.
On March 11 2014 11:08 oneofthem wrote: barry bonds back on the giants as a hitting instructor. by far the most skilled hitter in history.
Most skilled? Ted Williams wants a apology.
its really tough to compare eras. even the 70s compared to the 90s... even going from 1980 to 1995. you can't compare a 70s slugger to steroid aided player. George Foster hit 52 homers in 76.. look at his body... how many does he hit on 'roids? 100?
of his generation Bonds is the best. he is a smart and patient hitter and in general a very smart and savvy baseball player. remember who grew up within MLB with his dad bobby.
bonds is an asshole... he is also a great baseball player.
sigh, was thinking of going to the sunday game of dodgers-diamondbacks (ryu is starting) as it is up the road from my house, but tickets are $150, fuck that.
edit: also going to kyary pamyu pamyu on that night too.
Got up to see the game in Australia (started watching a little late) but was annoying to find the MLBN channel blocked. I had to go online to stream the game ><.
I will do fantasy also.
edit: I also think you should go for it and do the thread Aveng3r.
sorry I dont think Im going to do this years thread.. I just got off of spring break and I didnt do it then so I really cant see myself putting it together now that school is back in session.
Im still down to play fantasy this year with ppl, seems like there isnt much interest though
After learning of the Blue Jays starting rotation and final roster decisions; i'll be shocked if Alex Anthopolous is still the General Manager in 12 months.
Interest in baseball was never that high on TL for Fantasy.
Well, Cabrera with the $292 million extension, definitely trying to overpay him to get his good production now. No one can imagine his production being good for ages 37-40.
Opening day in 3 days! Guess it's time for a new thread.
how many people do we need for a reasonable sized league? Like 8?
Again according to WAR, I believe Cabrera's contract is either spot on or slightly underpaying. Kinda surprised Sizemore got the starting CF job in Boston, he would be a huge bargain if he can play near at his previous level even minus the base stealing.
Sure it's fine now, but he has 10.5 full seasons of mileage on his body, and he's not the most physically fit. It's the legnth of the deal that makes it so atrocious. He's going to be a DH eventually, and who knows what production he's going to put out at age 36.
Many many HOF sluggers stay productive well into their late 30s. I haven't seen the details of the contract but I imagine it's frontloaded, and if not, the money he'll get near the end of the contract is basically compensation for the production he'll have in the immediate next few years. I haven't seen the stats but I imagine Cabrera's defense has barely any impact on his value.
On March 29 2014 04:04 zulu_nation8 wrote: Many many HOF sluggers stay productive well into their late 30s. I haven't seen the details of the contract but I imagine it's frontloaded, and if not, the money he'll get near the end of the contract is basically compensation for the production he'll have in the immediate next few years. I haven't seen the stats but I imagine Cabrera's defense has barely any impact on his value.
On March 29 2014 04:04 zulu_nation8 wrote: Many many HOF sluggers stay productive well into their late 30s. I haven't seen the details of the contract but I imagine it's frontloaded, and if not, the money he'll get near the end of the contract is basically compensation for the production he'll have in the immediate next few years. I haven't seen the stats but I imagine Cabrera's defense has barely any impact on his value.
That's not really comparing apples to apples. The guy assumes $6 mil/win and uses that to generate the win curve of "6" players. But the cost of win goes up every year and even Cabrera underperforms, there are stages of underperformance. What if he has a Jeff Bagwell or Frank Robinson type career from 32-40? That'd be like 40 cumulative WAR? That's be fine. Even using the 6 million per win, that'd be 240 million of value. An overpay of 50 million over 9 years.
That's only bad, not ruinous. I don't think it's a good contract, the moment he declines, it's the worst contract in the league, probably. But it's not like...Barry Zito. He's the second best player in baseball.
I know the guy uses 33-40 but if you start from 32,
Edgar Martinez 46.6 WAR from 32 to 40 Stan Musial 41.3 WAR Ted Williams 43.9 WAR Eddie Collins 44.4 WAR Ty Cobb 45 WAR
and there are probably a few more. Cabrera was paid 82 million total in the last 4 years, if using 5m/win, he was underpaid 61 million during that span. And yes, Edgar Martinez was the most productive hitter from 32-40 on that list. This is using BBreference's WAR.
EDIT: Thoughts, I wish they got one more year, but this is a magnificent contract. They said about $144/6? That's $24 million a year, including his 3-post-arbitration years. Totally worth it to get those three years. Especially since his 3rd arbitration year would probably be about $24 million anyways the way he's going.
front loading is bad for the team, but cabrera should have an ok aging path because he's not a dead pull hitter. those hitters tend to deteriorate quickly. when he was a young player he was known for his batting rather than power, and that should stay with him for a long time.
tiger's owner is like 85 or osmething so he probably won't even live to see the end of the contract.
also, WAR tends to underrate DH because of the huge negative positional adjustment. it's not realistic given the level of offense put up by DH every year. they are not THAT good on average
edit: LOL trout contract holy shit. the angels making up for pujols
underrate. the war positional adjustment for DH is something like negative 15 runs iirc. but if you look at offense level across positions, DH is not that far ahead. it's not ahead of 1b.
been a while since i looked at the numbers but the rough picture is that the WAR positional adjustment assumes good DH are easier to find than they actually are in reality. }
On March 29 2014 03:46 zulu_nation8 wrote: how many people do we need for a reasonable sized league? Like 8?
Again according to WAR, I believe Cabrera's contract is either spot on or slightly underpaying. Kinda surprised Sizemore got the starting CF job in Boston, he would be a huge bargain if he can play near at his previous level even minus the base stealing.
8 would probably work, but everyone would have to be active. People who barely do anything are bad enough in a 12 man league, in an 8 man league it'd be atrocious.
The Cabrera contract is stupid for the following reason: wait a few years, he has a hell of a lot less leverage when he's 32. There's no reason to dump that much money on one guy when he' may already be past his prime.
I really wanna get a league going then. I haven't played in 3-4 years but I'm thinking we should get a league that uses some sabermetrics stats and get rid of W/L. Please post here if you are interested. I'm counting:
Me Aveng3r MassHysteria rebdomine
Let's try to get at least 10. I just finished the TL NBA league and was active till the end.
On April 01 2014 04:23 Aveng3r wrote: anybody at all getting the new thread going?
Just make a new thread titled Official MLB 2014 Season Thread and include some big trades or signings for particular teams, if at all, they went through during the off-season. I would do it, but I haven't kept up to date as much, other than the Rangers.