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MLB Off-Season 2011: Only a few more weeks until the radio talks about baseball again

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O

Opiate

Member
Soka said:
I'm disappointed on both of those decisions.

EDIT: Btw, where did you see this news? MLB.com is obviously slow as shit with updating, but I'm unsure where to go for newest news.
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Bringing them back would be a good idea, but definitely not at their current salary levels. Both are significantly overpaid for different reasons.

Strong rumors that the Cardinals are aggressively seeking out Joe Maddon for the managerial position. The restriction is obvious, but he has repeatedly stated that he grew up a Cardinals fan and that the Cardinals position is his dream job.
 
M

Mr. Enigma

Member
Recapping October 31's madness:

-- The Cardinals announced that Tony La Russa is retiring. La Russa has managed the Cardinals since 1996 after taking over for Joe Torre, who was fired after the 1995 season. When Bobby Cox retired after the 2010 season, La Russa became the manager to be with his current team the longest. La Russa finishes with with 2,728 career managerial victories in 33 seasons with the White Sox (1979-1986), Athletics (1986-1995), and Cardinals (1996-2011). La Russa finishes with three World Series victories and six pennants, including three consecutive AL pennants with the Athletics from 1988-1990. This past postseason, he overtook Bobby Cox for second place on the all-time list for playoff mangerial wins. He also won Manager of the Year four times (1983, 1988, 1992, and 2002).

-- The Nationals exercised Davey Johnson's 2012 option. Money figure is unknown.

-- The Pirates declined Paul Maholm's ($9.75 million) and Ronny Cedeno's ($3 million) 2012 options, making both Maholm and Cedeno free agents. Maholm gets a $0.75 million buyout. Cedeno gets a $0.2 million buyout.

-- The Braves exercised Eric Hinske's $1.5 million 2012 option. They declined Nate McLouth's $10.65 million 2012 option, making McLouth a free agent. McLouth gets a $1.25 million buyout.

-- The Indians acquired Derek Lowe from the Braves in exchange for minor league pitcher Chris Jones. The Braves agreed to pay $10 million of Lowe's $15 million 2012 salary. 2012 will be the final year of Lowe's 4-year, $60 million contract.

-- The White Sox exercised Jason Frasor's $3.75 million 2012 option.

-- The Twins claimed Matt Maloney off waivers from the Reds.

-- The Rangers exercised Colby Lewis' $3.25 million 2012 option.

-- David Aardsma cleared waivers after being outrighted by the Mariners and elected free agency.

-- The Red Sox declined Dan Wheeler's ($3 million) and Scott Atchison's 2012 options. Wheeler is now a free agent, but Atchison remains on the 40-man roster. Wheeler had no buyout on his option.

-- The Padres declined Aaron Harang's ($5 million) and Brad Hawpe's ($6 million) mutual 2012 options. They also declined Chad Qualls' $6 million option. Harang, Hawpe, and Qualls are now all free agents. Harang gets a $0.5 million buyout. Hawpe gets a $1 million buyout. Qualls gets a $1.05 million buyout.

-- The Padres named Josh Byrnes as their new general manager.

-- The Reds exercised Brandon Phillips' $12 million 2012 option. They declined Francisco Cordero's $12 million 2012 option, making Cordero a free agent. Cordero gets a $1 million buyout.

-- The Royals exercised Joakim Soria's $6 million 2012 option.

-- The Twins claimed Jeff Gray off waivers from the Mariners.

-- The Rays exercised James Shields' $7.5 million 2012 option.

-- The Blue Jays exercised Edwin Encarnacion's $3.5 million 2012 option. They declined Jon Rauch's $3.75 million 2012 option, making Rauch a free agent. Rauch gets a $0.25 million buyout.

-- The Rays exercised Kyle Farnsworth's $3.3 million 2012 option. They declined Kelly Shoppach's $3.2 million 2012 option, making Shoppach a free agent. Shoppach gets a $0.3 million buyout.

-- The Diamondbacks exercised their halves of Henry Blanco's ($1.15 million) and Willie Bloomquist's ($1.1 million) 2012 mutual options, but Bloomquist declined his half. They declined Zach Duke's ($5.5 million) and Aaron Hill's ($8 million) 2012 options. Bloomquist, Duke, and Hill are all now free agents. Bloomquist surrendered his $0.15 million buyout for declining. Duke gets a $0.75 million buyout. Hill's option had no buyout.

-- The Rangers exercised Yoshinori Tateyama's $1 million 2012 option.

-- The Yankees agreed with C.C. Sabathia on a 5-year, $122 million extension that replaces the final four years of his current deal. The deal also holds a $25 million club option for 2017 that automatically vests if Sabathia never goes on the DL for a left shoulder injury. If the 2017 option vests, the total value of Sabathia's contract would be $211 million over 9 years.

-- The Cardinals have declined Octavio Dotel's ($3.5 million) and Rafael Furcal's ($1.3 million) 2012 options, making Dotel and Furcal free agents. Dotel gets a $0.75 million buyout. Furcal gets a $1.3 million buyout.
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R

Rafa=FedKilla

Banned
Opiate said:
Bringing them back would be a good idea, but definitely not at their current salary levels. Both are significantly overpaid for different reasons.

Strong rumors that the Cardinals are aggressively seeking out Joe Maddon for the managerial position. The restriction is obvious, but he has repeatedly stated that he grew up a Cardinals fan and that the Cardinals position is his dream job.
Click to expand...
Bu-bu-but the guys on MLB Network said that the Cardinals are not a Moneyball team and wants a managers manager.
 
O

Opiate

Member
Rafa=FedKilla said:
Bu-bu-but the guys on MLB Network said that the Cardinals are not a Moneyball team and wants a managers manager.
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As a separate note, I think it's perfectly possible that a moneyball team would specifically seek out a "grit and heart" style manager. The manager is essentially the liaison between the executive staff who hire the players and the players themselves; while it may be ideal to hire a statistician for upper management, it does not necessarily follow that the same is true for on field managers who deal directly with the players -- who are decidedly not statisticians.
 
P

Para bailar La Bomba

Banned
Opiate said:
Bringing them back would be a good idea, but definitely not at their current salary levels. Both are significantly overpaid for different reasons.

Strong rumors that the Cardinals are aggressively seeking out Joe Maddon for the managerial position. The restriction is obvious, but he has repeatedly stated that he grew up a Cardinals fan and that the Cardinals position is his dream job.
Click to expand...


Maddon is my fave manager in the MLB and has a smarter baseball brain than LaRussa (and doesn't have a contemptuous personality either). I'd really hate it if he goes to St Louis.
 
C

ConradCervantes

Banned
Yeah, that would suck if Maddon came to the NL Central. All those losses he'll incur once the Brewers unleash their wrath and run roughshod over the league.
 
R

rc213

Member
Ninja Scooter said:
Could the Dodgers try and get Furcal back for cheap? Are they comfortable with Dee Gordon and his 12 year old body being the full time SS?
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Nooooooooooooo, He hasn't had anything close to a full season injury free without sucking ass in years.


maruchan said:
Fuck Yes!!!!

Mcourt near deal to sell dodgers!!!!

Lets get an awesome owner and lock up kemp and kershaw!!!!

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-1101-dodgers-sale-20111101,0,3218015.story
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9l8ia1.jpg
 
M

Maxim726X

Member
Ahh the beginning of the off-season. So many fans filled with hopes of a shiny new FA...

...Except for Mets fans. Nay, they will likely watch their team lose one of its few talented players, and then not replace him.

Yeah buddy.

Any bets on Reyes's new home? I'm putting my money on the Nats.
 
C

Coins

Banned
Para bailar La Bomba said:
Maddon is my fave manager in the MLB and has a smarter baseball brain than LaRussa (and doesn't have a contemptuous personality either). I'd really hate it if he goes to St Louis.
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I think its going to happen. Maddon used to sit in front of a little transistor radio every night in Pennsylvania and listen to a barely audible signal from KMOX so he could listen to his precious Redbirds. He was obsessed as a kid. His parents said he would draw the Cards logo on everything he owned. He basically got into baseball for this job from what I can tell.
 
E

eznark

Banned
Holy shit, going from "you mother fuckers smile on the field so we are going to throw at your head" LaRussa to pajamas wearing Hipster Manager?

I personally love the idea of turning all of St. Louis into massive hypocrites.
 
D

Dmncnby2k9

Banned
David Eckstein said if Cards want to tailor to Pujols, they should make Oquendo manager. Gotta give these younger guys a chance.
 
C

Coins

Banned
eznark said:
Holy shit, going from "you mother fuckers smile on the field so we are going to throw at your head" LaRussa to pajamas wearing Hipster Manager?

I personally love the idea of turning all of St. Louis into massive hypocrites.
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Not sure how that's hypocritical. He wants intensity on the field and has fun off the field. Tony has always been known for his sense of humor away from the park.
 
D

Dmncnby2k9

Banned
Coins said:
Not sure how that's hypocritical. He wants intensity on the field and has fun off the field. Tony has always been known for his sense of humor away from the park.
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There was a story that Tino Martinez told Michael Kay. He asked La Russa how he was doing before his first spring training game and Tony told him, " I let you know in three hours." La Russa was one intense dude.
 
D

Dmncnby2k9

Banned
Free agent predictions from mlbtraderumors.com. They did top 50, I only posted top ten.
mlbtraderumors.com said:
The sixth annual MLB Trade Rumors Top 50 Free Agents list is here!  The entire list of available free agents can be found here, and you can filter by position and signing team with our free agent tracker here.

This year, I'm excited to introduce a new contest that will allow you to test your free agent prediction abilities against those of the MLBTR writing team as well as other readers.  We'll have details on how to participate tomorrow.  After players start signing, we'll have a leaderboard showing the contestants with the best "batting averages" on their picks.  Once everyone has signed, the winners will receive sweet prizes.  Here are the top 50 free agents for which you'll be making predictions, along with my guesses.

1.  Albert Pujols - Cardinals.  The Cubs, Blue Jays, Orioles, Mariners, Rangers, Marlins, Nationals, and Dodgers are other potential suitors, but a significant premium would be required to lure away the longtime Cardinal.  $225-230MM over nine years seems a fair compromise for the Cardinals and their superstar first baseman.

2.  Prince Fielder - Mariners.  Fielder has the same potential suitors as Pujols, with the Brewers also a possibility.  The Scott Boras client is a tough free agent to place, as there are good reasons for every team to avoid a potential $150MM+ commitment.  The Mariners and Cubs are the most likely matches for me.  Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik drafted Fielder in '02 with the Brewers, and his team lacks a premium bat.

3.  Jose Reyes - Brewers.  Reyes is another difficult top free agent to predict.  The Nationals, Braves, Phillies, Giants, Pirates, Reds, Twins, Rays, and Cardinals could have a need at shortstop, but not all of those teams can or should spend $100MM+ on Reyes.  The Mets will entertain re-signing Reyes, but the Brewers seem more likely to approach Ryan Braun's speculated $120MM price range.

4.  C.J. Wilson - Nationals.  Wilson's poor postseason may have damaged his stock slightly, but in his defense he racked up 250 innings over 39 starts this season in total and started 37 games in 2010.  $100MM is still possible for Wilson, though 78% of MLBTR readers think he'll fall short.  Front-of-the-rotation starting pitching is a big need for many teams, including the Nationals, Marlins, Royals, Blue Jays, Yankees, Red Sox, and Cubs.

5.  Yu Darvish - Blue Jays.  Darvish is not technically a free agent, and in fact he hasn't even decided about being posted at this point.  If he does come over from Japan, a $100MM commitment will likely be required.  The Yankees, Red Sox, Rangers, Nationals, Mariners, and Royals could put in bids, and it wouldn't be surprising to see a few "mystery teams" enter the fray.

6.  Edwin Jackson - Marlins.  Jackson, a Scott Boras client, could also make sense for the Nationals and several other teams looking for a 200-inning starter with upside.  Since Jackson is only 28, Boras could seek a four-year deal.

7.  Jimmy Rollins - Phillies.  Rollins probably won't find the five-year deal he seeks, but the Phillies have the need and the means to reach a new agreement with him.

8.  Aramis Ramirez - Orioles.  Ramirez seeks a multiyear deal, and as the best available free agent third baseman he's justified.  He could give the Orioles a powerful corner bat on a three-year deal.  

9.  Carlos Beltran - Red Sox.  Beltran is a tough player to place, if the Giants are unable to re-sign him.  He's a 34-year-old Scott Boras client who's likely to seek at least three years despite significant injury concerns in 2009-10 and a disinterest in being a designated hitter.  It'll take a team with a right field opening and a tolerance for risk.

10.  Jonathan Papelbon - Red Sox.  I can picture the Red Sox going as high as three years and $39MM to retain Papelbon, though the closer will test the market.  A half-dozen teams could seek closers this winter, but the list is short on big spenders and it's been a while since we've had a $40MM+ reliever.
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S

Sharp

Member
Nationals are the new Yankees, we are apparently in on 5/10 of the top free agents in a year where there's no way we make the postseason
 
E

eznark

Banned
Coins said:
Not sure how that's hypocritical. He wants intensity on the field and has fun off the field. Tony has always been known for his sense of humor away from the park.
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Apparently you never heard their "untuck em" hissy fits. If untucking your jersey after a game makes you apoplectic, wearing pajamas in the clubhouse is going to cause strokes.
 
J

Joe Shlabotnik

Banned
Sanjuro Tsubaki said:
Cashman just got a new three year deal.
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Dude's a glutton for punishment! (And lots and lots of money and the best job in the world.)

I guess he wants to play out the entirety of the Core Four Era.
 
J

Joe Shlabotnik

Banned
Square Triangle said:
The Red Sox are looking at Grady Sizemore? I guess the curse ofthe franchise is coming back.
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He's going to be tempting for everyone even though it's like buying a lottery ticket.

Like Sanjuro said, opportunity for crazy value.
 
B

Binx

Member
Oh man, I got pulled into a massive work project right after the TLR announcement and couldn't get back here for the Derek Lowe trade fapping. Talk about my hot stove peaking early. Still looking forward to see what they do with the extra 5 mil.
 
L

Little Green Yoda

Member
ConradCervantes said:
Yeah, that would suck if Maddon came to the NL Central. All those losses he'll incur once the Brewers unleash their wrath and run roughshod over the league.
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That better happens for your sake. The Brewers' window is rapidly closing unless you guys can afford to re-sign Greinke after next year.
 
E

eznark

Banned
Little Green Yoda said:
That better happens for your sake. The Brewers' window is rapidly closing unless you guys can afford to re-sign Greinke after next year.
Click to expand...

I hear this often. Why? They have Gallardo, Braun, Hart and Weeks signed long term. That's as good a core (assuming Weeks stays healthy) as any team in the central.
 
S

Sanjuro

Member
eznark said:
The problem isn't the contract, it's the roster spot/opportunity cost.
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I wanted Beltran last season to be honest. I think Reddick has the ability to be the everyday right fielder or at least start the season at that position. Last season I was more concerned with him dropping off. This occurred, but not to a drastic extent. I still would love to have a verteran outfielder on this team. Sizemore should be able to play at all three positions in the field and possibly DH/1B barring injury. The alternatives right now are McDonald and Kalish which I'm not very thrilled about. Reddick isn't established enough as well where Sizemore could easily steal the opening day nod.
 
B

bluemax

Banned
I wouldn't mind the Mariners taking a flier on Sizemore if he comes cheap. He can compete with Casper Wells and Trayvon Robinson for LF, or possibly with Guti for CF.

He's a local boy too! Seattle loves local boys! Also I think he stuffed one of the guys from Lookout Landing into a locker when they were in HS (or was that Travis Snider?).
 
J

jakncoke

Banned
itchers Brian Burres, Aaron Thompson and Kevin Hart and infielders Brandon Wood and Steve Pearce -- to Triple-A. All five have the option to declare free agency and are expected to do so.
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Nice, fuck Brandon Wood.
 
C

Corran Horn

May the Schwartz be with you
HarryDemeanor said:
Let's just hope that the next Dodgers owner doesn't completely suck.
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Woah woah woah...lets not get all crazy here. I wish the dodgers get another Mcourt. He was a wonderful owner.
 
M

Malo

Banned
darkside31337 said:
According to Rosenthal, LaCava turned down the GM offer from the Orioles.
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Lol Orioles. I wonder who they turn to next.

Please don't be Eppler or Oppenheimer.
 
O

Ondore

Member
Not surprised LaCava turned down Baltimore - Angelos is still breathing.

I hope that MLBTR top 10 works out just like they predicted - especially #5. Whoa mama.
 
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