The Baseball Thread 2007

[MartyJazz]

What an F-ING infuriating loss tonite.

And all the while the Yanks uber-prospect is throwing a no-hitter through 6 1/3.

It's about time!

[GA Russell]

In the top of the first, Toronto's first, fourth and fifth batters all hit home runs. But Cleveland beat them anyway.

[Dan Gould]

What an F-ING infuriating loss tonite.

And all the while the Yanks uber-prospect is throwing a no-hitter through 6 1/3.

It's about time!

Marty, if the news I'm hearing about Mr. Hughes is accurate, you won't be celebrating very long, I'm afraid.

[Dan Gould]

And that's now official, according to SI:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/base...s.ap/index.html

He felt a "pop" in his hamstring and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. Sorry to hear it, Yankee fans. He looked every bit the stud he is supposed to be. Now it leaves a big hole in the rotation, and means that Igawa has to stay there even if he goes back to stinking up the joint.

And I hate to say it, but "hearing a pop" and 4-6 weeks doesn't sound very likely. I mean, Wang missed the first month of the season, almost, and he barely felt anything while jogging. They didn't even know it was an injury til the day after. This sounds much worse than that and I wouldn't be suprised if its more like 8 weeks, even 10. Hamstrings that "pop" don't heal that quickly.

I got a feeling that Brian Cashman is not only calling Clemens' agents, but he's also got out an APB on Aaron Small.

[donald byrd 4 EVA]

i really like the indians lineup. hafner, sizemore, martinez, nixon. they should be very good

[Big Al]

And that's now official, according to SI:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/base...s.ap/index.html

He felt a "pop" in his hamstring and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. Sorry to hear it, Yankee fans. He looked every bit the stud he is supposed to be. Now it leaves a big hole in the rotation, and means that Igawa has to stay there even if he goes back to stinking up the joint.

And I hate to say it, but "hearing a pop" and 4-6 weeks doesn't sound very likely. I mean, Wang missed the first month of the season, almost, and he barely felt anything while jogging. They didn't even know it was an injury til the day after. This sounds much worse than that and I wouldn't be suprised if its more like 8 weeks, even 10. Hamstrings that "pop" don't heal that quickly.

I got a feeling that Brian Cashman is not only calling Clemens' agents, but he's also got out an APB on Aaron Small.

I was at that game tonight, and we were all wondering why the guy was leaving right in the middle of a no-hitter. Much as I hate the Yanks, this is still sad news for this guy. I hope it doesn't leave any permanent damage.

Strange how we were just talking about Kerry Wood and Mark Prior today.

[zen archer]

anyone see the catch Coco Crisp made last night ?.......Damn........2 nights in a row he made incredible catches.

[Dan Gould]

anyone see the catch Coco Crisp made last night ?.......Damn........2 nights in a row he made incredible catches.

One of the things that has me excited is the fact that Coco is finally starting to hit. He's showing he can be a little spark plug at the bottom of the lineup - if Tito decides that its time to give Cora more time, that makes it even easier to turn it over and get it to Lugo/Youk/Papi. I think the offense will be very good; if the pitching stays this good, I can see 98 wins, maybe more.

[Dan Gould]

No one can say if this is good news or bad news for the Yankees, but Carl(a) Pavano has had yet another setback. Apparently he shut down his second bullpen session with continuing pain in his elbow, and is now considering Tommy John surgery. That would be likely to wipe out the remainder of his contract.

For what he's done (4-6 his first season, exactly two starts since then) for a four year/39.95 million dollar contract, this has got to be one of the all-time worst signings in the free agent era. And he had the gall to refuse to pay his agent his commission, simply because the man didn't negotiate a contract for the full 40 million!

[Matthew]

No one can say if this is good news or bad news for the Yankees, but Carl(a) Pavano has had yet another setback. Apparently he shut down his second bullpen session with continuing pain in his elbow, and is now considering Tommy John surgery. That would be likely to wipe out the remainder of his contract.

For what he's done (4-6 his first season, exactly two starts since then) for a four year/39.95 million dollar contract, this has got to be one of the all-time worst signings in the free agent era. And he had the gall to refuse to pay his agent his commission, simply because the man didn't negotiate a contract for the full 40 million!

I think Mike Hampton is also in the running for the worst free agent deal ever. Jeff Weaver is also making a very good run at the title also -- 0-4, ERA. 18.26, all that for eight million a year!

[Dan Gould]

No one can say if this is good news or bad news for the Yankees, but Carl(a) Pavano has had yet another setback. Apparently he shut down his second bullpen session with continuing pain in his elbow, and is now considering Tommy John surgery. That would be likely to wipe out the remainder of his contract.

For what he's done (4-6 his first season, exactly two starts since then) for a four year/39.95 million dollar contract, this has got to be one of the all-time worst signings in the free agent era. And he had the gall to refuse to pay his agent his commission, simply because the man didn't negotiate a contract for the full 40 million!

I think Mike Hampton is also in the running for the worst free agent deal ever. Jeff Weaver is also making a very good run at the title also -- 0-4, ERA. 18.26, all that for eight million a year!

I remembered Hampton right after I posted. I don't think Weaver is in there because of the shortness of his deal and the fact that he had extremely mixed results prior to signing. Hampton certainly qualifies as the worst signing in the 100 million + category. But at least Hampton is a bulldog who wants the ball. For sheer comedy, no one matches Pavano's bruised buttocks or crashing his Porsche into a stationary garbage truck and then not telling anyone.

[Soulstation1]

anyone want to guess who has the best record in the AL?

[donald byrd 4 EVA]

Doug Mirabelli?

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Warning To MLB Clubs: Do Not Trade With Kevin Towers

We were looking at the N.L.'s leader board today and one category jumped out as us, San Diego Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is leading the league in RBI with 26. Gonzalez set the franchise record with 25 for the month of April and at just 24-years-old looks to be a cornerstone of the franchise for years to come. That got us wondering: why on earth did the Rangers get rid of him?

To be fair, the Rangers have Mark Teixeira at first base, and he's a perennial All-Star, but still you figure they could have found a place for Gonzalez, a former No. 1 overall pick in the Draft. Instead they sent him to the Padres in one of the more lopsided deals in recent memory. And it was one of the many times Padres general manager Kevin Towers has absolutely raped another team.

The January 4, 2006 trade saw the Padres sending Adam Eaton, Akinori Otsuka and minor league catcher Billy Killian, to the Rangers for Gonzalez, Chris Young and Terrmel Sledge. Eaton spent a healthy portion of last season on the DL and now pitches for the Phillies, Otsuka is a reliable reliever and now the Rangers' closer and Killian is still a minor leaguer.

In contrast, Gonzalez hit .304 with 24 HR and 86 RBI last season, played gold-glove quality defense and was the Padres team MVP. This season he's hitting .310 with 7 HR and 26 RBI. The 6'10 Young has developed into a front-line starter. Last season, the former two-sport standout from Princeton, went 11-5 with a 3.46 ERA and notched 164 K's in 179.1 innings. After a slow start to this season, the 27-year-old hurler is now 3-2 with a 3.34 ERA, and tossed 8 shutout innings last night, striking out 8 along the way to getting the win. Sledge is currently part of the Padres' left field platoon with Jose Cruz Jr., a position that has consistently produced all season.

So let's review. The Rangers got a decent middle-aged closer, an average starting pitcher who is now in Philadelphia and a minor league catcher, while giving up two young, All-Star calibur guys and a decent spot-starting outfielder. Not tough to see who won that exchange.

Another example of the trading genius of Kevin Towers is the famed Doug Mirabelli deal. During the 2006 offseason the Padres acquired Doug Mirabelli from the Red Sox for Mark Loretta. The deal was made because San Diego needed to make room on their roster for then-prospect Josh Barfield. Josh Bard replaced Mirabelli as Tim Wakefield's personal catcher. That didn't go so well, as he accumulated 10 passed balls in just seven games. On May 2, 2006 the Red Sox were so desperate to get Mirabelli back that they sent Bard, minor-league pitcher Cla Meredith and $100,000 to San Diego for him.

The 36-year-old Mirabelli played in 59 games for the Sox last season, hitting .193 with 6 HR and 25 RBI, and in seven games this season is hitting .353 with 2 HR and 4 RBI. Meanwhile, the 29-year-old Bard has become the Padres' everyday catcher.

In 93 games last season he hit .338 with 9 HR and 40 RBI, and in 12 games this season (he had a short stint on the DL) he's hitting .267 with 1 HR and 6 RBI. Oh and what of Cla Meredith, the "throw-in" to the deal? Oh he's only been one baseball's most dominant relievers in the game. The 23-year-old, side-wheeling righty made 45 appearances for the Padres last season, posting a ridiculous 1.07 ERA. And in 12 games (entering Wednesday night's game) this season he has yet to allow a run.

These are just two examples of how Towers has continually made incredible trades. How about Matt Herges for Clay Hensley (the Padres' current No. 3 starter) in 2003. Brad Ausmus and Ricky Gutierrez for Ken Caminiti and Steve Finley in late 1994 (Randy Smith was actually the Padres' GM at the time of this deal but Towers' scouting efforts were the driving force behind it). He got Greg Vaughn for Ron Villone and Marc Newhan in 1996. Other than the horrendous Jason Bay - Brian Giles deal, I don't think anyone has ever completely gotten the better of him.

So to all of you GM's out there, we don't want to tell you your business or anything, but don't trade with Mr. Towers. Unless you want to get publicly embarassed.

*Update: Gonzalez hit his 8th HR Wednesday night against the Nationals. The solo shot gives him 27 RBI on the year as well.

[Big Al]

Doug Mirabelli?

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Warning To MLB Clubs: Do Not Trade With Kevin Towers

We were looking at the N.L.'s leader board today and one category jumped out as us, San Diego Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is leading the league in RBI with 26. Gonzalez set the franchise record with 25 for the month of April and at just 24-years-old looks to be a cornerstone of the franchise for years to come. That got us wondering: why on earth did the Rangers get rid of him?

Because this is the Rangers? Because untrained monkeys could make better deals than Rangers mismanagement?

To be fair, the Rangers have Mark Teixeira at first base, and he's a perennial All-Star, but still you figure they could have found a place for Gonzalez, a former No. 1 overall pick in the Draft. Instead they sent him to the Padres in one of the more lopsided deals in recent memory. And it was one of the many times Padres general manager Kevin Towers has absolutely raped another team.

Tex is yet another overrated superstar from the stable of Scott Boras, the man Tom Hicks is incapable of telling "no."

The January 4, 2006 trade saw the Padres sending Adam Eaton, Akinori Otsuka and minor league catcher Billy Killian, to the Rangers for Gonzalez, Chris Young and Terrmel Sledge. Eaton spent a healthy portion of last season on the DL and now pitches for the Phillies, Otsuka is a reliable reliever and now the Rangers' closer and Killian is still a minor leaguer.

When this trade was originally made, Eaton was such a hot prospect until injuries sidelined him. That was unfortunate, and likely a freak accident.

Billy who?

Aki saved 32 of 36 last year. His reward? Demotion to set-up man so Rangers mismanagement could sign perrenial DL-man Eric Gagne, who hasn't pitched since I was in grade school. Gagne is on the DL right now (gee, whatta surprise) and Aki hasn't seen much action cuz the Rangers have no offense at all. Including the aforementioned Tex.

In contrast, Gonzalez hit .304 with 24 HR and 86 RBI last season, played gold-glove quality defense and was the Padres team MVP. This season he's hitting .310 with 7 HR and 26 RBI. The 6'10 Young has developed into a front-line starter. Last season, the former two-sport standout from Princeton, went 11-5 with a 3.46 ERA and notched 164 K's in 179.1 innings. After a slow start to this season, the 27-year-old hurler is now 3-2 with a 3.34 ERA, and tossed 8 shutout innings last night, striking out 8 along the way to getting the win.

No surprise there. Every pitcher the Rangers have ever traded away has flourished. Even Mitch Williams! It seems like any time a pitcher for the Rangers shows any potential, he gets traded away, usually for an alleged power-hitting outfielder. Kenny Lofton anyone?

So let's review. The Rangers got a decent middle-aged closer, an average starting pitcher who is now in Philadelphia and a minor league catcher, while giving up two young, All-Star calibur guys and a decent spot-starting outfielder. Not tough to see who won that exchange.

As a lifelong Rangers fan, all I can say is: welcome to my world. Been putting up with this shit since I was in diapers.

[donald byrd 4 EVA]

Big Al,

Can you please tell me what is wrong with Michael Young this season? I dont understand why he hasnt been hitting. I thought he was a shortstop extraordinaire.

[jlhoots]

Milwaukee 18-9.

Pretty damn good (so far).

[T.D.]

There's an item (Gene W.) at espn.com claiming that the s**t might hit the fan re. steroid allegations by the ex-Met clubhouse attendant. He's "cooperating with prosecutors."

(I doubt this will happen...)

[donald byrd 4 EVA]

i wish they gave as much attention to the need for greater revenue sharing as they do to steriods

[Dan Gould]

Dan , i think Dice K will be fine i do the same thing comparing him to Pedro but thats not fair Pedro

was special and it will be a very long time before you see the likes of him again.

Yeah? Well when the hell will the "real" Dice-K stand up? FIVE f-ing runs in the first inning to freaking Seattle. All started by walking the first three batters and then hitting the fifth (there's a fucking suprise). This guy isn't getting better, he's getting worse! What if KC was the best he can do?

I am freaking pissed right now.

[Aggie87]

I don't get why Dice K was worth $100M and bidding wars, prior to ever pitching a single pitch in this league. I don't have a problem with picking up talent from other countries, but heck, there's no way I'd ever pay an unknown entity that kinda cash. Seems like he was set up for failure - at least it was going to be difficult to ever live up to anyone's expectations after the money that was thrown at him.

But then I don't think Roger Clemens is worth $20M a season (or half a season) either.

[Dan Gould]

I don't get why Dice K was worth $100M and bidding wars, prior to ever pitching a single pitch in this league. I don't have a problem with picking up talent from other countries, but heck, there's no way I'd ever pay an unknown entity that kinda cash. Seems like he was set up for failure - at least it was going to be difficult to ever live up to anyone's expectations after the money that was thrown at him.

But then I don't think Roger Clemens is worth $20M a season (or half a season) either.

Well, he is certainly not showing the devastating repertoire he was supposed to have. For the hype, he ought to be 5-0 with an ERA around 2.5 right now. I didn't have a problem with the money spent, because half of it went to his former team, not him, and they did hang tough in the negotiation. If they had been so desperate to get him and truly believed he'd refuse the final offer and go back to Japan, they would have been paying him 12 or more million right now instead of an average of about 8 million over the next six years. If he stops having so many games marred by temporary loss of the strike zone/command, he'll be very much worth it at the actual salary they are paying.

At least he's settled down since then, and the offense has picked him up. 7-5 Boston.

[zen archer]

I don't get why Dice K was worth $100M and bidding wars, prior to ever pitching a single pitch in this league. I don't have a problem with picking up talent from other countries, but heck, there's no way I'd ever pay an unknown entity that kinda cash. Seems like he was set up for failure - at least it was going to be difficult to ever live up to anyone's expectations after the money that was thrown at him.

But then I don't think Roger Clemens is worth $20M a season (or half a season) either.

Well, he is certainly not showing the devastating repertoire he was supposed to have. For the hype, he ought to be 5-0 with an ERA around 2.5 right now. I didn't have a problem with the money spent, because half of it went to his former team, not him, and they did hang tough in the negotiation. If they had been so desperate to get him and truly believed he'd refuse the final offer and go back to Japan, they would have been paying him 12 or more million right now instead of an average of about 8 million over the next six years. If he stops having so many games marred by temporary loss of the strike zone/command, he'll be very much worth it at the actual salary they are paying.

At least he's settled down since then, and the offense has picked him up. 7-5 Boston.

well remember he didn't get any run support in his first 3 games he could (should) of been 5-0 going into tonights game.

[Tim McG]

i wish they gave as much attention to the need for greater revenue sharing as they do to steriods

Truer words were never spoken.

[Dan Gould]

i wish they gave as much attention to the need for greater revenue sharing as they do to steriods

Truer words were never spoken.

San Francisco Giants 2007 Payroll: #11 in MLB at just under 95 million dollars

So, you think that the Giants should put money into the pot for KC, the Marlins and Devil Rays?

Or do you think that the Giants ought to get a cut of what the Yankees/Red Sox/Mets have to pay?

Because under no circumstances would greater revenue sharing help your team.

[J Larsen]

The Giants already pay into revenue sharing under the current system (though not much, as I recall). I believe they once tried to negotiate an offset for the payments on their self-financed stadium, but that didn't go anywhere.