2007 AL Central Catch-All Thread

[IlliniKrush]

Morneau promptly ends it with a HR

[witesoxfan]

ballgame, Morneau wins it with a walk-off

[jphat007]

Haha. That was hilarious. Carl looked like he wanted to get out. I mean seriously. WTF was he thinking. Oh well, we'll get our chance at the Drays, Orioles, etc. All our Central rivals have easy first months. Especially compared to us.

[LosMediasBlancas]

Joel 'Zambraya' hit 102 on the gun tonight....in case you care.

[CWSGuy406]

Joel 'Zambraya' hit 102 on the gun tonight....in case you care.

 

Heh -- no velocity problems for Tigers pitching...

[That funky motion]

The Indians will hold a press conference at 4:30 p.m. ET today to announce the signing of Westbrook to a three-year contract extension through the 2010 season. Westbrook, who makes $6.1 million this season, will make another $33 million over the course of the three-year extension. The contract does not include any option years.

[southsider2k5]

Wow, great deal for Cleveland, bad deal for us.

[Balta1701]

That's only a good deal IMO, not a great deal. It's a great deal if Cleveland is able to increase salary to still be able to hang onto guys like Hafner and CC when they hit FA in a couple years.

[Kalapse]

That's only a good deal IMO, not a great deal. It's a great deal if Cleveland is able to increase salary to still be able to hang onto guys like Hafner and CC when they hit FA in a couple years.

Giving a 30 year old starter who strikes no one out, walks around 50 and gives up a s*** load of hits $11M a year when your payroll constraints seem to be right around $60M (having the 25th highest attendance in baseball last season will not help matters) could be a BIG mistake. CC and Hafner hit the open market after the '08 season and they'll pull in about $30M per year combined if they please. ~$40M for 3 players? I don't know.

[Balta1701]

Giving a 30 year old starter who strikes no one out, walks around 50 and gives up a s*** load of hits $11M a year when your payroll constraints seem to be right around $60M (having the 25th highest attendance in baseball last season will not help matters) could be a BIG mistake. CC and Hafner hit the open market after the '08 season and they'll pull in about $30M per year combined if they please. ~$40M for 3 players? I don't know.

Like I said, it depends on what they're willing to spend. Almost every other team in baseball has had its revenue explode the past few years, and Cleveland has maneuvered themselves into some very good deals wiht some of its folks like Sizemore, along with having a good stream of youth on the way up. If Cleveland is willing to pump up it's total salary to hold onto Hafner and CC for a few more years, or at least Hafner specifically if they don't think CC can stay healthy, they're in ok shape, but that all depends.

 

It's like Vazquez's deal. If the White Sox were looking to cut back on salary to get back to $80 million, it's a pretty bad deal unless he turns into Johan. If the Sox are looking to stay near $100 million, it's an ok to pretty good deal because that's relatively fair market value and still allows him to be traded.

[witesoxfan]

It's like Vazquez's deal. If the White Sox were looking to cut back on salary to get back to $80 million, it's a pretty bad deal unless he turns into Johan. If the Sox are looking to stay near $100 million, it's an ok to pretty good deal because that's relatively fair market value and still allows him to be traded.

 

Kind of confused here...if the Sox were looking to cut back payroll, Vazquez would be one of the first to go. If they're looking to keep the payroll where it is, he'll be around, put up solid numbers, and be a great market value player.

 

Unless Vazquez gets hurt - and that risk holds true for every MLB player period - it's a great deal because it allows so much flexibility for the Sox.

[Benchwarmerjim]

going back to the Yankees series, I sort of miss Mientkiewich at first, but Morneau adds so much offense, it was a good move. But watching him rob Casilla brought back memories. heh

 

Secondly, who knew Ramon Ortiz had enough moxie to 3 hit the Yankees lineup who slaughtered Twins pitching the previous 2 games

 

and Joe Nathan should buy Carl Crawford a fancy dinner, because Crawford bailed Nathan out of that predicamint last night. That was some crazy baserunning

 

pretty good matchup tonight. Santana -vs- Kazmir

 

and on that SI report about Johan Santana, Joe Christenson from the Star-Tribune talked about it on his blog

 

Sports Illustrated turned yesterday upside down for me. La Velle handed me the reigns, and I was all set to write the game story between the Twins and Yankees. But then came word that SI had a “league source” saying Johan had broken off contract talks with the Twins. Pretty juicy stuff. Except, it just isn’t true. La Velle, Souhan and I started working our sources and came to realize just how off-base the SI report was

 

http://www.startribune.com/blogs/christensen/?p=105

Edited April 13, 2007 by Benchwarmerjim

[Chisoxfn]

Kind of confused here...if the Sox were looking to cut back payroll, Vazquez would be one of the first to go. If they're looking to keep the payroll where it is, he'll be around, put up solid numbers, and be a great market value player.

 

Unless Vazquez gets hurt - and that risk holds true for every MLB player period - it's a great deal because it allows so much flexibility for the Sox.

He's implying that the Vazquez signing would not have been a good one had the Sox been in a budget cut mode. However, with the payroll being steady at 100 million and it looks like that will be the case over the next couple of years the move ends up making a lot of sense.

[santo=dorf]

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Apr 13, 2007 -> 12:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Wow, great deal for Cleveland, bad deal for us.

Please explain.

 

Aside from last year, Westbrook has been terrible against us.

 

One of these things is not like the others.....

 

2003: 98 ERA+, 1.489 WHIP

2004: 134 ERA+, 1.247 WHIP

2005: 91 ERA+ , 1.3101 WHIP

2006: 107 ERA+, 1.429 WHIP

so far in 2007: 54 ERA+ , 1.727 WHIP

 

There were plenty of people bashing the similar Vazquez extension, but look at the career numbers.

Westbrook: 56-54, 100 ERA+, 1.39 WHIP

Vazquez: 101-105, 105 ERA+, 1.272 WHIP

 

Westbrook is overrated.

[caulfield12]

He's implying that the Vazquez signing would not have been a good one had the Sox been in a budget cut mode. However, with the payroll being steady at 100 million and it looks like that will be the case over the next couple of years the move ends up making a lot of sense.

 

Johan just gave up 3 runs to the D-Rays in the 5th.

 

Ex-Sox Josh Paul had the first RBI...a lot of strange plays in that inning. Upton had a swinging bunt RBI and Baldelli almost killed Punto, hitting into a Fielder's Choice RBI.

[WilliamTell]

You should've seen Santana's fielding play on Upton's bunt, jumps up and tries to use his glove to throw it to Mauer, didn't work. Why can't the Sox ever score 3 off Santana let alone in 1 inning?

[caulfield12]

You should've seen Santana's fielding play on Upton's bunt, jumps up and tries to use his glove to throw it to Mauer, didn't work. Why can't the Sox ever score 3 off Santana let alone in 1 inning?

 

Crawford just hit an inside the park HR, 4-1.

 

Could be a logjam of three 6-4 teams with the White Sox 1/2 game back coming into tomorrow.

[WilliamTell]

Devil Rays win it 4-2. Santana has been beat.

[caulfield12]

Devil Rays win it 4-2. Santana has been beat.

 

 

At home! What was the streak he was on where the Twins hadn't lost a game he'd started there?

[caulfield12]

Any time the Twins lose a Santana start, its like 2 losses.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/sports/plaindeale....xml&coll=2

 

Article on the Indians' philosophy behind signing Westbrook, it really does parallel with Vazquez.

 

The problem is, they might "only" lose Sabathia and Hafner (two of their three best), but we have to keep Garland, Iguchi, Uribe, Crede, Dye, AJ, Buehrle, Pods...our team's future is definitely more "in flux." I think Thome's contract runs out after next year as well.

 

That's a large part of the core of our current team, more than 1/3rd of the roster.

 

EDIT: I forgot we at least have a $5 million dollar option on Uribe next year, and no replacement in place.

Edited April 14, 2007 by caulfield12

[Benchwarmerjim]

I was at the Dome last night to see Santana lose :cry:

 

just have to start another 25 game win streak! (or however long that was)

 

Carl Crawford is one fast dude

[Capn12]

Its ok BWJ, just ask all of us Sox fans...we remember Crawford all too well, and good ole Billy Koch remembers him for damn sure...

[beautox]

The Rays hit nathan with authority today, he takes the loss as the rays get a split.

 

Akinori Iwamura continues to a beast at the dish .395/520something/560something

 

12bb/7so

[RockRaines]

Looking at fatass Sabathia today, I feel he is going to severely decline as he gets older. He appears to be growing more and more fat every year, eventually he will get too fat to be as effective.

[That funky motion]

Before contract talks broke off between Johan Santana and the Twins, baseball's best pitcher is believed to have had put the team on notice that he wants a contract at least as long as Barry Zito's eight-year deal with San Francisco. Why wouldn't he?

 

"I'm going to be honest," Santana told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "I would like to stay here forever. Now, how many years would they be willing to offer? Hopefully I could do lifetime. That would answer your question because that's what I would like."

 

There's no urgency to these talks, as Santana is committed to the Twins through 2008. But you can bet GM Terry Ryan will carefully handicap his chances of doing a long-term deal as he decides whether to let him go the distance in Minnesota or trade him when his value is highest.

 

Ryan is the guy who somehow got Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser from San Francisco for A.J. Pierzynski and Eric Milton, and Cristian Guzman for an unhappy Chuck Knoblauch. If the Twins fade by the July 31 deadline, he can ask a king's ransom for Santana and center fielder Torii Hunter, a free agent after this season.