Mr. Mo For a Day
by the red baron on Mar 25, 2009 10:40 AM EDT
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PrintWell, we're starting to get to that point in spring training now that the roster is taking what is probably pretty darn close to its final shape. We can look around at what's already here, and be fairly confident that what we see is close to what we're going to get.
Given this state of affairs, it's just about that time that we all take stock of the team and start deciding how we really feel about the job done over the offseason. In that spirit, I had thought to send off another report card to little Johnny Moz's this fine morning, but I thought better of it. Instead, I thought we might play one of the best games that anyone has ever invented: you be the GM.
The rules of said game are simple as simple can be, requiring only that you possess two things: one, a basic grasp of what constitutes reality, and two, an opinion. The basic grasp of reality portion is so that you don't simply wander off into fantasy land at the first chance, and the opinion is because, well, without one, this is sort of a boring game.
So here is what I want from you all this morning: I want you to tell me what you would have done this offseason. Prove to me, and the rest of this den of baseball passion, that you're much, much smarter than the people in charge of the team that we all care so very deeply about. Both free agent signings and trades are absolutely fair game; the only requirement is that you stick to that whole pesky reality thing. I know, it sucks, but if we don't at least attempt to keep this thing somewhat grounded in the visible world, we would probably just have a couple hundred people signing CC Sabathia, trading for Hanley Ramirez and Tim Lincecum (in a three team trade involving only Chris Duncan, no less), and bringing in the ghost of Rogers Hornsby to play second base. (On a side note, that probably would be a pretty good team, now that I think of it.)
Try to keep the monetary outlay relatively similar to what the Cardinals actually spent this offseason. A little bit over is probably okay; a little bit under and you may find a job offer in your inbox. Any trades must meet the smell test of feasibility, unless dealing with Brian Sabean, in which case I will accept trades involving players of absolutely any quality for small bits of string.
For reference, the Cardinals signed Kyle Lohse for $7 million, added K-Bot at a cost of $6.5 m, Dennys Reyes for $1 m, Jason LaRue for a cool million, Trever Miller and Royce Ring for half a mil each, and that's about it. So you've got something in the range of $16.5 million to spend in this game. I would probably think anything up to about $18-19 million is okay for our purposes here. Assume any player signed in free agency would sign for whatever he eventually signed for, if that sentence makes sense.
As for my very own moves, I would have done the following:
-Trade for Khalil Greene. I'm tempted to say I would have tried to include better players and pay less salary, but that seems overly speculative and sort of against the rules here, so no go. Cost: $6.5 million
-Keep Adam Kennedy. I didn't like the dude much, but he was a perfectly acceptable player. Better, in my eyes, than trying to turn an outfielder into a middle infielder in a month with a groundball staff. Just sayin', is all. Cost: FREE!
-Trade Skip Schumaker to the Indians for Jeremy Sowers+. I've really liked Sowers for quite a while now; I've even written about him before. He has struggled at the ML level, yes, but I still think there's a very good pitcher in there just waiting to be found. Change of scenery, new coaching staff, all that. Cost: FREE!
-Sign Kenshin Kawakami. Really like the guy, disappointed that he didn't end up here. Cost: $7.7 million
-Sign Miller and Reyes. Both good moves, in my ever so humble opinion. I probably like Ohman a little more, but these guys are both solid pitchers, and aren't expensive. Cost: $1.5 million
-Trade Rick Ankiel to the Yankees for Philip Hughes. Yes, it's speculative, but with the way that the Yankees are going about their business, I honestly believe it would have worked. Ank would be a really nice upgrade to their outfield, and I don't think Hank and co. are at all interested in how good Hughes could very well be. Cost: SAVE $2.3 million.
-Sign Rocco Baldelli. Hey, the way La Russa runs an outfield, there's plenty of days off if he needs one here and there. Cost: $500,000
-Sign Jason LaRue. I'm really tempted to use one of the kids here, but there are plenty of really solid reasons not to, so I'll bring back the 'stache. (But only if LaRue agreed to) Cost: $1 million
Total cost: $14.9 million. That gives me a little wiggle room, if necessary. Not much, mind you, but a little.
And that's about it. Under this scenario, I go into spring training with this rotation:
- Wainwright
- Carpenter
- Wellemeyer
- Kawakami
- Pineiro/Hughes/Sowers/McClellan/Thompson/Boggs/Pitching Machine
I let the competition play out for the fifth starter spot, hoping that someone other than El Pinata wins. Couple of weeks left in spring, I release him, giving him enough time to try and catch on with another team. Whichever of Hughes and Sowers wins the competition (I hope), becomes the fifth starter, the other either goes into long relief or down to Memphis. Either way, basically 6th starter territory. For the sake of clarity, I'll call the winner Hughes.
My outfield looks thusly: I put Rasmus in center, Ludwick in right, and Baldelli in left. Mather becomes my fourth outfielder, getting around 400 at bats, and Barton is my fifth.
The infield is Albert, Kennedy, Khalil, and the third baseman, who would likely be Freese until Glaus comes back, with Mather getting some extra playing time over there as well. Yadi catches.
The bullpen looks pretty much like it does now, except in my scenario, K-Mac goes back to Memphis to start. If he's a starter, I want to know it. If not, I want to know that, too. That leaves me with either Sowers or Thompson as the long man; I prefer Sowers, but he might also benefit from time in the minors. Either way. (If Sowers stays, I'm okay with letting Thompson get a better shot somewhere else, and good luck to him.)
My final roster looks something like this:
IF
- Albert
- Adam Kennedy
- Khalil Greene
- David Freese
- Brian Barden as the Utility Guy
- B. Ryan or Thurston as the Other Utility Guy
OF
- Ryan Ludwick
- Colby Rasmus
- Rocco Baldelli
- Joe Mather
- Crabman
C
- Yadier Molina
- The Stache
SP
- Wainer
- Carp
- The Colonel
- Kenshin Kawakami
- Phil Hughes
RP
- Chris Perez
- Jason Motte
- Ryan Franklin
- Josh Kinney
- Trever Miller
- Dennys Reyes
- Jeremy Sowers
When Glaus comes back, either Freese or one of the utility guys heads down to the minors.
I think that's about a 120 win team, right?
So, how about you? What do you do?
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It's hard to say
I’d try to either:
1. Talk Bill Dewitt to making some serious outlays of cash/resources to give this team a real chance of winning around its core, targeting achieving 95+ wins.
2. Talk to Bill Dewitt about trying to start tearing things down to position the team as a strong contender in a couple of years. This path involves replacing Larussa and Duncan, too, as while they are talented men, that is not their strength.
But neither of those seem to be our goals. Instead, we seem locked in on targeting 82-86 wins, because that was good enough to win the World Series once. If I was Mo, and that was my mandate, I’d be applying for other jobs this off season.
The problem with moves like trading for Khalil is he only has one year left before being a free agent, doesn’t really push you towards a pennant or solve the problem long term.
The Lohse signing is similar, except it probably creates a problem in a couple of years without making the team a strong contender now.
Wow
Talk about a Debbie Downer.
"Stats are for losers," Muschamp said after last week's victory. "I like winning games."
by SoonerfanTU on Mar 25, 2009 11:24 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Just to be clear here
Option #1: Not happening. Bill DeWitt answers to Bill DeWitt. Don’t you think if anyone was going to talk him into throwing a ton of money into the team, that already would have been done.
Option #2: Goodbye Albert Pujols. He explicitly stated he’s only interested in hanging around on a club that tries to compete every single year. Positioning the team as a strong contender in a few years, as you put it, is a lot harder with Pujols marching off to play for the Yankees at the end of his contract.
I'm Clear
Option #1: I agree it’s unlikely to work. But I’d try to convince DeWitt that a 95-win team and some post season time would help solve the attendance problems and bring in revenue.
Option #2: My first task on this would be to ask Albert if he’d intend to stay through this. If he says “No” (which is likely), then I’d move him for prospects—he’d be worth a lot. I would have offered him to the Yankees (then they wouldn’t need to sign Teixeira) for some of their wealth of pitching prospects, something the Cards badly need. I’d put Mather at first, holding it until Wallace is ready.
And I’d be thankful that it:
1) Opened up a spot for Wallace
2) Freed me from the likely task of having to re-sign Pujols to a huge contract and the very real risks of his becoming a Jeff Bagwell/Todd Helton-style problem as he ages.
Don’t get me wrong—Albert Pujols is the best player in baseball, and I am a big fan. But resigning him is a very risky move for a team with the Cardinals’ resources. Albert at age 37, less able to battle through increasingly common and severe injuries and making $28+ million a year may not be a good idea for the team.
Wow...
trade Pujols? Now or in 2011?
The backlash from trading Pujols is likely to be that of which St Louis has NEVER seen. It all sounds good on paper, but wouldn’t be very pretty in reality.
Sometimes I wonder,
"Why is that frisbee getting bigger?"
...and then it hits me!!
by cardzfanbub on Mar 25, 2009 12:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, I agree
But I guess as GM I’d say that we can’t outbid a large market team for Pujols. And teams that have paid big dollars for aging first basemen (Giambi, Helton, Bagwell) have not done well with those deals. Nor have other top first basemen (like Frank Thomas) aged well. I’d say “Quite frankly, to retain Albert, he has made it clear we need to field a clearly competitive team. And we simply cannot do so if we agree to commit over 1/4 of our salary to one player.”
You can get fired for trading Pujols, you can get fired for not re-signing him, or you can get fired a few years later for not being to win with his huge contract and a limited payroll.
[cue game show music]
Annnnnd THANKS FOR PLAYING “GM for a Day,” Tarakas!
Sorry you didn’t win anything, but we’ve got some lovely parting gifts for you, including a year’s supply of Rice-A-Roni, the San Francisco Treat™!
There are 10 types of people in the world. Those who understand binary, and those who don't.
So, what was the last
long-term contract given out to a first baseman that turned out well?
Bagwell?
Helton?
Giambi?
By what past contracts/former players are you basing your belief that signing Albert to a long-term extension is a good idea? Just curious.
PECOTA has his three most similar players as Frank Thomas, Jeff Bagwell, and Boog Powell. Are you impressed with how they aged?
How many teams have won a pennant with one player making over a fourth of the team’s payroll? Is this a plan that works? I don’t know. Maybe it is, but it worries me. I’d like to see evidence that it can work before signing on.
The game is GM for the day
not GM in 2012. Albert is signed for three years why not try to win with him in 2009/2010/2011?
That's What I Wanted--That was my option #1
I said I’d try to win with him now, by talking DeWitt to letting me make a better team.
Look at players on the trading block and free agent this year—
SP Peavy
SP Lowe
RP Fuentes
LF Holliday
SS Young
2B Roberts
That would fix our holes. Getting 2-3 of them would be great. All of them, fantastic.
I only listed trading Pujols was what I would do if I couldn’t try to win with him now. And I don’t really think the Cardinals are trying to win now, at least not very hard. They are trying to:
*Win now with a team that has averaged less than 83 wins a season for the last three seasons, while
*Significantly reducing payroll, and
*Keeping all of their prospects
I think this is an almost impossible task, especially with the lack of impact players/starting pitchers in the high minors, other than Rasmus and Wallace (who is blocked by Albert). I think they can’t do all of thes above well, and I’d rather they make a choice, and not simply throw Albert’s remaining years with the team away on 86-win seasons.
but many of these players were not obtained because getting them didn't make
sense.
what did we have that would have gotten us peavy or roberts? nobody in the whole country was able to put together a package that worked. and the cubs tried hard on both of them.
why would we want young – a terrible defender with a declining bat? why would we want holliday – a corner outfielder who would be a minor and very expensive upgrade on what we already have?
we tried pretty hard to get fuentes, made a competitive offer, and lost out to a west coast team, largely because he didn’t want to play for us.
lowe is the closest to a real target which I don’t think we made a solid effort on. I would have preferred to see the team go in on the contract, even at four years. but other people think, and I agree it’s at least a close case, that four years was too long — that lowe at that age would be too much of a risk. if that was the front office’s rationale, that’s not being cheap, that’s being judicious. I can disagree, but I won’t call them cheap for that.
I think there were a few names we should have gotten in on seriously, but you haven’t mentioned any of them.
Let's play GM for a day, 2015
I’d love to keep Pujols. I’d also love to see the Cardinals contending in 2015.
What might a 2015 team look with Albert on it?
Let’s look at it this way—let’s take this year’s team, but let’s replace the 2009 version of Albert on this year’s team with a 2015 version Albert, and let’s see what happens to the team.
Baseball Prospectus forecasts the Cardinals as an 86-win team this year.
Now, let’s say 2015 Albert is making $28 Million, or $12 million more than this year. You’ve got to keep the payroll the same. So we’ve got to cut $12 million—the easiest way is don’t re-sign Lohse, and don’t trade for Greene. Instead, play Brendan Ryan at SS, Boggs in the rotation.
How will this team look? Well, Baseball Prospectus has Pujols as worth 5.5 wins fewer in 2015 than in 2009. So our 2015 Albert is more expensive and less than half as productive. Replacing Greene and Lohse costs you another 3.5 wins. You’ve cost yourself 9 wins total, and now you are a 77-win team.
But you get to watch Albert Pujols!
For everyone here who is smarter than me, explain how you would have take this 77-win team, and without raising payroll, turned it into a winner. I think it is going to be hard.
I love Albert, and I sincerely hope DeWitt decides keeping Pujols is worth bumping the payroll up $12-15 million a year, so we don’t have to suffer a watching years of poor teams just to keep Albert. I’m afraid that won’t happen.
Payroll with Albert
will be higher than payroll without Albert in the same way the O’s were able to generate revenue from Cal Ripken during his last few years. The Brewers had a similar approach this off season with the contract they offered CC. Once they lost CC to the Yankees, Melvin stated that no the payroll would not remain that high. If the team is losing in 2010, 2011, 2012 without Albert, revenue will drop and payroll will follow.
The rebuilding road doesn’t guarantee 95 wins, let alone a winning season. Look at how long the rebuilding took in Tampa. The O’s have had the revenue stream but no success in draft or trades or free agent signings and have suffered 10 losing years.
Again, my comment was aimed at what would you have done this off season and I think trading Albert this year would have been disastrous from both competiveness in the next three years and financially in the current economic conditions.
I know a GM really can't trade Albert
I know fans would be livid, and I don’t want to see him go.
But I want to get discussion going. Can we keep Albert from leaving? If not, what do we do with him? If we can keep him, Is keeping him best for the team? If the goal is to win now, do we have a team that is likely to do that?
Your example of Ripken is an excellent one that really brings my point home. Here are the records of the Orioles in the last 4 years of Ripken’s career:
79-83
78-84
74-88
63-98
That’s the sort of thing I want to avoid.
And if I was GM for a day,
that is the sort of questions I would be asking.
last 4 years...
are you expecting that 2012-2016 will be the last 4 years of Alberts career? And the point is valid, Albert will bring in as much revenue as his contract costs vs a FA first basemen. You lose nothing by signing Albert unless he gets hurt.
"People call me El Hombre," Pujols said. "But only Stan is the Man."
The last 4 years of Ripken were pretty
sad, in the sense that a) the O’s are always sad, and b) they had NOTHING else to market the team with besides Cal, so it was all-Ripken-all-the-time for awhile there. Kind of embarrassing for him, I imagine.
But in pure baseball terms, Cal was pretty decent most of that time, and a part-time player for the last three years, and wasn’t truly a drag on the team until the very last season. He definitely wasn’t the reason the O’s were that bad. For a certain number of fans, he was the only reason to come to the games.
So there’s a correlation between his decline and the W/L records, I suppose, but I don’t see it as causation.
by MdRedbirdFreak on Mar 26, 2009 10:57 AM EDT up reply actions
I for one expect a round
of ferocious inflation in the coming years once the recession ends. The time to sign Albert for big bucks is now … because $28M six years from now isn’t gonna be worth nearly what it is now.
by MdRedbirdFreak on Mar 25, 2009 9:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Trade Albert?
I have to stop reading now. Have a nice day everyone!
by Walking Underwear on Mar 25, 2009 6:59 PM EDT up reply actions
I can't remember the exact quote
or maybe I’m just pretending I heard this but a former Cards GM once said of Musial (I think) that trading him would be impossible, like trading the Mississippi River. Ditto for Pujols
"Statistics mean nothing to the individual"
"You are what you eat and you clearly went out and devoured a big fat guy"
Certainly wasn't Trader Frank
who famously tried to trade Stan for Robin Roberts.
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 25, 2009 7:07 PM EDT up reply actions
nooo waaaaay
pujols is the only reason to go to a game right now as far as im concerned
I'm not sure we're yet in a position
to go w/ option #2, but I think you’re on the right track as to how the team is/should be structured. It makes no sense to aim for somewhere in the neighborhood of 85 wins and then hope you catch lightning in a bottle and end up at 88 or 90. We should aim high and that means either going balls-to-the-wall (as the Cubs have) to try and win now or tearing it apart and going aiming to win 95 games 5 years in a row, beginning 2 years from now.
As for the complaints that this might cost us Albert, I ask: would you rather have Albert and a 75-85 win team or not have Albert and have 95 win teams? I’m voting for the latter. If it takes getting rid of Albert to build a long-term, sustained winner, I’m all for it. Frankly, I don’t even understand those who would rather have Albert than a winning team.
I'm not going to blatantly disagree...
but I’m curious how we “blow up” the team to progress towards this goal. Do we trade Pujols (our only player with a significant salary that could bring back an equal return)? Glaus has a NTC, Carp is/was damaged goods, Piniero has negative trade value. Wainwright, Ankiel, Ludwick and Molina are all moveable…but I don’t see how moving them betters the team (now or in the long run). I can see not signing Lohse (at least not for that money) or trading for Greene (though I think this was a GREAT move), but overall I think the team is already in a rebuilding mode and IMO should be one of the favorites for the Wildcard. along with the DBacks, Dodgers, Phillies and Mets.
Sometimes I wonder,
"Why is that frisbee getting bigger?"
...and then it hits me!!
by cardzfanbub on Mar 25, 2009 12:38 PM EDT up reply actions
I think my option 2 would have been hard
Teams seemed to get very little in the way of prospects this offseason when trading veterans. Which would have given support for my option #1—it might not have cost us many prospects to make some trades. The A’s, for example, gave up very little to get Matt Holiday.
I would have traded Pujols, if I could, and tried to get Glaus to agree to a trade. I’d move Ankiel and not resign Lohse.
Yes, there isn’t much else of value on the team to trade. But I don’t think spending $15 million to acquire Greene and re-sign Lohse is money well spent. If we aren’t going to go to the post season, then save the cash for a time when it can do some good. The difference in revenue between an 86-win team in 3rd place and a 76-win team in 4th place isn’t $15 million. And it avoids you having to pay Lohse even bigger dollars three years form now when he’s pitching like Jeff Suppan, 2008.
Interesting Chuck...
Currently there are three teams who have deep farm systems that might be interested in Albert: Texas, Baltimore, and Atlanta
If you could get Feliz, Andrus, Holland, and Kinsler, do you trade Pujols to Texas?
If you could get Wieters, Tillman, Arrieta, and Britton do you trade Pujols to Baltimore?
If you could get Heyward, Freeman, Hanson, and Schafer, do you trade Pujols to Atlanta?
I think those are realistic deals for the best right handed hitter in baseball, when he’s got 3 years left on his deal. All of those players (excepting) Britton are A, A-, or B+ prospects and when you add them to the Cardinals current stock of A and B prospects we’d project to have a great young team in a couple of years. Is it worth the public outrage when you might have a team built to win the division 5 years in a row, albeit two to three years from now? Keep in mind, if we trade Albert, we’re probably picking a lot higher in the draft over those two years as well…
It makes for a very interesting question.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
I love the package you've put together for the Rangers
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PowerOfDixieland @ Track Em Tigers, other SEC blogs
by jd is legend on Mar 25, 2009 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm not advocating trading Pujols...
at least, not yet. At the end of the season, he’ll have 1 year + the option year left on his deal. I don’t believe we can let it get to the option year so, at the end of the season, we should enter talks to extend him. We need to find out what it would take. I have no idea. He’ll be worth at least $25-30 M per season, though. If it will take that much to extend him, I’d trade him this offseason for the best package we could get. All of those packages above are great packages but I’d still rather have Pujols for the next 10. If we can’t have Pujols for the next 10, b/c it would cost us so much that it would limit our ability to put together a solid supporting cast, we should see what we can get via trade. It’s possible that no team could/would be willing to put together a worthy package (I doubt Texas, Baltimore, or Atlanta would put together the packages you suggested) and then we may have to just keep him and let him walk as a free agent. That’s the least good alternative, however.
Hmmmm
(I doubt Texas, Baltimore, or Atlanta would put together the packages you suggested)
I disagree. I think Texas and Atlanta might do just that. Atlanta traded away Andrus and Saltalamacchia for 2 years of Teixiera, they wouldn’t trade those guys for 3 years of Pujols? I think they would. Texas has made plenty of bad trades in the last 10 years and I’m confident that we could get those players from them — we just might have to sweeten the deal with another player. Baltimore might not, because Wieters is so damn good, but look at the giant hole they have at 1B. You put Pujols there and keep your young outfield and Roberts and only give up a young catcher and some pitchers. I think all three of those deals are within the realm of possibility.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
A trade for Pujols would
put a jolt into Baltimore fans, I’ll say that. We’re desperate for even a reasonably competent team, and the orange and black have been putting us all to sleep for years. And in the AL East, I’ve gotta believe that would be a huge first step toward at least a little hope that we could compete for a couple of years.
Not that I want Albert taking off the B-on-B, of course. I still have priorities!
by MdRedbirdFreak on Mar 25, 2009 3:16 PM EDT up reply actions
But
would you part with 3 of your top 5 prospects to acquire him, which includes the top prospect in all of baseball?
That’s the question I’d want answered, and it’s a tough one.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
Frankly, though I follow
the O’s it’s nowhere near as heavily as the Cardinals, so my knowledge of the Balto system is too weak to answer your question.
But I would consider throwing in Matt Weiters if Yadi would come over with Albert. As long as Yadi is on a LaRussa team, whattya think are the chances of Weiters getting any PT in STL?
by MdRedbirdFreak on Mar 25, 2009 8:32 PM EDT up reply actions
Wieters would play
if he’s anything close to being the hitter that he’s projected to be. TLR is stubborn, but he’s not stupid. There’s also the possibility that Wieters moves to third base to keep his legs fresh and allow him to play more games.
If it’s for the players in question, I don’t think that throwing Molina in would give the Cardinals a second thought if they had already decided on trading Albert.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
One marquee player has to come back
You have to bring in someone in those deals that can start and add value right away so it doesn’t destroy the fan base. Cards are a pretty bad team without Pujols. You need a Rick Wise kind of guy and the rookies.
Just win
I agree with that
there is no reason the package would have to be prospects only.
Plus, keep in mind that after next year Albert would have the right to veto any trade as a 5/10 guy – they still have that in the CBA, don’t they?
Don’t want to even seriously consider trading Albert, but if he wants market value we will either have to:
1. trade him
2. find an owner that is willing to lose a ton of money
3. suck for many years
I am hopeful that he will want to remain a Cardinal and play for competitive teams, but we are talking about a ridiculous amount of money.
Those Pilgrims ain't lookin' so proud now...
Good point
…if avoiding being run out of town is an objective. Today must be old timers day with Trader Lane, Boog Powell, and now Rick Wise mentioned.
I guess my point was
that Albert is so valuable that I’m not sure it’s worth it for any team to give up the quantity and quality of players that Albert is worth. B/c of his production and his salary, can a team give up its best 4-5 young players? Few can. Maybe I’m wrong but, to make trading Albert even a consideration, we’re going to have to get top-notch talent in return, and few teams can do that. Of those, some of them would choose not to — maybe all.
i didn't see this asked, sorry if it was
but why would any team trade for him if MO puts him out there when they could just sign him when he hits free agency? why gut their team & farm system if they don’t have to?
BEN MOTHERHUSHYOURMOUTH SHEETS
I'm going to go try to find a puppy and kick it. - Brad Thompson AND THAT'S A WINNER!
My thought was
That those teams have the opportunity to win before Albert hits free agency. Think about Texas: The AL West is wide open. They could easily compete by adding one good pitcher and Pujols.
Baltimore might not want to make a move for him, I was just using them because Angelos is anything bu rational most of the time, and usually looks at what will make him money rather than what is best for the organization. I think Pujols puts plenty of butts in Camden Yards seats in the next three years.
Atlanta is looking to win right now. I’m surprised that they didn’t include Hanson to get Peavy, but since then they’ve signed Kawakami and Lowe, and a traded for Javy Vazquez. Chipper isn’t getting any younger, and I think the Braves might be the favorite in the NL East if you add Pujols without giving up any of your major league talent. Sure, they’d be trading away some of the future for a chance to win right now, but the Braves farm system always seems to recover nicely, so why not make this move?
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
I would have
traded Duncan, Thompson, and Schumaker for Ballpark Village, therefore generating more revenue for the Cards so they could sign Sabathia.
by saladdays on Mar 25, 2009 11:07 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs
I'm drafting B. Village in fantasy baseball this year
Huge sleeper.
by mojowo11 on Mar 25, 2009 11:58 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Obviously, there's only one answer
Duncan for Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez, Johnson, and Renteria.
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you just keep getting crazier man!
* sarcasm might be involved in this comment
and....BEN SHEETS!!! **
**not that BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment, just BEN SHEETS!!!
(BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment)
Like a fox!
The artist formerly known as...
Mr Redbird @ Viva El Birdos
PowerOfDixieland @ Track Em Tigers, other SEC blogs
by jd is legend on Mar 25, 2009 3:57 PM EDT up reply actions
my plan
-Trade for khalil Greene.
-Trade Ludwick, C. Perez, and PTBNL to Toronto for Alex Rios and Scott Downs. (this would give us a solid leadoff hitter and a above average LH reliever)
-Sign lohse (It was a good signing at the time. Obviously, if you knew the economic condidtions this would never take place.)
-Release kennedy (Sometime you have to give in to TLR.)
-Trade Jon Jay to Tampa bay for jason barlett.
-Sign Dennys Reyes. (i like guys from the AL making the move to NL.)
Final Product:
Rotation:
1.) C. Carpenter
2.) a. wainwright
3.) T. Wellemeyer
4.) K. Lohse
5.) J. Pinerio
Looks exaclty as MO has it.
Bullpen:
J. Motte
J. Kinney
K-mac
D. Reyes
S. Downs
B. Thompson
R. Franklin
Batting Order:
1.A. Rios
2.C. Rasmus
3. El Hombre
4. R. Ankiel
5. D. Freese/T. Glaus
6. K. Greene
7.Y. Molina
8> Pitcher
9.J. Bartlett
Bench:
J. Mather
C. Duncan
B. Ryan
J. Thurston
J. Larue
Any opinions??? i know I have to be missing something.
I like it...
except with adding Rios ($5.9M),Downs ($3.75M) and Bartlet ($2M) while only subtracting Ludwick ($3.7M) and Perez ($.5M) you have gone over budget. You’ve increased spending by $7.45M, and the rules allowed for only about $2M. There are some good ideas here, though.
Sometimes I wonder,
"Why is that frisbee getting bigger?"
...and then it hits me!!
by cardzfanbub on Mar 25, 2009 11:56 AM EDT up reply actions
Then you're still $3.5M over...
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
Good luck prying Alex Rios away from the Blue Jays
Ludwick’s value does not even begin to approach Rios’, even with the money difference. I dunno if you noticed, but Rios just signed a contract with the Blue Jays taking him through 2014 and has been a 5+ win player for two straight years. Not to mention Downs, who was an elite reliever last year and may be better right now than Chris Perez ever will be.
Nor do the Rays have much of a need for Jon Jay, fourth OF extraordinaire — they have Crawford, Upton, Gross, Zobrist, Joyce, and Kapler around to play OF (and Burrell if they really find themselves in a pinch).
Not to shoot down your ideas or anything, but I just don’t think those trades are realistic.
you are right...
Being a GM is tough. I would love to have a guy like rios at the top of the line-up though.
Lame
What a silly post. There sure is a lot you can do with a “what if”, especially when you don’t really know what other teams are willing to trade or what they might ask for.
If I was Mo for a day I would have not worried about the past and concentrated on what the team needs now. Like talking with the Marlins about what they might want for Uggla.
I can ensure you that...
your input on the quality of the post is much appreciated by all. Furthermore, it really has added to the discussion for today.
Kudos!!
Sometimes I wonder,
"Why is that frisbee getting bigger?"
...and then it hits me!!
by cardzfanbub on Mar 25, 2009 11:49 AM EDT up reply actions 13 recs
Let me get this straight
since you’ve been a member here, you’ve contributed to the discussion…NEVER, and this is what you decide to break out of the womb with? Talk about lame! One would think if you’re going to wait 3 months to add to the discussion, you’re comment would — you know — add to the discussion in some meaningful way. See you in another 3 months! That should give you plenty of time to come up w/ something intelligent to say.
by chuckb on Mar 25, 2009 12:28 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
Tomorrow not yesterday.
I posted because Cardinals baseball is around the corner and that’s what I’m excited about. That’s what I want to talk about, that is why I joined the forum and that is why I come to the web site. Sorry if I was frustrated by today’s post and felt the need to express it. I just don’t want to read about video game scenarios when opening day is in two weeks.
expressing your displeasure is fine
however, starting off your comment with “Lame” is not the way to do it. opinions are encouraged around here but not when they have such a negative connotation.
the writers here aren’t required to do so nor are they paid to do so. they spend their free time and effort doing this for our benefit. you don’t respond to that generosity with disrespect. the rest of us are really looking forward to what dan (and chuck etc.) has to say the rest of the season and would appreciate it if you wouldn’t discourage him (them) from doing so by offering negative feedback.
we have been talking about cardinal baseball all offseason and it is a shame you just joined. many of the topics we could have talked about have been talked about and now we are just waiting for the games to start just like everyone else. if you wanted to see a discussion about one of those topics than you should have said so in a good way. offer a thoughtful suggestion for a post and then show a sign of good faith by joining today discussion.
"Sorry about him, he's dealing with being an inker. " - Chasing Amy
by FutureMan on Mar 25, 2009 1:57 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
i wrote dan in the comment
i meant RB. my bad RB.
"Sorry about him, he's dealing with being an inker. " - Chasing Amy
So are you rescinding that you look forward to what Dan has to say the rest of the season?
:P
The artist formerly known as...
Mr Redbird @ Viva El Birdos
PowerOfDixieland @ Track Em Tigers, other SEC blogs
by jd is legend on Mar 25, 2009 2:01 PM EDT up reply actions
well that dan guy always struck me as kinda
what’s the word….help me out here…
"Sorry about him, he's dealing with being an inker. " - Chasing Amy
What a little controversy I started
RB keep up the good work, I was not knocking you or the website however if it is okay to criticize a ball player without being a professional ball player than the same standards do apply to bloggers.
That being said I shouldn’t have been so negative but it was not meant in disrespect. I ignored the spirit of the post and that is my bad. It is actually an interesting topic it was only my anticipation that frustrated me.
My thoughtful suggestion for a post would be if Carp deserves the opening day start over Wainwright.
Now here is a sign of good faith.
I would not have done much different than MO this off season however I probably would have traded for Michael Young instead of Greene and gone after Uggla. But I think that would have been a mistake.
Professional ballplayers get paid
Bloggers do not.
The same standards do NOT apply
The artist formerly known as...
Mr Redbird @ Viva El Birdos
PowerOfDixieland @ Track Em Tigers, other SEC blogs
by jd is legend on Mar 25, 2009 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions
put together a fanpost on what you think would make
a good post, then.
It’s reasonable to discuss whether or not Mo made the right moves this offseason. That’s a reasonable question and it’s the one RB posed today. If you don’t like it, thanks for reading but, while we are responsive to the readers here, he can’t possible give each one veto power over his daily thread.
+1
There was Gibson in the Reds' dugout, visibly manhandling about three Reds and tossing them bodily out of the dugout and onto the field...He was the toughest athlete mentally I ever saw, and the greatest competitor. JACK BUCK
by ISawGodInGibby'sRightArm on Mar 25, 2009 6:04 PM EDT up reply actions
It's hard to write about a different topic every day of the week.
Just try to think up 5 ideas off the top of your head that have not already been discussed three times over. Can’t do it, can you? You should check out other teams sites on here. Almost all of them don’t come close to providing the type of content this blog does. It’s always easy to nitpick and criticize when you don’t have to come up with any of the ideas yourself. This blog does a great job of trying to come up something original and sometimes to do that they have to wander into areas that are not necessarily cold, hard stats but are fun and light and stir discussion. If you don’t like what you are getting for FREE, I suggest you start your own Cardinals blog and replicate anything half as good as this blog.
How is it a video game scenario?
Most of the moves he suggested were pretty practical / realistic.
On with the (good) youth movement!
Well, like me.....
maybe he bought the MLB Manager game (mine is XBox360) and maybe like me, he is frustrated by the limitations of the game and the unrealistic payroll/trades/Cubs are the best team ever kind of game play it generates. Unlike me, I greatly appreciate the time and effort of any blogger who puts forth the ideas, thoughts and stats that makes this site a tremendous “must visit” every day, several times a day. As for the game, I might trade it to Arizona for that bag of baseballs and see if fourstick gets more than me for Kennedy.
by OKCARDSFAN_411 on Mar 25, 2009 4:40 PM EDT up reply actions
not this shit again
what’s with all the new folks coming out of the woodwork taking shots? how hard is this to understand, if you don’t like it here, get the hell out. do not pass go, do not collect $200 dollars, and especially do not post this shit trashing the hard work that Dan, Chuck & Red put into day after day. how would you like it if they came to your job at blockbuster or your mom’s basement & told you how much you suck? because you know what, if i see one more of these i’ll pay the air fair for all 3 of them to fly to whatever city said poster lives in just so they can.
this is the single best site for anything & everything related to the St. Louis Cardinals. and if anyone can’t see that & appreciate everything about this place, they don’t belong here in the first place.
don’t go away mad, just go away.
BEN MOTHERHUSHYOURMOUTH SHEETS
I'm going to go try to find a puppy and kick it. - Brad Thompson AND THAT'S A WINNER!
As someone who has been here 4 seasons now
the change in clientele has been more shocking then the change of executives.
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 26, 2009 1:13 AM EDT up reply actions
VEB is getting more press
I think VEB is getting mentioned more often in the press and is getting a reputation for being a good source of Cardinals reports and analysis that you can’t/won’t get from the PD. Because of this I think more PD readers are “trying it out” and as such we will see some people that just don’t understand how things go here. It also goes through phases.
"People call me El Hombre," Pujols said. "But only Stan is the Man."
SB Nation has also teamed up with Yahoo Sports,
so all the SB Nation team sites are linked from the Yahoo Sports team sites. Yahoo Sports gets a ton of traffic, and as anyone who’s looked at their blogs knows, there’s a lot of stupid, childish shit in those comments.
by BTown Birds fan on Mar 26, 2009 10:36 AM EDT up reply actions
Didnt know that
I just looked at the Cards site on Yahoo and now I see what you mean. A small little “SB Nation” app that displays the latest posts from here on the Yahoo site. Really adds to the exposure I guess.
"People call me El Hombre," Pujols said. "But only Stan is the Man."
I found this site about a year ago
through a link on the sports illustrated cardinals page… and I’ve been here ever since, heh
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 26, 2009 1:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Wouldn't change much...
I didn’t really like the Lohse signing when it happened (liked the signing…not the money), so I think I coulda/woulda waited him out…perhaps long enough to get a one year $7M maybe with an option.
I’d like to have seen Penny for the same deal the BoSox got…$5M, but then I’m over budget.
Sometimes I wonder,
"Why is that frisbee getting bigger?"
...and then it hits me!!
My moves...
- Sign Brad Penny for 1Y5M with incentives of $0.5M for each of 160, 170 ,180 ,190 , and 200 IP. Total cost: $7.5M
- Trade for Khalil Greene. Total Cost: $6.5M
- Trade Adam Kennedy to the D-Backs for a bag of baseballs (Remember that this deal was on the table last fall and the Cards didn’t bite): Total Savings: $4.5M
- Sign Will Ohman for 2Y$4M. Cost for 2009: $2M.
- Sign Trever Miller. Cost: $500,000.
- Sign Ray Durham to a 1Y$3M deal. Cost: $3M
- Sign Jason Larue. Cost: $1M
- Trade Skip Schumaker to Atlanta for Martin Prado (utility everyman for TLR + Good OBP + Placido Polanco upside) Cost: $0
Total Cost = $16M
This is assuming Penny throws 200 innings to pick up his full salary.
Pitching Staff:
SP: Wainwright, Carpenter, Penny, Wellemeyer, Piniero
RHRP: Perez, Motte, Kinney, K-Mac, Franklin, Thompson (long man)
LHRP: Ohman, Miller
Lineup:
2B Durham
LF Duncan
1B Pujols
RF Ludwick
CF Ankiel
3B Glaus
SS Greene
P
C Molina
Bench: Mather (platoon w/Duncan), Prado (can play 2B, SS, 3B), Freese, Larue
If I thought I could deal Ankiel for value I probably would, but I just don’t see a deal where the Cardinals would get similar value back. I think Prado replaces Miles and gives us nearly the same production as Aaron did last year with better defense, while removing Skip and signing Durham gives the team a leadoff hitter for 2009 while hoping that Rasmus can fill that role in late 2009 or 2010.
If Carp and Penny stay healthy I think that’s as good as any top three starters in the National League — right up there with the Cubs, Giants, and D-Backs.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
what?
We could have really gotten a bag of baseballs for Kennedy from the D’Backs?
No, really, what was the deal with the D’Backs for AK? I honestly can’t remember (here is hoping it really was for a bag of balls).
* sarcasm might be involved in this comment
and....BEN SHEETS!!! **
**not that BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment, just BEN SHEETS!!!
(BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment)
if i remember correctly
i don’t think they were willing to take on much if any of AK’s contract
"Sorry about him, he's dealing with being an inker. " - Chasing Amy
Yeah right? A bag of balls would drop the hit we took from dumping AK to under 4 million...
$3,999,9950 ?
Man I can’t believe he got paid that much to not play baseball. Wow.
*Rasmus is to CF as Longoria is to 3B*
The only thing I can find
is this from the archives and it’s per Strauss, so “grain of salt” is in effect.
I thought the deal was us picking up a small portion of his salary, say $500,000 or so and not getting any substance back in return — a minor league reliever or something. They signed Felipe Lopez to a $3.5M deal, so you’d have to assume they would have spent that much on Kennedy.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
RB, you touched on something
that I think is worthy of more serious discussion here. It’s probably something one of us should’ve addressed by now and haven’t. You mentioned sending McClellan to Memphis in order to give him a chance to start. We’ve been debating the bullpen, and speculating on it for some time and it’s always been some form of Motte vs. Perez vs. Kinney vs. Thompson. I, for one, have been adamantly opposed to sending one of the 3 good pitchers down so that Thompson could remain on the roster.
However, the option you present is intriguing. Mind you, McClellan is still a far better option than Thompson but it does make sense to find out whether or not McClellan can make it as a starter. If we need him in the pen later in the year, we can still recall him to pitch out of the pen. Meanwhile, we find out what kind of an asset we have.
by chuckb on Mar 25, 2009 12:32 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
+1
I’m a huge KMac fan. If he’s a future starter, spending time in the bullpen, although valuable, isn’t the best way to get him in the big league rotation quickly. In the PD yesterday, Goold wrote about the search for the 6th starter. He talked about the Memphis rotation, which I’m pretty excited about, but it seems as if Mac would be very valuable for us if he were ‘seasoned’ as a starter so that he can come up and take over for Joel when/if he doesn’t cut it, or anyone that gets injured. That being said, I think Joel will have a good year, and hopefully injuries won’t be much of a problem, but it would ready KMac for being in the rotation next year possibly.
+1
on Piñata having a good year. Not just a dream or hope, I just believe he will buckle down and figure it out this year.
There was Gibson in the Reds' dugout, visibly manhandling about three Reds and tossing them bodily out of the dugout and onto the field...He was the toughest athlete mentally I ever saw, and the greatest competitor. JACK BUCK
by ISawGodInGibby'sRightArm on Mar 25, 2009 6:12 PM EDT up reply actions
I hope he does
but the last 5 or 6 years makes me think that is a pipe dream
* sarcasm might be involved in this comment
and....BEN SHEETS!!! **
**not that BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment, just BEN SHEETS!!!
(BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment)
i've had a lot of dreams because of pipes
BEN MOTHERHUSHYOURMOUTH SHEETS
I'm going to go try to find a puppy and kick it. - Brad Thompson AND THAT'S A WINNER!
I think it is a good idea
but don’t we already have five pretty good starters slated for Memphis? Boggs, Mortensen, Todd, Walters, and Hawksworth all probably belong there – at least after Hawksworth’s Great Leap Forward this spring. Maybe he could tandem with Pineiro as he failed to go more than five in 11 of his 25 starts last year.
Those Pilgrims ain't lookin' so proud now...
Not a lot of love for Lohse
It seems like everyone is passing up on the guy in their predictions.
For me, a lot of what I would have done would depend on Carpenter. Being the pessimistic person that I am, I would have assumed in the off season that he wasn’t going to be ready or could be counted on; hell he still may not be ready for close to 200 innings this year.
That being said, I think the Cardinals plan turned out pretty well. If Carpenter stays healthy and Skip can figure out 2nd, this team looks pretty solid. I think the Cardinals addressed their two biggest needs in the off season. They needed some pop from the middle infield (enter Ka-heel), and they addressed the disaster of a bullpen.
The additions of Reyes and Miller are great. These guys are some of the best in the league at not allowing inherited runners score and Flores and Villone were two of the worst in the league at this. THIS IS HUGE FOR LEFTHANDED RELIEVERS. Lefties typically come into the game to get one guy out in a tough situation…the situation is usually tough because guys are on base. If we have two guys who don’t let those guys score when a lefty comes up with guys on, it’s huge. That was a HUGE weakness on last years bullpen that was addressed.
Also, Motte and Kinney were not part of this bullpen last year (for at least 80% of the season). They should stable the right side. Franklin looks like the Franklin of 07.
So I like what the Cards have done….and I’m ready for the games to start counting.
There probably is a lot of that
Though, I feel like I remember a lot of skepticism (at least at VEB) based mostly on the notion that ‘08 might have been his best year and it was all downhill from there. Unless I’m characterizing things all wrong. So it would probably be a statistically significant correlation, but I don’t know how strong.
i went back and looked at the threads around the time of the lohse signing.
there was a lot of well-thought out criticism of the signing.
evilfrog, in particular, gets to say whatever he wants about kyle lohse, because he said at the time
depends If you think the pitching market is going to follow the .com and the housing Market.
Congratulations, evilfrog!
by tom s. on Mar 25, 2009 2:28 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Atleast the heat from that $50 M
kept me warm all winter long. :(
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 25, 2009 4:46 PM EDT up reply actions
i hope it stays in your pocket
but i’m afraid it won’t
BEN MOTHERHUSHYOURMOUTH SHEETS
I'm going to go try to find a puppy and kick it. - Brad Thompson AND THAT'S A WINNER!
stand up Jill?
is that you Jillsinmo? Congrats on the man’s league if indeed it is you. I tried and failed.
No. this is me. Stand up for, against, what?
I don’t have a clue what you are talking about.
I haven’t had much to talk about lately so I’ve just kind of bowed out. I’ve also been getting ready for MAP testing next week. It’s not fun.
She isn't crazy, she's just not impressed.
I don't know that I would have done anything differently really
although I never would have thought of convertin Schu to 2B… if I wouldn’t have done that, I would have traded Schu for someone.
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 25, 2009 12:54 PM EDT reply actions
If I seriously considered converting Schu to 2B
I would have considered Barton and Shane Robinson too.
Those Pilgrims ain't lookin' so proud now...
man
we are going to have to come up with a new nickname for pinata if he keeps pitching like this
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 25, 2009 1:30 PM EDT reply actions
Catchy
The artist formerly known as...
Mr Redbird @ Viva El Birdos
PowerOfDixieland @ Track Em Tigers, other SEC blogs
by jd is legend on Mar 25, 2009 1:46 PM EDT up reply actions
I think today's starting lineup my very well be our opening day starting lineup
The artist formerly known as...
Mr Redbird @ Viva El Birdos
PowerOfDixieland @ Track Em Tigers, other SEC blogs
Looks about right
At this point it looks like Colby will make the team and not start at CF, at least on opening day. Obviously Piñeiro probably will not start.
Assuming a RHP, right?
because if we front Albert with Skip and Ank followed by Duncan against LHPs it will be a long season.
Those Pilgrims ain't lookin' so proud now...
and the other shoe that's been just hanging -- wile e. coyote like -- in mid-air?
it dropped.
royce ring outrighted — goes on waivers. if nobody wants him, he goes to the minors.
How does J.R. Towles fit in with Houston's future?
Is he considered a good prospect? In other words, is the signing of Pudge blocking a prospect who will be the organization’s future at catcher?
The artist formerly known as...
Mr Redbird @ Viva El Birdos
PowerOfDixieland @ Track Em Tigers, other SEC blogs
by jd is legend on Mar 25, 2009 1:50 PM EDT up reply actions
good question -- i think a lot of people are looking at towles and saying "no."
the pudge signing is a good short-term deal; it fills a big hole for them. but it’s just a band-aid.
by next season, they’ll still have a big hole there. towles is going to pan out or not.
and i wouldn’t invest too much in pudge’s ST performance. catchers, especially aging catchers, will wear down as the season goes on. i don’t think you can expect pudge to be out there regularly in august, so towles will get plenty of time behind the dish. of course, in august, houston will be about 20 games out, so. . . .
I thought Houston thought pretty high of him. Isn’t he the one who jumped like three levels last season? Or maybe it was ’07.
by CardFan@theLake on Mar 25, 2009 2:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Do you forget about Duncan?
It seems to me you could save the Baldelli money and/or send Barton to AAA and keep Duncan on the Major League roster.
Your current outfield is 4 RH, 1 LH. Kind of the exact opposite of last year’s outfield. I know this is just a silly game, but still.
I suppose I could send Barton down
and keep Duncan, but I really don’t like Duncan on the roster. I think I was originally planning on trying to deal him for something in my scenario above, and then just sort of forgot about it as I was going.
The reason I like Baldelli is because you have a chance to get such a multidimensional, dynamic talent for damn near nothing. So I wouldn’t want to eschew a Rocco signing and replace him with Duncan.
The whole excessively right-handed thing concerned me a bit, but a platoon split situation isn’t nearly as much of a concern with righties as it is with lefties. Therefore, I would be FAR more comfortable with four righties and a lefty than I would be with the inverse.
But when it comes right down to it, I’ll say I try to trade Duncan to an AL team, and if I can’t get any kind of good return on him, I’ll hold on to him for bench power/occasional starts at 1b and left, and grudgingly send the Rocket Man down to Memphis. Sigh.
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the ace-est of them all?
by the red baron on Mar 26, 2009 3:17 AM EDT up reply actions
not sure much I'd do different
Definitely wouldn’t sign Ring. Probably would still release Kennedy, I just don’t like him.
If in this reality we could get Hughes for Ankiel then sure I’d do it. Use that small salary dump to sign Durham or Grudz.
Guess it speaks a lot about MO when I can’t think of that much to change, but budget is kinda limited and @ 7 million can’t think of starting pitcher I’d rather have than Lohse.
I don't
think the Yankees would trade Hughes for Ankiel. It would be such a bad trade for them. I just can’t see them doing it. The Yankees do spend a lot of money and have acted haphazardly with prospects in the past. However, they reportedly refused to part with him in the Johan Santana non-deal, and I just can’t see that Ankiel, signed for one year, could be that valuable to them. Just my opinion, of course.
Here is the problem for the Yankees
Sabathia – 7 yrs / $161 mil
Burnett – 5 yrs / $82.5 mil
Wang – 3 more yrs under control
Pettitte – 1 yr / $5.5 mil
Joba – 5 more years of control
Igawa – 3 yrs / $12 mil
Too many starting pitchers for too few spots. Also they have no CF and there starting position players are old as dirt. They need to get younger even if it’s with 30 year old.
definitely
I dont think they would have any problem letting go of hughes now. they had a very aging rotation on the down side of their careers when that trade didnt happen; now their pitching will be fine for a while. Im sure they would love to get ankiel the only thing is there is only one year left on his contract.
It's not like they couldn't throw gobs of money at him.
They are the Yankees after all. Also, Damon, Matsui and Nady come off the books next year.
If you are going to get rid of
Hughes the question becomes whether you could get more value back from him than Ankiel would bring. A team like the Yankees won’t trade for prospects, so maybe Ankiel is a reasonable return, I don’t know. Even as a bullpen arm, Hughes over the next several seasons will likely have more value than one season of Ankiel.
I am assuming they resign Ankiel.
Also, they sent Hughes to AAA so I guess they are not going to use him in the pen. I wouldn’t mind throwing in a mid-level prospect to entice the deal a little either.
That's
a good point, but I think there’s been a pretty significant shift in the paradigm that the Yankees are operating under in the past year. At the time of the Santana non-deal, Steinbrenner they Younger was still listening to what Cashman was trying to put down, i.e. that the farm system had the talent they needed, and building from within was the way to go.
Now, it seems that Steinbrenner the Younger is acting more and more like Steinbrenner the Elder, and building from within be damned. They’ve gone all in to win it this year, and I think a trade for Ankiel goes along nicely with that philosophy, while holding on to Hughes really doesn’t.
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the ace-est of them all?
by the red baron on Mar 26, 2009 3:21 AM EDT up reply actions
Nice summation
of the Yanks’ back-and-forth philosophy of recent years. Personally, I think that the Yankees would be a MUCH better team if the Steinbrenners just let Cashman do his job and they stayed out of the daily business of running a baseball club.
Maybe that means it's 10-run(-inning) Wednesday!
I could get behind that as a season-long meme
The artist formerly known as...
Mr Redbird @ Viva El Birdos
PowerOfDixieland @ Track Em Tigers, other SEC blogs
by jd is legend on Mar 25, 2009 2:18 PM EDT up reply actions
Russ Ortiz lives
no way!
The Astros are like a 1999 All-Star team.
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 25, 2009 2:23 PM EDT reply actions
diving grab to his right
ball wasn’t hit that well though. still a nice play.
"Sorry about him, he's dealing with being an inker. " - Chasing Amy
Oh boy, Thurston sprints to first when he walks
I sense a coming love affair with the St. Louis fanbase.
by mojowo11 on Mar 25, 2009 2:32 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
depends of gritty your retreat to the bag was
thurston’s was pretty gritty
"Sorry about him, he's dealing with being an inker. " - Chasing Amy
He must have been in recent contack with Eckstein
The artist formerly known as...
Mr Redbird @ Viva El Birdos
PowerOfDixieland @ Track Em Tigers, other SEC blogs
by jd is legend on Mar 25, 2009 2:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Off topic warning
So anthony reyes won the 5th starters spot for the indians and they have pavano as their 3rd starter…….
So they hope to fill out their rotation with 2 guys they got for basically nothing?
if it ends up being good their gm is a genius. I doubt it though.
thats what i was thinking
they definately are rolling the dice hoping that cliff lee doesnt regress big time, Carmona reverts to his form a season removed, pavano stays healthy, and reyes actually lives up to what we thought he might be
but if i was a betting man, id bet against most of those things happening
i'd bet on ARey all day every day
i think he’ll be a big hit up in CTown. i really do.
BEN MOTHERHUSHYOURMOUTH SHEETS
I'm going to go try to find a puppy and kick it. - Brad Thompson AND THAT'S A WINNER!
Dunc's gameday pic is like the polar opposite of last year's
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 25, 2009 2:56 PM EDT reply actions
True
Also, I really like Ludwick’s picture. If I ever become a mob boss I want a guy who looks just like that as one of the bodyguards standing just outside my office. He’d be joined by an older, fatter, and more Italian looking gentleman who would give the younger quiet dude advice, such as “leave the gun, take the cannoli” and when to put the garlic and salsiccia into the pasta sauce.
is that ineffectiveness or starter training?
and if perez doesn’t come back, who’s this year’s kmac — todd?
Can I choose both?
As far the Perez situation, we will cross that bridge when we get there. Probably in the next few days.
so Shane Robinson is yet another good outfielder?
who is this guy?
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 25, 2009 3:29 PM EDT reply actions
.715 career OPS...not that good really
http://minors.baseball-reference.com/players.cgi?pid=30957
"People call me El Hombre," Pujols said. "But only Stan is the Man."
.398 BABIP in AA
http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=paX06003&position=OF
"People call me El Hombre," Pujols said. "But only Stan is the Man."
Heh. If I had just scrolled down a little on the page I was checking I'd have seen it earlier...
and wouldn’t have to guess!
ah
I have just seen that whenever he plays he usually gets an rbi
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 25, 2009 7:10 PM EDT up reply actions
that's ok
we still have an army of good ones, both in the majors and in AAA
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 25, 2009 7:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Young Pitcher sighting
The artist formerly known as...
Mr Redbird @ Viva El Birdos
PowerOfDixieland @ Track Em Tigers, other SEC blogs
ugh
I hate getting beat by the asstros, even if it is ST
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 25, 2009 3:53 PM EDT reply actions
my moves
Sign Lohse – I didn’t mind the move at the time although the $/yr seemed high then and really seems high now ($7 mil)
Sign Miller and Reyes ($2 mil)
Trade for Javier Vazquez – I think a trade centered around skip and t. greene could have gotten it done ($11 mil)
Trade AK to the d-backs for salary dump (-$1.5 mil)
Trade joel to baltimore or washington for salary dump (-$3.5 mil)
Trade 1 yr of ank for kelly johnson and a prospect (-$3 mil)
Trade puppy kicker to giants as salary dump (-$.5 mil)
Trade for k. greene ($6.5 mil)
Total spent around $18 mil
Rotation:
Wainer
Carp
Vazquez
Lohse
Welly
IF
Yadi
Albert
KJ
KG
Freese
B. Ryan
Thurston
LaRue
OF
Lud
Raz
Dunc
Mather
Barton
Pen
Motte
Perez
Franklin
Kinney
K-Mac
Reyes
MIller
Lot of wheelin and dealin going on so it looks a little wreckless but semi-realistic. That’s a pretty sweet rotation though. No dry powder unfortunately.
"Sorry about him, he's dealing with being an inker. " - Chasing Amy
Vasquez has great stats but MAN
he just finds a way to lose.
Going into last season
he had a better career winning percentage than Kyle Lohse, just for informational sake.
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 25, 2009 4:57 PM EDT up reply actions
"he just finds a way to lose"
sounds like something my wife will put on my headstone. Sorry, couldn’t resist.
by OKCARDSFAN_411 on Mar 25, 2009 5:00 PM EDT up reply actions
Braves didn't want Ankiel for KJ, they wanted Ludwick
And the D-Backs wouldn’t take that much of AK’s salary, nor would anyone take any of Pineiro’s.
But whatever, I would’ve liked Vazquez, too.
yeah
that’s why i said semi-realistic. we heard a lot of rumors around ludwick and kj at the time but i can’t imagine that the braves really thought kj was worth that. i think pinero has value. not a lot but some. if pitchers like adam eaton and carl pavano can find jobs, i would think someone would take pinero on. if he was a free agent and was willing to take a 1Y$3 mil deal someone would have signed him i would think.
"Sorry about him, he's dealing with being an inker. " - Chasing Amy
i agree
but when you are looking at a cap of 18-20 mil you have to find a way to get under that. 500 here, 500 there, you can make it. plus imo he is taking up a roster spot that could be filled by other more talented players. just releasing him leaves his salary on the books but trading him for anything takes it off. i guess thats the way i was looking at it.
"Sorry about him, he's dealing with being an inker. " - Chasing Amy
who do you replace him with?
500k for Thompson vs ~400k for someone else in that same spot….not much of a dump at all.
"People call me El Hombre," Pujols said. "But only Stan is the Man."
When's the last time Pujols got a hit?
Not that I’m at all worried about him, but it seems like he’s 0 for the past week or so.
by BTown Birds fan on Mar 25, 2009 5:53 PM EDT up reply actions
OK, turns out it's only been three games
He’s 1 for 14 in the past week. (Trade him while he still has some value!!!!!)
by BTown Birds fan on Mar 25, 2009 5:57 PM EDT up reply actions
albert has
jumped the shark.
Because chicks dig the intentional base on balls.
by Felonius_Monk on Mar 26, 2009 1:41 PM EDT up reply actions
hilarious
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
An anti-gravity like room, where you could do anything you want. That’s happiness. That would be where you don’t have to do anything, just watch whatever you want on television, and just hang there.
goddangit
the more I hear about this guy the more I think he is awesome
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 25, 2009 7:12 PM EDT up reply actions
i just wish someone had video of what happened when he answered the last question
that would be solid 24K gold. i would have loved to have seen that.
BEN MOTHERHUSHYOURMOUTH SHEETS
I'm going to go try to find a puppy and kick it. - Brad Thompson AND THAT'S A WINNER!
Who is puppy kicker?
Also, I think if the Ankiel for Johnson and a prospect had ever been a possibility, the Cardinals would have pulled the trigger on that one in a hurry.
I, for one, really like the Cards’ offseason. I think we could have signed Lohse for alot less if we waited 3 months, but the crystal ball was a little foggy in September.
I like the LOOGYs we brought in. I really like the K. Greene trade. And the market for moving an OF was horrid, so I’m glad we didn’t give anyone away.
That really leaves 2B. At first glance, I was jealous of the deal the Dodgers got for Orlando Hudson. That said, I think Skip is actually a better offensive option for this team than Hudson if his defense will allow his to stick at 2B. That, and all Hudson has to do is stay moderately healthy and that contract exceeds $7M. I certainly don’t think Hudson’s a $7M upgrade over Skip.
All in all, I’m pretty damn excited about this team for the next 5 years.
Thompson...
is AKA Puppykicker. Has to do with a comment he made last year about pissing off TLR and kicking a puppy.
I completely agree with your post. As dull as it was this offseason went very well for the Cards – unless they really could have gotten something for Kennedy as fourstick suggested.
Sometimes I wonder,
"Why is that frisbee getting bigger?"
...and then it hits me!!
I'm guessing the couldn't have gotten anything
or they probably woulda
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 25, 2009 7:12 PM EDT up reply actions
I thought it was in 07
I thought the puppy comment was in 07 when he was more of a regular starter. After a short start he was pissed off and said something along the lines of “I wish I had a puppy so I could go kick it”
"People call me El Hombre," Pujols said. "But only Stan is the Man."
he's a man, that imho many probably don't appreciate enough
but for some strange reason, i probably appreciate too much.
he is the guy who has a thankless job. he’s not great, he’s not flashy, but he’ll try & do anything the team asks of him. sure there are better pitchers on the team, but there will always be only one Puppy Kicker.
BEN MOTHERHUSHYOURMOUTH SHEETS
I'm going to go try to find a puppy and kick it. - Brad Thompson AND THAT'S A WINNER!
Stupid comment warning
I love the title of this thread, RB, but I would have loved “Mo Fo . . . a day” I think it real
GOOD GAWD. Just as I was typing that, STLRegalia literally stole my thunder
I don't think he "literally" stole your thunder
The artist formerly known as...
Mr Redbird @ Viva El Birdos
PowerOfDixieland @ Track Em Tigers, other SEC blogs
by jd is legend on Mar 25, 2009 6:15 PM EDT up reply actions
No, it was literally taken
Ray Lankford no longer has thunder. thanks, STLRegalia!
hecanthithecanthithecanthithecanthit
how do you literally steal thunder?
If I can steal someone’s thunder, and then steal Cards Fan in CHitowns underground lair idea, then I will be well on my way to becoming a super villain. It really is too bad I can’t do the super villain laugh.
* sarcasm might be involved in this comment
and....BEN SHEETS!!! **
**not that BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment, just BEN SHEETS!!!
(BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment)
You already have a good costume
I think you should call yourself “Founding Father.”
by Ray Lankford on Mar 25, 2009 6:30 PM EDT up reply actions
You and
Dr. Horrible. If you haven’t seen Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, you’re missing a good laugh.
There was Gibson in the Reds' dugout, visibly manhandling about three Reds and tossing them bodily out of the dugout and onto the field...He was the toughest athlete mentally I ever saw, and the greatest competitor. JACK BUCK
by ISawGodInGibby'sRightArm on Mar 25, 2009 6:34 PM EDT up reply actions
But a "horrible"
super villian laugh.
There was Gibson in the Reds' dugout, visibly manhandling about three Reds and tossing them bodily out of the dugout and onto the field...He was the toughest athlete mentally I ever saw, and the greatest competitor. JACK BUCK
by ISawGodInGibby'sRightArm on Mar 25, 2009 6:34 PM EDT up reply actions
it is quite awesome
I am a big fan of Dr. Horrible
* sarcasm might be involved in this comment
and....BEN SHEETS!!! **
**not that BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment, just BEN SHEETS!!!
(BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment)
wow, there are people with real superpowers on the site?
I’m more of the gadget enhanced superhero/villain, like a combination of batman and ironman
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 25, 2009 7:16 PM EDT up reply actions
so someone can shoot thunderbolts
and another person has the power to steal other’s powers, like Rogue… I had no idea we had so many vigilantes running around! just don’t try to steal my underground fortress, few can pass the initial gauntlet of broken dreams, let alone the matrix of fear
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 25, 2009 7:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Gauntlet of broken dreams AND matrix of fear?
Your fortress must be impregnable.
I'm not even sure how to reply to that
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 25, 2009 11:54 PM EDT up reply actions
just put some pants on Dr Manhattan
please
BEN MOTHERHUSHYOURMOUTH SHEETS
I'm going to go try to find a puppy and kick it. - Brad Thompson AND THAT'S A WINNER!
Ray,
You surprise me. When I used the word “impregnable”, I figured that I was just asking for a “That’s what she said!” comment. But no, you pull out “That’s what HE said!” and threw that down. Well played.
You are right.
I thought about that after I posted. The upside is that I no longer have to explain that “no no, its just my thunder” whenever someone looks at me like I just passed gas.
by Ray Lankford on Mar 25, 2009 6:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Nice
The artist formerly known as...
Mr Redbird @ Viva El Birdos
PowerOfDixieland @ Track Em Tigers, other SEC blogs
by jd is legend on Mar 25, 2009 9:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Hard to say.....
What deals I’d make, b/c so much that is “known” today, wasn’t known a few months ago.
I probably wouldn’t have been willing to move Perez or Motte 2 months ago. Today, if the haul was good enough, I’d talk about moving Perez. I’m just not sure I see “it” in him.
Now that we know Duncan is healthy and should/could start slugging again, that makes Ankiel more expendable, IMO. We also weren’t sure Raz would be ready. I’ve been a big proponent of keeing him in AAA until he is for sure ready. I’d say he is ready.
We weren’t sure about Carp, now he appears ready and healthy.
"Stats are for losers," Muschamp said after last week's victory. "I like winning games."
I think we can all agree at this point that signing Kyle Lohse
to 4 years/ $ 41 M contract would be the first thing taken off the list this off-season if we-had-known-then-what-we-know-now. Of course, some of us knew then what we know now.
While I was one of the strongest anti-Kennedy people on here, releasing him wasn’t the solution. I personally would have designated him for assignment, put him on waivers and if unclaimed, sent him to AAA camp. He would have been off the 40 man roster and God-willing, some team would have claimed him. If not, we are paying him $4 M to be an insurance policy in Memphis.
I would have tried harder to sign Brad Penny or Braden Looper in contrast to Lohse’s contract. At the very least, I would have offered Looper and Springer both arbitration with no fear of them accepting it. Knowing now what Mo knew, that no real money was being saved for the Free Agent market, paying either the amount they were getting in arbitration wouldn’t be that fearful a situation to be in.
Other than that, it gets into a lot of trade scenarios that will face more ridicule than I’d rather deal with this afternoon. Needless to say, one of our eleventy billion MLB OF’ers would be elsewhere with a young 2B or cost controlled LHP in return.
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 25, 2009 6:37 PM EDT reply actions
That's a boon of $4 M
for the Cardinals then. He doesn’t have to accept anything, if he’s getting paid, he goes where he is told.
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 25, 2009 9:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Could't send him to Memphis
The following is pulled for the DFA glossary definition on Cot’s contracts website (a website I highly recommend)
…player with 3 years of major league service may refuse an outright assignment and choose to become a free agent, regardless of whether he has been sent outright to the minors previously. A player with 5 years of major league service time who refuses an outright assignment is entitled to the money due according to the terms of his contract.
Hmm
I still would have sent him through waivers.
How is Dontrelle Willis able to be sent on minor league assignment?
I’m sure Kennedy still has options left. He was only removed from the Angels 40-man roster once in his career.
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 25, 2009 9:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Willis example
Willis had to clear revocable waivers before the Tigers were able to outright him. At the time, I don’t believe Willis had 5 years of major league experience. Cot’s has him at 5.073 yrs at the end of 2008. Kennedy has 9.078 yrs. Two more definitions from Cot’s Contracts follow.
Options: After three options are exhausted, the player is out of options. Beginning with the next season, he must clear waivers before he may be sent to the minors again. See Waivers. Additionally, a player with 5 years of Major League service may not be sent to the minor leagues on an optional assignment without his consent.
Optional waivers. Optional major league waivers are required when optioning a player who has options remaining but who is more than three calendar years removed from his first appearance on a Major League roster. Because optional waivers are revocable, players usually clear in this scenario.
Kennedy probably refused the assignment making the process of dfa’ing him pointless and resulting in the release. If I was in Kennedy’s shoes, I would have demanded my immediate release as well in order to sign with someone else as quick as possible.
Moz did ok -- with a cyrstal ball......
Would have added Pedro as a 5th starter and gone after Peavy for prospects and dumped ludwick and/or Schu in the trade. Would have jettisoned Lohse, but probably unfair because no one knew Peavy was on the market before we signed Lohse.
Just win
the Lohse deal I see as pretty neutral
I don’t think it was that bad really, but I suppose I could be wrong about that if he doesn’t live up to what he did in ’08, he could be the next pinata, nooooooooooooo
by Cards Fan in Chitown on Mar 25, 2009 7:42 PM EDT reply actions
Overall liked Moz work but
It just seemed Moz was just a little off on evaluating things but in this economy I give him a pass. He should of resigned Tyler Johnson to a minor league contract. That is the one thing I wish he was doing. Stacking up on depth through Minor League contracts. I was a fan though of the Thurston signing. Saddened by Luke Gregerson leaving, barely knew you.
The one trend I didn’t like to see again though was the timing of the Lohse signing. It was to similar to the signing of Pineiro. Quick signing after the season to try to beat the odds with Free Agency. I would of liked to see something smaller in the range of what we were giving to Fuentes plus maybe an option. Imagine if we had Pedro instead of Pineiro?
Stat Whore
Don't look now...
but Pedro threw 20 starts last year and was actually quite a bit worse than Piniero was in his 25 starts. Fangraphs shows the same trend: Pedro — Jo-El
Obviously Pedro’s upside is higher, but nothing over the past three years tells me that he isn’t washed up.
"I just wish that the late Harry Caray were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller
Cardinals gear
A totally off topic post: I am looking for retro cardinal t-shirts, would love to have a few in the powder blue with current guys names and numbers, like Albert, Carp, etc. Anyone know if these are sold? I found one of Smith on Amazon but nothing else…any great place for retro baseball gear in gneral? I have been to majestic and other sites I’ve googled with mixed results…
Check
this site. About 3/4 of the way down the page, there’s an Albert replica jersey in the powder blue. Might be other players on other pages.
There was Gibson in the Reds' dugout, visibly manhandling about three Reds and tossing them bodily out of the dugout and onto the field...He was the toughest athlete mentally I ever saw, and the greatest competitor. JACK BUCK
by ISawGodInGibby'sRightArm on Mar 26, 2009 3:50 AM EDT up reply actions
Just be careful
because that’s a knock off jersey. It uses the 2008 logos on the 1982 uniform set.
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 26, 2009 11:35 AM EDT up reply actions
Cardinals Payroll this year: Mo Money Mo Problems.
The Greene trade was a solid move.
Signing Reyes and Miller were also good moves.
I would have packaged Kennedy and Ankiel and shipped them to the White Sox for Vazquez (dumping Kennedy’s salary would mean Vazquez would cost 7.5 mil this year and 11.5 mil next – still dreaming about what Vazquez could do with Dunc’s tutelage).
Sign Grudz for 1 year 1 million (platoon with Skip)
Lineup
Skip/Grudz
Duncan
Pujols
Ludwick
Glaus/Freese/Craig
Greene
Molina
Pitcher
Rasmus
Bench
Mather
Barton
Freese/Craig
Thurston
Larue
Rotation
Wainwright
Carpenter
Vazquez
Wellemeyer
Pineiro
Bullpen
Thompson
Franklin
Perez
Reyes
Miller
Kinney
Motte – Closer
In other news
There will be no Ring in St. Louis this year, it seems. For once, that actually sounds like a good thing.
* sarcasm might be involved in this comment
and....BEN SHEETS!!! **
**not that BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment, just BEN SHEETS!!!
(BEN SHEETS might be involved in this comment)
Cardinals release Royce Ring, tree falls in forrest
vivaelbeñsheets
by vivaelpujols on Mar 27, 2009 12:46 AM EDT up reply actions
had targeted
j. vazquez for kennedy, b. anderson and c prospect matching the deal well enough. prado for schumaker. grabow for thompson and barton? phil coke for equal value.
k. greene deal is fine by me, i had no viable solution. would have moved welly to closer if carp can go as a starter, grabow setup, prado 2b. glad to see we didn’t lose our 1st round pick, good job mo. lohse, ok. i didn’t and still don’t like the royce ring signing, but other than that, i thought mo had a good off-season to date.
My offseason
1.) Sign Ben Sheets to an incentive laden rehab contract.
2.) Sign Orlando Hudson for exactly what L.A. paid for him, or a mil more.
3.) Do the Khalil Greene trade.
4.) Sign Will Ohman for the contract we signed Reyes for.
5.) Take the money we spent on Lohse and spend most of it on Derek Lowe.
6.) Try to lock up Rick Ankiel. 4 year contract preferably.
7.) Tell Tony the closer is already on the roster.
8.) Trade away any catcher in the system Tony expresses interest in whose name isn’t Yadier Molina or Brian Anderson.
9.) Release Joel Pinero.
10.) Sign me as a consultant at 100K a year.
D.GOOCH
-- GOOCH
I think it's interesting
that Ohman still has yet to sign with a team. Holding out for too much dough, one would assume.
There was Gibson in the Reds' dugout, visibly manhandling about three Reds and tossing them bodily out of the dugout and onto the field...He was the toughest athlete mentally I ever saw, and the greatest competitor. JACK BUCK
by ISawGodInGibby'sRightArm on Mar 26, 2009 4:03 AM EDT up reply actions
Skippy just made top plays on the WWL
on a nice dive to his right to rob a hit. very nice.
BEN MOTHERHUSHYOURMOUTH SHEETS
I'm going to go try to find a puppy and kick it. - Brad Thompson AND THAT'S A WINNER!
here's what i would have done
not signed Lohse, traded for Roy Halladay, signed ManRam, signed BEN SHEETS, tried to trade for Cano, which he did but i would have called back after cooling off when Cashman asked for Wagonmaker. if not, i would have told Tony tough cookies, AK’s staying. offered LOOP & Russ arbitration, and done everything else MO has done up to this point. he’s done a pretty good jobe all things considering.
about trading for Halladay & Cano, i would not have parted with Colby, Todd or Walrus. everyone else in the minors in my book is free game. but i would not have given up more than 2 prospects & 1 of the plethora of OF’s we have on the 40 man for Roy, and tried to only give up 1 OF for Cano.
BEN MOTHERHUSHYOURMOUTH SHEETS
I'm going to go try to find a puppy and kick it. - Brad Thompson AND THAT'S A WINNER!
Honestly...
Ive gotta say Im happy with this offseason for the most part. Only differences Id make: triple what Boston gave Tazawa, and call up Fidel, offer him 50 mil and one of Kim Kardashian’s buttcheeks(est. 25 mil value, easily) for Alberti Chapman.
Poker is generally reckoned to be America's second most popular after-dark activity. Sex is good, they say, but poker lasts longer.
-- Alfred Alvarez (2001)
hmm.
While I’m sure that particular piece of property is no doubt shapely, it has also been rather heavily developed by now, such that I don’t know it would be in nearly as high demand as you might think.
I’m also trying desperately, desperately hard to avoid making another joke, one that just might get me banned, about what else may be driving down property values in that neighborhood.
Seriously, it just hurts so bad trying not to say it.
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the ace-est of them all?
by the red baron on Mar 26, 2009 3:54 AM EDT up reply actions
get you banned?
is that possible? I wanna hear it.
by WyoCardsFan on Mar 26, 2009 10:26 AM EDT up reply actions
Trust me.
It’s possible.
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the ace-est of them all?
by the red baron on Mar 26, 2009 12:41 PM EDT up reply actions
As someone who visits on his Blackberry
(Darn you SB Nation for making posting on the mobile site not functional!!!!)
Can we use the ‘jump’ more often? My space button is all clicked out trying to click through this thing during lunch.
by Hardcore Legend on Mar 26, 2009 1:21 AM EDT reply actions
You know,
that’s a good point. I check the site several times a day in the same way, and long posts do tend to gum up the works on the mobile devices.
I shall try to remember to do that in the future. (I usually mean to, but just forget when I’m rolling along.)
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the ace-est of them all?
by the red baron on Mar 26, 2009 3:52 AM EDT up reply actions
FACELIFT
The first order of business is dealing an OF or two. Let’s be reasonable, and know we’re at a disadvantage here. We’re likely not getting full value because we have a glut of capable outfielders on our squad with more floating around the league.
Trade Ludwick or Ankiel for one of the Yanks young hurlers, Ian Kennedy or Phil Hughes. This would have to be done prior to the Swisher trade because I don’t see the Yanks doing it after.
Trade Ludwick to Atlanta for Kelly Johnson + a prospect or Ankiel for KJ straight up. If the Braves will take Rasmus (BP #8 prospect) for Tommy Hanson (BP # 13) in the deal, do that as well.
Next, capitalize on Glaus’ bounceback year and reasonably tradable 1-yr contract (assuming he’ll waive) and deal him to Minnesota for a Pitcher (Slowey, Baker, Bonzer) or Delmon Young. They seemed to be dangling Delmon all offseason and they were in need of a 3rd Baseman. I know adding Delmon is adding to our outfield glut, but he is too talented to not take a shot on if there is any truth to his availability. Minnesota’s turf might be an issue here w/ Glaus.
Sign Jeremy Affeldt as a lefty in the bullpen with the ability to start some games.
Trade for Khalil Green. Deal Adam Kennedy…keep him if not.
Sign Pat Burrell (it is easy to say this knowing how cheaply he signed. Otherwise, I’d just play Duncan/Mather/Barton)
Don’t go past 2 years/$20 mil plus a team option on Lohse. He’ll likely want more. If so, let him walk.
Claim Andy Marte off waivers from Cleveland
I’d take a shot on a guy like Saito or Smoltz to shore up the backend of the bullpen.
On to the roster…I’ve put changes in WARP in parens where different than current look)
C – Molina
1B – Pujols
2B – Kelly Johnson (4.2 WARP)
SS – Khalil Greene
3B – Competition between Freese, Andy Marte, Wallace w/ B Ryan filling in (-2.3 if Glaus returns)
LF – Pat Burrell (0.7)
CF – Delmon Young (-1.0)
RF – Skip Schumaker (-2.1)
Bench: Kennedy or Thurston, Brendan Ryan, Chris Duncan, Brian Barton or Joe Mather, Backup Catcher
Rotation: Wainwright, Carpenter, Philip Hughes (-1.3), Wellemeyer, Pineiro…Affeldt/McClellan as needed
7 man Bullpen: Affeldt, LOOGY, McClellan, Motte, Chris Perez, Brad Thomson, Saito/Smoltz
I didn’t particularly make the team better from a WARP standpoint for 2009, but they’re much more competitive in 2010. I dealt from our strength (OF) to bolster the talent and youth in our rotation. A 2010 roation of Carp, Wainwright, Hughes, Hanson, and one of our developing guys is solid. The 2010 lineup would be Yadi, Pujols, KJohnson, SS, Wallace, Burrell, Delmon, Skip/Dunc.
Be gentle.
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