The Official MERB Baseball Offseason Thread (trades, signings, NO fucktard comments!)

[Doc Holliday]

From what I'm reading, Doc, the prospects that the Jays got from the Phillies are better than those that the Phillies got from Toronto.

That said, I'd have thought the Jays would want Phillippe Aumont, just to have some local flavor in the system.

You meant Seattle, right? I agree that the Jays might liked to have Aumont for local flavor. However, the one they were really hoping to obtain was the other Canadian, Tyson Gillies.

But i guess Anthopoulos' back was against the wall & he did his best. When Halladay told them he wouldn't allow a trade if it didn't happen prior to spring training, it put pressure on the GM to move him. Halladay also wanted to be traded to a contender, Philadelphia being among his preferred destinations. That made it even tougher. So it was either trade him now & try to get the best deal you can make, or keep Halladay for the whole season & likely lose him to free agency next year, with draft picks as compensation. So i guess the Jays did pretty good......but not great.

 

[Jman47]

Boy, I'll tell you...Matsui and Damon to Granderson and Nick Johnson is one helluva downgrade. Jeter, Posada, Rivera and Pettitte all moving into their late 30s. No proven 4th and 5th starters.

Guess Cashman is serious about saving dough. Too bad he's not serious about competing.

Most astute statement rumples and I agree.
I can't help but wonder what the Yankees are working on under the covers?
Or if they are just gonna rest on the laurels of this WS win...because what they have done so far IMHO has not improved the team...

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

You meant Seattle, right?

You are correct, Doc.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Texas Cancels Lowell Trade; Lowell Is Damaged Goods

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/12/19/lowell.notrade/index.html

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/12/19/lowell.notrade/index.html

No comment, Beav? I'm not sure I understand the point of posting links to stories that everyone is aware of, but...

The net effect of this is that Lowell will undergo surgery shortly and will be ready for the start of spring training. The big question about him is not whether or not he'll be able to hit but whether a year after his hip surgery he'll regain any of his defensive ability. That this Gold Glove third baseman turned into a statue was the primary reason for trading him and, while he certainly won't ever again be the defender he was, it is quite possible that he will again be an adequate or near-adequate defender.

It's also possible that he'll wind up in a platoon at DH with David Ortiz, making, in all, the most expensive DH ever and perhaps well into the future. In that case, the team will also wind up with a great bat off the bench.

The other effect of the cancellation of the trade is that the Sox lose $3 M of roster flexibility and, in Max Ramirez, like Jesus Montero, a fabulous hitter without a position, they lose a chip in the Adrian Gonzalez dealing with San Diego.

If the potential Gonzalez deal was on life-support yesterday, it's dead today.

 

[EagerBeaver]

When Lowell is healthy he is a dangerous bat against any kind of pitching, especially good pitching in the clutch, but I am not sure he is healthy or the player he once was. If he platoons at DH with Ortiz it would be a sad spectacle for two once-proud regular players, although I would imagine that between the two of them better than average DH production could be expected, so long as they are not having to play the field and expose their aging and fragile bodies to any further debilitating injuries.

I heard an analysis of the AL East by Mike Francesa of WFAN on the radio before this deal was busted, and he felt that the Red Sox are one bat short of making things very interesting in the AL East. They are still second place material, but at least not 10 games behind second place material like they were last year.

The Yankees were reported to be looking for a relatively cheaper back end starting pitcher, possibly Ben Sheets.

It's also being rumored that the reason why Johnny Damon was demanding 4 years and a ton of money (before caving to 2 years and 20 million) is that he is flat broke, the victim of a Madoff-style Ponzi scheme. If true, it's not the Yankees problem of course, but I still think the Yankees could get him cheaply (they offered 2 years, $14 million and I suspect that offer might still be there despite Johnson signing). I would like to see who is going to offer Damon a better 2 year deal. The teams that need outfielders, other than the Cardinals and Mets who figure to sign Bay and Holliday, do not have $14 million for a 36 year old outfielder in the twilight of his career. A career that you, Rumples, had declared over in 2006, only to 3 years later see Damon give the Phillies their toughest at bat in the 2009 World Series and then a baserunning lesson that they will not soon forget. It was Damon who set the stage for Godzilla's wrathful rampage through Phillies pitching in game 6.

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

I heard an analysis of the AL East by Mike Francesa of WFAN on the radio before this deal was busted, and he felt that the Red Sox are one bat short of making things very interesting in the AL East. They are still second place material, but at least not 10 games behind second place material like they were last year.

Well, Mike's on his own island. The common belief is that the Sox are considerably stronger, while the Yankees are weaker. By run differential, the Yankees were only 2 games better than the Sox last year. That gap has been way more than covered. At this point, the Sox have turned Smoltz and Penny into Buchholz and Lackey. The Sox have a deep 5 man rotation; the Yankees have 3 strong and 2 question marks. The Sox have improved their offense turning Varitek and Green into Martinez and Scutaro, while seeing a slight downgrade in the outfield. Their defense has improved enormously.

I still expect the Yankees to sign Damon. They need him desperately. It will also be interesting to see the Yankees taking a cue from the Red Sox, signing Sheets to a Penny/Smoltzlike Cash for Clunkers deal.

 

[EagerBeaver]

I still expect the Yankees to sign Damon. They need him desperately. It will also be interesting to see the Yankees taking a cue from the Red Sox, signing Sheets to a Penny/Smoltzlike Cash for Clunkers deal.

Reports are that Damon is broke, and he may not get offered more elsewhere than what the Yankees already offered him, so he may even be forced to come back at a lower price. He has bills that have to be paid, and no cash to pay them right now.

The Yankees will take their chances with signing someone like Sheets on a Cash for Clunkers deal, and hopefully it will work out better than Smoltz and Penny, and he can give them some innings. Hughes is likely to be ready to step up as a solid #4 starter at this stage of his development, but the MAJOR REASON for doing a Cash For Clunkers deal like that is that Mauer and Lee are free agents after the 2010 season, and both have already been targeted by the Yankees. Both Mauer and Lee are better than anyone available in this year as a free agent so it makes sense to wait, and save their money for next year. This is why Cashman is Cashman, because he has already done this analysis, something conveniently not credited to him in your posts. Mauer and Lee are excellent players and they are fine men, of very high character and integrity, and both have the kind of attributes that warrant them being brought onto the big stage in New York. A great actor does not continue to perform in community theater productions when the bright lights of Broadway beckon. And that is the destiny for Messrs. Mauer and Lee.

 

[Special K]

This is why Cashman is Cashman, because he has already done this analysis, something conveniently not credited to him in your posts.

You've said alot of stupid shit before Beav but this...another asinine statement from the Beav.

Cashman is Cashman because he has unlimited spending $$$ every year and yet he still failed to buy a championship for 9 years. Amazing, yes, he's probably the only GM in the league with an unlimited spending cap to not be able to buy more championships. That's what makes Cashman Cashman.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Cashman is Cashman because he has unlimited spending $$$ every year and yet he still failed to buy a championship for 9 years. Amazing, yes, he's probably the only GM in the league with an unlimited spending cap to not be able to buy more championships. That's what makes Cashman Cashman.

And Epstein has a small budget to work with? Do you know how many bidders were competing with the Red Sox on the Lackey signing? Nobody came close to what the Red Sox offered him, nor has anyone offered $15.6 million to a talented but unproven young Cuban pitcher named Chapman who has not pitched an inning of major league baseball.

For you guys to behave as though the Red Sox are broke and the Yankees are the big spenders is sheer hypocrisy. There are many teams that would have loved to have Lackey, but they cannot afford him, and ditto with Chapman. The Red Sox are one of about 5 teams, also including the Yankees, that have the ability to "buy" their way into CONTENTION to win. The rest is on the players. Any other analysis is pure bullshit.

 

[Jman47]

Cashman is Cashman because he has unlimited spending $$$ every year and yet he still failed to buy a championship for 9 years. Amazing, yes, he's probably the only GM in the league with an unlimited spending cap to not be able to buy more championships. That's what makes Cashman Cashman.

Well put K...Touche!

 

[Special K]

And Epstein has a small budget to work with? Do you know how many bidders were competing with the Red Sox on the Lackey signing? Nobody came close to what the Red Sox offered him, nor has anyone offered $15.6 million to a talented but unproven young Cuban pitcher named Chapman who has not pitched an inning of major league baseball.

For you guys to behave as though the Red Sox are broke and the Yankees are the big spenders is sheer hypocrisy. There are many teams that would have loved to have Lackey, but they cannot afford him, and ditto with Chapman. The Red Sox are one of about 5 teams, also including the Yankees, that have the ability to "buy" their way into CONTENTION to win. The rest is on the players. Any other analysis is pure bullshit.

I never said the Red Sox are poor but you seem to believe that it's the NYY's god given right to get any free agent they want that comes on the market, such as Lee or Mauer etc.

As for Chapman, please show me where the Sox have offered him 15.6MM since that'd be news to me and probably everyone else that follows baseball.

Since you mentioned it, I'm of the belief that the Sox never should have offered Lackey a 5 year deal, that's my opinion.

 

[EagerBeaver]

As for Chapman, please show me where the Sox have offered him 15.6MM since that'd be news to me and probably everyone else that follows baseball.
Since you mentioned it, I'm of the belief that the Sox never should have offered Lackey a 5 year deal, that's my opinion.

I heard this reported by Mike Francesa of WFAN as I was driving home from work on the same day the Red Sox signed Lackey. WFAN can be accessed on the Internet and all I can tell you is to listen to Francesa. He said the Red Sox offered Chapman $15.6 million.

I disagree with you on the Lackey signing. The Red Sox may have overpaid to get him, but he is an intense competitor and has always come up huge in the big games he has pitched in. The length of the deal is questionable, but my guess is he will probably be good for another 5 very solid to excellent years. He is very similar to Andy Pettite, in that he gives you 15 wins, keeps you in games and pitches well under pressure. I was very impressed with him in this past playoffs as I thought he was very crafty and showed that he understood hitters' strengths and weaknesses.

The day Lackey signed, which was also the day Halliday was traded (two events that were clearly linked to each other) WFAN was deluged with phone calls by Mets fans in open rebellion for the Mets not signing one or the other. There have been some rumblings that the Wilpons, who were Madoff investors, were hit much harder by that scandal than what has been reported, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. Whether or not that is the case, the Mets had to have one of those guys as they have a one man staff, with question marks behind him. It turns out the Mets did not even make an offer on Lackey because they knew that the Red Sox were way past what they could spend for him. They did offer $65 million to Bay, but that is only because they had no power last year and need a home run hitting outfielder with pull power desperately. I heard that Mets scouts are higher on Bay than Holliday, due to Bay pulling the ball which is necessary in order to hit homers in Citifield. Holliday is a gap hitter who will not help them because the gaps are very long in that park.

 

[Special K]

I heard this reported by Mike Francesa of WFAN as I was driving home from work on the same day the Red Sox signed Lackey. WFAN can be accessed on the Internet and all I can tell you is to listen to Francesa. He said the Red Sox offered Chapman $15.6 million.

That figures...enough said Beav. Why don't you try checking more realistic reporters such as people from www.mlbtraderumors.com where the only mention of Chapman was that he worked out in front of 15 teams and the only offer he has yet to receive is from the Florida Marlins. I wouldn't want to cloud your blurry judgement with reality though. Keep listening to 'ol Mike F.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Francesa Was Right

I think you need to tune into ol Mike Francesa, SK.........read this:

http://www.overthemonster.com/2009/12/17/1204123/should-aroldis-chapman-be-donning

"A few weeks ago, Chapman did the rounds of a few teams and stopped off in Fenway. He was supposedly going to throw off of the mound, but the weather was bad and I haven't found any reports of whether he actually ended up throwing. In any case, all reports are that the Sox were impressed enough with him that he walked away with a $15.5 million contract offer- so far I haven't seen offers from any other teams publicly declared, so it's possible it's the only one he's had to date."

It's WFAN 660 AM..........tune in!

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

I will say this for Cashman. He's been the GM of the Yankees for 12 years and he has developed some quality major league talent. Wang and Cano. That's an average of one player every six years. Wotta fucking genius.

 

[Special K]

I think you need to tune into ol Mike Francesa, SK.........read this:

http://www.overthemonster.com/2009/12/17/1204123/should-aroldis-chapman-be-donning

"A few weeks ago, Chapman did the rounds of a few teams and stopped off in Fenway. He was supposedly going to throw off of the mound, but the weather was bad and I haven't found any reports of whether he actually ended up throwing. In any case, all reports are that the Sox were impressed enough with him that he walked away with a $15.5 million contract offer- so far I haven't seen offers from any other teams publicly declared, so it's possible it's the only one he's had to date."

It's WFAN 660 AM..........tune in!

Over the Monster -

An unofficial Boston Red Sox blog


Please do show me a real site where this was offered and not some UNOFFICIAL blog. You're amazing Beav, I give you that!!

I heard on the unofficial rumpleforeskiin blog that the Yanks already offered Mauer 8 Billlion dollars for 1 year beginning in 2011. Ya think it's true beav, check the link, I"m sure it is?

 

[EagerBeaver]

I will say this for Cashman. He's been the GM of the Yankees for 12 years and he has developed some quality major league talent. Wang and Cano. That's an average of one player every six years. Wotta fucking genius.

You ever hear of Alfonso Soriano, Nick Johnson, Juan Rivera, Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain? Davey Robertson? There are others and the fact is Cashman had no high draft picks for the last 12 years because the Yankees have won so much under his watch, more than any other team in baseball. You can't develop as much talent as the last place teams like the Rays who got high picks every year because they sucked monkey balls for 10 years. The Yankees never suck. I don't believe they have won less than 89 games since 2000 and they were in the playoffs every year except one, when Matsui and Posada were out the whole year. This is not a recipe for getting high picks. They were forced to develop some foreign guys and guys who were not super high picks. Even Hughes was low end 1st round. None of the others were 1st round picks.

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

You've said alot of stupid shit before Beav but this...another asinine statement from the Beav.

No shit, SK

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

You ever hear of Alfonso Soriano, Nick Johnson, Juan Rivera, Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain? Davey Robertson? There are others and the fact is Cashman had no high draft picks for the last 12 years because the Yankees have won so much under his watch, more than any other team in baseball. You can't develop as much talent as the last place teams like the Rays who got high picks every year because they sucked monkey balls for 10 years. The Yankees never suck. I don't believe they have won less than 89 games since 2000 and they were in the playoffs every year except one, when Matsui and Posada were out the whole year. This is not a recipe for getting high picks. They were forced to develop some foreign guys and guys who were not super high picks. Even Hughes was low end 1st round. None of the others were 1st round picks.

OK, Soriano and Johnson. Rivera's not exactly an accomplished player. The others, Hughes, Chamberlain, and Robertson are far from proven. Talk to me in a couple of years.

You don't need high draft picks to draft well. In fact, money talks here as well, but the Yankees don't have the brains to operate in this manner. The Red Sox have some players in their system who were passed over in the early going due to "signability." They paid over "slot" and signed them away from their college commitments.

The simple fact is that Cashman has ignored the amateur talent pool thinking he could simply buy his way to championships. After many years of failure, they finally decided to put some effort into their farm system. Unfortunately, they've now tapped it out. Other than the DH Montero, there's not much there.