MLB Thread - 2010

[48.7 is Approximately 49 Times Better Than You]

Hey X, how'd that Yankee's title taste?

Glorious.

That's the one word I would use to describe this baseball season. Now that the effect of '27th Heaven' is beginning to wear off, it's time to look ahead. My Yankees are in an interesting spot this off-season. Key players from this season (Andy Pettitte, Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui) are free agents. John Lackey, Matt Holliday and Jason Bay are three of the biggest names in the free agent pool. The Yankees don't have a ceiling for what we can spend, and if Cashman and Steinbrenner wanted to go out and get John Lackey and Matt Holliday, they could. Roy Halladay, Miguel Cabrera, and Josh Johnson are all available through trades. The Yankees have the prospects (Montero, Jackson, Kennedy, Miranda, etc.) as well as pitchers Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlin and role-players such as Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner. The options for this team are limitless.

The Red Sox are playing catch-up. Their line-up is mediocre at best, with an under-achieving Pedroia, washed up Papi and Lowell, and free-agent Jason Bay (who has already rejected an offer from the Saaaax). Their hitters lack power and consistency. Only Kevin Youkilis produced like an All-Star. Their rotation is good, I'll admit. But if Beckett has another down year and injuries strike again, they will be in SERIOUS trouble. Their two young starters look good, but Dice-K is, at the very least, shaky and Tim Wakefield is.. done. Boston needs to make a move to catch the Yankees, and it needs to be major. I'm talking about someone like A-Gon or Miggy, and I don't even think that can fill the holes on this team.

Anyway, enough of Boston's trouble. I'd like for the Yankees to snag Damon on a 1 year deal with a 2nd year team-option and get Pettitte back on an incentive-laden one-year deal. I think that would be ideal. That'd leave us with:

Rotation:
CC Sabathia
AJ Burnett
Andy Pettitte
Joba Chamberlin
Phil Hughes

Line-Up:
SS - Derek Jeter
DH/LF - Johnny Damon
1B - Mark Teixeira
3B - Alex Rodriguez
C/DH - Jorge Posada
2B - Robinson Cano
RF - Nick Swisher
CF - Brett Gardner
LF - Melky Cabrera

Cervelli, Miranda, and even Austin Jackson can piece in there, along with Hairston (if we sign him). Wang could be back after the all-star break, and could come out of the pen and spot-start for Joba and Phil.

My main concern is having Swisher, Gardner, and Cabrera at the back of the order. It could kill rallies and our momentum, which could cost us games. I know a lot of Yankee fans are holding out for Carl Crawford, but I think that signing Jason Bay would complete our line-up. It adds a proven AL-East bat to the fat part of the line-up and is a defensive upgrade to Damon in left. It takes away one of the Sox's best hitters, too. I don't think that anyone in baseball would have a better line-up, and accompanied by a top-3 or top-5 rotation, this team has to be the World Series favorite again.

It also couldn't hurt to sign Lackey or trade for Doc... Just sayin'.

 

[X]

Hey X, how'd that Yankee's title taste?

Glorious.

It tasted like something that was bought with half a billion dollars.

The Red Sox are playing catch-up. Their line-up is mediocre at best, with an under-achieving Pedroia, washed up Papi and Lowell, and free-agent Jason Bay (who has already rejected an offer from the Saaaax). Their hitters lack power and consistency.

Mediocre at best? Hardly. The Red Sox had the number 4 offense in the entire MLB this year, not sure how that could be considered mediocre. Pedroia is an underachiever? Seriously? You'd think winning a Rookie of the Year followed by an MVP would be more than enough, especially considering no one ever expected him to achieve this much. And Ortiz might not be the player he used to be, but he was one of the absolute best hitters in the entire MLB during the second half of the season 48. He started off terrible, but that second half he was fantastic, I believe he had the most HRs during the entire second half of the season than any other player in the MLB. Lowell isn't that bad either, he can put up a .300 average and 75-80 RBIs a year at 3rd base, his defense is a big question mark now though.

Only Kevin Youkilis produced like an All-Star. Their rotation is good, I'll admit. But if Beckett has another down year and injuries strike again, they will be in SERIOUS trouble. Their two young starters look good, but Dice-K is, at the very least, shaky and Tim Wakefield is.. done. Boston needs to make a move to catch the Yankees, and it needs to be major. I'm talking about someone like A-Gon or Miggy, and I don't even think that can fill the holes on this team.

I really don't see how we need to make a massive move to compete with the Yankees, we made it to the ALDS this year despite massive injuries, and now with younger guys like Buchholz improving and getting more time, I really don't see how we don't make the playoffs again this upcoming year, especially if we sign someone like Holliday.

 

[48.7 is Approximately 49 Times Better Than You]

It tasted like something that was bought with half a billion dollars.

Our payroll was $4 million lower this year than last year. Besides, there's no salary cap in baseball. But you guys seem to know that already. How's Dice-K's contract treating you? If I recall, you wanted A-Rod and Tex pretty badly too. Wait, what were we discussing?

Pedroia is an underachiever? Seriously? You'd think winning a Rookie of the Year followed by an MVP would be more than enough, especially considering no one ever expected him to achieve this much.

Don't get me started on that MVP award.

Your midget second-baseman was a huge letdown this year compared to his 2007 and 2008 seasons. Maybe he bounces back? If he does, then great for you! That would certainly help and offense in need.

And Ortiz might not be the player he used to be,

It was great to watch Big Papi turn into Lil Pop-Up.

but he was one of the absolute best hitters in the entire MLB during the second half of the season 48.

Hitting .258 after the break is terrifying. His OPS was decent the second-half, but I'll credit that to the "supplements" he was taking.

He started off terrible, but that second half he was fantastic, I believe he had the most HRs during the entire second half of the season than any other player in the MLB.

I think A-Rod had more actually, let me check. Ah, no, just shy. But Papi failed to do anything well besides hit home runs in the second half, and he couldn't even do that before July.

Lowell isn't that bad either, he can put up a .300 average and 75-80 RBIs a year at 3rd base, his defense is a big question mark now though.

You seem to have forgotten that Mike Lowell forgot how to drive in runs after the All-Star break.

I really don't see how we need to make a massive move to compete with the Yankees,

Because you were our BITCH once we screwed our heads on right.

we made it to the ALDS this year

And were swept by the team that we man-handled. But hey, I'm glad you're okay with being the fourth best team in the AL. Me? I prefer being a champion.

despite massive injuries,

and now with younger guys like Buchholz improving and getting more time, I really don't see how we don't make the playoffs again this upcoming year, especially if we sign someone like Holliday.

You go ahead and make the playoffs. I never doubted that you would. It doesn't change the fact that you don't have the firepower to compete with the Yankees, and all you've got right now is ALDS-Exit written all over you.

 

[X]

Our payroll was $4 million lower this year than last year. Besides, there's no salary cap in baseball. But you guys seem to know that already. How's Dice-K's contract treating you? If I recall, you wanted A-Rod and Tex pretty badly too. Wait, what were we discussing?

Their payroll was $4 million lower, but that doesn't take into consideration that they committed over half a BILLION dollars to THREE players. The contracts that the Yankees will be paying for Tex, CC, and Burnett (so overpaid) is more than most ballclubs payrolls combined and multiplied.

Don't get me started on that MVP award.

Your midget second-baseman was a huge letdown this year compared to his 2007 and 2008 seasons. Maybe he bounces back? If he does, then great for you! That would certainly help and offense in need.

First off, I will agree with you that his MVP award was questionable. He had a great year, but yeah, it was definitely questionable. But this year was not a huge letdown at all, not sure why you say that. The only stat that dipped a bit was his average, but .296 still isn't bad by any means. His power and RBIs were about the same, as was his OBP and SLG. He struck out less this year too. Not a huge letdown at all. Still better than your boy Cano.

It was great to watch Big Papi turn into Lil Pop-Up.

Is that what leading the league in HRs in the second half is referred to as now?

Hitting .258 after the break is terrifying. His OPS was decent the second-half, but I'll credit that to the "supplements" he was taking.

I'm talking about pure power numbers here. Ortiz is never going to be a .300 hitter again, everyone knows that. He can still be a 35 HR kind of guy though, which is nothing to scoff at.

I think A-Rod had more actually, let me check. Ah, no, just shy. But Papi failed to do anything well besides hit home runs in the second half, and he couldn't even do that before July.

And guys like Ryan Howard can't do anything besides hit HRs either, so what? They still have value.

You seem to have forgotten that Mike Lowell forgot how to drive in runs after the All-Star break.

That's because his hip was still shit, and we didn't play him nearly as much as in the first half because we had V-Mart then. Who you seem to be forgetting about, who was a HUGE boost to our offense last year and who is going to be excellent for us next year. Plus we're shopping Lowell around right now, he'll probably be gone by next season.

Because you were our BITCH once we screwed our heads on right.

It was one season chief. Calm your roll.

And were swept by the team that we man-handled. But hey, I'm glad you're okay with being the fourth best team in the AL. Me? I prefer being a champion.

I didn't realize being a playoff caliber team was a bad thing now. As a Yankees fan you should know better than anyone else that once you get to the playoffs, it's anything goes. The Yankees had one hell of a team in 2004, did they not? Remember how that worked out for 'em?

You go ahead and make the playoffs. I never doubted that you would. It doesn't change the fact that you don't have the firepower to compete with the Yankees, and all you've got right now is ALDS-Exit written all over you.

If you actually think the Sox aren't going to make a move for a big player this off-season, you're crazy. As it stands, our offense is perfectly fine, our defense is good, our pitching is great, we really don't even need to make any big moves this year if we don't want to and we can still compete for another ring. You are massively underrating the Red Sox right now.

 

[48.7 is Approximately 49 Times Better Than You]

Their payroll was $4 million lower, but that doesn't take into consideration that they committed over half a BILLION dollars to THREE players. The contracts that the Yankees will be paying for Tex, CC, and Burnett (so overpaid) is more than most ballclubs payrolls combined and multiplied.

$426 mil. =/= $500 mil. Subtract the Pirates and Marlins payrolls and you'd be in the neighborhood.

First off, I will agree with you that his MVP award was questionable. He had a great year, but yeah, it was definitely questionable.

Sub-.900 OPS, 83 RBI, 17 HR, and 20 SB does not an MVP make. A very good player, yes, but not an MVP.

But this year was not a huge letdown at all, not sure why you say that. The only stat that dipped a bit was his average, but .296 still isn't bad by any means. His power and RBIs were about the same, as was his OBP and SLG. He struck out less this year too. Not a huge letdown at all.

His OPS was .5 points lower, a big dip. His RBIs were down, the average dropped .30 points, he had 42 less total bases, and was caught stealing 30% of the time (up from 4% or so in 07 [this stat is a stretch]).

Still better than your boy Cano.

That's funny you say that. Cano's average was quite a bit higher, his OPS was higher, he hit 10 more HR, drove in more RBIs (hitting from the 7 or 8 spot, mind you), and had more total bases than Pedroia did in his MVP season. Cano was better in nearly every offensive category.

Is that what leading the league in HRs in the second half is referred to as now?

Actually, Tex hit 18 post-all star.

I'm talking about pure power numbers here. Ortiz is never going to be a .300 hitter again, everyone knows that. He can still be a 35 HR kind of guy though, which is nothing to scoff at.

.794 OPS, 134 SO, .462 SLG, and an abysmal .238 BA is something to scoff at, actually. He's your version of Griffey Jr. except, slightly more powerful.

And guys like Ryan Howard can't do anything besides hit HRs either, so what? They still have value.

The difference between the two.. David Ortiz hits .230, Ryan Howard hits .280. Ryan Howard drove in 140 RBI, and Ortiz didn't drive in 100.

That's because his hip was still shit, and we didn't play him nearly as much as in the first half because we had V-Mart then.

Uh, so? His hip sucks, thusly, he sucks. There we go. He sucks.

Plus we're shopping Lowell around right now, he'll probably be gone by next season.

I like having a broken down player patrolling the hot corner and sitting in the middle of your line-up.

Who you seem to be forgetting about, who was a HUGE boost to our offense last year and who is going to be excellent for us next year.

Good thing he batted .182 in the post-season.

I didn't realize being a playoff caliber team was a bad thing now.

If I were you, I wouldn't be content with being playoff caliber. I'd work on being championship caliber, which you are NOT at this point.

As a Yankees fan you should know better than anyone else that once you get to the playoffs, it's anything goes. The Yankees had one hell of a team in 2004, did they not? Remember how that worked out for 'em?

It was one season chief. Calm your roll.

That's all you guys have to talk about isn't it? 2004? How about our eleven division titles, five championships, and eight pennants in the past 13 years? Or our 27 championships, record number of hall of fame players, and the fact that we are THE most storied franchise in ALL of sports? You can have 2004, and I'll take the rest.

If you actually think the Sox aren't going to make a move for a big player this off-season, you're crazy.

Call me crazy, but when you guys miss out on Halladay and sign Pedro Martinez as a replacement, I will be laughing.

As it stands, our offense is perfectly fine,

our defense is good,

Lowell, Bay, Drew, Varitek ..

our pitching is great,

When it's.. ya know.. healthy.

we really don't even need to make any big moves this year if we don't want to and we can still compete for another ring. You are massively underrating the Red Sox right now.

Yeah, not really.

 

[X]

$426 mil. =/= $500 mil. Subtract the Pirates and Marlins payrolls and you'd be in the neighborhood.

So, like I said, your World Series only cost you half a billion dollars. Thanks for admitting that.

That's all you guys have to talk about isn't it? 2004? How about our eleven division titles, five championships, and eight pennants in the past 13 years? Or our 27 championships, record number of hall of fame players, and the fact that we are THE most storied franchise in ALL of sports? You can have 2004, and I'll take the rest.

What a petty person you are. Who the fuck brought up your 27 titles? Christ that's all you Yankees fans talk about when more than half of them came before your grandparents were born. The Yanks and Sox have won an equal amount of titles in this decade, so kindly take your attitude and shove it.

But no, instead of address my valid point, you'd rather *********e to your Yankees about how awesome they are when it has nothing to do with the statement I made. This is why I hate discussing baseball with Yankees fans, they have zero class, so really you're the perfect and prototypical Yankees fan. You keep all those World Series titles, I'll keep my dignity and the knowledge that I'm not a member of the single most pathetic fanbase in the history of professional sports. Yankees fans bring narcissism and egomania to a whole new level. I've met hookers with more class.

Go disappear again.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

The Red Sox signed SS Marco Scutaro.

Count me in as cautiously optimistic. It's only a two year deal, with a third year option. He gets on base, at least, and can play multiple positions if he's needed to. There weren't many options out there for the Red Sox at shortstop. Lowrie is clearly not the answer, and it's better than having someone like Nick Green do good and then fall off a cliff later in the season. Scutaro was the best name in a thin talent pool. He did really well on the road last year, maybe he'll become something like Bill Mueller was, and be a contender for the batting crown. He had a .330 BA on the road last year.

This signing has me hopeful that a much bigger domino is going to fall. Scutaro was a Type A free agent, and there's no way Theo is going to waste his first rounder on Scutaro, especially when the Jays are a division rival. I think the other shoe may drop here, and a Matt Holliday signing is on the horizon.

 

[X]

I'm definitely liking the Scutaro signing. At the very least he gives us good defense, and he had a decent enough year last year that he won't be an automatic out at the bat like the other benchwarmer SS' we could get our hands on right now. I agree this is definitely not going to be the only signing the Sox make, as I too am sensing a Holliday deal coming very close. Last I heard Sox were willing to play ball with Boras, so if they can get over that, I see no reason why they couldn't make a deal. I'd prefer him to Jason Bay if only for the defensive upgrade, not to mention the power and hitting potential he has. In a hitter's park like Fenway I think he'd excel.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Three-way deal between the Yankees, Tigers, and D-Backs has been completed.

Yankees get:
CF Curtis Granderson

D-Backs get:
SP Edwin Jackson
SP Ian Kennedy

Tigers get:
SP Max Scherzer
OF Austin Jackson
RP Phil Coke
RP Daniel Schlereth

If I'm a D-Backs fan, I'm through following the team. Max Scherzer is a much better pitcher than Edwin Jackson ever will be. Jackson's a good middle of the rotation pitcher, whereas Scherzer's upside is as an ace.

Tigers get a really good return for Granderson. Like I stated before, Scherzer has major upside, Jackson has been regarded as one of the top prospects in baseball, and Coke and Schlereth are two really good lefty relievers.

Granderson is going to become an elite player for the Yankees. He's going to do very well in that lineup and in that ballpark.

Here's a scatterplot of his home runs last year. 40 HRs is very realistic.

Goddammit.

 

[Big Sexy]

The Tigers are obviously building more towards the future after their collapse at the end of this season. Granderson is very good and the Tigers will definitely miss him until Austin Jackson develops. The Yankees get a lefty who can hit for power, steal bases, and is one of the best center fielders in all of baseball.

2 years ago C Grand had over 20 doubles, triples, homers, and stolen bases and he hit over .300. This year he struggled hitting just .249 and he still doesn't do well against lefty's but overall he is a great pick up for the Yankees. I'm not really sure what the D Backs are doing. They get rid of some good, young pitchers for a guy who has only had one good year. If Jackson can repeat his performance from last year then it will turn out great for them, but who knows if that will happen.

 

[NSL]

Does anyone else think the Brewers signing Wolf could push them into at least a Wild Card spot? He had a very understated year last year, and was a big reason I finished 2nd in my fantasy league.

He's a veteran presence for the young pitchers they have, and if he's healthy (and there's no reason to doubt that right now), he could be a solid 16-17 game winner, and be a "stopper", ending any chance of long losing streaks.

 

[Theo Mays]

I definitely think Randy Wolf could get help the Brew Crew push for a playoff spot. Wolf has always been an underrated pitcher dating back to his days in Philly. He is one of my favorites and he pitched well with the Dodgers last season. Him along with Gallardo and Parra give the Brew a good 1-2-3 punch.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Verrrry interesting... the Red Sox and Rangers are close to this deal:

Red Sox receive:
C Max Ramirez

Rangers receive:
3B Mike Lowell
Cash ($9 million)

The chances of the Red Sox keeping Ramirez as a catcher, putting V-Mart at 1B, and Youkilis at 3B are very slim. There is absolutely no doubt that this trade is the precursor to something bigger. The Red Sox needed to strike back at the Yankees for trading for Granderson, and this is the first step in doing that. I 100% expect the Red Sox to make a trade in the next week for either Roy Halladay, Felix Hernandez, or Adrian Gonzalez... three names that they continue to be tied to in trade talks.

I know I've been on the fence about a Halladay deal because I want the Sox to keep Buchholz, but I think that the Sox need a trump card for Granderson, and Halladay is that, without a doubt. Once this happens, I fully expect the Sox to sign Adrian Beltre (who could do quite well in Fenway) and either Matt Holliday or Jason Bay. This offseason has been exciting so far, and Theo's about to kick it into high gear.

Edit: The Red Sox traded for Boof Bonser this morning, whose pitching ability is nowhere as awesome as his name is. Theo continues to collect minor league caliber pitchers (Bonser, Fabio Castro, Ramon Ramirez II, Scott Atchinson) who hopefully stay in AAA.

 

[X]

Well on ESPN right now the BottomLine is reporting that John Lackey has reached a 5-year contract agreement with the Boston Red Sox. Can't find the source online, but I'm watching it right now on ESPN. He took a physical earlier today for them so this is definitely legit information.

As a Sox fan I like it. I'd like to see the contract to see just how much money we're going to give him, but adding a guy like Lackey to the middle of the rotation is definitely a big boost for Boston's rotation and really frees us up if we want to deal one of our top pitching prospects. Yeah Lackey has struggled at Fenway, but I really don't think that's going to affect him very much. Good move by the Sox.

Apparently the Angels are closing in on a 1 year deal with Hideki Matsui as well. Good short-term move by LA.

Things are really starting to pick up now in the winter meetings.

 

[Mr. TM]

It looks as though Toronto will lose Halladay to the Phillies. We will probably get a good group of Mariner prospects, but we are losing any competitive, although the little competitive edge that we have left. Hopefully we will get some people to help us compete soon. But as for starting pitchers, we are extremely limited.

 

[Theo Mays]

It looks like Roy Halladay to the Phillies is on the verge of getting done. As a Phillies fan I'm thrilled to be getting Doc, but the way it looks we will be getting rid of Cliff Lee. The Mariners seem to be the team that will be getting Lee. No word on who else will be moving in the deal. Hopefully the Phillies don't give up the farm and trade whatever we got for Lee from the M's and ship them and maybe Happ and some low prospect to the Jays for Doc.

Here is a link and a quote from the article.

The Phillies are in agreement on a three-team trade with the Mariners and Blue Jays to acquire star pitcher Roy Halladay, SI.com has learned. All indications are that Cliff Lee will likely be heading from Philadelphia to Seattle in the trade.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/12/14/phillies.halladay.lee/index.html?eref=BrkNews

The article states that due to the complexity of the deal it probably won't be finalized today, but I expect this bad boy to be finished tomorrow sometime.

 

[One Punch Doug Crashin]

that would be a great addition to the Philly roster! I mean Roy could bolster the rotation.... HOWEVER if they are going to trade Cliff Lee that would destroy what they had in the first place. trade Cole Hammels then you would have one of the most dominating 1-2 punch in the National League.

 

[X]

HOWEVER if they are going to trade Cliff Lee that would destroy what they had in the first place. trade Cole Hammels then you would have one of the most dominating 1-2 punch in the National League.

...What? No offense but that would be an absolutely terrible move by the Phillies. Cole Hamels is one of the very best young pitchers in the game and is only 25 years old and is under team control for several more years. Why the hell would they trade him and hold onto a guy in his mid 30s? That's just idiotic.

Good move by the Phillies, though it pisses me off quite a bit as a Sox fan as I was hoping we'd be able to pull the trigger for him, but alas that isn't going to be happening now. I guess in a way it's kind of a good thing though because this frees up Theo to go full force ahead for Matt Holliday or another power bat, which we absolutely 100% need to do if we want to compete in the AL East this year.

 

[Big Sexy]

Hey X. Your boys signed John Lackey. He was the best free agent pitcher on the market and that now gives Boston a rotation with Beckett, Lackey, Lester, Daisuke, and Buchholz. That could possibly be the best starting rotation in all of baseball.

 

[X]

Hey X. Your boys signed John Lackey. He was the best free agent pitcher on the market and that now gives Boston a rotation with Beckett, Lackey, Lester, Daisuke, and Buchholz. That could possibly be the best starting rotation in all of baseball.

Yeah I know I posted about it on the last page. While I don't like the amount of money we gave to him (definitely think we overpaid; I thought AJ Burnett got overpaid too) he's definitely going to help out our starting pitching big time. Having a guy like Lackey in the midst of our rotation for years to come will only help. Hopefully this frees us up to not be too cautious about trading Buchholz, because I'd trade him away in a package for someone like an Adrian Gonzalez in a second.

All I know is Theo better be pushing super-hard to get a big bat for our offense, because we need it. While I do like the idea of Adrian Beltre playing in Boston, if it means we'll sign him and say we're done, I'd be pissed. He's not going to be the offensive weapon we need to compete in the AL East, we need someone like Matt Holliday. With Doc off the market now hopefully Theo pushes full steam ahead for him.

 

[Stormtrooper]

that would be a great addition to the Philly roster! I mean Roy could bolster the rotation.... HOWEVER if they are going to trade Cliff Lee that would destroy what they had in the first place. trade Cole Hammels then you would have one of the most dominating 1-2 punch in the National League.

A few things on Roy Halladay to the Phillies:

1. Halladay is 5,946,328,701 times better then Lee. Cliff Lee is a solid Ace. Roy Halladay is one of the most successful pitchers in this era, in the toughest division in the Majors, with a sub .500 team. Do we forget that Lee was sent down to the Minors in 2007?
2. Lee was a Free Agent after the 2010 season, and wasn't going to come back unless the Phillies ponied up a boatload of money (probaly close to Halladay). If they were going to give up that much money, then get the best pitcher in MLB right now.
3. If they traded Hamels and kept Lee, they would be left with just Halladay, because they can't afford both Lee and Halladay (most teams not the Yankees, Mets, or Red Sox can't afford both).
4. Most likely, the Phillies gave up only Lee (or maybe 1 prospect). They still got the Ace they needed for the stretch run last season, and then they got their man in Halladay, and for little more.
5. If Hamels can come back to something near where he was in 08, the Phils are DEFINITELY the team to beat in the NL, and depending on the Yankees moves, the team to beat in the Majors.

What about Cliff Lee to the Mariners.

1. The Mariners are now the team to beat in the AL West. With Chone Figgins batting behind Ichiro, they have one of, if not the best 1-2 hitters in baseball.
2. Cliff Lee and King Felix in the same rotation has the POTENTIAL to be as good as Randy Johnson/Curt Schilling in 2001, and we all know how that ended. They most likely won't reach that potential, bu will still be one of the best 1-2 pitching rotations in baseball.

Godzilla to the Angels?
Apparently the Angels have serious interest in Hideki Matsui. Matsui is (in my bias Yankee-Fan opinion) a HUGE upgrade over Vlad at DH. I saw Matsui play every day, and he can still hit extremely well. Matsui has SOME home run power, but is more of an amazing contact hitter, who always seems to get hits when it mattered. He was a huge part of the Yankees 2009 Championship run, protecting Alex Rodriguez, in what was quietly a great year for the embattled 3rd baseman (30 HR, 100 RBI in 124 games). Matsui was done with the Yankees, because they desperately wanted to free up the DH slot to rest the other players, but I am sad to see him leave. At least he may be a Type B Free Agent, and we can maybe get a sandwich round draft pick.

John Lackey to Red Sox:

The Boston Red Sox have reached a tentative deal with right-handed pitcher John Lackey, pending a physical, worth slightly more than the $82.5 million, five-year contract A.J. Burnett signed with the New York Yankees last year, a source familiar with the negotiations told ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.

This is a good deal for the Red Sox, and I would compare (again, I may be a little biased here) Lackey to Burnett. Lackey may be a little more consistent, but he has had less then 30 starts the past 2 years, and I believe it was because of an Elbow). Lackey isn't even close to a guy like Halladay, but if he can stay healthy he gives the Red Sox a new top end of the rotation arm. It also looks like the Red Sox realized that instead of signing old folks like Smoltz and Penny, spend big money and get guys who can actually pitch in the AL.

Curtis Granderson to Yankees:
YES! THE YANKEES GOT A CENTER FIELDER WHO DOESN'T SUCK!!!!!!!!!
Granderson is a quality ballplayer, who is young still, has good power (especially for Yankee Stadium), and he is a good clubhouse guy, too. The Yanks didn't give up on anything that they wanted to keep anyway. The Yankees were reportedly down on Ian Kennedy because of a supposed bad attitude. He has been very good since returning late in September from an Aneurysm in his arm. Austin Jackson is a good prospect, but not our top guy. Ironically, people thought the best case scenario for Jackson was Curtis Granderson, so why not get Granderson himself, especially since Jackson won't be that good for a few years, and our winning window is closing soon. Also, Granderson doesn't eliminate the Yankees from the Damon sweepstakes.

 

[simpsons_fanatic742]

Update on the Roy Halladay Blockbuster deal:

To Seattle Mariners: Cliff Lee

To Philadelphia Phillies: Roy Halladay and 2 prospects from the Mariners

To Toronto Blue Jays: Phillipe Aumont (Mariners), Travis D'Arnaud (Phillies), and 1 more prospect from the Phillies (believed to be Michael Taylor).

There are other prospects being mentioned that could go to the Jays so this is not the full deal just yet. JA Happ, Joe Blanton, and I believe Domonic Brown are also being tossed around. Also, the deal is pending Halladay signing a contract extension, but it is believed that it will be signed (I'm hearing a 3 year deal for around 60 mil, but I've also heard a 5 year deal so we'll see).

As a Jays fan, this is bittersweet. I love Halladay and he was everything for the Blue Jays. He gave them 110% every day and never gave up on them and never gave them any negative press. Halladay was one of the best Blue Jays players EVER and it hurts that he never got to play in the playoffs for Toronto. He wanted them to win so much and he wanted to win with Toronto, but it wasn't happening. Toronto decided that they'll look for a trade for Halladay to a contender and hopefully get some prospects to help rebuild. Hopefully this trade is good for the Blue Jays so we can recoup from losing Halladay. I will now be cheering for the Philadelphia Phillies to win the World Series because Halladay deserves it so much.

Thanks for everything you did for Toronto Roy and go win the Championship that you rightly deserve. It will be hard to see you in another uniform, good luck.

 

[Stormtrooper]

#redsox in serious talks for mike cameron. he would replace bay. who's a goner.

cameron could platoon with hermida assuming deal with #redsox is finalized.

As a Yankee fan, I love this (especially the second Tweet. This may be a Subtraction by Addition for the hated Red Sox. Cameron is a decent ballplayer, but if they do not get a big hitter to replace Bay, they will have taken a step backward.

A Left Field platoon of Jeremy Hermida and Mike Cameron for the Red Sox makes Yankee fans happy. Of course, if they make another move and get a big hitter elsewhere, then this is not a good move for Yankee fans.

 

[X]

As a Yankee fan, I love this (especially the second Tweet. This may be a Subtraction by Addition for the hated Red Sox. Cameron is a decent ballplayer, but if they do not get a big hitter to replace Bay, they will have taken a step backward.

A Left Field platoon of Jeremy Hermida and Mike Cameron for the Red Sox makes Yankee fans happy. Of course, if they make another move and get a big hitter elsewhere, then this is not a good move for Yankee fans.

I would bet my house that this is NOT the last move the Sox make. If Mike Cameron comes to Boston it's as a platoon player, not a starter. There's just absolutely no way the Sox are going to sit still now that Halladay has been traded, especially with the Lackey signing. I guarantee the Sox are talking to the Padres right now about a deal for Adrian Gonzalez, or perhaps some other big-time hitter who the rumor mill hasn't thought of yet. At the VERY least, the Sox will sign Adrian Beltre to play third base. Not exactly a huge offensive boost, but still better than nothing.

So yeah, the odds of this being the last big move the Sox make are about slim to none IMO.

 

[simpsons_fanatic742]

Another update on the Roy Halladay trade:

There are 2 separate deals and not a three-way trade as was previously reported.

The first deal is as follows:
To Phillies: Roy Halladay
To Toronto: Michael Taylor, Travis D'Arnaud, and either JA Happ or Kyle Drabek

The second deal is:
To Seattle: Cliff Lee
To Phillies: Phillipe Aumont and another prospect not yet named

I think the Jays got a good return here for Halladay. They may not have gotten someone who can play now, but they do get a good crop of young players. The Phillies get arguably the best pitcher in baseball right now and will have him for atleast 3 years, which is amazing for them.

Seattle got really good all of a sudden with Felix and Lee, Ichiro and Figgins. With the Angels losing Lackey, the Mariners could challenge for the division title.

Also: The Angels have signed Hideki Matsui to a one year deal worth 6.5 mil. Not a bad signing and will probably replace Vlad Guerrero.