jacksonianmarch

He actually wasnt THAT bad in that his WHIP was 1.24 and he did K 172 batters. The one thing Johnson does is give torre an innings eater and coming off back surgery, he is either going to be better (pain relief) or significantly worse (age plus lack of flexibility of a fused spine). If he doesnt eat innings for NY next yr, then the yankees would need a Zito to pick up the slack.

Gom, take a look at these numbers. 32G 181.2IP 179H 28HR 81BB 160K 4.31ERA 1.43WHIP average of 5.6IP per start 30yrs old 34G 221IP 211H 27HR 99BB 151K 3.83ERA 1.40WHIP average of 6.5IP per start 29yrs old Very similar numbers. They both walk about 4 batters per 9IP and have a similar BAA. The big difference is in IP, and do not correlate it to being in the ALE as Lilly had similar #s while in oakland. Thing is, Zito may cost 15-18 mil a season, while Lilly may be a 10mil a yr guy. If the yankees decided to get Lilly, I think it would be an ok move if they have the intention of getting a top of the rotation starter. If they do not have that intention, then I'd be apprehensive about getting him. The yankees have a manager who loves to burn his pen, and giving him a pitcher who hardly lasts past 6 innings will continue the trend. They need an ace, Zito would give them the innings, but is that enough? Something is cooking Gom, but one thing you can take solace in is that Cashman is running the show now, not George.

Gom, like I tell the boston fans, Boras is no dummy. The pitching market has not set itself as none of the pitchers have agreed to deal. Once a pitcher sets the market, then things will change. And I hardly consider the Williams signing as setting the market.

I think the only poor signing of the few above would be the Roberts signing. His best asset is his speed and the guy will be 35 next yr. A 3 yr deal taking a speedster to 38 yrs old is not a strong bet. I cannot wait to hear how much they are gonna spend, lol. I think the Loretta signing will signal the end for Ray Durham, who btw could fit the bill in Boston if they do not think Pedroia will cut it next yr, or if the sox think Pedroia would be a good fit at SS. Weathers is a solid pitcher who is welcome in any bullpen. He is capable of closing, setting up or long relief. I am surprised the sox did not make a move there. Aurilia is another guy the yankees really wanted. Solid defender, right handed bat, a guy both the sox and yankees could have used. Interesting that these guys were passed on by the big boys. What do they have up their sleeve?

it would be a whole lot more than just him.

it is big business, plain and simple. I'd rather the players get our money than the greedy execs who run the business.

now that the price for power his 16.5 mil a season, how much will Drew get? They both have similar career averages. Lee has the power and the RBI. Drew is the lefty, has more speed and is a much better fielder. Does this mean that Drew's price tag just reached 15 mil a season?

yeah they do. If you dont pay up in salary, you will pay up in the loss column.

the pirates are stupid if they do that. Young pitching is gold and right now they may have the foundation for quite a good rotation in the future. Duke, Gorzelanny, Maholm, Snell, Burnett/Bullington. They should leave it alone and see if they can sign some offense or develop it.

http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061124.wspt-jays-24/GSStory/GlobeSportsBaseball/home Greg Zaun did not accept the 2 yr 6 mil deal set on the table by Toronto and now he looks to be an option for the yankees and the sox as the backup catcher. He is an old backup, but a solid defensive option who can hit in limited duty.

the yankees did it with a base of solid pitching both in a staff that ate innings and a back end of the pen that was lights out. Their offense made solid contact but also took their share of walks. They had stellar defense up the middle with Girardi and Posada manning the plate and a younger, faster Jeter at SS as well as a very speedy Bernie in center. They had a warrior who fought through everything in RF who was also a great fielder. Brosius was a great fielder. George got away from what worked. Great fielding, clutch hitting, OBP, and pitching. This yankee team is loaded with OBP, but they dont make much contact, they dont pitch well and they cannot field.

are we talking about them? Last I checked this was a red sox predictions page. If you want to do a yankee predictions page, you would be incomplete, because they are still short one pitcher.

I kinda got sidetracked. My point is that he is an injury ???. Those who wish to point to a family history as a cop out to avoid having to deal with this injury do not have ground to stand on. That is all. Next yr will answer a lot.

It is not just less velocity per se. It is less supply for the same demand. I do know physics and if you continually put the same force applied on a weaker muscle, you will overpower the system. Hence injury.

actually testicular cancer is extremely curable even when it metastasizes. His victories are not predictable for any person, let alone a cancer survivor.

A loose joint has the propensity to stretch out even further. The rotator cuff is a compilation of 4 tendons. Tendons are attached to muscles. Muscles operate by what is called starling forces which determine the amount of preload needed for maximum force generation. If you stretch the muscle too much, the preload surpasses optimal force and begins to generate a weaker and weaker force. That is why pitchers who "stretch" out their shoulder need to have their shoulder "tightened up". It is a process by which the tendons are cut and screwed into the shoulder to make up for the over-stretching. If this guy does in fact have "loose joints" to begin with, he has a better likelihood that his shoulder will eventually need to be fixed. Google is a wonderful tool.

So he has a family history of loose joints? Dont you think that should worry you? Oh that chest pain I was having is normal. I have a family history of heart disease. That statement is about as absurd as the one about his loose joints. First of all, if he has loose joints to begin with, then he is more prone to sublux which would mean that he has a higher chance to seriously injure his arm. You just proved my point.

Going into this off-season, there were three power hitters on the tips of everyone's tongue. Sheffield, Soriano, and Lee. Sheff gets dealt for future to Detroit, Soriano goes to the cubbies and Lee goes to the stros. Now the fun begins. Texas, Boston, Baltimore, Anaheim, SF, LA, and many others came into this offseason with a plan to get more powerful. Now the big guys are gone and the biggest of the big is too roided out for anyone on the east coast to care (Bonds). Now teams are going to have to get creative. Let's take a look at the availibility of some power players. "Disclaimer!! I usually post about both the yankees and the red sox, but since the yankees are looking only for a defensive RH hitting 1b they will not really count in this post, all speculation will be from a red sox vantagepoint" Manny Ramirez: The enigmatic slugger is going to be 35 early next season. He has had a .950 OPS for 9 consecutive seasons now, but his antics are mounting and last seasons 130 games was his second lowest in his boston tenure. Yet he never really came up with a solid excuse for missing 32 games. He takes days off, daydreams, and sometimes seems like he cares not, but the guy can absolutely mash. And at 18 mil for the next 2 yrs, he is now a bargain with the ridiculous signings of Soriano and Lee, two players who are far inferior to Manuel Aristides Ramirez. Now the question I always ask someone when they post a rumor is what will the team be looking for and can the other team afford it. The Red Sox will need another big bat in return as well as relief help for a horrible bullpen. There have been rumors of a three way that would fit the bill with Helton and Otsuka coming to Boston, but that is a lot of balls in the air and may be too tough to figure out. If he is traded, he will need to approve the deal and will likely ask for at least one of his 2 20mil option years to be picked up. Todd Helton: A career 1.023 OPS player, Todd Helton is not just an offensive juggernaut, but he is definitely a solid defensive 1b as well. There is only one problem. He has hit only 2 more HRs in the past 2 seasons combined than he did in 2004. Last yrs 15 was a career low in Colorado no less. But for the 5th consecutive yr he walked more than he K'd, which is good, but he also posted a career low BA of .302. A continuous slide would be especially costly since Helton is signed for 5 more yrs at a grand total of 85.5mil. which will take him through his 38th birthday. This is a short term fix that could cost a lot in the long term. Mike Sweeney: Wanna take a gamble? Last season Mike Sweeney was limited to 217AB's due to chronic back issues. The yr before he hit .300 with 21HRs and 83RBI for the putrid Royals. His injury issues have limited him to DH duties so he would likely not be the best option for the sox, but would adding offense be worth the risk on defense (assuming Papi plays 1st, no way fragile mike could last the season over there)? We shall see. The one good thing about Mike Sweeney is that he is signed for only one yr at 11mil and will be 34 during the yr, which is not terribly old. He does have a limited no trade and I am not sure if Boston is on the list, but it may be a last ditch effort kind of thing to try and nab him. 11mil for the potential to have a .300BA with 20+HR and 100+RBI in fenway may be very tempting should Manny be traded. The Royals will probably enjoy the simple cap relief his deal would take, so long as he gives it his ok, he could be dealt. Vernon Wells: Talk about the prize of all prizes. He will be 28 next season and is going into his final yr being controlled in Toronto. He wants to be a free agent as many teams (Boston, Texas and NYY after Abreu leaves would be included) would be interested. With the recent outrageous contract being doled out, Wells figures to have Beltran's deal be his starting point. Last season he hit .303 with 32HR and 106RBI to go along with 17 SBs for a team that did not run all that much. He is widely considered the AL's 2nd best defensive CFer behind Torii Hunter as well. He would be astronomically hard to trade for right now seeing as the Jays want to resign him, and with the sox being in the same division, it will just be harder. But come the deadline, this guy's price may come down so long as the yankees and sox do a good job of keeping the Jays out of contention. The Jays will likely ask for the moon. Papelbon will likely be asked for, and the jays would likely have to settle for something lesser than that. Likely a package of Pena, Ellsbury, Hansen, B/B/B or something huge like this will need to be done. Does theo want to rape his farm system? We'll see how desperate boy wonder gets if the sox season starts going into the shitter. Expect theo to want to negotiate before finalizing any deals if one can even come to fruition. Joe Crede: He picked a damn good time to have a career yr. Joe Crede hit .283 with 30HR and 94 RBI from the right side last yr in Chicago. The guy has had escalating power totals for the past 4 yrs, so expect him to continue to rise. And for his services, he has been placed on the block. He has 3.124yrs of service, giving him at least 3 more yrs of ownage by the white sox. BUT, the white sox have arguably the 2nd best 3b prospect in baseball (behind Alex Gordon) in Josh Fields. Expect the pale hose to unload him now, before arbitration takes him into 8 figures. As shown by the sox insistence on labding Crawford, the white sox are looking for speed to complement Ozzie Guillen's aggressive style. A package centered around Coco Crisp may be enough to pry Crede loose and add a 30 HR bat to fenway, where that bat could really become dangerous. One other thing, his glove is just as good as Lowell's, so obtaining him will help significantly. Raul Ibanez: His name has appeared all over the trade rumors section of baseball ever since he left KC to sign in SEA. Check out his line from last yr, a line that had some people saying he should be in the running for MVP. .289 33HR 123RBI. Plus, he has averaged 161 games played over the past 2 seasons meaning he is durable. The problem is, he will turn 35 midway through next season and he is cheap (5.5 mil a yr until 2008) How is that a problem? The sheer enjoyment of cap relief will not be enough to pry him away. The Mariners came into this offseason with hopes to become a contender in the ALW. But they lost out on some big FA power bats and they likely will not land the top starters in the game. I am sorry, but not many pitchers want to play in an outdoor stadium in the rainy northwest. The Mariners need pitching. With the departure of Gil Meche, the Mariners will have Piniero, Felix, and Washburn captaining their rotation with a bunch of newbs and retreads likely filling out the rest. Since they couldnt land the big slugger that they need, they will likely look to pawn off useful parts and this is where they will start. A couple pitching prospects or a pitching prospect and Wily Mo could pry this one loose. Richie Sexson: Richie Sexson is 31 yrs old and is signed through 2008 for 14 mil a season. He is a good defensive 1b and a huge power threat. Richie rebounded from a putrid start to have a very strong yr. He hit .264 with 34HR and 107 RBI. Add to that his penchant for walking (and K'ing" and this guy could be a huge fit in Fenway. He is still young, not terribly expensive, good around the bag, a huge right handed power bat, and even better, available. As noted above, the M's are likely looking for young power in return as well as pitching. One of the three B's and Wily Mo may get it done so long as the sox are not averse to picking up the entire check. Andruw Jones: Another big fish that will hit the market. Jones will be 30 at the beginning of the 07 season. He hit 92HRs in the past 2 seasons combined and he is the best defensive CFer in the NL by leaps and bounds. He will earn 13.5mil next season and then will be a FA. He is a 10-5 player, so he has a complete no-trade as well, but if he gets the big money, he'll fly. He is represented by Boras, so you can expect he would get Beltran++ money after next yr. Hold on tight for this one. The starting point would likely be Papelbon as Wells' was, but that wont do. An assortment of those young pitching prospects will be big if the sox want to get him, as the Braves are a little thin in rotation. Adam Dunn: A FA after 2007 (he has an option that goes away if he is dealt), Adam Dunn is a flat out beast. When I said that any lefty who will have success in Fenway would need gorilla power or be able to hit the other way, Dunn is who I had in mind for gorilla power. This guy is huge. He has hit 40 or more HRs 3 yrs in a row (the only guy with that streak still intact btw). But he K's an exorbitant amount and his BA has been slipping. People say that he lacks motivation, but that may be just because his teams really have no shot at anything since he plays in Cincy (except this last yr which was his worst yr, go figure). The reds have some bullpen issues with their closer being out for the yr, but as we all know, bullpen in the NL is all about stuff while BP in the AL is about stuff and location. A package with Coco and Hansen to start could probably get this done, but the sox may need to add Lowell and pay his costs as well to make this happen. This is one of my sure fire predictions. This guy will be traded by the deadline this yr, most likely by opening day. Hold onto your hats. Other guys will come available and as always, there are plenty of surprises, but that is the list that I could come up with off the top of my head of guys who will be available. Of the above, I think Sexson, Ibanez, Dunn, and Crede are the most likely to get moved. If Manny does get dealt, expect him to be the first domino of a long string of power moves. Didnt I say this is when the fun starts? It is November 24th, a good 2 weeks prior to the start of the winter meetings and the best bats have already signed. Stay tuned.

I missed that. LOLOLOL. That is f***ing funny.

I have a feeling Drew ends up outside of Boston. I think it is in the sox best interest not to get involved on Drew until they sew up the Matsuzaka situation, and I think Drew will have signed by then.

I didnt see his #s. 12-5 3.65ERA. Not bad in the NL, 6mil is about right for that kind of season.

Astros and Woody Williams agreed to a 2 yr 12.5mil deal.

6 yrs 100 mil in the NL????? WOW.