Yahoo Sports' best and worst of the offseason

[Post Count Padder]

I decided to post this here since it deals with signings and trades:

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AvGpAiWMlOJxRhuw8gxQJqWFCLcF?slug=thebestandworstoftheoffs&prov=tsn&type=lgns

 

Us signing Soriano is listed as one of the best moves.

[TB_11]

In 2 of their 5 best offseason moves, they indicate that the team paid too much (Cubs with Soriano, Houston with Carlos Lee).

 

Yahoo and the Sporting News are dumb.

[TruffleShuffle]

In 2 of their 5 best offseason moves, they indicate that the team paid too much (Cubs with Soriano, Houston with Carlos Lee).

 

Yahoo and the Sporting News are dumb.

 

Not really... the Cubs were incompetent offensively and needed to make a splash this offseason, even if it meant overpaying. The Astros also needed an impact bat, with Bagwell's retirement and Ensberg regressing severely last year, especially after the All-Star Break. Sometimes it's worth it to overpay.

[David]

They also list JD Drew as the worst move.

 

Will the mainstream media ever "get it?"

 

The funny thing is, Jason Marquis doesn't even make their top 5 worst. But JD Drew is #1. Right.

[TB_11]

In 2 of their 5 best offseason moves, they indicate that the team paid too much (Cubs with Soriano, Houston with Carlos Lee).

 

Yahoo and the Sporting News are dumb.

 

Not really... the Cubs were incompetent offensively and needed to make a splash this offseason, even if it meant overpaying. The Astros also needed an impact bat, with Bagwell's retirement and Ensberg regressing severely last year, especially after the All-Star Break. Sometimes it's worth it to overpay.

 

Fair enough, but there were also enough offseason moves where players of equal or better talent were paid more conservative amounts to pull those two out of the top 5.

[frostwyrm]

Dumb list. Soriano is only "wildly productive" if you ignore his entire career except for 2006. If we were going to think that way we should have tried to outbid the Angels for Gary Matthews jr.

[CubColtPacer]

Dumb list. Soriano is only "wildly productive" if you ignore his entire career except for 2006. If we were going to think that way we should have tried to outbid the Angels for Gary Matthews jr.

 

I wouldn't quite go that far:

 

Soriano's best 3 OPS+ Numbers

132, 131, 128

 

Matthews

119, 109, 101

 

I'm not trying to compare which one is better-it is obvious that it is Soriano. Soriano's 2006 campaign was not nearly as much of an aberration as Matthews though-in fact, Soriano has had 2 other years that were very close to it in OPS+, while Matthews was much better than any season previously.

[frostwyrm]

Dumb list. Soriano is only "wildly productive" if you ignore his entire career except for 2006. If we were going to think that way we should have tried to outbid the Angels for Gary Matthews jr.

 

I wouldn't quite go that far:

 

Soriano's best 3 OPS+ Numbers

132, 131, 128

 

Matthews

119, 109, 101

 

I'm not trying to compare which one is better-it is obvious that it is Soriano. Soriano's 2006 campaign was not nearly as much of an aberration as Matthews though-in fact, Soriano has had 2 other years that were very close to it in OPS+, while Matthews was much better than any season previously.

 

Any way you look at it's $136M for a 31 year old with a career .835 OPS. Even if he spontaneously morphed into a defensive wizard at SS or C I wouldn't pay him $136M.

[A New Era]

I'd pay him. Simply because we really needed him and I don't wan't to go through a "rebuilding" year. Simply because we haven't made it to the post season for far too long. .

[BigbadB]

Any way you look at it's $136M for a 31 year old with a career .835 OPS. Even if he spontaneously morphed into a defensive wizard at SS or C I wouldn't pay him $136M.

 

The team is better with him than without him.

 

While I would have rather had Miguel Tejada or Carlos Beltran or Vladmir Guerrero, those options aren't available anymore. Hendry dropped the ball on all 3.

 

Without Soriano, this team is not very good. With him, they have a shot at the division, and beyond.

[JC]

Sheffield at #1 makes my jaw drop.

 

The Tigers gave up some huge arms for a 39 year old bat who has had injury problems and tied to the steroid scandal.

 

While I'm not necessarily opposed to the idea of the Tigers acquiring Sheffield, I was never that enamoured with the deal.

[sethuel1]

Sheffield at #1 makes my jaw drop.

 

The Tigers gave up some huge arms for a 39 year old bat who has had injury problems and tied to the steroid scandal.

 

While I'm not necessarily opposed to the idea of the Tigers acquiring Sheffield, I was never that enamoured with the deal.

 

I had no idea you were British/Canadian

[imb]

im not that enamoured with your tone seth

[sethuel1]

im not that enamoured with your tone seth

 

Well colour me upset.

[imb]

At least you still have your honour

[Magnetic Curses]

we could have gotten garcia for scraps but instead decided to overpay marquis--worst move of the offseason.

[Jehrico]

They also list JD Drew as the worst move.

 

Will the mainstream media ever "get it?"

 

The funny thing is, Jason Marquis doesn't even make their top 5 worst. But JD Drew is #1. Right.

The funny thing is though, the odds that Marquis will perform well enough to justify $21 mil is probably about as good as Drew getting hurt and not performing for his salary.

 

 

 

Don't read too much into that though, I'd still much rather have taken the chance on JD than Marquis...

[Jehrico]

The article also lists the top 5 unsettled closer situations, and we weren't listed. I thought for sure we would be with Wood going to the pen and Dempster sucking last year. Maybe they took us off of that list when Wood fell out of his hot tub and hurt his ribs?

[abuck1220]

The funny thing is though, the odds that Marquis will perform well enough to justify $21 mil is probably about as good as Drew getting hurt and not performing for his salary.

 

 

drew's been good and healthy more often and more recently than marquis has been good.

[Soul]

I still don't get how it's possible for a minor-league contract to be considered one of the worst offseason moves. I don't care if it's for Rush Limbaugh.

 

And JD Drew the worst offseason move of all? Huh? What, is this guy on crack?

[BigbadB]

He probably said the same thing about Drew when the Dodgers signed him to that big contract.

[radarluv1]

I still don't get how it's possible for a minor-league contract to be considered one of the worst offseason moves. I don't care if it's for Rush Limbaugh.

 

And JD Drew the worst offseason move of all? Huh? What, is this guy on crack?

 

Its not bad even before you consider the fair amount of injury protection in that deal for the red sox.

[Ivy Walls]

but based on last year it appears the Cubs rebuilt themselves over winter

[Magnetic Curses]

no juan pierre in there. i suspect he'll be one of the worst by season's end.

[BigbadB]

no juan pierre in there. i suspect he'll be one of the worst by season's end.

 

Agreed. I'm really looking forward to seeing Pierre back in Colorado, where guys tag up and take 2 bases on him on long fly balls.