Transmogrified Tiger

While I am not sure what the (2) does mean, I am fairly certain it does not mean "twice" or "two times". First, they only list one inning. Second the are some (1)'s on the list, if that only meant "one time" why would they ever put (1)? Finally, every single time a (2) is present, there is only one "victim" listed. If it were an indicator or "two in the same game" I have a hard time believing every time somebody pulled the trick twice in the same game, it was always on the same runner both times. That's true, but I thought I remember reading earlier in the season that he got caught twice in the same game.

Twice in the same game, I still can't get over how hilarious that is. I bet Brock did it as a joke the second time. "I think to myself, there can't possibly be another Starbucks behind me. Nobody could be that stupid."

Regardless of whether Nolasco or Pinto pan out, they were/are still worth more than Pierre at the time of the trade.

Buy one of those huge coats the team wears and jump on the sidelines. Just hope Grossman doesn't get hurt.

Lofton in Dodger Stadium will not go well. Good thing they have 3 OF's better than him for when he collapses.

His work at the end of this year and in the AFL are pretty sufficient proof that he still has his stuff.

You're right! Im thinking maybe because 2 minute warning hadnt came yet? The play started before the 2 minute warning. Just an idea I really dont know. It's actually happened in 3 different games I've seen in the past 8 days, which is weird since I'd never seen it before. edit: I mean a challengee on a play that started before the 2 minute warning but ended inside 2 minutes It's how the Saints got cheated against the Rams when the Rams player grabbed the ball from the Saints player's hands when he was laying on the ground. Haslett was out of timeouts and/or challenges, and even though there was less than 2 minutes, the two minute warning hadn't happened, which meant the booth couldn't challenge.

Please have a lot of fantasy points Warrick Dunn. A LOT.

There's maybe five, six 2B in the game that are clearly better than Walker. If you want someone better than Todd, you're going to need to get Giles, Utley, Roberts, or the like. Walker is good.

Benjie isn't a wash offensively, it's a pretty huge downgrade. This was the best offensive season of Molina's career, and he wasn't within 40 OPS points of Barrett. It was also the first time in his career he's cracked a .750 OPS, while Barrett has been an .825 OPS guy since he's been here, and is two years younger. Actually, if you want to use the stats objectively (instead of subjectively, as many people here do when they have a point to prove) you would see that, in their careers, Barrett does have a better OPS... .740 to Molina's .704. .036 points. That's not a great deal. Barrett is a higher OPS guy, but hitting in the 7th or 8th spot, I want avg. Not OBP. Hits drive in runs that low in the order. OBP gets you on for a pitcher who gets on base at a .185 clip. Power is basically even. OBP and SLG are pluses for Barrett, no doubt. But, it's fairly even. And, with the defensive upgrade we'd get (a pretty big one, at that) I feel that Molina would be a nice pickup, especially if it netted us a RF and SP. Hey, you are entitled to disagree with me. I'm just not on the NSBB OPS Bandwagon, necessarily. The game is actually more than that. Average actually matters, too... though you'd never know it from around here. Using their career numbers is deceiving because of the age gap and the fact that Barrett is a markedly better hitter than earlier in his career. The power is not basically even. Barrett's consistently has been around a .200 since he's been a Cub, which are much closer to what he's likely to do going forward. The highest IsoP Molina has ever had is around .160, and for his career, which doesn't have nearly the variance as Barrett's does, it's .120. As far as average goes, without sidetracking into a philosophical discussion, I'll disagree that average is more important than OBP or even SLG, no matter the spot in the order. Even then, Barrett and Molina are going to put up similar AVG numbers, and Barrett's going to do so by hitting significantly more extra bases and getting on base more often. I'm not saying Molina is a terrible player, and I'm not completely against the idea of trading Barrett to upgrade elsewhere while signing someone like Molina. But Barrett and Molina aren't similar offensively, Barrett is easily superior in that aspect.

Assuming they were DH's, I'd almost agree with you. Unfortunately for that analysis, though, SS is the most important defensive position in the game. And Lugo is a great defensive SS, no worse than Furcal. I don't know which of those statements is more ludicrous but if you believe either, I can't believe you've ever seen Lugo or Furcal play. I haven't seen either play a ton, and I'd guess not many people have seen enough of both to make an accurate visual assessment, that's why I trust other things. Furcal and Lugo are similar in just about every single fielding metric you can find, with Furcal having a career year defensively last year.

Ahh, the Brewers - everyone's sexy sleeper pick! Although Zambrano is more durable Sheets has been the better pitcher the last two years with WHIP of 0.98 and 1.07 compared to Z's 1.22 and 1.15. I'm not knocking Z - he's awesome but Sheets has been better IMO. Not sure why whip is the only stat you're including. A closer look at the stats shows that Sheets has better control. Thus, the better WHIP. But that's it in favor of Sheets. Let's look at their careers. Big Z: 1.27/.228/3.26 Sheets: 1.22/.258/3.83 That's career WHIP/BAA/ERA. Aside from the nearly idenitcal WHIP, Z has the advantage, and it's a fairly healthy one. Other pertinent stats: Big Z: 7.73 K/9 • 1.97 k/BB • .341 SLG • .656 OPS Sheets: 7.57K/9 • 3.79 k/BB • .417 SLG • .717 OPS Nothing surprising here. Z has the better numbers except for a lopsided advantage for Sheets in K/BB. But Z's OPS against is over .050 better, primarily because when people hit Sheets, they hit Sheets much harder. Factor in the age (24 vs. 27) and the durability, and it seems to me the Z is a prett clear cut winner. Sheets gets hit more often and harder than Z. He gives up more runs and Ks less people, too. Don't get me wrong, he's a great pitcher, but it seems like the only thing he's got on Z is control. You're using career stats however Sheets has made a huge step forward in the last 2 years. If Sheets puts up a full year of baseball next year I think it's probable he puts up better numbers than Z. My post "I'm not knocking Z - he's awesome but Sheets has been better IMO." was misleading. Isn't that unfair to Z since he's several years younger and still has those years to "step forward"? He's outperformed Sheets to date at a younger age, that means he's been better.

Assuming they were DH's, I'd almost agree with you. Unfortunately for that analysis, though, SS is the most important defensive position in the game. And Lugo is a great defensive SS, no worse than Furcal.

IsoP = SLG-AVG It's a true measure of power as it removes singles. If 2 guys have a .400 SLG, and one hits .300 and the other .200, who has more power? The .200 hitter, since he gets the same amount of TB in fewer hits. IsoP shows that.

Just let Wilson play right. No need for a platoon if he's going to outproduce the partner. Or sign the habitual stop-gap (Sanders). At this stage, both Gibbons and Wilson are scheduled to start in RF for both clubs. Tracy doesn't like Wilson though, he doesn't fit into Tracyball. He probably won't get non-tendered, but I'd be surprised if he wasn't available, or even being shopped.

Just let Wilson play right. No need for a platoon if he's going to outproduce the partner.

Only problem is, this isn't a new rumor or a new offer made by Hendry. It is one that has been on the table for a while and has yet to be accepted by Tampa Bay while they hold out for something better. So don't expect anything to happen on this front soon because there is no reason for either team to do anything quite yet. They are still waiting for the other person to blink. However, if the deal does happen, whenever it happens, I will be a happy Cubs fan. Exactly. It's apparently been on the table for a good week now, so that must mean he was right--Tampa is holding out for Hill, and Hendry won't cave. I don't know, if you're Hendry and you have to choose between Guzman and Hill, it's really a 50-50 crap shoot, isn't it? Guzman would seem to have the higher ceiling, but Hill seems ready to help right now. We're in such a tough spot for RF facing alternatives like Jones, I think Hendry needs to blink as you put it and give Tampa the pitcher they want. Our need for that outfielder is greater than our need to choose between two pitching prospects, IMO. He could be waiting until the non-tender deadline to see if someone like Craig Wilson or even the aforementioned Gibbons becomes available, before deciding to up the ante for Huff. I'd rather have Wilson and Gibbons. For me, it's Wilson > Huff > Gibbons, but my preference depends on the cost of each.

Benjie isn't a wash offensively, it's a pretty huge downgrade. This was the best offensive season of Molina's career, and he wasn't within 40 OPS points of Barrett. It was also the first time in his career he's cracked a .750 OPS, while Barrett has been an .825 OPS guy since he's been here, and is two years younger.

Pie and Dope being the other two?

Only problem is, this isn't a new rumor or a new offer made by Hendry. It is one that has been on the table for a while and has yet to be accepted by Tampa Bay while they hold out for something better. So don't expect anything to happen on this front soon because there is no reason for either team to do anything quite yet. They are still waiting for the other person to blink. However, if the deal does happen, whenever it happens, I will be a happy Cubs fan. Exactly. It's apparently been on the table for a good week now, so that must mean he was right--Tampa is holding out for Hill, and Hendry won't cave. I don't know, if you're Hendry and you have to choose between Guzman and Hill, it's really a 50-50 crap shoot, isn't it? Guzman would seem to have the higher ceiling, but Hill seems ready to help right now. We're in such a tough spot for RF facing alternatives like Jones, I think Hendry needs to blink as you put it and give Tampa the pitcher they want. Our need for that outfielder is greater than our need to choose between two pitching prospects, IMO. He could be waiting until the non-tender deadline to see if someone like Craig Wilson or even the aforementioned Gibbons becomes available, before deciding to up the ante for Huff.

You get to choose after Cadillac's 23 yard performance? That's a nice luxury.

I'd give Gonzalez an NRI, but considering his age, health, and production when he has been healthy, I don't think we can think of him as a guy who will produce, even if healthy. By my count, Ordonez still has 4/60 left on his deal, so half would be 7.5M per.

Certainly seems to me that the Rangers would be more willing to trade Dellucci than either Mench or Wilkerson so this could be doable, but what evidence is there that shows Blasko has any trade value at this moment? Blasko really isn't that important, he's a high risk guy with potential, who in addition with a mid-level prospect from Texas, makes a good package for Kennedy. Anaheim doesn't have great pitching depth in the minor leagues, so since they're getting rid of their excess in Kennedy, Blasko is a good risk to take, especially since they're getting another pitcher(albeit probably a lower ceiling/higher floor guy) from Texas.

Here's a quick thought I was just bouncing around. Cubs send: Walker and Blasko Cubs get: Dellucci and Kennedy Rangers send: Dellucci and a mid level pitching prospect Rangers get: Walker Angels send: Adam Kennedy Angels get: Rangers prospect and Blasko The Rangers may not be ready to go with Kinsler at a middle infield spot, but Daniels is a smart guy. Dellucci + a mid level prospect for Walker is an upgrade talent wise, and he also isn't forced to rush Kinsler if he doesn't have to, and doesn't use anything he will likely need to deal for other needs. The Angels have a glut in the middle infield, this allows them to get a little pitching for Kennedy, who's an impending FA and has been rumored to be traded for some time. The Cubs lose some slugging going down from Walker to Kennedy, but some of it is made up in defensive upgrade. They throw in a pitcher with good stuff but injury troubles(I know, a rarity in our system) and also get Dellucci, who is a decent OF. It doesn't preclude the Cubs from still upgrading in the OF, since they haven't given up from their pitching strength, and Dellucci has good/great platoon splits if they choose to pursue that route.

He walked a ton at the Major League level last year, but he really didn't walk a ton of guys at AA and especially AAA. I think that's why the home runs went up, becuase he's made some adjustment to be around the plate more. Looking at his career, before this year he walked an insane amount of hitters, and didn't give up very many HR. Last year, he walked guys at a pretty reasonable rate, and gave up a bunch of HR. Seems to me that it's almost like an either/or with the BB and HR, not both.