You like apples?

We just signed Cesar Izturis.

How you like THEM apples?


(I don't like them apples, not one bit...)

Yankees offer Burnett a 5 year deal.. probably around $90 mil.

Nats offer Tex 8 years $180 mil.

You just made me LOL.
Word on the street is that McCourt and the Dodgers are short on money and may not be as big a player as people think they are. We'll see.

Baseball in Ohio may have just picked up.

The REDS got Ramon Hernandez for Freel, great trade there.

The Reds may end up with Jr. again at a very LOW salary. I see one more major trade in Cincy for a SP.

NEVER underestimated Jocketty. Rumors are hot for Dye but is Cincy in his no trade clause?

Hermida with the right leadership and in good health maybe an option. Cincy has a good fan base and the city as a whole usually stays healthy during bad economic times, unlike Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, and so on. So while Cincy is no NY I don't see them dirt poor either, especially with JR and Dunn gone, there's some money there to be used for an impact player or 2. THeir biggest need though is pitching and they need it badly.

The INDIANS just signed Wood (20 mill for 2yrs + option 3rd year) and traded for I'm hoping 2 young decent RP. Trading Guitierrez though is NOT good UNLESS they plan on hmmmm signing Manny, who hasn't really had any bids of late or someone else maybe Dunn. Or have a really big trade coming. I have a feeling we'll see something BIG out of Cleveland before the weekend. They are needing to show fans that they want to compete and sell tickets. While Wood is a very good signing, I just don't think they would give up on Franklin G (who is loved in Cleveland) for 2 maybe decent RP, without someone major coming in. There are rumors Furcal maybe coming but again that is just not quite enough. Of course, if they brought in Burnett, Peavy or a very strong SP.... that would sell tickets even in this economy.

Dolan needs to show something before Christmas to get those tickets sold. Otherwise, the only thing selling in Cleveland will be Dolan selling the Tribe for much less than the 323 MILLION he paid for it.

Hmmmmmm Maybe the Lerners will take the Indians also. Randy knows how to spend money.... doesn't know how to hire good GM/Coaches though. But this is baseball, give Shap some money to play with and good things could happen.

Looks like Baltimore offers Tex 6 years $150 mil.

Boston is "progressing" in the deal with Tex. (whatever that means)

And the Padres have put a deadline to the Cubs to get a Peavy deal done.

Just so you know, all of us here in Baltimore are saying the same thing about our side of the deal. You know, a fourth-outfielder/fifth-infielder and two middling prospects :lol:

Just be prepared for the inevitable DL stint in July when Ramon has to get surgery to have Dusty Baker's foot removed from his...well, you know where that is going...:p

Boston made an offer to Varitek but no details are available.. the Boston Herald is saying it's a 2 year deal. No info on if he's been approached by any other teams.

It's doubtful that Boston will make an offer to Burnett that tops the Yankees offer. Other than Matsuzaka, they just don't go out on a limb with big contracts or over 4 years with pitchers.

So basically, all eyes are focused on Teixeira now for Theo from what I'm reading. They are also looking at some bullpen guys. Boston really needs some bullpen help.

Boston is looking at Smoltz and I dare say Sheets as well. Smoltz could fit in well at Boston, but I have a feeling Smoltz will end up in Detroit.


And Peavy isn't going to the Cubs.. that deal is DEAD. Hrmm could Peavy be in a Boston uni next season? Door is wide open at this point.

Putz is in a Mets uni which seems like it would work well with K-rod following him.

Edit: I just read that the yankees are considering trading Melky Cabrera to the Brewers for Mike Cameron.

can anyone say Bull in the china shop? :lol:

Freel is a DH resident also. Plus he has some DUI problems and may be a bit of a basket case.

Hernandez, while his better days are pretty much gone, is still better than LaRue and Ross were the past few years.

He's no Johnny Bench but he could be a great help to a team that has had no offense in the Catcher's position for a while.

Pan: I have to say I'm pleased to see that you're excited about baseball. When I saw that you had posted, I will admit that I thought you might be ranting about the C.C. contract.

I also was prepared to tell you that Pedroia signed for alot less money than he could have in Boston because that's just where he wants to play. He loves it there. Loyalty like that is hard to find these days..

but now you've gone and messed it all up with your posts :p

Goodbye, Mr. Heilman.

Goodbye, Mr. Smith.

We'll miss you, Senor Chavez.

Vargas, we hardly knew ye (we really didn't).

Phase One of The Great Purge is nearly complete. Now, if we can do something about 2B and LF, I'll really be happy.

What Pedroia did deserves a lot of respect. That is a rarity these days. Let's hope he maintains that style of play.

As for CC.... supposedly the 3 yr opt out clause was the highlight to him. I have heard that he was willing to take less money to play in LA but the union basically told him to sign for the Yankees, sets the market etc etc. Much the same as they did to Thome with Philly.

I see CC and whoever else NY breaks banks with pretty much not doing much. CC won't be happy and in 3 years he's gone. Burnett, Sheets, Lowe... sure you can pay millions for them but when the egos and attitudes start top flare up and all these "aces" start acting like kids demanding the same treatment as .... (insert Yankee pitcher's name here) it's over. With no Torre to keep egos in check, I look for NY to have what it has had in years past, a locker room full of overpaid egos that can't or won't perform up to their talent. Plus the pressure will truly hurt some of them... can you say CC.

But if all that money makes CC happy and the Yanks want to think they will buy a winner.... then go Yanks go. The Bosox, Rays and O's will keep passing you up and the locker room you have will still be miserable.

Ibanez to the Phillies.. this is a great move for the phillies.

too bad they won't win again because Boston is winning it next year :p

Yeah, you're right. I mean, the Rays are young and improving, the Yankees have added upgrades, but the Red Sox have added...um...hold on...wait a second...;)

Boston doesn't need to upgrade.. plus they will get Tex.

they are on the lookout for bullpen help also.

Fuck what the yankees have added. or will add. CC is a bum in the playoffs.. wang never stays healthy..and Burnett has health problems as well..

but you may be right because Boston just switched up their road uni's to the old 80's look

*bleh*

Red Sox change up road uniforms with head nod to the '80s - Big League Stew... - MLB - Yahoo! Sports

There are some really strong underground rumblings that Peter Angelos is NOT letting Teixeira go anywhere other then Baltimore. And the Orioles recently have been insanely tight-lipped about most-everything they do, whether it was the trades last year up to no one knowing the team had even met with Teixeira earlier this month until the winter meetings when they practically had to put it in a press release :p

By the way, shouldn't the Sox have had Bob Stanley and Bill Buckner modeling those jerseys?

I don't see how Angelos has any say so in the matter. The gorilla in the room is Boston.. and I don't think he can outspend the red sox.

If he does..kudos. We don't have to have Tex. From what I hear though, Tex isn't that concerned with going back home. He wants to go to a contender..and even the Baltimore GM said they were handicapped when it comes to that.

Yeah I thought the same thing when I saw the jerseys.. Buckner.


edit: Burnett is going to the Yanks. 5 years, 82.5 million. Seems like an awful lot of years on cash to spend on someone who you really don't know how healthy they are going to be.

Boston isn't interested in Lowe from what I hear... and obviously they weren't interested in Burnett that much. Theo won't go over 4/$40mil for a pitcher in free agency.

Just remember one thing. Baltimore has a confirmed offer, Washington has a confirmed offer, and now Anaheim has a confirmed offer. Boston doesn't.

That doesn't mean there aren't things going on behind-the-scenes, in fact I would be stunned if there weren't from all parties in the rumors. Just that with the insane Boston media and the leaky faucets in the offices of the Sox and Boras SOMETHING probably would have leaked.

The Orioles have made a specific effort over the MacPhail era so far to keep things as quiet as possible. I don't think that has ever fit the Boston front office under the Former-Orioles or not.

Fawewell, Mr. Schoeneweis.

don't believe all the confirmed hype. Boston is really tight lipped about these things. you should know from experience that when it comes to Boston and free agency it always appears to come out from nowhere.. so now that anaheim has offered 8 years.. you'll see what Epstein is going to offer in the next day or so. Boras and Boston have a good relationship so don't count the chickens before they hatch. I don't think you see tex anywhere other than Boston or Anaheim.

He wants to win..and those are the clubs that get him to that level.. if he wants to get out of the first round..well he has to go to Boston :D

And if he wants to get out of the second-round, he has to go to Tampa Bay ;)

The Red Sox have offered Tex an 8 year deal..not sure on the money aspect of it.

The yanks want him now, but I just don't think they will get him. Who knows at this point.

Karl Ravech reported on ESPN today that the Orioles are a major draw to Teixeira and his wife, and that pull is "neutralizing" (his words) the desire to win. Or as I would put it, win NOW :lol:

Personally, I think it is really down to the Angels, Red Sox and Orioles. The Yankees are too late, and really don't need him: they probably just want to make it more expensive for the other three AL teams. Washington is worse-off than the Orioles: worse team, worse farm, worse stadium/city situation.

He was sighted in Baltimore several times over the weekend, though that likely doesn't mean much. However, he was probably keeping an ear out and hearing the desire to have him back home...and the probable mass-disownment that will occur if he goes to the Sox, Yankees or Washington :p

The main thing that excites me is that finally the Orioles are being mentioned as they should have been all along, and not just as a "Baltimore also has made an offer to the Maryland native" afterthought.

Boras is saying the native thing isn't that important.. but that's Boras.. he says anything.

The yanks want him because Giambi and Abreu are gone, and because Boston wants him.

all Steinbrenner's are the same eh? ;)

I'm interested in where he goes other than the Angels because I really want to see if the Angels would actually pick up Manny. I don't see Manny and Scosia(sp?) getting along too well. If they do.. it could be a Manny's angels against a Manny less Boston. Interesting. I know I know wayyyyyy ahead of myself there.

I just do not see Vlad wanting Manny on the team. Vlad from all I have ever read on him is a team player and good leader, Manny on the other hand is .... wellllll....... Manny.

I don't think Vlad is like Papi and would put up with Manny's shit.

I see Manny maybe going to to a surprise team like Atlanta, Detroit or Washington when Tex signs with Baltimore.

I really don't see many teams with playoff hopes shelling out a lot of money for someone that is in his late 30's, has falling stats and is a clubhouse oddity. He's more divisive in the long run than he is helpful.

That said, he'd still look and be a welcome sight in an Indians jersey.

I know where you're coming from Pan, but I think any team would love to have his instant offense.

Boston is reportedly willing to go up to $200 mil for Tex. Ravich is saying that a deal is near. Perhaps we will find out before Christmas.


EDIT:: looks like the Yankees are interested in offering Manny a deal for 2-3 years at anywhere from 22-25 million per.

fuck me. fuck me proper. I will absolutely die if Manny is seen in pinstripes.

he has some ties to that area so it wouldn't suprise me, add to the fact that he seems to have no loyalties to anyone.. this could very well happen.

Fucking dodgers..why can't they spend some goddamn money? Manny needs to stay out west. or at least not go to the Yanks.

Next to CC it would be the worst money the Yankees ever spent. I truly don't think he could take the pressure, especially when he isn't going to be the #1 man.

That said, let Steinbrenner waste the money.

They want to buy a championship so bad they are doing all they can to destroy their team.

Welcome to the top of the East Tampa, Boston and you will have a few good years of crushing that overpriced wankee team.

Wonder what happens when the Yankees sign all these guys, they flop and no one can absorb the contracts? :thumbsup:

Good times in NY.

Manny can more than handle being the #1 guy. He seems to thrive better in pressure situations.

Looks like the O's are out of the mix for Tex unless Tex wants to go to his home town. Just don't see it happening though.

That's what I was saying, if he's not the #1 guy he gets attitude. Look at Boston, Papi, Pedroia, and so on started getting more attention and he lost it.

In NY he'll go in not being the #1 guy and I don't think he can handle it. He thrives on attention.

Dodgers lock up Furcal. Great. Now we need Manny and a couple pitchers and we're set.

ya I misread your post. Sorry :D

I think he'll be ok because if he's batting behind Jeter and A-Rod.. he'll be able to put up big numbers.

Let's just hope the Dodgers secure him instead.

Red Sox out of running for Teixeira? -- baltimoresun.com

It's an AP article.

The rational part of me is trying to avoid getting my hopes up, and knows that Boston is likely just calling Boras' bluff.

The rest of me...:hyper::crazy::love::cool::bowdown:

I think after Boras gambled and lost on getting more money for A-Rod other teams got hip to his game. Isn't he Manny's agent too?

Yeah the wire is full of Henry saying the Red Sox aren't a factor for Tex anymore. Makes me wonder if the Yanks have actually put an offer out there or if the O's have extended their offer to 10 years. Maybe the Angels put out a fantastic offer. Who knows.

It could be a bluff call, and yes he's Manny's agent too, but I think Boras is happy to let Manny sit and wait and let Tex determine the market and teams that lose out on Tex (other than Beantown) will be duking it out over Manny.

So they go from the front runners.. and going to a face to face meeting to being out of the running. Sounds fishy, but with Boras involved.. I never know what to think.

ESPN.com is reporting that the Angels have withdrawn their 8-year offer to Texeria. For some strange reason they also believe that Boston and New York are in the hunt, even though Boston has also pulled the plug and the Yankees didn't even make an offer to him. The only teams left in the running is Baltimore and Washington.

Boston hasn't pulled the plug. They are just pulling another matsuzaka tactic on Boras.

Yankees are mulling an offer.. so he'll sign either Boston, Baltimore or NY.

So he's going to get basically the same money to be Boston's Scapegoat, New York's Scapegoat, or Baltimore's Hero.

Tough call...:D

The thing is Baltimore and NY *need* Tex. Boston doesn't need him.. they just would like to have him.. so really Boston could end up without him and be ok and focus on what they have and pick up a bat at the trade deadline. I'd rather see him in Baltimore naturally, but don't believe all the crap that Boston is out. They figured out how to handle Boras long ago.

Boras initiated contact with the Yankees which pretty much proves Henry and Theo right, that Boras didn't have the offers he said he had. Even the Skanks are saying they can't just outbid everyone for Tex like they did for C.C. and Burnett, so it could be quite the interesting signing going into the Holidays.

MLBTradeRumors has a link to a Dominican newspaper suggesting that Manny Ramirez is about to sign with the Yankees for three years, $75 million.
De último minuto; Manny Ramírez: Tres años y 75 millones con los Yanquis

Or, run through Google Translate...

Now, I've never seen any of these Dominican papers even close to being accurate (and I saw a bunch back when the Orioles had Miguel Tejada). But, it's something to think about, and would probably bring Teixeira back to Baltimore, Boston and Washington (who already admitted to Buster Olney that they don't expect to sign him).

Especially since Newsday is now reporting that Boston never actually pulled their offer.

I think we're getting close; early on Teixeira was reported to say he wanted things done by Christmas. This is going to be a fun couple of days.

Yeah Boston never said they pulled their offer, they just said "they wouldn't be a factor." That was a clever wording by Henry to make Boras prove just what was on the table. Nobody could beat Boston's bid.

I've been hearing more about the skanks signing Manny. I really hate that there isn't another team even being mentioned in these talks. I mean the Dodgers never even tried to change the two year $45 million offer they had. They could have at least put an option on the table. It's funny though, as much as I love Manny, I'm starting to hate him. He pulls a Nomar in Boston, then claims he wants a 2 year contract at $20mil/per and now he's wanting more. Like he doesn't have enough money as it is. It's sad that a player who is going to be regarded as one of the top 5 right handed hitters of all time (yeah..he is. argue if you want) is letting money dominate the waning years of his career. He should be looking at where he can go to win another ring or two and make his legacy really stand out.. not who's going to be the biggest sucker in signing him.

As much as people hate Boras, I can't really blame him in any of this. Sure he drives the price of contracts up, but that's his job. His job is to get the most money he can for a player..and of course himself. I can't fault a person for doing their job well.

So yeah it should be a couple of fun days ahead.. Tex is probably torn between playing for a winner and trying to make his childhood team a winner, and of course how much money he's getting ;)

yea I agree, Tex will probably want to go with a long term contract on a team that will win games

sadly, with Manny having won the world series twice already, he probably could care less about winning - he's now in it to see how much money and attention people are willing to give him - maybe the skanks will give him a long term contract and he'll turn to shit after 2 years and him and arod will get into a fist fight

The Nats have reportedly upped the offer for Tex. Looks like it's around $184 million at 8 years and they may go 10 years. They are mulling an opt-out clause similar to the C.C. deal as well.

If Tex signs with the Nats.. damn.. Boras really pulled the wool over the Nats eyes.
-----Added 23/12/2008 at 03 : 55 : 41-----
I fucking hate the Yankees.

Tex says earlier today he's deciding between Boston and the Nats..then goes and signs a 8 year deal for $170 mil with the Skanks. Thought Boras was trying to get all the money he could.. fuck me proper. What a load of shit this is.

Now.. where does manny go?? Could the Skanks possibly sign him too?

Tex has signed with the Yankees, as reported by ESPN. 8 years, $180M

It's actually 170 million according to reports I see.

Either way, I think it's safe to say at this point that Teixiera just hates the Red Sox. Wouldn't sign with them out of high school and now this. No big deal.. we actually have good pitching. We can get by without him.. although another big bat to protect Papi would be lovely.

You can always bring back Manny

haha that's not happening. We won't sign Dunn either. We'll just pull someone from our farm system that will.. *actually perform in the playoffs* instead of spending $413 million on 3.. yes.. 3 players.

I just hate this because the yanks were all like "we haven't done anything yet, we're interested in manny blah blah" and Tex says he will decide between the nats and red sox.. then the skanks do this just because they think it will handcuff the red sox from doing anything. Haven't they learned anything in the past 9 years? They can spend all the cash they want..it won't buy a ring.

Good luck skanks. That money you spend on Burnett is a waste. C.C.'s money will be a waste if you actually make the playoffs.. and well.. tex was a good signing.. but yeah it doesn't stop Boston from doing anything.

Don't forget that the Sox did screw him over coming out of high school (I can't remember if that was mentioned already). I can't believe he'd hold a grudge ten-plus years and an owner ago, though.

I think he just found the right combination of money and potential for winning with the Yankees.

I'm honestly just glad that it is over.

Although, the storm in Baltimore is just beginning I think; early indications are that the Orioles never increased their original offer of 7/140. Whether or not that was a team decision, or based on information from Boras about their intentions, I have a feeling people are NOT going to be too happy :p

Boston offered him a 1.5 million signing bonus out of high school..but he went to GT instead.

how is that screwed over?

whatever. I'm going to laugh my ass off if all three of these signings end up on the DL. I want to see just how Tex handles a city like NY. Many a player that were better have crumbled to it's media machine.

As far as Baltimore, yes the storm is just beginning. All over the fan wires I'm seeing a huge outrage at O's management for not trying harder. Yes, it's happening in Boston as well. People are pissed because it looked like the Sox just bailed on Tex, even if it was just posture.. it still looked that way, and now the skanks have him. Boston fans have a new puppet to play with.

Something else.. how bad is he going to make A-rod look? I mean.. A-rod is great in reg season but when/if the skanks get into the post season.. Tex is going to make A-rod look like a little leaguer.

The story I've heard (several times, from several sources) is that the Red Sox specifically told other teams that there was no chance that he would sign, which dropped him from a high early-round pick to the ninth round.

Like I said, this was out of high school and under the previous ownership. I also heard in passing from someone that he does have a good relationship with this front office (though maybe not anymore :lol:), so as I said I can't imagine it having much of an effect.

All of that A-Rod stuff is WAY overblown. You can make anyone look bad in the right sample size.

Example: Teixeira hasn't looked that good in the short playoff experiences he has had.

No, Arod, is a legitimate choker. He hits far below where he should in close and late and postseason games. And when he does hit, it's meaningless, for the most part. Texiera at least looked like a good hitter, at least for average, he didn't hit for power, but he was somethng like 7-15 or something against the Sox, right?

yes you're right.. I think he had a .416 average in the playoffs against Boston.

Arod has what.. 2 extra base hits in how many at bats :rolleyes:

*sigh* Oh to have made amends with Manny. We'd be enjoying another ring

Probably not with all of those banged up players, but who knows. the irony will be that Manny may get a deal that is pretty much what his two option years were at this point.

is it just me or is it kind of embarrassing for baseball that the yankees are allowed to just go and buy up all the players

I realize its no guarantee that they will win the World Series, but it is still very disappointing (for non yankee fans) to see this kind of bullshit

I agree this is not only disappointing but in the end destroys the smaller market teams.

What happens is the big money teams can keep buying the players the smaller market teams develop into stars and before the small markets have a chance to truly compete (more than just one or two years) and rebuild a fan base they're done.

There are a few small market owners that may open their wallets but even then they have to overpay a free agent to play there.

If MLB does not do something about it, quite a few teams will go under. The same teams will always be in the playoffs and the fans will go elsewhere.

Look at the NFL and NBA, every team has a chance going from year to year and the teams can build off 1 or 2 stars that are there pretty much for their career. Don't get that in the MLB. And it is quite sad.

I think there's plenty of proof in the Marlins and the Rays that money can't buy playoffs or a championship.

The Yankees have yet to understand this. Let them spend the money on players. They have totally destroyed their farm team. Even die hard fans are concerned about the state of the farm team and they have been for a long, long time. When the yankees lock up these players with long year contracts and huge money, this doesn't destroy baseball. It simply helps kids who are wanting to get to the majors get in because other teams are forced to draft and develop well. Look at Boston, they have arguably one of the best farm systems in the bigs.. Tampa Bay has a great farm system. Boston didn't spend huge amounts of money in the winter meetings and they don't need to because they have done a good job of spending but also developing young players. We have the two best corner infield prospects in the minors as it is, as well as some great pitching prospects.

The skanks can keep doing what they are doing.. because in the end they may win a championship or two but it's not going to matter in the long run. The game has completely changed.

Boston is in talks with Youk about a long term deal but supposedly it's stalled. They want to at least get him a one year contract to avoid arbitration. It would be nice to lock him up for a similar length as Pedroia.

Talk about developing players ;)

But the problem is when the team can barely make payroll and they are losing fans and interest because of this bullshit, they can't sign high draft picks and they can't put the money they need into the farm system. Thus, even developing players becomes an issue and the team is forever in a downward spiral. Unless it finds an owner that doesn't care about losing money. There are very few of them.

If you have a payroll of 100 million and 50,000 seats, you have to sell every seat in all 81 home games for an average of 25 dollars (not including tax and so on) just to break even. Then you have to find the millions for the farm team, the GM, trainers, stadium rent, taxes, medical staff, scouts, and so on.

Let's say that's a 25 million dollar hit. Then you are looking at having to sell out EVERY SINGLE GAME for an average of 31 dollar tickets. Then the owners make zilch.

But if your team is spiraling and very few cities have fans that can afford to buy 31 dollar tickets and an extremely very few sell out EVERY game and very few have 50,000 seat stadiums most are in the low 40,000 seats. You're looking at having to raise tickets that much more.

If you rely on broadcast rights (local radio and TV) the less you win the less you can make there. Advertising and corporate sales start to stagnate in these economies so you don't get much revenue there especially if you are a small to mid market team.

Then you figure by the time you do spend money on a future star, by the time he becomes truly productive he's arbitration or free agent eligible and gone to the Yankees, or Bosox or LA so they can keep raiding the developed stars and not have to worry about putting money into their farm systems.

IF you do have a team that gels before they start getting split up because of salary it's for 1 maybe 2 years before their salaries become unaffordable and you have to start over hoping you can retain the fan interest.

MLB is killing itself. If they do not do something fast, it'll soon be the same 6 teams in the playoffs with maybe 1 or 2 surprise teams, that again for that 1 year maybe 2, do well.

They need some form of cap and revenue sharing so that it's not about how a team can outspend but how well the GM can develop and make trades.

If baseball doesn't change something fast, they'll kill themselves.

This is a popular, yet flawed, view (especially coming from a Yankees, Jr. fan ;)).

When you get to the playoffs, it is almost a complete crapshoot. A couple pitchers run hit or cold, a batter gets a couple hits at exactly the right time, and the 85-win team wins the World Series while the 105-win team goes home in the first round.

However, the regular season is much less of a crapshoot. 162 games tend to weed out the teams that get hot only for short stretches, while not penalizing teams who go through early or late slumps as much.

The Yankees went to the playoffs six consecutive years in their rebuilt, home-grown phase when they were developing Jeter and Posada and Rivera and Pettite.

2001 is basically the dividing line when they went to the free-agent, big-money mode with Jeter's extension and signing Mussina and Giambi and trading for Rodriguez. How many times did they then go to the playoffs in the seven years from 2001 to 2007?

Seven times.

Ten of 13 years, they won the division.

It's very easy to say, "They haven't won a World Series since 2000, so the money they spent wasn't worth it." However, getting to the playoffs is the most important part of winning the World Series.

That is why being able to spend as much as they can, or honestly even as much as the Red Sox or Angels or Cubs can, is a danger to the competitive balance of the sport.

DO NOT put any stock into this until someone can find something credible. I already looked on ESPN and didn't see anything in the rumor mill section about it....but here goes anyway.


A buddy of mine sent me a text message and said that the Yankees are looking to trade Hideki Matsui to the Mariners for Bedard leaving them open to sign Manny.

Please tell me this isn't true and is nothing more than a rumor spreading like wildfire, but I have not heard anything of it until he just told me.

Seattle would be stupid to do that deal. And they got rid of Bavasi, so as far as I know they are no longer stupid.

I don't think that SEA is too happy with Bedard though, I thought they were pretty much shopping him towards the end of the season anyway? Unless I heard wrong at the time...

The rumors are still flying and Manny is confident that the yanks are going to offer him a 3 year deal. So .. no I wouldn't be surprised at this point.

Looks like the Dodgers are trying to trade Andruw Jones to the Mets.. if they make that trade they may be able to offer Manny a 3 year deal as well.

Bill James has an article up on his website that tries to quantify MLB strength-of-schedule into runs.

Bill James Online: Interactions with Bill James thru articles, conversations, and more

Say hello to your 2008 National League West Champion Baltimore Orioles - Orioles Hangout Community

The first link is directly to the article, which requires a subscription. The second is to the thread at OriolesHangout.com where it was posted, with a quote from the article directly relating to the Orioles, and where I found it.

Here's the quoted portion:

Think about that. The strongest team in the weakest division of the weaker league had a 156-run advantage over the weakest team in the strongest division of the stronger league.

The difference in runs scored between the overall highest- and lowest-scoring teams was 264, and the difference in runs allowed was 357.

That kind of advantage is HUGE.

Of course, helps if the team in question was BETTER...:lol:

I do think every team should play every other team X amount of times, but that is all I can think that you would do

after all, the talent in each division changes from year to year - last year was the Rays, next year could be another dark horse that makes their division tougher for the other teams

although it probably sucks having to play in the same division as both the red sox and the yankees every year...

Giambi goes to Oakland in a one year deal..

Baldelli is close to agreement with Red Sox.. hometown boy.. loads of potential.. could be interesting..

Smoltz is close to an agreement with the Red Sox.. not sure how I feel about that one yet.

Is smoltz going as a starter or is he coming out of the bullpen?

I don't think they've decided on where to fit him in yet. He could obviously be a spot starter, but he could make a killer setup guy or middle relief guy.

Someone even threw out that he could be a closer.. but.. umm.. I guess they haven't heard of this guy named Papelbon. ;)

I'm confident that the Dodgers are going the land Manny. Everyone else is too scared to touch him for the amount of money he wants.

it's not the money, it's the pain-in-the-ass-itude.

Don't count out the skanks.. if there's talk of him heading to the AL at all, they'll swoop in. Bet it.

I think we should close this one down and start up a fresh '09 thread.

Go right ahead :)

Technically, I'd consider this part of the 2008 season; I'd start a new thread closer to spring training.

I'd say when the Orioles find a permanent spring training site, but that could take another decade...

Really? I'd consider the last out of the World Series to be the end of the 2008 season. Bring on 2009!

Red Sox take Saito. Good luck with him. He's got a short shelf life.

I seen that Sox signing Saito. I don't understand why, though.

He is up there in age, Papelbon is the closer, Okajima isn't bad. Plus with them getting Smoltz I can only imagine he is going to be in the rotation and not coming out of the 'pen.

The Sox are busy in trying to make sure they have a bullpen they can depend on. While Saito is up in age, he has 88 career saves and a 1.95 ERA in 180 games. He also had a 2.49 ERA in 45 games last year. So basically he signed a one year deal for $1.5 mil (up to 7 mil in incentives) and the Sox get a reliever on the cheap that could help them out if he stays healthy.

They signed Penny on a one year deal, Baldelli on a one year deal, Kotsay to a one year deal and Smoltz on a one year deal.

DJ is very happy that Rickey Henderson made the Hall of Fame. However, DJ is upset that Jim Rice got in while Tim Raines and Bert Blylevan and Alan Trammell did not.

DJ finds that to be a traveshamockery.

And I shall leave you with the greatest thing I have ever read, courtesy of Deadspin...

Amen!

Lowe is going to Atlanta. Good move by Atlanta.. surprised the Dodgers didn't make a more concerted effort for him

Paul Byrd is sitting out the first part of the season to spend time with family .. I'm guessing he hopes that someone will get injured and thus his demand will increase.

the Dodgers didn't want to commit 4 years (at $15M per) to a 35 year old

I get it, but he's a horse. It's different than committing years to someone like Burnett who has health issues. Lowe has the ability to give 200+ innings of work.

For how long?

who knows.. but track records say quite a bit.


anyway, in more important news, Boston signed Youk to a 4 year deal worth around $40 million with an option for a 5th year. Boston is doing the right thing by this, and even though I wanted Tex, when you look at Tex's numbers next to Youk's, they are pretty much the same with Youk edging out Tex in everything except for a .10% in OBP.

So now that Pedroia and Youk are signed on the cheap, Boston just needs to Secure a great catcher and a ShortStop (if Lowrie fall's on his face that is).. who knows what will happen to Lowell..

Also heard that Boston is trying to secure Bay for a few years as well..

A prediction for the 2009 season:

At least 3 teams realizing they can no longer compete nor make money, will declare bankruptcy, forcing baseball to shut down for at least 2 weeks while those owners refuse to sell or field a team and MLB tries to take over the teams forcing court action.

The end result will be major restructuring of the collective bargaining agreement that includes cal caps and true revenue sharing. The Yanks of course will protest and Steinbrenner will threaten to close down the Yankees.

Just a prediction.

Some possible teams: Toronto, Pittsburgh, Florida, Cincy, Milwaukee, Oakland, San Diego, Minnesota, Texas, Houston, Colorado, Seattle, Philly, Chisox, Washington and Kansas City. Baltimore, The Angels and Cleveland maybe in there also.

There are a few of those owners that are losing their asses in this economy and cannot afford to have a team that doesn't make money and the market to buy is extremely low (can you say less than what the owner paid for the team) unless you are the Cubs, Dodgers, Yanks, Bosox.

My top 3 guesses at going the bankruptcy route: Pitt, Toronto and Oakland, with most of the others not far behind.

If anyone declares bankruptcy without trying to sell, Congress will be all over the sport.

No way Selig allows it; we'll see Mark Cuban owning the Pirates first :p

The Cubs just sold for $900 million.

And what can Congress do? Take away the anti-trust exemption? Congress can't keep a company from going bankrupt and baseball doesn't want the teams to be equal shareholders and distribute the wealth evenly throughout the teams. I think there will be some owners that don't care about whether baseball loses it's anti-trust, when all they see are losses.

Selig won't have much choice, if the team can't make payroll, it can't make payroll.

If you remember during the last CBA Selig himself said there were teams that had tapped MLB of all the possible loans they could and may not make payroll. The economy is now worse, sponsorship for the smaller clubs is down, ticket sales are way down and there are some owners that can no longer afford having the money pit.

Again, if a team can't make payroll, if the owner decides to file bankruptcy and not field a team, all Selig can do is sue, that would take months, he may get a court injunction but he can't force an owner that shows the team has no money to pay the salaries and the players aren't going to play for free. MLB can't afford to pay 3-4 team salaries in cities that are bleeding money.

Ok, Cuban buys the Pirates, who buys the Reds, the Blue Jays, the Royals? Who is willing enough in this economy to spend hundreds of millions on something that does nothing but loses money?

That's also the Cubs. They sellout every game, have a tremendous national following and probably rank 3rd in worth behind the Yanks and Bosox. Try selling KC, Houston, Cincy, Pitts, Detroit, Cleveland, Oakland, Arizona and so on and tell me then what they are worth.

In KC's case you probably won't find anyone willing to spend over $150 Million and that is pushing it.

I think to make a point, we'll see owners declaring bankruptcy and shutting down.

They can use it as an opportunity to take away the exemption.

Selig would have to find a way. A team hasn't simply FAILED since the 1890s, and that happening on his watch would destroy any legacy he is trying to acheive.

Oh please. Someone will always be there willing to buy, whether it is for investment purposes (buying low) or pure ego ("saving" the team).

That has never been a problem.

You are WAY overthinking this issue.

well Andy Petite must have read your post Pan.. he signed for $5.5 mil with the skanks today :p

wanted 16 but took 5.. (shh.. we won't include the incentive package) hehe

That must sting for him considering he was initially offered 10.

In other news, Oliver Perez, the human enigma has signed a 3 year deal with the Mets. Maybe now they can focus their efforts on acquiring Orlando Hudson.

Dodgers offered Manny 1 year@25mil and he turned it down!!??!!


It isn't like teams have been beating down his door to pick him up.

manny is after years, he wants a minimum of 3 years.

Dodgers had already offered 3@45 if I remember and he wanted 25 per year. Now with Tex out of the way, the demand for Manny has gone downhill really, but don't count him out yet, Boras is great at creating a market, although at this point, if the yankees aren't lying.. there are only a handful of teams that can afford him.

There has only been a handful of teams from the get go that could afford him.

I know that Boras is a master of spin, but if teams were really interested I think they would have signed him by now. Boras and Manny are just holding out hope that someone is going to blow them away with an offer, when imo, the teams are waiting to see how lowball they can go on a deal because no one else is biting.

He needs to be careful. REALLY careful.

PCR is in eleven days, and Dunn and Abreu, to name two, are still on the market and apparently lowering their demands at least to a point.

I'd give him three years, though. I think most of that "Manny being Manny" crap was a Boston media creation without much substance, and even if he is eccentric (which we know) he'll be a hell of a hitter for three years.

Just remember that during July, when he was "tanking" in order to be traded, he had his best month of the season (before going crazy in LA).

Being a Boston fan.. I'd take him back.. but there's really no place for him now..

The yankees would have been the dope if they signed him.. he could just sit on the bench, have fun and hit in the DH spot.

He'll end up in SF or LA probably.

I, as an A's fan wouldn't have minded seeing him in Oakland before they got Holliday.

Y'all might want to sit down for this (especially if you're a Yankees fan).

According to Sports Illustrated, Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids in 2003, his final year with the Texas Rangers when won both the AL Home Run title and AL MVP award.

*shock* who would've ever guessed Alex doped!?!?!!!

I couldn't believe this when it happened. That would make him the 2nd highest player in the entire league behind A-Rod for the year. Why wouldn't you take that? Nobody is going to pay for him except LA, and it's not going to get them that deep into the postseason, if at all, when they do pay for him.

Ramirez signed an 8 year, 160 million dollar deal with the red sox, and by baseball contracts, he outperformed that deal. The Sox held two option years of 20 Million each year, and he did not want them to up those years, which was the source of his friction with the team. He was traded to L.A. and put up amazing numbers. Signing a one year deal is a risk . Generally, a player would balk at a one year deal at a higher per/year rate and take more guaranteed money in a longer deal if the per/year rate is not significantly different.

Manny Ramirez will go down as on of the greatest hitters of all time. Look at his career statistics, they are unreal. Yes, his fielding is below average, but he does have a strong arm.

I would put good money on him signing no less than a three year deal for $60 million.

You have to look at the enormous amount of money in terms of baseball contracts solely.

Trust me, I'm a Manny fan.. would love to have him in Boston again, (provided that he actually hustled and played) but while I know where you're coming from he could easily sign a one year deal for $25 million with options tacked on the end of it. When the market has run out it's run out. Manny at this point is just hoping that the Nationals or the Yankees come after him. I don't see him going to NY, so that leaves the Dodgers and Washington.

So, we know the Dodgers aren't going to take more than a guaranteed 2 year deal and I doubt the Natl's would go more than two.. why not just take the one year deal, keep the 25 million and wait for the market to free up next year? He's a top 5 right handed hitter of all time.. he doesn't have a bad image as say.. Bonds or McGuire so.. he would have no problems finding another job in a better market, especially if an AL team needed a DH for an aging but awesome bat.

Well, he admitted to it. Not longer alleged, but confirmed by him.

Alex Rodriguez admits taking PEDs during 3-year period - ESPN

Excuses. This is a sad day. I never liked Rodriguez, even if I didn't bleed Red Sox red, I think he's a terrible sportsman and isn't a team player at all. This just goes to show the kind of person he is, no ethics and no integrity.

you know what's funny to me, is how sportswriters are always "saying the 'steroid era'" when it comes to baseball..

get with it people we are still in the steroid era..

At least Afraud admitted it. That's more than we can say about a few other people.