MLB Off-season Thread

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Because Johan Santana and Pedro Martinez certainly isn't enough!

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Because Johan Santana and Pedro Martinez certainly isn't enough!

theyd still find a way to lose.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

The Red Sox re-signed Bobby Kielty today. Kielty had previously informed the Sox that he would not sign with the team if he was the 5th outfielder. Either he had a change of heart, or this is a prelude to a Crisp (or Ellsbury) trade.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

The Red Sox re-signed Bobby Kielty today. Kielty had previously informed the Sox that he would not sign with the team if he was the 5th outfielder. Either he had a change of heart, or this is a prelude to a Crisp (or Ellsbury) trade.

I guess starting outfielder at Pawtucket wouldn't count as the 5th outfielder either?

[Mike wanna be 0]

The Red Sox re-signed Bobby Kielty today. Kielty had previously informed the Sox that he would not sign with the team if he was the 5th outfielder. Either he had a change of heart, or this is a prelude to a Crisp (or Ellsbury) trade.

I guess starting outfielder at Pawtucket wouldn't count as the 5th outfielder either?

Gotta be sure to read the fine print when being guaranteed a starting position with the Red Sox; 3 of their 7 farm teams also bear the Red Sox name. Is that common in baseball, sharing the team name along the minor league affiliates, or are they just weird?

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

The Red Sox re-signed Bobby Kielty today. Kielty had previously informed the Sox that he would not sign with the team if he was the 5th outfielder. Either he had a change of heart, or this is a prelude to a Crisp (or Ellsbury) trade.

I guess starting outfielder at Pawtucket wouldn't count as the 5th outfielder either?

Gotta be sure to read the fine print when being guaranteed a starting position with the Red Sox; 3 of their 7 farm teams also bear the Red Sox name. Is that common in baseball, sharing the team name along the minor league affiliates, or are they just weird?

It's fairly common, depending on the team. Minor league cities without a strong tradition tend to pick up their parent club's names. Allentown for example picked up the Indians, Red Sox and Cardinal nicknames in their day. Nowadays teams look for distinction nicknames in an effort to sell merchandise. Certain brands however like the Red Sox, Yankees, etc. sell more than any other nickname could.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Decided to take a shot at some preseason rankings. I think 1-3 in the NL East and 1-4 in the NL West are interchangeable.

 

NL EAST

1. Mets

2. Phillies

3. Braves

4. Nationals

5. Marlins

 

NL CENTRAL

1. Cubs

2. Brewers

3. Reds

4. Astros

5. Cardinals

6. Pirates

 

NL WEST

1. Diamondbacks

2. Rockies

3. Dodgers

4. Padres

5. Giants

 

AL EAST

1. Red Sox

2. Yankees

3. Blue Jays

4. Rays

5. Orioles

 

AL CENTRAL

1. Tigers

2. Indians

3. Twins

4. White Sox

5. Royals

 

AL WEST

1. Angels

2. Mariners

3. Rangers

4. Athletics

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I am reticent about making predictions before pitchers and catchers even report, but if I was to put together a list it would look almost exactly like Al's. The only minor changes I might have is swapping the Cards and Astros in the Nl Central and the Twins and Sox in the AL Central. I sort of see the Rockies finishing fourth in the west, but the gap is so narrow I could also see them winning.

 

The teams I am most bullish on are the Cincinnati Reds, Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Mariners and Washington Nationals. Each of those teams could flame out royally, but they have the right mix of talent at the major and minor levels that they could pull off big seasons (relative to their expected performance by the majority of people).

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

I cant believe the Bedard trade is still not done.

 

it will be good to get Adam Jones to play CF because the Orioles have used 30 players in CF for at least one game since 2001.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Thanks to the Play Index, I can easily create a page for those players.

 

http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/shareit/N9k5

 

The list includes every player who played a single game in center, so Markakis is listed thanks to his nine games there in 2006. He's obviously not a long term answer.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Thanks to the Play Index, I can easily create a page for those players.

 

http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/shareit/N9k5

 

The list includes every player who played a single game in center, so Markakis is listed thanks to his nine games there in 2006. He's obviously not a long term answer.

 

Whos not a long term answer? Markakis? Hes the every day RF and ESPN is predicting him to be the best RF in baseball over the next 5 years. Adam Jones will be the CF for the Os for those same five years once he's signed baring any craziness.

 

That list just goes to show how many players they Os have gone through since 01, which wasnt even the start of their current slide (98)..its sorta like the revolving carousel that is the Ravens QB position since 1996..

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I meant long term in center field. As a right fielder, he's one of the game's better young players of course.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

According to reports, the Cleveland Indians signed Brendan Donnelly (who is out for most of '08 with TJ surgery) and the Tampa Bay Rays signed Eric Hinske (minor league deal).

 

It really hasn't been a good year for fringey 1B/OF types. Kielty and Hinske get stuck with minor league deals. Casey got peanuts. Tony Clark, Ryan Klesko, Mike Sweeney and Kevin Mench are all trying to catch on somewhere.

[geniusMoment 0]

So, this is why Donnie Baseball isn't coaching. Damn, what a hot pic!

 

http://www.kentucky.com/529/story/309120.html

[Guest Blue Man Czech]

It really hasn't been a good year for fringey 1B/OF types. Kielty and Hinske get stuck with minor league deals. Casey got peanuts. Tony Clark, Ryan Klesko, Mike Sweeney and Kevin Mench are all trying to catch on somewhere.

Nobody has signed the Uber-Mench yet because they'd have to mold a custom helmet and it's not worth the trouble.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

A list of next year's free agents. There are some extremely interesting names in this bunch.

 

Catchers

Michael Barrett (32)

Johnny Estrada (33)

Kenji Johjima (33)

Jason Kendall (35) - club option for '09; vests with 110 games played in '08

Paul Lo Duca (37)

Ivan Rodriguez (37)

David Ross (32)

Jason Varitek (37)

Gregg Zaun (38) - $3.75MM vesting option for '09; vests with 160 games played in '08

 

First basemen

Ben Broussard (32)

Carlos Delgado (37) - $16MM mutual option for '09 with a $4MM buyout

Nomar Garciaparra (35)

Jason Giambi (38) - $22MM club option for '09 with a $5MM buyout

Scott Hatteberg (39)

Kevin Millar (37)

Richie Sexson (34)

Mark Teixeira (29)

 

Second basemen

Mark Ellis (32)

Mark Grudzielanek (39)

Orlando Hudson (31)

Tadahito Iguchi (34)

Jeff Kent (41)

Felipe Lopez (29)

Mark Loretta (37)

 

Shortstops

Orlando Cabrera (34)

David Eckstein (34)

Adam Everett (32)

Rafael Furcal (31)

Cristian Guzman (31)

Cesar Izturis (29)

Felipe Lopez (29)

Edgar Renteria (33) - $11MM club option for '09 with a $3MM buyout

Juan Uribe (30)

Omar Vizquel (42) - $5.2MM club option for '09 with a $0.3MM buyout

 

Third basemen

Casey Blake (35)

Hank Blalock (28) - $6.2MM club option for '09 with a $0.25MM buyout

Joe Crede (31)

Nomar Garciaparra (35)

Wes Helms (33) - $3.75MM club option for '09

Chipper Jones (37) - $8-11MM vesting option for '09

 

Left fielders

Moises Alou (42)

Garret Anderson (37) - $14MM club option for '09 with a $3MM buyout

Milton Bradley (31)

Pat Burrell (32)

Carl Crawford (27) - $8.25MM club option for '09 with $2.5MM buyout

Adam Dunn (29)

Cliff Floyd (36) - $3MM club option for '09 with a $0.25MM buyout

Raul Ibanez (37)

Jacque Jones (34)

Jason Michaels (33) - $2.6MM club option for '09

Craig Monroe (32)

Jay Payton (36)

Wily Mo Pena (27) - $5MM club option or $2MM player option for '09

Manny Ramirez (37) - $20MM club option for '09

Juan Rivera (30)

 

Center fielders

Rocco Baldelli (27) - $6MM club option for '09 with a $4MM buyout

Jim Edmonds (39)

Jacque Jones (34)

Mark Kotsay (33)

 

Right fielders

Bobby Abreu (35)

Casey Blake (35)

Milton Bradley (31)

Brian Giles (38) - $9MM club option for '09 with a $3MM buyout

Ken Griffey Jr. (39) - $16.5MM club option for '09 with a $4MM buyout

Vladimir Guerrero (33) - $15MM club option for '09 with a $3MM buyout

Jacque Jones (34)

 

DHs

Milton Bradley (31)

Pat Burrell (32)

Adam Dunn (29)

Jason Giambi (38) - $22MM club option for '09 with $5MM buyout

Vladimir Guerrero (33) - $15MM club option for '09 with a $3MM buyout

Raul Ibanez (37)

Manny Ramirez (37) - $20MM club option for '09

Juan Rivera (30)

Frank Thomas (41) - $10MM option for '09; vests with 376 PAs in '08

Jim Thome (38) - $13MM club option for '09 with $3MM buyout

Jose Vidro (34) - vesting option for '09

 

Starting pitchers

A.J. Burnett (32) - can opt out after '08 season

Paul Byrd (38)

Ryan Dempster (32)

Jon Garland (29)

Tom Glavine (43)

Orlando Hernandez (43)

Randy Johnson (45)

John Lackey (30) - $9MM club option for '09 with a $0.5MM buyout

Esteban Loaiza (37) - $7.5MM club option for '09 with a $0.375MM buyout

Braden Looper (34)

Derek Lowe (36)

Greg Maddux (43)

Pedro Martinez (37)

Matt Morris (34) - $9MM club option for '09 with a $1MM buyout

Jamie Moyer (46)

Mark Mulder (31) - $11MM club option for '09 with a $1.5MM buyout

Mike Mussina (40)

Brad Penny (31) - $8.75MM club option for '09 with a $2MM buyout

Oliver Perez (27)

Andy Pettitte (37)

Kenny Rogers (44)

C.C. Sabathia (28)

Curt Schilling (42)

Ben Sheets (30)

John Smoltz (42) - $12MM club option for '09

Tim Wakefield (42) - perpetual $4MM club option

Woody Williams (42) - $6.75MM club option for '09 with a $0.25MM buyout

Randy Wolf (32)

 

Closers

Joe Borowski (38)

Ryan Dempster (32)

Brian Fuentes (33)

Eric Gagne (33)

Trevor Hoffman (41)

Jason Isringhausen (36)

Todd Jones (41)

Brad Lidge (32)

Joe Nathan (34)

Al Reyes (38)

Francisco Rodriguez (27)

 

Middle relievers

Doug Brocail (42) - club option for '09

Juan Cruz (28)

Alan Embree (39) - $3MM club option for '09

Scott Eyre (37)

Kyle Farnsworth (33)

Aaron Fultz (35)

Tom Gordon (41) - $4.5MM club option for '09 with a $1MM buyout

LaTroy Hawkins (36)

Matt Herges (39) - club option for '09

Bob Howry (35)

Steve Kline (36)

Brandon Lyon (29)

Damaso Marte (34) - $6MM club option for '09 with a $0.25MM buyout

Guillermo Mota (35)

Will Ohman (31)

Darren Oliver (38)

Juan Rincon (30)

Russ Springer (40)

Mike Stanton (42) - $2.5MM club option for '09 with a $0.5MM buyout

Mike Timlin (43)

Salomon Torres (37) - $3.75MM club option for '09 with a $0.3MM buyout

David Weathers (39)

Dan Wheeler (31)

Kerry Wood (32)

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Boston Globe reporting that the shoulder issues that sidelined Curt Schilling last year will keep him out of Spring Training. More info to follow.

[devo 0]

I'm surprised someone here hasn't mentioned Hawk Harrelson's contract extension yet.

 

http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune....lson-exten.html

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Boston Herald now says that Schilling might have a torn labrum or rotator cuff and could miss the entire 2008 season. The Sox have already looked into voiding the contract that he signed in November.

 

Wow, that whole pitching depth problem sure solved itself quickly.

[geniusMoment 0]

You can put it on the board...yessss!

He gone.

Good guys were black

Sax packed with sox

 

Sweet, more of these great calls are coming our way through 2011.

[geniusMoment 0]

Boston Herald now says that Schilling might have a torn labrum or rotator cuff and could miss the entire 2008 season. The Sox have already looked into voiding the contract that he signed in November.

 

Wow, that whole pitching depth problem sure solved itself quickly.

I guess it's time to call Minnesota. Oh wait, my bad.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Boston Herald now says that Schilling might have a torn labrum or rotator cuff and could miss the entire 2008 season. The Sox have already looked into voiding the contract that he signed in November.

 

Wow, that whole pitching depth problem sure solved itself quickly.

I guess it's time to call Minnesota. Oh wait, my bad.

 

 

Rotoworld is speculating that they may take a look at Kyle Lohse or Bartolo Colon as a 5th starter because of innings limits on Lester and Buchholz. Uggh... that would not be a good thing.

[geniusMoment 0]

They could try and get Joe Blanton, but now they'd probably have to vastly overpay.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

They could try and get Joe Blanton, but now they'd probably have to vastly overpay.

 

I think Oakland would want Ellsbury or Lowrie/Masterson/+ and both of those packages seem like way too much to give up for Blanton.

 

Technically, they have a rotation of Beckett/Dice-K/Lester/Wake/Buchholz, so the need for another starter doesn't seem like a big deal. But once you factor in Wake's health (or lack thereof), innings limits on Lester and Buchholz and a spot starter group that includes Tavarez, Snyder and Hansack, well things don't look so rosey.

 

I'm not ready to jump off a roof, but things just got more interesting in the AL East, and for this Sox fan, that's not a good thing.

[Guest Blue Man Czech]

You can put it on the board...yessss!

He gone.

Good guys were black

Sax packed with sox

 

Sweet, more of these great calls are coming our way through 2011.

YOU'RE DADGUM RIGHT THIS GAME'S GONNA BE HELD UNDER PROTEST!

 

Too bad they couldn't sign Sandy Alomar Jr. through 2011 as well. If they could, they probably would.

[Cartman 0]

Boston Herald now says that Schilling might have a torn labrum or rotator cuff and could miss the entire 2008 season. The Sox have already looked into voiding the contract that he signed in November.

 

Wow, that whole pitching depth problem sure solved itself quickly.

I guess it's time to call Minnesota. Oh wait, my bad.

 

While Pitching is extremely important, so is youth and a great leadoff hitter with ridiculous speed and a very good bat. The pricetag was way too high for Santana and it's clear that they prefered to shove him to the NL anyways. Personally i'm glad the Sox passed on Santana as I would actually like to see more kids from the farm come through the system and contribute as opposed to just snatching up every great player just because they can afford anyone they want cash wise.

 

The loss of Schilling definitely hurts the team but as long as Beckett and Dice-K pitch like they can, I am not too worried. Buchholz and Lester are obviously huge questionmarks right now but I think they will each be around the 9-12 win area.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

The loss of Schilling definitely hurts the team but as long as Beckett and Dice-K pitch like they can, I am not too worried. Buchholz and Lester are obviously huge questionmarks right now but I think they will each be around the 9-12 win area.

 

PECOTA doesn't envision Lester or Buchholz cracking 130 IP this season (both with ERAs over 4.00). Even with their respective pedigrees, the transition to major league batters will not be easy. Combine that with Wakefield being concerned about his creaky shoulder and this team is suddenly looking at filling 200 or 300 innings.

 

This could quickly end up like 2006 instead of 2007.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling will not have shoulder surgery for what appears to be a partial tear of his rotator cuff, despite the recommendation of the doctor who operated on the shoulder in 1995, and will follow the more conservative course recommended by Sox medical director Thomas Gill, after the club and player agreed to submit to today's recommendation by an outside medical expert.

 

Even without surgery, the 41-year-old Schilling is not expected to be ready to pitch until the All-Star break, according to several sources familiar with his condition.

 

Neither Schilling nor the club were commenting on developments this afternoon.

 

Schilling passed a physical before he signed a one-year, $8 million contract to return to the club last November. But the pitcher apparently experienced a recurrence of the shoulder discomfort that sidelined him for seven weeks last summer. In addition to seeing Gill, Schilling flew to Delaware on Jan. 28 to see Dr. Craig Morgan, who repaired his shoulder when he was with the Phillies in 1995. While Gill recommended rest and rehabilitation, much like the course of treatment followed by former Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez in the 2001 season, Morgan strongly urged surgery for Schilling, which conceivably could have ended Schilling's career.

 

According to one source, the Sox raised the possibility that Schilling would forfeit his contract if he proceeded to have surgery without their permission, and there were indications that the dispute has led to strained feelings between the parties.

 

There is a provision contained in an attachment to the new collective bargaining agreement that sets out a process in which the club and player ask for a third medical expert to intervene. In this case, the parties turned to Dr. David Altchek, the medical director of the New York Mets, who sided with the club, according to sources.

 

All from the Boston Globe.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

The loss of Schilling definitely hurts the team but as long as Beckett and Dice-K pitch like they can, I am not too worried. Buchholz and Lester are obviously huge questionmarks right now but I think they will each be around the 9-12 win area.

 

PECOTA doesn't envision Lester or Buchholz cracking 130 IP this season (both with ERAs over 4.00). Even with their respective pedigrees, the transition to major league batters will not be easy. Combine that with Wakefield being concerned about his creaky shoulder and this team is suddenly looking at filling 200 or 300 innings.

 

This could quickly end up like 2006 instead of 2007.

Can a projection system honestly predict innings pitched? Especially with Lester's missed time being due to a non-baseball ailment.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

The loss of Schilling definitely hurts the team but as long as Beckett and Dice-K pitch like they can, I am not too worried. Buchholz and Lester are obviously huge questionmarks right now but I think they will each be around the 9-12 win area.

 

PECOTA doesn't envision Lester or Buchholz cracking 130 IP this season (both with ERAs over 4.00). Even with their respective pedigrees, the transition to major league batters will not be easy. Combine that with Wakefield being concerned about his creaky shoulder and this team is suddenly looking at filling 200 or 300 innings.

 

This could quickly end up like 2006 instead of 2007.

Can a projection system honestly predict innings pitched? Especially with Lester's missed time being due to a non-baseball ailment.

 

You'd be surprised at how accurate it can be. It might not know what we do about Lester and Buchholz and their respective situations, but it does know what hundreds of other pitchers in similar situations have done.

 

PECOTA can easily miss on one given player, but its accuracy across a body of players is amazing. I'd rather take the 70% accuracy of the mean projection than the guesswork of the average Sox fan.