2006-07 MLB Offseason Thread

[Precious Roy 0]

If I had to pick a rotation to take into the season, it would be the Cubs'.

 

Really?!!?

 

I think the Dodgers' could be really good. Schmidt, Lowe, Penny and Wolf. Or 3 of the 4 could get injured. Who knows?!

 

Everyone fawns over the Tigers and Marlins but I always feel like it's a crapshoot with young pitchers like Verlander and Johnson. There's a long list of guys who started out great and were never that good again.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

If I had to pick a rotation to take into the season, it would be the Cubs'.

 

Really?!!?

 

I think the Dodgers' could be really good. Schmidt, Lowe, Penny and Wolf. Or 3 of the 4 could get injured. Who knows?!

 

Everyone fawns over the Tigers and Marlins but I always feel like it's a crapshoot with young pitchers like Verlander and Johnson. There's a long list of guys who started out great and were never that good again.

Yeah, you've got Carlos Zambrano (a true ace), followed by Rich Hill, Mark Prior, Wade Miller and Ted Lilly. If one or two of those guys fall through, you've got a group of Jason Marquis, Carlos Marmol, Sean Marshall and Angel Guzman. You can't count on all of them, but you figure with strength in numbers, some of them are going to come up big.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Now if only their hitting could protect the pitching...

[Brett Favre 0]

I think it's unfair to say that the Red Sox starting pitching would be dominant if everything works out, and the Yankee rotation would be average if everything works out. That's a little bias, especially when we have more depth.

 

And Hughes might come up as early as July. He's starting the season at triple A.

 

Also, I like the Marlin pitching staff. Willis, Johnson, Olsen, and Sanchez can easily be the best foursome in the league.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

If I had to pick a rotation to take into the season, it would be the Cubs'.

 

Really?!!?

 

I think the Dodgers' could be really good. Schmidt, Lowe, Penny and Wolf. Or 3 of the 4 could get injured. Who knows?!

 

Everyone fawns over the Tigers and Marlins but I always feel like it's a crapshoot with young pitchers like Verlander and Johnson. There's a long list of guys who started out great and were never that good again.

Yeah, you've got Carlos Zambrano (a true ace), followed by Rich Hill, Mark Prior, Wade Miller and Ted Lilly. If one or two of those guys fall through, you've got a group of Jason Marquis, Carlos Marmol, Sean Marshall and Angel Guzman. You can't count on all of them, but you figure with strength in numbers, some of them are going to come up big.

While you can't really count on many of those guys because of injuries or inexperience, I guess I can give props to Jim Hendry for at least possibly having too many starters over relying on Wood and Prior to be healthy. I think their pen could be a real asset. The backend was one of their few strengths last year and Guzman looked solid in middle relief last year. IF Carlos Marmol ever finds the plate, he'll be pretty amazing.

 

But yeah, you'd imagine the team will be able to have a decent rotation with some combination of those nine.

[randomguy 0]

I find it entertaining that Randy Johnson is a broken-down has-been while Beckett is an up-and-coming star, even though Johnson is probably the better of the two. And while Beckett is younger he is stubborn, doesn't take advice from anyone and hasn't shown any real improvement in years.

[Guest NYankees]

I find it entertaining that Randy Johnson is a broken-down has-been while Beckett is an up-and-coming star, even though Johnson is probably the better of the two. And while Beckett is younger he is stubborn, doesn't take advice from anyone and hasn't shown any real improvement in years.

 

 

Dont let the Red Sox fans fool you. If you fall for their propoganda,you will start to believe that the 2007 Red Sox starting pitchers are going to finish 1,2,3,4 and 5 in the Cy Young voting. It's ok for you to pass up on the Kool Aid.

[KingPK 0]

Someone is getting a little too crabby.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Yeah, no one here is suggesting the Sox pitchers are that good. Save it for a board actually making that argument.

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

I think now is a good time to pull the trigger and trade Johnson, with Zito off the market, nobody is really left.

 

That would leave a rotation of Wang, Pettitte, Mussina, Igawa, and Pavano. They have guys who filled in admirably last year, like Jeff Karstens, and Phenom Philip Hughes is waiting in the wings. The top three in this rotation rivals any in the majors right now, and anyone who thinks Boston's 1-2-3 is better needs to think twice.

[Precious Roy 0]

I'd rather see Pavano traded. Realistically though, if we can get Conor Jackson for Johnson (which is probably just some beat writer's pipedream, but still...) Cashman has to pull the trigger.

 

I've seen lots of different trade proposals thrown around though. The most realistic is probably a few mid-level pitching prospects coming to NY and the Yankees getting entirely off the hook on Johnson's contract. I've seen Chad Tracy's name thrown around. I like him, but the talk all along has been that we want a right handed bat at first, and he'd be moving from 3rd, so that doesn't make sense. I'm guessing Cashman asked for Jackson and the D-Backs countered with Tracy. Conor Jackson can probably be had, but it would take the Yankees paying most of Johnson's contract, so it's doubtful.

 

The problem with trading Johnson is that Igawa is a gamble that we have to be prepared for to not pan out, and there's absolutely no reason to trust Pavano. Even if he's healthy I don't like him pitching in the AL East, never did. Even at 43 and coming off back surgery Randy Johnson is more proven and reliable than those two, and I like the depth and options he gives us. His 5 ERA last year was likely a fluke, and he did pitch with a herniated disk for most of the year. I'm pretty confident that he can pitch well for us next year, more confident than I am in Igawa, Pavano or any of the kids (and I also don't want to see them mishandled). If all we're getting is a couple average-decent pitching prospects and shedding one year of payroll I'd just as soon not trade him.

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

I don't trust Pavano as far as I can throw him, nor do I expect anything great from Igawa. I want Johnson gone.

[Precious Roy 0]

The other problem with trading Johnson: Non-stop Roger Clemens talk for the next 4-5 months.

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

That is inevitable anyway.

[Guest NYankees]

The NY Post is reporting that 8 out of the 10 baseball players who were implicated by Balco in 2003 tested positive for steroids. The list of implicated players include Giambi, Sheffield and Bonds. So at the very least, 1 out of 3 tested positive.

[Boon 0]

My advice to the Yankees would be don't make the mistake of thinking you have too many starters. The SAWX thought they had 7 to start the season, and they ended up tapping people from farm teams and starting Julian Tavarez for the last third of the season.

 

And god damn, that's a lot of people testing positive. I can't wait for this to plague the entire season.

[Precious Roy 0]

The NY Post is reporting that 8 out of the 10 baseball players who were implicated by Balco in 2003 tested positive for steroids. The list of implicated players include Giambi, Sheffield and Bonds. So at the very least, 1 out of 3 tested positive.

 

Bonds' agent is claiming pretty strongly, arrogantly even, that Bonds did not fail those tests. I believe him. Bonds is the Teflon Don of baseball.

 

I bet Sheff and Giambi failed. I'm also betting that Miguel Tejada, Jeff Bagwell and a host of other all-stars failed, and we'll never hear the end of it. God help us if Roger Clemens tested positive.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

i don't get caught up in speculation, but I think a lot of those names would wind up to be fringe guys on the cusp of the minor leagues.

[Precious Roy 0]

i don't get caught up in speculation, but I think a lot of those names would wind up to be fringe guys on the cusp of the minor leagues.

 

I would think so, but if there were really as many positive test results as the press is claiming, something around 8 or 9% of players at the time, the odds are that some well known players are involved.

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

8 of the 10 would suggest that McGwire and Canseco wouldn't have, since they were both out of baseball by 2003. This leaves us with the other star witnesses of Giambi, Bonds, Sosa, Schilling, Palmiero, and whoever else showed up (I can't remember) as guilty.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

The Balco list is not the same as the congressional witnesses.

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

Yeah, I realized that after I posted above and didn't bother to edit it.

 

I'd still assume that those names, except probably Schilling would come up +.

 

I can't understand how you can read 'Game of Shadows' and not think Bonds did it since the offseason of 1999, though. I saw 'Rookie of the Year' (From 1992 or 1993) the other day on cable, and Bonds had a quick guest shot in it, in a Pirates uniform, looking smaller than Kenny Lofton.

[Guest Smues]

Speaking of Game of Shadows did the authors ever get sent to jail? I remember hearing that they were going to be sent there for not revealing there sources, but dunno if it ever happened or if they ever caved. Too bad, it was a really good book.

[CanadianChris 0]

Speaking of Game of Shadows did the authors ever get sent to jail? I remember hearing that they were going to be sent there for not revealing there sources, but dunno if it ever happened or if they ever caved. Too bad, it was a really good book.

They were sentenced to 18 months back in September, but they appealed and a hearing is set for February.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Os actually signed a non-pitcher! OMG!

 

Aubrey Huff - 3 years/$20 million

 

He'll be at 1B, better than Millar easy.

[Guest "Go, Mordecai!"]

That's a pretty good signing, as far as I can tell.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Os actually signed a non-pitcher! OMG!

 

Aubrey Huff - 3 years/$20 million

 

He'll be at 1B, better than Millar easy.

Millar's had a higher OPS+ each of the last two seasons.

[vivalaultra 0]

I was surprised that Huff lasted this long on the market, considering he's been better than a few guys signed earlier for more money. I sure hope that Ensberg rebounds next year or else the Astros are gonna look bad for not resigning Huff, especially for the relatively cheap price he went for.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Not to degrade the signing though, because Huff's versatile and can play four positions.

[vivalaultra 0]

And at least two of those positions he plays pretty well.