Balta1701

QUOTE (Jenks Heat @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 05:23 PM) Why not just go all out for Crawford. I have always thought Werth benefitted from the team around him. Terrible move IMHO. Yeah, they're not spending this money entirely for baseball production, that's pretty clear. They're not going to be thrilled when they're paying $17 mil to a 37 year old with a .800-ish OPS who has dropped to the point that he can only play 1b.

QUOTE (DirtySox @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 05:10 PM) This. I also would like to see Baltimore overpay for Beltre similar to the Nats and Werth. The Red Sox tears would be delicious. Why would that make the Red Sox angry? That could seriously hurt the Orioles chances at genuinely building a winner a couple years from now.

QUOTE (Wanne @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 05:04 PM) I almost think one of the worst things that happened to him was his huge power surge in the playoffs a few years back...ever since then it's been a down town swing all the time. Like I said...I think he's one of those prime players that needs a change of scenery desperately...and definitely worth the risk. As much as I'd love to see CQ succeed...I just have more reservations about him being a completely hopeless headcase than I do Upton's upside. With Upton at least you'll get the solid D with about the same avg. Tough call though IMO... If you look at his numbers in his great 2007 season, there's one thing that stands out to me; his .394 BABIP. Those are "Rod Carew" type numbers; those are the numbers you put up when you have complete control over your bat and know exactly what the pitcher is going to do to you...and even Carew couldn't sustain those kind of numbers. (And he struck out 1/3 or 1/4 as much as Upton). I think he's just a big swing, big strikeout guy, and I don't know if he's ever going to change that. A change of scenery could help, but he'd have to be ready to totally overhaul his swing, and even if he did, there's no guarantee it wouldn't make things worse (the Sox, for example, tried to overhaul Flowers's swing this year to try to cut down on his strikeouts, and he couldn't hit a lick afterwards).

QUOTE (chw42 @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 05:00 PM) First ultra gigantic contract of the off-season. Crawford should be smelling his 7 year $140 million contract sometime soon. Now either LAA or Bos or NYY is going to lose out on the OF help they need.

31 year old Jayson Werth just got the same contract that you think 28 year old Adrian Gonzalez should accept; 7/$126.

Less than I thought, but still $18 mil per season.

QUOTE (Wanne @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 04:56 PM) So you're saying it's a coaching problem? To some extent, possibly. He's probably been a wild, free swinger since he was in middle school. If "cutting down on strikeouts" was an easy thing for a coach to accomplish, there'd be a lot more really good major league hitters. Maybe a different coach overhauls everything and suddenly he's the guy everyone thinks he could be...but there's a reason why it hasn't happened so far.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 04:53 PM) Well, Dunn and Werth aren't too far apart offensively, so the Nats really didn't lose anything. 7 years though? Kinda ridiculous considering the guy is 31. This is a "trying to make people happy" move. They have a lot of young pitching already, they have 2 draft picks coming from the Sox/sandwich, they only lose their 2nd round pick in this deal, they have an unhappy Zimmerman about Dunn departing, they have Harper who will probably be there sooner than later. They add in OF defense, they add in a vet who has been to the playoffs repeatedly and performed, and like I noted above, they're in a market where they have the ability to see serious revenue growth in the next couple years if they give the fans some excitement.

QUOTE (JPN366 @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 04:52 PM) Isn't he out for 2011? Correct.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 04:52 PM) The Nats are coming to play next year. I guess having a kid like Strasburg will do that to you. They won't have a kid like Strasburg next year.

I don't think the Colts have looked this bad since 1999.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 04:49 PM) Oh, I should point out, probably a stupid move too. But for the Nats to get involved in this type of signing it is a huge statement. I'm guessing he's getting 15M a year too? He's probably well, well, well past $15 a year. I'd imagine it's closer to $20 to get him to commit at this point in the offseason, prior to the winter meetings, with Boras as the agent.

They had a big revenue boost this year thanks to this pitcher they brought up, they have a ton of young talent, they just cleared $12 million in salary out of their 1b spot, they have a spectacular new ballpark, they're in one of the economically brightest spots in the country thanks to the government lobbying sector, and they just made a splash for all of those.

QUOTE (DirtySox @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 04:47 PM) 7 years. Still waiting on dollars. It's gotta be at least in the $130+ range. Maybe $140 to get him to commit before the winter meetings.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 04:25 PM) No one is saying that exactly. But I doubt any team will significantly beat what Boston was allegedly willing to pay. He turned down a 6 year extension at over $20 million a year. That's a lot of money. The Red Sox already offered Gonzalez more money and years than Texas offered or will offer Lee. Plus some of their players are going to get very expensive. The Mets aren't adding $20 million + a year for 8 years any time soon and the Angels are in on Werth and Crawford and Beltre. They may get 2 of 3 and with Morales they would have zero room for him. Yeah, and no teams will step up to pay Gonzalez.

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 03:45 PM) Loving that completion percentage from Cutler today, 80%. 116 QB Rating.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 04:34 PM) He's one inside fastball off the fist from being out of a ton of money. Injuries like that don't tend to cost people money, because teams will write that off as a freak incident.

QUOTE (joeynach @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 04:30 PM) I dont think the concern with DLee is that he will just be bad like he was in the first half of 2010. Which by the way is a direct product of being surrounded by garbage and losing Aramis Ramirez most of the season. I think the real issue here is our assumption that DLee will cost less and therefore the sox can have DLee + Putz/New Bullpen Arm for the price of Konerko. Again thats an assumption. I think the real question is if you can have DLee + Putz/New Bullpen Arm, or Konerko + Putz/New Bullpen Arm, would you then still want to DLee. The one other thing not noted is that if Konerko Walks, you also get 2 draft picks, so that has to fit into the equation as well.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 04:27 PM) But you are saying 8 years $180 million. It isn't going to happen. How many big money players have gone onto the FA market, or even the trade market, in the last 15 years, and been disappointed?

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 04:25 PM) No one is saying that exactly. But I doubt any team will significantly beat what Boston was allegedly willing to pay. He turned down a 6 year extension at over $20 million a year. That's a lot of money. I think that's the level Prince Fielder may get to DH somewhere. Gonzalez, if healthy, will blow past that.

QUOTE (chunk23 @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 04:17 PM) The Angels, Mets, and Rangers could make a big push for him, especially if the Rangers lose out on Lee. This "only the Red Sox can afford him" talking point is such a destructive media narrative that contributes to the big money teams feasting on the rest. You could probably come up with 5 other teams who could be in the race in a push as well. San Francisco, the Dodgers if the Divorce thing is ever finalized, Baltimore keeps trying to spend some money on a 1b, the Astros will get out from Carlos Lee's contract after 2012, the Cubs could always surprise us and decide to spend more, etc.

QUOTE (Wanne @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 04:13 PM) I don't know...seems to me Upton is one of those guys that SORELY needs a change of scenery much like Rios did. He's pretty young and I think his best years would be ahead of him. The problem with Upton is in his stats. He's Adam Dunn-like in his strikeouts, but he's not Dunn-like in his power. He's going to strike out 150+ times a year. IF you hit 1 out of every 10 balls you touch out of the ballpark, you'll still put up overall decent numbers, but if you can't do that, you're going to run into that BABIP wall. If you're striking out that much you clearly don't have great bat control, and so there's only so much you can do unless you can knock down the strikeouts. Literally, this is the kind of player his is always going to be, unless either you can push him up to 35+ HR power, or you totally rework his swing to cut him down to 120 or fewer strikeouts.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 04:11 PM) The Red Sox could have had him for the bargain rate of 6 million this year, then added a Tex like contract on to it, and they said no. The Angels are going to sign a big name or 2 this offseason. Chances are they aren't going to be adding $20 million+ a year for 8 years on one player next year, especially if Kendry Morales returns 100%. Its a huge gamble. He's gambling that coming off shoulder surgery he will do better than 6 years and at least $120 million next year. Good luck to him. I believe his agent is not doing a good job. Either Boston or LAA is going to miss out on Werth and Crawford, and both of them have contracts that end next year (Abreu, Drew, Ortiz). Plus, you can never predict which team is going to get a serious playoff revenue boost that puts them in the picture, too. He's going to be looking at a Tex-like contract if he doesn't get hurt. If Boston isn't prepared to offer that now, then they're not getting him.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 04:04 PM) Who is going to pay him? Both the Angels and the Red Sox were sitting around 8/$170 for Tex when the Yankees stepped in.

QUOTE (Real @ Dec 5, 2010 -> 04:02 PM) next 4 games will be the most difficult wins to get for the bears all year IMO Clearly...but...the other teams have to beat the Bears too.