Jordan4life_2007

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Dec 18, 2010 -> 11:50 AM) They signed Martin with the expectation that he'll bounce back and with the intent to use him as a bridge to one of their prospects ( http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/base...kees.martin.ap/ ). They have three good catching prospects right now (Montero, Romine, Cervelli), Montero is just the best. I wouldn't be surprised to at all to see any of those three get traded for ZG. They're extremely deep in young catching right now and it would make all the sense in the world for them to unload some of that depth for big-time pitching, which is by far their biggest problem. Thing is from what I've heard the Royals want premium pitching prospect(s) back. I don't think they're looking for a catcher. Not as a centerpiece anyway.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 18, 2010 -> 11:40 AM) Last year, with Peavy and Quentin. We have more of a margin for error this year since we're not going into the season with an obvious hole. True. But like I said, I'm not talking about the central. I'm talking pennant. I don't view CQ the same way because he has all of one season to his credit. Peavy's done it a number of years. I'm not expecting 2007 Peavy. But if we can get 90% of that? Wow.

I realize what GMs are faced with concerning relievers. But facts are facts. Kalapse has broken this down with precise efficiency. Crain better be good. Or he's going to become a whipping boy of Podsednik like proportions around here.

Bobby Jenks the steal of the offseason? So predictable, And apparently Jenks was as good as Rafael Soriano last year. But if he had signed with the Orioles, all you would hear about is weight problems and inflated ERAs. http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/i...f-the-offseason

QUOTE (Harry Chappas @ Dec 18, 2010 -> 08:46 AM) Brewers, White Sox and Cardinals should all be in on this. The White Sox should move Danks to the Yanks for the prospects the Royals would like and then add Viciedo or Morel. A three way deal gets you around the NTC to a degree. Brewers would be ideal. But I think their farm is lacking right now. We're not taking $26.5 million back in salary. The Cardinals might actually have a worse system than the Sox. And that's pretty damn bad.

Word from Buster Onley is the Nationals are possibly (key word being possibly) offering up Jordan Zimmerman, Drew Storen and Danny Espinosa. That would actually be a terrific haul for KC. It's probably bulls***. So take it with a grain of salt.

QUOTE (beck72 @ Dec 18, 2010 -> 08:25 AM) I think Peavy is a key certainly. But the sox winning the Central has more to do with the offense, defense and bullpen being above average and doing it's job than Jake being healthy. The Starting Pitching of Mark, Floyd, Danks and Jackson could keep the sox more than competitive. You misinterpreted what I said. Of course the overall team is going to have to perform. But a healthy, productive Peavy makes what should be a good team into one that can legitimately challenge for the AL pennant, assuming, of course, the rest of the team performs. There's no upside with guys like Danks, Floyd and Buehrle. They are what they are. You just hope they can match that. A good to great Jake Peavy adds a whole nother element.

I have no idea why the Magic appear to be so enamored with Arenas. The guy is a shell of the player he was 3-4 years ago. And it's rarely ever a good idea when a player plays the role of GM. It worked when Kobe went on his crybaby girl tantrum. But that was rare.

I can't think of a time recently that our overall success as a team was so tied into one player being healthy and performing like they're capable. If we get the Peavy we're all praying for, we can run with anybody. That includes the Red Sox. The guy is that talented. His 1.75 ERA last June is sufficient evidence of that.

QUOTE (WCSox @ Dec 17, 2010 -> 11:22 PM) I'm not suggesting that his career is over or anything crazy like that, but he's not exactly a lock to put up Rivera-like numbers from here on out. And that's pretty much what they expect over there. There is no Mariano Rivera. He's a wonder to behold. The greatest relief pitcher to ever live. Can't hold anybody to that standard.

QUOTE (WCSox @ Dec 17, 2010 -> 10:59 PM) Crawford and AGon can't pitch, and whether Papelbon still can at this point is debatable. So I think that there is a need on Epstein's part to show people that he's "doing something" about the bullpen. I don't know if that's what's actually happening or not, but that logic makes more sense than signing Jenks over somebody like Guerrier for the same price. Oh c'mon now. Papelboner makes me sick. He had a down year and might get drastically overpaid real soon. But can he still pitch being up for debate? Let's not get crazy now.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 17, 2010 -> 09:12 PM) And you know...inside scoring and PG play were supposed to be the Heat's weaknesses. Meanwhile the Cavs just lost their 10th straight game and they've looked pretty bad in doing so. They've lost by an average of 17.5 PPG during the streak. Therefore really making LeBron look good in choosing to leave. It's amazing that team was able to accomplish what they did with that cast. I think Dan Gilbert needs to retract his little "I guarantee the fans of Cleveland will win a title before the Heat do" declaration. That franchise is so done. QUOTE (danman31 @ Dec 17, 2010 -> 10:38 PM) The playoffs this year should be fantastic. The West always has some solid teams, but the second round and beyond in the East has some potentially amazing match ups. If all four teams are healthy, the Bulls, Magic, Heat and Celtics makes for a great final four. Of course, Atlanta could give someone trouble in the first round. Heat vs. Magic second round and Heat vs. Celtics conf. finals? Wow. I didn't even know you followed NBA. I figured you were strictly college.

QUOTE (WCSox @ Dec 17, 2010 -> 10:30 PM) It shows me that Theo Epstein (1) has way too much money to play with and (2) seems more interested in placating his team's fan base and media with a recognizable veteran than acquiring somebody who is likely to put up a $6M performance in 2011. Bobby's been trending downward for the past three seasons (with his last two being below-average), and it's difficult to believe that Epstein expects to get anything near "elite" out of Jenks. I'd imagine that Epstein would be thrilled if Jenks put up a 1.27 WHIP as a setup man next year. This appears to be as much about PR as shoring up the Red Sox bullpen. There's not a team in baseball more Sabermetric-centric than the Red Sox. I'm sure all they see is the 10.42 K/9, 2.59 FIP and the 2.62 xFIP. Virtually ignoring all the other warning signs. They could be right and he could really produce. But I don't believe this is just a PR move.

This is like Michael Jordan winning the MVP. Like duh.

Jeff Passan with another excellent piece on the mental retardation that is giving relievers not named Mariano Rivera multi-year deals. http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Akql...erscolumn121710 I really wish we didn't have to go three years with Crain.

The Heat are making puppy chow outta the Knicks tonight. The Big 3 look totally unstoppable. Miller will be back soon. They're gonna be a tough out come spring.

QUOTE (SoxFan562004 @ Dec 17, 2010 -> 08:03 PM) again, I'm not saying they are going to go gung-ho after the guy, but plans change, sometimes names pop up on the market and owners override baseball people and sometimes even if a prospect is highly regarded around baseball the internal scouts of a team have different views on guys. Would I make them the front-runner? No, I would guess Texas would be. Well in Romero, Morrow and Cecil they've already got a pretty solid foundation. And then there's Kyle Drabek, Deck McGuire, Zach Stewart and Asher Wojciechowski who are all pretty much universally regarded as big-time pitching prospects. I just don't see them going after a guy who's only got 2 years and over $26 million left on his current deal when they're hardly a player away from running with the Yankees and Red Sox.

QUOTE (SoxFan562004 @ Dec 17, 2010 -> 07:54 PM) boy, that's a tough call and one they would spend days looking at. Obviously I see your point, but to look at it from the positive perspective of the Jays, at this point or even with AP back, the NYY rotation isn't spectacular, Tampa's offensive took a hit with Crawford (I know they have a great prospect replacing him, but he's still young), and Baltimore is Baltimore. Obviously the Red Sox are the cream of the crop, so they'll have to look at AL central and west to see if they think they have a good chance at being a wild card... Also, some teams just roll the dice, baseball has been flat-lining in Toronto for a few years now, and if they think this might be the move to get some relevancy back, then they may pull the trigger. The Jays have some of the deepest collection of arms in the game right now. If you've read anything about him, Alex Aposopahdhd (I couldn't spell his last name to save my life) has totally committed and allocated most of their resources into the farm and player development. I seriously doubt they would alter that plan at this point. And it's not like they're just one player away.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 17, 2010 -> 07:53 PM) Which to me begs the question..."why would you give up quality cheap and under control arms for Greinke unless you think you can field a 95 win team next year with him?" Exactly. Which is why I believe the Jays wouldn't be a player. They appear to be totally committed to building from within.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 17, 2010 -> 07:49 PM) The question for any team like that is...if you give up a major young piece for a $10 million a year pitcher under control for only 2 years, can you actually win anything to make it worth it? Even if Bautista repeats his year, I'm not sure the Jays can. The Jays are stacked with quality arms right now. That's why they were able to trade Marcum and not really downgrade at all.

QUOTE (SoxFan562004 @ Dec 17, 2010 -> 07:40 PM) Oh man, I can hear some of the Sox fans complaining already. Besides greg? Rowand's slash line the last three years: .257/.318/.405/.723. Declining defense across the board. 2004/2005 was a long time ago. Nobody misses Rowand outside of nostalgia sentiment.

QUOTE (beckham15 @ Dec 17, 2010 -> 07:37 PM) with his personal issues i don't think the yankees will be too crazy over trying to get Greinke. Greinke needs to pitch somewhere where the stress level isnt that high. I believe he would get ate alive in the big apple, somewhere like Texas would be a perfect scenerio for him....they just lost Lee if they acquired him that would be a huge pick up for the Rangers. They're looking at a rotation right now of Sabathia, Burnett, Hughes, Nova and Mitre right now. Other than C.C., that's an extremely questionable staff. Nobody knows what Pettitte's plans are. Combine that with what the Red Sox have done and I guarantee you they'll make a huge play for ZG if he agrees to go there.

QUOTE (bucket-of-suck @ Dec 17, 2010 -> 07:35 PM) He'll be pitching in TEX for the Rangers. They definitely have the prospects. But if Moore has any kinda sense he would DEMAND Martin Perez or Tanner Scheppers. And I don't think the Rangers would part with either. Especially Perez.

QUOTE (SoxFan562004 @ Dec 17, 2010 -> 07:31 PM) obviously would be completely insane, but depending on their cash flow, wouldn't they be better off getting some form of impact bat? That wasn't my point. There's no way they could afford him. I'm just saying as far as them being capable of putting together a package that would catch the Royals fancy. They've traded half their system away the last couple years.

QUOTE (kjshoe04 @ Dec 17, 2010 -> 07:26 PM) The Phillies should trade for him. Thing is, if you believe sites like BA or Baseball Prospectus, they probably have the pieces to trade for him. Which is absolutely insane.