This Week in Baseball 8/11 - 8/17

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

First off, Sabathia and Harden went well ahead of the deadline so I dont even really think they count as much for deadline deals. Manny and Jason Bay were in the same trade.

 

Sabathia and Harden were traded before the non-waiver deadline. That makes them deadline trades. Do the deals have to come down on July 31st to count now?

 

Also, so what if Bay and Manny went in the same trade. It was still multi-time All-Stars getting dealt.

 

Not to mention big names that were put on waivers and could have been traded (Street, Giles) but were blocked one way or another.

 

They weren't just blocked one way or another. Those trades didn't happen because of the deadline. That's why the whole July 31st thing exists. The only way stars get dealt during the waiver period is if they have extremely limited value.

 

but if Paul Byrd can clear waivers then I dont see the big problem.

 

You know that Paul Byrd sucks, right?

[geniusMoment 0]

Reds decided not to bring Dunn back in late May after meeting with his agents and finding out what type of contract he wanted.

 

In an interview today Bronson Arroyo mentioned how Dunn had told the team that there was a good chance he wasn't going to be back as he wants a 6 year 120 million dollar deal in order to sign with anyone. He reportedly was willing to give the Reds "a deal" and sign for 5 for 100 million. But, he wasn't willing to settle for any less. Dusty Baker confirmed the story, and admitted they knew Dunn was going to be leaving the team after this season.

 

 

If anyone is dumb enough to pay Dunn 20 million a year for the next 6 years have at it.

[Annabelle 0]

i was kinda saying the sheffield/tampa thing as a joke. as a tigers fan. he's being a weiner.

 

garcia to the tigers right now doesn't make that much sense for either party, unless they are gonna upgrade this years deal into something more in the offseason.

 

dontrelle has been promoted to triple a. the guy has avoided a lot of walks in his single a starts, which is nice. but he is still being tagged. he may come up this year if robertson or rogers are moved.

[Guest Cal Moriarty]

Marvin, I'm not convinced you have the slightest idea what the fuck you're talking about, ever, in any baseball thread. Paul "I Struggle With Pornography" Byrd clearing waivers is not indicative of the trade deadline being meaningless.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Reds decided not to bring Dunn back in late May after meeting with his agents and finding out what type of contract he wanted.

 

In an interview today Bronson Arroyo mentioned how Dunn had told the team that there was a good chance he wasn't going to be back as he wants a 6 year 120 million dollar deal in order to sign with anyone. He reportedly was willing to give the Reds "a deal" and sign for 5 for 100 million. But, he wasn't willing to settle for any less. Dusty Baker confirmed the story, and admitted they knew Dunn was going to be leaving the team after this season.

 

 

If anyone is dumb enough to pay Dunn 20 million a year for the next 6 years have at it.

 

I'm not well informed of the situation, but isn't it possible the Reds are just trying to do spin control? They did, after all, trade two of their biggest names all in one half of a season. Surely for Reds fans, that isn't sitting well with them, without the "justification" that the Reds are giving them...

[Failed Bridge 0]

Byrd's been pretty damn good in his last 5 starts so hopefully he keeps it up

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Reds decided not to bring Dunn back in late May after meeting with his agents and finding out what type of contract he wanted.

 

In an interview today Bronson Arroyo mentioned how Dunn had told the team that there was a good chance he wasn't going to be back as he wants a 6 year 120 million dollar deal in order to sign with anyone. He reportedly was willing to give the Reds "a deal" and sign for 5 for 100 million. But, he wasn't willing to settle for any less. Dusty Baker confirmed the story, and admitted they knew Dunn was going to be leaving the team after this season.

 

 

If anyone is dumb enough to pay Dunn 20 million a year for the next 6 years have at it.

 

I'm not well informed of the situation, but isn't it possible the Reds are just trying to do spin control? They did, after all, trade two of their biggest names all in one half of a season. Surely for Reds fans, that isn't sitting well with them, without the "justification" that the Reds are giving them...

 

I'm a little curious as well. Granted, I'm not overly in tune with what's going on in Cincinnati, but I had heard that ownership was afraid that his value had dropped far enough that it was possible Dunn might accept arbitration this offseason. Rumor had it that after seeing a complete lack of offers before the trade deadline the team decided it was best to move him for the first package they got.

 

I guess the truth is probably somewhere in between. I am a big Adam Dunn supporter, but even I think $20 million a year is a little crazy. Something like JD Drew's 5/$70 seems far more likely.

[LuckyLopez 0]

My real point was, why hype the deadline so much if just as big/important trades can happen in August. I understand that waivers complicate the trades more, but if Adam Dunn and Paul Byrd can clear waivers then I dont see the big problem.

I'm pretty sure someone already said this but Dunn did NOT clear waivers. I don't get why baseball fans have such a hard time understanding the concept of waivers. Every team gets a shot going in reverse order of the standings starting with the league he's in. So he cleared past about only half a dozen teams before the D-Backs claimed him on waivers, and then worked out a deal with Cinci. That's how it works. And almost every team who passed on Dunn had no use for him as they are well out of contention. Byrd I can't find whether he cleared waivers or not but he at least cleared past almost all of the AL including Chicago and New York who theoretically could have blocked for him. But he's not exactly a big name or a terribly talented pitchers. He's a 37 year old mediocre arm putting up below average numbers who MIGHT be of use as a 5th starter. Not exactly a "big name."

 

Dunn was a big name and he is a clear example of the deadline change. 20+ teams didn't get a shot at him before the D-Backs. And that left Cinci with no real leverage to make a deal. PTBNL could be someone of value and are probably not named yet because of the deadline/waiver issues, because they can't get back anyone off of the 40 Man of Arizona unless THEY clear waivers. But that again limits what the Reds can get for him. The deadline is the end of the nice and easy trading. Manny would have probably never made it to LA and Bay almost certainly wouldn't have made it to Boston in return after the deadline. That's how it works and that's why the deadline is a big deal.

 

As Cheech said your Street example is EXACTLY why the deadline matters. ONE team gets a shot at him and if Oakland isn't happy with what they're willing to give then they hang on. There is no opportunity to negotiate with a 2nd team. There is no leverage. It really floors me how complicated fans seem to find this stuff. It reminds me of as kid the old joke about how complicated the Infield Fly Rule was and then when I got older realizing that anyone who doesn't understand it is either kind of dumb or just never bothered to try.

 

And if Byrd and Dunn somehow make up a more impressive list than Teix, Nady, Pudge, Griffey, whichever of Manny/Bay counts in your mind, and the earlier trades of CC and Harden I don't know what to say. Paul Byrd.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Haha, Brian Giles a "big name."

[Boon 0]

David Ortiz just hit two three-run homeruns in the first inning.

[geniusMoment 0]

per the Arizona republic and rotoworld.com:

 

The Arizona Republic reports that Micah Owings is one of the players to be named in the Adam Dunn deal.

Depending on who the second player to be named is, this could end up looking like a great deal for Cincinnati, who wasn't going to re-sign Dunn anyway. Owings was a big disappointment this season after posting a 4.30 ERA in 2007, and while the Diamondbacks refused to say he was injured, he's currently dealing with shoulder stiffness in the minors. He'll need to improve his change-up to make it as a starter, and who knows - the Reds could always convert him to an outfielder or first baseman.

 

 

Owings was then claimed on waivers by a team with a worse record then cincy, meaning the trade won't be completed until after the season when Owings would be able to be traded without being put on waivers.

 

 

Oh, and I meant that Dunn told Reds teammates in the locker room the type of deal he wanted. Bronson was talking about a personal conversation he had with Adam, if that makes a difference.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Cincy seemed poised to have a producing outfield two or three seasons ago with Dunn, Pena, and Kearns. Odd to see they're all gone now. I guess if the Reds weren't going to re-sign Dunn, it made sense to trade him for something. I just can't get past this notion that he's not a very good player. He strikes out often and would rather watch fishing shows than game footage, but is that really enough to cancel out his ability to draw walks, see lots of pitches and most importantly, hit for power while driving in a lot of runs?

 

Juan Pierre hardly strikes out and he was considered a great player in many circles up until the last season or two. I think that shows you the unnecessary amount of emphasis placed on the strikeout in evaluating good hitters. No, they don't move runners along or score them from third base. But those types of hitters generally see a fair amount of pitches and what's more, stay the hell out of doubleplays. There are over 20 instances in which a strikeout would've been better than the actual result in a Derrek Lee at-bat. But whatever. Dunn's gone and now that dinosaur Brennaman can find other scapegoats to explain why the team is perennially bringing up the rear of the NL Central.

[Guest Cal Moriarty]

I can think of a scapegoat, but it might be a little soon. However, note that Edinson Volquez has hit some bumps in the road, and Aaron Harang hasn't been the same since pitching four innings of relief two days after and three days before making starts. Not saying, just saying.

[jimmy no nose 0]

This Rangers-Red Sox game is ridiculous. After going down 10-0 in the first the Rangers have just tied the game at 14 in the 6th and still have a chance to score again 1st and 3rd with one out.

[Cartman 0]

I'm officially embarrassed to be a Red Sox fan tonight...10-0 lead in the first inning is now a 14-14 tie in the top of the 6th.

[naiwf 0]

The Red Sox are looking like the Mets at the moment.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Keep your head hung, Texas just took the lead.

[At Home 0]

Halos series against the Mariners coming up... should improve their record to 76-43. Wow.

[Guest Cal Moriarty]

The Rangers are like the Doug Moe Denver Nuggets. This is kind of fun.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Did someone just say they're embarrassed to be a fan of a team that would be representing the American League as the wild card if the season ended today?

[Guest Cal Moriarty]

Cartman is supposed to be a reason, not have a reason.

[KingPK 0]

Blowing two 10-run leads aside, that was a fun game.

[Cartman 0]

Hey Czech, fuck you. You've been far worse than I could ever DREAM of being with your Cubs shit this year.

 

 

That being said...I dont care if they won the game(though it definitely helps)...that was BRUTAL to watch. God forbid I am dissapppointed in a game where my favorite team gives up a 10-0 lead.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

I am going to hate you for forcing me to defend the CUBS and their fans, but Boston has a lot less to complain about these days, what with the two World Series rings in the last 5 years and all.... vs the Cubs' zero in one hundred years.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

That and for all of Czech's hysteria this season, I don't believe he's claimed to be an embarrassment to be a fan. Even if it was hyperbole on Cartman's part, it's a silly thing to say. It's not easy to watch a team piss away a lead, but strange things happen to every team every year. Even the good ones. Get off the damn ledge.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

The O's run for the wild card has hit a snag thanks to a three game losing streak. Baseball Prospectus now sees them as about a 3000:1 shot to make the playoffs.

 

The Phils have shown a frustrating inability to win with Cole Hamels on the mound. They've now lost four of five, the only win coming when Hamels gave up nine runs!

 

Olympic baseball kicked off today as well. Brandon Knight makes the start for Team USA, currently trailing 3-1 in the fourth inning against South Korea.

[Cartman 0]

It's just stupid knee-jerk overreaction relax guys geez. Not like that never happens around here. Especially with me!

[snuffbox 0]

stupid knee-jerk overreaction relax guys geez.

 

You have a gift.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

How many times does Soriano need to mistakenly identify a ball off the wall as a homer before he starts at least trotting out of the box. Dummy just turned a ball that smacked off the wall into a single because he spent 10 seconds admiring it. Not a big deal in a six-run game in the middle of August, but he's done that a couple times this year. It's pretty inexcusable.

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

The Yankees are just about to wrap up the official road trip from hell at 3-7.