2006 MLB Thread

[Dan Gould]

Interesting report from a NY Newsday columnist:

As a person with knowledge of the Sheffield situation told me Saturday night, "Why should Gary jeopardize his future trying to get back if the organization isn't committed to him?"

If that means Sheff does nothing to be back in September, big

If that means Sheff takes his clutch bat to Fenway in 2007, extra big

Even with the age difference, I would always be more afraid of Sheffield at the plate in a clutch situation than Bobby Abreu, in 2006 or 2007 or even 2008.

Sheff is the kind of guy to use "disrespect" as a motivational tool so I have to wonder if he'd be especially interested to go to Boston, just to show them. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't give a crap to get booed at the Stadium.

[Dave James]

With the Abreu trade, The Boss has shown once again that money is no object. For that reason alone, I think if the Yanks had any inkling that Sheffield might be thinking Beantown, they'd just pick up his option for next year. He'd be great trade bait and that way, they have some control over where he goes. You also know that Sheffield wouldn't sign with anyone if they aren't willing to renegotiate the length of his deal. Given that he's worth it, that's probably not an unreasonable expectation. With any luck at all, this could keep him out of Boston for as long as it matters.

I see ESPN is carrying the Sox & Indians tonight. It'll be interesting to see how Wells holds up.

Up over and out.

[Dan Gould]

With the Abreu trade, The Boss has shown once again that money is no object. For that reason alone, I think if the Yanks had any inkling that Sheffield might be thinking Beantown, they'd just pick up his option for next year. He'd be great trade bait and that way, they have some control over where he goes. You also know that Sheffield wouldn't sign with anyone if they aren't willing to renegotiate the length of his deal.

Should Sheffield be a free agent (the Yankees don't pick up the option) then there's no issue of "renegotiating the length of his deal" - it starts at one year and can go as long as other teams are willing to give. He doesn't have a no-trade so if the Yankees pick up the option in order to keep him from the Sox and still trade him, then he goes where they send him. He may not want to play and he may be a jerk before it happens, but he won't have any control over it.

Now, should Sheffield be the DH next year:

Melky is nothing more than an inexpensive sub/pinch runner. But can that do anything for his development? For Melky to produce he has to play. Another Yankee burial of a youngster. I'd bet dollars to donuts that if that is the case, he'll be moved next July for someone else.

Bernie goes away - permanently.

Giambi has to play first essentially all of the time.

the bottom line though is that the Abreu trade became an absolute steal when the Phils paid the 1.5 million on the no-trade clause and the Yankees aren't obligated on the 2008 option year. I think its a slam dunk that Abreu is playing like Bernie Williams circa 2005 in that year, but because the Phils were so desperate and he was so desperate to get out, the Yankees won't be paying him.

[Brad]

I just heard that the Mets lost Duaner Sanchez for the year in a car accident. That's going to be a major crimp in their prospects in the post season.

[sheldonm]

I just heard that the Mets lost Duaner Sanchez for the year in a car accident. That's going to be a major crimp in their prospects in the post season.

....now back to more talk about the Yankees and R.Sox

[Quincy]

While there have been cases of 38 year old (his age next year) players continuing to produce at a high level, I don't think I'd want my team to dole out the big bucks that Sheffield will demand. As Berigan mentioned wrist injuries are the type that can take a good long time to recover from (see Derrek Lee), though by next spring it will likely be less of a problem as it may be this fall.

His slugging percentage last year had dropped to .512. Certainly nothing to sneeze at, but there's a chances increase that that could dip below .500 next year (it was .438 while playing hurt in 30 games this year.) Unless he accidentally uses some cream again...

He's played well at Yankee Stadium though, as the past 2 years his road numbers are:

2004 - .265/.362/.497

2005 - .282/.377/.490

whereas home:

2004 - .315/.424/.573

2005 - .300/.381/.534

Sure, he may very well have 1 or 2 very good seasons left in him, but I'd be willing to risk it and spend the money elsewhere, such as pitching, pitching, and pitching (at least from the Yankee perspective.) And if I was a Red Sox fan, I sure as hell wouldn't want him playing your RF.

I'll admit I could be way off base here, and I've been impressed by his bat & patience at the plate, but bodies tend to break down when pushing 40.

[Neal Pomea]

Soriano stays in Washington for now. That surprises me. He could have helped a contender, and the folks on National discussion boards thought he could have been had for a few Radio Shack coupons and municipal bonds.

Greg Maddux goes to the Dodgers for Izturis, and Julio Lugo goes to Dodgers for a couple of minor league prospects.

[Big Al]

Rangers just traded away two minor league pitchers for Matt Stairs from the Royals (38 years old, career .261 hitter) and Kip Wells (just off the DL, 1-1, but a nice ERA nonetheless).

Ah well, there's always next year. And the year after that. And the year after that. And......

[Noj]

Greg Maddux goes to the Dodgers for Izturis, and Julio Lugo goes to Dodgers for a couple of minor league prospects.

Damn, I liked Izzy. What is Maddux, 50?

[Quincy]

Greg Maddux goes to the Dodgers for Izturis, and Julio Lugo goes to Dodgers for a couple of minor league prospects.

Damn, I liked Izzy. What is Maddux, 50?

Just 10 years off.

Wrigley gave Maddux lots of big ovations last Saturday vs. the Cards. He handled the days leading up to the trade well too. He may not be what he once was, but he's a classy guy and hopefully the big park will help him out a little.

I like Lugo and think it's crazy to play Kent at 2nd, but the whole "fear of being blindsided" playing 2nd doesn't sound good for the Dodgers, even as the agent tries to explain them away. The extra "as long as everyone understands he's a SS" sure makes it look like the perfect fit!

[Dan Gould]

Well my fear all along was that Theo would give up some of the kids to make an impact trade so I'm glad that all the kids are still with us.

I'll feel much better if Wells goes something like 7 innings, giving up 6 hits and two runs. Then he'd be the impact pickup, and he doesn't cost a dime.

[GregK]

Yes!!! the Red Sox are on ESPN!!! wooohooo! It's been a whole 24 hours since I had a chance to see them!

[Dan Gould]

Yes!!! the Red Sox are on ESPN!!! wooohooo! It's been a whole 24 hours since I had a chance to see them!

You're really going to love Thursday then:

1:05, Yanks and Toronto

7:05, Sox and Cleveland

[Soulstation1]

the rocket should pitch friday vs the diamondbacks

i'm gonna try and make it, i saw him last year

[Dan Gould]

Well forget what I said about Wells.

[Soulstation1]

up 8-6

[Dan Gould]

These are not the days that give you a lot of hope. Wells stinking the joint up; Tek hurt. And the guy who is supposed to start tomorrow is the one who comes in for Wells? WTF is going on?

About the only thing to be happy about is Wily Mo Pena who I am convinced is a superstar in the making. That ball he crushed over the monster was hit even harder than Vladi's shot the night before. And he can go Vladi one better if he comes through with a double his next time up: he'll hit for the cycle. I'd love to see Pena hitting behind Papi and Manny next season. Did you see Wily Mo's double last night? The bat shattered at the wrist and he's still strong enough to hit it off the wall.

[J.A.W.]

Great ball game! Cleveland 8, Red Sox 9.

(I'm off to bed now, it's 4:30 AM over here...)

[Soulstation1]

being a cleveland sports fan, that shit wasn't surprisin'

when does LeBron tip off?

[Dan Gould]

Great ball game! Cleveland 8, Red Sox 9.

(I'm off to bed now, it's 4:30 AM over here...)

Hans is not only watching baseball, but at 4:30 AM?

I thought you Yurpeans didn't like baseball?

Back to Big Papi:

Since July 31, 2005, he leads the majors with 60 home runs and 166 RBI in 161 games. So if he hits one tonite, that equals Maris' mark over 162 games. He's on pace for 58, it would be great if he can exceed that by a hair and break 61, then he'd be the first to break the old mark with no steroid stigma attached.

[Dave James]

Hats off to Big Papi. He does this with such regularity, I think it's close to becoming an expectation. Even if he is a DH, I think he's got to have a great shot at the MVP this year. I know his B.A. isn't terrific, but if you're looking for a most valuable player, who else could it be? The Twins must kick themselves in the butt every time he unloads. How do you let a guy like that get away? And, for nothing.

Up over and out.

[J.A.W.]

Great ball game! Cleveland 8, Red Sox 9.

(I'm off to bed now, it's 4:30 AM over here...)

Hans is not only watching baseball, but at 4:30 AM?

Ball games are live on cable TV over here, but unfortunately (for me) mostly in the middle of our night...

I thought you Yurpeans didn't like baseball?

You clearly didn't take a peek at my profile

Back to Big Papi:

Since July 31, 2005, he leads the majors with 60 home runs and 166 RBI in 161 games. So if he hits one tonite, that equals Maris' mark over 162 games. He's on pace for 58, it would be great if he can exceed that by a hair and break 61, then he'd be the first to break the old mark with no steroid stigma attached.

His walk-off HR was amazing

[Dave James]

Interesting piece from Jayson Stark on ESPN this morning having to do with how close Roger Clemens came to returning to the Red Sox:

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It was a deal that would have wiped all the other deals off the back page, the front page and all the pages in between. It was a deal that would have changed history -- and pennant races. It was a deal that didn't happen this weekend, but apparently could have -- and should have. It was a deal that never was -- a deal involving the only active 343-game winner currently hanging around our planet. Multiple sources say it was a trade that could have been made, even as late as Monday afternoon. All Astros owner Drayton McLane would have had to do was say: "You know, it's the right thing to do." But apparently, that isn't what he said. Drayton McLane isn't ready to give up on his season. And he isn't ready to give up Roger Clemens.

The owner easily could have done for Clemens what the Cubs did Monday for Greg Maddux. There are times when certain people deserve to be rescued from their sinking cruise liners. This year, for those two living legends, was one of those times. The Cubs couldn't be sure if this was Maddux's final season. But if it is, he doesn't deserve to finish it with a team that's trying to hold off the Pirates in the NL Central dungeon. So on Monday, the Cubs gave Maddux a chance to write a different ending, to his season and his career, by pitching in games worthy of his presence. They didn't have to. But it was the right thing to do.

Accounts vary on exactly how close the Astros might have been to granting Clemens a similar favor. But we have heard too many accounts that suggest those dots could have been connected to ignore them. The version that people in Houston are telling their friends is that they never actually fielded offers from anybody on Clemens. In this rendition of the story, GM Tim Purpura was sharp enough to see those offers coming. So he "prepared" for calls from the three teams that pursued Clemens as a free agent -- the Red Sox, Yankees and Rangers. But he never planned to go beyond those preparations unless McLane told him to -- presumably because the season was a lost cause and it was the right thing to do. Except McLane never spoke those words. So teams that called were allegedly told it wasn't the Astros' "present intent" to trade the Rocket. He was out of play.

There is another story going around, however, that presents a different version of this tale. And it's fascinating how many hooked-in people in baseball were hearing it late Monday afternoon. In this version, the Red Sox weren't told the Astros didn't intend to trade Clemens. Instead, the two sides exchanged ideas, scenarios and even lists of potential players who could have been sent to Houston in exchange for Clemens.

In this version, both sides were aware of how close Clemens came to signing with the Red Sox in May and how much he'd thought about finishing his career where it all began. So the two teams allowed themselves to go further down this road than they normally would have gone -- until the trading deadline was less than two hours away. There was only one reason they went no further -- because McLane wouldn't let them.

In this version, Clemens even found himself in a conversation with McLane this weekend about their team's struggles. It was a conversation that easily could have ended with McLane asking him: "Do you think I should trade you?" Instead, it must have ended with McLane talking as optimistically as ever about how the Rocket and his friends were going to pull another miracle out of their sweat socks. Instead, the idea of trading Clemens clearly never entered the owner's brain.

Given Clemens' affection for his hometown, his teammates and even his owner, he would never broach that subject himself. He would never ask to bail out. It isn't what he's about. He's the one who chose to play in Houston instead of for one of those other three teams, of course. He did that even though he knew their postseason prospects always looked brighter than the Astros'. So you could easily argue he had his chance to play somewhere else, and now he should be obligated to honor his commitment to the team he picked. Go ahead. Argue it. We won't fight you. But there is also an obligation on the other side, the obligation any team has to a player of Roger Clemens' stature. Obviously, everybody in Houston has a vision of how the Rocket Man deserves to close out his astonishing career. And obviously, this isn't it.

This Saturday in Arizona, Clemens will take his 2.09 ERA (and misleading 2-4 record) to the mound -- for a team that is currently six games out in the wild-card race, 17 games under .500 since its 19-9 start and the not-so-proud owner of a worse record since May 4 (30-47) than the Royals (31-47). And any time your team finds itself mixed up in a phrase like "worse record than the Royals," you know you're in trouble. Or you ought to know, anyway. But the owner of the Astros clearly doesn't know. Doesn't see it. Doesn't want to see it. So if there was really a deal there to be made with the Red Sox, that deal could have done more than just hand Clemens a better script. From all accounts, it could have helped the Astros, too, by saving them $7 million, and by infusing more real young talent in their system. Two players. Maybe three. But the owner was terrified he'd be known forever as The Man Who Traded Roger Clemens. And Clemens would never want to be known as The Man Who Abandoned His Own Hometown. So it would have had to be handled delicately. But it could have been done.

All Clemens had to say was that he wasn't "abandoning" his team. He was committed for life. He'd be gone for two months, and then he'd be back to work for the Astros for as long as they wanted him, doing whatever they needed done. All (Astros owner Drayton) McLane had to say was that he did this because he loves Roger Clemens, and he cares about him, and he wants his career to end the way it deserves to end -- with another trip, or three, to the mound in baseball's grand Octoberfest. Then they'd all get back to the job of working together to make the Astros a better franchise. Could have been handled that way easily. But none of that ever played on the LCD screen inside the owner's head. And all McLane had to say was that he did this because he loves Roger Clemens, and he cares about him, and he wants his career to end the way it deserves to end -- with another trip, or three, to the mound in baseball's grand Octoberfest. Then they'd all get back to the job of working together to make the Astros a better franchise. Could have been handled that way easily. But none of that ever played on the LCD screen inside the owner's head. So now Clemens and his Astros teammates will have to figure out a very different script than the one they've been living through these last six weeks. But is that even possible?

You have to admire the furious effort Purpura gave over the last several days, trying to add the likes of Miguel Tejada and Alfonso Soriano to a club that needs a serious jolt to save its season. But the honest truth is, this Astros' season might not be save-able. Yeah, things may have looked bad two years ago (when they were four games under .500 in August), and the Astros somehow recovered and made it to Game 7 of the NLCS). Yeah, it sure looked dire last year, too (when they were 16-31 in May), and they still survived to play in their first World Series. But not this bad. At least those teams had a certain vibe to them that this team doesn't. At least those teams could hand a lead to their bullpen and be reasonably sure they'd get to shake hands shortly thereafter. At least those teams weren't next-to-last in the league in runs scored and dead last in slugging.

This team, though, is a different story. This team has scored zero runs while Clemens was in the game in four of his eight starts -- and blown saves for him in two others. It is so obvious this team is missing something huge and vital that it advertised its flaws to the world this weekend -- by chasing names as powerful as Tejada and Soriano, by dangling players as high-profile as Roy Oswalt and Brad Lidge.

Yet the owner maintains his boundless optimism. He sees what he wants to see. He believes what he wants to believe. And he believes, mostly, that as long as he has Roger Clemens in his clubhouse, they will never run out of miracles. Optimism is a beautiful quality in this life. So you hope Drayton McLane's optimism is rewarded -- because if it isn't rewarded this time, the only 343-game winner of the division-play era might well finish his career in a half-empty ballpark in Pittsburgh in the last week of September, for a team with no more to play for than the home team. That scene just won't feel right then. And the vision of it doesn't feel right now. But as it approaches, how will we forget that it didn't have to be that way?

All Drayton McLane had to do to change it was simply feel the urge to do the right thing -- for a pitcher who has always done the right thing for him.

Up over and out.

Edited August 1, 2006 by Dave James

[Dan Gould]

Sean McAdam was reporting the exact same thing, with it all coming down to Clemens feeling he'd look graceless to push for a trade and then return for his post-retirement ten year "personal services" contract.

But Stark is right - Clemens deserved to go where he'd have a shot and its just plain wrong that it didn't happen.

Meanwhile, they also came very close to landing Oswalt from Houston. They were going to give up Hansen and Crisp and another prospect for Andruw Jones and then flip him to Houston for Oswalt. But the Astros feared that Jones would demand a trade, as is his right as a vet with a multi-year deal. I've also been hearing that Oswalt plans to go to St. Louis as soon as he becomes a free agent (after 2007) so what's the point of spending so much for a young pitcher who doesn't want to stay?

Like I said, the way our pitching staff has gotten hurt, this season may have been lost when Clemens went for convenience instead of where his heart wanted to go. Frankly, he deserves to finish 5-9 with an ERA under 2.

[Dan Gould]

While all the pundits seem ready to hand the division to the Yanks, this ought to suggest just how premature that may be:

Eric Wilbur

Boston Globe

At 63-41, it isn't exactly like the Sox are struggling to get by, tied with the Mets for the second-best record in baseball. That is partly a reflection on their dominance in interleague play (16-2 vs. NL teams, 47-39 vs. AL teams), but consider at this time a year ago, the 95-win Red Sox were four games off this squad's current pace (59-45, 2½ games up on the Yankees). In 2004, they were 56-47.

And remember, they still have only played 49 of 81 games at Fenway, where they are a dominant 34-15.

If we consider their current home winning pace of .694, that's a 22-10 mark the rest of the way at Fenway. On the road, they're winning at a .527 pace, so let's say they finish that schedule at just 15-14. That would give the Red Sox their first 100-win since 1946. Granted, how long they can keep that up with injuries to Tim Wakefield, Nixon, and Varitek is a major concern, but they've also rocketed to their current mark with what amounts to a three-man starting staff.

And unlike last year, the ace will spend the last two months in the rotation and the stopper will be where he has been all along.