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davell

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Everything posted by davell

  1. davell
    Maybe I'm just being optimistic, but I think they just haven't agreed on compensation yet.
  2. davell
    I wonder how much has gone on behind the scenes that we'll never be privy to? I think we'll hear tomorrow whether or not the Cubs are allowed to speak to him. But I think there's at least the same chance that Henry comes on the air in the morning and announces Theo has been given a new title and a healthy bump in pay. Part of me thinks this is still just leverage being used by Theo to get what he really wants. But, if the Cubs get a shot with him, my guess is this thing gets done extremely quickly. It's pretty obvious how much Ricketts wants him, so we won't be messing around if we get a shot. But, Boston knows this as well, so my guess is they're doing or have already done, everything in their powers to keep him in their fold.
  3. davell
    By the way, I'm not sure anyone has brought it up, but by compensation, it could very well mean cash. If that' the case, it makes it that much easier of a decision for us.
  4. davell
    Wow. Not much else to say if that actually happens.
  5. davell
    Not when it's at least likely he'll cost 3 to 5 mill. We don't have an unlimited budget and the money we have needs to be stretched into a 1B, 3B, and 2 SP's who are better than a Garland type.
  6. davell
    I guess I expect lots of ups and downs as well. It'll be interesting to see where he starts off at. My guess is Boise. But it's possibly he comes out and surprises us for the good. He certainly has some rust to knock off right now and I'm sure they're working on mechanics much more than results anyway, so it's going to be determined by how quickly he adjusts. Worst case is he's in Arizona all summer, best case is he finishes up with a couple of outings in Daytona.
  7. davell
    I thought Epstein and Francona had issues with each other? Oh well, it's pretty hard not to get excited about all this. It's cool as hell how big Ricketts is thinking on this. In the end, I'm not going to be disappointed if we miss out on the big names either, because it's definitely looking like we're heading in the right direction at least.
  8. davell
    I wonder if we're looking at Wells as a definite for the rotation next year? If so, my guess is we will have 2 spots open. One will probably be a competition between Cashner and Shark. The other will be a frontline type either through FA or via trade. At any rate, I don't think we'll be spending money on a 5th starter type. Just a minor league deal or two to try and find that 6th and 7th guy who'll wind up making starts for us at times.
  9. davell
    Theo wouldn't even come here if we had to give up Castro or Garza. We are pretty damn low on top end talent to begin with. If they want compensation, my guess is they'd get a Vitters type as the headliner at best. Probably more like a package of Castillo or Clevenger and Dolis or Kurcz.
  10. davell
    Yeah, I'll give credit where it's due here. Rogers has been pretty solid covering this search. Don't like the last line though about final interviews may be two weeks away at least. I was hoping we'd get surprised quicker than that. Makes sense and all, but I'm pretty excited about the direction it seems we're taking and want this done. But, it's not going to surprise me if this winds up as the Roberts thread of this offseason.
  11. davell
    Chico Walker
  12. davell
    I'm more than OK if we wind up with any of Cherington, Hahn, or the Atlanta guy. It at least signifies a huge change in organizational philosophy. Don't get me wrong, Epstein or Friedman would be phenomenal, but if we wind up with the next version of one of those guys, I'm fine with that as well.
  13. davell
    Good lord, freaking phone. Sorry about the quadruple posting.
  14. davell
    Why? Zambrano isn't an elite talent at this point. He's an average 3 or 4 starter who's massively overpaid to be that and is certainly considered a clubhouse distraction as well. If you were another team would you give up a Morrison type guy to get Z's contract paid way down? I know I wouldn't. Until proven otherwise, holding onto Z and slotting him 3 or 4 next year is our best option.
  15. davell
    Great job Starlin. Hard to ask for much more honestly, but I want to see hin stay over .300 and get another triple somehow, to give him double digits there as well. Nitpicky for sure, he's phenomenal.
  16. davell
    I'd give him a chance to make the team next year, but can we expect anything more than Hoffpauir? I seriously doubt it. If he proves us wrong, great for us. But all I'm even hoping for is a cheap cost effective lefty pinch hitter out of him that has a little pop. But if Japan comes calling and offers us 500k or so for him, I'd take it if we put it right back into the system.
  17. davell
    Instructs started today and some very encouraging results already. Dunston Jr had 2 hits, including a homer. Baez went 2 for 5. And Vogelbach had 2 hits as well, including a tape measure shot. Instructs are going to be very fun to follow this year.
  18. davell
    Kind of surprised to see DeVoss that low personally. Would have figured he'd have been over Chen anyway. Glad to see us get 4 on there though. Our lower levels are going to be stacked.
  19. davell
    I'd so much rather have WVU than Rutgers Same here, but I don't think WVU's academics are going to be a fit unfortunately.
  20. davell
    Syracuse and Pitt were approved. If the ACC goes to 16 teams, the article I read made it sound like Rutgers and UCONN could be the other 2 teams as it seems like they want to stick with east coast teams. Texas pitched them last week and they had been in talks with WVU as well. Since I'm more of a basketball guy, I love adding Syracuse and Pitt and hope UCONN gets added as well. I'd love Texas, but think the LHN is going to wind up screwing them and kind of doubt any of these super conferences wind up taking them.
  21. davell
    It's going to be a very interesting offseason for sure. Hard to even speculate on anything until we get a GM in place. But Levine mentioned 2 or 3 starting pitchers will be our biggest need. The way I'm looking at it is we've got close to 100 mill committed right now towards 2012 with needs at 1B, 3B, and starting pitching. In that 100 mill figure, I'm counting the deferred 5 mill on Pena and Silva's 2 mill buyout in it along with counting Wood as being back. I am not counting Baker, Dewitt, Hill, or Johnson as being back. Levine mentioned he expected a payroll between 120 and 130 mill. We're going to half to shed some more payroll somewhere before I see Fielder or Pujols as true options most likely. Maybe save half on Z's 18 mill? Maybe trade Byrd? At any rate, I'm figuring we'll have to make some pretty economical trades to fill some of these holes before we can get serious about Pujols or Fielder.
  22. davell
    Wow, no McCullers in the top 10?
  23. davell
    Nah, they move the fences in to little league standards to accommodate for his slappy swing.
  24. davell
    Our system is averagish right now. Maybe even slightly below average. But it won't be for long. The money spent this year won't show dividends for at least one season and probably two. But I have little doubt our system is well on it's way to becoming a perennial top 5 system.
  25. davell
    I don't care what the major league payroll is right now. We're not one or probably even 2 guys away from being legit contenders. Ricketts spent a TON in the draft and has spent large on IFA this year as well and has indicated this won't be the only time this will be done. I think it's the correct decision to build thru the system and enhance thru FA. Doesn't mean we'll never spend big on FA. But if they don't this year, while I'd love Pujols or Prince, I'm fine with spending that cash elsewhere and wait til what they may think is a better opportunity down the road. Hell, I commend him for not using the bandaid approach. A couple more true starters coming thru the ranks that are very cost effective means it's much easier to spend big money on one or two pieces than it is right now.
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