Considering Utely won't be increasing his VORP anymore for a while and that Hanley has the shoulder problem if Penny continues at this pace he could win the VORP crown. Woo Hoo

During that season, I remember all the talk being about whether he would be the first starting pitcher to hit .400 since, I don't know, somebody.

If someone has to be sacrificed on the altar of Ned's annual trade time panic attack it should be Abreu.

http://www.insidesocal.com/dodgers/archives/2007/07/rocky_mountain.html

But short of that, keep him.

http://insidethedodgers.mlblogs.com/my_weblog/2007/07/tonights_lineup_2.html

updated rosenthal....

Better than trading Kershaw, but I still don't like it.

or Tex....

by the name of Evan Grant?

i forgot to add this part:

However, the fragile state of the Dodgers' rotation could force them to focus solely on pitching, and the Rangers are insisting that they include Class A left-hander Clayton Kershaw, a Dallas native, in a Teixeira deal.

I would do Loney and Meloan for Teixeira. Getting the extra win or so over Loney is worth giving up a relief pitcher, in my opinion.

That leaves, basically, Ethier for Benoit, which I would not do. At all. And I'm not a huge Ethier fan.

For the greater good.

I would not be in favor of that trade.

I think Teixeira is a little over rated because he hits a lot of jacks in a hitters park. While I used to be for Loney and Lowe for Teixiera (prior to the Dodgers pitching issues), I wouldn't even give up Loney for him straight up anymore.

This is coming from someone who is not a huge Loney fan.

BTW: How many MVP votes did Baez get during his 40+ save year...?

I think it's a ridiculous argument. But enough people believe it to ruin chances for pitchers.

"Since 1967, when the Cy Young has been awarded in both leagues, pitchers have won the MVP award 7 times, the last being Dennis Eckersley in 1992."

Still, I wonder what the Dodgers' postseason chances would look like with Teixeira at 1B instead of Loney. PECOTA looks at that, right? If the percentages go up enough -- and I don't know how much would be enough -- I think I'd do it.

Look at the numbers, use VORP or Win Shares, and give the award to the best guy. No inane chatter. Just performance. Crazy, huh?

Yes, he did. I just impressed myself.

Brad Penny batting: .293/.326/.390, 87 OPS+
Juan Pierre batting: .284/.316/.337, 72 OPS+

Baez had 41 saves of the D-Rays' 67 wins (61%).

Rivera had 43 saves of the Yanks' 95 wins (45%).

I definitely have lost my point. Now I'm just having fun looking stuff up since I am usually the guy saying "Does anybody know...?"

I'm all about getting someone like Dotel, but if it's going to cost a really good prospect then why bother? I'd rather keep the prospect and just bring up Meloan.

Penny: 97
Pierre: 53

To be fair, Penny is a lot bigger.

Uh oh.

Yeah. He's definitely a good hitter, but to give up Loney + a couple other prospects for him is just ridiculous. We've got our first baseman for the next several years and there's no reason to trade him for a guy that we'll have to pay 100 or so mill to. It just makes no sense.

I think there is something in his contract that stipulates that he cannot be offered arbitration.

Eat it, Paree!

2007 EqA -

Juan Pierre: .245
Hong-Chih Kuo: .261

Eckersley 1992 was 7-1 with 51 saves and a 1.91 ERA (196 ERA+). The A's won 96 games that year meaning he saved 53% of them.

Gagne 2003 was 2-3 with 55 saves and a 1.20 ERA (335 ERA+). The Dodgers won 85 games that year meaning he saved 65% of them. He got the CY but was 6th in MVP voting.

Bonds got the MVP both years, but of course he was in a different league than Eckersley. Different eras (and ERAs) I guess.

Anybody have a dust pan and fox tail I can borrow?

Oh, the trouble you've caused!

2007 HORP (Heart over replacement player):
Kuo: 0 (Injured players have no heart! See Drew, J.D.)
Pierre: -65,535 (Integer overflow - his heart is so big it wraps all the way around the value scale)

This would be even more funny, except deep down inside, we all have an unsettling feeling that if Colletti was offered a bag of Doritos for Kemp and Loney, he might actually go for it if he happened to be hungry at the time.

"My gut is telling me no... but my gut is also very hungry. ..."

What?

Not in any way saying that Mike and Fernando would have been lousy pitchers if they didn't throw the screwball.

Kei Igawa wishes he was Kaz Ishii.

"It had me LOL."

Recursive error, does not compute!

The balance of power in the NL West shifts again.

If I had to LOL every time I LOL'd, this place would be nothing buy LOL's. Jon Weisman's Dodger Thoughts and LOL Emporium.

A subsidiary of Globo-Chem

Maybe you're thinking of second baseman/alleged steroid purchaser Jerry Hairston Jr.

Scott Hairston is fourth or fifth outfielder type.