MLB offseason thread

[Jiraiyah]

I didn't see an MLB thread in here so I thought I'd add one. Who's your favorite team? How's your off-season going? All that jazz.

I'd like to start with a personal message to all yankee fans this offseason now that the Phils have landed Cliff Lee: "AAAAAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"


You can probably guess my favorite team and how their off-season is going by that quote. Hint: I ain't a Phillies fan :P

EDIT: this is, of course, intended to be tongue in cheek. I love my yankee fan brethren :P

[ketzil]

I'm a red sox fan. Off season is going.....well good would be putting it lightly.

In all seriousness i find baseball to be excruciatingly boring at times and I don't tend to watch many games a season.

oh and you are a sox fan too.

[ItachiZaku]

I'm a suffering Mets fan and I got to wake up to find out Cliff Lee signed with Philadelphia

[Jiraiyah]

Yes, you area a freakin psychic, Ketzil :P I am a Red Sox fan.

This offseason has been absolutely fantastic for the Red Sox. Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford are obviously the highlights but what get lost in the shuffle is that the prospects spent on Gonzalez are being replenished as efficiently as humanly possible. Detroit signing Victor Martinez gives the Red Sox the highest possible non-protected first round draft pick in the next draft. With Texas missing out of Cliff Lee, they are also more likely to sign Beltre, which would be the best possible location for that draft pick compensation.

This gives the Red Sox 2 first round picks that are higher than the one lost for signing Crawford, plus 2 additional sandwich picks in what is being widely regarded as a very deep draft class. Combined with the $100million player development machine should net a handful of future, inexpensive stars to either plug holes in the team or be used in a future blockbuster trade. Add in (or subtract) the large amount of salary coming off the books in 2012 and you're looking at the best (on paper) team in the American league for now and the foreseeable future.

God I can't wait until February.

---------- Post added 2010-12-14 at 04:57 PM ----------

I'm a suffering Mets fan and I got to wake up to find out Cliff Lee signed with Philadelphia

As a fellow naruto fan and mets sympathizer, I can offer no words of comfort for you, unfortunately. The Phillies' Starting staff is absolutely one of the greatest of all time now and they look like virtual locks for the division title.

[ketzil]

Yes, you area a freakin psychic, Ketzil :P I am a Red Sox fan.

This offseason has been absolutely fantastic for the Red Sox. Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford are obviously the highlights but what get lost in the shuffle is that the prospects spent on Gonzalez are being replenished as efficiently as humanly possible. Detroit signing Victor Martinez gives the Red Sox the highest possible non-protected first round draft pick in the next draft. With Texas missing out of Cliff Lee, they are also more likely to sign Beltre, which would be the best possible location for that draft pick compensation.

This gives the Red Sox 2 first round picks that are higher than the one lost for signing Crawford, plus 2 additional sandwich picks in what is being widely regarded as a very deep draft class. Combined with the $100million player development machine should net a handful of future, inexpensive stars to either plug holes in the team or be used in a future blockbuster trade. Add in (or subtract) the large amount of salary coming off the books in 2012 and you're looking at the best (on paper) team in the American league for now and the foreseeable future.

God I can't wait until February.

Wow you know a lot more about the behind the scenes moves than I do thats for sure. I do know that Theo has a knack for stockpiling young, marketable talent, and the moves he makes to get them always seem to go under the radar. Probably gonna see what the sports talk guys I listen to say about this, and see if they get into detail like you did.

[Scandral]

Being a Yankees fan, I'm glad we didn't sign Cliff Lee. 7 years is a really BIG commitment for a pitcher who ALREADY has back problems (cortisone shot in August and a less-than stellar performance in the World Series). I'm devastated that we haggled Jeter for a month when we could've made some progress with Carl Crawford or Jayson Werth's camps. I'm fairly optimistic about next year though, because Burnett won't be able to stink up the mound 2 years in a row, right? And we don't have Vazquez so our bullpen will get much more rest than last year.

[Jiraiyah]

Especially for a 32-year-old that wasn't nearly as good only three years ago. I agree overall. The back 2-3 years of that contract could very well have been huge salary drains. For 2011-2014ish though, it would have been tough on the Sox's lefty-heavy lineup.

I've never been a fan of Burnett but I would have to agree some bounce-back is to be expected. Probably something between what he was before and last year. The yankee rotation outside of CC doesn't inspire much confidence in me overall, but the offense is still there. I'm in the Robbie Cano is legit camp as well, so overall it's still a very good team. I've been waiting 3 or 4 years now to see the roster finally show its age but since that never seems to work out, I'm not counting on it.

The move to pick up Russell Martin seems to be the biggest wild card for this offseason for the yankees. There are three potential reasons for someone to decline as he has in the last few years (that I can think of off-hand). One of them is age which is obviously not a factor (I believe he is 28? I'd have to look it up). One is injury (and we can add the possibility of a steroid-free diet to this category) which would suggest the decline is for real, and the last is mentality, which a change of scenery (and increased pressure to win) could very well be the cure. I wanted Martin, provided the $$ wasn't too ridiculous. I think the breakout potential is huge. He's not far removed from being one of the best young catchers in the game.

But I have to think the Sox have a pretty clear advantage overall. Taken position by position, rotation slot for rotation slot, the Sox come out on top in nearly every category:

Rotation:
Lester = CC - You can make arguments for either one, but both are true ace potential. Lester has an edge in the long run for being younger and under 300 lbs, but for 2010 it's a wash.
Buchholz > Hughes - It's closer than I probably think but Buch's got the advantage here.
Beckett > Burnett - Both had off-years, but Beckett has been historically better and I'd put money on Beckett returning to form over AJ
Lackey/DiceK > Nova/Mitre - tough to judge since no one could possible know how either yankees will do. Smart money here is on the vets. Lackey, while lackluster in 2010, is at the very least a workhorse and a prime candidate for a comeback. Dice, while excruciating to watch at times, will be the best 5th starter in baseball.

Lineup:

DH: Ortiz > Posada - Posada's value as a hitter is weighted heavily because he was hitting in the catcher's position. As a DH, even assuming no decline, he is rather pedestrian. Ortiz was an absolute monster for the last 3/4s of 2010.
1B: Gonzalez > Teixeira - Both are gold glove caliber 1B with big ole bats, but Gonzo could not have moved to a better park for his swing. When overlaying Gonzalez 2010 Petco Park hit chart over Fenway Park, last year he would have hit 32 home runs at home.
2B: Cano > Pedroia - It hurts me to even type that, but it's probably true. Pedroia has an edge defensively, but Cano's bat is potentially a bit better. This could go either way once the season gets started though.
3B: Youkilis > ARod - You heard me. We're talking 2010, not career. Kevin Youkilis is one of the 10 best position players in the American League.
SS: Lowrie > Jeter - No really, it's true! You wouldn't believe it, but the numbers back it up. Especially considering Jeter's advancing age and declining range, and Lowrie's steady hands. But I'd be willing to bet that if Lowrie avoids the injury bug (and all of his injuries have been the flukey no-reason-to-believe-they'll-be-repeted type) I believe he will have a better offensive season than Derek Jeter.
LF: Crawford > Gardner - Crawford allows Ellsbury to shift over closer to the triangle because of the ground he'll cover. The Drew/Ells/Crawford outfield will be historically stingy.
CF: Ellsbury > Granderson - You won't find a bigger Curtis Granderson fan than me, but he's getting up in age. Ellsbury is like a friggin gazelle out there and if he continues to get better at getting that innitial jump, he'll be one of the best center fielders in the game. On the basepaths, his only rivals are Crawford and Gardner.
RF: Drew > Swisher - The gap has been shortening but Drew is overall a better player in every measurable category than Swisher, but not necessarily by a lot.
C: Martin <=> Saltalamacchia - There is just absolutely no way to evaluate this one until the season starts.

[ItachiZaku]

Pervy Sage, you forgot a couple:

Rivera > Papelbon
Okajima > Chamberlaine
Bard > Anyone else Yanks have

[Jiraiyah]

Ah yes, Itachi-san. I forgot the bullpen. I agree with your assessments, except that Okajima is no longer with the club. Iroiro arigatou gozaimashita, Okajima-san.

Howver, you can now replace that line with:

Bobby Jenks >> Justin Chaimberlain

Because they signed Jenks to a 2/12 deal (when other teams have had to sign worse releavers to three year deals) and amend catcher as:

Saltalamacchia > Martin

Because shortly after signing with the yankees, it turns out that on top of Martin's bad hip, he will need knee surgery.

Best. Offseason. Ever.

[unholyskipper]

I personally dont like baseball as a sport watsover but wenever asked which team i support NY METS

[Jiraiyah]

I personally dont like baseball as a sport watsover but wenever asked which team i support NY METS

It's an acquired taste. But say what you will about baseball. Absolutely no one loves their sport like a baseball fan. At times it's less about the action you're watching when the game unfolds and more about the history that's being written before your eyes. I love the crap out of baseball. I want to marry it.

[ItachiZaku]

Ah yes, Itachi-san. I forgot the bullpen. I agree with your assessments, except that Okajima is no longer with the club. Iroiro arigatou gozaimashita, Okajima-san.

Wow, I missed that one. I liked him.

[Scandral]

Yanks snagged Pedro Feliciano from the Mets. Good move in my opinion. Our bullpen needs some more bolstering to do. If we are to get outs against Crawford and A-Gon, we oughta' get more lefties in.

[Jiraiyah]

Sox just picked up Dan Wheeler, apparently (and miraculously) on a one-year contract. Wheeler is a type-a free agent that was not offered arbitration so no draft pick needed to be surrendered. He's also a native of RI. Awesome signing for a 6th/7th inning guy. The Sox are now a lefty specialist away from being an absolute juggernaut. Possible Dubront gets the nod. Rumors of signing Okajima afterall as well.

[Andrac]

I personally dont like baseball as a sport watsover but wenever asked which team i support NY METS

While I hate it when people say they are a yankees fan just to fit in, and a lot do, you picked one of the worst teams in all of baseball to say you are a fan of. I think only the cubs would be worse. I just hope you are from the nyc area since then its understandable and not just picking a random team to root for.

I don't pay attention to sports as much as I used to when I was younger, but being from massachusetts it should be fairly obvious who I root for. I just hope the sox can win another world series quicker then they did before. I doubt I'll still be alive in another 79 years.

[Jiraiyah]

While I hate it when people say they are a yankees fan just to fit in, and a lot do, you picked one of the worst teams in all of baseball to say you are a fan of. I think only the cubs would be worse. I just hope you are from the nyc area since then its understandable and not just picking a random team to root for.

I don't pay attention to sports as much as I used to when I was younger, but being from massachusetts it should be fairly obvious who I root for. I just hope the sox can win another world series quicker then they did before. I doubt I'll still be alive in another 79 years.

While they're not a good team right now, the Mets have a long and storied history and are a perfectly fine choice. At least it's not the yankees.

And it's only been 3 and a half years since the Sox last won a world series, then 3 years before that....

[ItachiZaku]

Yanks snagged Pedro Feliciano from the Mets. Good move in my opinion. Our bullpen needs some more bolstering to do. If we are to get outs against Crawford and A-Gon, we oughta' get more lefties in.

I really liked Feliciano, but the problem was he was overworked. He'd start off the season as one of the better middle relievers in the game but in the second half of the season, you dreaded seeing him in there.

[koodledrum]

We really need help in our rotation, frankly after CC & Hughes (assuming Pettite doesn't come back) we're dead in the water - i don't trust AJ to get us through games and well, as reliable as Nova was when called on, he's still a rookie as for Mitre, c'mon he's convinced no one except Girardi! I'd personally like to see Cashman either get his finger out his ass & trade for Garza or just go, he's been made to look an ass by several moves (Javier Vazquez & Nick Johnson anyone? didn't think so) and Lee made the Yankees look frankly stupid because of Cashman & co's arrogance not only once, but twice now - should have had that deal done prior to the deadline when he went to the Rangers.

Them Sox actually have managed to bolster their chances considerably, although i think i'd be more inclined to say Crawford has more to do with that than Gonzalez purely because he can keep pitchers offguard against Ortiz/Youkilis should he get on. They NEED to get healthy in a big bad way though, last year was not good on the injury front and it hurt them big time, losing 2 guys at any given time is bad, but 4 just stung a bit too bad!

Other than that, boy am i glad i'm in the AL - the prospect of a 3 game stand against Halladay, Lee & Oswald, i think you'd prefer your chances against 3 bullets! And someone please tell me if they have any idea just what the hell the Nats GM is smoking, because you'd make a killing selling it on the street!

[JayBee90]

Who is Pettite?

[phreakcore]

I am a Cincinnati reds fan and hopefully we can repeat and win the division again but not get no hit by doc in the playoffs.