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

[Special K]

WTF? thats ALL you got? ROFL!.Kman, you let me down my friend

Hahaha. Another typical response from a beaten boy who's constantly being torn to shreds by everyone from the hockey threads to the baseball threads. Doesn't it get tiring being owned by every person you attempt to match wits with (Cairo, GHG, Jman, Rumples, G1, yours truly?) Anyway, I suppose when having a battle of wits you really shouldn't show up completely unarmed, as you obviously do ALL the time. It really is painfully hilarious to witness though.

 

[lgna69xxx]

apparently your as blind as well as dense, ....... u better be in mtl soon...... i want my boustan and guinness you owe me , at least you had the balls to take a $12 bet.. i guess thats a fair trade off for being a red sox homer

Hahaha. Another typical response from a beaten boy who's constantly being torn to shreds by everyone from the hockey threads to the baseball threads. Doesn't it get tiring being owned by every person you attempt to match wits with (Cairo, GHG, Jman, Rumples, G1, yours truly?) Anyway, I suppose when having a battle of wits you really shouldn't show up completely unarmed, as you obviously do ALL the time. It really is painfully hilarious to witness though.

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

Doesn't it get tiring being owned by every person you attempt to match wits with (Cairo, GHG, Jman, Rumples, G1, yours truly?)

K, I would never attempt a battle of wits with our ignarant friend. My mother told me never to fight an unarmed man.

 

[Joe.t]

apparently your as blind as well as dense, ....... u better be in mtl soon...... i want my boustan and guinness you owe me , at least you had the balls to take a $12 bet.. i guess thats a fair trade off for being a red sox homer

Ouch!!, that's a pretty serious accusation Lggy, are you suggesting that someone who participates in this thread is actually a girl, no big woop for me anyways because anybody who knows me knows that I'm a big supporter of equal rights for lesbians. I now know who rumples is referring to everytime he uses the phrase "if my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle", who would have thunk that Merlot and rumples to be related.

 

[Jman47]

K got me good eh? ROFL! i beg to differ, and i think you should read the 2 posts again and take off the red sox blinders, or should i say the Kman blinders, and i sure" AINT " (for you kman, and your ed u cat tiona al skills, lol.... ) talking about the Rocket Roger Clemens., he likes young underage future country western sexpots, ummm female ones at that....... not, well, you get the picture....

Iggy,
Do I detect a bit of jealousy...cause that would not make me happy...you know you're special to me...lol
You are so cute when you rant to yourself at 2 in the morning...comon bro, lighten up...

Jman, be a leader, not a follower...cmon bro , and now, you have your "butt T, K" to thank for taking the thread off of baseball like usual, ... love the no Ftard comments by the thread starter when most every post made by him is one...... glass houses boys, GLASS HOUSES!

Iggy,
You got to know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em...and when to shut up...sometimes it's not always the last word that counts...
Baseball anyone...

Yours in sarcasm,
Jman

 

[Jman47]

Nobody wants Poor Caveman...

Maybe its time for Johnny to audition for the caveman gig with geico...

Tigers have not shown interest in Johnny Damon
January 16Detroit News

"This one lasted less than a day. Some rumors are legit -- such as the Tigers having interest in Jose Valverde. Some aren't. Less than 24 hours after it was first reported that the Tigers were talking to free-agent outfielder Johnny Damon, it turned out they weren't. According to a Tigers spokesman, Detroit general manager Dave Dombrowski said the team "has not expressed interest" in Damon, MLB.com reported. Where there was smoke, in other words, there wasn't any fire. And frankly, there wasn't all that much smoke. It was never confirmed that the two sides were seriously talking. In fact, at least one media outlet reported Thursday that it was unknown if the "talks were serious.""

BUT WAIT...There is always the Mets....They have a need, JD has a need...hmmm...and yes, Omar has spent more on less...lol...

New York Mets may not sign center fielder to fill-in for Carlos Beltran
January 15New York Daily News

"Perhaps no team in baseball needs a good start next season more than the Mets, who now will have to do it without Carlos Beltran as he recovers from knee surgery. But instead of replacing their center fielder, who probably won't be ready until mid-May even in the best-case scenario, some in baseball believe the Mets could soften the blow from Beltran's injury by being more aggressive in filling other holes. In other words, Met fans, meet Angel Pagan, perhaps your Opening Day center fielder. Or maybe Fernando Martinez? "Unfortunately, there aren't a ton of center fielders out there now," said Jim Duquette, the former Met GM who is now an analyst on Sirius/XM radio. "Rick Ankiel is out ..."

 

[Joe.t]

Latest odds from the very respected Bowmans on who will win the World Series this year.

http://www.bowmans.com/home/default.asp?


By the time this baseball season is over I'm going to be so filthy stinking rich that I will be referred to as a minature George Steinbrenner and I will be able to quit my day job, opps!!! sorry Anon, I hope your not reading.

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

Latest odds from the very respected Bowmans on who will win the World Series this year.

Actually, Joe, you fucking moron®, the odds are based not on roster analysis, but on how many of your kinfolk in Moronia torch their lottery budget by betting on the Yankees. The Yankees are favorites every year, and have failed their bettors 8 out of the last 9 years. The folks at Bowman's have made a lot of money from your inbred kinfolk.

 

[Jman47]

Actually, Joe, you fucking moron®, the odds are based not on roster analysis, but on how many of your kinfolk in Moronia torch their lottery budget by betting on the Yankees. The Yankees are favorites every year, and have failed their bettors 8 out of the last 9 years. The folks at Bowman's have made a lot of money from your inbred kinfolk.

Hello Rumples,

I have done a careful analysis of the calender for Moronia.
Even using the theory of betting on the Yankees based on the preseason odds in leap years only - you come up with a big fat 0, zip, zilch, nada...

But let Joe.t keep talking, because the end result when he does, is usually the patented and highly accurate Joe.t jinx.

Go Sox!

 

[Special K]

King Felix off the market!

Felix Hernandez signs long term deal with the Mariners. I would have much rather seen the Sox give this kid 80MM over Lackey.

The Seattle Mariners have been shuffling the deck, but it looks as though they'll keep their ace for a while.

On the eve of exchanging salary figures for arbitration, right-hander Felix Hernandez has agreed to a multiyear contract with the team, pending a physical, a source with direct knowledge of the talks told ESPN.com's Keith Law on Monday.

If the final parts of the negotiations continue as expected, Hernandez will sign a five-year deal in the neighborhood of $80 million, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.
Hernandez is due in Seattle on Thursday for a physical needed to finalize the contract, a source told The Associated Press.

Seattle and representatives for the 23-year-old right-hander exchange proposed arbitration figures Tuesday -- Hernandez asked for $11.5 million and the Mariners offered $7.2 million. The Mariners began talking to Hernandez's agents soon after Hernandez finished second in voting for last year's AL Cy Young Award. Hernandez was 19-5 last year, tied for the most wins in the major leagues, made his first All-Star team and had a career-high 217 strikeouts with a career-low 2.49 ERA.

Hernandez went 15-2 with a 1.98 ERA after Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu called him out for not stepping up during a sloppy loss to the Angels on May 19. Surging Seattle has made several major moves this winter in an effort to return to the postseason for the first time since 2001: acquiring former Cy Young winner Cliff Lee from Philadelphia, signing All-Star third baseman Chone Figgins, trading for outfielder and designated hitter Milton Bradley and re-signing designated hitter Ken Griffey Jr.
Signing Hernandez to a long-term deal was the Mariners' first priority. Hernandez and Lee, signed through 2010, give Seattle co-aces atop a rotation.

A five-year deal would leave Hernandez just 28 when he would be eligible for free agency.
The native of Valencia, Venezuela, dubbed "King Felix" soon after he arrived in the major leagues, is 58-41 in 4 1/2 seasons. He has averaged 14 wins and 183 strikeouts in his four full seasons in the big leagues.

 

[Special K]

Sox avoid arbitration by signing Papelbon to 1 year deal worth 9.35MM

The Boston Red Sox and closer Jonathan Papelbon came to terms Tuesday on a one-year deal worth $9.35 million, according to an industry source. The deal, which could escalate to $9.5 million with incentives, means the Red Sox and Papelbon will avoid arbitration for the second straight offseason.
The contract is the largest ever for a relief pitcher with four years or less in service time, topping Eric Gagne's $8 million in 2005. Seven big league closers have contracts for $10 million or more. Papelbon's deal puts him just under that number.

Since 2006, when Papelbon became the Boston closer, eight pitchers have had seasons of 35 saves or more, a strikeouts-per-nine-innings ratio of 10 or more, and an ERA lower than 2.50. Papelbon has done it three times, and he would have been 4-for-4 except his K/IP ratio was 9.9 in 2006. This past season, while saving 38 regular-season games, he blew just three saves, and he has just 17 career blown saves, an 89 percent conversion rate.

"My whole thing is consistency,'' Papelbon said recently. "I'm not one of these guys with a sub-2 ERA one year and a high-3 the next. My whole thing in all of this is the environment you pitch in. Wouldn't you want a guy to pitch in Boston, New York and Philadelphia who you know has consistently had just three or four blown saves a year. That's a rarity in itself."

But there were a couple of worrisome issues in 2009: His walks tripled to 24 from eight the year before, a big reason his strikeout-to-walk ratio dropped to a career-worst 3.17 while his WHIP (walks plus hits per nine innings pitched) climbed to a career-high 1.47.

Papelbon said earlier this month that while he wasn't opposed to considering a multiyear deal with the Red Sox, he was willing to keep going year to year until he reaches free agency after the 2011 season.

"At the same time, I'm not afraid to show that, hey, I want to be with the Red Sox [in a multiyear deal]. I'd love to have that sense of security of being with a team and knowing, 'Hey, they want me, and I want them, let's have a happy marriage.'

"But what do I have to give up to be in that marriage? Understand, I'm in the prime of my career. Why would I give up something? I'd give up something if it's fair to both sides, but I want to do things for my fellow closers, just like [Mariano Rivera] paved the way for me. I want every closer out there, man, to get every penny they deserve.''

Red Sox relievers Manny Delcarmen and Ramon Ramirez also reached one-year deals Tuesday to avoid arbitration hearings. Delcarmen will make $905,000 in 2010, according to a source, with an additional $15,000 with 65 appearances. Ramirez will earn approximately $1.1175 million, according to CSNNE.com. Outfielder Jeremy Hermida is the only remaining arbitration-eligible Red Sox player without a deal.

Tuesday was the deadline for teams and players to exchange contract numbers. If an agreement is not reached, an arbitration hearing is held, and an arbitrator chooses one of the two figures submitted. The Red Sox have not had a player go to an arbitration hearing since Theo Epstein became general manager after the 2002 season.

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

Felix Hernandez signs long term deal with the Mariners.

Wait a second. This makes no sense. Didn't the Mayor of Moronia predict that Hernandez would be joining the Yankees?

 

[Jman47]

Wait a second. This makes no sense. Didn't the Mayor of Moronia predict that Hernandez would be joining the Yankees?

So his perfect record stays in tact...lol

 

[Joe.t]

Wait a second. This makes no sense. Didn't the Mayor of Moronia predict that Hernandez would be joining the Yankees?

No such thing rumples but he did predict that Sidney Ponson will be a Red Sox sometime in 2010.

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

No such thing rumples but he did predict that Sidney Ponson will be a Red Sox sometime in 2010.

You mean ex-Yankee Sidney Ponson...

 

[Doc Holliday]

Medical dispute led to Jason Bay leaving the Red Sox

BOSTON -- While the Mets are thrilled to have Jason Bay as their new left fielder, the star slugger -- if not for a medical dispute -- likely would have stayed with the Boston Red Sox.

In an interview with WEEI.com's Rob Bradford, Bay confirmed what MLB.com's Peter Gammons first reported earlier this week -- that the Red Sox and the outfielder had agreed in principle on a four-year, $60 million contract shortly after the All-Star break.

"That," Bay told WEEI.com, "is just one-tenth of the story."

The Red Sox had first broached a new contract with Bay during Spring Training of last year. The sides were too far apart at that time and agreed to table talks. Things again heated up in July, with Bay initially rejecting Boston's four-year, $60 million offer. The day after the All-Star break, Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein and Bay both publicly said that there would be no deal for the time being.

But unbeknownst to the public, Bay changed his mind a few days later and informed the Red Sox that he would accept their offer. This is where things got sticky.

Joe Urbon, Bay's agent, came to Boston to accompany his client for what seemed a formality -- a physical -- and also a news conference to announce the deal.

But as both Gammons and WEEI.com reported, after the physical, the Red Sox raised some red flags over the condition of Bay's knees and shoulder. The deal would have to be re-worked, the Red Sox told Bay. In Boston's new proposal, the first two years would be guaranteed at the same average annual value ($15 million per year), but the third and fourth year would be contingent on health and productivity. The Red Sox also wanted Bay to agree to have minor knee surgery after the 2009 season.

Things fell apart from there, particularly when Bay got a second opinion that didn't agree that his knees or shoulder were threatening his long-term health.

"I was shocked, to say the least, that I was being told to have knee surgery in order to get the contract," Bay told WEEI.com, "particularly since I wasn't hurt."

Bay and Urbon told the Red Sox about their second opinion after the season, at which point the sides revisited talks. At that point, the sides agreed to get a third opinion. That physician, according to WEEI.com, certified a letter saying that Bay "has an excellent future" and projected that he would "be able to continue to play at a high level at his position."

On the first night of the Winter Meetings, the Red Sox put three guaranteed years back on the table but wanted injury protection in the fourth year, similar to the contract they signed with J.D. Drew in Dec. 2006. Under such an agreement, if Bay had any injury problems with the pre-existing conditions that the club identified, the fourth year could be voided. The Red Sox also asked Bay to pay a significant amount of the insurance policy that would have gone with the contract.

None of that sat well with Urbon or Bay.

"Listen, I could understand the club wanting all these medical contingencies if I had spent any recent time on the DL," Bay told WEEI.com. "But I had no history of being a risk for injuries and I wasn't hurt."

On Dec. 12, Epstein told Urbon that the time had come to either accept or reject Boston's proposal. Urbon told the Red Sox that Bay had better offers elsewhere and later that day, the agent told several media outlets -- including MLB.com -- that it was unlikely his client would re-sign in Boston.

The Red Sox swiftly re-allocated the money they had earmarked for Bay, signing John Lackey to a five-year deal and also getting free-agent outfielder Mike Cameron.

Bay, meanwhile, found a home with the Mets, who also raised no red flags when putting him through a physical in early January. The Mets gave Bay a four-year deal worth $66 million with a fifth-year option that could bring the total to $80 million. The Mets didn't put any injury protection language in their contract with Bay.

"Much like the path of my career, this experience has not been a straight line, but it all ended up working out for the best," Bay told WEEI.com. "I have no regrets."

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/a...nt_id=7959090&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bo

 

[Jman47]

Medical dispute led to Jason Bay leaving the Red Sox

Well based on the track records (Theo vs. Omar)...if I were a betting man my money is on Theo...

 

[rumpleforeskiin]

Well based on the track records (Theo vs. Omar)...if I were a betting man my money is on Theo...

Joe's is on Omar, but he's a fucking moron®.

 

[lgna69xxx]

More Yankee Accolades

Congrats AROD!




NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez looked at the award he just received from Babe Ruth's granddaughter with big eyes and a broad grin. It was as if he almost couldn't believe it was his.

"Post-season MVP. Wow," Rodriguez said Saturday night. Pausing for effect he added, "What's next, the good guy award?"

Less than a year ago, it would have been difficult to decide which would be more preposterous for the troubled star to earn.

Rodriguez completed a tumultuous season that began with an awkward confession to past steroid use and then hip surgery that kept him out until May by being selected the winner of the Babe Ruth Award as the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America's post-season MVP.

A-Rod picked up the hardware at the 87th annual New York baseball writers' dinner Saturday night.

Rodriguez used his time away from the team to rehabilitate his hip as a period of reflection. He returned with a mantra: simplify things.

And after he told fans at the dinner that "he'd stick to the script of 2009 and keep it very, very brief," he choked up, taking a long pause -- save for a nervous laugh -- to look down at the podium and smile awkwardly.

Unlike the extended pause he took during his steroids news conference, this one was broken when an attendee -- the dinner was crowded with Yankees fans -- shouted, "You're the best, A-Rod!"

Rodriguez batted .365 with six home runs and 18 RBIs in 15 games in the post-season, quickly putting to rest his reputation for failing when it mattered most -- he had 8-for-59 (.136) in the post-season since 2004 before going on a tear to lead New York to its 27th title.

Rodriguez thanked the fans for being patient with him after helping the Yankees win their first title since 2000. It was his first trip to the World Series in a 16-year career. He joined the Yankees in '04.

The three-time American League MVP took great pleasure in this award.

"I've been to these dinners a couple of times to receive MVP awards and those, I'm very proud of those accomplishments," he said. "But none of those accomplishments will ever compare to the feeling you get from being part of a team that won a world championship. Like Albert (Pujols), said there's nothing like winning a World championship."

Pujols was at the dinner to pick up his award for NL MVP. Minnesota's Joe Mauer collected the AL MVP and the Sid Mercer-Dick Young Player of the Year Award.

During his routine, comedian and writer Bill Scheft told Mauer, who will be a free agent after the 2010 season, that all New York airports were closed and that he'll have to stay until 2015.

Mauer's dad Jake Mauer, who bought his first tuxedo for the event, said his family wasn't going to push Joe to stay in Minnesota.

"Wherever he's happy, we're happy," Jake Mauer said.

Among those on the dais were the Angels' Mike Scioscia and the Rockies' Jim Tracy, managers of the year.

Scioscia dedicated his award to the Angels' 22-year-old rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart, who died in a car accident on April 9.

Former Yankees third baseman Aaron Boone received one of the loudest ovations of the night when he picked up the Arthur and Milton Richman You Gotta Have Heart Award. Boone had heart surgery this season and was able to return to the field for the Houston Astros in September.

Mets right-fielder Jeff Francoeur won the Ben Epstein-Dan Castellano Good Guy Award, and teammate Carlos Beltran got the Joan Payson Award for community service. Beltran was not in attendance because he had knee surgery last week.

Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter was not at the dinner to collect his Joe DiMaggio Toast of the Town Award. He also shared the Willie, Mickey and the Duke Award with teammates Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte as the core four of the Yankees championship teams.

Don Zimmer, whose big league career began in 1954 with the Brooklyn Dodgers won the William J. Slocum-Jack Lang Award for long and meritorious service.

 

[Joe.t]

Joe's is on Omar, but he's a fucking moron®.

You're just sour because I posted a link to your picture on MERB, why be mad at me, after all you're the dumbass that put it on the net in the first place, didn't you learn anything from that banned MERB member(whose name escapes me) who shits in his bed while receiving a blow job.

http://www.plurk.com/poopsicle