I bring this up frequently, but Florida is simply oversaturated with sports teams. They have 2-3 teams for every major sport, plus good NCAA teams, plus major golf/tennis events. Not to mention Spring Training. Their demographics heavily favor out-of-staters who have their own baseball teams. And they do have this thing called the beach. The Rays will never be a big sports franchise.Originally Posted by jung
Would love to get a look at the "book" that was used to draw investment dollars for that franchise. All of those issues you raise Pal would seem to have been there way in advance of the Rays even when they were a germ of an idea for somebody.
Hard to see where else in the Southeast they could go if they wanted to stay somewhere in the Southeast. I have to believe they would have to get the heck outta' there. At any rate it would suggest to me that the Sox could pry Price away.
The Rays need to move to Vegas
Hal sucks
The Rays need to move to Tampa.
Why you thinkin' Tampa? I have always thought of that as a pretty sleepy community over there.The Rays need to move to Tampa.
I say the Rays move to OKC.
In Plump We Trust.
"That was a very well laid out, rational point. But I will still hold to my emotional opinion based on no facts or evidence." - Everyone but Plump.
Now that the Hot Stove season is underway things should get interesting. Sox are in need of starting pitching help. If a true number one is almost impossible to get then adding a quality middle of the order arm is a must. What does anyone think of Anibal Sanchez? He pitched pretty good in the playoffs and would be another quality arm without breaking the bank.
I'm very hesitant on acquiring Anibal Sanchez. He has a good career ERA, but he's pitched almost exclusively in the NL.
I'm always hesitant to acquire a guy who has only had mediocre success in the NL. I see Sanchez as another Lackey (2010 Lackey, not 2011). A guy who will throw around 200 IP to a 4.2-4.5 ERA in the AL East.
The way hitting is regressing in the AL, I for one am no longer as reluctant to bring pitchers across from the NL. At one point I was just livid at Red Sox hitters for the regression I was seeing but eventually had to admit that this is more an AL thing than a Red Sox thing cause I saw the same habits in other hitters on other AL Teams.
We now have hitters that:
-swing at anything that looks like it might be a strike with an 0-0 count...a travesty of hitting
-do not look for specific pitches in specific locations even when the count favors doing so
-do not protect with two strikes
-insist on continuing to try to pull regardless of whether it is right for the count or the game situation
-can't go the other way to save their skin
-can't lay down a successful bunt if their life depended on it
Sanchez may or may not be right for the Red Sox but it is high team we pulled our heads out of the sand and realized that our hitters are now simply making it to easy in the AL East and in the AL generally. I would not fear bringing a guy over here from the NL at this point.
This concern comes up frequently. The problem is, there are limited markets where Fenway-appropriate pitchers can come from.
The National League is mostly out, with the exception of a select few teams with very hitter friendly parks like Philly and Colorado.
The AL West is mostly out because Seattle/LAA/Oakland are very pitcher friendly parks.
The AL East is tough, because no one is going to trade to the Red Sox without overpaying.
It seems to me like the only logical place to pull players from is the AL Central. Problem is, the AL East champions are the only team in that division with good pitching.
So, in conclusion, we have all the more reason to sign Jake Peavy.
Also, Gavin Floyd is going to turn out to be the bargain of the offseason-- calling it now.
You guys are worried about the AL East that was not the AL East that is. The AL East is no longer even the strongest division in the AL. The AL and most particularly the AL East has power hitting for offense but that is all it has. All pitchers need to do with teams that only have power hitting to generate offense is treat them like a boxer would treat a slugger in a prize fight. Get inside him. Don't let him extend his arms and beat him to the punch. Once pitchers really figure out what is going on these days in the AL East we are going to be sitting around wondering what the heck happened to our vaunted AL East.
As for the AL East champs....if they could resurrect the teams of Bernie Williams and Paul Oneill, they would beat this year's AL East champs like the mangy curs that they truly are, as if the have not already proven to be a bunch of mangy curs.
If this is true, doesn't that also point to Peavy as the must-have guy on the free agent market?
I like Peavy alot. There are some guys I like better but I just don't think the Sox can get them. Peavy might be the best of the guys that the Sox can realistically get their hands on. If the difference between Peavy and Sanchez is $22-$24M vs $8-$10M I could see that difference in money making Sanchez kinda' appealing but Peavy is probably already at the top of his earnings per year at 31 years old. I don't know what Sanchez would want but the closer that number got to Peavy money the less interested I would be in Sanchez and the more appealing Peavy would be.
Heck Peavy and Sanchez both would not be a terrible idea if in fact Sanchez money is half Peavy money.
They are both RH pitchers for one thing and I worry about the Sox getting to many LH pitchers in the rotation pitching in Fenway. I think we keep Lester and hope that one of the benefits we get outta' Farrell is a better shot at a Lester turnaround.
While I would not want the Sox to spend their trade money like drunken sailors pitching is valuable commodity. Peavy is a proven guy and at a guess Sanchez money might just be half Peavy money. Heck if that is the case, both of then together would be about what the Yanks are about to pay ARod....I don't think I am ever going to tire of saying that. Yanks paying ARod $30M per year....has a nice ring to it doesn't it.
Sanchez is probably going to cost more than Peavy. The White Sox aren't willing to pay 15 million for him (subtracting the buyout). He's had a lot of bad years lately. Sanchez is actually more proven right now, and looking for 60-100 million, which went up after good playoff performance.
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