Santana

http://www.aarongleeman.com/2008_01_06_baseballblog_archive.html#6855382219820895173


# Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the Mets have offered Deolis Guerra, Carlos Gomez, Kevin Mulvey, and Philip Humber in exchange for Johan Santana, but notes that the Twins have asked for Fernando Martinez to be included in the deal. Martinez is the best that the Mets' farm system has to offer and the 19-year-old outfielder possesses one of the highest ceilings of any prospect in baseball, so getting him added to the proposal is a pretty major stumbling block.

Gomez is a speedy, low-power center fielder who's somewhat similar to Jacoby Ellsbury without being as MLB-ready. Guerra is a 19-year-old right-hander with big-time upside who the Mets signed out of Venezuela for $700,000, while Mulvey and Humber are MLB-ready rotation options who don't project to be stars. Monday in this space I discussed the strength of a Phil Hughes-led offer from the Yankees, but a Mets package that includes Martinez, Guerra, Gomez, and Mulvey would blow that out of the water.

Baseball America ranks Martinez as the Mets' top prospect (and likely one of the top 20 prospects in baseball), with Guerra second, Gomez third, Mulvey fourth, and Humber seventh. In the past the Mets have famously shown a willingness to mortgage the future by dealing top prospects like Scott Kazmir and Lastings Milledge for relatively modest veteran returns, but giving up a potential stud like Martinez while completely gutting a fairly strong system seems highly unlikely.

A Mets offer similar to reported proposals from the Yankees and Red Sox would be something like Martinez, Gomez, and Humber or Martinez, Guerra, and Mulvey. Both of those scenarios include more risk and less short-term value than deals built around Hughes or Ellsbury, which is why the Mets likely remain the Twins' third-best option unless Omar Minaya decides to go crazy. Interestingly, it sounds like the Mariners are close to parting with a very desirable Adam Jones-led package for Erik Bedard.


# Asked earlier this week about Santana, Yankees senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner said that the team isn't interested in going beyond five seasons for a potential post-trade contract extension. Santana has the right to veto any trade and there's little reason for him to accept a five- or six-year commitment when Barry Zito got a seven-year contract, which would seem to significantly lessen the odds of the Yankees acquiring him.

On the other hand, during his brief time in the spotlight George Steinbrenner's eldest son has shown pretty clearly that what he says to the assembled media and what the Yankees do aren't necessarily connected. Last week Steinbrenner told various New York reporters that he's "leaning towards doing" a Santana trade and this week he's saying that the Yankees are "leaning away from" a Santana deal, so it might be time to stop paying any attention whatsoever to his amazingly frequent media briefings.


# Over at The Hardball Times, John Walsh analyzed advanced defensive and base-running numbers to determine which outfielders displayed the most effective arms in 2007. Here's a brief explanation of his methodology:

Using play-by-play data, I consider five different situations when a throw from the outfield is important:

1. Single with runner on first base (second base unoccupied).
2. Double with runner on first base.
3. Single with runner on second base.
4. Fly out with runner on third base, fewer than two outs.
5. Fly out with runner on second base, fewer than two outs (third base unoccupied).

For those plays, I add up how often the runner is thrown out (kill) or how often the runner is "held," i.e. prevented from taking an extra base (hold). A comparison with league average allows me to rate the outfielder's arm.

Most people tend to simply look at assist totals when discussing an outfielder's throwing ability, but Walsh shows why that can be extremely misleading and then does a very nice job explaining how the impact of an outfielder's arm actually goes far beyond that. I'd highly suggest reading the entire article, but in the meantime there were several Twins-related notes of interest. First, Walsh gives his "gold medal for the best right-field arm of 2007" to Michael Cuddyer.

Cuddyer had 15 "kills" and was also above average simply holding runners, which means that teams didn't try to take the extra base on him very often and he still managed to rack up tons of assists. Walsh calculates that Cuddyer saved the Twins about 12 runs with his arm in 2007, which led all MLB right fielders. On offense Cuddyer was only around 10 runs above average while hitting .276/.356/.433, so a huge chunk of his value came from his arm.

Jeff Francoeur was a close second to Cuddyer among right fielders, while Delmon Young ranked third with about nine runs saved. Young now joins Cuddyer in the Twins' outfield, which figures to produce an awful lot of station-to-station baseball from opponents. Jason Kubel had one of the least effective arms among left fielders (former Twins left fielder Shannon Stewart predictably ranked dead last by costing the A's about a dozen runs), so Young represents a major upgrade.

Kubel's poor showing is surprising given his reputation for having a strong arm and it'll surely shock most fans to learn that Torii Hunter had one of the least effective arms among center fielders. Teams ran more on Hunter than the average center fielder and he managed about half as many kills as would have been expected from an average arm. Melky Cabrera had one of the most effective arms among center fielders, so trading Santana to the Yankees would give the Twins an amazing set of arms.

# While reading various non-Minnesota newspapers for my news-gathering gig over at Rotoworld, I stumbled across this scary one-liner within Tracy Ringolsby's column in the Rocky Mountain News:

Left-hander Francisco Liriano, 24, is rehabbing from the reconstructive left elbow surgery he underwent a year ago, and it appears he will not be ready until midseason.

Had the Star Tribune or St. Paul Pioneer Press printed that it would be major cause for concern, but there's little reason to believe that a Colorado-based writer has inside information on Francisco Liriano that dramatically differs from the consistently positive reports on his progress over the past several months. In fact, just last week Official Twins Beat Writer of AG.com LaVelle E. Neal III reported that "everything to this point has gone well" regarding Liriano's comeback from Tommy John surgery.

For Liriano to "not be ready until midseason" would mean that he's far behind schedule for the surgery, which tends to get a pitcher back on the mound about 12 months later. Liriano underwent surgery in November of 2006, which is why he's expected to be fully healthy in time for spring training and why suggesting that he won't be ready to pitch until 20 months after surgery would be worthy of more than a one-line note buried midway through Ringolsby's column if it was based on serious reporting.

Interestingly, unsubstantiated notes like Ringolsby's are exactly the type of thing that newspaper writers love to criticize bloggers for. In fact, if a blogger wrote what Ringolsby did about Liriano and it gained any sort of steam, one of the local beat reporters would no doubt dig further before telling readers that "an internet rumor" had no basis in reality. If Ringolsby has solid information about Liriano being behind schedule, it'd be nice to engage in a little journalism by sharing with the rest of the class.

UPDATE: Sure enough, the following note appears in Charley Walters' Pioneer Press column today:

A rumor that Twins pitcher Francisco Liriano might not be ready until midseason this year isn't true, general manager Bill Smith said Tuesday. Liriano is rehabbing after reconstructive elbow surgery in 2006, which cost him the 2007 season.

"He's healthy and strong, he's throwing bullpens, and he has not had any troubles," Smith said. "He will prepare for spring training as he normally would. He's doing fine; he hasn't had any setbacks."

Walters fact-checking someone's work is like Matthew LeCroy handing out dieting tips, which shows just how clearly off base Ringolsby's "reporting" was. If you're curious, he's a former president of the Baseball Writer's Association of America and has received the BBWAA's highest honor as a J.G. Taylor Spink Award winner, so don't expect any newspaper scribes to be as harsh on him as they would be to a lowly blogger who wrote the exact same thing.


# Jim Callis of Baseball America recently posted the order for June's draft and it has the Twins with three of the first 31 picks due to losing Hunter via free agency. Along with their own pick (No. 14 overall), the Twins get the Angels' pick (No. 27) and a supplementary first rounder (No. 31). History suggests that their unwillingness to bust the budget on bonuses will keep the Twins from taking full advantage of stockpiling the picks, but it's still a great opportunity to pump up the system with impact players

If the Twins aren't going to spend their extra cash they have on hand, which would be quite a lot of Johan is traded, on improving the ML team, the least they could do is be willing to spend on the top talent available in the draft or sign top international talent.
SoCalTwinsfan | 01/10/08 - 1:16 am | #

Gravatar Like SoCal said, with the major league roster down in cost this year, there may be additional hope of some more willingness to spend on prospects in teh draft.
AdamOnFirst | 01/10/08 - 1:50 am | #

Gravatar PS: Here's an important something that's getting igored in the Santana hype. Long term deals, especially for Morneau. Is ANYTHING happening with that? No word anywhere...
AdamOnFirst | 01/10/08 - 1:51 am | #

Gravatar not to be hidden by his exceptional arm, is Cuddyer's weak range which was likely enough to at least reduce those runs saved by half.
Milt on Tilt | 01/10/08 - 2:08 am | #

Gravatar i am liking the mets package more and more every day.
Anonymous | 01/10/08 - 7:25 am | #

Gravatar any chance that the twins will throw in some other major leaguer to make the mets put martinez in the deal?
Anonymous | 01/10/08 - 7:27 am | #

Gravatar Agreed AdamonFirst - I hope they rap up the Santana business as soon as possible so they can start hammering out some extensions. He's not getting any cheaper . . .
Also - maybe the Mets would take Rincon along with Santana in order to get Martinez? I realize it's nowhere near fair, but with Omar Minaya you never know . . .
Christian | 01/10/08 - 8:15 am | #

Gravatar Minaya wasn't with the team when they traded Kazmir. Jim Duquette was the GM.
Adam B. | 01/10/08 - 8:31 am | #

Gravatar Wasn't Steve Phillips the Mets GM who traded Kazmir to Tampa Bay for Victor Zambrano?
CoachFSBR | 01/10/08 - 9:23 am | #

Gravatar I wasn't referring to that trade specifically . . . I think it was Phillips who made that stinker. Minaya did give 4 years/25 million to Luis Castillo, who is a solid player, but not for that long and that much. He unloaded Lastings Milledge for 50 cents on the dollar when his value was at its lowest, and I think he's also the GM who traded Brandon Phillips, Grady Sizemore and Cliff Lee (? - I'm pretty sure it was those three; I'm at work and I can't research it!) for Bartolo Colon, which made some sense at the time but in hindsight is a lot of young cheap talent to give away. The man is not exactly the world's greatest GM.
Christian | 01/10/08 - 9:43 am | #

Gravatar How bad is Cuddyer's range for RFs? By watching him, he looks a little limited, but I don't get enough looks at other RFs to use such an anecdotal assessment. but it seems like there are quite a few RFs that don't exactly tear it up out there in terms of shagging the ball, so where is his real rank?

Speaking of range, anyone have a good feel on Melky Cabrera's? I'm increasingly leaning towards the Yankee offer as being the best one (since it looks increasingly likely that the Sox won't part with Ellsbury & Lester), assuming Cabrera is a legit CF defensively.
Josh | 01/10/08 - 10:04 am | #

Gravatar The common wisdom that sending Santana to the NL would somehow cut down on the chances of him "haunting" us in the years to come strikes me as oddly peculiar. How many times do the Twins play the Yankees/Red Sox per season? Two series for a grand total of six games per team, right? That means, at most, we'd face Santana twice during the regular season if he stays in the AL (versus an average of .33 showdowns per season if he goes to the Mets, assuming we play each NL team once every third year). I'd hardly say that's worth the MSM ink that's being spilled over it.
JS | 01/10/08 - 10:08 am | #

Gravatar Mets Trade: Maybe add in some Rincon veteranship and Fernando Martinez will sail to the Ten Thousand Lakes.
Peter S | 01/10/08 - 10:20 am | #

Gravatar To be fair, the Twins have done a good job of signing draft picks since 2004. To some extent, they have drafted for signability. So if you mean they should just take the best player available regardless of signability and sign him anyway, I'm with you. But if you mean the Twins have not signed their draft picks in the last four drafts, I couldn't disagree more.

The tough thing about evaluating whether they drafted for signability is we don't know how big of an issue it was. Take Revere. It's pretty clear signability played a part in his going in the first round. But it's also clear that he was the guy they wanted more than any other player at that slot. So which was the ulterior motive? I for one applaud drafting a four-star prospect in the first round and signing him to second-round money. Just because they saved money doesn't mean they didn't get the best player.
cmathewson | 01/10/08 - 10:34 am | #

Gravatar If you got around to reading the comments Ringolsby posted on Keith Law's personal blog (www.meadowparty.com) over the whole BBWAA exclusion thing and the controversy surrounding the stacked "16 of 18 or nobody" vote, it's clear that he's also not only ENORMOUSLY indebted to his editor (his comments are written terribly), but also something of a dick. and by something I mean one roughly the size of pakistan.
Pete | 01/10/08 - 11:33 am | #

Gravatar i think the whole thing about not trading johan the yankees or red sox is about evening out the teams. i know we don't face the red sox or yankees that often, but if johan went to the red sox, they would be damn near impossible to beat for a couple years. but if he goes to the mets, the mets will not be as close to unbeatable in a playoff series as the yankees or red sox would. the mets didn't even make the playoffs last year. plus a lot of us just hate the yankees and red sox and would rather send him to a team that we can stand to watch. still it would be nice to have in the nl just for the simple fact that if we had to face him in the playoffs, it wouldn't be until the world series.
Anonymous | 01/10/08 - 12:04 pm | #

Gravatar I also read the interview Ringolsby gave with Rich Lederer, and give him a little more credit. While a disagree with him on somethings (his Tim Raines comments, especially), he's not an idiot. And he, at least seems willing to listen to arguments opposed to his positions and change his mind when presented a compelling alternative. I give him some props for engaging on the issue.

He got some bad info on Liriano, and that's unfortunate.
Josh | 01/10/08 - 1:01 pm | #

Gravatar On sending to AL, maybee not a big deal for the regular season, but playoffs are a completley different story. Someone is going to have to go through NY or BOS, so I would prefer the NL on that reason if the package is right, unless we think we don't have a chance for playoffs anyway.
Dan | 01/10/08 - 2:15 pm | #

Gravatar As far as Cuddyer's range for a RF. The only RF worse in revised zone rating was Jermaine Dye. While his number of out of zone plays wasn't horrible, it wasn't good either.

Melky Cabrera had the 4th best Revised Zone Rating for CFs. His out of zone plays were below average for a CF though.
Miker | 01/10/08 - 2:20 pm | #

Gravatar The couple of times I've seen Cuddyer, he's taken some bad routes and has gotten turned around.

I still think they should put him at second.
Steve Johnson | 01/10/08 - 3:11 pm | #

Gravatar Having read Ringolsby's comments at Baseball Think Factory - where he and Rob Neyer went hammer and tongs - yeah, he seems like pretty much a hoser.
joemn | 01/10/08 - 4:20 pm | #

http://www.metsblog.com/



...posted by Matthew Cerrone...

At his blog, AaronGleeman.com, well-respected writer and Twins fan Aaron Gleeman has the following to say about potentially trading Johan Santana…

“Monday in this space I discussed the strength of a Phil Hughes-led offer from the Yankees, but a Mets package that includes Martinez, Guerra, Gomez, and Mulvey would blow that out of the water.”

Gleeman also writes for The Hardball Times and Rotoworld.com, among other noteworthy websites

…thanks to Peter Wade for the link…

Martinez, Guerra, Gomez, Mulvey and Humber are among the top seven prospects in the Mets farm-system, according to Baseball America, who writes…

“Minaya says Martinez is on the same track as players such as Juan Gonzalez, Ivan Rodriguez and Sammy Sosa, all of whom reached the majors by age 20…His bat ultimately will be his calling card, and the Mets see him as a future 30-homer threat…

“Guerra’s fastball had below-average velocity for most of his first season, but now it ranges from 89-94 mph and touches 96…The Mets have monitored Guerra’s workload carefully, and he has plenty of projection in his big-shouldered frame. His next goal will be to stay healthy and pass the 100-inning level…

“Mulvey throws four pitches for strikes and keeps everything down…His competitiveness makes his whole greater than the sum of his parts…He projects as a No. 3 or 4 starter…

“Humber still has the best curveball in the organization…He’s still refining his command…He now projects as a back-of-the-rotation starter.

http://www.metsblog.com/



...posted by Matthew Cerrone...

In a post to the great Phillies blog Beer Leaguer, Phillies fan Jason Weitzel writes…

“There’s no way to sugarcoat the strong possibility that Santana, the top prize, will be a Met next season, and possibly the next six. He would swing the balance of division power back over to the Mets. Head-to-head, it would be a nightmare. Maybe I’ll take up gardening this summer. Or woodworking. Have a nice day. It’s been real.”

…oh, man, that’s rich…i encourage you to read the reader comments that follow jason’s post…

…i’m getting excited, and i don’t want to be…at least not yet…

Just interested in peoples opinions...here are a few Red Sox questions I wanted to throw out there for discussion:

1. Who will be most improved this year?

I think Dice K will look much better this year like the way Beckett has turned around. He will have a whole season of MLB under his belt and I believe he has the talent that we all thought he did when they signed him.

I heard that Manny has been working out very hard this off season; perhaps he is looking to play the whole year without taking off time to rest his balky knee. Some say he is entering the down side of his career but I think he is capable of putting up his best numbers yet if he stays focused. He wants the Sox to pick up his option and his desire to stay with the Sox seems to be as strong as ever.

Lugo and Drew have to improve and I think they will. Hopefully Drew's personal problems will be behind him and he will become the player we hoped he would and we saw signs of that at the end of the season.Lugo impressed me with his speed, if he can just get on base a little more who knows how many stolen bases he may get.

I read Big Papi's book and that guy works real hard and has a huge heart. It will be interesting to see how he responds to his knee surgery. I think his power numbers will be in between what they were in 06 and 07.

2. Whose numbers will fall?

Can Okajima have the same success that he did in 07? I hope so; I don't think they would have won the division without him last year. He was the key to their great start. I just have no idea what to expect, maybe the league figures him out or maybe he gets even better.

I'm glad they resigned Lowell but can he repeat what he did last year? He doesn't have to, I'm sure he is going to help the Sox for years to come but I don't expect to see another year like 08 from him.

Shilling isn't getting any younger; he will benefit from the extra starters it appears the Sox will have. They just need to rest him when he needs it and get him to the play offs. There is no substitution for experience and guts when it comes to the post season and now the Sox are loaded with it.

I don't think Varitek is over the hill yet. He may have his best years behind him but I expect pretty much the same from him in 08 as in 07. I still wouldn't want anyone else behind the plate and I bet most Red Sox pitchers would agree. I do expect the Sox will pick up another catcher and rest Big V more often.

3. Who is most likely to win an Award?

It’s obvious that Beckett will win a Cy Young if he has a season like last year. If he gets 20 wins I don't care how many innings someone else pitches, every one now knows who the best pitcher in Baseball is.

I think Pedroia could go after a batting title as well as a Golden Glove.

If elsbury is still on the team, he is already the leading candidate for rookie of the year.

If Big Papi puts up another Monster season he could finally get an MVP. Manny is capable of it too. Maybe Lowell continues to surprise us.

Thanks to anyone who took the time to read and respond to my babbling message but Spring Training is 6 weeks away and I can't wait!!

http://boards.boston.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?tsn=1&nav=display&webtag=bc-redsox&tid=42768

Josh Beckett
-At 27, Josh is just starting to enter his prime. Although seeing another 20 win season might seem far fetched, I will be calling one. He will only improve, hitters have already seen his stuff in year two, their is nothing new to learn on their end.
W-L ERA
20-7 3.37

Daisuke Matsuzaka
-Second time around, could it be a Beckett year 2? Probably not, but I expect great things from this pitcher.
W-L ERA
17-11 3.95

Jon Lester
-He proved the big game stuff in the WS, now he needs to prove a full season. Still has command issues, hopefully a full season will clear that up.
W-L ERA
14-9 4.03

Curt Schilling
-Will he stay healthy, that is the big question mark. Personally, I think he will...why? Because hes a bastard and wants his pay day. That's fine because it works for us. I expect 28 starts from him.
W-L ERA
14-10 3.99

Tim Wakefield
-Love the guy, but really don't want him on the team anymore. I am not a hater, but I didn't like him last year either. For the price though, hes a bargain (I will admit), plus I think his time will be numbered having Clay up by July.
W-L ERA
8-6 5.12

Clay Buchholz
-Everyone wants to see this kid pitch, and we all know deep down we thought "why the hell are they signing Schilling and Wakefield again, I want to see Clay". However, we also know that it was the right decision to sign both of them. I have no concern that he will be with us come July, and will pitch his way into the play-offs (pending we make it)
W-L ERA
9-4 3.92

Hideki Okajima
-Will he be as glamorous as last year? Probably not, but I love this guy. When we signed him I was happy, and I was glad it turned out great. Expect solid setup numbers, but probably not as crazy as last year
ERA
3.10

Jonathan Papelbon
-Another lights out year. Do I still wish he was in the rotation? Kind of, but I definitely see how important a solid closer is now.
ERA SV
2.32 37

Jacoby Ellsbury
-My projections for him are going to be a little different from a lot of others, but nothing crazy. He is born to be a lead off hitter, and proved the big stage doesn't scare him.
AVG OBP R RBI HR S
.311 .381 102 38 9 35

Dustin Pedroia
-We will see a bit of a drop off, but this kid is the real deal. He is so scrappy he makes things happen, plus he was playing with a broken wrist. Image his numbers without the horrendous start last year.
AVG OBP R RBI HR S
.306 .377 81 58 10 4

David Ortiz
-Fully rested, fully healed, I think we will see his best year ever with the Sox. He taught himself hitting last year, to a whole new level, and I think the power numbers will be back
AVG OBP R RBI HR S
.307 .434 111 124 42 2

Manny Ramirez
-Manny is Manny. What does that mean this year for us? Probably better production than last year considering his contract is riding on this one. He is still one of the best hitters in baseball, and although it seems like he strikes out every time in the needed 8th or 9th inning, the play-offs completely dispelled that.
AVG OBP R RBI HR S
.301 .411 104 112 33 0

Mike Lowell
-His numbers will probably drop, but not to what a lot of people expect. He has learned Fenway and is very happy playing here.
AVG OBP R RBI HR S
.299 .370 72 101 17 1

J.D. Drew
-Did he come to life last October? I hope so. I do expect $14.4m numbers, but definitely better than what he gave us last year. He is also going to be the centerpiece of the teams growth because of this.
AVG OBP R RBI HR S
.287 .401 80 93 21 9

Kevin Youkilis
-By now he has to know he is not a full time player (at the capacity he runs at all year (about 275%)). Maybe he will take this into account. I don't expect different numbers, but I expect it to be more steady, helping us more in the late months.
AVG OBP R RBI HR S
.291 .387 81 76 17 3

Jason Varitek
-Thankfully he is the best game caller in the game. If not, I don't think I could deal with him at the plate another year. I believe his numbers will fall coming up, but he is still worth his weight because of his defensive game calling.
AVG OBP R RBI HR S
.243 .351 51 59 13 0

Julio Lugo
-Same applies with Lugo as it did with Drew. We are not going to see another terrible offensive year from him, I just can't see it. Don't expect miracles, but expect a better line.
AVG OBP R RBI HR S
.271 .318 64 68 9 26

Injuries and more with plague the usual, hopefully nothing more. I expect to see Kotteras, although we just resigned Doug. I think they will give Kotteras an unfortunate 15 games to see if he can ever play for us and that it. Hopefully he shines, because I don't like the coming options. Wakefield will be off and on, again for the better allowing Clay to come up and hopefully play well again.

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?name=olney_buster

Some baseball executives wonder if federal investigators will uncover trainers and batboys in other cities, in Los Angeles or Kansas City or Boston or Texas or some other place. "You have to figure that there was a Kirk Radomski in just about every clubhouse," a GM said the other day. "It wasn't only in New York."

But so far, the fallout from the Mitchell report is generally confined to New York, where Radomski and Brian McNamee mostly worked. Some friends who are Yankees fans have believed all along in the conspiracy theory that New York got the most scrutiny because George Mitchell is on the board of directors of the Red Sox.

That's way too Oliver Stone-ish for me. Mitchell's investigators didn't dig up McNamee and Radomski -- it was the feds who did that -- and beyond that, I just can't see Mitchell sitting in his office plotting to make life miserable for the Yankees.

But the reality is that the Yankees are going to be knee-deep in this mess for months, and it could be an enormous distraction. Their No. 2 starter -- someone who was already on the fence about possibly retiring -- is going to spend a lot of the time usually reserved for preparation talking with lawyers. Assuming that Roger Clemens' defamation suit against McNamee goes forward, it figures that depositions will be taken from some executives and players of the Yankees, including Andy Pettitte. And as the revelations leak out from those depositions, inevitably, the Yankees will be caught in the wake of the headlines. It figures to be a long and ugly summer of steroid talk in New York, and much less so in Boston.

The stakes just keep going up for McNamee, Clemens and Pettitte, with word that the congressional hearing scheduled for Jan. 16 has been postponed so that more information can be gathered, much of it in the form of depositions. There is no turning back now.

actually, this was my favorite post

Quote:
Posted by: GM-Carson | Thursday, January 10, 2008 at 02:09 PM

Not only is Santana an amazing pitcher, he is an amazing LEFT-HANDED pitcher. Sit down Mr. Howard, Mr. Utley, goodbye J-Roll's power from the left side of the plate, looks like we rely on Helms instead of Dobbs against him (yikes!), thus leaving our only hope as none other then the Met killer himself, Pat Burrell!


http://www.beerleaguer.com/beerleaguer/2008/01/abridged-metsbl.html


I love this one. From the same guy:


"It is a great point about the aces resigning with their current clubs recently.

For the METS it would probably leave their farm system in similar shape as the Phillies plus adding Santana.

Time to shoot up Chad Durbin with some B-12 and Lidocaine."

1. Buddy Biancalana January 10th, 2008 at 5:49 pm

Pujols would solve the 1B issue, how about Hughes, Melky, etc…
2. Bronx Liaison January 10th, 2008 at 5:56 pm

Very funny Buddy.

Tex in 2009 for 1st Base!

And come on Pete, Phelps is HOF bound, didn’t you know that?

We all knew the Phelps post would come, hehe.
3. Mark L. January 10th, 2008 at 5:57 pm

Aww, you couldn’t resist could you
Phelps has a very good bat, it is just a shame that he has such poor defensive versatility.
4. Jake January 10th, 2008 at 5:57 pm

Pete,

I don’t think any of us thought he was the “answer” at first base, but it was a cheap risk worth taking. Didn’t pan out and we moved on.
5. raymagnetic January 10th, 2008 at 5:59 pm

Joe Torre is notorious for not giving players a chance to play. The first base issue would have been resolved if Carlos Pena had been given a shot in 2006. Pena credits Kevin Long for helping him out with his swing as well, but oh I digress…..
6. Doreen January 10th, 2008 at 6:01 pm

Pete,

Thanks for the Letterman clip. Gossage seemed to be having a great time! He looked pretty good, too.
7. S.o.S.27 January 10th, 2008 at 6:04 pm

(naustrodamus)hmmm
January 10th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
“Josh Phelps just signed a minor league deal with the Cards.”

Pete posts a sarcastic comment about Phelps in 3…2….1….

Man Pete, you are starting to get a little too predictable.

This just in Hank offers Melky and Nieves for Pujols, Cards have till midnight to respond. If they get back in the next half an hour, we’ll throw in Pavano.
8. Jim PA January 10th, 2008 at 6:04 pm

Hey, somebody in the last thread said Pete was going to weigh in soon with a sarcastic joke about Phelps. Good job!
9. Rebecca--Optimist Prime--Save the Three Musketeers! January 10th, 2008 at 6:06 pm

Okay, guys, I have to say this:

We went the entire last thread without mentioning Clemens, McNamee or Mitchell once!

Well done! I am incredibly impressed!

Now, to get back on topic:

I wish Josh Phelps all the best! I wasn’t Stateside when he was playing with the Yanks much, but I’m glad he’s landed on his feet.

Glad to see Cairo, Phelps and Clippard find a soft landing.
10. i miss bernie January 10th, 2008 at 6:07 pm

rebecca…. and andy phillips
11. S.o.S.27 January 10th, 2008 at 6:08 pm

raymagnetic
January 10th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Joe Torre is notorious for not giving players a chance to play. The first base issue would have been resolved if Carlos Pena had been given a shot in 2006. Pena credits Kevin Long for helping him out with his swing as well, but oh I digress…..

I totally agree with you in Torre. If Phelps would have had more playing time,maybe he would have still been here.

As far as Pena is concerned, who would of thought he would blow up like he did? If i can recall he was batting like 250 in the minors. Cant blame the Yanks on that one.
12. GMAN January 10th, 2008 at 6:08 pm

Goose was Great with the Yanks!
He’d come in with the big Big Fu Man Chu…
Warm up…throwing hi 90’s…then the final warm-up pitch was chin high wild in the batters’ box…as the hitter looked on from the batting circle.

Rizzuto would generally pronounce the game over..in ways only the Scooter could…

It was a great time to be a Yankee Fan!
13. mel January 10th, 2008 at 6:10 pm

Rebecca,

Don’t forget Matty DeSalvo.
14. Rebecca--Optimist Prime--Save the Three Musketeers! January 10th, 2008 at 6:13 pm

i miss bernie and mel:

You guys are totally right! I am such a horrible fan for forgetting, my apologies!
15. i miss bernie January 10th, 2008 at 6:14 pm

GMan
i love torre, but i was really wishing we could bring billy back from his repose for like one week last May.
pull someone off the field for misplaying a ball, throw a few bats, pin someone up against a locker, punch out a reporter (not pete though) i just always felt like there was nobody there to shake things up, which is what i thought they needed.
16. Rebecca--Optimist Prime--Save the Three Musketeers! January 10th, 2008 at 6:15 pm

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/01/10/edmund.hillary.ap/index.html

Sir Edmund Hillary, first guy to climb Everest, has died. RIP.
17. mel January 10th, 2008 at 6:16 pm

RIP, Sir Edmud Hillary…
18. mel January 10th, 2008 at 6:16 pm

Uhh, that would by Sir Edmund Hillary.

http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2008/01/10/yankees-sign-of-lane/

Brian Cashman said on YES tonight that the Yankees have signed Jason Lane to a minor-league deal.

A right-handed bat, Lane can play all three OF spots and a little first base. He’s 31 and coming off two hideous seasons. He did hit 26 homers in 2005.

1. Spyder January 10th, 2008 at 8:04 pm

God what a find, two hideous seasons and we sign him while other teams sign frontline players
2. Irabu's Son January 10th, 2008 at 8:08 pm

Two hideous seasons?

Steroid testing at it’s best?
3. mike eff January 10th, 2008 at 8:10 pm

what a waste.
was there any reason given for the contract?
4. Peter Abraham January 10th, 2008 at 8:12 pm

You guys are such cranks. He was signed to a minor-league deal. What “front-line” players would you like the Yankees to sign? They have every position filled.
5. Blargh January 10th, 2008 at 8:15 pm

What’s so wasteful about a minor-league contract?
6. Boston Dave January 10th, 2008 at 8:15 pm

Pete,

No harm with the minor league deal but i would have rather seen them sign an infielder like Marcus Giles (he signed a minor league deal as well). But I’m certainly fine with signing a guy like Lane to a no risk deal… they used guys like Kevin Thompson… and may need a guy like Lane for short periods (though hopefully not)
7. Jennifer - Save Phil Hughes! January 10th, 2008 at 8:16 pm

All he is, is a cheap insurance policy.
8. Boston Dave January 10th, 2008 at 8:17 pm

I think I even had Lane on a fantasy team for a little while a few years ago - and won my league Thanks Jason!
9. Drew January 10th, 2008 at 8:18 pm

You can’t have enough Andy Phillips type players.
10. Jennifer - Save Phil Hughes! January 10th, 2008 at 8:18 pm

We should have a pete abe fantasy baseball team. I need to get out of my league, I just can’t win in it.
11. Rebecca--Optimist Prime--Save the Three Musketeers! January 10th, 2008 at 8:18 pm

No harm with the minor league deal. Yanks are stacked in the OF positions if everyone stays healthy.
12. Boston Dave January 10th, 2008 at 8:21 pm

Jennifer -

start it up. you can count me in.
13. i miss bernie January 10th, 2008 at 8:21 pm

hate to sound like a broken record, but every time 1B comes up i cant believe they let andy phillips go. he was the most known quantity there, steady but unspectacular, fine defense, now we have a gimp (giambi) and two guys who may really hurt them (bettamit and duncan). cant say i trust any of the 3. i hope cash has something better in the works.
14. Rebecca--Optimist Prime--Save the Three Musketeers! January 10th, 2008 at 8:21 pm

jennifer: That’s a great idea! When it comes around in March we should set one up!

I call Mo Rivera! :-D
15. J-Dawg January 10th, 2008 at 8:21 pm

Lane is a cheap option and maybe, just maybe, he can show enough in Spring Training to make the team and be a key reserve at one of the outfield positions or he could see some time at first base. The opportunity to be on the Yankee roster probably will serve as terrific motivation for Lane. Maybe it will inspire him to regain his ‘05 form. Let’s just see how everything plays out.
16. Phil January 10th, 2008 at 8:23 pm

Insurance signing to add depth to AAA.
17. Boston Dave January 10th, 2008 at 8:24 pm

i miss bernie -

i could be wrong but didnt they get stuck and have to let andy go? did they need to free up space on the 40man? I thought their hand was forced somewhat
18. the todd January 10th, 2008 at 8:26 pm

its a good minor league signing, they lost alot of veterans on their AAA team, he will be good insurance. nothing more nothing less.
19. Boston Dave January 10th, 2008 at 8:27 pm

FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal believes Mike Cameron could soon sign with the Yankees or Brewers.

I really like a 1yr Cameron signing IF they trade Melky
20. i miss bernie January 10th, 2008 at 8:27 pm

i understand roster spots were tight, but given the choice i would have release bruney
21. Boston Dave January 10th, 2008 at 8:28 pm

Rosenthal seems to believe that Cabrera could go to Cubs, Reds, Braves, Royals or Pirates in return for prospects.
22. Boston Dave January 10th, 2008 at 8:29 pm

i miss bernie -

no argument there, except that they had 1b covered and their bullpen was much more of a question mark (not that bruney made a case in the 2nd half of the season to stay - but he does throw hard)
23. Boston Dave January 10th, 2008 at 8:30 pm

Yanks looking at Cameron?

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7659616
24. Alan January 10th, 2008 at 8:30 pm

Rosenthal, who might or might know that about which he’s talking, says the Yanks are after Mike Cameron. [source] He misses the first 25 games because of his drug abuse, but then Rosenthal talks about Cameron in center and Johnny in left. Melky’s then as good as gone, though I suppose we hang on to Matsui to DH when Giambi inevitably gets hurt.
25. i miss bernie January 10th, 2008 at 8:30 pm

cameron, that could be negotiating in anticipation of moving melky (to Minn.?)
26. i miss bernie January 10th, 2008 at 8:33 pm

bd,
i know but i saw phillips as being worth more than ‘a body’ in the bullpen, even if he throws hard. farnsworth throws hard, proctor threw hard, and together with bruney, they made up a completly unreliable bullpen last year.
27. Jim PA January 10th, 2008 at 8:36 pm

It sounded like a good cheap insurance signing, how did we get to dumping Melky and picking up Bad Boy Cameron?
28. jay destro January 10th, 2008 at 8:36 pm

a minor league contract for an extra bat and defense? sounds good to me. low cost, low risk, gives lane a chance to up his value before he hits mid 30s and sticks around in AAA for the rest of his career.

giambi cannot play half the year at 1b, shelley duncan is a question mark. never hurts to have extra help for low cost.
29. Doreen January 10th, 2008 at 8:43 pm

hearing the Melky Cabrera could be replaced by Cameron is not good news to me. I had really counted on if there was no Santana deal, then I didn’t have to think about Melky being gone. I know he’s not an all-star, but I like him. It’s nice to have happy positive energy on a team. Cameron misses time for the drugs, plus, isn’t he injury prone? I sure hope this is just another unfounded, which Yankee outfielder can we ship out this week kind of rumor.
30. Drive 4-5 January 10th, 2008 at 8:43 pm

I think the first base situation will work itself out. The bullpen, on the other hand is a real problem.

On the Yankee’s Hot Stove show tonight Cashman named Kyle Farnsworth as the first 8th inning option. Unless 3 or 4 pitchers emerge, the Yanks could have as bad a bullpen as any contending team in the American League.

As the bullpen is currently constructed,there is no one that either get lefties out on a consistent basis (or anyone else for that matter) or set up for Mariano.

Speaking of the Yanks Hot Stove Show,they need to find someone else besides George King. When you’re on television, you need to project. He was a fish out of water and was saved by Jack Curry numerous times.
31. i miss bernie January 10th, 2008 at 8:47 pm

i cant see them signing cameron unless melky is being moved as part of a larger trade, not just trading melky for prospects.
32. Jennifer - Save Phil Hughes! January 10th, 2008 at 8:47 pm

Rebecca that isn’t how it works. Good try though. I always lose becuase I draft low. Even in fantasy football.
33. Matt January 10th, 2008 at 8:48 pm

Drive 4-5 :

Yeah, George King is as interesting as a mashed potato sandwich. I had hoped that either he or Curry would ask Brian Cashman about the lefthander situation in the bullpen. No such luck.
34. Phil January 10th, 2008 at 8:48 pm

“When you’re on television, you need to project.”

When you are on stage, you need to project…not when you are on television.

When you’re on television, you just shouldn’t be dull. (and even that doesn’t guarantee you won’t be on TV - see Carson Daly)
35. Jennifer - Save Phil Hughes! January 10th, 2008 at 8:50 pm

How many teams should I make it? And what site? I’ve always participated in Yahoo.
36. Yankee Trader January 10th, 2008 at 8:50 pm

Sign Cameron for 2 years.
Trade Cabrera and prospects to the Pirates for Damaso Marte and Ian Snell.
Is this feasible?
Hope Santana goes to the Mets or stays with the Twins.
37. Clay Bellinger January 10th, 2008 at 8:51 pm

I would be interested in the Fantasy league if you will have me.
38. Jennifer - Save Phil Hughes! January 10th, 2008 at 8:53 pm

I just have to figure out how this will work. Do I post a link to it? I don’t know. Help anyone?!

http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2008/01/10/rosenthal-yankees-also-interested-in-cameron/

It’s not just the Brewers that are taking a close look at Mike Cameron. Add the New York Yankees to the Cameron chase, according to Ken Rosenthal.

Rosenthal reports that the Yankees could sign Cameron even if current centerfielder Melky Cabrera is not dealt for Johan Santana. A deal would probably be for two years, to give time for top outfield prospect Austin Jackson to develop.

Rosenthal goes on to say that if Cameron is signed, the Yankees could just trade Cabrera outright for prospects. The Cubs, Reds, Braves, Royals and Pirates are named as possible trade partners for Cabrera.

Cameron, of course, will need to serve out a 25 game suspension for cheating to start the year. In New York, Damon would play centerfield during that time and then shift to left field when Cameron comes back. Hideki Matsui would spend most of his time as the team’s DH.