The season is over and let the bidding begin

[bassmasta7]

I think the cards could definitely put together an offer for Crawford. I would be willing to give up Wainwright for him. Someone needs to take Crawford away from the Rays because he is just wasting away down there without anyone getting to see him play. I really dont want Suppan back esp. if we have to pay more than 5 mill per year. I was going to post about Buehrle in my previous post but it seams the Sox are only willing to trade Freddy Garcia and Vazquez. The sox were actually mad at buehrle for talking about how he wanted to go to STL. I think he was supposed to be a free agent next year but they gave him an extension. I think he is a possibility. I think walt could put together another good package with prospects, Duncan, and maybe Wainwright. I think the Braves are very interested in Baldelli. They are shopping Giles right now and Adam Laroche, one of my least favorite players. Laroche  I think had 30 HR last year. Sell high. I dont see Andruw leaving the Braves, I think they will give him an extension within the next year. He could bring in a ton of money. Glavine is going back to the Mets. I think the Cards will make a big move during these winter meetings along with Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, and Miny at Disney World.

[Guest the_muddy_man]

Bassmasta7 in all your wisdom I hope you are right Glavine is a great and solid #3 at his age maybe even a #2

[Valascus]

I am going to say I am wrong on Glavine. I think in an earlier post I said he wasn't going to be back with the Mets. Glavine has already resigned with the Mets. He signed a 1 year deal with them on 12-1-06. Oops...duh. Don't know how I missed that. :-[ But, despite the Mets retaining Glavine, I still think they should move on Zito. That would give the Mets Martinez, Zito, Glavine, El Duque, and Tracshel. I have also heard that they have considered moving Heilman to the rotation. I think doing that and either using Tracshel or El Duque as trade bait for quality relief would be a good move seeing as they would lose Heilman outta the pen if they did that and have already lost Chad Braford. Now...I know trading starting pitching for relief pitching sounds nuts, but wher else do you propose the Mets improve? They already boast an obscene amount of offense and defense with their everyday position players. They have a decent bench. If they pick up Zito, Martinez returns from his rehab in good shape, and they do move Heilman to the rotation they will have a formidable rotation if they are healthy. The only place I see some holes is their middle relief bullpen. Am I wrong here? :-/

On another note, there is NO WAY the Cards end up with Bonds. It is reported that Bonds is requesting a contract in the range of 2 years $40 MIL!! That is ludicrous. There is no way ANY GM in their right mind would come anywhere close to a deal for Bonds of that magnitude. If Bonds remains stubborn and doesn't back off that price a little, he will find himself unemployed in the baseball world, I think.

[Guest the_muddy_man]

I know Ive been busy at work but did I miss something this important/ Was the 12/1/06 a contract negotiation ' proposal or did Glavine accept it and sign it on the spot.? What happened to i gotta see how my family thinks about it?  Man if we have him back thats great.

[Valascus]

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061201&content_id=1749025&vkey=hotstove2006&fext=.jsp

There ya go Muddy. Sometimes offseason stuff is hard to keep track of. I get irritated with myself when I miss stuff. Yep...the Mets most definately have him back.

[Guest the_muddy_man]

Thanks Vak break time is over back to work. See ya at 4am or tommorow fellas

[Panamoka_Bassin]

Actually Karl I think That A Bonds monument would be fitting next to the Bambino Monument out thier in DA BRONX

Fuhgeddaboutit.  Youse mooks what likes dem Mets is just jealous, see?  Dere aint no way deys gonna put a statue of Bonds next to Da Bambino, and if dey does, I knows a couple guys that will make sure it don't stay up long.  

[bassmasta7]

Good news for the Cards... Jocketty doesnt want him. http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061207&content_id=1753614&vkey=hotstove2006&fext=.jsp

[Valascus]

That's good, great, and grand. Glad Bonds will not even get a look at Cards red...but...who do they plan to get to play left field then? I like Chris Duncan...but he is a defensive NIGHTMARE. I guess left is even less an issue than the pitching. I am starting to lose sight of good pitching possibilities for the Cards...well good ones that they can afford.

On another note...the Mets are considering trading for Danny Haren. That could be an interesting move. Here is the article: http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6249552

It could be a dangerous move for the Mets though...they get younger pitching, but it will cost them Lastings Milledge AND Aaron Heilman. Trading two younger guys for one younger guy doesn't seem to make a ton of sense to me. BUT...Haren is a good, young, durable pitcher. I am still waiting for the announcement of the Mets picking up Zito. Zito will be touring the NY area next week. If the announcement comes, I expect it will be sometime a day or so after next week.

[Guest the_muddy_man]

Burgos for Bannister this Minya is absolutley making all the right moves. They are gonna sign Zito, so I guess Minya and you brilliant fellas know something more about this than I do : we will have to wait and see I still don't like Boras and what and how he plays the teams for those ridiculous contracts

[Panamoka_Bassin]

Well, at least the Bonds debate is over.  If he didn't get an offer from the Giants, I don't think anyone would have signed him.  I'd rather have Manny and T.O. on a team before I would have Bonds.  (I know, T.O. is a footballer, but I was referencing his attitude...)

[Valascus]

I wouldn't be so sure on that Burgos deal, Muddy. Yeah the kid has a live arm and can SOMETIMES hit 100 on the gun, but he has absolutely awful control. Have you ever seen the kid pitch. If he is on he is alright, but more often than not it seems like he struggles to control that arm. Hopefully the Mets Pitching staff can do something with him.

[nboucher]

I'd rather have Manny and T.O. on a team before I would have Bonds.

You can't really compare Manny with T.O. T.O.'s all about ego and me, me, me; Manny's more like Pigpen in the Charlie Brown cartoon. He just kind of gets distracted and stops paying attention every once in a while.  

[RiskKid.]

Manny's more like Pigpen in the Charlie Brown cartoon. He just kind of gets distracted and stops paying attention every once in a while.

And what does he really do when he decides to go in the green monster???????  

[nboucher]

Manny's more like Pigpen in the Charlie Brown cartoon. He just kind of gets distracted and stops paying attention every once in a while.  

And what does he really do when he decides to go in the green monster???????  

Gets an update on the latest Yankee score. Yankees winning, he knows he can let his mind wander. Yankees losing, he says, "Darn, now I've got to concentrate."

[Guest the_muddy_man]

Hey Val I really have a lot of faith in thier pitching coach staff We used to feature the development of new arms then Phillips started buying older arms You really need a combo of fresh new arms and at least one gritty experienced pitcher on a staff to be hugelly successful

[Valascus]

Ruh Roh Rorge...Manny had better start concentrating. The Yanks have just signed Andy Pettitte to a one year $16 mil deal with an option for '08. It has been highly speculated that wherever Pettitte decided to go Roger Clemens would follow. Look out for the Yanks if they get both of them. The AL East, which is already a tough division, is starting to look like it's gonna get tougher. The Evil Empire strikes again.

[nboucher]

Pettitte hasn't been the same since he's been hurt. I could be wrong, but he doesn't look like the same pitcher the Yankees had a few years ago. Clemens will sign to pitch only games played in Texas.  

[RiskKid.]

I like the Pettite deal. He still has to pass a physical. Agreed he seems to have lost something since the injury but last year was better and he still will be formidable. He also knows how to play in NY which is a big plus. With Pettite, Mussina, Wang, Johnson, Pavano and Igawa the odds are pretty good for a solid rotation. We also now have some promising young wings in waiting.

I for one am glad we were quiet in free agency except for bringing Andy home.

This team should have a better than average chance at #27......

[bassmasta7]

A good addition to bolster the Cards bullpen, Cards signed Russ Springer who had an e.r.a. under 4 last year in solid relief for the Houston Astros. Not to mention, he is the only person who hates Bonds as much as me. He has faced Bonds like twice in the last four years and he has intentionally hit him both times. He did it this year but it took him 5 pitches. He was ejected and received a standing ovation. He then moved up to the top of my favorite players list.

[Valascus]

Pettitte hasn't been the same since he's been hurt. I could be wrong, but he doesn't look like the same pitcher the Yankees had a few years ago. Clemens will sign to pitch only games played in Texas.

Sorry bouch, but I gotta disagree with ya on Pettitte's effectiveness. He will go back to his beast form with NYY for a few reasons. 1)He will be reunited with a very familiar coaching staff that knows exactly how to get the most out of him. 2)He will actually have an offense that will put runs (a lot of runs) on the board for him, giving him a little more margin for error. 3)He won't have to pitch anymore games in Minute Maid Park, which is one of the most rediculous hitters parks in MLB. So expect a drop in his ERA. This looks like a prety good signing for the Yanks to me.

Now for the Cards most recent signing. Springer is a good pitcher, but he is a RELIEF pitcher. He will provide the late inning bridge we need to get to whoever the closing duties may fall upon. I's nice to see the Cards bolstering the bullpen, but we need STARTING PITCHING...bad. Names that are still being thrown around are Miguel Batista, Jeff Suppan, Mark Mulder, and possibly Jeff Weaver. Other than that the Cards options are dwindling to the point where Jocketty admitted it was time to start looking for "undervalued" pitchers. Great...that's just what we need...another Sidney Ponson. I don't know about any other Cards fans on the board, but I am tired of us always seeming to have to pick our pitchers off the scrap heap just because the ownership doesn't want to pony up any dough. Now I know it worked with Jeff Weaver and that Duncan has a penchant for reviving pitching careers, but I, quite frankly, don't want to base a title defense on the prospect of questionable starting pitching. Where is all this money the ownership claimed that we would have from the new ballpark? How about money from selling out almost EVERY home game? Or how 'bout the money that they have made since they bought the franchise for $150 million dollars and have since watched it boom into a $350 million dollar franchise? Or maybe they could use some of the money they saved from tax breaks they got for the new park? Unfortunately it seems like the Dewitt Group is more concerned about lining it's pockets than building a World Series title defense. Walt is an excellent GM. One of the best. But he constantly seems restrained by the salary cap. The Dewitt Group always wants a winning team, but wants it done on a tight budget. Give Walt a little more wiggle room and lets see what kind of team he can come up with for crying out loud. Same song every year...and this year it may bite us in the rear. The Cubs have made some noteworthy deals. They may or may not work out. If everything clicks for the Cubs, look out. All I know is the Cards are going to have to do better than 83 wins this time. All right...I'm done ranting...at least for now.

[nboucher]

You could be right, Val. I will admit to wishful thinking when it comes to the Yankees. You're of course right about the fearsome Yankees lineup. As I recall about the coaching staff, though, hasn't it turned over since Pettitte was in NYC? He'll also be facing a tough division than the once he faced last time he was the Yanks. Toronto in particular is a better team. Besides, the Red Sox will keep that E.R.A. from coming down too much.

Actually, it's remarkable how the Red Sox and Yankees have switched positions this offseason. The Sox are overpaying for players, and the Yankees are increasingly relying on young players, many of them from the their farm system. One of the underappreciated moves the Yankees made in the offseason was the Sheffield move. They got some really good young talent in that one.

[Guest the_muddy_man]

Hey Norm the RED SOX already won their quota of One World Series per Century dont get yourself all excited

[bassmasta7]

If any of you cards fans got to go to a game this year, then you know how much money the organization should have. The tickets are ridiculously high in price. They are second to Red sox. All concessions were bumped up. Usually my dad and I get to go to a couple Cards games a year (since i live in ATL) but this year we could go to one. Luckily we used the prime seat club and got tickets like 6 rows behind homeplate. They werent much more than tickets about a mile away. Let's go cards ownership, give Walt some money to play with. We should have gotten Jason Schmidt. Keep in mind though that Chris Carpenter was one of those players that was undervalued and injured so the cards picked him up cheap and then he became cy young winner with Duncan. But once i would like to have one big FA aquisition. Cubs also signed Marquis to a 3 year deal. (haha suckers)

[Valascus]

Cubs also signed Marquis to a 3 year deal. (haha suckers)

Ha...they can have him. I am starting to think their recent pitching acquisitions will not help them much this season. They will still be reliant upon a healthy Prior, Wood, and Zambrano. Lilly will be pitching in a park that is ill suited for left handed pitchers due to the ease that homeruns come for right handed hitters. He is going to do very poorly at home. We all know about Marquis. He is a hard headed punk. Dave Duncan tried his best to teach him to maximize his abilities, but Marquis simply would not take to his teachings and wanted to do things HIS way. Yeah...that got him far. Look forward to seeing him next season and watching the Cards pound him into the ground.