jjgman21

Learn something new every day! That makes Jason a bit less interesting. I don't think the Astros would bid for Manny unless Boston ate salary. The Cubs could blow any Astros offer out of the water by taking on the whole deal. If the Astros had wanted Manny that badly, they could have had him without giving up any talent in the past. Rockies don't need a SS if they feel Tulo is near ready. the Astros are rumored to be in the Soriano/Lee/Drew bidding (plus they shedded alot of salary), so obviously they have some money to spend. and if the prospects and major league talent were attractive enough, there is no reason the RedSox wouldn't eat a few million. small sample size, but Tulowitzki pretty much proved unready last season.

they lose Pettitte, Clemens and Bagwells salary this year, and I think reduced Biggios salary.

that's a good question. tell me Cubs fans, if the Cubs went from 93 wins one year to 78 the next, would you call your GM stupid? Paul Byrd, Lou Merloni, Danny Graves, Steve Karsay, Einar Diaz, Jason Johnson, Dutchvalue, the Crisp trade, and the disassembly of a solid pen. are these the genius moves that put that 93 win team over the top? the grass is always greener my friends.

here's the problem with that tough...the Cubs need both pitching and hitting and can only sign 2 or 3 more free agents. I don't care about Westbrook one way or the other over many of the guys available in free agency, but someone is going to have to come via trade. The Cubs can only sign 2 or 3 more A/B free agents, true. There are comparable pitchers who aren't A/B free agents out there such as Marquis and Igawa, though. And we can trade for Manny to add to the lineup. ;) according to this, Marquis is a B http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2006-10-31-elias-rankings.htm you don't want to trade away a ton of talent, then turn around and say trade for Manny? I understand the difference between the impact the two players would bring, but certainly you have to see the difference in the players it would take to get Manny. furthermore, I would hate to see Manny on the trade market because the Astros would blow any offer the Cubs could make out of the water. but I think all the Marquis and Westbrook discussion is moot. don't know why, but I get the feeling the Cubs target is Jennings and for some reason, with the Rockies need for a shortstop and lefty relief and Jennings in the last year of his deal, I think the Cubs might get it done for a steal.

here's the problem with that tough...the Cubs need both pitching and hitting and can only sign 2 or 3 more free agents. I don't care about Westbrook one way or the other over many of the guys available in free agency, but someone is going to have to come via trade.

1927 Yankees - 975 runs scored (155 games) 1929 Cubs - 982 runs scored (156 games) edit - oh by the way, the Cubs HOF, career 126 OPS+ catcher who was at the pinnacle of his career had 27 plate appearances in 1929. who's the real Murderer's Row?

who's this Billy Mueller of which you speak? do you mean Buell Miller? interesting tidbit about Buell...a well known manager predicted he would be a future winner of a batting title. the same manager let him play as a young player and made him a full time starter in his second year in the league. I guess it doesn't hurt to hit .330 in your first 200 ML at bats...one would has to wonder why there was a different attitude in 2006 when a similar hitter was playing left field for the same manager.

what difference does it make? he's either going to be productive or he's not. the big thing about soriano's 2006 was his improved plate discipline. a low OBP is what kept his OPS down in previous seasons. i'm hoping he turned the corner discipline wise, b/c if he did, he at least has a chance at being worth all the money he's going to get. Then how do you explain the huge difference in production when he bats anywhere else in the lineup? That still doesn't explain his good numbers at leadoff in 2002 and 2003 though. In 02 and 03, he primarily batted leadoff and did well. In 04 and 05, he primarily did not bat leadoff and his numbers dropped. In 06, he returned to leadoff primarily and had a .956 OPS at leadoff, but only a .911 overall. It can never be conclusively proven that certain players play better in certain lineup spots, but Soriano has had a significantly higher OPS from the leadoff position then not in his career, and his leadoff numbers are significant better than his non-leadoff numbers in 4 out of the last 5 years (and the 1 year it wasn't was one of the 2 years where he had less then 100 AB's at leadoff). The middle of the order might be the best place to use Soriano's numbers, but it is probable that his numbers will drop batting later in the order. last year Soriano's career numbers as a leadoff hitter took a monster jump because of the huge season he had. before last season, his numbers in the 5, 6, and 7 hole were about the same as his leadoff stats. interestingly, the place I would like to see him hit in the above scenerio, 6th, he's had a grand total of 24 ABs at.

I haven't commented on Soriano up til now because if the Cubs sign him I will be both annoyed and thrilled. alot of that annoyance has to do with everybody's assumption and Soriano's insistence that he is a leadoff hitter. his OBP is not high enough, and his SLG too high, to be a leadoff hitter. I don't care that he has speed. he shouldn't be leading off. put DeRosa/Murton leadoff and DeRosa/Barrett/Murton in the two hole, in whatever combination you like. Then use Soriano in the six hole. that way he cleans the middle of the order up, and is a secondary table setter with his speed for the lower half of the lineup where runs will need to be manufactured.

what you say you said is not what you said. perhaps its what you meant, but it's not what you said. your explanation is also illogical. whether or not he has value does not follow from your given facts. therefore, your ultimate conclusion does not follow either.

I agree that this rumor should be dismissed. JD Drew in Boston makes no sense at all. We are talking about a guy who felt he was treated harshly by the St. Louis fans and media, and who feld he was treated harshly by the Los Angeles fans and media. So he goes to Boston? This is a quiet Christian southern boy. So he chooses the liberal, gay marriage haven of Massachusettes? Drew to Boston for less money than he is worth makes no damn sense. This has Boras false rumor written all over it. While it does take two to tango, Drew to Boston makes plenty of sense because they are one of the three organizations that covet his approach. While he may not agree morally with a lot that goes on in Mass. he only would have to be in the city for about 2 months out of the year (remember they play 81 road games too). Many players do not live in their teams' cities in the offseason. the part about lifestyle considerations was the lesser point. see Serena's post on page 15, which essentially confirms exactly what I said here. plus, your point about Boston's philosophy addresses a completely different angle than I was addressing. of course he fits in with Boston's philosophy. the question I raise is whether the RedSox culture fits Drew, and it most certainly does not. The counterpoint to that is that the BoSox have a bunch of strong personalities so its a perfect place for a quiet guy like Drew to have a lot of the attention deflected from him. He wouldn't be going into the team to be "the guy" as hes a distant fourth to Manny, Papi, and DMat. The Bosox are pretty much the only team where he wouldnt be the talk of the offseason. If he were to come to the cubs, he would be the biggest offseason acquisition and would be counted on to be the key to winning the WS in the year that a big push is being made. Remember when CPatt would strike out or ground out and just walk back to the dugout like he didnt care? And the media jumped down his throat for it. Well Drew does that even more than CPatt. I'm just playing devil's advocate. the thing is, it doesn't work that way whatsoever. exhibit A, Mark Bellhorn. exhibit B, Edgar Renterria. I do agree to a large extent with what you say about the Cubs. however, I don't think you are strictly playing devil's advocate. I think you are trying to p in the cereal bowls of people who explore how these rumors and transactions might benefit the Cubs.

it does inspire some confidence though. it's simple supply and demand. before this signing we had no idea whether there was a market for shortstops or not or that the market would bare dumping 15M on a crappy, no hit shortstop. I think your assumption that the team is saying they want a healthy Izturis with a better bat is rather illogical. just as likely a team is saying 'we need a shortstop, sign whatever there is right now.' IMO, this is reason for optimism, only tempered by Hendry's apparent man-love for Izturis.

I agree that this rumor should be dismissed. JD Drew in Boston makes no sense at all. We are talking about a guy who felt he was treated harshly by the St. Louis fans and media, and who feld he was treated harshly by the Los Angeles fans and media. So he goes to Boston? This is a quiet Christian southern boy. So he chooses the liberal, gay marriage haven of Massachusettes? Drew to Boston for less money than he is worth makes no damn sense. This has Boras false rumor written all over it. While it does take two to tango, Drew to Boston makes plenty of sense because they are one of the three organizations that covet his approach. While he may not agree morally with a lot that goes on in Mass. he only would have to be in the city for about 2 months out of the year (remember they play 81 road games too). Many players do not live in their teams' cities in the offseason. the part about lifestyle considerations was the lesser point. see Serena's post on page 15, which essentially confirms exactly what I said here. plus, your point about Boston's philosophy addresses a completely different angle than I was addressing. of course he fits in with Boston's philosophy. the question I raise is whether the RedSox culture fits Drew, and it most certainly does not.

Craig Wilson.

see I'm torn about this and even though most of his moves over the past year have driven me insane, Hendry in many ways is an extremely sympathetic figure. the preseason of 2005 wasn't that bad. the offense should have been improved with Nomar-Dutch/Dubois v. Agone-Alou (Sosa and Burnitz being a wash). the pen should have been a scratch over the year before. the rotation improved with the guys coming back for a full season. none of that happened, and although its easy to blame for not stocking the organization properly, that's rather unrealistic considering salary and roster constraints. and all along I felt that the house clearing was being orchestrated from on high. last year is a different story as far as building the team, but in a way it felt like things were being orchestrated from down below (I need a leadoff man, I need a flexible bench, I need more speed and D was all we ever heard from Dusty, and he got what he wished for). the moves the past four days enrage me. it truly feels like throwing darts and piddling away the treasure on unnecessary veterans. but at the same time, I think it unfair to not see Hendry as a victim of circumstance to a certain extent.

I have to assume the Florida-Boston, not the Toronto-Chicago-Puerto Rico.

Wow if that hack can get a three year 5 million dollar out of someone he makes Derosa look like a straight up steal. Also if some team grabs up Gonzo hopefully the Red Sox will bite on Izturiz. 3 years, 15 million for Alex Gonzalez? Wow. If that's an accurate report, maybe Hendry truly was ahead of the curve with the DeRosa signing. I'll wait for confirmation of the offer first though. If only those criticizing the DeRosa contract had waited to see what the market was like before they commented. Eh, if they had, it wouldn't have been half as exciting around here that day. :D enough to give one unrealistic hopes that there is a market for Izturis out there somewhere.

that cuts both ways. you can use it to discredit Hendry, but you also have to use the fact that he was able to get the deal done and hence consummate the trade as something that he should be credited for. Not trying to use it for either purpose, it's relevant to what was being discussed though. so is what I said though. I think saying he only got Lee because of Baltimore's failings is giving half the story. somehow, someway, he succeeded where other GMs failed. the same goes for Aramis. sure, any team could have landed him in a salary dump. but LA, Seattle, Philly, and the Yankees all could have used a third baseman in the stretch run in 2003, yet none of them swung the deal. I'm nearly out of defending the guy, but like many things baseball, the bashing goes to illogical extremes.

I agree that this rumor should be dismissed. JD Drew in Boston makes no sense at all. We are talking about a guy who felt he was treated harshly by the St. Louis fans and media, and who feld he was treated harshly by the Los Angeles fans and media. So he goes to Boston? This is a quiet Christian southern boy. So he chooses the liberal, gay marriage haven of Massachusettes? Drew to Boston for less money than he is worth makes no damn sense. This has Boras false rumor written all over it.

that cuts both ways. you can use it to discredit Hendry, but you also have to use the fact that he was able to get the deal done and hence consummate the trade as something that he should be credited for.

are you shameless or what? the yahoo site is not a ranking of players. you managed to leave out this little bit of information from the Fox article. the site you posted a few pages back wouldn't have happened to be mlbtraderumors, now would it?

Well, on every site I read at, DeRosa was projected to make a little bit more than Helms-so the fact Helms made 2.75 million makes the DeRosa deal look even a little bit better. I do agree on the third year thing though. I don't consider 1.5M "a little bit more." which sites are speculating how much various lesser tier FA contracts will be?

judging by the Wes Helms deal, I think it safe to say that the Cubs overspent by about $2M per year for and gave one year more than needed to Mark DeRosa.

The same blurb you reference, says that the Marlins also said Delgado wasn't available either last year... and was traded 2 weeks later. What is not likely to happen is Willis being shopped. Won't stop them from listening. true. i still don't think the Cubs have the chips to get willis or cabrera Everyone I hear talking about it thinks Willis will be traded. The Marlins would like to keep their payroll in the 20 million range...................incredible I know :shock: that's horse crap. they'll probably get that much in luxury tax from the Yakees alone. all that money is supposed to be dumped back into players. enforce the rules or retract this team. whatever you do, stop Loria from playing his little games.

the question is when they will become a feeder team. that's a real nice spin, but the rest of the majors isn't exactly littered with former Devil Rays.