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LeTallecWiz

LeTallecWiz

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Let's keep trades/FA signings etc here ... and to kick start:

Matt Holliday appears headed to the Oakland Athletics in a trade with the Colorado Rockies, baseball sources have told ESPN's Jerry Crasnick and Buster Olney.

Details are being finalized, though the teams have agreed to terms, a baseball source told Olney. The source said the deal may not be finalized for up to 48 hours.

The deal is also pending completion of physical exams.

Pitcher Greg Smith, who was 7-16 with a 4.16 ERA last season for the A's, is one of the players in the deal, a source confirmed to Crasnick. Among the other players who have been discussed were left-handed pitcher Brett Anderson and outfielders Ryan Sweeney and Carlos Gonzalez.

Oakland has been weighing offers for closer Huston Street, but it's uncertain if Street is part of the Holliday deal. The Rockies have a need for late-inning relief with Brian Fuentes about to leave through free agency.

David Forst, Oakland's assistant general manager, declined to comment on the trade.

"It's still an ongoing discussion,'' he said.

The news comes a day after reported trade talks between the Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals broke down. The Cardinals had reportedly offered the Rockies a package for Holliday that was centered around outfielder Ryan Ludwick, who hit 37 home runs last season.

Holliday, 28, finished second to Philadelphia's Jimmy Rollins in the 2007 National League MVP ballotting. He hit .321 with 25 homers and 88 RBIs this season and will be eligible for free agency next winter. Holliday is represented by Scott Boras, so the Rockies held out little hope to sign him to a long-term deal.
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I was a little bit surprised to see him linked to the A's, but his salary is reasonable given his production and he does seem like a "Moneyball" hitter. I'm guessing the A's know they won't be resigning him but are interested in the compensatory draft pick they'll get when they lose him at the end of the season ? Obviously he'll help them compete in the short term too.
 
A snippet:

The Nationals continue to stay busy this offseason, as they have reached an agreement to trade second baseman Emilio Bonifacio, right-hander P.J. Dean and infielder Jake Smolinski to the Marlins for left-hander Scott Olsen and outfielder/catcher Josh Willingham, according to an industry source
 
Nick Swisher to the Yankees.

Interesting trade for the Yankees. They have a few openings in their lineup that he can fill, but I find it hard to see him being a regular unless he improves quite a bit from last season.
 
Can the Yankees really afford Sabathia, Burnett and Lowe?

That would be a pretty strong rotation right?
 
[quote author=DHSC link=topic=28563.msg725070#msg725070 date=1226813167]
Can the Yankees really afford Sabathia, Burnett and Lowe?

That would be a pretty strong rotation right?
[/quote]

yup, and considering it's their first year in a new stadium & with such a difficult division, they'll overspend again and hopefully, fall flat on their faces ...
 
[quote author=DHSC link=topic=28563.msg725070#msg725070 date=1226813167]
Can the Yankees really afford Sabathia, Burnett and Lowe?

That would be a pretty strong rotation right?
[/quote]

It's thought that they'll only really want two of them according to the NY Times . Wang, Chamberlain and Pettite are expected back in rotation next year.

Sabathia looks nailed on, but apparently the Red Sox would like Lowe back. Burnett is the perfect pitcher for the Yankees, expensive and injury prone.

I wonder how K-Rod will do out of this free agency. Most of the big spenders seem to have closers locked up so there might not be that much money for him.

Where will Manny end up ?
 
[quote author=LeTallecWiz link=topic=28563.msg726718#msg726718 date=1226955466]
Albert Pujols = NL MVP
[/quote]

wierd time of year to say it, but valid every year
 
Moose to retire?

As expected, New York Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina has decided to retire, according to a baseball source with knowledge of the situation. Mussina informed the Yankees last week he would give them a decision by the end of this week.

Mussina, who turns 40 next month, spent the last eight seasons with the Yankees after pitching for the Baltimore Orioles for the first 10 years of his career. His 270 wins rank second among all active right-handers, behind only Greg Maddux. In the final start of his career, he pitched six shutout innings against the Boston Red Sox to finish off the first 20-win season of his career.
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I never looked at him as a 'Yankee' - he always seemed humble and anti the Yankee aura. He was great for them.
 
Yeah, I think the most impressive thing about his career is that he put up those numbers in the best hitting division in baseball.

Other news:

The Nationals are interested in Teixeira. I can't see him ending up there though. He could be the biggest winner in this years free agent stakes.
 
[quote author=DHSC link=topic=28563.msg729349#msg729349 date=1227264742]
I'm thinking of supporting a MLB team. Any suggestions?
[/quote]

If you pick the Yankees, you're banned.
 
[quote author=LeTallecWiz link=topic=28563.msg729400#msg729400 date=1227267027]
[quote author=DHSC link=topic=28563.msg729349#msg729349 date=1227264742]
I'm thinking of supporting a MLB team. Any suggestions?
[/quote]

If you pick the Yankees, you're banned.
[/quote]

Agreed.

The Red Sox are easy right now, but I loved them when Juicer Clements pitched for them, so I'm not a bandwagoner...

Tampa are exciting and young, but I'll hate you NEARLY as much as if you rooted for the yankees.

I have a soft spot for the Braves.
 
[quote author=LeTallecWiz link=topic=28563.msg729400#msg729400 date=1227267027]
[quote author=DHSC link=topic=28563.msg729349#msg729349 date=1227264742]
I'm thinking of supporting a MLB team. Any suggestions?
[/quote]

If you pick the Yankees, you're banned.
[/quote]

I think that's sound advice.

There are plenty of teams that are worth following, as long as it's not the Yankees you'll be fine.
 
[quote author=Rosco link=topic=28563.msg729667#msg729667 date=1227284735]
[quote author=LeTallecWiz link=topic=28563.msg729400#msg729400 date=1227267027]
[quote author=DHSC link=topic=28563.msg729349#msg729349 date=1227264742]
I'm thinking of supporting a MLB team. Any suggestions?
[/quote]

If you pick the Yankees, you're banned.
[/quote]

I think that's sound advice.

There are plenty of teams that are worth following, as long as it's not the Yankees you'll be fine.
[/quote]

What wrong with the Yankees? Is it the Salford connections?
 
[quote author=Stulikesdrums link=topic=28563.msg729781#msg729781 date=1227293450]
[quote author=Rosco link=topic=28563.msg729667#msg729667 date=1227284735]
[quote author=LeTallecWiz link=topic=28563.msg729400#msg729400 date=1227267027]
[quote author=DHSC link=topic=28563.msg729349#msg729349 date=1227264742]
I'm thinking of supporting a MLB team. Any suggestions?
[/quote]

If you pick the Yankees, you're banned.
[/quote]

I think that's sound advice.

There are plenty of teams that are worth following, as long as it's not the Yankees you'll be fine.
[/quote]

What wrong with the Yankees? Is it the Salford connections?
[/quote]

They ruined the sport with the money they threw around for players that didnt deserve it, and as an ex-Yankees fan (I was young and in New York and they were winning everything - no way it wasn't going to happen) They are the devil in baseball
 
Slowest off-season ever !

Affeldt and Dempster are the only two signings I've heard about.

It'll probably be the usual story of once the biggest free agent signs we'll see a lot of other deals done. Teixeira is probably the biggest position player in the market and Sabathia the in the pitching market for my money. The winter meetings are next week too so maybe there'll be some interesting trades (Peavy being probably the biggest name mentioned thus far in trade talks )
 
Yeah he seemed out of place in the modern era of power pitchers but still excelled.
 
A really nice piece about Maddux:

Everything Maddux wasn't

By Gene Wojciechowski
ESPN.com

Am I going to miss Greg Maddux? Are you kidding? I couldn't stand the guy.

First of all, he wasn't greedy enough. He signed for only $75,000 after the Chicago Cubs selected him with the 31st pick of the 1984 amateur draft. No messy holdouts. No nothing. And get this: He actually reported to Pikeville of the Appalachian League that season. For $175 a week. Loser.

He wasn't brash enough. The guy made his major league starting debut near the end of the 1986 season. The Cubs stunk, but the 20-year-old Maddux threw a complete-game victory. Hadn't been done by a Cub that young since 1966. He also got two hits and ended a seven-game Cubs losing streak. Instead of popping off about his big day, Maddux told reporters, "I'm kind of awestruck now."

He wasn't intimidating enough. When the dinky Maddux first reported from Triple-A Iowa, the Cubs didn't know whether he was a player or there for Father-Son Day. "He's a good competitor and he's fun to watch," minor league coach Jim Colborn told the Chicago Tribune, "especially knowing he's just finished his paper route a couple of years ago."

He wasn't quotable enough. You can list the number of great Maddux on-the-record quotes on the back of a Sweet'N Low packet. He was polite. He was pleasant. But mostly he shrugged his shoulders a lot.

He wasn't controversial enough. Would it have killed him to get caught carrying, say, a semi-automatic weapon, just once? Some sort of drug charge would have been nice. And is it asking too much to maybe oversee a money-laundering ring? But, no, not Maddux.

He wasn't narcissistic enough. Even when he was winning four Cy Young Awards in a row or walking into the clubhouse the day after his 300th career victory, you never saw Maddux with a posse, entourage or security detail. Wait! There were those times when he brought his two kids to the ballpark.

He wasn't ill-prepared enough. In 1996, just before Maddux and the Atlanta Braves faced the New York Yankees in the World Series, pitching coach Leo Mazzone met with his starters and relievers and read them the detailed scouting reports. Maddux raised his hand after Mazzone read the report on Yankees slugger Bernie Williams.

"That report is not correct," Maddux said. "I've been watching film of Williams for two weeks, and that report is not correct."

"Did everybody hear that?" Mazzone said.

The Braves pitchers nodded.

"Well, then the hell with this report," Mazzone said. "We go with what Mad Dog says."

Williams hit .167 in the Series.

He wasn't serious enough. Jimmy Farrell, who was the longtime umpires room attendant at Wrigley Field, told me about the time he asked a young Maddux to wiggle his ear if he reached base on a hit. The Cubs went on the road, so Farrell and his wife, Eleanor, watched the game at home that night. Sure enough, Maddux got a hit.

"He's not gonna do it, Jimmy," Eleanor said.

"You watch," Farrell said.

Maddux stood at first base. And then wiggled his ear.

"We just about fell off the couch laughing," Farrell told me.

He wasn't aloof enough. You'd think a guy with more wins than any living player (355) would keep to himself. But when I saw him this past March at spring training with the San Diego Padres, Maddux was doing his usual thing: working the clubhouse, cracking wise with vets and rookies, recruiting players for one of his golf pools. Same sort of thing happened when I saw him near the end of the season. He was a Los Angeles Dodger by then, but he was sitting in the dugout trading jokes with teammate Derek Lowe.

He wasn't one-dimensional enough. After a while you really got tired of watching him earn Gold Gloves (18 of them -- nobody has more), lay down perfect sacrifice bunts, or even steal bases. The nerve.

He didn't listen well enough. Colborn said back in 1986: "He's not a strikeout pitcher, and he probably won't ever win 25 or 30 games in the big leagues. But he should have a good big-league career." Maddux, who just had to make Colborn look bad, finished his career ranked 10th all-time in strikeouts.

He wasn't buff enough. Didn't he get the memo about steroids? Sammy Sosa had nose hairs with more muscle tone than Maddux. Maddux had a bit of a paunch. I'm not sure he could bench press a fungo bat.

He wasn't flashy enough. After Maddux won No. 300, reporters asked how he'd celebrate. "I don't know," he said. "I'll do something." What, take the family to Pizza Hut?

He wasn't into legacies enough. He once said he actually valued pitching 200-plus innings per season more than the wins. And if you asked him about the Hall of Fame, you usually wouldn't get much on the subject. But his former teammate Glendon Rusch once told me, "In my opinion, he's a first-ballot, 100-percent-of-the-votes Hall of Famer."

He wasn't unprofessional enough. Maddux probably could have squeezed another season and paycheck out of that 42-year-old right arm of his. Others would have taken the money. But not Mr. Integrity.

Nope. Won't miss him at all.

Until spring training 2009.
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How do you pronounce that writers name ?


A few players have been on the move in the past few days, nothing major though. Vazquez to the Braves, Laird to the Tigers and Greene to the Cards.
 
The New York Mets are reportedly closing in on a three-year deal for free-agent reliever Francisco Rodriguez.

Sports Illustrated, the New York Post and Newsday reported that the team has offered K-Rod a three-year deal. It is a one-year increase over the two years and $24 million the team is said to have initially offered Rodriguez, who broke the major league single-season saves record last season with 62.

Sports Illustrated and Newsday reported that the deal is worth about $37 million. "It's going to get done,'' a person familiar with the talks said, according to SI.com.

Rodriguez's agent, Paul Kinzer, said, "I am more optimistic than I have ever been" about finalizing a deal between K-Rod and the Mets, according to the Post. "We will know more in the next 24 hours, but so far everything has been positive."

FoxSports.com previously had reported that the Mets had offered Rodriguez a third year.

The Mets, whose bullpen was a major culprit in the team's September collapse, are in need of a front-line closer to replace the injured Billy Wagner, who likely will miss all of 2009 following elbow surgery.
Click to expand...
 
Well unless they get a few reliable guys to cover the innings between him and the starters I'd have to agree. There are also plenty of reports about his velocity coming down a bit during the last season. That usually hints at something wrong.

I think Billy Beane has the best approach to closers to be honest, he doesn't believe in spending much on them.
 
LAS VEGAS (AP)—CC Sabathia and the New York Yankees are closing in on a seven-year contract worth about $160 million, a deal that would be a record for a pitcher.

The Yankees and the pitcher’s agents had not yet reached a letter of agreement, a baseball official familiar with the talks said Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because a deal had not yet been finalized. The official said the Yankees were confident an agreement would soon be reached.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman left the winter meetings Tuesday and traveled to the San Francisco area to meet with the pitcher and his wife.
Click to expand...
 
[quote author=LeTallecWiz link=topic=28563.msg747749#msg747749 date=1228923777]
LAS VEGAS (AP)—CC Sabathia and the New York Yankees are closing in on a seven-year contract worth about $160 million, a deal that would be a record for a pitcher.

The Yankees and the pitcher’s agents had not yet reached a letter of agreement, a baseball official familiar with the talks said Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because a deal had not yet been finalized. The official said the Yankees were confident an agreement would soon be reached.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman left the winter meetings Tuesday and traveled to the San Francisco area to meet with the pitcher and his wife.
Click to expand...
[/quote]

ESPN says it's done.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3759182
 
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