2005-2006 MLB Offseason thread

[The Czech Republic 0]

Damning.

[Precious Roy 0]

Yankee FA's:

 

Kevin Brown - PEACE

John Flaherty - likely to return

Tom Gordon - hopefully kept, but age is a concern and needs help

Tino Martinez - pains me to say this, but should probably retire

Felix Rodriguez - your services will no longer be needed

Rey Sanchez - Indifferent. May be able to find better backup 2B on market

Ruben Sierra - has outlived usefullness on this team, very poor year at the plate, 17 hrs in 2004 last gasp. Should probably retire.

Bernie Williams - accept a backup role and play for peanuts and you may be usefull to us as the new CFs caddy. Mwahahahahaha

Al Leiter - nah

Hideki Matsui - no brainer keeper

Alan Embree - nah

 

FAs I hope we persue:

 

RP: BJ Ryan (everyone will be after him), Octavio Dotel (don't know when he's going to be be healthy, but could come cheap, and as a 7th inning guy we could do much worse), Latroy Hawkins, Ugeth Urbina, Scott Sullivan, Scott Eyre (decent lefty option for the price he'll command)

SP: Ted Lilly

OF: Brian Giles, Randy Winn, Juan Pierre, Jay Payton

1B: Shea Hillenbrand

 

Also, Womack is never going to play in our lineup, we need to pawn him off on someone

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Octavio Dotel will be out for most if not all of next season.

 

Here's a better free agent site...

http://www.mlb4u.com/freeagent.html

[devo 0]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2205773

 

That's...quite a step down.

[mike546 0]

Anythings better then Sojo. Except Dale Svuem.

[KingPK 0]

Jay Payton

 

I think he either signed an extension with or had an option picked up by Oakland already,

[CanadianChris 0]

Damning.

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What am I looking at here?

[The Czech Republic 0]

Playing time you get at a given age. It's way too low for young guys and way too high for old guys with Dusty

[mike546 0]

How can that be accurate without looking at the ages of the players hes managed? If you did that with Joe Torre, he'd hate all rookies.

[CanadianChris 0]

How can that be accurate without looking at the ages of the players hes managed? If you did that with Joe Torre, he'd hate all rookies.

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Very true. Just looking at the Giants' World Series team, there were only TWO players under the age of 27 on the roster (Ryan Jensen and Yorvit Torrealba). That can't be Dusty's fault.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Dodgers are gonna fire Paul DePodesta. Apparently it's his fault everyone got hurt last season and he never bothered to re-sign Adrian Beltre or Steve Finley, two guys who had GREAT seasons in 2005!

 

Cubs also picked up options on Scott Williamson and Todd Walker, while declining Burnitz's option.

 

Manny also wants out of Boston. Again.

[Bored 0]

Wow Bill Plaschke gets his way? What a joke. Hey maybe DePo can comeback to the A's to assist Beane for a year.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Why did he leave in the first place? I remember reading Moneyball earlier in the summer and being surprised to find out that DePodesta was even in the A's organization (I know, I know, HOW?). I kept waiting for the part to come where he headed off to the Dodgers, but it never happened.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Why did he leave in the first place?  I remember reading Moneyball earlier in the summer and being surprised to find out that DePodesta was even in the A's organization (I know, I know, HOW?).  I kept waiting for the part to come where he headed off to the Dodgers, but it never happened.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

DePodesta left for the Dodgers after the book was published. Essentially DePo was offered a higher job and he took it.

[Bored 0]

Moneyball came out when DePodesta was still their assistant GM. As to why he left...he got offered the Dodgers' GM job so of course he was going to take a higher position since obviously Beane ain't going ahywhere.

[UZI Suicide 0]

Well, I don't agree with how he was fired, because it's clear that the McCourts have no fucking idea what they are doing. You fire the manager, let Depodesta go on a search for a new manager, and then fire him while he's 2 weeks into it?

 

But at the same time, Depodesta sucks ass, and I had no hope for this team while he was running it. He was so clearly in over his head, like pretty much every Billy Beane "disciple", and I'm glad he's gone (as long as they don't hire Jim Bowden to replace him)

[Sass 0]

Dan Evans should have never gotten canned by the Dodgers so DePo could move in and only to get fired after one bad season.

 

I think the McCourts are way in over their head, not the (former) GM.

 

Just let the wife run the team...

[UZI Suicide 0]

They're both in way over their head, IMO.

 

And yeah, Evans wasn't too bad. The divison title 2 years ago was primarily with the team he built.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

This is a bush league move by the Dodgers. DePodesta got a great deal of flack for letting certain players go during and after the 2004 season. Adrian Beltre, Jose Lima and Steve Finley went on to have terrible seasons. Paul Lo Duca failed to slug .400 this year (Dioner Navarro had a better year than Lo Duca for what it's worth). And then there's the injury bug. Yes, we might have expected an injury to JD Drew. But who would've thought Eric Gagne, Cesar Izturis, Milton Bradley, Jose Valentin and Odalis Perez would ALL miss significant time? And then after ONE injury plauged losing season, he's gone.

 

Just for fun, let's take a look at the good moves Depodesta made...

 

-Traded Shawn Green to the Diamondbacks for Dioner Navarro, saving several million in the process. Navarro went on to outproduce Paul Lo Duca in limited time. Green was replaced by Hee Seop Choi, who produced a 110 ERA+ compared to Green's 113, while being paid $15.7 Million less.

 

-Signed Derek Lowe, who had his best season since 2002.

 

-Found Oscar Robles in the Mexican League, who provided adequate production at third base.

 

-Signed Jeff Kent, who continued to be the best hitting second baseman in recent memory, also having his best year since 2002.

 

-Acquired Antonio Perez for Jason Romano. Perez also filled in admireably at third base.

 

-Plucked Jose Cruz Jr. off the scrap heap. Cruz went on to hit .301/.391/.532 with the Dodgers this year.

 

The Dodgers currently have a loaded farm system and some nice talent in place. Their last division winner was a good team but not a championship squad. DePodesta tried to build a good team, hit a roadbump, and his owner caved to media pressure.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

And let me state for the Dodger fans on this board, they have so much talent waiting in the farm system that it would take a true idiot to screw this up.

[therealworldschampion 0]

DePodesta is a Philly native I believe, the Phils should make a run for him...

[Sass 0]

And let me state for the Dodger fans on this board, they have so much talent waiting in the farm system that it would take a true idiot to screw this up.

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Frank McCourt is someone who could easily Steinbrenner the farm league into oblivion. Most of the "top" prospects the Dodgers picked up were also because of Dan Evans, who scouted many of these fellows. Evans is in Seattle now and Adrian Beltre went with him too. Beltre was the best fuckin slugger this team had since Shawn fuckin Green hit almost 50 HR's 5 seasons ago.

 

For Christmas, I want some badass LB's for the Raiders and a clutch slugger or two for the Dodgers, who will give the Dodgers *consistent* HR seasons unlike the 50 HR seasons guys like Green and Beltre will spit out, only for them to shit the bed the next season. Just, fuck that noise.

 

Jim Tracy was the guy who really got fucked over in this whole mess and he was a good manager to boot. Dan Evans really got screwed though since he was still on the Dodgers payroll WHILE FIGHTING FOR HIS JOB after the McCourt's took over the team and announced they'd be looking for a new GM, with Evans in the running, which was massive bullshit.

 

You know what's even more fuckin asinine being a Dodgers fan in Los Angeles, Al?

 

We're the *richest* fucking state in the nation and the Los Angeles Dodgers, one of the more prestige ballclub's in MLB history, got bought by an East Coast Boston bum and his shady ass wife.

 

Not. one. single. west. coast. bid.

 

Rich people are so cheap and thrifty over here that I'll be shocked if LA ever gets a football team to root for again.

[therealworldschampion 0]

Hey Al, apparently the Phillies are going to interview Indians assistant GM Chris Antoinetti. Thoughts? Young guy, helped build a good, young team on a budget.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Hey Al, apparently the Phillies are going to interview Indians assistant GM Chris Antoinetti. Thoughts? Young guy, helped build a good, young team on a budget.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's the first time I've heard that name, so I really don't have an opinion.

[the pinjockey 0]

Here you can find a few articles (well one big article broken into pieces) about how Shapiro/Antonetti do business.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/gameplan/

 

He certainly would bring a different approach to this organization. I don't see any way of them hiring him. After all of the stuff that has gone on they will likely have to bring in a "name" (read: Gillick or Hunsicker). If they had the brass ones to go out on a limb for someone like Antonetti, they would have probably just hired Amaro and taken the heat then.

 

I would love to see him come into the interview and put on an Andy Reid type of performance with the binders and incredily detailed plan and just blowing everyone away. But even then I think the forces are against him.

 

Something that makes me laugh, reading different quotes, is Dallas Green's mentality about the "new breed" of GMs. I can't remember exactly where, but I saw one quote where he mentions that the new young breed of GMs are basically the yes men that their superiors are looking for. Now correct me if I am wrong but don't the young GMs/GM candidates typically get blasted for being anything but yes men for the older higher level officers (i.e. chemistry is overrated, SBs are overrated, BA is overrated, don't spend millions on "veteran presence")?

[Guest Brian]

I though the Phillies were taking Pat Gillick.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

What upsets me is that the Phillies STILL haven't given me a call.

[Guest]

And let me state for the Dodger fans on this board, they have so much talent waiting in the farm system that it would take a true idiot to screw this up.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Frank McCourt is someone who could easily Steinbrenner the farm league into oblivion.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

He probably could, but hopefully he'll wind up hiring someone that won't let him. I want the Dodgers to sign Konerko. Bring him back to the place that never should have traded him.

[bob_barron 0]

ATLANTA -- Roger McDowell has no trepidations about replacing Leo Mazzone. He's simply thrilled that his first opportunity to be a pitching coach at the Major League level will come with the Atlanta Braves.

The Braves announced Saturday night that McDowell is their new pitching coach. He'll fill the role vacated by Mazzone, who last week accepted an offer to become the Orioles' pitching coach.

 

"This is a tremendous opportunity," McDowell said. "It's a great honor to be given this chance with the Braves. Everybody knows about the success they've had with their pitching in the past 15 or 16 years."

 

McDowell, 44, spent the past two seasons as the pitching coach for the Las Vegas 51's, the Triple-A affiliate for the Dodgers. He ended a 12-year Major League career after the 1996 season and got back into the coaching ranks as the pitching coach for the Class A South Georgia Waves in 2002.

 

"We are absolutely thrilled to add Roger to our staff," Braves manager Bobby Cox said. "He is one of the true up-and-coming teachers of the game."

 

McDowell came to Atlanta to interview for the job earlier this week. While he was also reportedly a candidate for the same position in Seattle, he said that his true preference was to land this job with the Braves.

 

Excluding two appearances, McDowell spent his entire Major League career as a reliever. He recorded a career-best 14 wins and 22 saves for the 1986 World Series champion Mets. He earned the win in Game 7 of that year's World Series against the Red Sox.

 

"He has a great knowledge of pitching and the reviews and evaluations we had on him were tremendous," Cox said. "Roger was a great competitor as a player -- he started, he relieved and he even fought through arm problems, so he comes in a with great level of experience that our pitchers will learn from."

 

McDowell's experience out of the bullpen could prove great dividends for young relievers like Joey Devine, Blaine Boyer and Macay McBride. During his four years as a Minor League pitching coach, he was given the task of developing young arms, and at the same time, helping struggling veterans at the Triple-A level.

 

"There are always going to be different personalities and different ways to deal with different pitchers," McDowell said. "I'm looking forward to getting to know the pitchers and start to work with them."

 

During Mazzone's tenure, which spanned from midway through the 1990 season through the end of this past season, the Braves developed a bit of a pitching dynasty. Just three times from 1992-2005 did they not produce the best or second-best ERA in the Majors.

 

With McDowell, the Braves may be able to provide more guidance with their inexperienced pitchers. Still somewhat young, he'll likely have more patience and the ability to relate with their personalities.

 

During McDowell's playing career, which included stints with the Mets, Dodgers, Orioles and Phillies, he developed a reputation for being somewhat of a clubhouse clown. Once during a game in 1991 with the Dodgers, he made himself part of a mariachi band. He also once wore his pants over his head and his shoes on his hands during a nationally-televised game.

 

When former Reds owner Marge Schott banned her players from wearing earrings in 1994, McDowell responded. He bought earrings for each of his Dodgers teammates for them to wear during a trip to Cincinnati. Manager Tommy Lasorda didn't allow his players to wear them on the field that day.

 

Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Hall of Famer Al Lopez passed away at the age of 97. Lopez was the oldest living member of the Hall, an honor that now passes to Phil Rizzuto. Lopez managed the '54 Indians and the '59 White Sox to American League pennants, and his career .584 winning percentage is outstanding for a non-Yankees manager of his era. In addition, Lopez played as a catcher from 1928-47, and played in two All-Star games.