jacksonianmarch

The more I see this deal, the more I really like it. Look deeper into the deal... Tabata was a INTL signee for 500K. A good amount for a top INTL signee Jeff Karstens was a 19th round selection in 2003. And the kicker with him is that he would have been DFA'd to make room on the 40 man for Marte. Daniel McCutchen looked like a good back of the rotation starter, but his age was an issue (he turns 26 soon). He was a 13th round pick in the soon to be famed 2006 Yankee draft. Ross Ohlendorf was a guy who couldnt locate out of the rotation and couldnt miss bats in the pen. He was gotten in the RJ deal, which was more of a salary dump than anything. 4 guys. Only one of them was paid for heavily (Tabata). The rest were middle of the draft guys who panned out or unknowns gotten in salary dump deals. No top 5 draft picks. Now the kicker. Marte will likely be around through 2009. This means that he can serve as a potential setup man (assuming Melancon, Robertson, Veras, or Edwar arent serving in that capacity) next yr, which makes Farnsworth expendable. Right now, Farnsworth is a Type A FA, meaning we will get a 1st round supp pick for him (between 31-43) and potentially a 1st rounder depending who signs him (if it is a team in the bottom 15, we get their second rounder). Another kicker. Look at Bobby Abreu. .277/.350/.440. Well below where his career sits. Now he is notoriously a second half player. But over the past 2 yrs, Nady has outplayed him. I think this is a signal that Abreu is on his way out as well. Now, Abreu is a type A FA as well. So if we let him walk, we get the same deal we got with Farnsworth. So in all, we give up 4 players, only one of which was a highly touted guy who we paid dearly for in the INTL forum. We get 2 players in their prime, filling vital roles and putting an all star caliber performance up this yr. Not only that, but we now make two players expendable who make a combined 22 mil and will Absolutely get 4 top 70 draft picks which could potentially be 4 top 40 picks back. Where do we sign?

You guys have a near guaranteed victory tomorrow, so today is a bit of a must win for us.

He's been trying to beg himself off the team since 2003. And now, with the impetus of his agent, I think he is actively trying to get released. You see, his agent doesnt see a dime if the options are picked up. At least that is what WEEI is reporting. But if he goes out and signs a lucrative 4 yr 60 mil contract (which he will get from a blue and orange NY team), his agent will collect 5-10% of that. So he has his contractual advisor in his ear trying to assist his exodus. Also, he has pulled this s*** before to no avail. The sox nearly dealt him, the sox put him on irrevocable waivers, the sox have tried to be stern with him, it just doesnt work. If I were the sox, I'd put a few prospects together and get Jason Bay or Matt Holliday, make a run at it this yr, then decline the options, offer arb and get 2 picks for your trouble.

I like this one a bit more. Kontos has better stuff than Cutch and is much younger. Cutch is MLB ready, though. Karstens would have been DFAd this offseason since he was on the 40 man, so his inclusion is truly a throw in.

btw, Joba looks like a young Roger.

after all this, to be 1 game back in the L column at this juncture is sweet. If we are to take the series, we need to take tomorrows game. ponson vs lester doesnt look too promising for us

Joba absolutely dominated the sox. Hopefully he keeps it up.

Just found something out. Nady's current contract runs out after this yr, but the yankees will have an option to offer him arb. He cannot become a FA unless we non-tender him since he wont have the service time to be a FA. He can become a FA after 2009 Also, Damaso Marte has a 6 million dollar option for 2009, which I think the yankees will take. Flexibility will be the name of the game with this guy. So this doesnt look like the ultimate short term deal that it appeared to be.

Nady is a guy I wanted second to Bay. I really wanted Bay. But to get a guy like Nady doesnt hurt for now. He is hitting .330 with 13 bombs and 57 RBI. Marte is gonna be a big boon since he gives us a lefty specialist, a setup man and backup closer all in one. I expect to see Hawkins DFAd now. In terms of who we gave up... Jose Tabata was the meat and potatoes of this deal. He has been compared to manny in approach and up to this yr had the rare trait of solid contact and a great eye. The power never came and this yr, he blew a gasket since it was the first time he hit a roadblock in his career. Being the youngest guy in your league can do that. But he proceeded to blow a hammy too, and is now out for the yr. He is still 19 and still projects as an everyday corner OFer, so this is a nice pickup for the Pirates. But he'll need to be eased off a bit. I am gonna miss George Kontos. Drafted in the 5th round out of NW, he was torched in college. Came to the minors and absolutely dominated. He throws a mid 90s fastball, a plus plus slider and a minus (but improving) change. He still looks like he'll be a back end of the pen guy, but he is showing flashes of a third pitch and may become an ace type pitcher in the future. Ross Ohlendorf never really fit in since we got him for RJ. He was a starter, then couldnt locate, was moved to the pen where he was solid for half a yr, then sucked this yr out of the pen and is back in the AAA rotation. When he is going right, he could be a mid rotation starter or a solid pen arm. Phil Coke was a throw-n. Lefty pitcher who is old for his league. He has not one plus pitch. He gets by on location and guile, but he wont continue to do so at the big league level, or so the yankee brass thinks. If he was still in the org, he'd likely be passed over, so he is an add on. Overall, I cannot complain. We get a corner OFer and 1b we needed and the premium lefty arm we needed. Plus, if we dont retain either, both are type A FA's, so we'd get the production from them AND 4 top picks. Really isnt much of a question. I think we win in this one.

08 DiceK with the 07 pen would have been better.

Kennedy and a reliever would beat out most of the other options. I had proposed on another forum that the yankees offer Kennedy, Sanchez, Cox and Gardner for Bay

The twins and the sox were neck and neck in the WC race. They are not awful. The Mariners are awful.

Sox pen get them the win yesterday, although by the hair of their chin.

Good move for both sides. Bonifacio was considered to be the heir apparent at 2b with O-dog being a FA after the yr. Rauch, OTOH, gives them the closer they desperately need in a division that is easily winnable.

Lets talk DiceK. He has power pitcher, ace type stuff. But he also has shown a regression of his control. Is it fear? Is it on purpose? The HR allowed from last yr are WAY down. So are the K's. He's 3/4 of the way to his BB total of last yr in half the starts. But his H allowed are WAY down too. He is an enigma. Effectively wild sounds like a good way to call it. But at the same time, it is draining on the pen. In 9 of his 17 starts, he did not get through 6IP. For a SP with a sub 3ERA, that is poor. Last yr his QS% was 56%, which wasnt bad (18/32) when you consider how he ended the yr. This yr, it is 47% which is very enigmatic for a player with his ERA. Last yr, even with his poor end to the yr, he average 6.4IP per start. This yr, it is 5.8IP/start. His P/IP and P/PA are up as well, but it seems Francona is pulling him earlier as he is throwing 10 less pitchers per start. Overall, the guy is an enigma. Walks the park but doesnt give up runs. Has a 90+% WP this yr and a sub 3ERA yet doesnt give innings. Halfway through his yr (remember, DL stint) he has accounted for 10 more bullpen innings compared to where he was last yr.

I will give Torre credit, he did bring in Mo when the game needed saving. He never brought him in before the 8th though and he'd bring him into games that werent even close. He would also "ride the hot hand" which would invariably end up with a loss of effectiveness for that player due to fatigue and then also lead to rust for the other bullpen guys.

It couldnt start with Horne cause he's on the DL and we'd be selling low on him. It also wont start with Melancon because he is essentially an untouchable. We really dont have a great match for the pirates. They have a plethora of OF possiblities with McLouth and McCutchen there for a long time. Bay is the guy I'd target, not a 2 month rental of a platoon player having a career yr. The only thing we could offer the Buccos is relievers (which they will desperately need with Capps down and Marte dealt) so Ohlendorf makes sense. But they also could use another starter, so a guy like Kennedy (if it was Bay) or Dan McCutchen (for Nady) would make sense.

I should have put a disclaimer on there. The rumor is stupid, but not unbelievable. It wouldnt be the last time a Mets GM made an attempt to save his ass with a top prospect for aging vet move. How'd that Kazmir deal workout again?

Insider info my friend. Michael Almanzar was one of the top 5 position player prospects signed out of the INTL ranks last yr. He, along with the guy we got (Kelvin DeLeon), were the two biggest power bats available. Almanzar had the boon of being an infielder. I think they were trying to bill him as a SS, but a kid at his frame is destined for a corner IF slot. Depending on which scouting service you believe, this kid has anywhere from a 65-70 power on the 20-80 scale already. With muscle, this kid will be an 80 no doubt. He was also considered to be more advanced in approach than most of the IFA's, although that isnt saying much. His IF skills are raw, but he has good range and good hands. He has enough speed to steal some bases but he isnt a true burner. Essentially, he doesnt have a minus skill. Everything is at least average or better. And his bat will carry him. The lower levels are all talent. The game isnt refined, it is strength against strength and this kid is outshining the rest. His challenge will be refining his game when the players are more advanced. Can he sit on the curveball, can he foul off the good pitch and wait for his. These are the kinds of things you look for. Right now, he has a Glaus like projection because his power is so far out in front of his other skills. But he is 17, we'll see how he does

And if Minaya was unwilling to include Martinez in a deal for the best pitcher in baseball, why would he throw this kid into the pot for a 20 mil over the hill troublemaker who cannot play defense at the MLB level anymore? This rumor is stupid.

if you read that thread you will see that it is a compilation of the forum crap and not actually a thread about the bullpen. It ends with Manny Incident II.

every single time a pitcher does poorly, jayhawk chimes in with the umpire being the reason why. How about you look at every time he does well and maybe he got some calls. I am of the belief that the strike zone will even out eventually. If he doesnt get a call and starts grooving them down the middle, then he isnt mentally tough. A good pitcher will throw his pitch, and if it isnt called, find another pitchers pitch in that umpire's zone. No matter how small the zone is, no umpire's zone includes only a 3" by 3" square down the middle. They all have holes. They arent perfect. Your job as a pitcher is to find them.

Well, Masterson is gonna get his shot. Lets just say for arguments sake that he is just okay in yr 1 out of the pen. Who do the sox get? In Colorado, Fuentes will be available. Left handed former closer who relies on deception. He would take one top prospect to pry since he is both left handed and a setup/closer. Lars Anderson may be the name most brought up since Helton is getting on in yrs and a kid with that kind of power could be ridiculous in Coors. Plus with Youks turning into an AS caliber and GG caliber 1b, Anderson is becoming redundant. In Pittsburgh, Marte is showing he can handle full innings as a closer/setup man. The pirates would have less use for Anderson since 1b is occupied by LaRoche, but his contract is up soon, so they might use him. The Pirates need relief pitching in return though, and may ask for a package surrounding one of their disappointing SP (Johnson or Richardson this yr) and one of their higher flying relievers (Cox or Bard). In Atlanta, Mike Gonzalez might be available although he is under control through 2009. The Braves are actually a bit devoid of pitching right now and might be hard pressed to accept anything less than Bowden this yr since they could run him through the trade mill next yr too. In Washington, Jon Rauch is blooming into a top level relief pitcher. He is under the Nats control until 2010, so they would need to be blown away to deal him. But he is the name surfacing a lot on the ESPN rumor mill and he is also getting better as his career gets on. He's a very imposing figure (6'9") and throws beebees. His 1.01 WHIP and 1BB every 6IP totals this yr would fit nicely in front of Paps. Right now, the price is very high and might climb towards a Michael Bowden level. But the Nats need so much that a package deal with Reddick, Bard and a mid level pitcher could get this done. In Oakland, Huston Street has also been said to be available. I guarantee the first person he asks for is Anderson. Heath Bell in SD may also be available, but the Padres own him for a long time. The Padres have a dreadful system, so a package deal would make more sense. Thats about it. With the pen as it is, the sox are setting up for a deadline fleecing. Their middle relief is so porous that the excellent rest of their team will take the fall for it. Without an upgrade, I am hard pressed to think of them winning anything this yr.

would you stop with that excuse. Seriously, it gets old. Buchholz is getting the rookie treatment. It will pass. It is up to him to show he can avoid it.

I hope he comes up. Another MLB pitcher I got a hit off of.