[Official] Major League Baseball Thread (2010)

[GuyCompton]

So, we're two days removed from the World Series, and the Hot Stove has already been fired up, with four trades already. This is going to be a very exciting winter... I daresay that the offseason is one of my favorite things about baseball.

The Pirates acquired IF Akinori Iwamura for RP Jesse Chavez
-Beck-ah, the lone Pirates fan, gets Akinori Iwamura as his 2B for next year, as the Pirates found their replacement for Freddy Sanchez. The Pirates are still quite a way off, but in the moves they made last season, they are primed to get out of the funk they've been in by 2012. Great deal for the Pirates. Iwamura and Sanchez are basically the same player, just that Iwamura costs much less, and they got Tim Alderson out of it.

The Twins acquired SS JJ Hardy for CF Carlos Gomez.
-The Brewers are mentally retarded. Hardy had the potential to bounce back, and he's got a very good chance to even more now that he's on the Twins. He's going to turn a lot of heads next year.

The White Sox acquired OF/IF Mark Teahen for 2B Chris Getz and 3B Josh Fields.
-A rare deal between two teams in the same division. Dayton Moore continues his reign as one of the worst GMs in baseball, by trading Teahen, one of his few players that could get on base, for two players who cannot get on base. Fields had one good season.

The Red Sox acquired OF Jeremy Hermida for RPs Hunter Jones and Jose Alvarez.
-As a Red Sox fan, I love this trade. Hermida has always been loaded with potential, and at one point, was the #1 prospect in baseball. I think that he's going to wind up replacing Bay. Theo's not going to give Bay the 5th year he wants, plus the fact that he's going to want a huge annual salary. They didn't trade for him to be a 4th OF, when he and JD Drew have similar RHP/LHP splits. He's still only 25 years old, and has shown flashes while in Florida. If Carlos Pena, Russell Branyan, Jayson Werth, and Ryan Ludwick can all break out at older ages, why can't Hermida? Not to mention, Theo has a history of finding diamonds in the rough that pan out beautifully. Look no further than David Ortiz. Besides, it's a gamble well worth taking. It's early enough in the offseason where they can get him into the system and have him work with the coaches to find out what's going wrong, and they got him for relatively nothing.

[CH David]

Originally Posted by GuyCompton

The Twins acquired SS JJ Hardy for CF Carlos Gomez.
-The Brewers are mentally retarded. Hardy had the potential to bounce back, and he's got a very good chance to even more now that he's on the Twins. He's going to turn a lot of heads next year.

The White Sox acquired OF/IF Mark Teahen for 2B Chris Getz and 3B Josh Fields.
-A rare deal between two teams in the same division. Dayton Moore continues his reign as one of the worst GMs in baseball, by trading Teahen, one of his few players that could get on base, for two players who cannot get on base. Fields had one good season.

Aaand stop right there. Brewers are mentally retarded? Because JJ Hardy has...potential...to bounce back? I'm sorry but that is just stupid. The Twins are dumb for getting rid of Gomez. No offense Ty. He is arguably the fastest player in the MLB. His defense is top notch, mostly due to his speed. The only thing missing is his bat. He is hit and miss (semi-pun intended) at the plate. He struck out a lot the past few years, but when he gets on base, he will create havoc, no questions asked. Brewers, mentally retarded. They got the better overall player when it comes to Carlos Gomez.

The bolded I fixed for you. The White Sox got Teahen, not the Royals, as they already had him. Now, I don't know your entire schpiel on this trade, all you really say is the Royals' GM is horrible. Now, you could have also said Kenny Williams and the White Sox got a steal getting Teahen for Getz and Fields. Which in all honesty it was. Getz and Fields may not have the best on-base percentage, but that doesn't mean they are horrible. Like Gomez above, Getz can create havoc on the bases. He has some very good speed, although it doesn't look like it. But again, what you have neglected is defense. Getz played very well at 2nd this year, when he was playing and not hurt. Fields is power, and I couldn't really care less that he is gone. He wouldn't get playing time with the Sox, so good riddance.

[GuyCompton]

Originally Posted by CH David

Aaand stop right there. Brewers are mentally retarded? Because JJ Hardy has...potential...to bounce back? I'm sorry but that is just stupid. The Twins are dumb for getting rid of Gomez. No offense Ty. He is arguably the fastest player in the MLB. His defense is top notch, mostly due to his speed. The only thing missing is his bat. He is hit and miss (semi-pun intended) at the plate. He struck out a lot the past few years, but when he gets on base, he will create havoc, no questions asked. Brewers, mentally retarded. They got the better overall player when it comes to Carlos Gomez.

Hardy for the most part had back problems really come to the forefront this year that he dealt with for his entire career. J.J. Hardy is generally one of the 10 best SS in baseball by UZR, which already has a ton of value, and he actually has the potential to hit. Which, unless something drastic changes, Gomez does not.

Gomez is all speed and glove. He has a career .292 OBP. That's abysmal. The Brewers needed pitching and traded one of their top trade chips for a below average CF.

The bolded I fixed for you. The White Sox got Teahen, not the Royals, as they already had him.

Yeah, I realized my mistake soonafter.

[xfearbefore]

As a fellow Boston fan I like the pick up of Hermida as well. He's never been able to fulfill his potential, but he's still young and picking him up for two minor leaguers that will be lucky to be AAAA guys for the rest of their careers is a great move. No real downside here, frankly I'm obviously much more interested in what we're going to do with Jason Bay. I think I'd prefer Matt Holliday though.

[Theo Mays]

Not sure if the Phillies are gonna make any major moves. Maybe get some bullpen (which is most important). But what I'd like to see the Phils do is go after Chone Figgins. He is a major upgrade over Feliz and we need a hitter at 3rd. Pedro's defense will only take him so far.

Regarding the moves, I like the move by the Brew to get Gomez, kid is exceptional in the field and decent enough with the stick. I think the Twins are stupid for getting rid of him for Hardy? Seriously JJ Hardy? Hermida is a good pickup by the Sox. He is a good player to have off the bench with the occasional start. Iwamura to the Bucs is a good move. He certainly can't make the team any worse and if he is healthy he is a good player. Teahan is another good move as well. He can play numerous positions and will help the ChiSox out well.

[NightShiftLoser]

Originally Posted by GuyCompton

The Pirates acquired IF Akinori Iwamura for RP Jesse Chavez

The beauty of this move for the Pirates is that he can play anywhere in the infield for them. He'll probably slide in as a 2B, but I'd expect him to get more than a few ABs at SS and 3B. He's a decent fielder when he gets into a rhythym, and can get on base for the rest of the line-up. I don't think it'll make a drastic change for them though. They have bigger holes to fill.

The Twins acquired SS JJ Hardy for CF Carlos Gomez.

First off, the Twins should be ashamed of themselves. They've made better moves in the past, and are on a recent downhill slope. Hardy isn't an upgrade for them anywhere, and doesn't fit into their line-up. If he gets the starting job, he'd be hitting no better than 7th, but might not have the average for that. This is a real head-scratchers.

Gomez to the Brewers could be a great move. i'm guessing Cameron is gone, and Gomez will be the everyday CF between Braun and Hart. I like the speed they get in this deal, since it's something they've lacked for a long time. It adds a new dynamic to the offense, letting them produce runs, not just mash homers. His glove is a bonus.

The White Sox acquired OF/IF Mark Teahen for 2B Chris Getz and 3B Josh Fields.

Solid move for the ChiSox. Teahan can play any corner position, and while he's not Gold Glove material, he's not a liability. He's shown flashes of power, and would slide in nicely hitting either 2nd (to set up the rest of the order), or 6th (picking up the scraps after the meat of the line-up). Kansas City has a long history of trading away talented OF guys...This is just another one of those.

The Red Sox acquired OF Jeremy Hermida for RPs Hunter Jones and Jose Alvarez.

This move leaves me shaking my head a little. As a Mets fan, I've seen Hermida at his best, and at his worst. He can go on tears where no one can slow him down, or slumps where guys like Bonifacio pinch hit for him (I've seen it). He's a decent fielder, and obviously is there to take over in LF. With Ellsbury patrolling CF, he won't have to cover a ton of ground, and it will add to his potential. This could be the surprise move for this early, or a move that gets fixed in July next year.

[GuyCompton]

http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/col...ter&id=4628529

Gammons is reporting that with Beckett's contract coming up next year, he wants an extension and wants to stay here in Boston. The only problem is that it's believed that he wants Sabathia money, and with the injuries that have sidetracked him, the Red Sox might not be so willing to go ahead and do that, especially when he'll start a potential new extension on the wrong side of 30. Gammons believes that while it's unlikely, the possibility is there that the Sox could trade Beckett this offseason.

Personally, I think that the Sox should go ahead and explore avenues for a trade if it meant bringing in an impact bat that the team sorely needs. There's starting pitching out there, such as John Lackey, Erik Bedard, Rich Harden, Ben Sheets, and Justin Duchscherer. If it meant getting an impact bat that's not out there on the free agent market, I'd be more than happy with a rotation of:

Lester
Lackey/Bedard/Harden/Sheets/Duchscherer
Buchholz
Matsuzaka
Wakefield

It's going to be a real interesting offseason here in Boston as the team overhauls itself. Theo is not going to be afraid to shake things up.

This move leaves me shaking my head a little. As a Mets fan, I've seen Hermida at his best, and at his worst. He can go on tears where no one can slow him down, or slumps where guys like Bonifacio pinch hit for him (I've seen it). He's a decent fielder, and obviously is there to take over in LF. With Ellsbury patrolling CF, he won't have to cover a ton of ground, and it will add to his potential. This could be the surprise move for this early, or a move that gets fixed in July next year.

Yeah, I'm hoping that Hermida's issues are tied to just subpar coaching and the fact that he's always been expected to be "the guy" in Florida. Maybe with him hitting in the bottom part of the lineup, he'll feel less pressure to make something happen. It could also be that Hermida needs some mentoring to help him get to that next level. He said himself that he was one of the older guys in the Florida clubhouse (at 25 years old), and he couldn't wait to learn from some of the guys the Sox have.

I also subscribe to Insider and I'll post Rumor Central posts and any other articles people want to read as the Hot Stove season roars on.

[GuyCompton]

Despite V-Mart's 2010 option getting picked up, today was a somber day for the Red Sox.

The Sox re-signed SP Tim Wakefield to a two year deal, which means the end of the coolest option in sports, with a lifetime $4 million option that is exercised every year. At least Wake should break the all time Red Sox wins record by the end of it... which is well deserved for the years of service he's given this team.

The Sox declined C Jason Varitek's 2010 option, but Varitek exercised his $3 million player option. My response: Every single obscenity in the book. Tek hasn't been good for years now, and yet he's inexplicably loved by the Pink Hat crowd and the uninformed fans who love him because he's "The Captain". He can't do anything well anymore. He can't hit, he can't play defense, and he's even worse than V-Mart at throwing out runners. All he can do is call games at this point. And even his playcalling I feel is overrated. As soon as Smoltz and Penny left, they became excellent pitchers. Not sure if that has to do with the pitching coach or Varitek's playcalling. Either way, this is a major problem that needs to be remedied, and there could be a major PR backlash if Theo just eats the $3 million and releases him anyway. Teams don't live and die by the backup catcher, but he should at the very least not be an automatic out and be able to throw out a runner.

[xfearbefore]

I feel the same way as you do Guy, but I'm a bit happier just knowing that we've got V-Mart for next year, because without him I'm not sure we even make the playoffs this past season. His signing is great news for us. Wakefield getting picked up on his perpetual option is good news as well, as we all love Wake to death and he's about as great of a deal as you can get. Where else can you get a solid number 4 for chump change? Especially one that can get hot like Wake can.

But yeah...Varitek needs to go. He needed to go last year. He's just abysmal at every aspect of playing baseball at this point, and it's time both he and the Sox recognized that his career is over. Love you for what you've done for us Tek, but please, for the better of our team, leave.

Apparently the Sox offered Bay a 4 year contract already. Not sure I like that, I'd be much more comfortable with 3 years, maybe 3 years and an option for a 4th. I'm not completely sold on Bay being a long-term LF, his average this year was pretty terrible, but luckily he made up for it by raking in the runs with HRs. Obviously a good ballplayer and one we'd be lucky to have, but I think I'd honestly prefer Matt Holliday. What about you Guy?

[GuyCompton]

Originally Posted by xfearbefore

Apparently the Sox offered Bay a 4 year contract already. Not sure I like that, I'd be much more comfortable with 3 years, maybe 3 years and an option for a 4th. I'm not completely sold on Bay being a long-term LF, his average this year was pretty terrible, but luckily he made up for it by raking in the runs with HRs. Obviously a good ballplayer and one we'd be lucky to have, but I think I'd honestly prefer Matt Holliday. What about you Guy?

I'm a huge fan of Jason Bay. He also gets on base and hits home runs, which makes the average tolerable for me. I also think he's got a great attitude, and legitimately really likes playing here. What worries me about Bay though is that he'll be 31 at the start of his new contract, and his bat will probably stay the same next year, but then he'll slowly begin to decline offensively. At the very least though, he'll be in Fenway, which is a hitters' park.

What worries me is how bad he's been defensively. His UZR has been negative four times out of the last five years, with his only positive season being in 2006. His arm is declining as the seasons go on, and one has to wonder how much range he has.

If he turned down 4/60, chances are he's going to want something that will be an albatross by the 2 and a half season mark. I don't think re-signing Bay would be a good move at all.

I would love Holliday, but the only issues that worry me are that Boras is his agent, and his relationship with the Sox is strained, to put it lightly. And although I know the Sox can definitely afford it, I don't think he's good enough for the $18-20 million a year he's going to want.