MLB Hot Stove 2005-06

[gunnar hendershow]

Keep dreaming. Tejada's staying in Baltimore unless we can manufacture a complete highway robbery.

And let me take this time to let you all know former Orioles bullpen coach (He was bullpen coach up until the end of the 2005 season) Elrod Hendricks passed away yesterday. He was 64. And very special to me since when I was 5 he autographed my baseball glove, which I have sitting around somewhere.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al...icks-obit_x.htm

Edited December 22, 2005 by damshow

[Ananas]

Sounds like Glaus for Hudson and Batista is a near certainty. Can't say we've no home run power now.

[Miami Vice]

w00t!

I'm gonna miss O-Dog a lot but Glaus is the power this club needs. The Jays just passed Boston in the AL East.

[thuganomic]

w00t!

I'm gonna miss O-Dog a lot but Glaus is the power this club needs. The Jays just passed Boston in the AL East.

[naiwf]

w00t!

I'm gonna miss O-Dog a lot but Glaus is the power this club needs. The Jays just passed Boston in the AL East.

Again, what the fuck are you smoking?

Even with Glaus, their offense is a pitiful third in the AL East. Boston still has Ortiz and Ramirez. Yankees are the Yankees.

[Mofoticon]

Like what was said above, the Blue Jays still are no better than the 3rd best team in the east....they are spending money, but spending it on all the wrong guys, like the tigers last offseason. Next year's FA class is loaded, the jays should have waited when their were people worth spending cash on

Edited December 26, 2005 by HBK0932

[gunnar hendershow]

w00t!

I'm gonna miss O-Dog a lot but Glaus is the power this club needs. The Jays just passed Boston in the AL East.

Again, what the fuck are you smoking?

Even with Glaus, their offense is a pitiful third in the AL East. Boston still has Ortiz and Ramirez. Yankees are the Yankees.

I wholeheartedly agree with that statement. The Jays would need to win 90+ to get the wild card/2nd in the AL East. I don't think they've improved by 10-15 games considering that Halladay, Burnett and potentially Glaus don't have the recent history for staying healthy for a full season. The Sawx will be getting a full strength Foulke and Schilling back next year which instantly improves their pitching staff, and they've got Beckett so I still expect this to be NYY, Bos, Tor, the other two who shall remain nameless at the end of the year like always.

You hurt my feelings... *cries*

I think Boston will finish ahead of New York though for the reason that New York STILL hasn't improved their pitching and bullpen. Their offenses are fairly equal, but I give Boston the edge in pitching. However, New York gets the edge in coaching... Joe Torre is a fabulous manager.

[Ananas]

I'm not going to suggest that the Jays are the 2nd best team in the East yet, but I completely disagree with the notion that Roy Halladay is injury prone. Halladay had shoulder tendinitis in 04 which was really just one part of an overall tough year for him. The 05 injury isn't at all reflective of that, however. Taking a fucking line drive off the shin would have put anybody in the league down.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head 27]

I love all the people jumping on the Bash the Jays bandwagon, despite two more months forJ.P. to make moves to rectify his problems.

[million$$man]

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays will win the East. (Y)

[ACCBiggz]

I love all the people jumping on the Bash the Jays bandwagon, despite two more months forJ.P. to make moves to rectify his problems.

[naiwf]

However you slice it Doc Halladay pitched a mindnumbing 266 innings in '03, and just 274.2 in the two years since. I'm not saying he won't go out and start 30-35 games this year, but he's only pitched 2 full seasons as a starter ('02 & '03) in his 7 year+ career.

[Jester of Death]

The D-Backs recently signed "journeyman" Eric Byrnes from Baltimore/Oakland/Colorado.

PHOENIX -- For outfielder Eric Byrnes, signing with the Diamondbacks allows him to play in a city in which he owns a home.

But that wasn't the main thing that prompted the free agent to agree to a one-year, $2.25 million deal with the Diamondbacks on Friday.

"More than anything coming into this season I just needed to find the best situation for me as far as playing baseball is concerned," he said. "That's what ultimately was the deciding factor more than money, more than location, more than anything else."

The best situation in Byrnes' mind is getting a chance to play center field on an everyday basis and that's the opportunity the Diamondbacks offered him. With highly-touted center field prospect Chris Young expected to start the year in Triple-A, Arizona was looking for a veteran that could handle the chores until the youngster was ready.

Enter Byrnes, a 29-year-old who plays the game with an all-out style that made him a fan favorite in Oakland when he played for the A's from 2003 until getting dealt to the Rockies and then the Orioles last year.

"It's a position that I've always thought was my best position," Byrnes said of center.

He was the A's main center fielder in 2003 when he hit .263, but after Oakland picked up Mark Kotsay to play the position, he played moved around a bit, but had his best year at the plate compiling a .283 batting average to go with 39 doubles, 20 homers and 73 RBIs.

"I think he's a player that can impact the game defensively and with the bat in his hand," said D-Backs general manager Josh Byrnes, who has no relation to his newest acquisition.

Center field at Chase Field is not an easy place to play. The big gaps as well as overhangs just to left and right of dead center make it more challenging.

"I've never even been there," Eric Byrnes said. "I just know there's a lot of room out there. [but] the way I look at things though the more room the better. I think I'm at my best when I'm running after balls and letting my speed make up for a wrong step that I might make now and then."

Byrnes is the second high-energy, high-enthusiasm player the Diamondbacks have acquired recently, with second baseman Orlando Hudson coming over from the Blue Jays in a trade earlier in the week.

The pair will help bring some life to a team that was criticized for not showing enough fire last season.

"These guys are probably two of the most unique guys in that their energy is visible," Josh Byrnes said of the pair.

Aside from filling a hole in center, Eric Byrnes, a right-handed hitter, also helps balance a lineup that is dominated by left-handed hitters.

The move seemingly caps Josh Byrnes' offseason makeover of the offense. Catcher Johnny Estrada, Hudson and Byrnes are newcomers, while Craig Counsell moves from second to short, Chad Tracy from first base/right field to third, which opens up a spot for youngster Conor Jackson at first.

On the pitching side of things, the D-Backs traded last year's Opening Day starter, Javier Vazquez, and let their No. 4 starter from a year ago, Shawn Estes, leave. In their place are Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez and Miguel Batista, who both came over in trades.

The only obvious hole now is a left-handed specialist in the bullpen.

When Josh Byrnes went to the Winter Meetings in Dallas earlier this month, some were wondering if he was ever going to make a deal.

Now, after a month in which he's basically remade his team, the question is when is he going to stop?

"I don't think much is going to happen in the next few days," Josh Byrnes said. "I really don't anticipate any large changes to our roster from here on out. But you never know."

Steve Gilbert is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

[thuganomic]

The Yankees have had a better offseason.

The Red Sox, while picking up Beckett, also now have two big holes at shortstop and centerfield. There's always the Manny situation. They have money, but that's not enough. Quite frankly, there's nobody good that they could possibly sign.

While Damon is definteily overpaid and overrated, he fills a hole for the Yankees and gives them their first real leadoff hitter since maybe Chuck Knoblauch (I butchered that name). And I like the signing of Dotel. Nice, affordable pickup. If Dotel can return to his glory days, then the Yankees have found another great set-up guy for Mo.

And the Blue Jays? Meh. They're a better squad, but I'm still not sold. Glaus helps, but that lineup is nowhere near as solid as that of the Yankees and Red Sox (even with the holes).

Edited January 2, 2006 by thuggy27

[Lowerdeck]

I'm getting more and more convinced that Dustin Pedroia will get a chance for the Sox at SS, Kevin Youkilis at 1B, and Kelly Shoppach at C behind Varitek.

And well, I'm happy. Get the young kids from the system up, let them show what they can do, contribute for us instead of dealing them away.

For CF? Adam Stern isn't the best of guys, but I wouldn't mind seeing him get a shot.

Edited January 3, 2006 by Lowerdeck

[Green Demon]

Espn.com

NEW YORK -- Baseball's world governing body has threatened to withdraw its sanctioning of the World Baseball Classic unless the Bush administration allows Cuba to compete.

Rich Levin, a spokesman for the commissioner's office, said Friday that a letter was faxed from International Baseball Federation president Aldo Notari, informing Major League Baseball of the IBAF's decision.

It is unclear whether the 16-team tournament, scheduled for March 3-20, would go forward without the IBAF's sanction. The tournament is being jointly administered by Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association.

Notari's letter was first reported Thursday by the Toronto Sun.

The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control in mid-December denied the request for a license to allow Cuba to participate. The license is necessary because of U.S. laws governing certain commercial transactions with the Fidel Castro-controlled nation.

Baseball reapplied on Dec. 22 after Cuba said it would donate any money it earned from its participation to victims of Hurricane Katrina. The commissioner's office and the union said OFAC had not told them of its decision on the revised application.

"We're hopeful that Cuba will be able to play," Levin said.

[Ananas]

I hear JP wants to go after Bengie Molina. With all of the high priced risks they've taken this off-season and with the solid season Gregg Zaun had (at less than half the price), I see no reason why they'd do this. The Jays ought to save their cash for someone more worth his salary. Let's see if the gambles we've taken already pay off, and if they don't, we might have some cash for next off-season.

[Green Demon]

The Indians have done little this off season so far which has annoyed me abit, and now that they decided to do something I am skeptical right now about the move. The move I am talking about of course is the Marte-Mota for Coco Crisp and some garbage. Also included with this is the Arthur Rhodes for OF Jason Michaels of Philadelphia trade since it is the only way that the Coco trade would go down. The reason I am sorta unsure of this trade is that Coco has been a good player for the past couple of years and we are trading him away for potential, altough that potential in Marte could outweigh Coco in the future. It may have something to do with just barely missing the playoffs last year but I hate to see the Indians trade away an established player for one that has upside, that is what we have been doing the past few years and it has worked out for us most of the time in us getting, Hafner, Sizemore, Lee, among others. Also outfield isnt a place where we have tons of major league ready prospects. If Marte becomes what people are saying that he will become then I will be happy with this trade, I am just annoyed that it looks like we are playing for the future again, even though we won 93 games. I am in now way saying that this move is going to send the team in a downward spiarl, it is just the message that is sending that we are countiueing to rebuild and are putting off contending for the future. Dolan(The Owner) has said that he would pump the team with money if they started to contend like they began to last year and doing basically nothing this offseason and losing guys like Millwood and Howry are starting to make Dolan a much disliked man in Cleveland.

Edited January 24, 2006 by Green Demon

[Mofoticon]

It's a great move for the Indians, Coco has bottomed out and won't get any better than he is, plus his 330 OBP for a 2nd hitter isn't exactly good...Michaels batted 300 with a 399 obp last year, so he will step in and replace coco as the LF and 2nd hitter....plus there's Marte, who has the potential to be a 40 homer 100 rbi type 3B, and Mota's a solid relief pitcher.

[Green Demon]

I am not trying to be a downer or anything since I am a Indians fan but those Micheals numbers are from him spliting time with Lofton, so who knows if he can do that for a entire season, if so then great and maybe we can get rid of Coco and gain alot and still have a quality OF. Mota was injured for most of the end of the year last year for Flordia so hopefully that isnt anything recuring, also I really do like Marte but the fact remains he hasnt done anything in the MLB, I mean look at Brandon Philihps he was a top 10 prospect a couple of years back and was supposed to be a great major league player but he is still sitting in AAA right now. I hate to sound so pessimistic but with lack of doing anything lately and the White Sox countiueing to gain some quality guys, it is just hard.