the pinjockey

Are trades an option before/during the draft? Also from the I'm bored at work file, here are the keepers per round accounted for. Helped me at least as a guide to know what I am looking at drafting. Round 1 - 13 keepers/7 picks open (pick no. overall 1-7) Round 2 - 10/10 (8-17) Round 3 - 10/10 (18-27) Round 4 - 10/10 (28-37) Round 5 - 4/16 (38-53) Round 6 - 1/19 (54-72) Round 7 - 3/17 (73-89) Round 8 - 4/16 (90-105) Round 9 - 4/16 (106-121) Round 10 - 3/17 (122-138) Round 11 - 2/18 (139-156) Round 12 - no keepers (157-176) Round 13 - no keepers (177-196) Round 14 - 1/19 (197-215) Round 15 - no keepers (216-235) Round 16 - 2/18 (236-253) Round 17 - 2/18 (254-271) Round 18 - 2/18 (272-289) Round 19 - 3/17 (290-306) Round 20 - 6/14 (307-320)

I don't see the problem with holds. At least, no problem that you wouldn't have with saves as well. They are both just as arbitrary of stats. If you wanted both gone I could see an arguement there, but otherwise they aren't different. At least with holds available you have some options if you don't get a Rivera/Wagner/Ryan, you don't absolutely have to carry the closers who put up a 6.50 ERA, but hey they get the saves. And my defense of holds only has a little (well maybe a good amount) to do with that being the main reason I could feasibly keep Joel Zumaya.

Doubles in and hits out works. Everything else keep the same.

It is the same rule as the keepers, that's the logic behind it. If I keep my first rounder from last year I lose a first round pick in this draft for him. So if you draft one of the first rounders from a dropped team you would lose the same.

Looks fine Since we are going to have to the draft here and don't have to worry about fucking up the Yahoo java draft, are we going to be allowed to make predraft trades for keepers/picks as long as we still end up with no more than 4 keepers?

I'm back in

And one time in the 70s Davey Johnson hit 43 HRs. Taking one season of a player's career reads more fluke than anything else. And looking at Elster's stats he only hit 24, and it was a season towards the end of the prime age range (age 31 season) when he managed to get to over 500 ABs (which he didn't in any other year). I think that had just as much to do with his season. I don't know enough about the conversion equations to get into doubles conversions and all that, but for comparisons sake Moises Alou is currently the 30th active highest OPS+ with a 128 (same as Rice).

Again though, the era is taken into account with OPS+ by comparing it to the league + park factors for that season. If the average OPS in Rice's era was .800, his OPS would be factored by that + park factors. If the average OPS in Bagwell's era was .850, his OPS would be factored by that + park factors. So the extra league wide offense is entered into the equation. And holding a 100 ab sample over a 7800 ab career is just silly. Of course it is very sportswriterish, which has me a little worried when his vote comes around.

Remeber, though, Bagwell played the prime of his career in the Astrodome. Otherwise he would likely have the almighty 500 HRs. He has the 30th highest OPS+ of all time at 150. Of your borderline list (excluding Palmeiro who was in before his troubles, IMO), McGriff has the next highest OPS+ at 134.

Kind of surprised all Chicago got back was Gio and Floyd. Reading the Sox boards they look about ready to kill themselves. Everyone thought they could get premium pitching prospects since the FA pitching market went so nuts, they thought they had leverage. But all the insane pitching market does is make the teams want to hoard any young, cheap pitching possibilities. Floyd is junk and while I like Gio (great K rate, kind of HR and BB prone, but young for AA), can't complain about this deal. At worst they will get a year of Garcia and at least one draft pick next year if they don't sign him. And having: Hamels Myers Garcia Lieber (as good as gone now) Eaton Moyer means they will have at least 5 legitimate starters going into the season, unlike how last year worked out. Plus they still have Rowand as a trade chip for bullpen help. Of course now if they trade Carlos Carrasco in the next 18 months someone is going to have to pay.

THURSDAY West Virginia SATURDAY Miami N.C. State Iowa Syracuse Maryland Illinois Texas Tech Auburn Ohio State Kansas State Virginia Tech Air Force California Tiebreak #1: How many total points will be scored in the Michigan/Ohio State game? 41 Tiebreak #2: How many rushing yards will Michigan's Mike Hart have against Ohio State? 65

THURSDAY Rutgers (don't actually think so, but gotta run with them) FRIDAY Central Michigan SATURDAY Michigan State Illinois Wisconsin Arkansas Iowa State Pittsburgh Maryland Nebraska Washington State Oregon State Wake Forest USC Tiebreak #1: How many total points will be scored in the Tennessee/Arkansas game? 52 Tiebreak #2: How many passing yards will Oregon's Dennis Dixon have against USC? 218

kind of spurred by the Soriano post which way do you go: Soriano, Madson, Floyd or Sheffield, Imamura, 2 bullpen FAs/5th starter Assuming the price for Sheffield is the Madson/Floyd rumor/rumble/figment of someone's imagination. Also assuming the money lines up between Soriano and the posing fee, Sheffield extension and the three other contracts. Personally I prefer the second route. Fills more holes. Depending on the price for Imamura (if the total remains under 40 mil) and the bullpen arms/5th starter you might even be able to keep Burrell. Although I think they have it in their heads that they want Burrell gone. Plus I really don't think much of Floyd at this point, so if he can land someone legitimate i'll drive him to the airport. Rollins Victorino Howard Sheffield Utley Burrell Imamura Coste/Ruiz/FA looks like a pretty killer lineup IMO

THURSDAY West Virginia FRIDAY Air Force SATURDAY Indiana Wisconsin Texas Tech Nebraska Iowa State Houston LSU Oregon State Wake Forest Arkansas Oklahoma Miami Tiebreak #1: How many total points will be scored in the LSU/Tennessee game? 40 Tiebreak #2: How many rushing yards will Arkansas' Darren McFadden have against South Carolina? 111

THURSDAY Clemson SATURDAY Oklahoma Indiana Florida State Cincinnati Purdue Kent State Georgia Tech Florida Iowa State Washington State Arizona State Baylor Tennessee Tiebreak #1: How many total points will be scored in the Oklahoma/Missouri game? 40 Tiebreak #2: How many passing yards will Tennessee's Erik Ainge have against South Carolina? 200

So is there a Malkin/Ovechkin type player coming out in next year's draft or did the Flyers pick the wrong year to make a run at the no.1 pick?

I would be into that at a reasonable price. Couple of concerns with him though. It would put another lefty in the heart of the order, while Howard and Utley performed well against lefties this year LOOGYs would concern me at the end of the game. High strikeout numbers. Might rise with a jump to the majors. If the price for Ramirez gets to high or they can't trade for a young excess 3B (the aforementioned Fields/Teahen), I would grab him. Wouldn't hurt to get the Phillies name in the door in an international market either.

Are they going to get a pick for Delucci or does that end going into this offseason? (assuming offering arb is a no brainer since he only made a mil this season and will certainly refuse, didn't seem to be a big Philly/usage fan)

THURSDAY Virginia Utah SATURDAY Northwestern Maryland Texas Rutgers Wisconsin South Carolina Baylor Florida State Iowa State Arizona Houston Clemson Tiebreak #1: How many total points will be scored in the Georgia Tech/Clemson game? 42 Tiebreak #2: How many passing yards will Texas' Colt McCoy have against Nebraska? 210

Also, do you bring back Wolfie for 6-7 mil per at least for a couple years? That seems to be the going rate for eh pitchers and he at least has the potential for some upside coming back from surgert. IMO, if you can't get a sure fire starter (Mussina, Pettite, Schmidt, etc.) he seems just as reasonable to be a 5th starter/prospect stop gap. Myers Hamels Lieber Moyer Wolf gives at least 5 legitimate pitchers and not the revolving door in the 5 hole from last year.

True, but if we are talking bringing in a Zaun or Fick as a replacement, they haven't really hit righties anybetter than Lieby the last few years looking at the splits. If they can get a lefty catcher that is a comparitive righty masher, than sure do it. But otherwise I would be willing to take the gamble that the rest that having three catchers (with Coste being the backup corner IF) provides is what reenergized him at the end of the season when he was red hot. Give each of them 60-70 games, spot Coste 30-35 starts between C and the corners against some tougher lefties. Of course this is all under the faulty assumption that they would play Coste at a corner given he didn't even sniff 3B while running Nunez out there every day. I think it boils down to for me, that I am finding myself less and less comfortable with a Coste/Ruiz plan next season without someone who has more than half a season in the majors. I would love to believe in Coste and go with a Ruiz/Coste tandem an run with it, but last season has dream written all over it. So even if Lieby is redundant, he is still as attractive an option as any other. Especially if this is what Zaun is looking for (from the Toronto Star): If that is the case you can get Lieby + a good reliever, if you believe the way he talked at the end of the year about signing on the cheap.

I am dreading the idea of Victorino-Rowand both starting. I think they might really run with it. Victorino is better than Rowand, so he should not be moving out of center and Rowand's bat would kill them in a corner. If they can get Fields or Teahen I do it in a heartbeat (especially if the White Sox will take a Rowand based package clearing a little more cash) and use the possible Aramis money to upgrade a corner OF slot or sign up Schmidt to 2-3 years. Otherwise, IMO, they have to get Aramis. If you trade Abreu for salary relief and will likely move Burrell for salary relief (10% chance in my mind they bring him back) they better damn well use it if a reasonable option for a gaping hole is out there. I wouldn't be opposed to bringing Lieby back in the Fick/Zaun slot. If you believe his talk at the end of the year, he would likely be as cheap/cheaper than any other option. Whether his hot bat at the end of the season was getting healthy, getting rest, or a fluke, I'd be willing to give him a chance to show the pop was for real. Relievers, just sign any two good ones. IMO, need two just to protect from a likely bad year that at least one of them will have (including current bullpen). Would you give JA Happ a shot at making the rotation, if another starter isn't added, or hold him for another year? I don't think it would hurt to let him have a legitimate chance in spring training if we are looking at Floyd and Madson again. He is a guy I would give a notebook and sit next to Moyer (who I agree they should re-up). No shot in hell question: Do you make a play at Matsuzaka for 20 mil + zito like contract? Or is it just too much for a possible Irabu. IMO, go Schmidt for 2-3 years and hope by then you get a couple out of Mathieson/Gio/Maloney/Happ/Carrasco/Floyd to put with Hamels and Myers.

THURSDAY Boston College Air Force SATURDAY Wake Forest South Florida Oklahoma State Rutgers Missouri Tulsa Marshall Virginia Kent State Illinois Florida Penn State Tiebreak #1: How many total points will be scored in the Florida/Auburn game? 40 Tiebreak #2: How many rushing yards will Rutgers' Ray Rice have against Navy? 150

THURSDAY TCU SATURDAY Texas A&M Navy Tulane Texas Florida Colorado Kansas State Washington State Texas Tech Central Michigan Tennessee Oregon New Mexico Tiebreak #1: How many total points will be scored in the Texas/Oklahoma game? 60 Tiebreak #2: How many passing yards will LSU's JaMarcus Russell have against Florida? 230

THURSDAY TCU FRIDAY Rutgers SATURDAY Connecticut Akron Boise State Arizona State Virginia Tech Texas A&M San Jose State Central Michigan Troy Kansas State Ohio State Arizona Tiebreak #1: How many total points will be scored in the Oregon/Arizona State game? 72 Tiebreak #2: How many passing yards will Iowa's Drew Tate have against Ohio State? 180