Hot Stove League Baseball Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[James T]

One more day before Roy Halliday gets his Cy Young award. If he doesn't get it, then there's something wrong.

And there's something wrong with the Jays. In the last 8 years, they had 3(and soon 4) Cy Young winners with Hentgen and Clemens, twice. They don't seem to have a problem getting an ace, it's just the rest of their pitching staff that has major problems

 

[DanFe]

Unless Moyer gets it.

 

[Dennis]

Berroa deserved the attention, and his win shouldn't tarnished

You're right Chris. Angel Berroa deserved it. I'm not saying Hideki Matsui didn't, I wouldn't have had a problem with either one winning. I have more of a problem with the four writers that voted but left off Matsui and Berroa off of their lists. I understand why Matsui was left off of two journalist's ballots, they (one reporter from Massachusetts and one from Minnesota-wonder who they voted for in 2000 and 2001 when Sasaki and Ichiro won?) don't consider him a rookie, but why on earth was Berroa left off of the other two reporter's ballots? Stranger things have happened.

If you're going to defy the rules, but be fair, don't pick and choose when you're going to defy them.

Again, Berroa deserved it.

 

[KurtW]

Oh boy. Schilling said he wouldn't wave his no-trade to play in New Yuck. My hero! He did, however, say that he would wave it for Boston. So the new rumor is Schilling and Mantei to Boston for prospects and a young pitcher (Kim?). Trot Nixon could go to the Mariners, who are seeking a LH bat, in return for Freddy Garcia. If that doesn't happen, he could end up in St Louis for JD Drew (if the Cardinals don't persue Eric Milton). And Boston's pushing for an A-rod for Manny trade, which would save Texas something like 60 million in the long run. And I think Buck could do wonders with Manny, personally. And it frees up an immediate $5 million a year for at least one, if not 2 pitchers (Cory Lidle, Miguel Batista). The Yankees will probably get Sheffield, and not Vlad.

The Mariners may make a bit of a splash if they can find the payroll, in the form of Vlad (who I think would be a perfect fit there) or another big-name guy.

Petitte is now a mortal lock to return to the Yankees, and David Wells is going to have back surgery and attempt a comeback, possibly with the Padres, which is where Greg Maddux should end up. If not, the Yankees are looking into him too, depending on how Leiber is.

Cubs may end up with Pudge before all is over, if the Orioles don't get him first and the Marlins can't re-sign him. And apparently, Dusty Baker is lobbying for Rich Aurilia and Felix Rodriguez in Chicago. Richie Sexson wants to play for the Cubs, and it's said that all the Brewers are asking is He-Sop Choi straight up.

Carl Everrett to the Rockies, who are almost desperate to get rid of Larry Walker. They're also in the veteran 2nd basemen mix.

Richard Hidalgo may end up in LA, if Houston includes a prospect or 2 to avoid paying part of his salary. Geoff Jenkens may go there if Hidalgo is too expensive. Anaheim is apparently serious about Tejada.

D-Rays will make some moves, probably getting Jose Cruz and a reliever or 2, like Kelvin Escobar or Arthur Rhodes, maybe even Tom Gordon. The Marlins are just going to try and re-sign Pudge and Castillo, if they can, and probably won't end up signing Lowell. The Cubs still want him, and are willing to give up the lower paid Aramis Rameriz to get him, as well as another prospect or 2. But he'd have to sign a healthy extension to stay in Chicago, they're not after rentals. The Yankees may make a run for AJ Burnett too.

Once again, all speculation and rumors, but I'll post as I hear more.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Kurt,
Talking about a complete reversal in your stated opinion.





Crawdaddy

 

[John Thomas]

That makes about as much sense, as calling Ivan Rodriguez NL rookie of the year, because after all it was his first year as an NL player.

Thank you. Matsui has the experience of playing at a professional level, whether it be in Japan or the US; that plays a big role in a "rookie" performance. In my opinion, RoY is given to someone who is first exposed to the big leagues. Berroa was my choice as well.

Regarding Dontrelle, I suppose he deserves the NL RoY but I'd rather have Podsednik on my team. Dontrelle was the benefactor of much of sports media's hype.

 

[John Thomas]

Oh yeah, Halladay did in fact win the Cy Young. FYI.

 

[Ralph Summa]

I just heard a Peter Gammons fueled rumor: A-Rod to the Red Sox, Nomar to the Angels, Eckstein and a pitcher to Texas. As a Sox fan I don't see this as helping. Granted Texas will eat some of A-Rod's salary, but it will still cost the Sox big money. Which means Manny will still have to go.
I'll take Manny AND Nomar over A-Rod any day.

 

[KurtW]

Talking about a complete reversal in your stated opinion

Yah, I know. But when I hear it from 2 completely different (and non-Peter Gammons related) sources, then I have to think otherwise.

 

[John Madia]

I don't think that the Red Sox will take A-Rod unless they're sure to get rid of Manny. If they have both A-Rod and Manny, that means about 40 million dollars would be committed to two players over the next several years.

If a Manny for A-Rod trade does go down, I could see Nomar being traded to the Dodgers for some prospects (Edwin Jackson?).

As for A-Rod I think he's way overpriced but would be worth it if they could get rid of Manny. He's solid defensively and can hit for power or average giving them some flexibility in their lineup. The most important thing is that he's managable off the field, which is the main reason the Red Sox don't want Manny.

I've heard that Schilling might wave his no-trade clause for the Yankees if they'd give him a contract extension. He's also interested in pitching for the Phillies again. Any deal would have to favor Schilling because he's perfectly content to pitch for Arizona another year.

 

[Jason Seaver]

The most important thing is that he's managable off the field

This, of course, was the justification for getting rid of Babe Ruth 80-odd years ago. I never want to hear about "character"-driven personnel decisions again.

 

[John Madia]

Well, the Sox didn't exactly get a player the quality of A-Rod for Ruth. It doesn't really matter because the A-Rod/Manny deal seems dead anyway.

 

[Ralph Summa]

I'm thoroughly convinced that the Red Sox brass has one foot nailed to the floor. The more things change the more they stay the same. They can't settle on one priority and they are just spinning in circles. I listened to a Boston sports reporter saying that Theo and the owners are showing game video during manager interviews and saying "OK, what would you do here?" This is asinine.

Also, personnel issues are a joke! They lead you to believe that releasing Manny is a payroll decision that will help them sign many of their free agents in 2005, then they talk about getting A-Rod. I still think they would end up taking on about $15 million of A-Rod's salary if they traded for him, which doesn't help with their upcoming free agent issues. I don't think the Sox will have A-Rod and Manny together next year. If A-Rod comes to Boston, I wouldn't be surprised if they unloaded Manny for several prospects, and then they would still be eating part of his $20 million.

The thing that really makes this rediculous is that Sox are failing to address their biggest personnel needs, pitching, pitching and pitching.

I just can't understand the thinking of the owners. They had a team with so much chemistry that was so close to getting into the World Series. You would think they would go balls to the wall this winter to do what ever they had to do to get over the hump. They briefly smelled a victory over the Yankees and ended up with a horrible taste in their mouths. I thought they'd be itching to go out and get the big guns. I equate it to getting withing a few feet of Mt. Everest's peak and turning back.

With what I have seen from the 2003 Sox management, I have a feeling that the 2005 Boston Red Sox just might just look like an expansion team. Well, we'll see what happens in the upcoming meetings. Theo may surprise us. But I won't hold my breath.

Ralph

 

[KurtW]

Ralph, I don't know that getting A-rod would be all bad. They would obviously have to dump Nomar if they did, and the Dodgers have a plethora of pitching to give for him - top-shelf pitching. I could see something like Darren Dreifort and Guillermo Mota, and probably a prospect or 2, included in a deal like that. Those are all guys who could help out immediatly, and the team would instantly be better. And they have the payroll to do it.

But honestly, don't count on anything for the moment. Everything is speculation. I see the BoSox getting a few quality guys, maybe in the Cory Lidle, Miguel Batista, Ugueth Urbina, Wilson Alverez, Latroy Hawkins, or even Keith Foulke mold. Closers are a dime a dozen, all of a sudden.

I, for one, as a Sox fan, would like to see them deal Trot Nixon for a LH starter, and sign Shannon Stewart and maybe another decent bat, then shore up their front line starters. This is a team that NEEDS a solid #6 guy that can come out of the pen and make a decent spot start (ala Jose Contreres). Tim Wakefield can fill that roll, so another starter or 2 would be ideal. I can see Fred Garcia and Cory Lidle as those 2 guys, but that may be just wishfull thinking.

 

[John Madia]

Boston might end up with Eddie Guardado. He's friends with Otriz and liked what he had to say about the clubhouse. I'm not sure if they'd use him to close but he would be a good addition to the bullpen.

There's a rumor of Freddy Garcia for Trot Nixon. Both players have always been on the brink of stardom so both sides have been reluctant to trade. I think that Boston would be better off keeping Nixon unless he won't resign.

Boston doesn't have the money for Millwood, Pettite or Colon. Right now, they'd have to settle for Escobar or Ponson. I imagine they're going to do a lot of trading both to free up payroll and get some of the guys they need. I'm not sure what they were thinking with the three way trade, but a straight Manny for A-Rod trade would allow them to trade Nomar and they'd free up 5 million.

Pitchers like Brian Anderson are a good buy and expect Boston to pick up someone like him. They'll also have Kim in the starting rotation.

 

[Michael Hughes]

The Mets need to make a play for A-Rod, but not trade away the Farm.

 

[Bill J]

Congratulations to Jack McKeon and Tony Pena for receiving well deserved Manager of the Year awards.

 

[Joseph S]

They'll also have Kim in the starting rotation.

Hopefully, he'll be in jail or at least on home daily whippings for his latest "Offense" this week. I'd rather Wakes pitch twice through the rotation instead.

 

[John Madia]

Well, Boston might have more than $10 million to spend on free agents but they're not going to.

Why get rid of Nixon in right? He's fine there. Nixon and Kapler both cost 7.5 million. Vlad would cost double that assuming he'd even consider playing in Boston. Plus he's got a bad back which could be a liability.

They've got Kevin Millar at first. Walker's most likely going somewhere else (possibly to play first or third)
and really didn't do anything during the regular season to warrant his price going up. What he did in the postseason inflated his price above what he should be making. I doubt the Red Sox would pay it and they're probably better off getting Castillo anyway.

As for potential starters they have Pedro, Wakefield, Lowe, Kim, Fossum, Arroyo and Lyon

Other than the first three the rest of the starters are quesion marks. Kim has great stuff but a lot of other problems, Fossum's turning into a career minor leagurer and Lyon is extremely doubtful to start. They might have something with Arroyo but I don't think he's ready to start just yet. They need a number 2 or 3 guy (Millwood, Colon, Escobar, etc.) and a number 5 guy (Brian Anderson, Miguel Batista, etc.). One of the number 5 guys could really shine in Boston where all you need is around a 4 ERA to keep you team in the game.

The bullpen was a mess last year but a few of the players came around during the playoffs. Embree could be good when he's healthy. Timlin was solid throughout the year but might not might sign. Williamson has dominant stuff when he's focused and not throwing balls. They need at least two (preferably three) solid releviers. There's a lot out there either on the free agent market or through trades.

As for other teams, why aren't the Dodgers after Sexon? They wanted him at the trade deadline and their team could still use him.

 

[Jason Seaver]

I listened to a Boston sports reporter saying that Theo and the owners are showing game video during manager interviews and saying "OK, what would you do here?" This is asinine.

I've been given test cases to solve during job interviews; I don't really see using a simulation as something much different. Also, what an imbecile Boston sports reporter calls a videogame could be Diamond Mind or some other high-end simulation.