2010 - 2011 MLB Hot Stove Thread (1 Viewer)

Everyone who is not a fan of the San Fransisco Giants and Texas Rangers is already throwing logs on the stove looking ahead to next season.

The cool autumn air is already full of rumors and news about the 2011 season.


Just this morning comes the news that the Commissioner is contemplating further screwing up baseball by floating a trial balloon of sending even more teams to the playoffs. That would be wrong. It is definitely a breath of fresh air to read in that story, though, how Nolan Ryan has come out in favor of elimination of the DH in the AL! The Commish, however, doesn't seem to be having any of that talk.


And the Yankees have re-upped their skipper for the next three years.

I am not much of a baseball fan, let alone the overpaid primadonnas of the MLB, but have been keeping track of this world series event due to the fact that Josh Hamilton is on the Rangers. He is a Raleigh, NC native

the extra playoff teams are supposed there so that non-wildcard teams get an advantage over WC teams. basically the two wildcard teams in each league have to play a one game playoff just before the Divisional series. this takes their #1 starter out of game 1/2/3 of the divisional series.

I don't know how I feel about more teams in the playoffs. I used to hate it when it was only 2 teams that made the playoffs each season, and liked it when it expanded to include the Wild Card, making more games in the regular season meaningful.


But expanding it even more... perhaps it's too much of a good thing, just like expanding the NFL season to 18 games. And chances are, those extra round of playoffs will probably not likely be on the major networks. Plus the possibility of a mediocre team with a losing record getting into the playoffs, like what we have in the NBA sometimes. I don't think that has ever happened in baseball, yet!


Let's say they actually go through with it. What does that mean for the regular season?

It looks like there is opposition amongst baseball's ownership to Selig's desire to expand the postseason.



That same article reports that Dan Uggla was shipped off to the Braves by the Marlins. The Marlins pick up Omar Infante and lefty Mike Dunn. And, Jake Westbrook stays with the Cards.

Hoping Uggla stays healthy and can produce for the Braves at the nearly the same level as he did as a Marlin. In the past 5-7 years, usually when the Braves bring in someone of note, it rarely pans out for them. The Braves still need a center fielder who can hit with power.

Maybe this goes in the other thread, but here goes:


Felix Hernandez wins the AL Cy Young - with the lowest win total ever (13 wins), but a great ERA for an AL pitcher.


http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5820623

All hail King Felix! Imagine if he had supporting players like Junior Griffey, A-Rod, Edgar Martinez, Jay Buehner...


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I always knew the MLB draft was complicated and hard-to-understand, but this blog entry from the Boston Globe (which starts off describing the Red Sox' arbitration issues) also details why the draft is screwed up and why it will likely be changed next year.


The NY Times also recently ran THIS article about how Latin players are manipulated (and manipulators) in the MLB draft.

Switch-hitting slugging catcher Victor Martinez signs with the Tigers. Four years/$50 Million.


The Red Sox will now be left with Saltalamacchia for their catching duties (with Varitek as his likely backup).

The news that Ron Santo passed away really hit me harder then I thought it would.


Now in the cruelest of turns he'll probably get into the HOF an honor he clearly deserves.

Reports today indicate it looks like the Red Sox and Padres will be closing the deal which sends Adrian Gonzales to the Sox for three prospects. The Sox get him for a year but are also being granted an extension to negotiate new terms for a longer contract.

The Sox have been wanting to bring Gonzales into the fold for quite awhile. I certainly hope he lives up to their expectations.

I continue to watch with interest what happens with the futures of Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford.

And I'm really surprised to see that it looks like Derek Jeter will remain a Yankee...


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As a Phillies and a Nationals fan I'm happy to see Jayson Werth coming to town, though the contract is a head scratcher - too much money and too many years. Finally the Nats will have an outfielder starting who could be a starter on any other team in the league. (The Nats outfield has been dismal for years - I think the last legit player they had in the outfield was Brad Wilkerson - and that was like 5 years ago. No, Soriano doesn't count.) Hope he does well, he'll be The Featured Star on the team; can he step up to that level?


Now the Nats need a 1st baseman. Badly.

First, Adrian Gonzalez, and now ... Carl Crawford! I am thrilled that Carl Crawford looks to be coming to the BoSox. I've been wanting this to happen for about two years. Acquiring he and Gonzalez will add a lot of punch (and more importantly, speed) to their line-up. I can't even imagine Crawford and Ellsbury on the base paths, assuming that Jacoby is going to (hopefully) be with Boston for the forseeable future. What a tandem that would be, and then you throw in a couple of other speedy outfielders that we got a glimpse of last year, and it could be a fun ride in 2011. Now they have to solidify the bullpen, particularly from the left side, and secure a solid catcher for the long-term.


These lines (and especially those in the second paragraph) caught my eye:


"Behind the scenes, they're going to get one of the hardest-working ballplayers in the league," said Rocco Baldelli, who was Crawford's teammate in Tampa Bay and also played for the Red Sox. "There's nobody out there that's going to give himself a better chance to succeed than Carl is.


"They're going to get one of the best defensive left fielders that I've ever seen in baseball. He's one of the best defensive outfielders in all of baseball. They're going to get a guy who is an exciting player, probably as exciting a player as there is. He's going to be active and he's going to make things exciting. People are going to appreciate everything he does."


http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/mlb/news/story?id=5901372

Definitely good days to be Red Sox fans.


Here's hoping they continue this coming summer!

Nothing definite, but it's being reported that Cliff Lee is about to or HAS signed with the Phils.

Looks to be true. I don't even know what to say.

Lee, Halliday, Hamels & Oswalt might sound even more fearsome than Maddux, Glavine & Smoltz.

Apparently Amaro has been lurking behind the the scenes waiting out the Yankees and Rangers to see what they would do, then pretty much swooped in, made an offer and got him.