Re: *2010 MLB Thread*
 

Lot's of talking back and forth over this Beltran surgery. The biggest problem with the whole thing is the person named BorASS.

Re: *2010 MLB Thread*
 

Guess that makes it tough to void his contract...damn Borass!!! :td

Re: *2010 MLB Thread*
 

Lincecum wants $13 mil in arbitration, a record for a player eligible his first time.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/2...in+arbitration

Re: *2010 MLB Thread*
 

Red Sox and Papelbon agreed to a 1 yr deal. They still will not commit to him long term.

Re: *2010 MLB Thread*
 

Good for them; bad for him.
What's his pricetag this year?

Re: *2010 MLB Thread*
 

1yr $9.35M

Re: *2010 MLB Thread*
 

Sox won't commit to him, he has shoulder issues,and don't throw as hard as he used to.
He is looking to be Marino Riviera's replacement in the near future and have the Yanks make him the highest paid pitcher in baseball?
A lot of people are sick of his attitude and his act.

Re: *2010 MLB Thread*
 

I don't want him as a Yankee.

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After two consecutive Cy Youngs...I say he's earned it. :2 Plus, he is still very young. They better lock him up while they can.

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I agree.

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Me neither! He's no Rivera.

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It's good for the Sox, imo, because it gives him constant incentive to perform. They also seem to be reluctant to lock up any relievers to long term deals. Bard is waiting in the wings if they decide not to sign him within the next few.

Re: *2010 MLB Thread*
 

Here's where the quandry is. He's had less than 3 years of experience in the league, and while he's been nothing short of amazing so far, I've read that there are questions about how long he'll hold up with his violent motion. My Twins had a guy like that...Francisco Liriano, and he's still trying to get his mojo back.

As for my Twinkies, I like resigning Pavano, and the trade for Hardy. But what they really need is a consistent presence at 3rd. They have a prospect who is supposed to be a stud (Valencia), but he's not ready yet. Mauer NEEDS that extension, and it would be a HUGE toll on the franchise if they don't do it. But I think they will, as he has an agent known for keeping his guys in the same place. The pitching staff has another year of experience and how they do really depends on how Liriano can bounce back and Slowey comes back from his wrist injury. I'll roll with Baker and Blackburn, and the bullpen looks fairly sound, especially with Neshek coming back.

But since they never make a huge splash in the offseason, I think it'll be another 1 series and done, if they make it to the playoffs. Should be an interesting race between 3 teams for 1 playoff spot (Twins, Sox, Tiggers).

Re: *2010 MLB Thread*
 

Well the Mets traded for one of the most over paid, under achieving players in the game and acquired Gary Matthews Jr :r

Re: *2010 MLB Thread*
 

Another notch on Omar's belt!.....I love it!:r

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Mets are not paying for him though.

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I don't know why, but I like this pick-up. I think he will fit in well and he has something to prove coming off a sh@tty year.

It's about time!!! We pay for everything else.

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I think Matthews will do good with the Mets. He is an excellent fielder and with the size of CitiField he is not going to be expected to hit HR's. Plus the Mets are not paying him so it is a great deal for them.

Re: *2010 MLB Thread*
 

I don't understand? How is he playing for them but they're not paying him?

Oh, I should go ahead and admit that I know almost nothing about the behind-the-scenes stuff .... and as for salaries, well, I stopped following the game after the big strike in the nineties and I'm only coming back to the fold because I've developed an ability to avoid thinking about the money while I watch a game. :D

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He hasn't had a good year since he played in Texas. Which was a few years ago. It isn't a bad move for the mets since the Angels are picking up most of his salary (I think the mets only have to pay him 2 mill) but still I don't see a guy who has spent the last few years warming the bench making much of an impact.

Re: *2010 MLB Thread*
 

He is only there to fill in while Beltran is on the DL to start the season. Before this trade they had really no options for a centerfielder.

Re: *2010 MLB Thread*
 

Mac....The eternal optomist....I think its kinda cute :r:r:r:r

Re: *2010 MLB Thread*
 

Yankees signed Randy Winn today, which I guess officially closes the door on Johhny Damon. Guess they just want a stop gap till Craw ford becomes a free agent in 2011.

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I am pissed. Like a lot of Yankee fans, I wanted them to keep both Matsui and Damon, and to hell with the pricetag. What if Godzilla can't play the field? He's proven to be clutch at the plate, and never caused a problem. And what if Damon wasn't great in the field either? He could hit for decent average and power, make more plays than he missed, steal a few bags when needed, and turned out to be a better guy than I expected when he came to us from Baastun. But the word was they'd keep only one or the other, yet it seems we'll have neither. I like Nick Johnson well enough on the bench, but do I have faith in him every day? Nope. Damon proved he can handle the pressure in NYC. Will Curtis, or would a hypothetical Crawford? Who knows?

Shoot, Hank, take a lesson from your daddy . . . it's only money.

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With the Mets last few years...I gotta be an optomist!! :r :r Crawford a Yankee? I hope not...he would look better in blue and orange. :tu

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This may be old news, but Randy "The Big Unit" Johnson has officially retired. Truly a great career and one of (if not the) the best southpaws in the game.

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What's that $#!+, Mac? I like you, but WTF? Everybody looks better in pinstripes! Even you! :D

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Tom...that isn't gonna happen! I won't even allow Yankee atire in my house. :r :r :r

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I do not want to see Crawford as a Yankee. He is past his prime and would be a bad signing to a long term big money contract.

Re: *2010 MLB Thread*
 

Not MLB news exactly, but did anyone else catch some of the Caribbean World Series last night? Watched the Mexico/ Venezuela , was a pretty good game. Vinny Castilla was back in uniform for team Mexico!

Re: *2010 MLB Thread*
 

The Tigers sign Justin Verlander to a 5 yr contract for $80M. Now the real question is how many years will he play for the Tigers before they cry poverty and have to trade him?

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Next year...after they finish in last place this year. :D

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I think longer than that, even with all the players they lost I still think they are better than Cleveland and Kansas City.

Re: *2010 MLB Thread*
 

I could see the Royals finishing better than the Tigers this year:2

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And if the Tribes young pitching develops...look out. :D

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Doubt that. Royals don't have as good starting pitching, offense, or bullpen. I see the Tigers finishing third behind the Twins and the White Sox.

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The Royals have 1 good pitcher.

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Greinke?

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Yup. Can you imagine how his stats would look if he had a team that could score runs for him?

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I just watched the game from 2009 (on MLB dot com) where he broke the Royal's record for K's in one game. That was a good baseball game to watch. :) It was funny because there's some fan that puts up little signs that spell his first name 'Z' 'A' 'C' 'K' and then another 'K' for every strikeout he gets. The fan ran out of 'K' signs and had to write two on paper! :r (not laughing at the fan, laughing with pleasure at the 15 K's)

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The Royals bullpen is a mess. As well as the offense, but I think the Royals starting pitching could hold their own to the Tigers. With that said, both teams look bad this year.

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How so exactly? The Tigers top three are Verlander-Porcello-Scherzer, the Royals have Greinke-Meche-Bannister. That's nowhere near as good as Detroit, I can't see them holding their own with only one good starting pitcher. Plus the tigers have two other pretty good starters in Galarraga and Bonderman as four and five starters. And with the tigers adding Coke, Valverde, and Schlereth they have a much better bullpen.

Re: *2010 MLB Thread*
 

Greinke was the best pitcher in baseball last year. Hands down. Certainly better than Verlander.

Porcello had an ERA close to 4 last year, and in 170 innings, gave up 75 ER's, 23 HR's, walked 52, and had 89 SO's. Meche, playing in 129 innings, had more strikeouts at 95. Meche had 1 shutout, Porcello had none. Meche certainly isn't a great pitcher, but he has been in the league long enough to know what it takes. Porcello, while he had more wins because he actually had offense to support him, really doesn't seem to be that great either, and comparable to Meche.

Its the same story with both teams' number 3's. Both Scherzer and Bannister are not good pitchers. Both had similar 2009's, and neither one has proven anything great.

The bullpen really isn't an argument. Tigers clearly on top.

Re: *2010 MLB Thread*
 

Porcello had a great year considering it was his first in the majors. He was a contender for rookie of the year, your the first person i've heard say he didn't look great. He is only going to get better with time, Meche isn't. And Scherzer is better than you give him credit, 9-11 with 174 SOs in 170 innings pitched. ERA over 4 but i'd take him over Bannister any day of the week. Guy throws gas and he's moving into a more pitcher friendly ballpark.

Re: *2010 MLB Thread*
 

Did Porcello pitch some good games last year, yes. But, isn't it a little early to call him a great pitcher? He is still too young, he has lots of learning to do. He has great potential in the league, don't get me wrong, but with one decent year under his belt, I'm not willing to bet on him.

Re: *2010 MLB Thread*
 

There seems to be a whole lotta talk here about the AL Central, so lemme toss in my two cents: I see it as being pretty much what it is nearly every year, with all the other teams falling all over themselves to give that division to the Twinkies.

Re: *2010 MLB Thread*
 

I don't understand why they got rid of Carlos Gomez for JJ Hardy?

What are your thoughts on the White Sox starting rotation?

Re: *2010 MLB Thread*
 

Don't know them that well, since they don't wear pinstripes. :r

I'd say Buehrle pretty dang good, and Peave's not bad, but what else they got to start the other 3 days? As for their pen, Jenks is a keeper, and Garcia's OK - except when he isn't. Aside from that, it's "pitch as pitch can", like most other bullpens in both leagues. Again, just :2, and worth every penny.

Re: *2010 MLB Thread*
 

Ask me what I know about the Yanks:r
IMHO, the White Sox have the best pitching(both starting rotation and bullpen) in the Al central. You know what your getting from Burls, Peavy has been proven as well. Both are aces in my book. Floyd is a solid pitcher, winning 17 games in 2008, ERA of 3.84, 206 innings, 144 SO, and batters only average .241 against him. His 2009 was ok, almost 200 innings pitched again, and 163 strikeouts with an ERA just over 4. Danks is similar, in 2009 ERA at 3.77, 200 innings pitched, 149 strikeouts, and batters averaged .245 against him.
The bullpen is the best they have had in the past 5 years. Jenks, Thornton, Putz, and Linebrink are all proven in the bullpen.

Re: *2010 MLB Thread*
 

Best in the division possibly. Depends if Buehrle gets over his David Cone syndrome and if Peavy manages to stay healthy all year. John Danks is pretty good I think, not sure about the rest of the rotation though.

I think it will be a toss up between the Twins and Sox. Twins are solid across the board and really upgraded their offense nicely this off season. Detroit could hang around, but I think they really gonna need another bat after all the offense they lost this of season. The AL central and west divisions should be really fun given all the changes!