2005-2006 baseball offseason

[JeeberD]

from www.sportsradio610.com (Houston sports radio)

". Roger Clemens said yesterday that he's made a decision regarding his playing future, but the Rocket is not ready to reveal what his decision is."


Supposedly Roger has three tears in the muscles in his back and will be out for the first half of the season if he comes back. There's now major debate on the Astros board as to what his decision will be...

Personally, I'm afraid that he's done. He wore down towards the end of the season and is ravaged by injuries. I'm not sure I see him coming back unless we sign a major bat or two in the offseason...

[MizzouRah]

Good.

Now, the starting LF for the Cardinals will be...........no, not Reggie.......................................

Brian Giles.

[st.cronin]

I bet he comes back, or at least tries to. Roger is like Brett Favre; he'll keep playing until he just can't anymore, because there's nothing else he wants to do.

[rjolley]

Hope the Sox resign Konerko and add a big bat to replace the medium bat Everett had.

[Cards4ever]

I'd like to see the Cards get Giles and Jaques Jones.

[Cuckoo]

Cubs need A.J. Burnett and Rafael Furcal, which from all indications will be their top targets.

[RPI-Fan]

Roger came into our store near the end of the season... when asked if he'd be playing next year, he said "I see my self sitting my ass on the couch next year".

[Cards4ever]

Originally Posted by Cuckoo

Cubs need A.J. Burnett and Rafael Furcal, which from all indications will be their top targets.

Still no closer?

[MrBug708]

I think Jacque Jones is going to end up on the Dodgers but we cant even get a GM or a manager.

[Cards4ever]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

I think Jacque Jones is going to end up on the Dodgers but we cant even get a GM or a manager.

If LA spends big(and they have the money to do it), I sure wouldn't disagree with you.

[mtaystl03]

Here are the rumors I have picked up on so far:

The Padres are far away from offering Brian Giles what he wants. The Cardinals are the front runners to pick him up. Nice!

Rafael Furcal would consider playing 2nd base for the Mets.

The Yankees are going to try to trade Gary Sheffield and go after somebody like Jones, Giles or Sanders.

Trevor Hoffman won't re-sign with the Padres because he wants too much money.

The Cubs might miss out on Furcal and Giles but they might trade for Juan Pierre.

Paul Konerko will sign with the Angels.

Theo Epstein will become the GM of the Dodgers.

Thats all I have right now. I will update when I hear something else. I basically search the online newspapers for each team. Nothing special.

GO CARDINALS!

[JeeberD]

Originally Posted by Cuckoo

Cubs need A.J. Burnett and Rafael Furcal, which from all indications will be their top targets.

Those appear to be the top two targets for a lot of Astros fans, but I would rather see them go after a big bopper than another SS who disappears in the playoffs and an unproven starter...

[Cuckoo]

Originally Posted by Cards4ever

Still no closer?

Are you being serious? They re-signed Dempster to a 3 year, 15 million dollar deal. He converted 33 of 35 save chances with an ERA in the 2s as a reliever.

[Cuckoo]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

Those appear to be the top two targets for a lot of Astros fans, but I would rather see them go after a big bopper than another SS who disappears in the playoffs and an unproven starter...

Yeah, I'm not sure there are going to be a lot of big boppers available, though. The Cubs will be putting some faith in young guys this coming year, it appears. But if they can fix the top of the order, they should improve some games. Beyond Lee and Ramirez, though, they don't have another slugger either. I'd like to see them add some power in RF, but I don't know what's going to be out there.

[Cards4ever]

Originally Posted by Cuckoo

Are you being serious? They re-signed Dempster to a 3 year, 15 million dollar deal. He converted 33 of 35 save chances with an ERA in the 2s as a reliever.

If I were the Cubs, I'd get 2.

[JeeberD]

Originally Posted by Cuckoo

Yeah, I'm not sure there are going to be a lot of big boppers available, though.

A lot of folks are clammoring for Houston native Adam Dunn, but since he isn't a free agent he would probably cost us Backe, Burke, and a couple of prospects. Kinda high for a guy who hits .250 and strikes out a ton...

[Cards4ever]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

A lot of folks are clammoring for Houston native Adam Dunn, but since he isn't a free agent he would probably cost us Backe, Burke, and a couple of prospects. Kinda high for a guy who hits .250 and strikes out a ton...

Just read something in the Sporting News and the Angels seem to have a bunch of prospects to trade and might be looking at Dunn.

[Cuckoo]

Originally Posted by Cards4ever

If I were the Cubs, I'd get 2.

Yeah, but we already have to get extra starters to make up for Kerry Wood's injury problems and Maddux's age, extra bullpen guys to make up for the inexperience, and extra outfielders to make up for Corey Patterson's inability to take a bad pitch for a ball. Only so many resources...

[Cards4ever]

Originally Posted by Cuckoo

Yeah, but we already have to get extra starters to make up for Kerry Wood's injury problems and Maddux's age, extra bullpen guys to make up for the inexperience, and extra outfielders to make up for Corey Patterson's inability to take a bad pitch for a ball. Only so many resources...

Isn't Sosa off the books now? Patterson will probably be moved this offseason too.

[Coffee Warlord]

Sosa is indeed off the books.

shortstop, two outfielders, (two of those three need to be leadoff/average hitters) at least 1 starter, and some bullpen help.

That about sums up the Cubs needs.

[Cuckoo]

Yep, and I agree with the Warlord for the most part. Cubs have plenty of money to spend. The issue will be finding quality guys to spend it on. That's why I expect them to be competitive on Furcal and Burnett. Most would classify this as a fairly weak FA year, so it wouldn't surprise me to see the Cubs do some trading as well.

All that said, I expect Murton and Cedeno to play often. And I do expect them to move Patterson, find someone who is willing to tolerate his inconsistency for the supposed future benefits.

[Sublime 2]

Any word on what the BoSox are looking at....except a new GM?

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by Sublime 2

Any word on what the BoSox are looking at....except a new GM?

BJ Ryan maybe. A lot depends on what happens with Damon, Manny.

[LoneStarGirl]

Word around Houston is that Roger isn't going to retire until he plays at least half a season with his son. And that is supposidly why his oldest turned down a full scholarship to play at UT.

[JeeberD]

I just don't see that happening, LSG. Even if Koby shows more talent than expected he probably won't make the Bigs for another three or four years. With the way Roger has been having health issues the past couple of years I don't see him lasting that long...

[rjolley]

Originally Posted by mtaystl03

Here are the rumors I have picked up on so far:

...

Paul Konerko will sign with the Angels.

...

I'd heard Konerko really wanted to stay in Chicago with the Sox. Where'd you read he was leaning toward moving on to the Angels?

[WSUCougar]

I actually wouldn't mind bringing Patterson to STL if the price was right (along with signing Giles, of course).

[stevew]

Is there a list of free agents somewhere?

[stevew]

dola

PHILADELPHIA -- The losingest franchise in pro sports will have a proven winner in charge.

Pat Gillick, whose resume includes two World Series championships and nine playoff appearances, signed a three-year contract to become the Philadelphia Phillies' new general manager. He replaces Ed Wade, fired after failing to get the team into the playoffs in eight years on the job.

[JeeberD]

Speaking of GMs, here's an interesting article on free agent GM Gerry Hunsicker...

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/printsto...sports/3432294

Hunsicker must prove that he's trustworthy

By JOSE DE JESUS ORTIZ
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

During the World Series, quite a few highly respected national baseball writers wondered why former Astros general manager Gerry Hunsicker wasn't getting enough credit for building the National League champions.

They wrote about how Hunsicker signed Andy Pettitte, lured Roger Clemens out of retirement and convinced Brad Lidge to throw a slider. All were wrong.

I'm not saying Hunsicker lied to some of my good friends. But as one Astros official put it recently, somebody misled through omission of the facts.

When it was time to close the deal on Pettitte, Hunsicker already had been taken off the assignment by owner Drayton McLane. McLane was the one who drove to the offices of Houston agents Randy and Alan Hendricks and put the final touches on the deal because, well, Hunsicker already had gone as far as the Hendrickses would let him.

The best thing Hunsicker did in the Clemens negotiations was keep his mouth shut, get out of McLane's way and hope the Hendricks brothers still weren't too mad at him for ripping them half a decade earlier when McLane and the Hendrickses were trying to get Clemens to Houston.

Clemens signed with the Astros because of McLane's lobbying. You and any other fan had more to do in convincing the greatest pitcher of our era to sign with the Astros than Hunsicker did.

For the record, the Hendrickses still don't care too much for Hunsicker.

Astros pitching coordinator Dewey Robinson taught Lidge the slider in just a few minutes, and the decision on Lidge's future was made in a group with at least six player development folks.

Questionable tactics
Don't get me wrong. Hunsicker was a tremendous general manager. If I owned a team, I'd definitely consider him for the GM job. But I'd have to ask some serious questions in regard to all the rumors about him circling around these days.

Some baseball officials have asked why Hunsicker has been bad-mouthed as a self-promoter with a tendency to throw his team owner under the bus. He always found ways to take credit when credit belonged elsewhere.

Personally, I like Hunsicker. I think he's funny and smart and a solid baseball man.

But if given the choice right now, I'd hire Tim Purpura in a hurry. Purpura is a hard worker, and he's loyal, too.

If something goes wrong, he takes the blame.

The first time I knew Hunsicker's days were numbered with the Astros was when he flirted with the New York Mets for their vacant general manager's job after the 2003 season. A report in the Newark Star-Ledger stated that Hunsicker wanted out of Houston because he had been overruled when he wanted to hire Tony Peña instead of Jimy Williams as manager after the 2001 season.

The morning that report ran, I was awoken by Astros brass furious because they believed Hunsicker was trying to take credit for discovering Peña.

For the record, Purpura, not Hunsicker, was the one pushing for Peña.

Trust was gone
Asked about the report, Hunsicker declined to comment. I told him I was running something about it with or without his comments because folks in his front office were offended by the inference. Whether it was true or not, Astros officials distrusted Hunsicker and believed he was the biggest leak in the franchise.

Moreover, it was obvious McLane had decided to replace Hunsicker with Purpura. I wrote as much that October.

Hunsicker made tremendous strides for the Astros, acquiring Willy Taveras and Luke Scott for Jeriome Robertson while picking up helpful players such as Jose Vizcaino and Orlando Palmeiro.

In the end, however, McLane simply did not trust him, because the belief was that Hunsicker was peppering the local scene with inaccurate portrayals of his boss.

Now as Hunsicker tries to land another job, he must wonder what kind of recommendation he's getting from his former employer. How would you like to be the owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, wondering if the GM you hire will turn on you and rip you behind your back?

That's the rumor going on in baseball circles these days. How else can you explain such a successful GM lasting this long without another job when quite a few already have been up for grabs this offseason?

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

Roger is like Brett Favre

Is he going to start throwing half his pitches to the other team's catcher?

[Cards4ever]

Originally Posted by WSUCougar

I actually wouldn't mind bringing Patterson to STL if the price was right (along with signing Giles, of course).

Giles is very important. I wonder if the Cubs would trade a OF with talent that somehow can't get it going in Chicago to STL again?!

[Ksyrup]

Billy Wagner suggested yesterday that if the Mets offered him a four-year contract, he'll have to strongly considered accepting it.
"That would put a lot of pressure on the Phillies," he said. "Four years would be hard to turn down. The Mets are already ahead in some aspects because of the kind of team they can put on the field." Phillies GM Pat Gillick will meet with Wagner in Virginia today. He'll likely have a better offer in hand, but it won't go beyond three guaranteed years. Nov. 16 - 3:38 am et


Why are the Mets a better team than the Phillies? Is he counting the rumors of players who the Mets might sign or trade for? I would like to have him back, although I wouldn't want to overpay for a closer. I guess these comments are laying the groundwork for the inevitable. He's probably already got a 4-year offer from the Mets and is trying to get the Phillies into a bidding war.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Billy Wagner suggested yesterday that if the Mets offered him a four-year contract, he'll have to strongly considered accepting it.
"That would put a lot of pressure on the Phillies," he said. "Four years would be hard to turn down. The Mets are already ahead in some aspects because of the kind of team they can put on the field." Phillies GM Pat Gillick will meet with Wagner in Virginia today. He'll likely have a better offer in hand, but it won't go beyond three guaranteed years. Nov. 16 - 3:38 am et


Why are the Mets a better team than the Phillies? Is he counting the rumors of players who the Mets might sign or trade for? I would like to have him back, although I wouldn't want to overpay for a closer. I guess these comments are laying the groundwork for the inevitable. He's probably already got a 4-year offer from the Mets and is trying to get the Phillies into a bidding war.

I'd love to have him back, too, athough not at any price. We have more needs than just paying someone 10 million plus to close.

[Ksyrup]

Yankees agreed to terms with outfielder Hideki Matsui on a four-year, $52 million contract.
The Yankees confirmed the agreement tonight. Matsui just finished up a deal that paid him $21 million, plus $1.5 million in incentives. The new contract puts him among the game's highest-paid outfielders and gives him an annual salary matching that of teammate Gary Sheffield. Most importantly, he surpasses Ichiro Suzuki to become the highest-paid player from Japan. Nov. 15 - 10:32 pm et


This is insane...and I love it! I know he pays for himself because of the interest and money he draws from Japan, but still -Matsui was a nice player at $7M per. He's now 3 years older and making $13M a year for 4 years? They just got rid of Bernie Williams' terrible contract, so I guess they felt like they needed to replace it with another one that they'll be regretting in a couple of years.

[Ksyrup]

While Braves assistant Dayton Moore has reportedly pulled out of the running to take over Boston's GM, there's again speculation that Theo Epstein would like his old job back.
A major league baseball source told the Eagle-Tribune's Rob Bradford that Moore, who seemed to have emerged as the favorite for the job, has removed his name from consideration. Meanwhile, Epstein has reportedly sent out feelers to determine whether his return would be a possibility. So far, those have been rebuffed. Nov. 15 - 7:41 pm et


This fricking soap opera is stupid. If he comes back, what is he going to say? "I rediscovered my passion for this job during the past 10 days." Anything hesays will make Ricky Williams explanation of why he came back look reasonable by comparison.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by stevew

I'd love to have him back, too, athough not at any price. We have more needs than just paying someone 10 million plus to close.

Ahhh... the life of a closer. Is there a closer job in the real world?

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

Ahhh... the life of a closer. Is there a closer job in the real world?

"Consultant".

[WSUCougar]

By the way, congrats to Albert Pujols on (finally) winning the NL MVP. Closer vote than I thought it should have been, but I'll still take it!

[JonInMiddleGA]

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/spor...17blauser.html

Blauser named manager at Double-A Pearl

Associated Press
Published on: 11/16/05

Pearl, Miss. — Jeff Blauser has been named manager of the Double-A Mississippi Braves.

The two-time All-Star shortstop was a roving instructor for the Atlanta Braves' farm system this season. He replaces Brian Snitker, who was promoted to Triple-A Richmond after four seasons with the Double-A team.

Blauser said he likes the Jackson area and the fan support. He says the Braves have a good team at Mississippi.

Blauser played 10 of his 12 seasons in the majors with the Atlanta Braves. He was a career .262 hitter who played in three World Series and was an All-Star in 1993 and 1997. He retired in 1999 and spent several years as an instructor in the Braves' organization before Mississippi made him a manager for the first time.

[Ksyrup]

Kudos for posting a Blauser article at the same time the Cubs are wooing a free-agent Braves SS.

[General Mike]

Mike Cameron to the Padres for Xavier Nady, pending a physical. Looks like Victor Diaz will play RF.

[Ksyrup]

The Red Sox made their first offer to free agent Johnny Damon yesterday. According to the Boston Globe, it was worth in the neighborhood of $27 million to $30 million over three seasons.
It may include an option for a fourth year. Obviously, agent Scott Boras wants a contract in a far more upscale neighborhood. Still, this is pretty good as far as first offers go. The Red Sox shouldn't think about going higher than four years and $40 million to keep Damon. Even that would be pushing it. Nov. 17 - 4:05 am et

[oykib]

At this point, Damon's not even a $9 million/year player.
And certainly not for three years.

Unfortunately, this is one of those years where almost nobody is on the market.

Left with the choice of Damon for ten mil or Pierre for 8 or 9 mil, Damon starts to look like a bargain.

[Z²+]

Pirates sign Jason Bay to an extension taking him through all his arbitration years (and possibly the first year of free agency....the official press conference is scheduled for later this afternoon).

A nice sign that the Pirates are at least kinda somewhat possibly making a committment to their current players. And Bay is a legitimate All-Star talent, this goes down much smoother than throwing money at an aging, gimpy singles hitting catcher like they did with Kendall a few years ago.

It'll be nice to see all this young talent come together next year to see where we stand. And on the side, the Pittsburgh papers have been giving considerable coverage to the rumors that Mark Cuban is seriously interested in purchasing the team if the current misers want to sell after this All-Stat game season (rumors which Cuban has only fueled with his coy non-denials).

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Z²+

Pirates sign Jason Bay to an extension taking him through all his arbitration years (and possibly the first year of free agency....the official press conference is scheduled for later this afternoon).

A nice sign that the Pirates are at least kinda somewhat possibly making a committment to their current players. And Bay is a legitimate All-Star talent, this goes down much smoother than throwing money at an aging, gimpy singles hitting catcher like they did with Kendall a few years ago.

It'll be nice to see all this young talent come together next year to see where we stand. And on the side, the Pittsburgh papers have been giving considerable coverage to the rumors that Mark Cuban is seriously interested in purchasing the team if the current misers want to sell after this All-Stat game season (rumors which Cuban has only fueled with his coy non-denials).

I'd probably become a Pirates fan if Cuban bought the team.....it sucked in the 90s knowing the team was basically the farm system for the large market ones. Bay's a good talent, at least this is better than last years fiasco where they busted his balls for a few hundred grand.

[Ksyrup]

Cuban came out and said he made his interest known to the owners, and they told him that they had no interest in selling.

[Ksyrup]

What's next, a December vacation in Aruba and some water skiing on Christmas Day?


Orioles reliever Todd Williams was arrested early Wednesday on suspicion of drunken driving after causing a traffic accident.
No one was injured in the three-vehicle crash, and Williams was released on $500 bond. A Breathalyzer test showed Williams' blood alcohol content was zero percent, but he was charged with DUI with property damage. Officers at the scene "detected the odor of alcohol, some slurred speech and bloodshot, watery eyes," police spokesman Joe Durkin said. Williams, who failed a field sobriety test, admitted to officers that he had had a couple drinks, and later told them he had taken a prescription painkiller. Nov. 17 - 3:38 pm et

[JonInMiddleGA]

http://www.ajc.com/braves/content/sp...8bravestv.html

By TIM TUCKER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/18/05

The Braves, who came to be known as "America's Team" after Ted Turner had the seemingly zany idea of televising their games nationally in the 1970s, will be seen less frequently outside the Southeast under a new television deal completed Thursday with Major League Baseball.

Turner Broadcasting and MLB agreed on a seven-year contract that will reduce the number of Braves games televised nationally on TBS to 45 per season starting in 2008, Turner Sports president David Levy said.

In the late 1970s and 1980s, as many as 154 of the Braves' 162 games each season were televised nationally, drawing the team fans from coast to coast and helping turn a small Atlanta TV station into a national cable juggernaut.

But as the TV landscape and sports broadcast economics changed, the number of Braves games carried on TBS gradually shrunk, with more gravitating to regional cable networks. TBS cut back to 125 Braves games per season in the early 1990s, to 90 games per season in the late '90s and to 72 games last season.

Under the new deal, TBS will televise 70 Braves games in each of the next two seasons and 45 in each of the five seasons from 2008 through 2012, Levy said.

He said all games not carried nationally "absolutely" will continue to be televised in the Southeast, although details haven't been worked out on where to shift the games displaced from TBS in 2008. Possibilities, Levy said, include regional network Turner South, which carried 53 Braves games last season; a new network; or a syndicate of stations. Fox Sports Net South has a long-term contract to carry 25 games per season.

Levy said TBS' re-branding two years ago as a comedy-oriented network figured in the decision to reduce its Braves telecasts, as did the widespread availability of MLB games.

"There are a lot of baseball games out there, and when you think about 2012 and beyond, there are a lot of ways to get baseball — broadband, wireless, Internet," Levy said. "We wanted to get into a situation where we've got the best of the best [on TBS] and promote them in the best way.

"As you grow and change and re-brand — we're the No. 1 or No. 2 national cable network — a 45-game package is a very large commitment for a national carrier."

Economics also are a key factor in the migration of games from TBS.

Although the Braves are a division of Turner Broadcasting, which is owned by Time Warner, Turner has to pay a hefty rights fee to MLB to televise games nationally — just as ESPN, for example, does. Levy would not disclose the amount to be paid under the new deal, but rights fees in general have soared over the years.

Turner Broadcasting doesn't have to pay MLB a rights fee to carry games on Turner South, because the Braves, like all teams, own broadcast rights within what MLB defines as their home territory.

Still, Levy said it makes economic sense for the company to continue carrying some games on TBS.

"The most important thing for us was . . . to make sure Braves baseball stayed on TBS, because we have a loyal audience across the country," he said. "We as a company are committed to sports, committed to the Braves."

Last season, Braves games on TBS averaged a national cable rating of 0.9, drawing an average audience of 775,000 households outside metro Atlanta. Within metro Atlanta, the average audience for games on TBS was 150,000 households. The games on Turner South drew an average audience of 370,000 households in six Southeastern states.

TBS is available in 89 million U. S. households, while Turner South is available in 6 million households.

edit to add a little footnote: It's not uncommon to have more people watching the Braves on TBS than watching the games on ESPN. But it seems that MLB has had a problem wringing more (or the same) money out of TBS that they get from ESPN. This seems to me to be more about protecting the revenue stream from the ESPN deals than anything else.

[stevew]

I still remember the "Goodness Gracias, One Crazy Summer!" promo the Braves ran back in the day. I think they lost 105 games or so that year. IIRC the next year they did finish in first.