Cheech Tremendous

Mike and the Mad Dog were mistaken. If he is posted this year, he is eligible to play in the US for the 2007 season. M&MD were probably confusing the posting with the fact that he would have been a free agent next summer had Seibu elected to keep him this season. Where does everyone think he will end up? Yankees appear to have the inside track and we all know that the posting fee won't mean much to them. How much would you pay for a pitcher who has never faced MLB talent? Is he worth the $75 million+ that he will probably get?

I guess Steinbrenner came to his senses.

As expected, Daisuke Matsuzaka is being posted by the Seibu Lions. I'm a little weary of Japanese pitchers, but most scouts have him as one of the ten best pitchers in the world. Rumored posting fee is $30 million, with an addition $40-$50 million to sign him. Yankees, Seattle and Boston will all be in the bidding.

I'm catching the band December 11th at the Rose Garden in Portland. I am fucking pumped after seeing clips from some of their recent performances.

The Red Sox would never and could never do a deal with the devil. My list was of teams that could afford A-Rod and had a place to play him. It was just theoretical to show that their is a much larger market out there than many people think But trust me, if at all possible, the Sox would LOVE to get their hands on A-Rod. I don't think anything would please them more than beating the Yankees behind a tremendous performance from Rodriguez. The Yankees will have to be extra careful in any offseason dealings because I could definitely see a scenario where A-Rod is traded to a new team and then flipped directly to the Sox.

I hope tonight's game put to rest the fawning over the Ravens as Super Bowl contenders. Defense is nice, but this team is getting nowhere with that offense. I don't care what their record is right now, the team just isn't that good.

Regression to the mean can be a scary thing.

No. I know you are just reporting what you heard elsewhere, but you are way overrating A-Rod's trade value. Why would Anaheim give up Guerrero, a superior player on a better deal and one of best young pitchers in the game for A-Rod and Matsui? That makes 0 sense. Buehrle and Crede. Santana and Wood. Those deals make some sense. I'm telling you, a number two starter and a quality prospect is the best they will get.

Are you kidding me? There is no way the Yankees are going to bring back A-Rod unless they exhaust every possible deal out there and can't work something out. There were rumors flying that Steinbrenner could put A-Rod on irrevocable waivers just to send a message (highly unlikely, but then again this is the man who might fire Joe Torre). I think Al hit the nail on the head. The White Sox deal makes a ton of sense for both teams, and that's probably the best deal out there unless Anaheim offers Wood and Santana.

I remember the rumors on the net at the time were that Shawn would be out until at least Survivor Series. HHH would take over D-X (like he did) and Shawn would return to feud with the group towards the end of the year. I know that was mostly speculation, though.

But due to the money that is kicked in by the Rangers, A-Rod is only owed $64 million over 4 years, for an AAV of $16 million. That's less than Barry Zito, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Alfonso Soriano will likely get on this year's FA market. If you consider teams that have enough payroll coming off the books this winter or have the capacity to absorb that deal, and have a hole at 3B or SS, you get something like the following: Seattle, LA Angels, Chicago White Sox, Boston, Toronto, Baltimore, LA Dodgers, San Diego, San Francisco, Houston, Philadelphia, Chicago Cubs and Washington. That makes a decent market if you ask me.

You'd be extremely lucky to get Santana and Wood for A-Rod. The Angels wouldn't give that up for Manny last summer. I know A-Rod is a superior all-around player, but you're talking about two extremely talented players who haven't entered their prime yet. There will be a lot of teams in the bidding for Rodriguez, which could drive the price way up, but they are probably going to end up with a #2 starter and a B+ prospect at best.

So where does everyone think that A-Rod will end up next year? Will he get one more chance with the Yankees? A new start in the National League? Somewhere on the west coast? This could be one of the more interesting subplots heading into this offseason.

The Red Sox had an absolutely brutal 2006 season, marred by bad trades, player meltdowns and a plague of injuries. Their mediocre 86-76 record covers up their many shortcomings (81-81 pythagorean record, losing record against AL clubs not named the Orioles, and abysmal second half record). This offseason will be interesting for a number of reasons. The team has tons of holes to fill, and a large amount of money to fill those holes. However, the free agent market is the weakest in years, with no quick fixes available. Second, the upper tier of their farm system was cleaned out last year via trades and call-ups, leaving no good bargaining chips to acquire talent outside the system. Is it time to retool, or cut bait on the aging core and rebuild? Here's a look at the team and the possibilities that need to be considered in the offseason: Starting pitching: Last year's starting pitching was absolutely brutal, with only Schilling posting an ERA+ over 100. This team must absolutely acquire one of the big guns (Clemens, Matsuzaka, or Zito) and probably at least one of the second tier guys (Schmidt, Padilla, Lilly, etc.) as well. This team needs a long-term solution at the front end of the rotation with Schilling's impending retirement and Beckett's inability to adjust to the AL. Relief pitching: Nearly as bad the starting pitching from last year, only saved by Papelbon. With his move to the rotation, the team is in the market for a closer, set-up man, and probably one or two other reliable arms. If the team can acquire two starters, I'd shift Clement and/or Wakefield into the pen to help alleviate the problem. They will probably look into acquiring Brad Lidge from Houston, and tempering that with one low risk, high reward guy (Gagne, Wood or Dotel). Foulke will probably be the opening day closer if he doesn't retire, but next year will probably see the return of the famed bullpen by committee. C: Varitek will be back, but the team should not count on him for more than 100-120 games at the most. If Kottaras isn't ready they'll have to look to the market. Rod Barajas, Gregg Zaun and Mike Piazza are definite possibilities. Wake will not get the courtesy of a personal catcher next year. 1B: Youks was a nice surprise last year as OBP machine, but this team needs power and 1B is the easiest place to acquire it. Teixiera is supposedly on the market, Sheffield could be available. Time to move Youks back to third where he is an asset instead of an offensive liability. 2B: Pedroia's time is now. Probably will have to keep Cora around for insurance. SS: I'd re-sign Gonzalez. He's absolutely amazing defensively and showed improvement is batting approach over the couse of the year. Julio Lugo is a FA option. Tejada could be acquired by trade if they had the right pieces to move. 3B: Lowell is cooked. His numbers looked respectable only because of his amazing April/May. Subsidize part of his deal and look to move him for bullpen help (to SD for Linebrink?). LF: The offensive output of the outfield is not a problem (providing Crisp rebounds), but the defensive alignment is. They are playing a DH and two left fielders out there and it kills their flybally pitchers. They might have to loook into the proposed Manny for Ervin Santana/Brandoon Wood deal, although I doubt either side could stomach that deal now. If Manny is moved, they must have a contingency option for improved offense in the lineup. CF: I'm willing to give Crisp another year to work out his problems, but if teams are interested they should make a move. Pena is a better option for center going forward. If I'm Theo, I call Atlanta and beg to re-open negotiations for Andruw Jones. RF: I've come to the realization that they have to bring Trot back or find a good replacement. They have no one on their team who can handle Fenway's right field. Overall, it's going to be a long offseason with lots of player movement. I hope Theo and co. have an excellent plan going forward.

Can we start posting our offseason shopping lists for our respective teams? I'm already depressed watching this year's playoffs.

On the other hand, the Mets were spanked in interleague play this year. American League teams would have feasted on that pitching staff. There is no way that team was better than say, the Red Sox, and we saw how mediocre they were this year.

No, Yankees fans get singled out because they complain about having Mike Mussina (who's one the 5 best pitchers in the AL) and Alex Rodriguez (who's one of the 5 best, period) on their team, despite the fact that they are the only team in the league with the financial resources to keep both. They choose to blame these guys instead of acknowledging that the Tigers have put together a decent squad this year, and literally anything can happen within a 5 game series. And the worst part is, once the offseason comes the team will spend $90 million on Barry Zito and another $100 million on Daisuke Matsuzaka, and these spoiled fans will get to start the whole thing all over again.

Not to beat a dead horse, but does anyone here think that even one of these National League teams could have sniffed the playoffs in the American League?

I understand where he is coming from. Most Yankee fans are completely intolerable. It doesn't help that we have guys like NYankees clogging up the thread with their insufferable commentary.

He's an idiot. Just ignore him. He's trying to get a rise out of people.

Gold Gloves: NL C- Brad Ausmus, HOU 1B- Todd Helton, COL 2B- Orlando Hudson, ARI 3B- Ryan Zimmerman, WAS SS- Rafael Furcal, LAD LF- Alfonso Soriano, WAS CF- Andruw Jones, ATL RF- JD Drew, LAD P- Bronson Arroyo, CIN AL C- Joe Mauer, MIN 1B- Mark Teixeira, TEX 2B- Mark Ellis, OAK 3B- Mike Lowell, BOS SS- Alex Gonzalez, BOS LF- Carl Crawford, TBD CF- Grady Sizemore, CLE RF- Jermaine Dye, CHW P- Kris Benson, BAL

I didn't watch that many Texas games this year, but I thought Michael Young was an awful defensive SS?

Yes, it is about time we start giving more shit to guys with an ERA+ of 195, a K/BB ratio of 94/21 and a 95% save conversion rate. That's downright awful.

How can you compare this year's A's to those 3 teams? There are just a few players remaining from those teams. It's a different manager and a different organizational philosophy in team building. I don't know what their lack of success has to do with this year's team.

'99 ALDS, if only for Pedro bringing the hammer of the gods.