The Offseason Baseball Thread

[cubbyphan1138]

Score 670 reporting Cubs may actually have a good shot at making a deal for Kolb. If you are a Cubs fan this is a great board to hang out at for the latest info:

http://mb3.scout.com/fchicagocubsfrm1

While its not a major signing, I was also happy the Cubs picked up Blanco. One of the best defensive catchers in baseball and he has a good rapport with Maddux. Big improvement over Bako.

[Moral Hazard]

I'd give up Zambrano, heck even Kerry Wood, for Gagne -- in a heartbeat.

I'd give up Wood before I'd Give up Zambrano, I don't think Z's last year was an abberation, and he's a big guy so he can probably take Dusty's abuse.

I've been happy with what the cubs have done so far. Personally I'd rather have Nomar than Renteria thanks to Wrigleys tall grass. Nomar will probably rebound and will be very expensive to keep around next off season though. I think who ever picks up Renteria is going to overpay. We still need a closer and solid lead off guy but the market's thin. I don't really like Kolb (lack of Ks) but he would be an improvement and is a ground ball pitcher.

It's rumored that the braves are interested in Farnsworth, good move for the Braves but I don't know who we could get for him. We're stuck with Sosa, pity I wonder how interested Minaya really was.

The Yankees signing seem odd for the Yankees picking up Wright and losing Lieber doesn't make a lot of sense. Womack was a good pick up though.

[Moral Hazard]

No. What a disappointing signing. Now the Phillies have a bunch of #3 pitchers (plus a #5 in Myers).

Well Philly can't go after much considering payroll constraints can they. It was a good move.

[monkspider]

I look for the Brewers to make a decent run with their ambitious new owner.

[Ming]

Originally posted by cubbyphan1138
While its not a major signing, I was also happy the Cubs picked up Blanco. One of the best defensive catchers in baseball and he has a good rapport with Maddux. Big improvement over Bako.

ANYTHING is an improvement over Bako...

[Kontiki]

Originally posted by DanS
Washington is the 5th largest metro area in the US, after all.

Only when you include Baltimore, though, which already has a team.

Still, I have no doubt attendance will be higher than it was in Montreal the last few years. Kinda hard not to be.

[monkspider]

Last I heard the Brewers were in the hunt for Matt Clement, if there were able to sign him, they would have a very respectable pitching rotation.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Womack was a good pick up though.

No it wasn't. Especially not for the price.

Womack has a career OPS+ of 75. Last year was 93, but it looks like a total aberration.

Miguel Cairo was one of the Yankees' best players in the postseason and, IMO, better than Womack. His OPS+ is 79, but has had two 100+ seasons in the last 4 years.

Womack is going to be another high prices backup.

---

Oh, DanS, is there still that BS movement to try to deny the Nationals a baseball only stadium?

[Stuie]

Originally posted by Moral Hazard

No. What a disappointing signing. Now the Phillies have a bunch of #3 pitchers (plus a #5 in Myers).

Well Philly can't go after much considering payroll constraints can they. It was a good move.

Yeah, yeah. Considering what's out there I guess they did ok. At least he's supposed to be a groundball pitcher, which is definitely a must in Citizens Bank Park.

But if the same money gets you Jaret Wright, I'd rather have Wright. Doesn't sound like they even tried to get him.

[Imran Siddiqui]

I wouldn't get Wright. Away from Mazzone, I think Wright is horrible this year.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Btw, what in the HELL was Troy Glaus doing when he signed with Arizona? I can understanding wanting the money, but couldn't he get the money on a better team?

[Lawrence of Arabia]

sox need to sign pedro, cabrera for sure, varitek and pavano would be second tier for me, and trade one of the first basemen for a utility outfielder, and sign a 5th starter/long relief. so we'd have

curt
pedro
pavano
arroyo
wakefield/long reliever

at SS we'd have cabrera (this guy is something special)
1B i'd take mientkievcidawcz over millar because millar tends to get bad cases of foot in mouth disease.
2B is bellhorn
3B is mueller/youkilis

i dont care how good hanley ramirez is, he didnt make the top 50 minor league players last year, we need to keep cabrera at SS. give him a 4 year deal. he will average over .300 over those years with about 50 doubles. + speed, + defense, not bad 2 hole hitter.

yankees should trade everything they have + money for big unit. that would be the third time in the last 4 years that the Dbacks are personally screwed over the yanks (first time in 01 when they beat the yanks, then in 04 when they gave away schilling to the sox for an empty bag of peanuts, and then in 05 when they gave away a 40+ year old pitcher who will be good for at most 2 years)

[DanS]

Only when you include Baltimore, though, which already has a team.

No. It's the 5th when you exclude Baltimore. Baltimore is now its own metro area and ranks 18th. Of course, you can squabble over some of the exurbs between the two.

But you can commute from one to the other reasonably well, About like some do between Philadelphia and New York. I have coworkers who live in Baltimore city and commute every day to downtown Washington.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Jeff Kent just signed with the Dodgers for 2 years.

[DanS]

Oh, DanS, is there still that BS movement to try to deny the Nationals a baseball only stadium?

Mostly, the movement is for having the new team help finance the new baseball-only stadium. Of course, this would kill the deal to get baseball to the city of Washington for another 3 or 4 decades. I got an automated voice-mail message today urging me to call the head of the DC City Council to urge her to vote against the stadium. The question is then begged of who is funding the anti-stadium drive...

In any event, while I am sympathetic to that approach as a taxpayer ($500 million for 600,000 residents is almost $1,000 apiece), and friends in the construction business tell me that the price may go way up, that wasn't the deal the mayor signed with baseball. We have to decide whether we want baseball or not. The mayor has some strong arguments for why baseball is good for DC, the chief of which is that he is doing his best to extend stays of tourists by a day or two. If they stay in town another day, they get a hotel room, go to restaurants, etc. This would be all good for DC business and the city treasury. The multiplier is much higher for DC than for other cities. And he sees the buy-in is baseball.

Some people say that they should just play in RFK, but that deal's not on the table. We are building a soccer-only stadium as well (I think this makes sense) financed on the public dime, so that sort of takes the wind out of the sails of the opponents to public financing.