Dojji

Either way, he's a known quantity who knows our farm system well. It does give us an inside edge. But you're definitely right that the Padres might decide to keep him at all costs.

BTW a couple sites reporting that our assistant GM, Jed Hoyer, is poised to take over as the general manager of the San Diego Padres. Dipre, this is your cue to get excited. A guy who really knows our system now holds the reins on Adrian Gonzalez. If a trade is ever going to happen at all, it just got a lot easier. EDIT: Gammons has picked up on it and has also mentioned that the Sox are considering replacing Hoyer with J. P. Ricciardi. Yipes.

I've been telling people for months that I think they pay what it takes to keep Beckett. And unless Mauer is, like, right there to be had we probably do the same for Victor Martinez. Thanks for spelling out the reasons clearly and accurately, EX1 The fact that we have a very good chance of keeping our starting pitching core together for the next 3-4 years is one of the reasons I don't think we need to "step back and reposition" for a couple years. Even in the worst case scenario we're still legitimate playoff contenders well into the forseeable future with those guys in our rotation and even an average offense. It's also one of the reasons I'd really like to see Theo go for filling that one last spot with a long-term option and stop crapping around with Wakefield and injured scrubs. It's not a bad move if you really need to fill holes in the rotation, but where we are right now, a capstone move to cement the rotation and really put an exclamation point on our primary advantage makes more sense to me IMHO.

Of course, but when Lee hits free agency and someone signs him for very nearly as much the math will change.

lol OK, that's an interesting way to end a crapstorm.

You do realize that at least half the time, when I'm posting about how "people" on the forum are out to get me it's to avoid singling you out specifically, Dipre. What is your deal with me? About three quarters of the time someone's starting crap with me, it's you. And I'm not the only one to notice it. What exactly is your problem?

Pardon me for not expecting people to respond to my posts with hair-trigger speed.

This is just a hunch, but I suspect you need a break from the forums for awhile. Get back on an even keel. You're really losing it.

Are you even capable of a post that is not insulting to someone on this forum Dipre? I mean Jacko's a little out there, yeah, but in taking his invitation to stop the fighting, you go about baiting yet another fight. Why?

Serious question, Dipre. How willing are you to keep making an ass of yourself just to keep this going? You've been morphing into Gom on us recently.

Consider the alternative. http://mohel.dk/grafik/andet/Someone_Is_Wrong_On_The_Internet.jpg Don't these sessions go on long enough as it is? When I back off it's either because I realize the other guy is right or because the point is too minor even for me to nitpick about. Or because I'm not willing to put forward the effort to browbeat someone who's convinced they're right into submission which is the only way to really "end" an Internet debate without one person or the other backing off. As for "smugness," personally I don't see it, but then I suppose I wouldn't since I'm used to my own head and the way I think. I'll admit that I can be arrogant. But I won't let you get away with making it sound like I'm the only arrogant poster here. There's certain people on this forum that I lock horns with on a very regular basis that could give a clinic on the subject.

Frankly, Kilo, I'm only regurgitating what I'm fed around here. if you don't like my version, perhaps some of the rest of us around here shouldn't be rolling out their model.

With the backup goalie in net and no savard, against a good, healthy team like the Flyers? On the road? Take the point.

That's not exactly apples to apples. Winn played a whole lot more than Baldelli did. I'm conceding that Winn's big advantage over Baldelli or Kapler is that in his past he was a starting player. A word on his BABIP too. According to Frangraphs, Winn's overall BABIP was over .300. Even if you can cherry pick a situational stat, the obvious conclusion is that he must not have played the role in which he had such a low BABIP very often if his overall BABIP is still actually above average (and only slightly below his career norms). What it boils down to IMHO is that here we have a 35 year old ballplayer who had career-normal BABIP, had vastly below normal results. Hits, walks, isolated power, all at least somewhat below their usual levels. His home run power has dried up entirely. Before I'd trust a guy with that with a job on my team I'd want to see some evidence that this isn't ordinary player age and decline kicking in for a guy who'll be 36 next year. The upshot of it all is that sure, he could put up semi-decent numbers next year off the bench for us but counting on him to do it without looking at what he served up as an offensive performance last year is insane. (And dont' give me NL West balkparks for an excuse. Most of Winn's career baseline is based on NL West and AL West ballparks) If they got Randy Winn based on his peformance over the last few years I could handle it. I bet they go after someone younger and a bit more proven in centerfield though. Actually given the choice, the guy I'd go after is Reed Johnson. He's probably the best guy out there who will definitely be a bench player. Speed, a bit of pop, has some experience in CF -- a bit light on OBP but that's why he won't get a starting job.

Just had to comment on this prize piece of lunacy. Did you even stop to think, just for a moment, Dipre, that this might actually be the case if we sustain exactly one injury at the wrong place and time? I'm certainly not going to trust a guy who's going to have a chance of being our starting RF for a 15 game stretch sometime over the course of the season who put up a season OPS of less than .700 the previous year. That way lies madness. At least with Kapler you could call up another LHH corner outfielder -- say Reddick -- and continue to platoon.

I just don't want any part of a declining older player who stands a very good chance of simply disappearing entirely. It strikes me that Winn is much more likely to become completely useless than Kapler. The downside of Winn is lower than Kapler's downside in other words IMHO. Especially with very legitimate decline concerns. (one of the reasons you can get a low BABIP is if you stop hitting the ball as hard. that's likely a big part of Winn's troubles last year and I doubt that goes away at age 36)

Kalper, however, is 2 years younger and actually produced at a career average level. Winn is at an age where decline is expected, and oh look, he declined. There is NO way you can stand there and tell me that you would count on Winn to produce at career average levels next year. Kapler, on the other hand, is a pretty decent bet. And my god, sir, our LF situation has nothing to do with the bench role designed to back it up? Holy hell.

Dude, our CF and our RF are both lefthanded and we don't know who our LF is. At this point, a platoon player is a pretty danged good fit.

Winn still sucks even for a 4th OF. Gabe Kapler beats that easy in a bad year. Anyone can play in CF. Doug Mirabelli could physically occupy the position of CF. The question is if he can do it well. And Randy Winn hasn't played centerfield well in 4 years.

Uhh, this guy is 35 years old and hit an extremely impressive .262/.318/.353 last year. With 2 HR's in 538 at bats. He also hasn't turned in average numbers in centerfield since 2005 and has been downright horrible each of the last three years. I want no part of Randy Winn.

So let's ask the question behind the question. Let's say he does dominate NYY in the playoffs. Does that affect anyone's willingness to make him the guy we look at for the rotation, where we have a hole in the 5 spot?

I'd say both.

Considering they were trying to adjust to the loss, in rapid succession, of three of their top 12 forwards, and trying to integrate the guys they brought in to replace them in a hurry? Yeah, I think the y did well.

well they haven't dude! You're trying to ward it off because you know that's a fact! I wouldn't count on the Angels to pull off a miracle but I wouldn't have counted on the Sox to do it in 2004. Have a bit of patience. One game at most, maybe two, and you could post a thread like this without being all insecure about it.

We can't just shun Boras anyway. He can hang Jacoby Ellsbury over our heads if we do.