goonys evil twin

Do you prefer Lee simply for economic reasons, or other?

Chris Russo, speaking about Bears defense: They are not a great defense. Mike Francesa: They aren't a great defense They were talking about how fast, they are, and how hard they hit, but both made it clear they didn't think the Bears defense was great.

You might have to wait until April 3 to get that jersey, assuming you want it to be a Red Sox jersey.

Hendry's big negative is that he keeps putting bad teams on the field. Minor detail, I guess it's easy to overlook.

I would be fine dealing Eyre.

Since very few posters gave him props for signing his own free agents (ARam, Wood, and Miller), I would think he should be ahead of the GMs that couldn't even sign their own free agents (Soriano, Drew, Schmidt, Zito, CLee, etc.). What? You want to rank him ahead of Beane because he managed to resign Ramirez but Beane didn't resign Zito? That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

I'm guessing Lee's cost in talent will be higher because he's a lefty and because his contract is so team friendly.

Apparently. Jennings is coming off a good season, and has historically been held down by Coors field. Meche plays half his games in a huge pitcher's haven and sucks away from Safeco, and even worse he can't throw strikes(which wouldn't matter what park you're in). Jennings home/away splits are no more different than any other pitcher in baseball. This is large overstatement. So the entire hair-splitting difference between two more or less average pitchers is home/away splits? And Hendry deserves praise for considering one and being trashed for the other? It seems an extreme position. *******sorry, I confused Jennings and Westbrook***************

Red Sox will not trade Varitek. I'm pretty sure he's the team captain, and I'm also pretty sure he has a no-trade clause. Yeah, no way they deal Tek.

This guy wouldn't make a good GM, unless maybe he went to the Yankees. This thinking is how teams like the late 90's Orioles happen.

I'm guessing lots of people wouldn't mind Meche. The minding comes up if/when he gets a longterm expensive deal and is passed off as the big time pitching acquisition of the offseason. Meche is a fine gamble at the back of the rotation and for short-term. He could give you 180 IP and 100 ERA+. He hasn't shown that he's likely to though, and hasn't earned the premium that other guys have, by repeatedly doing that or better. 1 year, $5m, great. 2/12, okay 3/27, and nobody else comes in? Uh-uh. If a risk like Meche accounts for 8% of your payroll, you aren't spending wisely. Now, if Meche got 3/27, but they also added Drew, traded little for Westbrook and switched out Izturis with Lugo. Okay, I'll live with it. Goony, do you think any average talent under-30 pitcher in this market is going to get less than 3 years? I just don't see the 1-2 year approach as even an option, for any team. If you're average and under 30, you're looking at 3/21 to start negotiations. Talent is one thing, results are another. Meche is a below average pitcher. I do fear that 3/21 would be the start for him, and that he'll get much more. And that's why I'm nervous about these rumors for a guy that's never "done it". If 1 or 2 years aren't an option, then the Cubs should probably stay away from this particular player. Just because the market says he can get it, doesn't mean it's the right move for the Cubs.

:D :D :D :D It's not worth much to me. Baseball people love to compliment one another. Scouting directors don't think about cost effective roster moves (see Jim Hendry), they think about finding diamonds in the rough. They don't mind failing on almost every guy as long as a couple do something. A GM, or anybody concerned with the makeup of a major league team, can't affort to think like a scout. They need more hits than misses. Did you consider that maybe the scouting director wasn't evaluating it from a scouting standpoint, but from a baseball standpoint? I figured a scouting director was evaluating it from the standpoint of who he is and what he values in baseball. He probably values the scrappiness of the player, the fact that he responded when given a little more playing time, the fact that he's willing to play many positions without complaint. Not to mention, the fact that he probably made the scout who signed him look smart by actually sticking in the majors for a long time. What I doubt is that he's looking at the Cubs budget, the Cubs needs, and the Cubs past mistakes, and judging how this helps the Cubs win the World Series.

Too much DeRosa sidetracking.

I'm guessing lots of people wouldn't mind Meche. The minding comes up if/when he gets a longterm expensive deal and is passed off as the big time pitching acquisition of the offseason. Meche is a fine gamble at the back of the rotation and for short-term. He could give you 180 IP and 100 ERA+. He hasn't shown that he's likely to though, and hasn't earned the premium that other guys have, by repeatedly doing that or better. 1 year, $5m, great. 2/12, okay 3/27, and nobody else comes in? Uh-uh. If a risk like Meche accounts for 8% of your payroll, you aren't spending wisely. Now, if Meche got 3/27, but they also added Drew, traded little for Westbrook and switched out Izturis with Lugo. Okay, I'll live with it.

:D :D :D :D It's not worth much to me. Baseball people love to compliment one another. Scouting directors don't think about cost effective roster moves (see Jim Hendry), they think about finding diamonds in the rough. They don't mind failing on almost every guy as long as a couple do something. A GM, or anybody concerned with the makeup of a major league team, can't affort to think like a scout. They need more hits than misses.

Oh well then by all means it was a genius move on Hendry's part.

Scouting directors don't think about cost efficiency. They are excited if they find an unknown nobody who winds up having one decent season in the majors. yes, people on internet message boards are much better sources for determining the quality of a signing Some people are. If only in thier own minds. The results speak for themselves.

Scouting directors don't think about cost efficiency. They are excited if they find an unknown nobody who winds up having one decent season in the majors. yes, people on internet message boards are much better sources for determining the quality of a signing Some people are.

Again, it's a pattern: $4.15 to Izturis $4.5 to DeRosa $3.25 to Rusch $2.5 to Blanco It's $14.4 million. It's not the "littlest thing" You're assuming that those four positions on the team would be adequately filled by people making $0. You have to assume that the people there are at least making something. 4 players at an average of $400,000 each, combines to $1.6m. Make one of those guys a millionaire veteran and the total cost is $2.2 million, leaving $12.2 million on the table for somebody, or somebodies, who can actually help the team get better. So you're going with Cedeno, one of the worst hitters in all of baseball, over Izturis next year. And you're going with Theriot, very possibly a one-year wonder, over DeRosa. How does that come close to suggesting such a thing? $12.2 million could mean signing Lugo, and having enough left over for a decent starting pitching option. And you'd still have money for Soriano at 2B or CF. With a much better lineup, you have a good shot at surviving a Theriot/Cedeno platoon if need be. And what is the difference in taking one of the worst hitters in all of baseball or Izturis?

Scouting directors don't think about cost efficiency. They are excited if they find an unknown nobody who winds up having one decent season in the majors.

Again, it's a pattern: $4.15 to Izturis $4.5 to DeRosa $3.25 to Rusch $2.5 to Blanco It's $14.4 million. It's not the "littlest thing" You're assuming that those four positions on the team would be adequately filled by people making $0. You have to assume that the people there are at least making something. 4 players at an average of $400,000 each, combines to $1.6m. Make one of those guys a millionaire veteran and the total cost is $2.2 million, leaving $12.2 million on the table for somebody, or somebodies, who can actually help the team get better.

I just went and looked at his stats, and you're right. Somehow I thought he was much better. He had a nice start to his major league career, and was credited with a good amount of the glory for the White Sox world series. He was a good, but not special minor leaguer. Now that he's in the last years of arbitration, and coming off two bad seasons, I don't see much value in him. If Philly non-tendered him, or took back a less valuable trading chip (Dempster?), then I could see trying to use him as the 4th OF, subbing for Jones and Drew.

Any thought to trading relief pitching (Phillies would want Howry) for Aaron Rowand? I wouldn't see the point.

future me: "I love our infield"

That doesn't sound like someone that's going to trade Izturis to me. Why tip his hand? If anything it can be construed as talking up Izzy for a potential trade. Right, GM's don't say "We really want to trade this guy because he sucks and we hate him." It would be fun if somebody did.