A's trade?

[toasty]

Just a thought.... anybody have any idea what oakland plans to do for a SS since tejada is gone? maybe we could fleece billy boy into taking jose??

[DBAHO]

2 words. Bobby Crosby.

[BridgeportHeather]

FLEECE Billy boy??? That's a rarity...He's usually the one doing the fleecing. And, what I'd really like from the A's is a pitcher like Zito, whom they aren't going to be dumb enough to deal for Jose. We'd have to throw in probably Cotts and maybe another solid minor leaguer if we are even going to get talks going with the A's. But, PITCHING is what we should focus on right now if we are not going to get Nomar...Can't be relying on a Wright to win us many games, so you're putting a lot of stress on ELo and Buehrle to be almost immaculate. Hopefully Garland will impress, or it could be a long season.

[YASNY]

Yes, we definitely need at least one more reliable starting pitcher.

[JoshPR]

Hopefully Garland will impress

 

How long have we been Waiting for that?

[YASNY]

If our two "Aces" would have performed up to expectations last year, Garland's performance would have been more than sufficient.

[JoshPR]

Ohh and Keep Kenny FAR AWAY FROM Beane!

[BridgeportHeather]

If our two "Aces" would have performed up to expectations last year, Garland's performance would have been more than sufficient.

To add to that, I think that Colon's showing up only when he wanted to show up added extra unneeded pressure on Garland, causing him to focus too much on not screwing up, that he wasn't able to fully perform to his best abilities.

[YASNY]

To add to that, I think that Colon's showing up only when he wanted to show up added extra unneeded pressure on Garland, causing him to focus too much on not screwing up, that he wasn't able to fully perform to his best abilities.

Exactly. That's kinda what you expect from an "Ace". Someone who take the responsibilty as the stopper ... all season long. Not just the second half.

[southsideirish]

FLEECE Billy boy??? That's a rarity...He's usually the one doing the fleecing. And, what I'd really like from the A's is a pitcher like Zito, whom they aren't going to be dumb enough to deal for Jose. We'd have to throw in probably Cotts and maybe another solid minor leaguer if we are even going to get talks going with the A's. But, PITCHING is what we should focus on right now if we are not going to get Nomar...Can't be relying on a Wright to win us many games, so you're putting a lot of stress on ELo and Buehrle to be almost immaculate. Hopefully Garland will impress, or it could be a long season.

 

Yeah "Billy boy" really fleeced the Padres for Kotsay. Catchers are hard to come by and he traded an all star for him plus Terrance Long. He gave us Cotts and Olivo. He traded for Jose Guillen last year. That was dumb. What has Jermaine Dye done since they traded for him? He goes by two categories. For pitchers he looks at the walk to strikeout and WHIP. For hitters he looks at OBP. These 2 categories my be important, however they are not the end all be all. I'm sure if you look at all his deals more closely he has been fleeced a few more times than you think. Just like every GM, he makes mistakes as well. No GM is perfect. NONE!

[YASNY]

Yah I guess you're right at 24 with 2 full seasons under his belt, he's miles past his prime.

I was referring to Colon and Buehrle as our Aces last year. I still am very high on JG. I also think MB will rebound this year and put up some much improved numbers.

[BrandoFan]

Just like every GM, he makes mistakes as well. No GM is perfect. NONE!

 

You're absolutely right, he's FAR from perfect.

 

His team however, one that would have averaged 105-110 wins a year in last 4 seasons if it had the fortune to play in the s***ty ALC, is not that far from ideal....on the 50 Mil budget.

 

Like an astute trader who may only hit the target on half the transactions, maximizing the gain on "hits" and minimizing the damage on "misses"....Beally Bin is doing all he can and more given the financial constraints and rules of the GM game. Like the Hernandez deal where he got rid of him the no speed, mediocre defense, mediocre bat catcher who was due for a significant raise at a point when he felt his value would never be higher, what with All-Star apperance and all. A healthy Kotsay might just surprise a few people, tho I do agree this is not a strong trade for Beane either way.

 

Of course his scouts who got him Mulder, Hudson, Zito, Giambi, Chavez, Byrnes, Harden, Tejada are to be commended as well. Then again, who gets credit for Justice, Durazo, Lidle, Hernandez, etc?

[KipWellsFan]

I was referring to Colon and Buehrle as our Aces last year.  I still am very high on JG. I also think MB will rebound this year and put up some much improved numbers.

Holy s*** I quoted the wrong post sorry Yasny. I'll change that right now.

[KipWellsFan]

Hopefully Garland will impress

 

How long have we been Waiting for that?

Yah I guess you're right at 24 with 2 full seasons under his belt, he's miles past his prime.

[BrandoFan]

I still am very high on JG.

 

 

What is it about Judy that excites you, other than his ever-increasing age and salary?

 

Is it his low-90s four seamer with little movement?

Is it his mediocre change-up and slider.

Is it his bad curveball?

Maybe it's his psychological make-up and pitching IQ that has you going?

 

He is tall and has a good sinker, and that's about it.

[YASNY]

What is it about Judy that excites you, other than his ever-increasing age and salary? 

 

Is it his low-90s four seamer with little movement?

Is it his mediocre change-up and slider.

Is it his bad curveball?

Maybe it's his psychological make-up and pitching IQ that has you going?

 

He is tall and has a good sinker, and that's about it.

That's your opinion. I've seen flashes of what he can and have faith that he will turn into a very solid big league starting pitcher.

[Pastime]

I still think he'll be nothing more than a Mike Morgan type pitcher - 12-11, 11-10, 13-12, 15-12, 14-12, 14-10, etc. Which is NOT a bad thing if you have 3 other guys who can really bring it. He's a really good #5 or a good solid #4 - nothing more, and nothing less. Garland has the stuff physically, but as Ed Farmer has pointed out ad nauseum, he doesn't have the stuff mentally. You can almost bet the farm that Garland will follow a good performance with a stinker, or follow a stinker with a good performance.

 

As for Kenny Williams dealing with Billy Beane - NO NO NO. Never again, please! Yes, Beane got fleeced by other GM's a few times in his tenure, but never by Kenny - and never will be by Kenny. Beane should have Kenny's head above his desk with antlers attached. Plus, Beane insulted Williams in a book this year, so don't expect many calls between the two, unless it involves Kenny inviting Billy into an alley for a "discussion" - that eventually leads to a "ass-whoopin'."

[YASNY]

I still think he'll be nothing more than a Mike Morgan type pitcher - 12-11, 11-10, 13-12, 15-12, 14-12, 14-10, etc.  Which is NOT a bad thing if you have 3 other guys who can really bring it.  He's a really good #5 or a good solid #4 - nothing more, and nothing less.  Garland has the stuff physically, but as Ed Farmer has pointed out ad nauseum, he doesn't have the stuff mentally.  You can almost bet the farm that Garland will follow a good performance with a stinker, or follow a stinker with a good performance. 

 

As for Kenny Williams dealing with Billy Beane - NO NO NO.  Never again, please!  Yes, Beane got fleeced by other GM's a few times in his tenure, but never by Kenny - and never will be by Kenny.  Beane should have Kenny's head above his desk with antlers attached.  Plus, Beane insulted Williams in a book this year, so don't expect many calls between the two, unless it involves Kenny inviting Billy into an alley for a "discussion" - that eventually leads to a "ass-whoopin'."

I stand by my statement that he'll be a very solid pitcher. Reference Farmer's remarks, JG is still young and still learning how to pitch in the bigs. Just look back at where most of today's big gun pitchers were when at Garland's age.

[Pastime]

Yas,

 

The thing that hinders Garland is his "moxie." He gets easily flustered at the first sign of any negative stimuli - whether that be a base hit, a walk, an error, etc.

He then decides to throw rather than "pitch." I know he's still a young pup, but you would think he would have figured it out by now. It took Maddux 4 years to figure it out, it took Kevin Brown 3 years to get it - can he finally get it at this point? (I used those two pitchers as examples since they have "similar" styles to Gar.)

 

Let's just say this: If Garland will EVER get it, this will be the year. If not, then I say he's nothing more than Mike Morgan II.

 

Is that fair enough?

[YASNY]

Yas,

 

The thing that hinders Garland is his "moxie."  He gets easily flustered at the first sign of any negative stimuli - whether that be a base hit, a walk, an error, etc.

He then decides to throw rather than "pitch."  I know he's still a young pup, but you would think he would have figured it out by now.  It took Maddux 4 years to figure it out, it took Kevin Brown 3 years to get it - can he finally get it at this point?  (I used those two pitchers as examples since they have "similar" styles to Gar.)

 

Let's just say this:  If Garland will EVER get it, this will be the year.  If not, then I say he's nothing more than Mike Morgan II.

 

Is that fair enough?

Ok. I'll go along with that.

[Pastime]

You are the first "Garland" guy to agree. Finally.

 

Now, as for Willie Harris and Aaron Rowand. This may open up another huge can of worms.

 

I say that Aaron will perform admirably, but will fall short. He's okay, but IMO, he's a 4th outfielder, not an everyday player. I see him as a .243, 12 HR, 41 RBI, 7 SB guy who has minimal speed - he's NOT a CF. When Carl Everett is a better CF than you, you need to move somewhere else in the outfield, buddy!

 

As for Willie, I think with the proper tutoring and a ton of hard work, he can amount to a .271, 4 HR, 40 RBI, 47 SB guy who plays good defense at 2B. I don't know if he will ever be a leadoff hitter (doubtful), but at the bottom of the order, he can give us a nice dimension.

[YASNY]

You are the first "Garland" guy to agree.  Finally. 

 

Now, as for Willie Harris and Aaron Rowand.  This may open up another huge can of worms.

 

I say that Aaron will perform admirably, but will fall short.  He's okay, but IMO, he's a 4th outfielder, not an everyday player.

 

As for Willie, I think with the proper tutoring and a ton of hard work, he can amount to a .271, 4 HR, 40 RBI, 47 SB guy who plays good defense at 2B.  I don't know if he will ever be a leadoff hitter (doubtful), but at the bottom of the order, he can give us a nice dimension.

With Harris, flip a coin. But Rowand, I believe, will be a pleasant surprise for you. This is one kid I really like his approach to the game and I think he's got enough talent to be a valueable, not an all-star, starting outfielder.

[BrandoFan]

I've seen flashes of what he can and have faith that he will turn into a very solid big league starting pitcher.

 

Define "solid". I would argue he is perfectly tolerable as #4, but the airhead BETTER get tough and improve his command because he simply doesn't have the velocity/movement to become a truly "good" pitcher without either.

 

Will he be making 4-5 Mill and will Sox be in re-bulding mode when he "figures it all out"? I hope not.

[BrandoFan]

It took Maddux 4 years to figure it out, it took Kevin Brown 3 years to get it - can he finally get it at this point? (I used those two pitchers as examples since they have "similar" styles to Gar.)

 

Brown's stuff was more explosive.

 

Maddux's control was ungodly. And, besides, it only took him 180 innings to get going, and once he turned 22, he TOOK OFF and never looked back. Meanwhile Jon-Hon will be 24 and a half in ST and has already accrued 570 innings.

 

2004 is a PUT-UP or SHUT-UP time for Judy. Kevin Brown was 6 months younger than Jon will be when he came in 1989 season and despite walk problems, there was little doubt he was gonna be good. Jon is just so damn AVERAGE now in every respect.

[DBAHO]

With Harris, flip a coin.  But Rowand, I believe, will be a pleasant surprise for you.  This is one kid I really like his approach to the game and I think he's got enough talent to be a valueable, not an all-star, starting outfielder.

He just needs to hav a healthy, consistent year to prove that he can play in the outfield. And we won't need Willie Harris to be a leadoff hitter with Jeremy Reed doin that in 2005 hopefully.