MLB 2013!!

[snoopy369]

You know, if anyone had posted those things we'd probably discuss them. I'm a White Sox fan, so primarily post White Sox news, plus anything that I see as interesting - none of these are.

The Rays traded for Escobar, and gave away far too much (a potential above-average big league MI with power). Yunel Escobar should be sent to Japan or somewhere else where people don't mind hateful idiots who are bad for team morale.

The Red Sox overspending is like the sun rising - it is necessary to happen. Even Theo Epstein couldn't help it. Mike Napoli is okay, but not exactly replacing what they lost recently, and Victorino is a nice guy who seems destined to be overpaid no matter what.

Finally, Youk becoming a Yankee... meh, whatever. The Yanks don't really need him but why not play with Boston some?

[snoopy369]

So is it just considered a done deal that this is all we'll ever get out of Beckham?
He seemed to have good fundamentals; I had high hopes for stepwise improvement. But it just hasn't happened. Head case?

He had good fundamentals, except for the hitting part. His swing has always had issues. It has a hitch that doesn't seem correctable, and that is the sort of thing that really screws you up at the major league level

[Imran Siddiqui]

Actually the Escobar deal is exactly what the Rays do. Get folks kind of cast off for cheap and make them useful. The guy has talent (witness his 2011), but has had attitude issues, which the Rays seem to have luck with. And only costs $5mil. And that middle infielder sent the other way (Dietrich) tends not to walk much and strike out quite a bit.

As for the Yanks not needing Youk, you must not have heard that A-Rod is out for quite a while.

[snoopy369]

A-Rod is out for a while, sure. Replace him with a below-average fielding, probably below-average hitting Youk? Why? Just play their current set of 3Bs, they're not much worse, and better at fielding. Or sign someone better. Or trade for Chase Headley. Or Evan Longoria (can you imagine the trade the Rays would accept for him? lol). Whomever.

Escobar is, to quote Ben (shudder), a team cancer. He's not good for the team in the clubhouse, not good enough on the field to make up for it (too erratic), and as the gay slur bit from last year shows, too immature on top of it. I wouldn't want him within 100 miles of my team. There are better players out there.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Youk isn't going to be all that expensive, especially for 1 year. And he was above average with the White Sox (106 OPS+). Of course that also ignores that he's had one bad year (last year) - and that was likely part of the hangover from the season before melding into Bobby V being the new manager, and being a ***** to him. The Yankees are also pros when it comes to seemingly washed up vets doing wonders (and heck, Youk is only 34). And finally, look at the other options the Yankees have on the team for 3B. It's pretty bare.

Rays really have never cared about "team cancers" (I mean look at Carlos Pena or Pat Burrell) - it's worked so far for them.

[SlowwHand]

Posted on December 8, 2012 at 1:13 PM

Updated today at 1:33 PM


Michael Young's career with the Texas Rangers is over.

Several reports indicate that Young has accepted a trade to the Philadelphia Phillies, in exchange for relief pitchers Josh Lindblom and Lisalberto Bonilla. The Rangers will likely also have to pay for $10 million of Young's $16 million dollar salary for 2013.

Young's departure means the Rangers' top prospect Jurickson Profar will likely move into the lineup on a regular basis. There has been talk of Ian Kinsler moving to first base, and assuming the Rangers don't deal shortstop Elvis Andrews, that would give Texas an infield of Kinsler, Profar, Andrus, and Adrian Beltre.

Young was 23 years old when he got his first at bat with the Rangers in 2000. He played 12 full seasons in Arlington and is the Rangers all-time leader in at bats, hits, runs scored, doubles, and triples. Young began his career as a second baseman, moved to shortstop when Alex Rodriguez left, then moved to third base when the club promoted Elvis Andrus. When Adrian Beltre signed as a free agent in 2011, Young became the team's designated hitter and utility infielder.

He will play third base for the Phillies.

http://www.wfaa.com/sports/Reports-Michael-Young-traded-to-Phillies-182672401.html

[Imran Siddiqui]

So holy crap weekend!

Greinke signed with the Dodgers and the Rays decided to steal the Royals' future by waving James Shields and Wade Moore at them and taking away all their big prospects including future All-Star OF Wil Myers, and potential #3 SP Jake Odorrozzi.

[snoopy369]

Greinke's salary is probably just an indication of 'new baseball' - they pointed out that Cole Hamels got basically the same amount after all.

I'm very curious about the Royals trade, though. Obviously a win-now move... trading the Rays an incredible prospect (and two other very good ones, and one decent one) for one ace and a halfway decent starter/reliever at best. But it does basically double the quality of their starting rotation... I think the Royals still don't have quite enough, but perhaps if their young guys improve over last year (Hosmer in particular, who took a terrible tumble) they will be able to at least compete for the division. White Sox and Tigers are still both better teams overall, though, unless that does happen (and both have much better rotations still).

[Imran Siddiqui]

The main problems I see with the the Shields deal is that they weren't really "one ace away" and after 2 years, you know that Shields is going somewhere else (the Royals can't hope to match the money that will be thrown at Shields).

[snoopy369]

Well, it's possible they could. KC was a baseball team not that long ago, and it's a big enough city that it _could_ fill the stadium regularly with a good team. The Chiefs are terrible right now, which helps them immensely. And with the 2014 TV revenue coming in, they'll have that much more to spend. Showing they're trying, and having at least some success (say, one playoff appearance in the next three or four years) could make a huge difference.

But no, they're not really one ace away.

[Imran Siddiqui]

The thing is I can see a team like the Red Sox or Angels, etc. paying good money for Shields if he continues to do well. Royals can't really match that.

[snoopy369]

I'm fairly sure the former CEO of Wal-Mart can afford to pay whatever he wants to for Shields, if he so chooses. That's my point - if he decided that Shields was the difference between making the playoffs, and potentially dramatically increasing attendance for a relatively long haul, he might decide to foot the bill. He might also be putting the team into position to renegotiate the TV deal early (7 more years left on a pitiful contract worth $20 million per), which would require significant successes and spending in the short term.

I don't know if that's the case - but if he extends Shields for around-market rates sometime before 2015, this doesn't look quite as terrible.

[Imran Siddiqui]

If he was really into spending like the big boys... well, they'd have signed a big named FA by now.

[snoopy369]

Perhaps this is a trial run

[snoopy369]

And in the 'nobody could possibly pull off a worse trade than THAT, right?' sweepstakes, Kevin Towers makes his entry, trading away Trevor Bauer and two other non-insignificant prospects for ... some shortstop who can't hit and two other somewhat worse (from what I've read) prospects. They listed this as a "three way trade" (part of the Shin Soo Choo deal), but I haven't figured out how it's not just two separate trades - I don't think the Reds and the D-Backs actually exchanged any players.

Unless Bauer has something wrong with him that hasn't been disclosed publicly, this looks like it might be just as bad or worse than the Royals trade. Trading away a closer-to-the-majors player, for a worse prospect - no real upside, except hoping your prospect pans out and the one you traded doesn't. Which doesn't happen, usually...