Didn't they just spend crap-tons of money the last two offseasons?
An appendix to my previous post: The Red Sox set a new Major League record with a fielding percentage of 0.98909, beating the '03 Mariners' 0.98887.
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MLB Hot Stove Thread 07
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Didn't they just spend crap-tons of money the last two offseasons?
An appendix to my previous post: The Red Sox set a new Major League record with a fielding percentage of 0.98909, beating the '03 Mariners' 0.98887.
Who thinks Manny is leaving the Sox to make room for Soriano? He has got trade written all over him, maybe to the mets to be with pedro?
Looks like Jeff Bagwell is one of the first, big names to have his option bought out as the Astros pass on the ailing 38 year old. Could this be a trend some of the other owners might follow?
umm if im not mistaken the only big names from the mets were tom glavine and Cliff floydd the only other met was kaz matsui but i think the mets fans forget about him during the summer and from what i hear Glavine wants to retire as a Brave and would take les money to so look for the mets to possibly replace him with Dontrelle willis or Zito AL Mvp Should be going to Derek Jeter even though ortiz but up the big numbers jeter was one of the key players that kept the yankees alive when shefield and matsui were injured
Oh man, please learn to use punctuation and proper capitalization. That was almost impossible to read!
Anyhow, I think Hernandez and Trachsel will be tough to replace, and though Valentin perhaps less so, he was still important to the Mets last season.
Thanks for the link.
I'm hoping to see a game near the end of March during a visit/vacation to Miami, hopefully Baltimore is playing at home that day (or another team that takes over their stadium).
Every year talk of of trading Manny surfaces and every year it dies off. Soriano while a good player is maybe more a drama queen then Manny and he will get a lot of flack from Boston if he doesn't play hard enough. I think the Mets will make a play for him since he does want to go back to NY.
STL Albert Pujols becomes only the sixth player to receive a Perfect 100 Ranking since the player rankings began in '81. He joins a pretty prestigious list: Mattingly - NYY '87, Ripkin Jr.- Os ' 91, Thomas - ChiSox '95, Bagwell - Astros '95 and Ramirez - Boston '02. Not a bad year for Pujols.
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Twins were afraid of this: An ailing ligament in Francisco Liriano's left elbow must be replaced, and surgery will keep the young sensation from pitching in the 2007 season.
After meeting Friday with noted specialist Dr. Lewis Yocum in Southern California, Liriano learned he needs Tommy John surgery -- a ligament transplant procedure that usually takes at least a year to recover from. Liriano, 23, is scheduled to have the operation on Monday with team physician Dr. John Steubs assisting Yocum, the Twins announced.
"That's the way it is. Unfortunately we're going to lose him for a year, but people come back from these with the ability to rebound," general manager Terry Ryan said by phone from Arizona, where he is scouting fall league games.
After meeting Friday with noted specialist Dr. Lewis Yocum in Southern California, Liriano learned he needs Tommy John surgery -- a ligament transplant procedure that usually takes at least a year to recover from. Liriano, 23, is scheduled to have the operation on Monday with team physician Dr. John Steubs assisting Yocum, the Twins announced.
"That's the way it is. Unfortunately we're going to lose him for a year, but people come back from these with the ability to rebound," general manager Terry Ryan said by phone from Arizona, where he is scouting fall league games.
Too bad about Liriano.
Look for him to be dominant in 2009 -- think Mauer will still be in Minnesota?
Look for him to be dominant in 2009 -- think Mauer will still be in Minnesota?
Well, the Gold Gloves have been announced
I was right for C and 1B, and sort-of right for 2B, but Lowell got ****ing snubbed big time, as was Young (fewer errors and DPs in more chances, with a higher range factor than Jeter).
Other defensive notes: A-Rod had the 4th-lowest fielding percentage after playing over 100 games (Edwin Encarnacion had the lowest at .916), and lowest over 150 (.937). He also had the same number of errors and double plays (24).
I was right for C and 1B, and sort-of right for 2B, but Lowell got ****ing snubbed big time, as was Young (fewer errors and DPs in more chances, with a higher range factor than Jeter).
Other defensive notes: A-Rod had the 4th-lowest fielding percentage after playing over 100 games (Edwin Encarnacion had the lowest at .916), and lowest over 150 (.937). He also had the same number of errors and double plays (24).
How does Mark Ellis not get the Gold Glove? Not to take anything away from Grudzielanek (who had a fantastic season...111 DPs is great), but Ellis set the all-time record for fielding percentage by a second baseman...two errors all season.
Typical Sheffield. I'm not sure it's worth the trouble for the Yankees. He's made clear that he'll expect more money from whomever he goes to, which will make it hard to trade him. (A contract he negotiated himself, by the way.) I think it would have been easier to release him, unless they have a specific team/trade in mind already.
The Yankees say they don't want to trade him, but I think they're willing to. He clearly doesn't have the mentality to play under the NY media microscope and it's hard to imagine him getting better at it. Retaining Torre instead of getting Piniella was a sign that they care a lot more about keeping Jeter happy than what Rodriguez thinks. The main obstacle is where Rodriguez is willing to go, not whether the Yankees want to keep him badly.
I kind of hope not. Even though he hit much better than I expected, his defense was terrible. Since his offense could drop off a cliff pretty much anytime, I kind of doubt they'll keep him. The rumor is that they're looking for a big outfield bat, but all of those are looking really expensive right now. Andruw Jones would fill that role, but who knows what he'd cost.
More interesting is the need for a new starter and third baseman. Maddux says he wants to come back to the Dodgers, but is he worth the price? Were Penny's last couple months an aberration, or a long-term issue? Will Saito return to be a closer or go back to Japan?
And what to do about Nomar? He hit very well, but does one season prove his durability? Kent will end up at first sooner rather than later. And of course they have several impressive young guys that are on the verge of being regulars, which is a nice problem to have. Am I being wildly optimistic that Loney looks like he might be ready to make the leap?
I understand Maddux wants two years. That could be a bigger problem than whatever he'd cost. Penny, he's had screwed up mechanics before. I remember the last time, the coaching positioned him differently on the mound and fixed it. I think he'll be okay. I'd be more worried if he was losing his velocity, which he certainly is not. They just need to watch him like a hawk for small problems that seem to creep into his delivery.
Saito is playing a game of footsie with the Dodgers. I have a feeling his homesickness could be cured by rubbing money on it. I'd like to see the Dodgers retain Saito and sign Gagne as a potential comeback story. Best case scenario, as Broxton probably isn't ready for that role yet.
If Loney isn't ready yet, he's darned close. I can see him as an everyday first baseman giving way to Kent some days. The Dodgers have an interesting problem on the right side of the infield. Defensively, Kent isn't the guy you want playing second every day, but you want him in the lineup if he's not hurting. Loney, you want to give a chance to play regularly if not every day at first. That's a tough one. I'll be interested to see how Ned solves it.
Nomar and Lofton, probably not coming back. The former has really only demonstrated his ability to play a four month season. The latter, as you say, is mediocre defensively at best. Hard to replace his speed and reliable bat at the top of the lineup, though.
NEW YORK -- The waiting began Wednesday for teams that bid for Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka.
The New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers were thought to be among the teams that bid for Matsuzaka, but the major-league commissioner's office instructed teams not to comment publicly, several clubs said.
The Yankees' involvement was confirmed by a baseball official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the directive. Prior to the directive, the Rangers had said they planned to bid.
The major-league commissioner's office, which opened the bidding last Thursday, informed the Japanese commissioner's office of the amount of the highest bid but not the club that made the offer. The team and the amount will be revealed only if the Lions accept the offer.
Seibu has until Tuesday to make its decision. When outfielder Ichiro Suzuki was posted by the Orix BlueWave in November 2000, the BlueWave announced the day after bidding closed that it accepted an offer of $13,125,000, and Selig's office revealed a few hours later that the Seattle Mariners had the winning bid. Suzuki agreed a few weeks later to a $14 million, three-year contract.
Once an offer is accepted, the major-league team has 30 days to agree to a contract with Matsuzaka, who is represented by agent Scott Boras. The bid is paid only if a contract is agreed upon.
Matsuzaka, MVP of the World Baseball Classic in March, was 17-5 with a 2.13 ERA and 200 strikeouts for the Lions this year. He throws in the high-90s mph, has good off-speed pitches and is known for his deceptive "gyroball."
Bidding closes Friday for Akinori Iwamura, a third baseman with the Central League's Yakult Swallows.
The New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers were thought to be among the teams that bid for Matsuzaka, but the major-league commissioner's office instructed teams not to comment publicly, several clubs said.
The Yankees' involvement was confirmed by a baseball official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the directive. Prior to the directive, the Rangers had said they planned to bid.
The major-league commissioner's office, which opened the bidding last Thursday, informed the Japanese commissioner's office of the amount of the highest bid but not the club that made the offer. The team and the amount will be revealed only if the Lions accept the offer.
Seibu has until Tuesday to make its decision. When outfielder Ichiro Suzuki was posted by the Orix BlueWave in November 2000, the BlueWave announced the day after bidding closed that it accepted an offer of $13,125,000, and Selig's office revealed a few hours later that the Seattle Mariners had the winning bid. Suzuki agreed a few weeks later to a $14 million, three-year contract.
Once an offer is accepted, the major-league team has 30 days to agree to a contract with Matsuzaka, who is represented by agent Scott Boras. The bid is paid only if a contract is agreed upon.
Matsuzaka, MVP of the World Baseball Classic in March, was 17-5 with a 2.13 ERA and 200 strikeouts for the Lions this year. He throws in the high-90s mph, has good off-speed pitches and is known for his deceptive "gyroball."
Bidding closes Friday for Akinori Iwamura, a third baseman with the Central League's Yakult Swallows.
My understanding is that in a year he'll be a full free agent who can come to the majors without a payment to a team. I'm not sure what the rush is to pay an extra $20-30 million to have him next season instead of 2008.
If they wait a year, any team could sign him to a long-term contract without paying for rights at all. Is he so valuable that someone is willing to pay tens of millions to get him a year earlier? That was my question.
Meanwhile, Takashi Saito has consented to play baseball in the U.S. for another year, as I suspected he would. Presumably his family decided that they could miss him for a little longer if he got a significant raise over the $500,000 he earned last season. Either way, good news for the Dodgers who might now be tempted to take another gamble with Eric Gagne.
He is said to be the best pitcher in Japan so I think the teams are fighting to get his signing rights now.
I've never liked Gary Sheffield and this is a good reason why. Sheffield says he's blocked from talking to Boss I don't understand why the Yankees didn't just let him go for free agency.