2012 MLB Winter Meetings and Offseason

[conscript]

And Jeffery Loria the biggest scumbag owner in sports strikes again. Lies to the city about the financial state of the Marlins to get them to chip in extra money for the stadium which they end up paying for in whole. Boosts salary to make it look like the Marlins are actually going to spend to be competitive and then sells literally the entire team after the season. This guy is a fucking douche. If Selig had any balls at all he would force Loria out, contract his franchise, or find a way to cut off the pipeline of revenue sharing money this guy is using to line his own pockets, not improve his franchise.

At least the fucking Maloofs had the decency to back out of their deal with Sacramento before the city sold off its assets and started funding their part of the Kings' arena.

[koodledrum]

Selig doesn't have a shred of decency, has roughly the same amount of balls as Scarlett Johansson (i.e. I sure hope none otherwise there's some explaining to be done!) - that's obvious to everyone who's watched baseball over his tenure!

[conscript]

Selig doesn't have a shred of decency, has roughly the same amount of balls as Scarlett Johansson (i.e. I sure hope none otherwise there's some explaining to be done!) - that's obvious to everyone who's watched baseball over his tenure!

Well in theory it would be the other owner's stepping to the plate here telling Selig that it is pure bullshit that Loria keeps leeching off their franchises. I've heard more than a couple people suggest Loria is going to put the franchise up for sale as he was just inflating its value with the new stadium and now low salaries. The worst part is that according to Buster Olney more than a fair few bigwigs in baseball knew there was a very good chance Loria was going to do this. As soon as they started talking big money contracts while refusing to give no trade clauses (which scared Pujols away), people were just counting down to when he would eventually do that. That is how low of an opinion everyone in the sport has of this guy.

[buck008]

I lived in South Florida for a long time. I used to go to Marlins games because the tickets were dirt cheap, and baseball is fun to watch in person. That team has never been run well. This is the third or fourth time the team has been completely dismantled in one fell swoop and the team is maybe 20 years old. You can (correctly in most cases) call out Florida fans for being shitty all you like, but this team never deserved a following. It's done nothing but kick its fans in the nuts over and over again. I feel bad for the dozen fans that team still had that thought something different was happening there with the new stadium and the off season spending spree.

[Elbren]

You can (correctly in most cases) call out Florida fans for being shitty all you like ...

To be fair, Florida is a pretty transient state where a large part of there population isn't really from Florida. The people there who are sports fans more than likely still follow the same teams they followed before they moved to Florida. My brother used to live in St. Pete and whenever I was there, I saw flags/bumberstickers/jerseys from seemingly every sport/team ... except those found in FL. The only exception I found was baseball. Anyone whose been to Tampa/St. Pete will tell you, that's Yankee territory. It's where they have Spring Training and it's also home to the Tampa Yankee's, one of their minor league affiliates.

MLB should never have put teams in Miami and Tampa Bay to begin with.

[Paranoid Android]

HBO's Real Sports had an expose on the Marlins in 2010 and Jeff Loira about how he scammed the people of Miami even back then. Basically he was telling the city of Miami that they were losing money and thus couldn't afford to put in $200 million or whatever in an almost $600 million stadium. Well Deadspin I believe got a hold of Marlins financial and it showed they almost made $50 million that year. LOL this guy is scum!! Was a con artist back then and still is.

Sad thing is other owners won't do crap because honestly most have gotten their new stadiums in past 25 years so they don't care. I bet if 2 or 3 teams where trying to get stadiums they would make more of a hub-bub about this idiot Loria.

---------- Post added 2012-11-14 at 12:46 PM ----------

Well in theory it would be the other owner's stepping to the plate here telling Selig that it is pure bullshit that Loria keeps leeching off their franchises. I've heard more than a couple people suggest Loria is going to put the franchise up for sale as he was just inflating its value with the new stadium and now low salaries. The worst part is that according to Buster Olney more than a fair few bigwigs in baseball knew there was a very good chance Loria was going to do this. As soon as they started talking big money contracts while refusing to give no trade clauses (which scared Pujols away), people were just counting down to when he would eventually do that. That is how low of an opinion everyone in the sport has of this guy.

Yeah and I read that even Reye's contract was back loaded for $20 millin plus last 3 years while the first year they signed him was only $10 million (sad when you say "only"). Also in a few years he will sell the Marlins and make a killing. UGGGH this guy is scum!!!

[conscript]

HBO's Real Sports had an expose on the Marlins in 2010 and Jeff Loira about how he scammed the people of Miami even back then. Basically he was telling the city of Miami that they were losing money and thus couldn't afford to put in $200 million or whatever in an almost $600 million stadium. Well Deadspin I believe got a hold of Marlins financial and it showed they almost made $50 million that year. LOL this guy is scum!! Was a con artist back then and still is.

Sad thing is other owners won't do crap because honestly most have gotten their new stadiums in past 25 years so they don't care. I bet if 2 or 3 teams where trying to get stadiums they would make more of a hub-bub about this idiot Loria.

The SEC is still investigating the Marlin's Stadium deal, thankfully. We can only pray that that goes exactly as terribly for Loria as possible. Then again, the SEC isn't worth the fucking building that houses it judging by their complete lack of doing anything to Wall Street over the collapse, Facebook over their completely illegal IPO, etc.

On the other owners, the only reason I think they would take issue is because at least in most cases the other owners are spending money, not just siphoning off the revenue sharing tit like Loria is. With the new tv contract, Loria is going to be raking in $95-100 million from tv and revenue sharing BEFORE ever playing a single game. That should infuriate the other owners who at least are paying salaries if they are getting revenue sharing money. The stadium deal, ya they can't say shit about that since taxpayers keep getting stuck footing the bill for the new stadiums in every sport. Nothing like cities barely getting by being forced to subsidies stadiums for billionaires in order to prevent job loss because the billionaire owners are job creators (lol).

[Paranoid Android]

The SEC is still investigating the Marlin's Stadium deal, thankfully. We can only pray that that goes exactly as terribly for Loria as possible. Then again, the SEC isn't worth the fucking building that houses it judging by their complete lack of doing anything to Wall Street over the collapse, Facebook over their completely illegal IPO, etc.

On the other owners, the only reason I think they would take issue is because at least in most cases the other owners are spending money, not just siphoning off the revenue sharing tit like Loria is. With the new tv contract, Loria is going to be raking in $95-100 million from tv and revenue sharing BEFORE ever playing a single game. That should infuriate the other owners who at least are paying salaries if they are getting revenue sharing money. The stadium deal, ya they can't say shit about that since taxpayers keep getting stuck footing the bill for the new stadiums in every sport. Nothing like cities barely getting by being forced to subsidies stadiums for billionaires in order to prevent job loss because the billionaire owners are job creators (lol).

Little bit different and I know this is baseball thread but we have this going on in Minneapolis about the Vikings stadium. Right now it stands that tax payers are going to flip the bill for the Vikings stadium, which I oppose but hey sports teams hold us hostage. Sad part is like alot examples, Cleveland Browns and Seattle Supersonics when the team leaves, what happens is the city/state turns right around and builds a stadium to get a team to replace the old one. So basically you might as well bite the bullet and build their damn stadium now.

Shout out to SVP Show on ESPN they just read my email about the Deadspin article on Loria saying he was losing money when he was really making money.

[draynay]

Sad part is like alot examples, Cleveland Browns and Seattle Supersonics when the team leaves, what happens is the city/state turns right around and builds a stadium to get a team to replace the old one.

yea... yea... that's what happens

FUCK

at least the Dodgers will never leave me (sorry Brooklyn)

edit - ESPN has a nice little list of everybody the Marlins have shipped off since July

3 starting pitchers, 3 relievers, center fielder, their entire infield and catcher

only 2 of their starting 9 from opening day are still with the club

[Amsden]

rumors are speculating jays may move Arencibia to Rangers next.

Don't know who that is, but if the Rangers are interested I can only assume he is a catcher or an out fielder.

[Irony]

If this deal goes through, the Jays just trade raped the shit out of the Marlins.

I'm gonna be shameless and jump back to supporting the Jays. I'll just pretend Josh Johnson is Roy Halladay and end my refusal to watch Jays games.

---------- Post added 2012-11-14 at 11:46 PM ----------

Don't know who that is, but if the Rangers are interested I can only assume he is a catcher or an out fielder.

He's a catcher with good promise.

[conscript]

Little bit different and I know this is baseball thread but we have this going on in Minneapolis about the Vikings stadium. Right now it stands that tax payers are going to flip the bill for the Vikings stadium, which I oppose but hey sports teams hold us hostage. Sad part is like alot examples, Cleveland Browns and Seattle Supersonics when the team leaves, what happens is the city/state turns right around and builds a stadium to get a team to replace the old one. So basically you might as well bite the bullet and build their damn stadium now.

Shout out to SVP Show on ESPN they just read my email about the Deadspin article on Loria saying he was losing money when he was really making money.

Wilf was exactly the douche I was thinking about earlier when talking about the taxpayers. That guy is a billionaire. He could pay for several stadiums if he wanted to. But nope, lets threaten Minny with moving the Vikings to LA if they won't fund my stadium for me. Someone should take a bat to the knees of all these billionaires holding people's jobs hostage because they aren't willing to spend their own money on improving their own property. Its pathetic.

Loria said in an interview this afternoon that this move is about winning. Ya, they traded 2-3 All Star caliber players for zero positional starters, a fringe rotation guy, and a bullpen guy at best. That is going to win you a ton of games.

[fizzbob]

Doesn't surprise me that they want that and wouldn't surprise me if he got that. Surprised they aren't looking for the Pujols 10 year $250 million deal. They are pretty comparable players.
Hamilton:
2010 32 HR, 100 RBI, .359/.411/.633 8.4 WAR
2011 25 HR, 94 RBI, .298/.346/.536 3.5 WAR
2012 43 HR, 128 RBI, .285/.354/.577 3.4 WAR]
Three year total: 100 HR, 322 RBI, .314/.370/.582 15.3 WAR

Pujols:
2010 42 HR, 118 RBI .312/.414/.596 7.3 WAR
2011 37 HR, 99 RBI, .299/.366/.541 5.1 WAR
2012 30 HR, 105 RBI, .285/.343/.516 4.6 WAR
Three year total: 109 HR, 322 RBI, .298/.374/.551 17 WAR

Pretty similar guys really. One key difference, Hamilton put up similar stats in 58 less games over the past three seasons. So health is a concern, but this is a guy that is the best hitter in the game when healthy.

he strikes out 100 times a year and is the worst hitter in the lineup 2 months of every season.

he's literally had what, 3 good years and is nearing "old" status. guy couldn't hold a real superstar's jock. but he's white, he talks about jesus and used to be a coke head alcoholic so white america loves him. i think it's hilarious how nolan ryan can't stand the guy and sees him the way me and a lot of others do, a fucking attention whore who isn't good enough to talk about as often as ESPN does

the guy is NOT a tough out most of a season. every year it's the same thing, 2 great months, 2 awful months, a lot of average mixed in.

[conscript]

he strikes out 100 times a year and is the worst hitter in the lineup 2 months of every season.

he's literally had what, 3 good years and is nearing "old" status. guy couldn't hold a real superstar's jock. but he's white, he talks about jesus and used to be a coke head alcoholic so white america loves him. i think it's hilarious how nolan ryan can't stand the guy and sees him the way me and a lot of others do, a fucking attention whore who isn't good enough to talk about as often as ESPN does

the guy is NOT a tough out most of a season. every year it's the same thing, 2 great months, 2 awful months, a lot of average mixed in.

That middle paragraph could absolutely double as talking about Tim Tebow with a little finagling lol. That made me laugh.

I agree that Hamilton isn't Pujols or Cabby. I laughed at rumors of Detroit considering him as I wouldn't touch that guy with a 10 foot stick. There are so few really great bats though that I still think someone gives him a questionably large deal.

---------- Post added 2012-11-14 at 07:15 PM ----------

Poor Mark Buehrle. When he moved to Miami he had to live out of county to keep his American Staffordshire terrier which falls within Miami Dads pitbull ban. Now he has been traded to Toronto where Ontario has a ban throughout the entire province. Rough.

[Skippy88]

Ya we had some high profile pitbull attacks that got a lot of media attention so that's why they got banned. I'm not sure if the stats back that up or if it was a knee jerk reaction.

The Jays-Marlins deal is still pending league approval. I'm curious if they are really thinking of squashing this deal. Haven't heard anything one way or the other. I did laugh at Loria's response to the trade ""We finished in last place. Figure it out," he told CBSSports.com from the owners' meetings in Chicago."

[Curanhadin]

Baseball sucks. At the pro and college level football is the only sport i have any interest in.

[mrbadxampl]

Baseball sucks. At the pro and college level football is the only sport i have any interest in.

thanks for that amazingly insightful input.

[belfpala]

Conscript, you jerk. Your stupid team signed the former face-of-franchise of my team who our local media still adore and fawn over, so now I'll be forced to watch him do awkward interviews every time you play us next year.

Oh, and good signing btw. Even in his latter years, Torii Hunter is still way better than Delmon Young. He's a great clubhouse guy, apparently, and will probably be a great influence on Jackson. He can actually catch balls hit to the outfield. He doesn't swing at every damn pitch. Etc., etc., etc.

[draynay]

I'm glad to see Hunter go someplace where he's needed and a big upgrade, would've been wasted crowding him into the Dodgers OF and he was smart enough to find a good spot for him for good money

[Ausr]

Quite glad to see RA Dickey won the Cy Young award as he definitely deserved and earned it this year, even though my Mets failed in the second half of the season again.