2005-2006 baseball offseason - Page 12

sterlingice · 12-18-2005, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

When have you found me or any such advocate complaining they're pocketing money by signing draft picks ? That they are pocketing money is beyond doubt - but that's got nothing to do with the picks. Alex Gordon notwithstanding, $2 million given to Doug "Cant Hit" Minky is doing what for the Royals in the long run ? Look, I understand a team has to appear to compete in a given season - and I admire Baird's signing these guys to short-term deals, making them flippable come the trade deadline. However, the logic in getting rid of a guy like Diaz in favor of a Minky (a 1b who's OPS+ in the last 2 years is 75 and 91!) just makes no sense - and takes revenue away that could have been spent on the farm. That's the kind of stupid move a small market team should not be making.

You just said it yourself- what does Minky do? He gets signed for one year and hopefully gets flipped at the trade deadline. Also, as you said, it gets a few butts in the seats as there's the illusion of money spent. Also, as I said, it helps improve the confidence of a young pitching staff with better defense- it is like spending money developmentally, in that respect. Similarly, it allows Huber to get an extra year in the minors before he's trust into a starting role.

Also, as I said before- these moves can't be viewed in a vacuum. Signing Minky doesn't get Diaz released. Signing him gets Harvey released- first baseman for first baseman. Is this a great loss? Much like the (ugh) Elarton signing gets Demaria released- starting pitcher for struggling SP prospect. He is supposed to provide a veteran presence and help with the young guys- I'm not quite seeing that as he's not that much of a veteran. However, not a great loss in Demaria.

Then you have Grudz and Bako who result in the losses of Camp and Diaz. Camp has some value and will catch on somewhere. Bako's a fungible backup C, but a veteran was signed to help Buck develop some more. It also allows Paul Phillips another year in the minors of playing every day. If you want to look directly- there was the offset of releasing Diaz. I think Grudz was signed and Camp DFA'd because there were no takers for Camp on the trade market and we'd rather have a 2B who is decent and let two of Murphy, Gotay, and possibly Blanco have more time in the minors.

You can only claim Minky = Diaz if you're just trying to make it look like a worst case scenario, for the effects of piling on. There are developmental bonuses to these signings: it allows Huber, Phillips, and some 2B who weren't ready time in the minors, helps John Buck develop with a veteran to mentor him, and gives the young pitchers more confidence by not playing them with a sieve-like defense on the right side of the infield. Yes, and for that cost, Diaz, Harvey, Camp, and Demaria were lost.

SI

sterlingice · 12-18-2005, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

As for the rest of your post - Here we go again. Tthe constant excuse making for shoddy performance - Pittsburgh has been bleating the same tune for years. I expect that if teams don't have the resources of others, they have to be smarter - that is simply how the world works. i sympathize with them, but I damn well don't want to see a system like the NFL come anywhere near baseball.

And, ultimately, I think this encapsulates the attitude that just gets under the skin of every small market team out there. How in one breath can you talk about how it is unfair and forces those teams to be smarter. But then talk about how a more fair system is even worse. Respectfully, here's a giant middle finger from every small team out there.

People need to go back and read their Rawls. Or better yet, actually be forced to walk a mile in the other's shoes where the New Yorks of the world are small market and only get a $30M payroll and Pittsburgh and KC get the Yankees and Red Sox payroll for the next 30 years. See how long the plan flies. "Sure- it's not fair, but as long as my team gets the benefits, I don't want to change it." It's just selfish and the thinking of bullies and self-centered jerks.

SI

Crapshoot · 12-18-2005, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sterlingice

And, ultimately, I think this encapsulates the attitude that just gets under the skin of every small market team out there. How in one breath can you talk about how it is unfair and forces those teams to be smarter. But then talk about how a more fair system is even worse. Respectfully, here's a giant middle finger from every small team out there.

People need to go back and read their Rawls. Or better yet, actually be forced to walk a mile in the other's shoes where the New Yorks of the world are small market and only get a $30M payroll and Pittsburgh and KC get the Yankees and Red Sox payroll for the next 30 years. See how long the plan flies. "Sure- it's not fair, but as long as my team gets the benefits, I don't want to change it." It's just selfish and the thinking of bullies and self-centered jerks.

SI

Hey SI - I lived in Pittsburgh for 4 years and was a Pirates fan secondarily - the "small market" fan arguement doesn't particularly hold water. Stupidity should not be excused constantly under the guise of a "woe is us" attitude.

stevew · 12-18-2005, 03:54 PM

In part, small market teams remain small market teams because of poor decision making. Which in tern causes fan disinterest and affects them in the pocket. While some team like the pirates may never have a 100 million dollar pay roll, they still could probably get near the 65-70 million mark with sell outs. If not more.

Tekneek · 12-18-2005, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevew

In part, small market teams remain small market teams because of poor decision making.

Running a small market team requires you to make fewer mistakes than the big market teams do. You don't have the resources to recover from players who go bust and cannot just go out and buy a replacement. You have to do a whole lot of work on the front end and hope it pays off on the back end. On average they probably all make about the same amount of these poor decisions, it is just easier for the big markets to cover them up and move on from it, IMO.

Logan · 12-18-2005, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tekneek

Running a small market team requires you to make fewer mistakes than the big market teams do. You don't have the resources to recover from players who go bust and cannot just go out and buy a replacement. You have to do a whole lot of work on the front end and hope it pays off on the back end. On average they probably all make about the same amount of these poor decisions, it is just easier for the big markets to cover them up and move on from it, IMO.

I agree with what you are saying in theory, but I feel like this is commonly used as an excuse by the "small market" teams so they don't have to do all that work that you're speaking of.

stevew · 12-18-2005, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tekneek

Running a small market team requires you to make fewer mistakes than the big market teams do. You don't have the resources to recover from players who go bust and cannot just go out and buy a replacement. You have to do a whole lot of work on the front end and hope it pays off on the back end. On average they probably all make about the same amount of these poor decisions, it is just easier for the big markets to cover them up and move on from it, IMO.

That is somewhat true. But i think that the fan base of the smaller market teams do understand that they arent necessarily gonna have the A-rods of the world. But what I/they cannot stand is to see their team make horrible moves with whatever payroll they do have, and either let their players leave via FA, or get less than fantastic return for them on trades.

Tekneek · 12-18-2005, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevew

But what I/they cannot stand is to see their team make horrible moves with whatever payroll they do have, and either let their players leave via FA, or get less than fantastic return for them on trades.

If everybody in the baseball world knows that you can't afford a guy and are just trying to get something, what kind of leverage do you really have? I know there are small market teams that just blunder their way around and ride on the "small market excuse", but even the best managed small market franchises get called out for supposedly "underachieving."

The Oakland A's are spoken of as a small market team that seems to have a good handle on managing the franchise better than most, but a lot of people still criticize them for not being able to turn their very respectable regular season success into postseason success. When you do things better than most, people just raise their expectations and what should be respected and celebrated is belittled and chastised.

oykib · 12-19-2005, 04:12 AM

The people who have a problem with the A's (because of their lack of success in the postseason) are morons.

SI, I actually do support a more equitable distribution on funds. But I think an NFL-style give-away is unrealistic at this late stage.

Personally, I'd like there to be bonus structure set up based on market size, where the all the teams put money in a pot based on the size of the market. At the end of the year, that money is given back based on finish.

ex.
1t. Yanks $50m
2t. Mets $50m
3. Dodgers $45m
4. Angels $42
5t. Cubs $41m
5t. White Sox $41m
6. Red Sox $40m
.
.
.
29. Oakland $2m
30. Kansas City $1.5m

That kind of system would have seen the A's pick up something like forty million a year for the past ten years. The Yanks would have only lost a fraction of the wad they've lost under the current revenue sharing system.

Basically, this would accomplish bolstering the small market teams that deserve it. But it would also punish the big market teams that are incompetent. I think the system should reward good management. So, the smallest markets would never lose any significant amount of money.

I'd couple that with a couple of other rules changes. Draft picks would be tradeable. And players would also be sellable. One of the problems with small market teams that have great players headed to Free Agency have is that they have to match up with a team that has good prospects.

If KC could have just sold Johnny Damon, they'd have gotten back enough money to possibly keep another player or two down the line.

Swaggs · 12-19-2005, 12:26 PM

The problem with MLB is that each owner treats their own team as an individual business, while the NFL treats the entire league as one business. Most MLB owners are not concerned with the health of the other franchises, while the NFL owners want a great overall product.

Ksyrup · 12-19-2005, 12:30 PM

Then NFL owners must be sorely disappointed. I love the NFL, but it's not a great product.

Tekneek · 12-19-2005, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Then NFL owners must be sorely disappointed. I love the NFL, but it's not a great product.

Tell that to their accountants. That league is making a whole lot of money.

Ksyrup · 12-19-2005, 12:36 PM

"Great overall product" does not necessarily equal "make lots of money." Look at the Detroit Lions, for example. Those can be mutually exclusive items.

rkmsuf · 12-19-2005, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Then NFL owners must be sorely disappointed. I love the NFL, but it's not a great product.

What's not great about the product?

Ksyrup · 12-19-2005, 01:55 PM

Too many mediocre/terrible teams, only one true great team (at least through the regular season). There were a couple of weeks where I really couldn't pick a particular game I wanted to watch, so I settled for a regional game or just flipped around waiting to find a game that was close at the end.

rkmsuf · 12-19-2005, 02:02 PM

huh? it's the same in every sport and year to year you can have more or less of each kind.

this year there just happen to be some really bad teams but that happens every so often.

Ksyrup · 12-19-2005, 02:09 PM

It's the whole parity/mediocrity thing. And this year has been better, I think, on average in terms of teams with 10+ victories than in years past. I don't know; I had no interest in the Cowboys/Redskins game because, win or lose, neither of those teams is very good.

rkmsuf · 12-19-2005, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

It's the whole parity/mediocrity thing. And this year has been better, I think, on average in terms of teams with 10+ victories than in years past. I don't know; I had no interest in the Cowboys/Redskins game because, win or lose, neither of those teams is very good.

Are you saying it's the caps fault? If so you could go back precap and see the exact same things. Even worse probably.

Ksyrup · 12-19-2005, 02:20 PM

The best teams aren't as dominant, and the average teams are more often bad than passable. It hasn't always been that way.

rkmsuf · 12-19-2005, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

The best teams aren't as dominant, and the average teams are more often bad than passable. It hasn't always been that way.

Huh? back to back 14-2 seasons. 3 out of 4 superbowls?

Pick an era. It's pretty much the same spread. It's all perception that the average team of today stinks. Maybe it's because they are all relatively all better in the middle so you get this illusion that they stink.

Logan · 12-19-2005, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oykib

I'd couple that with a couple of other rules changes. Draft picks would be tradeable.

This is a change I think might actually be implemented soon, just because it's basically already happening without teams being rewarded. You have players who are worthy of top 5 picks (talent wise) who are slipping to higher payroll teams in the middle-late first round because the Tampas, KCs, etc of baseball won't pay the signing bonuses commanded by Boras and co. So essentially you have a middle first rounder getting selected higher up. Might as well let these teams trade their picks and pick up something extra.

sterlingice · 12-19-2005, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Logan

This is a change I think might actually be implemented soon, just because it's basically already happening without teams being rewarded. You have players who are worthy of top 5 picks (talent wise) who are slipping to higher payroll teams in the middle-late first round because the Tampas, KCs, etc of baseball won't pay the signing bonuses commanded by Boras and co. So essentially you have a middle first rounder getting selected higher up. Might as well let these teams trade their picks and pick up something extra.

What really needs to happen is slotted salaries for draftees like every other sport. Particularly since baseball has the lowest percentage of draftees making it to the major sport due to the minor league weeding out process. A $5M signing bonus for someone who has never swung a wooden bat before is insane.

SI

Ksyrup · 12-19-2005, 07:33 PM

This had been rumored for a while, but I guess it's official now:

Mariners signed LHP Jarrod Washburn, who had been with the Angels, to a four-year contract.
Pitching at Safeco Field will help Washburn's numbers for the duration of the contract, but the Mariners will be lucky to get 700 innings from him. He's thrown 740 over the last four years, but only 326 2/3 innings came during the last two. At a rumored $36 million-$38 million, this is another Bill Bavasi signing that doesn't impress us one bit. Dec. 19 - 8:23 pm et

st.cronin · 12-19-2005, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

This had been rumored for a while, but I guess it's official now:

Mariners signed LHP Jarrod Washburn, who had been with the Angels, to a four-year contract.
Pitching at Safeco Field will help Washburn's numbers for the duration of the contract, but the Mariners will be lucky to get 700 innings from him. He's thrown 740 over the last four years, but only 326 2/3 innings came during the last two. At a rumored $36 million-$38 million, this is another Bill Bavasi signing that doesn't impress us one bit. Dec. 19 - 8:23 pm et

that's a really bad idea

dawgfan · 12-19-2005, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by st.cronin

that's a really bad idea

Tell me about it. Between this and the Carl Everett signing, Bavasi is having a real bad offseason. It's going to get that much worse if he deals Jeremy Reed to Boston for Bronson Arroyo. On the plus side, the team will probably not improve enough to save his job, so we'll probably have a chance to get a better GM after this coming season. On the down side, he'll have fucked us with bad deals to Washburn and Everett and dealt away one of our better young position players in Reed for a mediocre pitcher in Arroyo.

oykib · 12-20-2005, 01:37 AM

Don't forget getting rid of Guillen in order to pick up Aurillia and signing Beltre for about a billion dollars.

JonInMiddleGA · 12-20-2005, 08:18 AM

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/spor.../20braves.html
Published on: 12/20/05

The Braves traded minor league pitcher Rico Rodriguez to Kansas City on Monday for outfielder Matt Diaz, who will compete for a spot on the major league roster.

Diaz, who turns 28 in March, batted .371 with 14 homers and 56 RBIs in 65 games last season for the Royals' Class AAA affiliate in Omaha, and he batted .281 -- including .370 against lefties -- with two triples, a home run and nine RBIs in 89 at-bats in stints with the major league club. He played in 14 games with Tampa Bay in 2003-04 and has a .252 average and two homers in 119 at-bats in the majors.

Braves general manager John Schuerholz said Diaz played mostly left field. He could be a candidate to be the fourth outfielder or possibly platoon in left, where the Braves used rookies Ryan Langerhans and Kelly Johnson most of last season.

Crapshoot · 12-20-2005, 09:10 AM

Good move - another reason why the Braves are a hell of a better organization than the Royals.

Ksyrup · 12-20-2005, 09:16 AM

Glad to see Matt Diaz in a good situation. Does anyone know what happened to John-Ford Griffin? I think he was included in a couple of trades (maybe the Weaver to A's or Yankees trade), and I lost track of him.

Ksyrup · 12-20-2005, 12:23 PM

A bad trade just got worse...

Alfonso Soriano reiterated last night that he isn't interested in moving off second base for the Nationals.
"I don't want to change," Soriano said. "If I haven't done it before, I won't do it now." Soriano also said he had a greater comfort level in the AL, and he plans to become a
free agent after next season and sign with an AL team. "I knew the pitchers and batters of opposing teams and, therefore, where to place myself defensively. In the National that's going to take me a while," he said. It sounds like he might have to be dealt again. Dec. 20 - 12:58 pm et

WSUCougar · 12-20-2005, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

"I don't want to change," Soriano said. "If I haven't done it before, I won't do it now."

Genuine question, since this issue comes up fairly regularly (not just with Soriano).

What would be the legal ramifications if a team acquired a player (let's use Soriano as an example), told him he was switching positions, and he refused?

I mean seriously..."Um, okay. You're not getting paid then." Or what?

dawgfan · 12-20-2005, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oykib

Don't forget getting rid of Guillen in order to pick up Aurillia and signing Beltre for about a billion dollars.

I was trying to limit my criticisms to this offseason.

That said, the problem with the Guillen trade wasn't that we traded him - there were legitimate reasons for doing so (his inability to stay healthy, his problems with the bottle and being a bad influence that way on Freddie Garcia) - the problem was Bavasi got nothing of value in return.

The Beltre signing I'm not ready to criticize yet - I still think there's a good chance Beltre hits enough to justify the deal, and looking at the current market his contract isn't that bad.

Ksyrup · 12-20-2005, 04:18 PM

The Dallas Morning News is reporting that the Rangers have acquired Adam Eaton, Akinori Otsuka and a prospect from the Padres in return for Chris Young, Adrian Gonzalez and Terrmel Sledge.
We're surprised that the Rangers would part with Young here, especially since Eaton is eligible for free agency after next season. The Padres will plus Young into their rotation. They could choose to start Gonzalez over Ryan Klesko at first base. Sledge will be a backup. We wonder if this is a prelude to a David Wells deal for the Padres. The Red Sox are known to be interested in Gonzalez, and this frees up some money for San Diego. Dec. 20 - 2:58 pm et

samifan24 · 12-20-2005, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Glad to see Matt Diaz in a good situation. Does anyone know what happened to John-Ford Griffin? I think he was included in a couple of trades (maybe the Weaver to A's or Yankees trade), and I lost track of him.

He spent the entire '05 season at AA New Hampshire (Blue Jays). He hit .248/.454/.330 in 129 games. He also spent 16 games at first, so maybe the Jays are trying him in different positions. The guy's repeated AA at least twice IIRC.

SoxWin · 12-20-2005, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samifan24

He spent the entire '05 season at AA New Hampshire (Blue Jays). He hit .248/.454/.330 in 129 games. He also spent 16 games at first, so maybe the Jays are trying him in different positions. The guy's repeated AA at least twice IIRC.

You're thinking of 2004, he was at Syracuse all last year and managed to get into 7 games in Toronto

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/playe...-griffin.shtml

Buccaneer · 12-20-2005, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

The Dallas Morning News is reporting that the Rangers have acquired Adam Eaton, Akinori Otsuka and a prospect from the Padres in return for Chris Young, Adrian Gonzalez and Terrmel Sledge.
We're surprised that the Rangers would part with Young here, especially since Eaton is eligible for free agency after next season. The Padres will plus Young into their rotation. They could choose to start Gonzalez over Ryan Klesko at first base. Sledge will be a backup. We wonder if this is a prelude to a David Wells deal for the Padres. The Red Sox are known to be interested in Gonzalez, and this frees up some money for San Diego. Dec. 20 - 2:58 pm et

This is a good trade for the Pads and it's the kind of trade I make all of the time when playing OOTP: older, more $ SP for a younger, less $ SP of both equal ratings.

ScottVib · 12-20-2005, 09:53 PM

AP is now reporting that the Yankees have reached a preliminary agreement with former Red Sox OF Johnny Damon. (This according to Fox 61 in Hartford's 10:00 news)

Ksyrup · 12-20-2005, 09:55 PM

I hope they went to 5 years.

McSweeny · 12-20-2005, 09:56 PM

4 years, 52 million

Ksyrup · 12-20-2005, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samifan24

He spent the entire '05 season at AA New Hampshire (Blue Jays). He hit .248/.454/.330 in 129 games. He also spent 16 games at first, so maybe the Jays are trying him in different positions. The guy's repeated AA at least twice IIRC.

Thanks.

Ksyrup · 12-20-2005, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by McSweeny

4 years, 52 million

That's Furcal money!

Ksyrup · 12-20-2005, 09:59 PM

CBS4's Dan Roche and Newsday are reporting that Johnny Damon has agreed to a four-year, $52 million deal with the Yankees.
The Red Sox were smart not to go that high with Damon, but now they're left with no quality free agents to spend the money on. Unless the new GM duo can pull off a couple of smart trades, the Sox will enter next season with a significantly weaker team. As for the Yankees, it's not much of a problem for them that they're overpaying by $3 million per year. Damon will still have some value in 2008-09, though he may need to be a left fielder by then. Dec. 20 - 10:49 pm et

Ksyrup · 12-20-2005, 10:00 PM

Mariners non-tendered RHP Ryan Franklin.
Gil Meche keeps his spot. Franklin made $2.4 million last season, so this is obviously the right move. He'll compete for the last spot in some other team's rotation. Our guess is that he'll end up in the NL. Dec. 20 - 10:39 pm et

Ksyrup · 12-20-2005, 10:02 PM

Nice move by the Braves to get something for a guy that got non-tendered anyway.

Brewers non-tendered RHP Dan Kolb.
Agent Scott Boras and the Brewers still haven't worked anything out, so it looks like Kolb won't be back with the team. Maybe if he doesn't find anything else to his liking, he'll have to accept a steep cut in pay from the Brewers. They were likely offering him no more than a third of the $3.4 million he earned last season. Dec. 20 - 10:00 pm et

Ksyrup · 12-20-2005, 10:03 PM

Cubs signed outfielder Jacque Jones, who had been with the Twins, to a three-year, $16 million contract.
Jones should be an upgrade over Jeromy Burnitz, though not as much of one as the Cubs would like. He's only had an 800 OPS once in his career, but that's because the Twins never used him strictly against right-handers, as they should have. In addition to his reasonable offense, he'll play very good defense in right field. All in all, he's worth $5 million per year. It's just up to the Cubs to use him properly. That means sitting him against left-handers and keeping him in the bottom half of the batting order. Dec. 20 - 8:22 pm et

samifan24 · 12-20-2005, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoxWin

You're thinking of 2004, he was at Syracuse all last year and managed to get into 7 games in Toronto

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/playe...-griffin.shtml

I got those numbers of BA's website so apparently they didn't update any stats this year even though they went on and on about the return of the "search player" function. Sorry about the mis-information!

samifan24 · 12-20-2005, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Thanks.

Actually I've been told that BA didn't update their website and those were last year's numbers. Griffin spent '05 at AAA Syracuse with a 7 game stint in Toronto.

lungs · 12-20-2005, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Nice move by the Braves to get something for a guy that got non-tendered anyway.

Brewers non-tendered RHP Dan Kolb.
Agent Scott Boras and the Brewers still haven't worked anything out, so it looks like Kolb won't be back with the team. Maybe if he doesn't find anything else to his liking, he'll have to accept a steep cut in pay from the Brewers. They were likely offering him no more than a third of the $3.4 million he earned last season. Dec. 20 - 10:00 pm et

I'm not so sure Wes Obermueller qualifies as anything.

Either way, this doesn't come as a surprise as this was the Brewers' plan all along. They will offer Kolb maybe a $1 million contract which Kolb can take or leave. If he leaves it, all the Brewers gave up was Wes Obermueller whom they had no plans for anyway.

And really when you look at the net of this whole Kolb trade, the Brewers got Kolb and Jose Capellan for Wes Obermueller. I can't say the Braves deserve and praise for that as Capellan looks to be Derrick Turnbow's replacement as closer whenever D-Bow gets a pricey or flames out.

dawgfan · 12-20-2005, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Cubs signed outfielder Jacque Jones, who had been with the Twins, to a three-year, $16 million contract.
Jones should be an upgrade over Jeromy Burnitz, though not as much of one as the Cubs would like. He's only had an 800 OPS once in his career, but that's because the Twins never used him strictly against right-handers, as they should have. In addition to his reasonable offense, he'll play very good defense in right field. All in all, he's worth $5 million per year. It's just up to the Cubs to use him properly. That means sitting him against left-handers and keeping him in the bottom half of the batting order. Dec. 20 - 8:22 pm et

You have got to be fucking kidding me - the M's sign the P.O.S. Carl Everett for $3.4M for 1 season (with easily reachable incentives that will lock-in a 2nd year) but they couldn't beat out a 3 year/$16M offer for Jones?

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!! Bill Bavasi sucks!

Swaggs · 12-21-2005, 01:11 PM

The non-tender list is out, so several new free agents hit the streets today.

AMERICAN LEAGUE
BALTIMORE (3): Kurt Ainsworth, RHP; Eric Byrnes, OF; Eddy Rodriguez, RHP.

BOSTON (2): Chad Bradford, RHP; Wade Miller, RHP.

CHICAGO (4): Jon Adkins, RHP; Felix Diaz, RHP; Willie Harris, INF; Timo Perez, OF.

CLEVELAND (1): Jose Diaz, RHP.

KANSAS CITY (2): Shawn Camp, RHP; Ken Harvey, INF.

MINNESOTA (1): Grant Balfour, RHP.

NEW YORK (1): Wayne Franklin, LHP.

OAKLAND (1): Hiram Bocachica, OF.

SEATTLE (3): Cha-Seung Baek, RHP; Ryan Franklin, RHP; Jamal Strong, OF.

TAMPA BAY (4): Joe Borowski, RHP; Lance Carter, RHP; Trever Miller, LHP; Michael Rose, C.

TEXAS (1): Nicholas Regilio, RHP.

NATIONAL LEAGUE ATLANTA (2): Jim Brower, RHP; Wes Obermueller, RHP.

CINCINNATI (2): Ramon Ortiz, RHP; Joe Valentine, RHP.

COLORADO (2): Jose Acevedo, RHP; Ryan Spilborghs, OF.

FLORIDA (1): Joe Dillon, INF.

LOS ANGELES (3): Michael Edwards, OF; Brian Myrow, INF; Jason Phillips, C.

MILWAUKEE (2): Jeff Bennett, RHP; Dan Kolb, RHP.

NEW YORK (2): Wayne Lydon, OF; Tyler Yates, RHP.

PHILADELPHIA (1): Endy Chavez, OF.

PITTSBURGH (1): Josh Fogg, RHP.

ST. LOUIS (4): Bo Hart, INF; Mike Lincoln, RHP; Mike Mahoney, C; Scott Seabol, INF.

SAN DIEGO (3): Dewon Brazelton, RHP; Craig Breslow, LHP; Miguel Olivo, C.

WASHINGTON (4): Alex Escobar, OF; Junior Spivey, 2B; Rick Short, INF; T.J. Tucker, RHP.

12-19-2005, 12:26 PM	#560
Swaggs Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000	The problem with MLB is that each owner treats their own team as an individual business, while the NFL treats the entire league as one business. Most MLB owners are not concerned with the health of the other franchises, while the NFL owners want a great overall product. __________________ DOWN WITH HATTRICK!!! The RWBL Are you reading In The Bleachers?

12-19-2005, 12:30 PM	#561
Ksyrup This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off. Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: In Absentia	Then NFL owners must be sorely disappointed. I love the NFL, but it's not a great product. __________________ M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete."

12-19-2005, 12:36 PM	#563
Ksyrup This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off. Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: In Absentia	"Great overall product" does not necessarily equal "make lots of money." Look at the Detroit Lions, for example. Those can be mutually exclusive items. __________________ M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete." Last edited by Ksyrup : 12-19-2005 at 12:36 PM.

12-19-2005, 01:55 PM	#565
Ksyrup This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off. Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: In Absentia	Too many mediocre/terrible teams, only one true great team (at least through the regular season). There were a couple of weeks where I really couldn't pick a particular game I wanted to watch, so I settled for a regional game or just flipped around waiting to find a game that was close at the end. __________________ M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete." Last edited by Ksyrup : 12-19-2005 at 01:55 PM.

12-19-2005, 02:02 PM	#566
rkmsuf Head Coach Join Date: Dec 2001	huh? it's the same in every sport and year to year you can have more or less of each kind. this year there just happen to be some really bad teams but that happens every so often. __________________ "Don't you have homes?" -- Judge Smales

12-18-2005, 03:54 PM	#554
stevew Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: the yo'	In part, small market teams remain small market teams because of poor decision making. Which in tern causes fan disinterest and affects them in the pocket. While some team like the pirates may never have a 100 million dollar pay roll, they still could probably get near the 65-70 million mark with sell outs. If not more.

12-19-2005, 04:12 AM	#559
oykib College Starter Join Date: Oct 2000	The people who have a problem with the A's (because of their lack of success in the postseason) are morons. SI, I actually do support a more equitable distribution on funds. But I think an NFL-style give-away is unrealistic at this late stage. Personally, I'd like there to be bonus structure set up based on market size, where the all the teams put money in a pot based on the size of the market. At the end of the year, that money is given back based on finish. ex. 1t. Yanks $50m 2t. Mets $50m 3. Dodgers $45m 4. Angels $42 5t. Cubs $41m 5t. White Sox $41m 6. Red Sox $40m . . . 29. Oakland $2m 30. Kansas City $1.5m That kind of system would have seen the A's pick up something like forty million a year for the past ten years. The Yanks would have only lost a fraction of the wad they've lost under the current revenue sharing system. Basically, this would accomplish bolstering the small market teams that deserve it. But it would also punish the big market teams that are incompetent. I think the system should reward good management. So, the smallest markets would never lose any significant amount of money. I'd couple that with a couple of other rules changes. Draft picks would be tradeable. And players would also be sellable. One of the problems with small market teams that have great players headed to Free Agency have is that they have to match up with a team that has good prospects. If KC could have just sold Johnny Damon, they'd have gotten back enough money to possibly keep another player or two down the line.

12-19-2005, 02:09 PM	#567
Ksyrup This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off. Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: In Absentia	It's the whole parity/mediocrity thing. And this year has been better, I think, on average in terms of teams with 10+ victories than in years past. I don't know; I had no interest in the Cowboys/Redskins game because, win or lose, neither of those teams is very good. __________________ M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete."

12-19-2005, 02:20 PM	#569
Ksyrup This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off. Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: In Absentia	The best teams aren't as dominant, and the average teams are more often bad than passable. It hasn't always been that way. __________________ M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete."

12-19-2005, 07:33 PM	#573
Ksyrup This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off. Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: In Absentia	This had been rumored for a while, but I guess it's official now: Mariners signed LHP Jarrod Washburn, who had been with the Angels, to a four-year contract. Pitching at Safeco Field will help Washburn's numbers for the duration of the contract, but the Mariners will be lucky to get 700 innings from him. He's thrown 740 over the last four years, but only 326 2/3 innings came during the last two. At a rumored $36 million-$38 million, this is another Bill Bavasi signing that doesn't impress us one bit. Dec. 19 - 8:23 pm et __________________ M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete."

12-20-2005, 01:37 AM	#576
oykib College Starter Join Date: Oct 2000	Don't forget getting rid of Guillen in order to pick up Aurillia and signing Beltre for about a billion dollars.

12-20-2005, 08:18 AM	#577
JonInMiddleGA Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Behind Enemy Lines in Athens, GA	http://www.ajc.com/news/content/spor.../20braves.html Published on: 12/20/05 The Braves traded minor league pitcher Rico Rodriguez to Kansas City on Monday for outfielder Matt Diaz, who will compete for a spot on the major league roster. Diaz, who turns 28 in March, batted .371 with 14 homers and 56 RBIs in 65 games last season for the Royals' Class AAA affiliate in Omaha, and he batted .281 -- including .370 against lefties -- with two triples, a home run and nine RBIs in 89 at-bats in stints with the major league club. He played in 14 games with Tampa Bay in 2003-04 and has a .252 average and two homers in 119 at-bats in the majors. Braves general manager John Schuerholz said Diaz played mostly left field. He could be a candidate to be the fourth outfielder or possibly platoon in left, where the Braves used rookies Ryan Langerhans and Kelly Johnson most of last season. __________________ "I lit another cigarette. Unless I specifically inform you to the contrary, I am always lighting another cigarette." - from a novel by Martin Amis

12-20-2005, 09:10 AM	#578
Crapshoot Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Dec 2003	Good move - another reason why the Braves are a hell of a better organization than the Royals.

12-20-2005, 09:16 AM	#579
Ksyrup This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off. Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: In Absentia	Glad to see Matt Diaz in a good situation. Does anyone know what happened to John-Ford Griffin? I think he was included in a couple of trades (maybe the Weaver to A's or Yankees trade), and I lost track of him. __________________ M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete."

12-20-2005, 12:23 PM	#580
Ksyrup This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off. Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: In Absentia	A bad trade just got worse... Alfonso Soriano reiterated last night that he isn't interested in moving off second base for the Nationals. "I don't want to change," Soriano said. "If I haven't done it before, I won't do it now." Soriano also said he had a greater comfort level in the AL, and he plans to become a free agent after next season and sign with an AL team. "I knew the pitchers and batters of opposing teams and, therefore, where to place myself defensively. In the National that's going to take me a while," he said. It sounds like he might have to be dealt again. Dec. 20 - 12:58 pm et __________________ M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete."

12-20-2005, 04:18 PM	#583
Ksyrup This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off. Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: In Absentia	The Dallas Morning News is reporting that the Rangers have acquired Adam Eaton, Akinori Otsuka and a prospect from the Padres in return for Chris Young, Adrian Gonzalez and Terrmel Sledge. We're surprised that the Rangers would part with Young here, especially since Eaton is eligible for free agency after next season. The Padres will plus Young into their rotation. They could choose to start Gonzalez over Ryan Klesko at first base. Sledge will be a backup. We wonder if this is a prelude to a David Wells deal for the Padres. The Red Sox are known to be interested in Gonzalez, and this frees up some money for San Diego. Dec. 20 - 2:58 pm et __________________ M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete."

12-20-2005, 09:53 PM	#587
ScottVib High School Varsity Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: My Computer	AP is now reporting that the Yankees have reached a preliminary agreement with former Red Sox OF Johnny Damon. (This according to Fox 61 in Hartford's 10:00 news) Last edited by ScottVib : 12-20-2005 at 09:55 PM.

12-20-2005, 09:55 PM	#588
Ksyrup This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off. Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: In Absentia	I hope they went to 5 years. __________________ M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete."

12-20-2005, 09:56 PM	#589
McSweeny College Starter Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Somerville, MA	4 years, 52 million

12-20-2005, 09:59 PM	#592
Ksyrup This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off. Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: In Absentia	CBS4's Dan Roche and Newsday are reporting that Johnny Damon has agreed to a four-year, $52 million deal with the Yankees. The Red Sox were smart not to go that high with Damon, but now they're left with no quality free agents to spend the money on. Unless the new GM duo can pull off a couple of smart trades, the Sox will enter next season with a significantly weaker team. As for the Yankees, it's not much of a problem for them that they're overpaying by $3 million per year. Damon will still have some value in 2008-09, though he may need to be a left fielder by then. Dec. 20 - 10:49 pm et __________________ M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete."

12-20-2005, 10:00 PM	#593
Ksyrup This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off. Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: In Absentia	Mariners non-tendered RHP Ryan Franklin. Gil Meche keeps his spot. Franklin made $2.4 million last season, so this is obviously the right move. He'll compete for the last spot in some other team's rotation. Our guess is that he'll end up in the NL. Dec. 20 - 10:39 pm et __________________ M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete."

12-20-2005, 10:02 PM	#594
Ksyrup This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off. Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: In Absentia	Nice move by the Braves to get something for a guy that got non-tendered anyway. Brewers non-tendered RHP Dan Kolb. Agent Scott Boras and the Brewers still haven't worked anything out, so it looks like Kolb won't be back with the team. Maybe if he doesn't find anything else to his liking, he'll have to accept a steep cut in pay from the Brewers. They were likely offering him no more than a third of the $3.4 million he earned last season. Dec. 20 - 10:00 pm et __________________ M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete."

12-20-2005, 10:03 PM	#595
Ksyrup This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off. Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: In Absentia	Cubs signed outfielder Jacque Jones, who had been with the Twins, to a three-year, $16 million contract. Jones should be an upgrade over Jeromy Burnitz, though not as much of one as the Cubs would like. He's only had an 800 OPS once in his career, but that's because the Twins never used him strictly against right-handers, as they should have. In addition to his reasonable offense, he'll play very good defense in right field. All in all, he's worth $5 million per year. It's just up to the Cubs to use him properly. That means sitting him against left-handers and keeping him in the bottom half of the batting order. Dec. 20 - 8:22 pm et __________________ M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete."

12-21-2005, 01:11 PM	#600
Swaggs Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000	The non-tender list is out, so several new free agents hit the streets today. AMERICAN LEAGUE BALTIMORE (3): Kurt Ainsworth, RHP; Eric Byrnes, OF; Eddy Rodriguez, RHP. BOSTON (2): Chad Bradford, RHP; Wade Miller, RHP. CHICAGO (4): Jon Adkins, RHP; Felix Diaz, RHP; Willie Harris, INF; Timo Perez, OF. CLEVELAND (1): Jose Diaz, RHP. KANSAS CITY (2): Shawn Camp, RHP; Ken Harvey, INF. MINNESOTA (1): Grant Balfour, RHP. NEW YORK (1): Wayne Franklin, LHP. OAKLAND (1): Hiram Bocachica, OF. SEATTLE (3): Cha-Seung Baek, RHP; Ryan Franklin, RHP; Jamal Strong, OF. TAMPA BAY (4): Joe Borowski, RHP; Lance Carter, RHP; Trever Miller, LHP; Michael Rose, C. TEXAS (1): Nicholas Regilio, RHP. NATIONAL LEAGUE ATLANTA (2): Jim Brower, RHP; Wes Obermueller, RHP. CINCINNATI (2): Ramon Ortiz, RHP; Joe Valentine, RHP. COLORADO (2): Jose Acevedo, RHP; Ryan Spilborghs, OF. FLORIDA (1): Joe Dillon, INF. LOS ANGELES (3): Michael Edwards, OF; Brian Myrow, INF; Jason Phillips, C. MILWAUKEE (2): Jeff Bennett, RHP; Dan Kolb, RHP. NEW YORK (2): Wayne Lydon, OF; Tyler Yates, RHP. PHILADELPHIA (1): Endy Chavez, OF. PITTSBURGH (1): Josh Fogg, RHP. ST. LOUIS (4): Bo Hart, INF; Mike Lincoln, RHP; Mike Mahoney, C; Scott Seabol, INF. SAN DIEGO (3): Dewon Brazelton, RHP; Craig Breslow, LHP; Miguel Olivo, C. WASHINGTON (4): Alex Escobar, OF; Junior Spivey, 2B; Rick Short, INF; T.J. Tucker, RHP. __________________ DOWN WITH HATTRICK!!! The RWBL Are you reading In The Bleachers?

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