2012 MLB Winter Meetings and Offseason

[koodledrum]

Was about to say Miggy may have him in RBI/HR but Trout will be massively ahead in SB & most likely runs too, Trout's a more overall threat than Cabrera, he's got rookie of the year sewn up along with the batting title, but MVP might be a step too far but hey, it's very possible. McCutcheon snuck up on me, last i checked the Melk-man was still ahead in the avg stakes, but he's another player capable, what might sting him is the uniform, he plays for the bucs, which might work against him given the big market bias.

[conscript]

Was about to say Miggy may have him in RBI/HR but Trout will be massively ahead in SB & most likely runs too, Trout's a more overall threat than Cabrera, he's got rookie of the year sewn up along with the batting title, but MVP might be a step too far but hey, it's very possible. McCutcheon snuck up on me, last i checked the Melk-man was still ahead in the avg stakes, but he's another player capable, what might sting him is the uniform, he plays for the bucs, which might work against him given the big market bias.

Ya McCutchen had the second best month for a Pirate EVER in July beaten only by someone I forget in 1922. He hit freaking 446/.510/.739 that is beyond insane. Tack on 5 HRs, second in the NL in runs over the month and 12 multi hit games.

[draynay]

Dodgers finally let Gwynn go, why they let Abreu loose and kept him the first go round is a mystery to me, at least Abreau had some value coming off the bench to hit

Gwynn is a useful 4th outfielder when you've got a defensive liability in one of your starting 3, but if you reduced Tony to just a pinch hitter he's just gonna come in and strike out on 4 pitches and that's all he was doing here lately, but if somebody were to claim him he could be helpful defensively

[Deleted]

I have never really been into MLB, but I might actually try watch it this year!

[conscript]

This stat blew my mind. David Wright is somehow 2nd on the Mets all time at bats list at only 4565. I didn't realize how much the Mets really did move all of their players constantly. Their franchise HR leader is Strawberry at only 25 HR in a Mets uniform. It is completely baffling how there have been only a handful of lifetime Mets outside of pitchers. This article was a pretty awesome read:
http://mlb.sbnation.com/2012/8/11/32...me-run-records

[VanillaO]

I was real confused for a minute there (like.. Beltran definitely hit over 40 like 5-6 years ago), until I clicked that link... :x

[koodledrum]

CC to the DL with "elbow soreness" - can't help but get the feeling all those years of being a workhorse are about to catch up to him.

[belfpala]

CC to the DL with "elbow soreness" - can't help but get the feeling all those years of being a workhorse are about to catch up to him.

Just give him a couple cheeseburgers. He'll be fine.

[conscript]

CC to the DL with "elbow soreness" - can't help but get the feeling all those years of being a workhorse are about to catch up to him.

Elbow soreness scares the hell out of me. Every time I hear that all I can think of is Tommy John surgery. Every guy that needs it starts out with a random elbow soreness DL stint.

[belfpala]

Elbow soreness scares the hell out of me. Every time I hear that all I can think of is Tommy John surgery. Every guy that needs it starts out with a random elbow soreness DL stint.

Yeah, that's my opinion. I've seen it happen so many times: guy has a sore elbow, skips a start... then tries a start and leaves early... then goes on the DL... then tries to come back... then goes on the DL again... then has TJ and is out for a year.

Sometimes that sequence takes more than one season (thinking specifically of Scott Baker with the Twins... he had surprise TJ surgery; doctor opened up his elbow to remove bone chunks or something, and noticed he needed it).

[koodledrum]

Yeah that's what worries me, especially when you consider he has been such a horse over his career and has that big ol slider it would not surprise me to see a TJ needed - which would be real bad news for the Yankees, although not really uncommon in our pitching staffs which seem to be injury magnets (although take out Carl Pavano....). Fingers crossed it's just generic elbow issues, but if it needs Tommy John I'll panic real hard!

[conscript]

Apparently Boston's players had a meeting in July with ownership to say how much they hatted Bobby V. God the Red Sox are just the worst.

[koodledrum]

To be fair if you were stinking out the AL East, 11.5 games back of the Yankees & 5.5 games back of BALTIMORE, yes, BALTIMORE you too would want some beer & chicken to take your mind off how monumentally shit you actually are, hell the only reason the Sox aren't bottom of the division is because Toronto's so banged up they're virtually held together with bandages & band-aids! Boston needs a complete overhaul on the field, especially if that players meeting is true because the truth is their egos have finally gotten to a point where they genuinely believe the players should call the shots - that started with Francona letting the lunatics run the asylum now they're trying it with Bobby V. Problem is no one can say he wasn't warned that was going to happen, he tried to assert some control but ultimately he should have put his foot down and got rid of more than just Youk if he ever wanted to have a modicum of control over that clubhouse.

[kidsafe]

Is that why Epstein went to the Cubs, to find the team with the most fragile egos?

[conscript]

I just can't wait to see how the ownership tries to slander him when he does get fired. What they did to Terry Francona was fucking disgusting. I don't know why anyone would want to ever work for those fuckers again after they made shit up about marital issues and pill addictions then leaked them to the media. After all that guy did for that piece of shit franchise they treat him like that? What are they going to do to Bobby V who has been there less than a year, actually murder him?

[belfpala]

What are they going to do to Bobby V who has been there less than a year, actually murder him?

I predict a revival of witch burnings.

[koodledrum]

I predict a revival of witch burnings.

Would not surprise me one little bit, problem for the Boston ownership is the fact that well, for all Bobby Valentine is a goof he is a pretty sound guy and everyone around baseball knows it, the fans (even us Yankee fans who take great pleasure in the fact he stinks) know it so ultimately if they go down the route of trying to kill the guy through the press it won't work. To an extent it didn't work with Francona, he's tearing up ESPN because he says what he thinks and hey, whaddya know he's actually quite funny too. The Boston ownership are classless pricks, you guys know that from watching them over the years but hey, lets be honest here, I get to watch them being classless pricks on the English front too (the Liverpool fans are deeply unhappy with their actions surrounding their latest strip which they rightly believe is insulting to the 96 victims of Hillsborough), all to achieve success whatever the cost when the reality is that they're actually damaging both to a point where their value & reputation is being harmed.

[mrbadxampl]

anyone else read the bit about PEDroia saying he doesn't think Valentine should be fired? kinda sad that, as an Indians fan, I can look at their situation and think "whew, glad we're not them..."

[conscript]

anyone else read the bit about PEDroia saying he doesn't think Valentine should be fired? kinda sad that, as an Indians fan, I can look at their situation and think "whew, glad we're not them..."

Ya, but what else is he going to say. He can't come out and say he wants him fired without villainizing himself. Everyone knows he does though since he was allegedly the most vocal guy at that meeting and has been having issues all season with Valentine.

[belfpala]

To an extent it didn't work with Francona, he's tearing up ESPN because he says what he thinks and hey, whaddya know he's actually quite funny too.

Yeah, absolutely. For some reason, the usual Twins broadcasters were off doing something else (some media awards thing?), and Francona did a couple games with Tom Kelly (Twins manager for the '87 and '91 WS wins). Those were probably some of the two most enlightening games I've ever watched--two very successful managers, analyzing the game in a way I've never heard on the air.