EVIL~! alkeiper

No. The last thing we need is a single thread where six conversations go at the same time. It kills good discussion. If anyone wants to start a thread about a specific team, they are more than welcome to do so. I can do this for other teams as time allows (though I can't do all 30, obviously).

I can't even fathom a reason for that. I just can't. George wants a "seasoned lefty" which everyone assumed would be Johnson (obviously via trade) or Wells. But his baseball people are apparently hellbent on Milton. Maybe I'm just missing something. Milton has good strikeout and walk numbers. His problem was his home runs. I would imagine that balls that would usually land in the seats would instead land in the Yankees' spacious left field (and hopefully in someone's glove).

Without a doubt. His career OPS is the tenth best all time, and his OBP is 11th best all time. He's got two MVP awards, and numerous top ten finishes. For seven years, he was a better hitter than Albert Pujols is now. No he wasn't. his 1994 season, would've been better than any Pujols year, but that's it really.A few years he had a higher OBP. But Pujols Career OPS is over 1.000, his hr years are bigger than Thomas' and so is his slugging percentages aside from 1994, and that wasn't a full season. And Pujols finished second in MVP last two years, and would've won if it wasn't for, you know, the best hitter in Baseball's last 50 years not being there. And he'll probably finish second or third this year. You can't really compare Pujols' career stats to Thomas', because Frank Thomas has spent a few years in the decline phase of his career. When Thomas was 29, his career OPS stood at 1.052, which at the time was the fourth best ever. Pujols' OPS will decline when he enters his 30s and beyond. The key to Thomas is his OBP. Four straight years over .450 is INSANE. In fact, his career OBP is better than Pujols in any year except last. But that's besides the point. Pujols is on a HOF level. And any player who is even comparable to him is likely at that level as well.

Leyland's a highly respected figure who has experienced prior success. I would love to see him manage the Phillies.

Without a doubt. His career OPS is the tenth best all time, and his OBP is 11th best all time. He's got two MVP awards, and numerous top ten finishes. For seven years, he was a better hitter than Albert Pujols is now.

Magglio Ordonez is a great player, don't get me wrong, but Frank Thomas is the best player on that team.

If the Yankees somehow lose out on Carlos Beltran, it'll be interesting to see if Andruw Jones draws some interest. The rumors have been that the Braves would love to get his salary off the books (which would allow them to sign Drew). I find it amazing that Jones is just a day older than Beltran.

J.D. Drew is easily the most overlooked player this offseason. Only Adrian Beltre had more win shares among the free agent class. Jaret Wright is also forgotten. He made great strides, and could be just as good as the rest of the free agent pitchers. As for Franco, it says something when he's the third best first baseman on the market.

The first thing I like to do is to create an organizational depth chart, of what the team would have if they made NO moves over the offseason. This allows me to see where the biggest gaps are on the team. Here is what the Phillies look like right now. C: MIKE LIEBERTHAL, Michel Hernandez 1B: JIM THOME, Ryan Howard 2B: CHASE UTLEY, Tomas Perez SS: JIMMY ROLLINS 3B: DAVID BELL, Shawn Wooten OF: BOBBY ABREU, PAT BURRELL, JASON MICHAELS, Marlon Byrd, Lou Collier SP: RANDY WOLF, VICENTE PADILLA, BRETT MYERS, RYAN MADSON, GAVIN FLOYD RP: BILLY WAGNER, Tim Worrell, Felix Rodriguez, Amaury Telemaco, Geoff Geary, Aaron Fultz Second, I glance at the team statistics, to see where the offense and defense ranked. The Phillies finished third in runs scored, and thirteenth in runs allowed. Contrary to popular opinion, most of that was NOT due to the new ballpark. The pitching last season was abysmal, and that should be the Phillies first priority. The Phillies front five are not bad at all, but there is a catch. That group leaves little room for error. The Phillies first priority should be to hire front-line pitching. A rough estimate gives the Phillies a starting payroll of $81.33 Million, based on the above 25. That gives them about $8-$12 Million to work with, which is not alot. Some pitchers the Phillies could go after include Brad Radke, Odalis Perez, Jamey Wright, Paul Byrd, and Matt Clement. For those wondering, I left out Derek Lowe for a reason. Any of those guys could fall within a reasonable range. However, I would watch out for overpaying these guys, especially Paul Byrd. The Phillies have shown a troubling tendency recently to overpay for starting pitching. If the free agency market proves fruitless, the Phillies do hold a strong trading chip in Ryan Howard. With the weak market at first base this season, Howard might look like an attractive option. I could see the Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, or Pittsburgh Pirates showing interest. The bullpen looks good. The addition of a lefty would solidify things, and local product Steve Kline could fit well, depending on his salary. His demeanor would fit well with the Philly crowd. AAA pitchers Geoff Geary and Jim Crowell could easily slide in to the back end of the bullpen. The offense simply needs a bench player or two. A solid backup catcher is a must. Perhaps Sandy Alomar Jr. or Dan Wilson could do the trick. There are plenty of backups available. Philly sportswriters would like a catcher of the future to prevent Lieberthal from reaching his option kickin for 2006, but I don't see it happening. Center field could use an upgrade, but it is a little down on the priority list. I think Jason Michaels can handle the job, and I do not think Marlon Byrd is finished quite yet. The Phillies farm system is bare at the higher levels, so they need to reload there. Hopefully we will see some prospects emerge this season. I am very high on Michael Bourn, who hit .315, drew 84 walks, and stole 58 bases in 64 tries in A ball. Jake Blalock (Hank's brother) also looks like a solid prospect. Next season, the performance of the top players is critical. Randy Wolf must have a terrific season for the Phillies to compete. This team does not have alot of depth, so they cannot afford a rash of injuries. This team can win the East, but they are not getting it on a platter.

Potential MLB Free Agents Six Year Free Agents The MLB guys aren't the only ones eligible for free agency. There are plenty of minor leaguers floating around, and a few can contribute at the major league level.

The Cubs don't need a closer that badly. LaTroy Hawkins was NOT their biggiest problem, their offense was.

I've thought about taking advantage of the mess ups in baseball lines, but it would take a few years for the odds to work for me.

It's in Excel, so there's no easy way to cross-post it here. It will be in column form in the future, as soon as I hear on the players awaiting options, and get it written up. If you can't wait, IM me and I'll ship the file.

I just got done sorting the free agents by win shares. Armando Benitez is easily the top prize at closer this offseason. Surprisingly, Mark Bellhorn rates 6th over all free agents.

That and the impact of ending an 86 year drought is kind of lessened when you've been a fan for two years. Jim Baker wrote a piece on this topic (regarding the '86 Mets), and it sums up the frustration fairly well.

Looking over the free agent list, its a huge shortstop market this offseason. Nomar Garciaparra, Edgar Renteria, Orlando Cabrera, Jose Valentin, Christian Guzman, and Omar Vizquel are all on the market. The outfield market is weak, as is the market for first basemen.

It turns out I won, thanks to suspicious, but otherwise fair statistical tabulation. The rest of you are all losers. WHOOOO!! Go me!!

One problem with Zaun and John Flaherty: Why keep/sign BOTH of them when they'll never get any playing time? I mean, what's the fucking point of having a back-up catcher when that over-rated piece of shit Jorge Posada is the only catcher that the idiots in the Yankees organization will ever let play? How is Jorge Posada overrated? He had a .400 OBP this season. He's one of the five best catchers in baseball. In any case, he played 137 games this season. Flaherty played 47 games, which is what I'd expect from a backup catcher. Flaherty hasn't topped a .300 OBP since 1999. Now, you have two catchers, one of which is 10% more likely to not make an out. Which one do you play. Are the Yankees really idiots for playing Posada over Flaherty.

What? How is the rivalry dead? What in the hell do they have to be rivals over? The Yankees now hold nothing over the Red Sox. Boston won. It's over. We're now standard "Your team plays near my team! BOO!" I disagree. Next year is a pivotal point in the rivalry. Can the Yankees reestablish themselves as the dominant power, or can the Red Sox unseat the dynasty once and for all? Next year the Yankees need to stop the turning tide of history, or who knows how it will end.

Well, here's my piece. For all of you who say that Moneyball hasn't won shit, I present the 2004 Boston Red Sox. It's not too late to embrace the sabermetric revolution.

But does it have to be One And Only?

Isn't it kind of silly to create a OaO thread when there's a 15 page thread already devoted to the series?

We're nine outs away from witnessing history.

Live chat tonight... aim:gochat?roomname=tsmbaseballchat

My question is, why a FITTED cap? Why not just buy a $6 hat from Kmart or some place?