2006-07 MLB Offseason Thread

[Guest Felonies!]

I see what Fridge is trying to say, though. Win shares be damned, more people associate the strength of the Oakland offense with Frank Thomas than Jason Kendall. I tend to be statistically inclined, I think, but if you asked me who the most instrumental part of Oakland's offense was for the majority of the season, I don't think I'd say it was Jason Kendall.

[Guest NYankees]

More baseball rumors.

 

 

Texas Radio stations are reporting that the Rangers offered Zito 7 years 105 million.

 

http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_4702721

 

The angels Are offered Gary Mathews Jr 5 years 55 million.

[CanadianChris 0]

I see what Fridge is trying to say, though. Win shares be damned, more people associate the strength of the Oakland offense with Frank Thomas than Jason Kendall. I tend to be statistically inclined, I think, but if you asked me who the most instrumental part of Oakland's offense was for the majority of the season, I don't think I'd say it was Jason Kendall.

Thomas was a much bigger part of the Oakland offence than Kendall. Kendall is higher in WS, though, because he's one of the best catchers in the league. Which was my point -- if you're going to be considered for MVP, and you don't play in the field, you'd better be the definitively best hitter in the league. Which Thomas wasn't.

[Brett Favre 0]

Gary Matthews Jr. is officially an Angel. As previously posted, 5 years, 55 million.

[Brett Favre 0]

If they get Manny Ramirez..

 

2B: Chone Figgins

CF: Gary Matthews Jr.

RF: Vladimir Guerrero

DH: Manny Ramirez

LF: Garrett Anderson

SS: Orlando Cabrera

1B: Howie Kendrick

3B: Maicer Izturis

C: Mike Napoli

 

Geez. With that pitching staff..

[CanadianChris 0]

Top half looks awesome. Bottom half leaves a bit to be desired. If they put Erstad on the bench, they're moving even more in the right direction.

[Brett Favre 0]

Maybe if they keep Kendrick at 1st, and start Izturis at 3rd, that wouldn't be half bad.

[The Man in Blak 0]

The Angels realize that Gary Matthews Jr. is 32 years old, right?

[Guest Princess Leena]

I'm still lost on how Morneau was a significantly better MVP candidate than Joe Mauer. It's silly how the most important things to some people are RBIs and being more productive during the 2nd half of the season, like the games mean more.

 

I can see people didn't vote for Jeter:

1) I don't care that he's a gold glove winner, Jeter is one of the weakest fielding SS's in the league.

2) His batting stats, especially the beloved RBI stat, are inflated because he is with the Yankees, who have a significant advantage on every team.

3) This isn't necessarily fair... but, would the Yankees have made the playoffs with A-Rod at SS, and whoever at 3rd for most of the season? Very likely.

[Brett Favre 0]

1) He was still average, and the fact that he's a shortstop makes him more valuable than Morneau at 1st base.

 

2) Morneau's stats are inflated because of the lineup around him. Everyone likes to talk about how the Yankees are full of all-stars, when Morneau had Mauer and Cuddyer batting in front of him, and Hunter behind him. If that doesn't help, I don't know what does.

 

3) Maybe, maybe not. Jeter was the most consistent hitter on the team throughout the year, at times where Damon, Giambi, and A-Rod went through major slumps. Morneau being replaced by an average 1st baseman wouldn't kill the team too much either when you still have Mauer, Cuddyer, Hunter, Santana and Nathan on the team.

[geniusMoment 0]

What the fuck is going on, they paid Gary Matthews Jr. that much? At 32 he's had all of one good year.

 

 

May 23, 2003: Selected off waivers by the San Diego Padres from the Baltimore Orioles.

 

November 24, 2003: Selected off waivers by the Atlanta Braves from the San Diego Padres.

 

April 2, 2004: Released by the Atlanta Braves.

 

April 8, 2004: Signed as a Free Agent with the Texas Rangers

 

November 23, 2006: Signed 5 year 55 million dollar contract with the Angels

 

Which one of those things doesn't belong?

[vivalaultra 0]

Well, he did make..."THE GREATEST CATCH IN BASEBALL HISTORY!!!!" That probably added about $20 million to the deal.

[Vern Gagne 0]

I'm still lost on how Morneau was a significantly better MVP candidate than Joe Mauer. It's silly how the most important things to some people are RBIs and being more productive during the 2nd half of the season, like the games mean more.

 

I can see people didn't vote for Jeter:

1) I don't care that he's a gold glove winner, Jeter is one of the weakest fielding SS's in the league.

2) His batting stats, especially the beloved RBI stat, are inflated because he is with the Yankees, who have a significant advantage on every team.

3) This isn't necessarily fair... but, would the Yankees have made the playoffs with A-Rod at SS, and whoever at 3rd for most of the season? Very likely.

 

 

Mauer didn't have the gaudy HR and RBI numbers that Morneau did. It's funny that Mauer got more support nationally, then he did locally.

 

I think Morneau is going to have better seasons statistically, and not crack the Top 10 in voting.

[Cartman 0]

1. Manny isn't going anywhere, we do this every friggin offseason and trade deadline.

 

2. Alot of AWFUL contracts the past 2 seasons after a couple years of "Market Correction". The Matthews contract makes the Coco Crisp extension look like a bargain and a half. Yikes.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Good god that Gary Matthews deal is awful. His career year was largely based on a batting average 50 points above his career average.

[treble 0]

The Jays need to trade Vernon Wells now. There's no way they'll be able to re-sign him if someone like Gary Matthews is getting $10 million a season.

[Annabelle 0]

i bet sheffield is wishing he wasn't traded as quickly as he was. the tigers would have had to pay a few million extra for him in this market.

[Brett Favre 0]

The Yankees need to extend Robinson Cano and Chien-Ming Wang as soon as possible.

[Failed Bridge 0]

Gagne wants $10mill a season...before the Angels deal with Gary Jr there, I didn't think there would be a team willing to dish that out, but now who knows? Either way, this is how I'd like to see the Red Sox shape up for the 07 season.

 

SS Michael Young

1B Kevin Youkilis

DH David Ortiz

RF Jose Guillen

CF JD Drew

3B Mike Lowell

LF Coco Crisp

C Tek

2B Pedroia

 

Bench - Kapler, Cora, Murphy, Carlos Pena, some catcher not named Doug Mirabelli

 

SP1 Schilling

SP2 Beckett

SP3 Matsuzaka

SP4 Papelbon

SP5 Wakefield

 

Bullpen - Hansen, Timlin, Delcarmen, Eddie Guardado, Edgar Martinez

 

Closer - Chad Cordero (Sox trying to aquire him with a WMP package...throw in Jon Lester and get the deal done. Jim Bowden has only made one good trade ever and it came last season when he picked up Austin Kearns + for crappy relievers)

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Ugh. Why do you have to torture us every single offseason/trade deadline with your "this is the Sox roster when they trade/buy every player on earth" posts?

[Failed Bridge 0]

because I don't know the roster of the Pittsburgh Pirates well enough to do them?

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

It's not that you do the Red Sox. It's just that some of us live in something called "reality" where our teams make realistic choices based on our current rosters, the state of our farm systems, and the market.

[Guest Princess Leena]

If Boston is giving up $51 million just for the rights to sign Matsuzaka, I'd sure as hell want him to be better than a 3rd starter. More like making Johan Santana look like a scrub.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

If Boston is giving up $51 million just for the rights to sign Matsuzaka, I'd sure as hell want him to be better than a 3rd starter. More like making Johan Santana look like a scrub.

Well, the Angels just gave up $50 Million to sign a center fielder who had five more win shares than their current center fielder.

[KingPK 0]

He won't be the ace of the staff right away as he's coming from a situation where he pitched every 6th day to every 5th, so it would make sense to put him lower in the rotation and schedule his starts around as many off-days as possible to get him acclimated and not have him blow his arm out in early August. I don't have his numbers handy, but I think he's pitched over 200 innings just once in his career.

 

He is going to have to put up some pretty decent numbers and not turn into Josh Beckett v.2, or the fans will turn on him a little bit.

Edited November 23, 2006 by KingPK

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

He won't be the ace of the staff right away as he's coming from a situation where he pitched every 6th day to every 5th, so it would make sense to put him lower in the rotation and schedule his starts around as many off-days as possible to get him acclimated and not have him blow his arm out in early August. I don't have his numbers handy, but I think he's pitched over 200 innings just once in his career.

Matsuzaka's pitched over 200 innings at least twice, and you have to remember he's also logged time in international competition and exhibitions. He's pitched every six days instead of five, but he usually pitched an inning longer than MLB average in return. I doubt very much that durability is an issue.

[Cartman 0]

Yet it's all moot if Boras is holding out for $16 mil per year for 3 years for an unproven MLB commodity. Unless the asking price goes down he will remain in Japan another year and the Sox will happily take their money back.

[Guest Paul]

A day or so late on this...I don't mind Jeter not winning MVP. It was up in th air.

 

But I don't think Morneau was even the best guy on his team. So, I'm baffled there. I know he as great from June through the end, and helped with the playoff push, but, Morneau? I thought Mauer would win.

[vivalaultra 0]

The semi-daily Astros' update:

 

As per 790 AM in Houston, Astros' owner Drayton McClane and GM Tim Purpura had a face to face meeting with Carlos Lee's agent today. All sides involved said that Carlos Lee will decide between the 'Stros, the O's, and possibly the Phils either by this weekend or in the next five days. Also, the Astros have more offers on the table to other "attractive free agents" that they're looking at getting resolved one way or the other in the next week. And possible trades for either Carl Crawford or Vernon Wells were mentioned. It was said that both the Jays and the Rays were shopping the two to the Astros. The Vernon Wells trade would be looked at more heavily if Lee went elsewhere, but the Crawford deal is apparently not contingent on whether or not Lee comes to Houston. The names being mentioned as trade bait are Brad Lidge, Chris Burke, Willy Taveras, and Jason Hirsh. And now...a semi-realistic possible Astros lineup for 2007 (since I also am not extremely familiar with the Pirates' lineup...and I don't care either way much for the Red Sox):

 

Crawford CF

Ensberg 3B

Berkman 1B

Lee LF

Scott RF

Biggio 2B

Everett SS

Ausmus C

Oswalt P

 

Now THAT'S a decent lineup.

[Precious Roy 0]

A couple points on the Jeter v. Morneau debate...

 

- Yes, Jeter had a much better lineup around him. And Morneau's team had far better pitching than the Yankees. What's the difference?

 

- I've seen many people point to Morneau's performance down the stretch as giving him an edge. Look up the stats. Jeter's Sept. was just as good, if not better. And to people who say that that doesn't matter as much because the Yanks had essentially clinched, well Jeter was a huge reason they did clinch the way they did.