sircaffey

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Dec 2, 2009 -> 01:37 PM) It's only a 1 year commitment and truth is; injuries aside, he hasn't had a bad year since 2000. Assuming he stays healthy odds are they just signed a top flight closer for $7M, they believe they're ready to win now -- and with that rotation who can blame them? -- and the acquisition of Wagner puts them in a good place going forward since they still have all their chips in hand and one of their biggest needs filled. Absolutely. Only 1 guaranteed year for a RP like Wagner is a fantastic deal. They probably paid a mil or so more to make the second year a vesting option, but it makes this signing great, imo. Soriano, Gonzalez, and Valverde are all going to get at least 2 guaranteed years. I think the Wagner signing will end up being the best of all 4.

QUOTE (elrockinMT @ Dec 1, 2009 -> 04:46 PM) Vlad Guerreo over J Dye? Not at this point in VG's career, but read the story... he is loved by Ozzie. I just hope that is worthless scribe tripe. I'd take Vlad over Dye, as a DH.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Nov 30, 2009 -> 09:45 AM) I believe Bonds claimed the Cream and the Clear improved his eyesight... Can an injection really improve your eyesight? Given what really is needed to correct eyesight, that doesn't seem possible.

QUOTE (knightni @ Nov 30, 2009 -> 02:11 AM) Steal a sign, increase your chances of contact, hit a home run. Take a PED, improve your eyesight (increase your chances of contact), hit a home run. Both are cheating, both have the same result. Which PED improves eyesight?

I still think Bonds could be an effective DH 5 days a week (.260-.380-.450+). He'd jump at league minimum at this point. So from a production vs cost standpoint, it would be a solid investment. As a fan, I would love the move, but if I'm management it'd be a tough move to make.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Nov 28, 2009 -> 05:53 PM) I'm thinking some reasoning behind the deal would be Theo Epstein sometimes does deals for the sake of doing deals (Kotchman-LaRoche, and I can't see any other reason for Kotsay-Anderson). Plus, you get the possibly elite SS in Alexei and a closer backup plan/setup man in Bobby. I think both of those deals had viable reasons. The reason given for the Kotchman trade was LaRoche has a timing mechanism in his swing that is not conducive to coming off the bench, which is true. As LaRoche was the odd man out once they acquired Victor. And Anderson's superior defense was a better fit on a team not in need of bats off the bench. And these deals are quite minor in comparison to the deal proposed here.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Nov 26, 2009 -> 02:15 PM) But you really would be hard-pressed to argue how KW was better than Terry Ryan, except for that 2005 season. On a consistent basis, and especially taking into consideration payroll, Ryan beats him hands-down. Then again, the biggest move for that franchise was a non-move, them "lucking" into Mauer when the Cubs took Prior. Thanks to that move, they inherited the best young player in the game at the most important position. Even without Morneau, they were able to make the playoffs, and with Scott Baker as their "ace." Very impressive, although Smith has been a pretty lousy GM, comparatively. The Twins chose Mauer over Prior. They had the #1 overall pick.

QUOTE (Tex @ Nov 26, 2009 -> 11:27 AM) I could also see him on either coast. The path is murky, but NY or LA could come calling. Perhaps a team Pres. He doesn't strike me as someone who will be happy in the same job for 20 years. He won't be a team President. He's a baseball man making baseball decisions. He doesn't strike me as someone wanting to put up with the non-baseball decisions, nor do I think he would be a great candidate for such a position (Hahn, on the other hand, with a law degree from Harvard and a MBA from Northwestern, would be a fantastic candidate). When he's done being a GM, he'll get a cushy special assistant position.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Nov 24, 2009 -> 11:54 AM) Actually, the one team in this that makes a bit of sense for Matthews Jr would be San Diego. Not that he's suddenly going to start hitting by going to one of the best pitchers parks in the game, but they have to field some type of team. It would probably involve the Sox sending Konerko for a prospect and Matthews, and then the Sox sending a package of prospects, including the one they just received, along with Matthews and some cash for Gonzalez. Again, he has no real value, but the Padres aren't going to be competing in the next 2 years anyways, and if he rediscovers some type of form and allows the Padres to get a prospect for him or just straight up eats at bats that would have gone to an underdeveloped prospect, which could stunt the growth of said prospect, then it helps the Padres. They do have Gwynn Jr in CF and Venable in either LF/RF. If Kouzmanoff isn't moved, Headley will be there in LF. So, no real spot for Matthews at the moment.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Nov 24, 2009 -> 11:49 AM) I'm looking at it in regards to a 5 tier system, and 2nd or 3rd tier would put him right in the middle of the pack. That's mainly what I was referring to. I think when you get past the top 10 closers, you can make a case for any of the next 5-8 closers (where Jenks is). At this point (and the general nature of non-elite RP), I think Jenks is just as likely to be the 11th most effective closer in a given year as the 18th. So he's middle of the pack for me as well.

QUOTE (bucket-of-suck @ Nov 23, 2009 -> 10:13 PM) Wheeler was given a chance and so was Howell. The Rays blew 4 saves in a row to the Tigers at the end of last season. 4 blown saves in a week. Comparing Jenks, who is an elite MLB closer to the Committee of Fail the Rays sported last season is a joke. Of course the Rays want Jenks. Kenny is gonna have to eat some dosh if he moves him and you bet he would to aquire Upton. You use the term "elite" quite loosely in my opinion.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 18, 2009 -> 04:47 PM) If the Padres don't currently have an "If you offer this level of deal you've got him" asking price, then they need a new GM again. That asking price can be ridiculously high, but it should have existed the day they hired their new GM. For example, if the Sox offered Beckham and Hudson or something like that...they'd be out of their minds not to accept it that second. I disagree. They would not be crazy not to jump at an offer like Beckham and Hudson. This trade is going to determine the Padres' next decade. It should not be made in haste. There will be at least 5 serious suitors for Gonzalez. The Padres' GM would be a fool not to pursue all avenues before committing to anything.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 18, 2009 -> 04:35 PM) But, there is perhaps even more useful insight that can be gained by reading between the lines of this report, if one thinks about it. 1. KW realizes he's hamstrung somewhat by contracts, and if he could move Konerko to save a couple million it'd give him more flexibility. 2. KW definitely has interest in Gonzalez. 3. Despite KW's interest in Gonzalez...right now the asking price appears to be essentially "So much of our farm system that I just can't do it". Whatever piece he doesn't want to give up, the Padres are asking for a guy or for a combination of guys that is more than he's willing to give up right now. One way around that would be to swipe someone from another team that would interest the Padres instead of one of our guys, and KW is currently exploring that. It could be that either the price for Gonzalez may come down as the offseason wears on and offers come in from other teams, or it could be that signings/other trade opportunities might make things shift in a way that could fill that hole. Or there has been no asking price and the Padres are exploring all possibilities (farm systems) before committing to an offer.

I'm fairly confident in saying that getting Bell, Gonzalez, and Crawford is a pipe dream.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Nov 12, 2009 -> 11:18 AM) I realize Victor Martinez/Casey Kochman are on board but Victor might catch (who knows) and the Red Sox have to be concerned with Papi. Probably unlikely, but what if: Sox Trade: Ramirez/Konerko for Kochman/Jacoby. Would you guys do it? Absolutely. Regardless of what he does with the bat, Kotchman is going to give you GG defense at 1B. I think he could hit .280 with 15 HR w/ an OPS around .790. It's not great by any means, but getting Ellsbury for the next handful of years would be tremendous. Plus you add 2 LH bats to the lineup. We'd need to make a splash at DH, but that's doable. FYI, Varitek also picked up his player option so the Red Sox have him and Victor on the roster.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Nov 12, 2009 -> 12:53 AM) Meh.. they have Luis Exposito down there who looks very promising for them not to mention Kotteras, though he might be a throw in at this point though a pretty damn good throw in.. though you can say he was in the overrated category. That's why I said earlier the Sawks could probably crush us in a deal if it came down to a farm's race, but of course.. it also depends who they'd want to give up. Buchholz and Bowden is already a very attractive offer. Just for comparison's sake, you could say Hudson=Bowden in terms of upside/potential with giving Huddy a bit of an edge perhaps. We don't have a Clay Buchholz in our system. Now.. would the red sox want to actually give up that much for Adrian and if that's a need for them? That remains to be seen, but I'm sure they are definitely considering it, not to mention SD and Boston front office have alot of connections. Meh? Exposito and Kottaras are not close to Flowers. Though, for the most part, I agree with the rest of what you said.

SD is not going to want Viciedo. They have Headley as their future 3B and Blanks at 1B. Not to mention Viciedo is currently a train wreck at 3B with a move to 1B/DH a distinct possibility.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Nov 12, 2009 -> 12:23 AM) Yeah, fair enough. It just depends on how they view some of the position players we might offer versus those the Red Sox might offer. My guess is we have a few that we are willing to offer that can help them a bit more than those that they are willing to offer. I could obviously be wrong. If we can somehow obtain a 2nd quality SP prospect to combine with Hudson and Flowers, I think there is no doubt that we have the upper hand. SD has no future C in their system which makes Flowers the most attractive position player that either the Red Sox or us have. I just think we need that 2nd SP prospect which quite possibly could come from a Jenks trade.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Nov 11, 2009 -> 09:56 PM) They have needs all over the place. I don't know about you, but I'd rather have Hudson and some other pieces that can fill out my lineup card than a slightly upgraded young pitcher. The key for them should be to score as many mlb-ready or near mlb-ready prospects with high ceilings as possible. They're not trading Gonzalez for the salary relief here. They're using him as way of rebuilding their core very quickly. It's not like they aren't going to be getting multiple players from the Red Sox w/ Buchholz. Either offer is going to fill multiple holes. The Padres actually have some good offensive prospects. Outside of Latos though, their pitching is absolutely pathetic. You can't trade your franchise player for offense when your pitching is just that horrendous. With quality young pitching being the #1 hardest thing to acquire, the Padres better take advantage of this situation because after Adrian is gone, the only way they'll be able to acquire young pitching is through the draft. And with the current system's pitching talent, they'll be rebuilding for the next decade. I'm not saying they wouldn't like to get a good position player or two, but I can't see them accepting a deal that isn't pitching heavy. It would be a very unwise decision, imo.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Nov 11, 2009 -> 09:21 PM) I don't necessarily agree. If you're Jed Hoyer, you're going to want to fill multiple holes by trading Gonzalez. If we are offering prospects that are closer to filling some gaps in the Padres' lineup card, he may like a deal involving Hudson as the centerpiece more than Bucholz, even though that package includes the better centerpiece. SD's holes are SP, SP, SP, SP, SP, SP, and then offense. They are in desperate need of young impact SP. Regardless of whether Buchholz is involved or not, SD is going to get 3-4 good prospects for Gonzalez. They'll fill holes. Outside of Hudson, we really can't offer much in terms of pitching. If Boston comes in with an offer involving Buchholz and Bowden, I don't see us having much chance.

If Pods comes back here, I think he's going to be a huge disappointment for many.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Nov 3, 2009 -> 11:13 AM) I read that more as him saying that Linebrink would make Phillies problem worse, not that his departure would make the Sox worse. That.

I can't stand listening to Damon talk, but I'd take him here on a 2 year deal. The Boras effect (and market) for a 36 year old left fielder, might be small enough to make an exception. If Abreu can't find a 3 year deal, then I think the Sox could legitimately be interested in Damon. If Abreu does find a 3 year deal, Damon may find the same (or at least Boras will be demanding one), and keep the Sox from being interested.

QUOTE (knightni @ Nov 3, 2009 -> 09:20 AM) That's an excellent idea. But would he waive his NTC to go there? Linebrink would only make the problem worse.

I can't see the Red Sox being one of the teams interested in Jenks. One of the reasons the Red Sox would look to trade Papelbon, if true, is he's getting expensive. So is Jenks. In addition, they have their future closer in Daniel Bard. If they don't feel he's ready to close, they'll just hand the job to Saito, who's been a very good closer and is cheap.