2008-2009 Hot Stove Thread

[Dan Gould]

  J.H. Deeley said:

  Dan Gould said:

  J.H. Deeley said:

Or maybe Theo thinks that the Sox will need a head start if they are going to best the Yanks and the Rays this year?

Or maybe Gillick's successor figured the roster needs a couple more days to get over the partying and the hang-over before they go to work on defending their title?

Well hey they are the "World Fuckin' Champions" so I guess they do deserve a little rest.

Do you get to catch any Spring training action where you are?

I used to get decent seats for me and the wife for Boston vs Baltimore at Fort Lauderdale. Then last year Baltimore announced that stadium tickets for the Boston game would be available only to those who purchase a three-game pack. No way was I going to buy six tickets to see one game! So we got bleacher seating last year. I've never tried to get tickets when the Cards host Boston in Jupiter, and this year, the finances won't allow any games.

(The last time I sat in the stadium, I got a chuckle out of a heckler who was sitting behind me. Some Oriole pitcher was warming up, and he was really "popping" the glove. So this guy stands up and screams "TO ANNOUNCE MY PRESENCE WITH AUTHORITY!" I thought more people would recognize the Bull Durham reference, but only me and a few other people laughed. )

[Dan Gould]

Ryan Howard and Phils avoid arbitration, sign three year - 54 million dollar deal.

No buyout of any free agency years, which I am sure was never considered by Howard. He essentially gets his enormous arbitration request for this season, and the Phils avoid the risk that his number might have netted him even more in the two years before free agency. If he continues to put up the numbers, it makes him easier to trade if it becomes obvious they won't meet his demands in free agency.

[Chalupa]

If he keeps producing at the same levels I think the Phils saved themselves some money. If he doesn't produce at those levels well... then they're only on the hook for 3 years. Another thing to consider - Howard is getting paid a lot less than the Yankees new first baseman.

[Dan Gould]

  J.H. Deeley said:

If he keeps producing at the same levels I think the Phils saved themselves some money. If he doesn't produce at those levels well... then they're only on the hook for 3 years. Another thing to consider - Howard is getting paid a lot less than the Yankees new first baseman.

At his age and considering his body type, I think the Phils should say "thanks for the memories" and let him walk at age 32 to whoever bids for him. We know how well those body types last, and he looks more like Mo Vaughn than Ortiz does, and some people think Ortiz is on the way down now. I know I wouldn't want to commit a big, long free agent contract to him three years now, even if he averages 48 homers a year the next three years.

[Chalupa]

  Dan Gould said:

  J.H. Deeley said:

If he keeps producing at the same levels I think the Phils saved themselves some money. If he doesn't produce at those levels well... then they're only on the hook for 3 years. Another thing to consider - Howard is getting paid a lot less than the Yankees new first baseman.

At his age and considering his body type, I think the Phils should say "thanks for the memories" and let him walk at age 32 to whoever bids for him. We know how well those body types last, and he looks more like Mo Vaughn than Ortiz does, and some people think Ortiz is on the way down now. I know I wouldn't want to commit a big, long free agent contract to him three years now, even if he averages 48 homers a year the next three years.

Agree. Looks like we may have dodged a bullet. Rumor has it that Howard was looking for a 7-8 year contract worth $200M but he settled for this. Phew. I have to give the new GM Ruben Amaro high marks for his moves this off season. It looked pretty ugly going in with 8 players eligible for arbitration.

[BERIGAN]

Well, this pisses me off!!!

Scott Van Pelt was officially suspended from the Tirico & Van Pelt radio show yesterday because of comments he made about the Major League Baseball commissioner.

[papsrus]

  BERIGAN said:

Well, this pisses me off!!!

Scott Van Pelt was officially suspended from the Tirico & Van Pelt radio show yesterday because of comments he made about the Major League Baseball commissioner.

Yep. This is what makes it smell really bad:

  Quote

By suspending Van Pelt, ESPN raised questions about its independence. According to ESPN's former ombudsman, the network signed a $2.4 billion rights package with MLB that runs through 2013. That's an expensive partnership.

[BERIGAN]

$15M Lawsuit claims ex-Met Roberto Alomar had sex knowing he had AIDS

[Quincy]

Meanwhile, back to trades & signings.

Nice "inexpensive" pickup by the Angels. Bobby Abreu gets a 1 year $5 million dollar deal that can push it up to $6 mil. Very positive quotes from him too.

“I thought by November, December, I was going to have a contract. I was looking for something multiyear, but the economic situation right now, everybody’s going through it, you know? So I do understand that.” As Vlad has RF he adds “I like to be in the field most of the time,” said Abreu, who expects to DH once in awhile but wants to play about 150 games in the outfield. “Moving me to left field will give me a lot of opportunities.”

Wow, a player who can look past himself! (Okay, maybe he's positioning himself to push Matthews/Rivera to DH.) They now have 5 guys (at least) vying for 3 OF spots and DH, but given the age and injury history of Vlad, Torii, Matthews Jr. and Rivera if you can afford the depth do it.

In the role of star Abreu could be problematic, but as a complementary player I think he adds a lot as he has a great eye and a bit of pop. His speed may decline but he managed 22 steals last year (though he was caught 11 times.)

Also Adam Dunn signed a 2 year deal with Washington. Who knows, if Dukes, Zimmerman, Milledge and Kearns all play up to snuff they may win some games, though that starting staff looks sketchy. They sure look to have more going on then the Mariners though.

[Neal Pomea]

Dunn is a good signing for Washington. Now they can trade Nick Johnson, though I would rather have him at first and Dunn in left. Willy Mo Pena is probably out of the picture.

[Dan Gould]

Well, I think these two announcements mean that in the end, Boras will get Manny some money. Everyone said that when Manny signs, the others will sign. Well now the back up plans that the Dodgers had just went off the board. That leaves them no choice but Manny, forcing them to up their offer. I don't think San Fran is serious but the Dodgers now have no choice. They have to keep Manny, for fan relations as well as for the offense.

It will be interesting to see how badly Manny hurts them in the field in the second (or possibly third) year of the deal he ultimately gets. Let alone what he does when he isn't happy. He may send Torre into premature retirement.

[Chalupa]

Bad new for the Sox - Nancy Drew's back is still hurting him. Meanwhile the WFC's Ryan Howard has reported a week early and 20 pounds lighter. Not to be outdone by Brett Myers who lost 30. I like it.

[Dan Gould]

Drew's back is still stiff when he wakes up, sometimes. He also says he could play right now. This is a non-story. Talk to me when he goes on the DL or under the knife.

[tkeith]

  Quincy said:

Wow, a player who can look past himself! (Okay, maybe he's positioning himself to push Matthews/Rivera to DH.) They now have 5 guys (at least) vying for 3 OF spots and DH, but given the age and injury history of Vlad, Torii, Matthews Jr. and Rivera if you can afford the depth do it.

They're stockpiling those upper-middle-of-the-road OFs. I think Abreu is the best one they've gone after, yet, though. You think there's any chance Rivera would see some time at 1B?

[tkeith]

  It Should be You said:

Dunn is a good signing for Washington. Now they can trade Nick Johnson, though I would rather have him at first and Dunn in left. Willy Mo Pena is probably out of the picture.

Wily Mo Kingman will never be a major part of any team's picture. He should have been demoted to the minors years ago, but the structure of his original deal was idiotic -- likely prevented an impressive career.

[zen archer]

Saturday NESN (new england sports network) had a two hour LIVE special from Fort Myers . Francona and Tek

both sat in front of the media ,Francona said that Wakefield was experiencing some lower back stiffness...he didn't

think it was any thing to worry about ..But we have been down this road before with Wake.

[WorldB3]

Neat:

April 7 is the season opener for most teams and Game 7 of the World Series, should it go that far will be on November 5. All because of the World Baseball Classic, which ends March 23.

Bud can add a World Series canceled due to bad weather on his watch to add to his resume. Knowing him he will move it to a neutral location so we can have World Series Week in Miami or Phoenix to please the corporate sponsors.

Edited February 19, 2009 by WorldB3

[BERIGAN]

  WorldB3 said:

Neat:

April 7 is the season opener for most teams and Game 7 of the World Series, should it go that far will be on November 5. All because of the World Baseball Classic, which ends March 23.

Bud can add a World Series canceled due to bad weather on his watch to add to his resume. Knowing him he will move it to a neutral location so we can have World Series Week in Miami or Phoenix to please the corporate sponsors.

Yeah, I could see him doing that. Or how about naming the WS like a college bowl game??? The Depends World Series!!! I should just shut my mouth, someone might get ideas.

[BERIGAN]

I know, I know, it's not Red Sox news, but try to keep your eyes open anyway.

Griffey signed with the Mariners. Which I think he should have done all along. But, the AJC (Atlanta newspaper) said he was a Brave, just pending the small stuff. This "leak"may have been a reason he didn't sign with the Braves. Par for the course for this offseason for the braves, and makes old Junior seem quite sensitive. So much fun being a fan right now. First, one goes from thinking A-Rod will be the legit home run king, and hit more than Barroid did, then you find Junior has a wide prima donna streak in him...just great.

You need to start from the bottom of the list to see how things crashed and burned.

Griffey Chooses Mariners Over Braves

By Tim Dierkes [February 18 at 9:36pm CST]

9:36pm: C. Trent Rosecrans of 1530 Homer talked to Griffey's agent Brian Goldberg, who confirmed the deal. It was a difficult decision for Griffey, who spoke to Willie Mays and Hank Aaron before deciding. MLB.com's Jim Street has more on the Mays conversation.

8:55pm: Jerry Crasnick has a clarification on the financial details. Street's numbers were just a bit off. Griffey can only earn $2.5MM in incentives -- up to $4.5MM altogether.

8:14pm: Interesting tidbit from Mark Bowman:

Sources have indicated that Griffey's tide turned shortly after he became upset with the fact that The Atlanta-Journal Constitution was reporting that he'd already decided to play for the Braves.

8:05pm: MLB.com's Jim Street has some more information on the contract. It "includes a $2 million base salary and up to $4 million in incentives based on at-bats and attendance." The M's are hoping he'll draw an additional 200,000 fans to Safeco Field this season.

7:51pm: Geoff Baker has some of the financial details:

Ken Griffey Jr. is heading back to the Mariners on a one-year contract, reportedly for a base salary of roughly $2 million and incentive bonuses as well.

7:33pm: ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick has informed MLBTR that Griffey told the Braves of his decision less than an hour ago. He is indeed going to be a Mariner next season.

7:23pm: John Hickey of the Seattle Post-Intellignecer has now confirmed it. Junior is headed back to Seattle.

7:19pm: WSB, an Atlanta-based television station, is reporting that the Ken Griffey Jr. has chosen the Mariners over the Braves.

3:10pm: MLB.com's Mark Bowman has a bit of info, suggesting Griffey is sensitive about offending the Mariners and their fans.

1:17pm: Larry Stone of the Seattle Times says Braves GM Frank Wren expects Griffey's decision "pretty shortly." Bobby Cox said it could be today or tomorrow. Griffey's apparently already passed a physical for both the Braves and Mariners.

1:01pm: The Braves hope for an update from Griffey later today, says Bowman.

11:19am: A WSB-TV (Atlanta) report indicates that Braves officials believe Griffey is leaning toward the Mariners.

9:58am: David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has an update. He believes Griffey has decided to sign with the Braves, and explains Chipper Jones' involvement in the process.

9:06am: MLB.com's Mark Bowman does not believe Griffey has told the Braves his decision yet. It's about time we wrap this thing up, in my opinion.

7:54am: Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times says Ken Griffey Jr. was to meet in the evening with the Braves and was expected to sign off on a deal. An announcement is expected today. Many reporters received similar indications yesterday, even with Griffey and his agent insisting nothing was decided.

And now the beat writer of the braves, David O'Brien, is being pummeled for being part of Griffey not coming to the ATL...

[Quincy]

  WorldB3 said:

Neat:

April 7 is the season opener for most teams and Game 7 of the World Series, should it go that far will be on November 5. All because of the World Baseball Classic, which ends March 23.

Bud can add a World Series canceled due to bad weather on his watch to add to his resume. Knowing him he will move it to a neutral location so we can have World Series Week in Miami or Phoenix to please the corporate sponsors.

Trust me, I'm no fan of (as one friend calls him) Bug Salad, but I have heard him in a couple of interviews insist that he would never be in favor of a neutral site warm weather World Series. He gave examples of fans who have waited decades or their whole lives to see their team make it and how they deserve to see their team play in their home city. Like I said, I don't like the guy, but he sounded believable regarding that.

As an aside, now that records seem to be so meaningless between steroids, segregation, live ball & dead ball, greenies, new parks, weird strike zones and whatnot, maybe they should knock the season down to 150whatever (whatever works nowadays in scheduling) so as to get the World Series in before Halloween. We're all going to chose what the season HR record is for ourselves anyway.

[Quincy]

  BERIGAN said:

I know, I know, it's not Red Sox news, but try to keep your eyes open anyway.

Griffey signed with the Mariners. Which I think he should have done all along. But, the AJC (Atlanta newspaper) said he was a Brave, just pending the small stuff. This "leak"may have been a reason he didn't sign with the Braves. Par for the course for this offseason for the braves, and makes old Junior seem quite sensitive. So much fun being a fan right now. First, one goes from thinking A-Rod will be the legit home run king, and hit more than Barroid did, then you find Junior has a wide prima donna streak in him...just great.

As much as I enjoyed watching him grow up with the Mariners and am grateful for what he did for the team, he could be difficult to wholeheartedly like at times. He did some silly things in Cincinnati, such as insist that a certain announcer call his 600th (I think) home run. He's also had some grudges against various journalists. Perhaps with good reason, I don't know.

Sad to say he's pretty much the highlight of the 2009 for the M's. I hope he can be happy & healthy. However it sounds like the poison locker room still exists at least after reading some quotes from Beltre. It mainly has to do with several players who don't care for how Ichiro is treated as being above the rest.

The way things are looking we can continue our "my team is worse than yours debate" throughout 2009.

[Dan Gould]

Well, they're playing baseball again, so its a happy day. And as soon as I have a couple of bucks handy, I'm buying two of this shirt:

[Soulstation1]

The Boss better get on CC about that crooked NY hat

[BERIGAN]

This just in: Manny is the dumbest dumbfuck in the history of Dumbfucks!!! Turns down 25 Million to play this year with the Dodgers, with a players option to leave after one year, or take 20 Mil and play for them in 2010(Or get hurt this year, and get a guaranteed contract for 2010!)

He must truly be an hitting savant, and have no other brain power outside the game. Garret Anderson is no Manny, not by a long shot, but he will get only 2.5 Mil to play for the Braves this year. 84 RBI's last year. Manny drove in 121. So, are 37 more RBI's worth an extra 22.5 Million this year??? I guess not, he must be worth much more, he turned that down!!! In this economy!!!

Why do people like him get all the talent in the world??? So, what does he do??? Hold out??? Hope after turning down the Dodgers, they will come back and put another year on the end of the deal??? Does he think some team in mid April will be so desperate for his services, they will give him 30 MIL, for 3-4 years???

I'd love to see him sit out, and find no one will even give him more than a Million come July.

I had a thought....one other goofy possibility. Some crazy team in Japan is going to give him 30, 35 Million??? Somehow I can't really imagine that being allowed,(and an you imagine some slacker like him in Japan?) I bet they have strict team pay limits. But, one never knows. Nothing else makes sense.

Oh, and spellcheck turns Dumbfuck, into Jumbuck, whatever that is!

[Quincy]

  BERIGAN said:

This just in: Manny is the dumbest dumbfuck in the history of Dumbfucks!!! Turns down 25 Million to play this year with the Dodgers, with a players option to leave after one year, or take 20 Mil and play for them in 2010(Or get hurt this year, and get a guaranteed contract for 2010!)

I love how the Dodgers are doing their best to hold firm. No other team can afford him here or in Japan. The remarks by the owner about how they won't bid against themselves are hilarious. I think this a battle of chicken they can win. One potential problem is if they do indeed sign him that he'll then not try hard because he's "only" getting $25 a year with whatever else he gets.