MLB Offseason 2011

[Ar-Pharazon]

Ron Santo elected to Hall of Fame

Unfortunately, the irritable little guy didn't get to experience it himself.

Still, he's clicking his heels somewhere right now.

 

[tomalak301]

Ron Santo elected to Hall of Fame

Unfortunately, the irritable little guy didn't get to experience it himself.

Still, he's clicking his heels somewhere right now.

That's good news. I did find his broadcasting humorous most of the time but he deserves it and I wish the BHOF would have allowed him the dignity to go in when he was still alive.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Marlins offer Jose Reyes 6 years, $111 million with an option for a seventh year. The Mets are now reportedly out of the bidding and Reyes is all but gone, barring a change of heart.

Sources say there a deal is done.

I wonder if he'll pull the classic move Mets free agents/traded players did in the 80s/90s. Show some glimpses of greatness, but a lack of consistency and spotty health in NY, then move onto another team and go on a 5 year run of awesomeness.

The only way this deal is evenly remotely worth it if Reyes can stay healthy during that deal. I'm used to 2 stints on the DL and missing 50 games from the guy.

Also, as a Mets fan, I feel like someone just shoved a car antennae up my pee hole.

As opposed to the classic Cubs move, where a player goes to amazing heights right after he goes somewhere else.

 

[the 4th hanson bro]

The SEC is investigating the deal behind the public financing of roughly 80% of the new Marlins stadium.

Miami and Miami-Dade County issued half a billion dollars worth of bonds to finance the stadium with no vote.

The Marlins had argued that the team needed public help to shore up its finances. Financial documents published last year by the website Deadspin showed the team had been turning a profit.
After the documents were published, Marlins president David Samson told the Palm Beach Post the team showed a hefty profit in certain years when it was conserving money for its ballpark project.
The public funding deal, which was struck without a public referendum, came as South Florida faced mounting struggles with high unemployment and a cooling economy.

 

[Timby]

That came out about a week ago or so. The investigation is into the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County, though, not the team.

 

[the 4th hanson bro]

I know it's the municipalities, not the team. I just saw it in the Wall Street Journal today.

Although, the SEC will be examining the Marlins' books compared to what was used in the bond underwriting. Any significant deviations/ discrepancies could affect the Marlins, or at least cause the SEC to look harder at them.

 

[Timby]

The books won't matter; everyone knew the Marlins were at the very least breaking even, and the bond agreements weren't contingent upon the team's revenues. During his entire tenure as commissioner, Bud Selig has pushed owners to hold cities hostage for new stadium deals, and Loria did all that and then some. Cities bowing to those demands has been utterly obscene. What the fuck were the Yankees and Mets going to do if they didn't get their financing and parking lot deals, move to Canada?

It's just that the Marlins have been far more brazen about their abuse of the system, and it's repulsive that Loria held an already broke City and County hostage for a half-billion dollars. Of course, Loria is a Selig crony, so it's unsurprising that he'd do it, considering his complicity in all the Expos bullshit a few years ago.

 

[Canadave]

I'm kind of curious how you can call the acquisition of a guy with a career average below the Mendoza line and a .558 career OPS "a decent trade."

There's simply no legitimate thought process that leads to, "Let's trade for Jeff Mathis!"

Easy, he's a very good defensive catcher who'll be good in a bench role, especially on a team with a very young rotation and two young catching prospects who could probably use a mentor. Arencibia started the vast majority (129) of games for Toronto last season, so his role is going to be pretty sparing.

Anyway, all we had to give up was a completely useless reliever, so I'm not terribly worried about it either way.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Yeah, but by 2013, the Phillies are going to be awful.

I think we got until 2014 or 2015...

 

[Timby]

I'm kind of curious how you can call the acquisition of a guy with a career average below the Mendoza line and a .558 career OPS "a decent trade."

There's simply no legitimate thought process that leads to, "Let's trade for Jeff Mathis!"

Easy, he's a very good defensive catcher who'll be good in a bench role, especially on a team with a very young rotation and two young catching prospects who could probably use a mentor. Arencibia started the vast majority (129) of games for Toronto last season, so his role is going to be pretty sparing.

Anyway, all we had to give up was a completely useless reliever, so I'm not terribly worried about it either way.

Except Mathis is going to get probably $3-4 million in arbitration at the least.

I don't disagree that Mathis has a very limited value as a defensive catcher, but ultimately, his potential is as an AAAA player. Unless there's some master plan to flip him, AA fucked the dog. Hard.

 

[Canadave]

^ The expectation I'm hearing is that he'll get around $1.8, nowhere near that much. I doubt AA would have made the move if he thought he would have to pay him that kind of salary. And again, that's all they need. This is just a move to get a bit player for next season, as per the Jays usual modus operandi of late.

 

[Canadave]

The Jays have made another move, trading prospect Nestor Molina for White Sox closer Sergio Santos.

 

[Timby]

The Jays have made another move, trading prospect Nestor Molina for White Sox closer Sergio Santos.

Whaaaaat? That's the second time AA has traded something really valuable (in this case, the second-best prospect in the organization) for a mid-tier closer. Non-elite relievers are far too volatile to be surrendering major assets for them -- that's a trade you make at the deadline to shore up a struggling bullpen, not one in the offseason. What's in the water up there?

In other news, the Marlins have offered 10/200 to Pujols. Jesus Christ.

 

[Canadave]

Molina projects out to be a reliever. Most of the Jays journalists\bloggers I follow are basically saying we've traded a guy who'll probably be another Santos in a few years. And Santos has a career FIP under 3, so I'm calling this one a good deal, again.

Also, if Brad Mills is your other "really valuable" asset, I think you're sorely mistaken as to his ceiling.

 

[Skywalker]

In other news, the Marlins have offered 10/200 to Pujols. Jesus Christ.

If he signs that deal, the Marlins are going to really regret it in about five years.

 

[Timby]

In other news, the Marlins have offered 10/200 to Pujols. Jesus Christ.

If he signs that deal, the Marlins are going to really regret it in about five years.

This is why the Cubs went for a shorter deal with a higher AAV. Dude is 32 and has several well-documented degenerative health issues. If he signs, good luck trying to dump that contract in 2014, Loria. Then again, with how big of a fucking corrupt, evil shitheel you are, you deserve to get stuck with it.

 

[SmoothieX]

Someone that huge, with known lingering injuries, for 10 years?

How's that elbow gonna hold up when he's 41?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Andres Torres to Mets, Angel Pagan to Giants.

Not sure how I feel about that.

 

[Timby]

Pagan for Torres and Ramon Ramirez. That's a pretty terrible trade. They didn't even bother to make a formal offer to Reyes, and here they are ... shoring up their bullpen? I mean, Pagan has been injury-prone his entire career, but had an amazing 2010 out of nowhere -- that's when they should have flipped him for talent. Instead they dump him now for a 34-year-old Andres Torres (basically an older, shittier Pagan) and a reliever. This is some Orioles-level shit up in here.

Edit: Oh, God, they signed Frank Francisco to a 2/12 deal. Is Alderson dropping acid?

Edit 2: Maybe Alderson will go full retard and trade David Wright for Alfonso Soriano, straight-up. MAKE IT HAPPEN, THEO.

 

[Starbreaker]

What is up with all these dumbass trades?