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Why not debate .03 differences in Win Shares? There hasn't been much to get excited about this offseason. :D My ultimate problem with the move is that I tie it closely to the DeRo trade that I thought (and still think) was so bad. Miles' spot on the bench used to be DeRo's (and Fontenot) and that downgrade bugs me. It's not a killer though, so hopefully something good will come of it. Instead of saying Miles' spot on the bench used to be DeRosa's, try saying that Miles' spot on the bench used to be Cedeno's. DeRosa was a starter, not a sub. Fontenot took DeRosa's job and the cash saved helped pay for Bradley. Finally, I still think the DeRosa trade will end up landing us Peavy. Fontenot is the starter, but any injuries to Bradley and Aramis (and perhaps even Soriano) would have been filled with DeRosa. Now they'll be filled with Miles on the infield and Gathright/Hoff in the outfield. I'm ok with Hoff filling some of that OF time, but I'm not with Miles filling the IF time. Fontenot was going to get a bunch of ABs with or without DeRo. And I really don't think the Peavy deal is happening, but I'll have a different outlook on the offseason if it does. Again, though, it appears very unlikely. Right now the deal is dead, but the Padres will probably be the worst team in baseball for the foreseeable future, still have payroll problems, and their prize trading chip has a NTC that he will only waive for the Cubs. I suppose a lot depends on how Shark/Marshall/Heilman look in the 5th spot and if any other pressing needs get exposed by the trading deadline, but I do think Hendry hasn't given up on obtaining Peavy. You knock about $5 million off his 2009 contract after the first half with Harden coming off the books in 2009 and suddenly money isn't quite the issue it was. It's still possible, I guess, but I certainly wouldn't credit the DeRo trade for landing us Peavy. Hendry's hanging out on a really, really thin limb if he's willing to trade an important piece of the team for a guy we might get eight months after the initial trade.

Adam Schefter is reporting that Harrison has asked for his release from the Colts. If he can be healthy, I'd absolutely love the Titans making a run for him. Only if they are 100% sure he can stay healthy, though.

They gotta keep this Colt killer around. They may get Indy in the playoffs again.

Why not debate .03 differences in Win Shares? There hasn't been much to get excited about this offseason. :D My ultimate problem with the move is that I tie it closely to the DeRo trade that I thought (and still think) was so bad. Miles' spot on the bench used to be DeRo's (and Fontenot) and that downgrade bugs me. It's not a killer though, so hopefully something good will come of it. Instead of saying Miles' spot on the bench used to be DeRosa's, try saying that Miles' spot on the bench used to be Cedeno's. DeRosa was a starter, not a sub. Fontenot took DeRosa's job and the cash saved helped pay for Bradley. Finally, I still think the DeRosa trade will end up landing us Peavy. Fontenot is the starter, but any injuries to Bradley and Aramis (and perhaps even Soriano) would have been filled with DeRosa. Now they'll be filled with Miles on the infield and Gathright/Hoff in the outfield. I'm ok with Hoff filling some of that OF time, but I'm not with Miles filling the IF time. Fontenot was going to get a bunch of ABs with or without DeRo. And I really don't think the Peavy deal is happening, but I'll have a different outlook on the offseason if it does. Again, though, it appears very unlikely.

Why not debate .03 differences in Win Shares? There hasn't been much to get excited about this offseason. :D My ultimate problem with the move is that I tie it closely to the DeRo trade that I thought (and still think) was so bad. Miles' spot on the bench used to be DeRo's (and Fontenot) and that downgrade bugs me. It's not a killer though, so hopefully something good will come of it. It's unfairly tied to the DeRo trade by many. It's not at all the preference to have Miles over DeRo, just the preference to resign Demp and get Bradley. Hendry has said as much. It's not a preference of Miles over DeRo that I see, it's that Miles was only signed because Hendry traded DeRo. And the ABs that DeRo would have gotten at positions other than second will now go to Miles (at 3B and perhaps in the OF). That's the connection.

The Colts are apparently going to look a whole lot different next year. Wow, that's a lot of changes.

Why not debate .03 differences in Win Shares? There hasn't been much to get excited about this offseason. :D My ultimate problem with the move is that I tie it closely to the DeRo trade that I thought (and still think) was so bad. Miles' spot on the bench used to be DeRo's (and Fontenot) and that downgrade bugs me. It's not a killer though, so hopefully something good will come of it.

Is it one of those where he wants to start or he'll retire, or will he take a bench role? He'd likely have gotten quite a few ABs with the Braves, though. Not sure... I'm sure someone will pick him up eventually, I wouldn't mind if it was the Cubs again. I am extremely surprised the Braves didn't sign him because he could start and he tore them up pretty good last year IIRC. We all remember the throwback game, and I think he homered in one of the double header games in Atlanta too. We almost certainly don't have the room, but if he could come anywhere near last year's power he'd be a huge upgrade on our bench. He is a year older, though.

Just throwing it out there: Mark Grudzielanek has posted a .760 OPS in his career against lefties. That's with a .348 OBP (.297 BA). Ramon Martinez has posted a .740 OPS in his career against lefties. That's with a .345 OBP (.275 BA). Both are currently still free agents. Chris Burke has posted a .748 OPS in his career against lefties. That's with a .347 OBP (.274 BA). Mark Loretta has posted an .806 OPS in his career against lefties. That's with a .393 OBP (.307 BA). Burke signed a minor league deal with the Padres and Loretta is playing this year with the Dodgers for 1 yr/ $1.25 million. They all get on base at close to the same rate as Miles (.284 BA and .352 OBP) against lefties (Loretta far better) and all were cheaper than Miles. Martinez and Loretta has played extremely minimal outfield, but plays 3B, SS and 2B. Grudz plays 2B. Burke has played every position Miles has. It would be revisionist if I had thought the Miles signing was well-timed from the start, but I didn't. I didn't think he should be signed at all, but if so, I didn't understand why we did it so quickly. And I'm not trying to act "pseudo-intellectual," I'm trying to understand what Hendry sees in Aaron Miles. And it probably is time to wrap this up. Don't want to piss off the rest of the board any more than we have, eh? :wink:

Is it one of those where he wants to start or he'll retire, or will he take a bench role? He'd likely have gotten quite a few ABs with the Braves, though.

I've asked you this before and you haven't responded to me, but what is it about Aaron Miles that made him a necessity to sign when we did? There are numerous other options who were on the market at the time getting very little interest at the time we signed Miles and are still on the market (getting minor league deals and cheaper contracts than Miles) who have similar or better stats than Miles. So what is it about Aaron Miles specifically that made it important we sign a backup middle infielder quickly when there were numerous other options out there? Sorry I didn't get back to you, but I agree with the other poster. Obviously Hendry wanted Miles (for whatever reason) and paid him the going rate at the time. You may not agree with Hendry on Miles, his ability, his contract, or the timing, but apparently Hendry decided he was the best option to fill the role at that price and at that time. As West Side Roter pointed out, Hendry is an impulse buyer. Sometimes he makes good decisions and sometimes bad, so I guess we'll have to see how this turns out. As for my defense of Hendry, it's more a case of being the devil's advocate because there are so many people that criticize every move he makes or doesn't make. The problem is, there's just not much good defense for the Miles signing. I understand the devil's advocate stance and the defense of Hendry, as I'm often on that side of the coin. I just am frustrated that Hendry jumped at such a replaceable player as Miles. He's a big part of why our bench is so much worse than last year. And I agree that obviously Hendry felt Miles was the best option at that price and time, but I really don't understand why he thought this. He may prove me wrong, but it seemed very, very obvious to me that Miles was not the way to go.

You don't wait specifically for them, but you also don't rush just to sign Aaron Miles. The market was shaping up to be slow at the time - meaning it was a perfect time to sit back and wait on potential bargains (Grudz for instance) rather than jumping at a very mediocre player at a spot that is easily filled. As for Hudson and Cabrera, I don't think you wait specifically for them, but the fact that they were still here this much later is a reason for not rushing to sign a very mediocre player. Bargains will appear in slow markets. Hendry, for as many good bargains as he's found in the past, didn't plan well for this one. And feasible isn't the same as good. And I still don't understand the second year when comparable players signed for one.

Is Edmonds available or has he retired? If he's open to going there, I believe I would take a shot at him over Anderson.

Good question. Probaby the same thing he saw in DeRosa (another unpopular move economically at the time). I think he was looking for a specific role and identified Miles early. He moved within his budget and left less question marks for himself before he got to the heavy lifting of this offseason (Bradley). After I looked into the DeRosa signing, I liked it - I don't see anything in Miles that I saw in DeRosa to make me think Miles can be all that productive. And you're probably right that he identified a role and filled it - but that's the problem I have with the move, he appeared to lock into one mediocre target and jumped without considering the slow-as-molasses movement of the market at the time and the similar/superior players available and not getting much interest. So Miles is overpaid by a few hundred thousand. Not the end of the world. As a utility player, he's not as bad as people make him out to be. If we agree that they were never in the market for Hudson at 2B fulltime or Cabrera at SS fulltime, and that those two wouldn't settle for that role, who are the utility guys that Hendry missed on that were superior? Everyone has flaws from age, defense, performance, flexability, health and just about anything else. Counsell, Vizquel, Aurelia, Nomar, Vidro, Duhram, Grudz? I'm not saying signing Miles was the only option, just that it was not the most irresponsible one like some make it out to be. It wasn't horribly irresponsible, but it was still poor. For a cash strapped team (which we are this year), 1-1.5 million can be a fairly big deal. The extra year was terrible as well. With all the outfielders we have, I would have greatly preferred a Mark Grudzielanek, Orlando Hudson or Orlando Cabrera over Miles. Plus, Miles plays terrible outfield defense. How much more versatile is he than they are? He can play third, but his offense replacing Aramis for any length of time horrifies me.

I think he was pretty good in his prime, but his defense has deteriorated with age, I believe.

Good question. Probaby the same thing he saw in DeRosa (another unpopular move economically at the time). I think he was looking for a specific role and identified Miles early. He moved within his budget and left less question marks for himself before he got to the heavy lifting of this offseason (Bradley). After I looked into the DeRosa signing, I liked it - I don't see anything in Miles that I saw in DeRosa to make me think Miles can be all that productive. And you're probably right that he identified a role and filled it - but that's the problem I have with the move, he appeared to lock into one mediocre target and jumped without considering the slow-as-molasses movement of the market at the time and the similar/superior players available and not getting much interest.

Mike Mayock (NFL Network) has moved Ayers to the top of his defensive ends. I'm not sure if he's alone in that or what, but if he has a good combine and pro day, he may well move into the first round. He has all the physical tools you would want, but only started for two seasons at Tennessee (and was only very productive for one). Lack of effort was his main problem in the early years at UT, but he seemed to correct the problems in his senior year. Mayock also mentioned that Ayers may be a guy who moves to outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense.

Griffey's been better offensively the past few years. I don't know how Anderson is defensively, though - and that would probably be the difference between the two.

His .433 SLG was the highest of any Brave outfielder last year. He wasn't that good last year, but if nothing else he'll give them a bit of power in the outfield.

I've asked you this before and you haven't responded to me, but what is it about Aaron Miles that made him a necessity to sign when we did? There are numerous other options who were on the market at the time getting very little interest at the time we signed Miles and are still on the market (getting minor league deals and cheaper contracts than Miles) who have similar or better stats than Miles. So what is it about Aaron Miles specifically that made it important we sign a backup middle infielder quickly when there were numerous other options out there? Hendry obviously liked him and wanted to have him locked up before he moved DeRosa which then allowed him to sign Bradley. If you don't agree with Hendry about how much he likes Miles as a player that is fine, but the timing makes sense. He probably couldn't sign Bradley until he cleared the Marquis and DeRosa salary and he didn't want to wait on that and have someone swoop in and sign Bradley since he was the "must have" guy for Hendry this offseason. He thought Fontenot / Miles was the best option for replacing DeRosa's production and didn't want to make the DeRosa move and not have his replacement plan in place. Rumors at the time were that there were some other clubs interested in Miles at about the same price range so if he waited on that he might not get him. Again, the backround issue here is whether or not you agree that Miles was the guy to get. However, if you just go by the given that Hendry felt that he was then his timing made sense all things considered. I agree that if Miles was Hendry's only target, then the timing was fine. Had we not signed him then, we wouldn't have signed him. The question is, though, what is it about Miles that makes him so much more valuable than other guys with similar/better stats who were available at the time and still are now? Obviously Hendry valued him highly when he signed him and Backtobanks is defending the signing by saying we couldn't wait any longer for a backup middle infielder. I'm asking why we couldn't. Rushing to sign Dempster and Bradley are perfectly fine moves - they are very valuable pieces of this team and are not easily replaced. Miles is pretty easily replaced, so I don't understand the rush to sign him.

Just an FYI, I've updated the thread title with the start date and the first post in the thread now has the official draft order and I've listed the amount of time between picks as 24 hours. If anybody has issues with any of that, let me know.

D-Will's times were pretty bad and he was gonna go the highest of the 3 PSU receivers in the draft. I wonder how badly this affects his draft position. I hadn't heard much talk of him going in the first round before the combine - I don't think his stock dropped that much yet today.

WR official 40 times at the combine: Heyward-Bey, Darrius 4.30 Wallace, Mike 4.33 Knox, Johnny 4.34 Butler, Deon 4.38 Thomas, Mike 4.40 Underwood, Tiquan 4.41 Harvin, Percy 4.41 Byrd, Demetrius 4.42 Murphy, Louis 4.43 McKinley, Kenny 4.44 Brian Robiskie finished around a 4.5 and Heyward-Bey really impressed me. Hakeem Nicks pulled up with something wrong with his leg during one of the drills. I haven't heard if it's a cramp or what, though.

I've asked you this before and you haven't responded to me, but what is it about Aaron Miles that made him a necessity to sign when we did? There are numerous other options who were on the market at the time getting very little interest at the time we signed Miles and are still on the market (getting minor league deals and cheaper contracts than Miles) who have similar or better stats than Miles. So what is it about Aaron Miles specifically that made it important we sign a backup middle infielder quickly when there were numerous other options out there?

It's got a freaking lake in the middle of it. There's a pool and a pond. The pond would be good for you. =D> Bravo good sir, bravo.