MLB Off-season Thread

[Guest Smues]

I figured I'd start this thread since 22 of the 30 teams are done for the year. I also figured I'd paste a few things from the weekly thread that Cheech posted that apply here.

 

-Omar Minaya says Randolph will be back next year. Tom Glavine, on the other hand, probably won't be. He has a $13 million option, but rumors are he'd like to return to Atlanta.

 

-Andruw Jones will not return to Atlanta next year. The Braves could take a look at a rental like Mike Cameron or Kenny Lofton

 

-Scott Schoenweis reportedly received shipments of steroids when he played for the Chicago White Sox.

 

The Andruw news was new to me, so a quick check of Atlantabraves.com revealed this:

 

ATLANTA -- There's no longer reason to speculate about Andruw Jones' future in Atlanta. General manager John Schuerholz announced on Tuesday afternoon that his plans for the 2008 season no longer include the Gold Glove center fielder.

Just two days into the offseason, Schuerholz has already answered the primary question he would've been asked over the next few weeks and months. He was able to make this quick decision when it became apparent that the contractual demands of Jones' agent, Scott Boras, weren't even close to what the Braves were willing and capable of offering.

 

Jones, who has been one of the team's most popular figures since his arrival in 1996, was informed of the decision during a Tuesday meeting with Schuerholz.

 

Even before Jones hit a career-worst .222 with 26 homers and 94 RBIs this year, there was doubt concerning his return to Atlanta. When the Braves acquired Boras client Mark Teixeira at this year's trade deadline, Jones' desire to play his entire career with the Braves became even cloudier.

 

An arbitration-eligible player, Teixeira has a salary for the 2008 season that could exceed $12 million. In other words, he'll be assuming many of the dollars that were spent on Jones, who made $14.5 million this past season.

 

Jones has said that he is seeking at least a five-year deal, and despite this year's struggles, Boras still believes his client's history makes him worthy of demanding an annual salary of approximately $20 million.

 

Teixeira will be eligible for free agency at the end of the 2008 season, and the Braves would certainly be more willing to sign him to a long-term deal that would include a similar annual salary. At the end of 2008 season, the switch-hitting first baseman will be just 28 years old, and he will stand as one of the most attractive figures on the free-agent market.

 

Though Jones will likely garner his 10th consecutive Gold Glove in November, Teixeira also stands as one of the game's best defensive players at his position. During his two months in Atlanta, he showed why he won Gold Gloves with the Rangers the past two years.

 

But Teixeira's true value is realized through the consistency and power he shows from both sides of the plate. In 132 combined games with the Braves and Rangers this year, he hit .306 with 30 homers and 105 RBIs.

 

In the 54 games he played after joining the Braves on Aug. 1, Teixeira hit .317 with 17 homers and 56 RBIs. He did this after taking the cleanup spot from Jones, who in his 86 games in the fourth spot collected just 64 RBIs.

 

With Jones out of the picture, the Braves will look for his replacement through free agency or a trade. They may be looking for a one-year solution in order to give Jordan Schafer further time to develop his tremendous skills. In 136 combined games with Class A Rome and High A Myrtle Beach this year, the 21-year-old center fielder hit .312 with 15 homers and 23 stolen bases.

Fuck Scott Boras. I'll be saying that 1,000 times this off-season I'm sure, but I need to blow off some steam on this. Yeah Andruw is worth a lot of money. I didn't expect us to sign him anyway. But when one his clients sucks ass for several seasons, than has a great contract year, it's all "see this season shows he's great, MONEY MONEY MONEY." But when he has several great seasons and a shitty contract year it's "his history makes him worthy of MONEY MONEY MONEY."

 

I actually do agree 100% that this one bad is no reason to lowball him come contract time. He's clearly earned his paycheck, and I know he'll be worth it. He still hit 26 homeruns last year, and he was never a high average guy to begin with, and his glove is still gold and almost worth the money by itself. It just bugs the shit out of me that 1 bad year doesn't drop a players value according to Scott Boras, but 1 good year is enough to jet it up into space. (Adrian Beltre I'm looking at YOU!)

 

Anyway fuck Scott Boras, and good luck Andruw where ever you end up. Unless it's New York.

 

 

 

 

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

As an agent, Scott Boras' job is to get his players the best possible contract. That involves a bit of spin control. What the heck is wrong with that? Boras' job is NOT honest reporting of his players' skills.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

And really Smeus, an MLB off-season thread? FUCK I hate OaO threads.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

You'll rarely hear me say an ill word about Scott Boras. His job is to get the most money for his clients and there is no one better in sports at doing just that. It may not be good for the fans or the owners, but that's not his concern.

 

The one exception to this is Boras' training programs that have derailed the careers of several young pitchers in recent years (Hochevar, Craig Hansen, Pelfrey, etc.). That should be outside the scope of his services.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

You'll rarely hear me say an ill word about Scott Boras. His job is to get the most money for his clients and there is no one better in sports at doing just that. It may not be good for the fans or the owners, but that's not his concern.

 

The one exception to this is Boras' training programs that have derailed the careers of several young pitchers in recent years (Hochevar, Craig Hansen, Pelfrey, etc.). That should be outside the scope of his services.

The stuff about training, I get the feeling we're not getting the whole story.

[Guest Smues]

And really Smeus, an MLB off-season thread? FUCK I hate OaO threads.

 

I didn't call it OaO, and you yourself started one last off-season. You're just jealous.

 

As for Boras yeah I know it's his job. That doesn't mean I can't hate him for it.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

And really Smeus, an MLB off-season thread? FUCK I hate OaO threads.

 

I didn't call it OaO, and you yourself started one last off-season. You're just jealous.

 

As for Boras yeah I know it's his job. That doesn't mean I can't hate him for it.

Let's spin this another way. If Andruw Jones had a bad season, why do you want him back?

[Guest Smues]

Because I'd be stupid to think he won't have better years, and because he only had a bad year offensively, and his glove has always been his best asset.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Because I'd be stupid to think he won't have better years, and because he only had a bad year offensively, and his glove has always been his best asset.

 

 

Hate to be the one to break it to you, but Jones' glove isn't that special anymore.

 

EDIT: I take that back. Scouts seem to say that he has lost a step in center, but John Dewan of the Fielding Bible (who I always defer to on defensive issues) has Andruw as the best CF in baseball this year in his +/- fielding metric, even above Coco Crisp (who I thought would be the landslide winner).

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Because I'd be stupid to think he won't have better years, and because he only had a bad year offensively, and his glove has always been his best asset.

 

 

Hate to be the one to break it to you, but Jones' glove isn't that special anymore.

 

EDIT: I take that back. Scouts seem to say that he has lost a step in center, but John Dewan of the Fielding Bible (who I always defer to on defensive issues) has Andruw as the best CF in baseball this year in his +/- fielding metric, even above Coco Crisp (who I thought would be the landslide winner).

Addressing Smeus first, if you think Andruw is more valuable than his stats indicate and you're a fan, surely his agent won't disagree.

 

Cheech, what a lot of writers don't mention about the lost assists is that the Braves added Tim Hudson, an extreme groundball pitcher. That has to have an effect.

[NYU 0]

Tom Glavine, on the other hand, probably won't be. He has a $13 million option, but rumors are he'd like to return to Atlanta.

 

I would hope not. Tom Glavine as a Met will forever be remembered now for that one game. Not his 300th win. Not his games against the Dodgers and the Cards in the 2006 playoffs. No, Game 162 against the Marlins will be what he is remembered for. Mets fans are never going to fully trust him again, and it will do much more harm for the franchise than good if they decide to pick up that $13 million option. Bye Tommy. Go pitch together with your BFF John Smoltz and leave the Mets alone until you're pitching 2-hit shutouts against them next season.

Edited October 3, 2007 by NYU

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Tom Glavine, on the other hand, probably won't be. He has a $13 million option, but rumors are he'd like to return to Atlanta.

 

I would hope not. Tom Glavine as a Met will forever be remembered now for that one game. Not his 300th win. Not his games against the Dodgers and the Cards in the 2006 playoffs. No, Game 162 against the Marlins will be what he is remembered for. Mets fans are never going to fully trust him again, and it will do much more harm for the franchise than good if they decide to pick up that $13 million option. Bye Tommy. Go pitch together with your BFF John Smoltz and leave the Mets alone until you're pitching 2-hit shutouts against them next season.

 

It's a player option, not a team option. If Glavine decides to come back next year and feels that he won't get that money on the open market, he'll return to the Mets.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

The O's take Andruw Jones for a big contract and get Teixeira next year in FA because of the big deals Boras got for Jones and Matt Wieters.

 

Peter Angelos starts dealing with the Devil..ooh

 

I cant believe Im typing this, because we all know that PA wont do shit to improve the team when it actually costs the big money that it will take to get them both. Boras is saying he can get multi year deals for Jones worth 15-20 million a year...

 

The only other upgrades at CF (since Patterson is a FA) are Torri Hunter and Aaron Rowand. They need to at least add 1 big 30 HR 100 RBI bat..otherwise the offense sucks and it doesn't matter what they do with the bullpen/pitching staff since they wont score any runs.

[bob_barron 0]

And really Smeus [sic], an MLB off-season thread? FUCK I hate OaO threads.

 

Yet most of the threads in sports are OaO threads but without the names. And we had an offseason thread last year.

 

I heard that Andruw wanted to come back to Atlanta, but Boras wouldn't let him negotiate another deal like he did back in 2000. If Andruw's going to let Boras control him, then that's his problem- I'm not too bummed about it.

 

I do not want Tom Glavine back on the Braves in any way, shape or form. Fuck him and his broken down body and he is not the answer to the Braves starting pitching. Retire already.

 

And no to Lofton coming back. Doesn't anyone remember his awful 1997 season? Probably the worst trade Scheurholz ever made. Also, I thought it was classy for Scheurholz to arrange a face to face meeting with Andruw to part ways. And I admire him for coming right out and saying he wouldn't be wasting his time dealing with Boras

 

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

And really Smeus [sic], an MLB off-season thread? FUCK I hate OaO threads.

 

Yet most of the threads in sports are OaO threads but without the names. And we had an offseason thread last year.

 

I heard that Andruw wanted to come back to Atlanta, but Boras wouldn't let him negotiate another deal like he did back in 2000. If Andruw's going to let Boras control him, then that's his problem- I'm not too bummed about it.

 

I do not want Tom Glavine back on the Braves in any way, shape or form. Fuck him and his broken down body and he is not the answer to the Braves starting pitching. Retire already.

 

And no to Lofton coming back. Doesn't anyone remember his awful 1997 season? Probably the worst trade Scheurholz ever made. Also, I thought it was classy for Scheurholz to arrange a face to face meeting with Andruw to part ways. And I admire him for coming right out and saying he wouldn't be wasting his time dealing with Boras

Schuerholz will be wasting his time with Boras. They'll just have Mark Teixeira on the table instead of Jones.

 

Lofton hit .333 in 1997 with a .409 OBP in the leadoff spot. The Braves racked up win totals of 101, 106 and 103. Is there something I'm missing about that trade? I think the Hampton deal is easily the worst Schuerholz trade.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

St. Louis Post-Dispatch says that Walt Jockety is out in St. Louis. One would think that LaRussa might not be far behind. Cincinnati appears to be the proverbial soft-landing for the two.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

EDIT: Wrong thread

[bob_barron 0]

The Braves traded Marquis Grissom and David Justice and someone else for Lofton who was injury prone and by all accounts, not the best guy in the clubhouse. Lofton left after the season and went back to Cleveland.

 

I don't even know who they gave up for Hampton, but I consider that trade to be a disaster, especially given how Justice hit the game winning home run and Grissom got the last out in the 95 World Series

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

The Braves traded Marquis Grissom and David Justice and someone else for Lofton who was injury prone and by all accounts, not the best guy in the clubhouse. Lofton left after the season and went back to Cleveland.

 

I don't even know who they gave up for Hampton, but I consider that trade to be a disaster, especially given how Justice hit the game winning home run and Grissom got the last out in the 95 World Series

Well I think we can agree that nostalgia does not win championships. The Braves had Andruw Jones take over in center after the season, so that certainly did not hurt them long term. Besides, Grissom's OBP went to shit anyway. They followed up Justice in right field with Michael Tucker and then Brian Jordan. David Justice was just an average player after 1997.

 

The Hampton trade is a disaster because they've paid him somewhere in the neighborhood of $28 million the last two seasons and he hasn't thrown a pitch.

[Broward83 0]

Eh, I'm not looking forward to much from the Astros this off-season. Any way we can get rid of Jennings and Woody however, I'll take.

[Hawk 34 0]

Would any team take a chance for Griffey Junior?

[bob_barron 0]

The Braves traded Marquis Grissom and David Justice and someone else for Lofton who was injury prone and by all accounts, not the best guy in the clubhouse. Lofton left after the season and went back to Cleveland.

 

I don't even know who they gave up for Hampton, but I consider that trade to be a disaster, especially given how Justice hit the game winning home run and Grissom got the last out in the 95 World Series

Well I think we can agree that nostalgia does not win championships. The Braves had Andruw Jones take over in center after the season, so that certainly did not hurt them long term. Besides, Grissom's OBP went to shit anyway. They followed up Justice in right field with Michael Tucker and then Brian Jordan. David Justice was just an average player after 1997.

 

The Hampton trade is a disaster because they've paid him somewhere in the neighborhood of $28 million the last two seasons and he hasn't thrown a pitch.

 

I'll agree with the nostalgia, but Lofton did nothing to help them either. I think I'd take Justice over Michael Tucker. And Kenny Lofton was gone after one year, while who knows how long Grissom would've stayed.

 

I think insurance has taken care of a lot of Hampton's contract, though I could be mistaken.

[Vern Gagne 0]

The Twins should be one of the busiest teams this off-season.

[Precious Roy 0]

WFAN is all over the Santana to the Mets "story" already

[snuffbox 0]

Yost will manage Milwaukee next year.

 

Doug Melvin says he will 'aggressively' try to keep Cordero.

 

Geoff Jenkins is all but gone.

[Mik 0]

I just bopped into the main Marlins messageboard for the first time in about two weeks and there is a 6 page thread about the front office wanting to trade Cabrera this offseason. It's not just idle speculation either, it appears.

 

Damn it.

[Brett Favre 0]

What do they want?

[Mik 0]

Well, one of the main deals that they are mentioning is Miggy, Mitre and Jai Miller (pretty much a bust prospect but very fast) to TB for Evan Longoria, Wade Davis, Jacob McGee and Fernando Perez.

 

That's a top 5 prospect (maybe #1 or #2) and two other mega upper tier prospects, so I guess that would be around what it would take.

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

Yost will manage Milwaukee next year.

 

Doug Melvin says he will 'aggressively' try to keep Cordero.

 

Geoff Jenkins is all but gone.

I've heard some rumblings (I believe from onmilwaukee.com) that Ned will be retained heading into the year, but on a "short leash," which I find silly. Are they committed to Ned, or aren't they?

 

Cordero is a must for that bullpen, yeah, but Melvin needs to upgrade the bridge as well, because Cordero does no good rotting on the bench as he often did. Can Turnbow be traded away for anything of worth? Will Linebrink be retained? Is Brian Shouse a reliable option at his age?

 

Jenkins isn't worth the price with the glut of outfielders the Brewers have, so that's a good $8 million to allocate elsewhere.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

If Miggy Cabrera is available, I'd give up Ellsbury and Buchholz for him. He's probably going to be one of, if not the best player in the league for the next five to ten years.