MLB Offseason 2011

[Timby]

Have we got odds yet on how many trips to the DL he'll make?

I mean, I hope he does OK (not great, just OK), but he's been so damn fragile the last 3-4 years.

I honestly think there's a better than even chance that they shift him to 1B for a while while Braun is on suspension (he won't win his appeal), considering his already-suspect defense has gotten pretty woeful as of late.

In any event, I guess Ramirez wasn't done exacting vengeance upon the NL Central.

Has Braun ever played 1B, or do they think they won't get Fielder back?

Doug Melvin informed Scott Boras that the Ramirez signing meant their offer to Prince was off the table, which means it's basically the Marlins, Mariners, Cubs and ~mystery team~ who are still in on him.

Reports are that the Mets and Blue Jays are working on a Jon Niese for Travis d'Arnaud and a pitcher deal, which makes me think that AA is freebasing heroin at this point.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

TigerFest put on hold because of renovations to Comerica Park including replacement of old scoreboard.

 

[Canadave]

Reports are that the Mets and Blue Jays are working on a Jon Niese for Travis d'Arnaud and a pitcher deal, which makes me think that AA is freebasing heroin at this point.

From the sounds of things, it was more the Mets trying to shop Niese than the Jays really going after him.

In related news, I'm hearing rumours that the Jays may have won the auction for the rights to negotiate with Yu Darvish. Hopefully there'll be some confirmation on that one soon.

 

[Pegaritaville]

Aramis Ramirez to the Brewers for three years. The deal also includes a mutual option for 2015.

Have we got odds yet on how many trips to the DL he'll make?

I mean, I hope he does OK (not great, just OK), but he's been so damn fragile the last 3-4 years.

If I draft him again for one of my fantasy baseball teams, I'd put the odds of him taking at least two trips to the DL at about 90%.

 

[Kirby]

Barry Bonds sentenced to 2 years probation, 30 days house arrest and 250 hours of community service for obstruction. He's appealing the conviction which will place the sentence on hold for about 18 months.
If he's still guilty following the appeal, the judge should have the option to double the sentence.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Wait, the Judge should have the option to increase the sentence just because he exercised his constitutional right to appeal?

 

[Kirby]

No, the judge should increase the sentence because Barry Bonds is a dick.
That's just my opinion though.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Wouldn't the Judge have already given the higher sentence if the Judge felt that it was appropriate?

Not that "being a dick" is in the Federal Sentencing Guidelines anyway.

 

[Kirby]

Not that "being a dick" is in the Federal Sentencing Guidelines anyway.

Well then maybe it should... Maybe it should.

 

[Skywalker]

Rangers bid $51.7 million to win rights to negotiate with Yu Darvish.

Damn. For the Rangers' sake, I hope they have more success with Darvish than the Red Sox have had with Matsuzaka. Not that Matsuzaka has been a complete failure (he had two pretty solid seasons his first two years, IIRC), but I don't think the Red Sox really handled him properly.

 

[SmoothieX]

Matsuzaka had a high ERA, walked too many, and was a human rain delay.

 

[Tom Servo]

Matsuzaka had a high ERA, walked too many, and was a human rain delay.

He had high walks yes, but he was a average to above average pitcher his first two years, with an era of 4.40 and 2.90 respectively. It's been his last 3 where he was injured and ineffective, and as we discovered over this off season, probably needed tommy john a long time ago.

 

[Timby]

Rangers bid $51.7 million to win rights to negotiate with Yu Darvish.

Damn. For the Rangers' sake, I hope they have more success with Darvish than the Red Sox have had with Matsuzaka. Not that Matsuzaka has been a complete failure (he had two pretty solid seasons his first two years, IIRC), but I don't think the Red Sox really handled him properly.

Three things:

1.) Darvish's stats aren't just as good as Matsuzaka's, they're substantially better. Matsuzaka threw up a 2.13 ERA in his best year in Japan, and Darvish has five straight seasons at a 1.88 or lower. I understand a lot of that is contextual difference, especially on his 2011 video game numbers, but Darvish has done everything you could ask given his run environment. His ERA+ numbers have been in the 200s all the way through. He's probably not going to come over as Bob Gibson, and yet he doesn't have to be in order to be a frontline pitcher.

2.) Matsuzaka has been largely felled by injury and command problems, not a lack of skill. When he's been healthy, he's been pretty good. Those are more standard pitching ifs than questions specifically related to star Japanese righthanders.

3.) Why is Matsuzaka the only comparison point people use for Darvish? Hiroki Kuroda came to America and on balance has been just as good, maybe even a little better, as he was in Japan. Colby Lewis, who looked like a Quad-A guy in the American minors, has sustained most of the improvements he made in Japan relative to the run contexts. Hisanori Takahashi and Koji Uehara have been major successes. And so on...

That being said, I can think of no better place for a foreigner who does not speak English to be welcomed with open arms than Dallas, Texas.

 

[Skywalker]

Gio Gonzalez to the Nationals. Oakland gets four solid prospects in return.

I was kinda hoping the Red Sox would manage to find a way to get him, but I didn't really expect that they would. Oakland trades away yet another great player, though. I'd hate to be an A's fan.

 

[tomalak301]

People wonder why the A's don't sell out their games? Well, the Stadium is a good start (And in my opinion the only hope this franchise has is if that whole thing to San Jose get's the Go Ahead, (Selig, get off your ass and do something about it)) but I think it's this strategy of trading away your star players for prospects. I know the A's probably can't afford him, but come opening day, who on the A's is worth rooting for? Matsui? Braden? Yeah, I'm thankful I'm more of a Giants fan, even though I don't like what they are doing either. If it weren't for the World Series, I might say the Bay Area baseball scene has turned into a bit of a professional minor league system. At least we still have Lincecum, Cain, and Posey is coming back, hopefully.

 

[Timby]

People wonder why the A's don't sell out their games? Well, the Stadium is a good start (And in my opinion the only hope this franchise has is if that whole thing to San Jose get's the Go Ahead, (Selig, get off your ass and do something about it)) but I think it's this strategy of trading away your star players for prospects.

Thanks to this new CBA, this is the only way low-budget teams will be able to operate.

 

[SmoothieX]

People wonder why the A's don't sell out their games? Well, the Stadium is a good start (And in my opinion the only hope this franchise has is if that whole thing to San Jose get's the Go Ahead, (Selig, get off your ass and do something about it)) but I think it's this strategy of trading away your star players for prospects. I know the A's probably can't afford him, but come opening day, who on the A's is worth rooting for? Matsui? Braden? Yeah, I'm thankful I'm more of a Giants fan, even though I don't like what they are doing either. If it weren't for the World Series, I might say the Bay Area baseball scene has turned into a bit of a professional minor league system. At least we still have Lincecum, Cain, and Posey is coming back, hopefully.

So when I move to Portland, I assume Seattle will be the AL team I get on TV. Would SF be my 'local' NL team?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Word is that the A's have indeed been granted permission to move to San Jose.

 

[tomalak301]

People wonder why the A's don't sell out their games? Well, the Stadium is a good start (And in my opinion the only hope this franchise has is if that whole thing to San Jose get's the Go Ahead, (Selig, get off your ass and do something about it)) but I think it's this strategy of trading away your star players for prospects. I know the A's probably can't afford him, but come opening day, who on the A's is worth rooting for? Matsui? Braden? Yeah, I'm thankful I'm more of a Giants fan, even though I don't like what they are doing either. If it weren't for the World Series, I might say the Bay Area baseball scene has turned into a bit of a professional minor league system. At least we still have Lincecum, Cain, and Posey is coming back, hopefully.

So when I move to Portland, I assume Seattle will be the AL team I get on TV. Would SF be my 'local' NL team?

Probably, even though I don't think you can get the Giants games up there. It will probably be mostly seattle.

 

[Timby]

Word is that the A's have indeed been granted permission to move to San Jose.

Can we rename the team to the San Jose Cansecos?