Official 2009-2010 MLB Offseason Thread
 

No one West of the Mississippi will be watching the World Series so let's talk off season baseball! Well since the season is over for anyone not in Philly or NY, it's offseason time!

Dodgers have retained Colletti and Ng, so that takes care of the management, of course our CEO was fired... But that's another story.

Brad Mills -new Astros mgr.
Manny Acta -new Indians mgr.

no one east of the mississippi will be watching either (with the exception of the Philly/NY corridor). Baseball's done for the year...on to the offseason and other sports.

Ha...couldn't decide on which hook to use, so you went with both? :)


I just don't get this though. Would people really not watch just because it's isolated to a 100-mile stretch of the country? This is a great matchup and I don't see how any other option would be more entertaining.

Hah, yeah and by the time I noticed I needed to fix it I just said screw it.

I just don't find much interest in either team. Not really any players I like on either of them as well, just nothing compels me to watch.

Not just that, but its the defending champions vs. the Yankees. Ratings bonanza here. I mean this isn't Dodgers vs. Angels or anything...

Fair enough, but I think you're selling the Phillies short. As a Met fan, I might not like them collectively but on an individual level a lot of those guys are just awesome to watch.

You'd really rather see Andre Ethier and James Loney than Chase Utley and Ryan Howard?

The Giants will do something stupid, and I will be aggravated.

Bonds says he can still play. :D

Back on topic...no idea what the Mets will do. Supposedly they're ready to spend again. Having everyone come in healthy and having David Wright locate his power would be good first steps.

No idea what the Jays will do, but probably nothing good.

I'd rather see Matt Kemp and Either then Utley and Howard, even though I can respect Utley and Howard because I do like them, but they aren't on my list of favorite players to watch.

It's mainly just sour grapes by Boston and LA fans. I totally understand though, if the Phillies lost in the NLCS, I probably wouldn't have much interest in the series just because I was too stubborn and hurt to watch.

Very similar situation to when the Eagles lost to the Cards in the NFC championship game. I had 0 interest in the Super Bowl, but if the Eagles didn't make the playoffs at all, I'd probably would have had a lot more interest in the game.

Anyway, I'd really like to see the Dodgers do nothing, since I thought we had the team to win it all this year. But I would like to see some SP depth, I don't think Padilla is then answer.

+1

As a Phillies fan, I can say with certainty that Padilla is not the answer. He's fooled us many times with 5-10 game stretches like he did for you guys, but then he'll go in the tank, act surly, generally be a horrible teammate.

I'd personally let him go - he'll goat someone into giving him 7-8M a year.

Braves are reportedly discussing a 3 yr deal w/ Hudson, with a hometown discount on the price.

Yes, yes. Wasn't too long ago that Padilla, Randy Wolf, and Brett Myers were our future Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz.

Funny looking back at that.

That would be a good deal for you guys. A consumate professional who always puts up around a sub 4 ERA and is a good teammate.

This is an off-season prediction? I call it an every day prediction with the Brian "pornstache" Bochy.

They already did something good when they fired the GM.

What's the word on Lackey? I'm fairly certain I remember hearing he would be asking for Burnett type money, possibly more. I think I heard it on a sports radio talk show, and the fact that the season isn't even over yet, I'm sure it's far too early to tell. But, like Logan said, rumor has it the Mets are willing to spend, and I would assume they would look his way. For whatever reason I just never got on the whole "Lackey is an ace" bus, but the guy has posted some pretty solid numbers the past few seasons, should be interesting. Not sure if this belongs in this thread, but Wilpon apparently made a profit of 48M, contrary to reports he lost a shit ton of money. I also heard he is being sued over this, so I wonder if this whole Madoff scandal will be a factor in the Mets spending plan.

I don't get the sentiment in the OP. I'd watch the World Series even if two dull West coast teams were playing. It's the World Series.


It better be a hefty discount. Get someone that can hit homeruns ffs.

Lackey is a solid #2, and he has admitted as much. With that being said, I would be surprised if he goes anywhere besides back to the Angels. He is a west coast guy and has no interest in moving east.

CR, can you validate this? I am just going on what I have heard from various sources.

Not exactly true. The court documents said that the Mets Partnership (or whatever it's legally called) made a $48 million profit at some point. That money could have been redeemed years ago for all we know. It's believed that the Wilpons had a lot of their family money invested with Madoff. It would be very curious if they were able to pull out their sole investment right before he went bust, and he would deserve to be sued. I think the current lawsuit is pretty standard.

This is a regular season prediction that has migrated to the offseason thread.

I'm probably as excited for this world series as any I can't remember that the Sox weren't in. I'm a fan of baseball, I always watch the World Series.

The offseason is officially upon us!

Angels resigned Abreu for 2 years.

Rays pick up the $4M option (Might have to check my facts on that figure) on 2B Iwamura and send him to Pittsburgh for reliever Jesse Chavez.

I like the deal simply for the fact that it gets rid of some payroll and they also don't have to buy him out. It allows them to have a three-man platoon of Ben Zobrist, Matt Joyce, and Sean Rodriguez at 2B/RF.

I don't know much about Chavez other than the fact that he throws pretty hard (averages 94 MPH, tops at 96-97 I believe), but the Rays definitely need some bullpen help.

Red sox get Jeremy Hermida from the Marlins for two minor league pitchers, Hunter Jones and Jose Alverez.

link

Chavez is okay. He throws hard. But doesn't strike out enough guys. I think he is reasonably effective vs lefties. You could do a lot worse than having him as your 5th or 6th best BP guy.

Iwramura is now our highest paid player.

Attention GM's: Milton Bradley is on the market! Take him! Please!

Willy Tavares is looking to bounce back in a big way. The right GM might be getting a .300 hitter, with a .380 OPB who will steal 100 bases while playing GG centerfield. You pay his salary, you can have him!

So who wants JJ Hardy and what kind of pitching could he net? (value is obviously down)

You want CoCo Cordero back?

Hermida is a good pick up. At worst, he is a solid corner OF reserve with a good bat. At his age, he could still turn into an above average starter. I would have liked to see the Pirates add his bat.

Bradley for Rowand, straight up.

Nope, we re-signed Trevor Hoffman already.... Need starters. A couple names I've heard are Glen Perkins from Minnesota and Brandon Morrow from Seattle. Perkins doesn't excite me all that much, but then again I can't see too many teams getting excited over Hardy after the year he had.

I'd take Morrow in a heartbeat for Hardy whch tells me that perhaps the Mariners would want more.

Looks like another firesale in Marlin-land. Thanks for the new stadium!

No such thing

I wouldn't call trading Hermida a fire sale. Now if it was Hanley Ramirez and/or Josh Johnson.....

I'd give you Arroyo for Hardy.

Seems like the Tigers are showing a lot more interest in international FA's then ever before, but that doesn't mean it'll translate to signing them.

Otherwise I am not sure what they'll end up doing.

I wouldn't complain about that deal.

Oops, sorry, Romagoth, I was avoiding this thread until the World Series was over.

I describe Lackey as a high #2. He can be considered a #1, as he has been here in Anaheim, but I have never felt he really had the pitch to pitch dominance to be a true #1 a la a Sabathia, Greinke, Lincecum, etc. Also, he gets too emotional, and not in the "channel your anger into dominance" sorta way, but more the "blind rage I can't throw a bleeping strike to Jeter" sorta way.

I have never actually heard how Lackey describes himself, although he is generally self-effacing to the media (when he isn't riled up) and wouldn't say he's a #1, no matter what he actually thought. He's a "just one of the guys" sorta guy.

He has stated he is looking for a Burnett style contract, and I actually don't expect a hometown discount. He'll go to the highest bidder, is my guess.

He is actually not a coast guy (either coast), period. He's all Texas. Always made a big deal about idolizing Nolan Ryan. If anyone gets a discount, it will be the Rangers, but they'll still have to be in the ballpark of the other offers. If all offers are close and there is no Ranger offer of note, I think Lackey will go back to the Angels. But my guess is that the Angels will set a ceiling, and it will be a good few million short of what Boston or the Mets might be inclined to give him.

My prediction is, in April, Lackey will be an overpaid starter for one of the bigger money clubs (Top 5-7), but most fans of those clubs won't mind, because he won't be #1 and he will produce.

Hmm...not too often I get big Angels news from this board first. In fact, usually I am breaking it.

Fantastic. I was hoping we would bring him back and not let him hit free agency. About the length of the deal I thought was good, too. I still have to see what he signed for, but my guess is between $9-10 M per.

Hey Jets, you have any idea why the Rays didn't call Rodriguez up in September? I was pretty surprised he wasn't with the big squad for the final month. Not that he would play everyday (the Rays were still in contention, after all), but he's ready for the bigs and I would think they would want to know just what they got in him.

I am looking forward to seeing how he does.

Hopefully Matt Capps gets traded. I wouldn't mind seeing Ankiel get signed to play right field either. I would assume we trade a catcher as well.

The 2010 pirates will invariably suck. But hopefully will get closer to .500.

No return of Jack Wilson either plz k thx.

With how often Wilson came up in rumors related to the Tigers I would be shocked if they didn't make him an offer.

HAHA didn't see this one coming...

Lincecum cited for marijuana possession - MLB - Yahoo! Sports

One of the few trades where the OTHER team would have to eat money.

I'll be amazed if the Cubs can dump Bradley without eating a decent chunk of cash.

We'll give you Carlos Silva for him.

In all seriousness, I would expect the M's to sniff around Hardy and see if they can work a deal there. His trade value is low right now after a down season, but he's still under club control for 2 more years and still provides value via his glovework. He's close to Jake Wilson as a defender and has more upside as a hitter while being a lot less expensive.

Dave Cameron seems to think Hardy could net Brandon Morrow. We'll see - as an M's fan I would selfishly hope that Morrow holds more value than that, but Cameron is smarter about these things than I am.

Hardy | U.S.S. Mariner

Dola - the M's claimed Yusmeiro Petit from the D-Backs. He's still likely a AAAA type player, but it's nice to have cheap starting pitcher options. Petit is a good example of the concept of freely available replacement level talent.

This "rumor" has been getting a lot of play on the Giants' message boards and such lately. People are absolutely in love with Bradley's OBP - which isn't surprising, since Pablo Sandoval led the Giants in walks last season. :eek:

Obviously, I'd much prefer Morrow for Hardy straight up, but if Jack Z does want more he does have the advantage of knowing the Brewers' system quite well.

Not sure if they'd match up on a larger deal or not, but of any speculation by writers I've seen so far, Hardy to the Mariners for Morrow is definitely my favorite. No idea how the details would match up as each player has his lumps.

I thought I heard that he hates New York and wants nothing to do with the east coast. Either way, there are far worse options out there than Lackey.

Apparently Hardy just got dealt to Minnesota for Carlos Gomez. Shit, I thought he was meant to be a Mariner in a Morrow deal; I didn't realize his value was that low.

Dude, Rowand is a gritty hustling telegenic white guy who's a "GAMER"; if we could make that deal, I'd be dancing on the walls. I don't want to see the pooping AB ever again (Kalifornia knows what I mean; McCovey meme) while he flails away at a slider in the dirt, and I think Nate could play a reasonable CF.

Royals are saying that Teahan trade rumor to White Sox is not anywhere close to a done deal.........

Reports of Teahen trade appear to be premature - KansasCity.com

That's funny. MLBTradeRumors just tweeted that the deal is official.

Interesting. While that may be the case, I have never heard him talk about that. I have heard him (or heard it intimated about him) that he's looking to get paid this offseason. And, really, if that's true, can't really rule out the East Coast. Or if there's any truth to that, he's not going about it smartly.

No surprising but Ruben Amaro told Brett Myers that he will not be resigned.

Wow. Gomez has over 1000 ABs with only a .638 OPS and no year at or over .300 OBP. That's like trading Willy Tavarez for Hardy.

Yeah. But Gomez plus other scrubs=Santana!

Any other Yankee fans on here that are wondering what we will be doing with our pitching rotation next year?

#1 ~ Sabathia
#2 ~ Burnett
#3 ~ ?
#4 ~ ?
#5 ~ Gaudin?

For the love of all that his holy please oh please do not put Joba in the starting rotation again. We have already ridden that train and it derailed almost immediately.

Maybe Petite comes back for another season, but I am not sure if he has enough left in the tank for it or not. Either way, we need 2-3 starters for this pitching staff, and I don't know where they will come from...

Jocketty say s the Reds had interest in Hardy, but wouldn't trade in the division. Given that both of them need improvement to compete with the Cards, I really don't understand the fascination with that chestnut.

edit: Should be Milwaukee wouldn't trade in the division.

I've never understood that mindset either. If you have faith in your organization and really feel you're making your team better, what the hell is the problem?

I've got a guess.

Woohoo, someone was willing to take Carlos Gomez!

Was that before or after he posted a 3.50 era through his first 100 innings, or afterwards when they fucked around with his pitch count and he had a 8 ERA from August onward?

He'll be fine.

Tim Hudson is expected to sign a three-year deal at around $9m per season.

I'm not thrilled with the return for JJ Hardy, but I guess I have to be realistic. How much can you possibly get for a guy that was demoted to AAA this year?

I'll just cross my fingers that Gomez can learn how to hit a little bit and the money saved by trading Hardy and not re-signing Mike Cameron can yield some halfway decent pitching.

In a most surprising move of this young off-season, the Phillies picked up Cliff Lee's option. Shocker.

Bill Giles told my Sports Law class that there were no plans to re-sign Myers this past March (before the hip injury). I'd been sitting on the news til then. :)

AAA?

I've been following McCovey Chronicles since it was Waiting for Boof. I've tried registering there three times and my PC craps out each time, and now all my normal handles are off limits because apparently the registration worked, but it really didn't. I gave up trying and I just read. It's one of my favorite websites on the entire internet.

Edit: I would also be absolutely overjoyed to make that trade. Then again, I'd be overjoyed to just simply not have Rowand on the roster any more.

Teahan deal to White Sox was completed...........

Royals trade Teahen for pair of infielders | royals.com: News

Well, neither team got any better. The Royals got two guys that will fight to make the 25 man roster and the White Sox got a guy that should be a bench player on team with serious playoff hopes and that they'll have to pay up to $5 million for next season.

is there anything good about Teahan? seems like the sox got fucked in this deal. Getz seems to be Teahan's = and then you get a guy who can hit 20 hr a year in Fields. lame

Well, Feilds can hit the least productive 20 homers in baseball. Getz seems to have some value defensively, but can't hit at all. Teahen doesn't seem to do anything other than strike out especially well.

Bad trade for both teams.

Can someone who is good with stats tell me if Jeter, again, was the correct choice to get the Gold Glove at SS? Was he really the best fielding SS in the AL? Or does this award continue to be a joke?

Hey, if he deserves it, fine. Just don't have the statistical expertise to tell myself.

Do you really need stats to tell you Jeter has no business winning a gold glove? ;)

Heh...no, not normally really, but I wanted to be careful and see if I missed something where he might had a strong year defensively for him in what might have been a weak year for SSs overall in the league. ;)

That said, off of the top of my head, I have to think Andrus in Texas and Aybar in LA were better, and that's just in the AL West.

Dola

It should have gone to Elvis Andrus. He was probably the best defensive SS in baseball this year.

Ha! Ruined your dola.

On visual basis, I agree. Andrus was fantastic. I don't have the stats in front of me to back it up, just from what I saw the limited times I saw him.

UZR puts AL SS in the following order among qualifiers:

1. Cesar Izturis (BAL)
2. Elvis Andrus (TEX)
3. Adam Everett (DET)
4. Erick Aybar (LAA)
5. Derek Jeter (NYY)

UZR has Andrus easily #1 and Aybar #2 in the AL. It gave Jeter the first positive score of his career, and since none of the other metrics I've seen really changed I'd consider it an outlier.

Weird. I didn't get all the qualifiers in my first search. Ignore my previous post. This is correct.

There's no good reason to put much stock into the Gold Glove awards. For a good example of why, read this blog post by Seattle Times baseball writer Larry Stone:

Larry Stone on Gold Glove voting

For another, any fielding award that doesn't honor Franklin Gutierrez after his phenomenal year in CF this year is one that is flawed.

Do they actually go RF/CF/LF with the awards? Doesn't look like it anyways.

Hoping Mccutchen gets love tomorrow but I'm sure he will have to wait a year. Also Tony Plush better win.

Nope. Often there are multiple CF selected. They don't differentiate though - it's just OF.

Just wait until Jose Iglesias (the 19yo $6m bonus Cuban the Soc signed) and his quick release make the majors. :p (Yes, yes, I know, stop hyping the prospects after seeing 4 plays on youtube. But it's the offseason, and you have to admit those are some quick hands.)

I wonder who is going to sign Chapman. Obviously it's going to be a big market team.

Neglected to mention that the Phillies declined the 5.5 million option for 3B Pedro Feliz. It appears that there are several quality third basemen on the market, and Philadelphia thinks it can get a player with a better bat without sacrificing too much on defense.

I hope that the Phillies can get Adrian Beltre (albeit at a reasonable price). Seems like he's young enough and has solid right handed power for a corner infielder. A lot in the media seem to like Mark DeRosa for the Phils, but I'm not sold management is really into him. Had they wanted DeRosa in previous years, I think they could have gotten him with some effort.

Still, it's a risky move, probably riskier than going from Burrell to Ibanez last off-season.

How does Jeter still win Gold Gloves? The guy is sad defensively, he has zero range.

That whole award is a total joke IMHO. It's completely based on reputation and non-fielding factors

oh. i see people already railed against that yesterday. haha

Awesome Twins commercial for the new stadium!

Yeah, complaining about Jeter winning is so 2003. :p Now all the cool kids are decrying Franklin Gutierrez's (and presumably Nyjer Morgan's) snub.

Could the Red Sox be opening the wallet as well this off-season?