bigpapi349

shutup we all know u want to go suck arods balls

Florida Marlins pitcher A.J. Burnett, praised by Curt Schilling as having the best pure stuff in the majors, may still wind up with the Baltimore Orioles. But with talks stalled because the Marlins are insisting that the Orioles take third baseman Mike Lowell as part of the deal, the Red Sox are still attempting to interest Florida in a package of players headed by pitcher Bronson Arroyo. League sources confirmed yesterday that the Sox have discussed a scenario in which they pair their efforts to obtain Twins lefthanded setup man J.C. Romero with their attempt to acquire Burnett. Under that scenario, the Sox would trade third baseman Bill Mueller and prospects to the Twins, who need a third baseman, for Romero and righthanded starter Joe Mays. The Sox would then flip Arroyo and Mays to the Marlins for Burnett. But that proposal has a couple of obstacles, perhaps insurmountable. While the Marlins like Arroyo, they supposedly would prefer Twins starter Kyle Lohse to Mays, and the Twins aren't interested in moving Lohse. And the Sox are balking for the same reason the Orioles are: The Marlins are insisting that the struggling Lowell be included in the deal, and Lowell is owed close to $21 million for the balance of his contract -- roughly $3 million for this season and $9 million in each of the next two years. That's a lot of money for a third baseman who will be 32 at the beginning of the 2006 season, and whose performance has mysteriously plummeted this season: Lowell, who hit 83 home runs over the previous three seasons and has averaged 90 RBIs a year in that span, entered last night with four homers and 38 RBIs. The Sox, who have a young (and cheap) alternative at third base for 2006 in Kevin Youkilis, are reluctant to spend money on Lowell that could be used to re-sign Johnny Damon, as well as address needs at first base and pitching. On the other hand, Burnett, despite a mediocre record (37-38 entering this season, 6-6 in 2005), is clearly the best starting pitcher available in a thin market, and has long been admired by Sox owner John W. Henry, who knows him from his days as owner of the Marlins. Don't be surprised if Henry, who enjoys a friendship with Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, who bought the team from the Sox owner, is involved in trade talks at the ownership level. Arroyo is taking the trade rumors in stride. ''I'm pretty sure, seeing the way the team is going now, I'm not going anywhere unless something really huge happens," he said. The Orioles' offer for Burnett includes reliever Jorge Julio, who would address the Marlins' most pressing need; rookie pitcher Hayden Penn; and outfielder Larry Bigbie, who would allow the Marlins to move young superstar Miguel Cabrera from the outfield to third base, his best position. According to published reports, the Orioles asked the Marlins to pay at least $10 million of Lowell's salary; the Marlins to date have balked. It is expected that any team that trades for Burnett, a free agent after this season, will ask commissioner Bud Selig for a 72-hour window to negotiate a contract extension, much as the Sox did two winters ago when they acquired Schilling from Arizona. Selig grants such a window only when teams have struck a deal. The Sox are believed to be exploring other three-team scenarios and could do the Romero-Mueller deal independent of other moves. But one league source said yesterday that nothing was imminent. The White Sox and Blue Jays also are believed to be talking with the Marlins; the Yankees have interest but don't appear to be a match. As a sidelight, in 2002 the Marlins proposed to send Lowell and Kevin Millar to the Sox for Trot Nixon and Shea Hillenbrand. The Sox turned it down, only to place a waiver claim on Millar after the season. globe

y would we want mays?? hes not better than any1 already in the rotation

ya

espns tim kurjkin says that the marlins called the red sox to discuss aj burnett after the orioles put there trade on hold its clear they want him traded within the next couple of days

i think we could posibly win 3 out of 4 clement vs buerlhe is winnable and also are the two games vs contreras and duque

beter than bellhop

Scouting report from espn.com The unquestioned ace of the Marlins' staff before he blew out his elbow in April of 2003, A.J. Burnett made a triumphant return from reconstructive elbow surgery. He made it back a little over 13 months after the operation, and after some early spottiness became the club's second-most reliable starter after Carl Pavano. Burnett was shut down with some minor inflammation in his elbow following an 11-strikeout win over the Cubs on September 12. He might have made another start or two, but with the playoffs out of reach, caution was exercised and he made just one relief outing. Pitching There were times when Burnett's command deserted him, as often happens in the first year after Tommy John surgery, but for the most part he was extremely good in every way. Held to a strict pitch count early in his return, he stuck mainly to his 94-96 MPH fastball and hump-backed curve in order to conserve bullets. His fastball, which had been clocked several times at 100 MPH in 2002, returned to that level post-surgery. When he gets on a roll, Burnett stalks the mound like a panther, making hitters dance amid an array of effectively wild hard stuff. Surgery did nothing to interrupt the maturation in his thought process on the mound. Defense & Hitting Burnett, with two career homers, doesn't get cheated at the plate. He is a solid bunter as well. A lanky athlete, he fields his position well but needs to do a better job minding baserunners. He allowed 14 stolen bases in 19 attempts

youk is 9 years younger than mueller

yep i like tony g at second hes a good number 9 hiter who can get on base bellhorns OBP-.328 grafs OBP-.379

the marlins want a setup guy (embree) a SP (arroyo) a propect (moss) and an other fielder who will be major league ready soon (shoppach,stern) the twins want a 3B and 2B (lowell and cora)

ya maybe send shoppach to marlins instead the twins wont want him because they have 21 yr old C in joe mauer

i hope theo's thinking the same way we are

i think we could work the twins into a three way with the marlins MARLINS GET- Arroyo,embree,shoppach/stern, moss and a maybe a prospect from twins TWINS GET-Lowell and cora RED SOX GET-Burnett and Romero (maybe ad youkilis or shoppach in there) something like that sounds like a pretty good deal it also might be a better deal for the marlins who were offered (julio,bigbie,penn and kline) i also think it would kill the orioles because they were so close to getting this trade done. lowell can also play 1B

wered u get this??

Billy Wagner -philly.com But Wade is in a tough spot because his two best trade chips - Howard and Billy Wagner - are crucial to the success of the very team on which his job may ride. Wagner would be attractive to teams because he's a top closer with the innards to handle big-game pressure. His contract is also up at the end of this season, which would make him a nice fit for a team like Boston, which still has a long-term commitment to Keith Foulke. But what would happen to the Phillies' postseason chances if they dealt Wagner? Ugueth Urbina is a closer by trade, but the whole idea of getting him was to give the Phils a two-inning hammer at the end of games. Letting Wagner go would weaken the Phillies, even if they got a decent starting pitcher for him

Soriano may follow A-Rod out By KATHLEEN O'BRIEN Star-Telegram Staff Writer The Yankees depart from Texas tonight, taking with them the Rangers' former marquee player in Alex Rodriguez. They leave behind Alfonso Soriano, who once thought he would be a Yankee for life. Those times, of Rodriguez as an MVP winner in Texas and Soriano as an MVP candidate in New York, are memories. Just as Soriano in a Texas uniform could soon be a thing of the past. Seventeen months ago, the Rangers swapped Rodriguez for Soriano, minor league shortstop Joaquin Arias and significant relief on Rodriguez's 10-year, $252 million contract. In a rarity for a trade of that magnitude, everyone got what they wanted. At least until now, because the looming question is whether Soriano will remain a Ranger past the July 31st trading deadline. In the trade that was: Rodriguez got out of Texas and excelled on baseball's biggest stage. The Rangers escaped from most of Rodriguez's contract and had their best season since 1999. The Yankees made a huge splash in acquiring one of baseball's best players. And Soriano, the only reluctant party at the time, has come to embrace Texas and hopes to spend his entire career here. "If it were up to me, I would like to be here," Soriano said, "with this young team and these guys. But you never know where you're going to play, or if they'll want to keep me." Soriano might not get his wish to stay, because the Rangers need to add pitching if they hope to make the playoffs. Since they want to cling to their top minor league prospects, Soriano is likely their best trade chip. Soriano's production in the past four years outranks every second baseman except perhaps the Dodgers' Jeff Kent. Yet he frustrates the Rangers with shoddy defense or by failing to run out hit balls. Perhaps most importantly, Soriano is making $7.4 million and will earn a raise through arbitration. And a potential replacement -- Ian Kinsler -- is at Triple A Oklahoma. Rangers general manager John Hart has repeatedly said of Soriano: "We like him; we're not looking to trade him." But dealing Soriano might be the best way to improve the team. Soriano is aware of the trade talk, and it's nothing new. "When I was with the Yankees, from the minor leagues until now, my name always comes up in trade rumors," Soriano said. "I wish I knew why." Whether Soriano remains in Texas or not, he has been a bargain for the Rangers so far. "Obviously Sori's been a great player for us," Rangers owner Tom Hicks said, "and I think, given us the ability, the financial flexibility that I can say yes to a trade, if [money is] all it takes to bring in a player. ... I think [the Rodriguez-Soriano trade] is a win-win. I think it was the right thing for Alex, and I think it was the right thing for the Texas Rangers." In Soriano's first year in Texas, the Rangers won 16 more games than they did in any of Rodriguez's three seasons here. Soriano's statistics don't match Rodriguez's, but no one expected that. And Soriano's personality might mesh better with his teammates than Rodriguez's did. "[sori] has a different personality -- he's more of a playful person," Rangers third baseman Hank Blalock said. "Alex is more serious. Both very talented players, obviously. ... The only reason why I wasn't really disappointed [about the trade] is because of what we were getting in return in Soriano." Good luck finding a Rangers player who will say anything bad about Soriano, on or off the record. No one could ever knock Rodriguez's talent or his play. Yet there were occasional whispers about him being a difficult and demanding teammate for such a young club. Rangers outfielder Kevin Mench, who still keeps in touch with Rodriguez, might have put it best: "Alex needed to be in the media market of the world. He's the biggest star and the best player, so that's where he needed to be." Now he is, and he could not be happier, even if he had to give up playing shortstop to get to New York. "It's been a dream come true for me to become a Yankee," Rodriguez said. And if Rodriguez had known the Rangers would come within three games of the playoffs last year, without his help -- would he have stayed? "You don't have a crystal ball," Rodriguez said. "I think having the opportunity to come to New York is a once in a lifetime opportunity I would never have passed up." Rodriguez said he considers his time in Texas the best of his career. So does Soriano. Ironic. Both might soon have that in common -- being ex-Rangers with fond memories of their time in Texas.

there is absolutly no shot the yankees will get griffey. they dont hav enough prospects and have no pitching to trade. Even if this does happen, i dont think it will make a big impact. Griffey will probaly end up injured again and is past his prime.

millar for hernandez??

marlins-arroyo,stern,moss,embree (orioles propistion - julio, penn,bigbie,kline) redsox-burnett, lowell i think this is a better deal for the marlins than the orioles one twins-lowell and cora redsox-romero and SP (loshe or hopefully silva) Just something i made up :thumbsup:

i was just thinking about that possibility. i think that would be a great idea. i think in that the starting 3B next year should be youkilis. hes going to be as good if not a better hitter than mueller who will be 36 next year.

he is a defensive upgrade to bellhorn and is batting only .14 below bellhorn

graffinino at 3rd and bellhorn at 2B with romero as setup guy isnt bad as long as bellhorn does something good when he comes back. cora shouldnt be playing everyday

The Mets' Roberto Hernandez intrigues the Sox for the set-up role, but for now, the Mets believe they're too close in the National League wild-card race to begin selling off players. From-the providence journal How about Kevin Millar for Hernandez?????

Red Sox, Twins could strike deal Lefthander Alan Embree was designated for assignment. This was slightly surprising considering the 35-year-old had pitched better of late. The Sox have 10 days to deal Embree or release him. Embree was 1-4 with a save and a 7.65 ERA in 43 appearances. With lefthanders Mike Myers and John Halama, the Sox felt they were protected for the time being out of the bullpen. But the Sox are one of several teams (as many as 12 according to one major league source) pursuing Twins lefthanded reliever J.C. Romero. The Twins are looking for a third baseman and would like to have Bill Mueller, a low-salary veteran who is solid defensively and would be an impact hitter at the Metrodome. A major league source also said the Twins would consider Kevin Youkilis, and the deal could be expanded to include a Minnesota starting pitcher. ''There's still a lot to be worked out," said one Red Sox source. ''[Romero] walks a lot of people, but he's got good stuff and he strikes out someone when you need it." Boston Globe Might not be a bad deal if they include youkilis and could also get a starting pitcher such as Carlos Silva????