The season is over and let the bidding begin

[senile1]

I'm not even bothered by Girardi having more votes than La Russa.  I just couldn't believe he didn't get any votes at all.  Oh well, it is just an award.  He did get the series and has now won with teams from both the National and American Leagues.  

[nboucher]

Just found this thread--I was off brushing up on my Japanese. (Muddy, you know what I'm talking about.)

The LaRussa thing may not have been so much a slight of the Cardinals as a slap at the Marlins owner.

I wish the Yankees would do a Red Sox fan a favor and trade A-Rod.

[RiskKid.]

NO FAVORS FOR RED SOX FANS!!!!  ;D ;D Except maybe a fishing favor or two........

[bassmasta7]

It sounds like my favorite player is going to go to my least favorite team. That's right, JD Drew is supposed to be very close to a deal with the sox. Apparently 11 million a year wasnt paying the bills, so he dumps his contract with the dodgers and becomes a free agent. Usually I would care about the Cards getting snubbed on all the awards but this year for some reason I dont really care.

WORLD CHAMPS!!!!

[nboucher]

Bassmasta, some of the New England reporters are writing that Drew is a lousy teammate, nicknamed Nancy Drew. The rap is that he won't play hurt, etc.

True?

[RiskKid.]

Bassmasta, some of the New England reporters are writing that Drew is a lousy teammate, nicknamed Nancy Drew. The rap is that he won't play hurt, etc.

True?

COOL!!!! He'll make a great addition to the Bosox  

Sorry NB.....just can't help myself!

[bassmasta7]

Bassmasta, some of the New England reporters are writing that Drew is a lousy teammate, nicknamed Nancy Drew. The rap is that he won't play hurt, etc.

True?

Yup, all true. I became attached when i saw him in a minor league game in memphis and has been my favorite player ever since. I dont know about a lousy teammate but he obviously is very greedy. He left his hometown in atlanta where he had a career year to go to LA for $2million more per year. Then he had a weird contract where after two years he could void the rest of his 5yr contract and become a free agent. Led by Scott Boras, he opted out because of the high demand for sluggers. His contract with LA was 5yr $55 million. I've heard that the teams that were interested were amazed at how much the sox were willing to pay for him. He has had only 2 completely healthy years in his career and his career high for games is 146. Off the field he is supposed to be a good, southern, christian man but I dont know how he is in the clubhouse. In Tony LaRussa's book, he said that JD was one of the most naturally talented players he has ever seen but off the field he doesnt work hard. Not much time in the weight room and practicing. I think that is the difference between him becoming one of the elite Albert Pujols/Ryan Howard type players in the league. I mean he will be great for the Sox if he can stay healthy. He has great power, hits for avg, is good defensively, and has surprising speed but it's 50/50 on staying healthy. He could be another overpaid player for the sox.

I heard the sox only want to pay matsuzaki (or however you spell it) $8million a year but Boras wants more like $15 million a year. Apparently the sox spent to much money just trying to talk to him. I mean c'mon only 8 million a year for a guy that you paid $51 million to talk to.

[Valascus]

Not only does Boras want 15 mil a year, he wants Matsuzuka to be able to become a free agent after only three years. That is a load of bull. Let's get this straight right now. I don't care how good this kid is, he is still a rookie in the MLB. Every other player had to take their lumps on a "crappy" 5 year or 6 year deal before being able to become a free agent and really cash in. He should too. Boras is just seeing the potential for $$$$ and trying to take advantage.

As far as awards go, yup...Pujols got burnt, Jeter got burnt, and quite frankly, so did Trevor Hoffman. Not everyday that a relief pitcher SETS A NEW ALL TIME SAVES RECORD. Jeter and Pujols both carried injury riddled teams on their back to the playoffs, Jeter more so than Pujols, but if Pujols doesn't miss those 19 when he was RED HOT he probably has pretty darn close to the same numbers as Howard. Not only that he plays Gold Glove caliber D.

Don't get too far ahead of yourself their Muddy  . The NL Central isn't going to be as big a dogfight as you may think. The Cards are working on resigning either Jeff Weaver, who will be much better with more time with Dave Duncan under his belt, or Jeff Suppan. They are also targeting mid tier pitching such as Gil Meche and Ted Lilly who are both on the verge of breakout seasons if they come across the right coaching staff to give them that little push in the right direction. That would give us Carp, Meche, Lilly, Weaver, and Reyes as our starting rotation. That is not a slouch rotation if the Cards do what they need to do.

The Cubs may be loading up offensively, but their pitching is STILL very very much suspect. Yay...another year of Kerry Wood struggling to return to form, Mark Prior injuries, and Carlos Zambrano trying to carry the staff on his suspect back. Their bullpen is bad outside of Howry and Eyre. They are a suspect team defensively as well. Aramis Reamirez is not a very polished defensive player and has had some injury issues in the past. Don't get me started on Soriano's D and his "me me me me me" attitude which WILL NOT sit well with Sweet Lou. The Cubs mat be spending the cash, but it seems to me that they are spending it in the wrong places.

The 'Stros haven't done much...they WILL lose Clemens. Pettitte may not be back either...and even if he is, he isn't nearly the pitcher he used to be. They have signed Woody Williams who is not an adequate replacement for either of those pitchers especially if the 'Stros still struggle offensively. If the 'Stros lose both those pitchers then that leaves them with Oswalt, Williams, Backe, Rodriguez,and Bucholz...not the most imposing of rotations with a crappy offense. Imean, if Roger Clemens can't win their how are those guys gonna? Carlos Lee will not solve any offensive problems. He has yet to hit more than 40 dingers, doesn't bat for good average, doesn't take enough walks, and has a bad OBP. On top of that he plays horrible defense at ANY position. Stack this on top of the fact that the 'Stros could quietly trade Morgan Ensberg if any of the rumors I have seen are true, and the 'Stros offense doesn't look any better to me.

The Cards are by no means going to be "handed" the division, but as long as the brass makes the right moves, they can still win it comfortably by 5 games.

[bassmasta7]

If i were weaver and Mulder, I would sign cheap one year deals to show everyone what they can do for a year and then get their money outside of STL. Ted Lilly could be great. I dont know about Gill Meche though. Also, Wainwright could be a starter. Originally, he was going to be a starter in 07 with Reyes but it depends on how things play out. Get rid of izzy! Wainwright could be a long term closer. You could trade Izzy to get a decent RP. Val, you are right about the cubs and stros but Carlos lee could easily break 40hr this year with that short porch in left. Kerry Wood is going to be a releiver this year they have already determined. Carlos Zambrano, Prior, and Clement, if healthy could lead this team to the playoffs. I do not expect a year like last year if those 3 are healthy.

Hey guys, fantasy baseball anyone??

[nboucher]

Things should start heating up soon. ESPN has a report on its Web site tonight that the Red Sox could trade Manny Ramirez by Saturday. If trueand that's a big ifthis is bad news for David Ortiz. Without Manny hitting behind him, he'll become the Barry Bonds of the AL with a couple hundred walks. I am as sick as anyone in Boston of Manny's left-field bloopers and suspicious injuries, but, man, that guy puts up numbers year after year that are phenomenal. Makes you wonder what those numbers would be if he played all out every day!

As for Matsuzaka, it's not really fair to compare him to other rookie pitchers. The guy is 26, has pitched 1,400 innings over 8 years in Japan, has a career ERA under 3, and was the World Baseball Classic MVP. True, he has no idea what he'd be getting into by pitching in Boston, but neither did Matsui know what it would be like to be a Yankee (yes, riskkid, he's fit in there just fine). (Ichiro's been great in Seattle, but the pressure's nothing like playing in NYC & Boston.) I think the Red Sox will pay what it takes. The deal breaker would be the length of contract. Any way you look at it, it's a gamble, but given the rest of free agent pitchers on the market this year, no one approaches his upside.

Every year, including 2006, proves the same thing: to win in the postseason you need pitching, pitching, and more pitching. Even the Yankees' fearsome and pricey lineup (are you taking note, riskkid?) couldn't disprove that maxim. It's what got Detroit as far as it got, and in 2004 it's what made the difference for the Red Sox (that and one timely stolen base by Dave Roberts, who will never have to pay for another meal in Boston for the rest of his life).

[Valascus]

I am game for some Fantasy Baseball. Better bring your A game...I'm pretty good at it.   Do you play salary cap based games or rotisserie style play? I am up for either, as long as it's free.

And as far as Carlos Lee goes with 40 bombs...he couldn't hit 40 playing for the Rangers. They have one of the BEST hitters parks in the entire League. Arlington literally eats almost ANY pitcher for breakfast.

Unfortunately, we are stuck with Izzy for now. Trading him would be tough with that arthritic hip and he is owed more than any team would probably be willing to gamble on him for a shortened season. I don't think we need RP. We have quite a few young relievers that have proved themselves in the biggest pressure situations. Don't we still have the other Reyes...Alan Reyes I believe? If so, he is due back this year as well as Ricardo Rincon. We have plenty of relievers. I kinda wished the Cards would have gone after Dave Roberts. He swings a decent bat with a little pop, and would have better power numbers outside of Petco. He is a threat on the basepaths with some good speed. Plays good D too. Unfortunately I believe he is San Fran bound. I hope the Cards target either Mark Loretta or Adam Kennedy to play second for us. Kennedy is a better fit having come up through the Cards farm system and would probably be cheaper than Loretta. Gil Meche has some nasty stuff. He suffers from some mechanical problems. So did Weaver...look what Dunc did with him.

[Guest the_muddy_man]

Hey Vasl good points abvout the NL CENTRAL, but you gotta worry about those Cubbies. They are the one team I would love to see finally make a WS, before I die Unless they have to beat my Mets out of it that is

 As far as the fantasy thing goes, I will leave it for Sandra Bullock

[bassmasta7]

Definitely needs to be free. I have become obsessed with fantasy football lately and i have only played the salary cap one for baseball. I would like to try and find one with a draft and head to head. Which kind do you like best Val and what website is it on.

[Valascus]

My two favs are through Yahoo! Sports for the rotisserie style of play and Sporting News for the salary cap style of play. The Yahoo! one allows for a draft and points can be set up based on certain player stats. Both are free.

[bassmasta7]

Yeah the Yahoo one sounds like the one I want. That will be fun once march comes around. I'm already ready for march, fantasy baseball and the spawn. wooooooo!!!!!!!!!!

[Daniel My Brother]

The Cubs may be loading up offensively, but their pitching is STILL very very much suspect.

Good point Valascus. Zambrano is a legitimate #1 starter, but that's all the cubbies really have right now. I think the NL Central will be wide open, you could make a case for any of the six teams to win it in 07.

Houston scares more WITHOUT Clemens. I think he was bad for clubhouse morale. Didn't sign 'til mid season & didn't travel with the team. You can't have a different set of rules for one player. I don't think any players purposely tanked on days that he pitched, but it would be hard to get motivated to back up a diva like Clemens, and his run support reflected that. Houston closed the gap to a 1/2 game with one to play, how good would they have been if Clemens had been around all season? Maybe they'd be the ones celebrating.

(or maybe Clemens was serving a super-secret 50 game steroid suspension...any conspiracy theorists out there?)

[Guest the_muddy_man]

MAYBE HE DIDNT WANT TO BE TESTED UNTIL HIS SYSTEM WAS SUBSTANCE FREE

[Valascus]

There are a lot of peeps I think that suspect Roger Clemens is on something. He is going to be 44, is in great shape for being 44, he is the BIGGEST in size that I have ever seen him, and he seems to bounce back awful fast for a 44 year old from injury. Something doesn't smell right, I am not saying he is using for sure, but it looks fishy. I don't know if he has been tested recently or not, but even if he has and something came up, I am not so sure MLB would do anything publicly about it. I don't think they can afford another big name player who is perceived as a Golden Boy in the sport and one of the all time greats in the sport to be involved in a banned substance scandal.

[bassmasta7]

Walt Jocketty just called me and said that they signed Adam Kennedy.

[Valascus]

Ding!! Glad that happened. He'll be a good fit and has already worked with David Eckstein while they played together in Anaheim. One key piece down. Ted Lilly and Gil Meche left to get...and resigning either Weaver or Suppan. Those things happen I smell another NL Central Championship.

You must have some pretty good connections to get a call from Walt. Tell him to tell Dewitt to up payroll a bit.

[Valascus]

Well whaddaya know...Walt just called me too. Told me the same thing, but also told me the Cards signed Kip Wells, Eli Marrero to a minor league contract, and resigned Gary Bennett.

I told him that I could see Marrero and Kennedy...but wasn't so sure on Wells. I told him hopefully he sees something I am missing.

[bassmasta7]

Oh good, he took my advice on Wells. I told him he could be very good with Dave Duncan. Back when he was with the Pirates, we saw a lot of him. I liked what I saw and he didnt get much offensive support so his record isnt very good. Last year, he spent the year in Arlington, as you guys know that is a hitter's park. Now let's see if he can fill one of those final holes with another ace like Weaver.

[Daniel My Brother]

I like the Wells signing. Better career ERA than Suppan, and that should only get lower with the Cardinals defense behind him and Dave Duncan coaching. Good fastball (can hit 96)...nice guy to have on the back end of the rotation.

I think Adam Kennedy will be a servicable 2nd baseman, though his numbers against leftys have not been good.

Actual baseball talk!!!! This is so much better than talking about steroids!

Go Cards!

[Valascus]

He may be better statistically than Sup, but I'll take Sup ANYDAY in high pressure situations. Sup is just a ROCK when it comes to the playoffs or against big name pitchers...they don't call him the Giant Slayer for nothing. Kip Wells has never even gotten a WHIFF of the playoffs...let alone a high pressure situation. I agree that Duncan can probably hone him into a good pitching weapon, but he can't give him the stomach for the playoffs. But that is true...I have sen Dunc do more with less.

[Valascus]

A little bird just told me the Cardinals are "very interested" and "hotly pursuing" Luis Gonzalez to play left field for them next season. He will be 40 years old in '07 and I can't see the Cardinals offering him more than a 1 year deal...2 at best.

Now...that being said, I don't think Gonzo is done and has at least one solid year left in him at least. I think he is a .280, 20 HR, 90 RBI kinda guy, which is better production than the Cards got platooning a buncha folks. He also hits a TON of doubles. As long as he can stay healthy...even at his age he is a decent upgrade over the Taguchi, Duncan, Rodriguez, etc., etc, platoon the Cards marched out last season.

Hey...if they get him...do you know what that means...GASP!!! The Cards will have regular day to day players at EVERY position. Wooooooooooooow!

Another significant baseball happening was for the Yanks. They won the rights to bid on Kei Igawa. This is significant, because it significantly lessens their interest in Ted Lilly...which means the Cardinals can pursue him. The Cubs are also apparently interested in Lilly...meaning if they are still in spending mode they may try to toss him another over inflated contract like they have every other player they have signed so far. Then again, the Cubs may have emptied the coffers on Ramirez, Soriano, and Mark DeRosa leaving the Cardinals, who have spent very little, to swoop in and gank the all important pitching from their grasp.