2007-2008 MLB Hot Stove (1 Viewer)

[Mike Frezon]

The "11 free agents/Mitchell Report" story is now being tweaked. Sounds like the Globe got it wrong:

 

[Shane Martin]

Free Agency is open now.

The Yankees resigned Jorge Posada 4 yrs 52 million
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3107197

He's now the highest paid catcher.

 

[LewB]

The deck was stacked in Jorge's favor:
He had an awesome year
There is no heir apparent
The Mets were interested in him
The Yanks were about to lose their exclusivity to negotiate

I am under no delusion that he'll be catching at age 40, but he's been 'a good soldier' and perhaps could mentor a kid coming up.
Besides, I'm really getting into shouting 'hip hip Jorge !' when he comes up to bat

 

[Mike Frezon]

Best signing the Yanks have made in awhile...for all the reasons stated by Lew. The way his offense blossomed last year...coupled with how his defense has blossomed under the tutelage of Tony Pena...makes him a very important cog in the Yankee attack.

"Hip Hip Jorge" IS very cool!

 

[Mike Frezon]

Holy crap. Beckett doesn't win the Cy Young. :frowning:

That was going to be the prediction to really put me on the map. He wuz robbed, I tell ya.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

Early reports have Beckett left off two ballots completely and Sabathia off one. Let me guess, now the writers down NY way don't believe pitchers should be eligible for the Cy Young either?

 

[EricW]

the voting wasn't really close though. i guess the 32 more innings pitched really stuck with the writers?

 

[Shane Martin]

I was and I am in still complete shock Beckett lost the Cy Young. Sebathia was pretty dominant this year but not like Beckett and I'm avoiding the post season.

The NL will be interesting. It should be Peavy, Penny or Brandon Webb. Likely Peavy but we'll see.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Gotta be Webb. After all, he pitched 236 innings this year. Peavy only threw 223. Penny is a piker at 201.

I'm still trying to determine if I want to carry a grudge on the Beckett/Sabathia decision like I do with the Pedro/Halliday vote of 2003.

 

[Kirk Tsai]

Mike, I know you are typing out of frustration, but let's review this again. The 2002 and 2003 seasons were not comparable to this season. Pedro was, on an inning by inning basis, by far the best pitcher in the game. He also pitched a lot less innings. Those seasons were more interesting debates in my mind.

This year, Beckett and Sabathia are pretty darn close on a per-inning basis. Sabathia has the same WHIP, a better ERA. Beckett strikes out more people, Sabathia walks less people. All done with a 40 innings difference (not 32), which is something like 4.5 games differential.

This is not the situation in the NL. Peavy threw 13 innings less, but with a significantly better ERA and WHIP. He issues about the same amount of walks as Webb, and strikes out a ton more. The NL Cy Young is a cakewalk for Peavy.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I usually don't give a rats ass about awards because they're so political. However, if the voting was closed before the playoffs began, I can see why CC had almost twice as many first place votes than Beckett, especially if you take into consideration the difference in innings pitched with the same WHIP and better ERA.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Indeed. But, you don't understand. I could have had class. I could have been a contender.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Turns out the Sox and Athletics will open the season in Japan (March 25 & 26). :frowning:

Oakland will be the home team for both games. They'll also be playing some day/night exhibitions against Japanese teams.

Wonder how they appeased the players/union.

 

[Mike Frezon]

The Yanks may end up with A-Rod...at a reduced rate!

Imagine being Alex Redriguez and your agent convinced you to opt out of the Yankee contract (giving up the Rangers money)...convinces you that someone will
pay you these incredibly huge $$$...and now you are left with the option of going back to the Yankees (one of the few--if not ONLY--teams that wants you) at a reduced salary/contract!!!

Wow.

 

[Kirk Tsai]

"...instead of a nobody, which is what I am."

Sorry Mike, I ain't buying that crap! Boston right now isn't just a contender, it's a friggin' juggernaut. You got the Sox coming back again in the ALCS and sweeping to win the World Series. The Patriots are undefeated with Tom Brady going for an all time single season record. The Celtics are also undefeated in the early season, and KG looks like he's a frontrunner to every award this NBA season.

I'm an LA sports fan. We've got the Dodgers, who have in-house fighting between the vets and the young guys. We just brought in Joe Torre from the evil empire, and we've got Juan Pierre playing center field. Since 1988, the Dodgers have won exactly one playoff game. The biggest star in all of LA sports wants out of the Lakers, or maybe not, or maybe it's the boss who wants him out now. Who knows? And the Lakers were in the KG sweepstakes too, losing to, you guessed it, the arch rival Boston Celtics! Not that I care very much, but did I mention there's no LA pro football team?

...and you were saying?

 

[Mike Frezon]

Kirk: Please buy my crap!

I wasn't referring to the Red Sox bein' a contenduh...I was referring to me...me...it's all about ME! Well, me and my pre-season prediction that Beckett would win the AL Cy Young award (a prediction that was roundly pooh-poohed!). I thought I might join the ranks of the great prognosticators!

Just for the record...I'm not a "Boston-area" sports fan. Just the Sox (because of Yaz in '67). I'm a Colts fan (Unitas). But don't follow the NFL nearly as closely as MLB. Used to be a Celtics fan (Havlicek)...but I can't stand the NBA anymore. Never liked hockey at all.

 

[Marvin]

That would be great!

But there's probably some owner dumb enough to pay what Boras was initially asking for. Maybe Tom Hicks again?

 

[Jassen M. West]

This is the best news I've heard so far. Keep him out of Boston!

 

[Jason Seaver]

No news that involves the Yankees potentially resigning Rodriguez is good news. The man is too damn good at playing baseball for me to want him on the Yankees.

 

[Mike Frezon]

He really should consider taking his career to the National League!