According to the Seattle Times, the Twins have had conversations with the Mariners about third baseman Adrian Beltre. The paper suggests that outfielder Michael Cuddyer could be had for Beltre.

Perhaps the LA Times should start suggesting that outfielders Juan Pierre and/or Andruw Jones could be had for Beltre.

I like the comment that "the reverse bares some Editors notations". On the Babe's backside, perhaps?

Where would the M's play Cuddyer? He plays RF, and they already have Ichiro.

...."a date which will live in infamy"....

1-0 Notre Dame after 16 seconds of play.

Notre Dame has a decided schematic advantage in this match.

Their scheme to kick the ball into UNC's net is a good one.

UNC outshoots ND 7-2 in the first half, but the NCAA has decided to base the outcome of the game on a concept they label "goal", where ND leads UNC 1-0.

thanks for the links Jon.

nothing new but here's some more Dodgers news from the Daily Breeze http://www.dailybreeze.com/dodgers/ci_11159521

9 *Daily Breeze> The Dodgers also are believed to be still in the running for free-agent left-hander CC Sabathia, the top pitcher on the market, and the fact Sabathia still hasn't jumped at the New York Yankees' offer of six years and $140 million seems to suggest he isn't all that interested in pitching in baseball's biggest pressure cooker.

Still, if Sabathia doesn't join the Yankees, the San Francisco Giants appear to be the favorites to land the Vallejo native.
__________

if the Giants land CC there gonna be STACKED with great arms man!

Goaaallllllllll......!!!!!!

10 They already spent about 15 million in 2009, and 30 million overall already on free agents, do they really have another 20 million this year, and another 120 million overall to give to C.C.?

12
I know they have been trying to get rid of Zito to save some money. But, I do not see how that gets done.

*SI.com is reporting that Jason Varitek will decline Boston's offer of arbitration.
Varitek looked liked the only big-name free agent with even a slim chance of accepting the offer prior to tonight's deadline. Darren Oliver and Brandon Lyon are the best bets from the entire group of 24.*

You have gotta be kidding me, Boras is giving him horrible advice.

13 The funny thing is that the Giants might have been able to have enough money to spend on C.C. if they didn't go on this mini-free agent spree they already did.

Boras is giving him horrible advice

Do agents get a chunk of arbitration salaries, or does Boras only get paid if Varitek gets a new contract...?

13 Mike Hampton would show the way I suppose. A 3 way trade where all three teams paid for Hampton's contract so the team who actually traded for him only paid a portion of the contract.

16 I would assume any new contract, arbitration, or otherwise, that Boras makes a commission on it.

You gotta wonder if it's even worthwhile financially for players to have agents. Is the difference between what they'd get in salary with an agent vs. without really larger than the amount they pay the agent? I'm not convinced...

All agents really do is demand a lot of years and a lot money: why can't players do that on their own?

Since Boras would represent any of his players in an arbtiration hearing, I would think he would want a commission.

19

well, if you've been playing long enough some players act as there own agents from what I've seen in the past.

13 - Zito is going to be the comeback player of the year next year. I have this strange feeling, from reading a few articles about him, that he figured out what ever it was that sent his career sideways. CC, Linecum, Cain, and a renewed Zito is a scary, scary rotation, especially in a division that will give them close to 100 games in the Phone Book, Dodger Stadium, and Petco.

Boras wants a commission even when players fire him, and negotiate their own contracts.

You hire an agent to negotiate contracts for the same reason you don't represent yourself in court.

19 - I don't know. the CBA is not an uncomplicated document. most ballplayers fall into one (or more) of these categories: a. didn't go to college; b. do not have english as their native language; c. would prefer not to focus on the business side of baseball; d. would like to get endorsement deals to supplement their baseball income; e. get agents when they are entering the system and don't know anything about the system.

It's not just about asking for a lot of money, it's making a case that this particular player fits this particular team's needs in a particular way that other players can't. And then the negotiation of the contract. The devil is in the details.

and what Marty said.

Let's put it this way: I have to think that hiring an agent is probably worth it for some players, and not for others.

Goaaallllllllll......!!!!!!

UNC wins its 19th championship in the 27 years of NCAA women's soccer championships.

Yay.

I guess D4P has switched allegiance to an athletic program that wins.

19 I have no doubt that in nearly all transactions the agent more than pays for himself. Most of these players barely have a HS degree. They are not equipped to sit across the table from a bunch of shark lawyers and hugely successful business men and fairly negotiate a multi-million contract. The owners probably salivate when they see an unrepresented player walk into their office. The agent knows the market, is better able to negotiate, is more objective than the player, often has a law degree and has the luxury of being an douche bag if the situation warrants. The player cannot do these things in hammering out a deal. Its the same with houses. Sure, anyone can sell their own home and save the 5% but usually the dork in the yellow blazer will get you more money, help you avoid the pitfalls and navigate the paperwork.

From the idealistic naïveté of my couch I like to think otherwise, but the truth is if I were a MLB player, Scott Boras would be on my speed dial.

If I were an MLB player, I'd have D4P represent me. Sure, he'd get me a crappy one year, incentive only deal, but I'd feel so good about how honorable I was that it would all be worth it.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=8347

Top 11 prospects list for the Brewers.
1. Alcides Escobar, SS leads the list

32
He would make sure you are paid more than the manager though.

32

That made me LOLz.

34- If I were an MLB manager, I would not want D4P to represent me. He'd be like the lawyer in Supreme Courtship who took the Klan's case, lost it for them, and bankrupted them with his bill.

Darren Oliver's going to accept the Angel's arbitration offer.

If I were an agent, I don't think I could ever ask for way more than I thought my player deserved.

Kinda like how if I were a lawyer, I don't think I could ever represent a client when I agreed more with the other side.

Darren Oliver's going to accept the Angel's arbitration offer

Crap...I already started the presses...

38

Who are you to decide how much your player deserves?

He deserves as much as someone is willing to pay him.

Capitalism!

Who are you to decide how much your player deserves?

One who would rely on the most sophisticated stats available (e.g. win shares or whatever) to give me the best estimate as to a player's worth.

I would also use the same information if I were a GM.

42

I don't think you would have many clients...

42
Then just hope that some wild pitcher throws a fastball off of your client's hand and breaks it and disables him for five months.

Although I've always thought that deserve is a loaded term.

43
No, I wouldn't have many clients. Good thing I don't want to be an agent.

Dan Evans is a player agent nowadays. Thank god he hasn't tried to rip off Ned Coletti yet.

46
What would you do if you were an agent for MMA fighters?

Notre Dame's goal 16 seconds into today's championship bout was the fastest in lady Irish history.

48
Quit my job...?

I was wondering how you would determine their value, since stats are a lot different.

51
I think I'd probably end up focusing a lot more on their entertainment value (e.g. putting people in the seats, getting them to buy pay-per-views, etc.).

Baseball players contribute to team wins and losses, whereas MMA fighters really only contribute to selling tickets.

52
Yeah, that is what I was wondering. Because Brock Lesnar obviously going to make more money than a Lyoto Machida.

53
And Kimbo (arguably the worst fighter in MMA) made something like $500k per fight.

No disrespect to Dodger World Champion Mike Davis...but I was getting excited that urban scholar Mike Davis had started a blog.

Alas.

What are thoughts on Ty Wiggington at 3b? I've heard he would be on the block for the Astros.

56
Check his home and away splits.

57
I posted those the other day. They're not good.

57 , 58

Right last year he seemed to do all his damager at home but 2005 for pit and 2006/2007 for tampa, he posted ISOp's of 207, 223, and 183...He seems to be good for around 20 homeruns a year.

If only we could trade for Pedro Alvarez.

What teams have a couple of elite third base prospects?

I'm sure if the Dodgers made an offer for Andy LaRoche, the Pirates will bite.

Anyone see how Wigginton's defense is at 2nd vs 3rd? He could be a good stopgag at 2nd, allowing Blake to slide over to 3rd, where he is better defensively, no? Seems like W would produce as much as Casey Blake.

Would you guys trade JP for Zito plus 40ish mil divided evenly for the remainder of his contract?

A-Rod's WBC decision pleases his mom

>> Rodriguez is expected to play third base in the WBC, the same position he plays for the Yankees. The Dominican third baseman in the inaugural 2006 games was Adrian Beltre, who probably cannot play in 2009 because he is recovering from offseason thumb and shoulder surgeries. <<

http://tinyurl.com/5g4mqe

Apparently there is talk the Giants are thinking of a Sanchez for Blalock deal now.

Looks like Manny will decline arbitration.

one thing about the Babe Ruth pic (depending on what year that picture was taken) he looks in pretty good shape, you think he lost a few for the movie?

61

I'm a bit indifferent about him these days... I'm sure the Dodgers would have given him a really long leash in '09.

Given Congress' attitude about baseball work stoppages / strikes, I can't imagine the scorn they would show if baseball asked for a bailout. The Dodgers can field a pretty good team full of young players and be more fiscally responsible than if they were to sign one or more high priced free agents. Admittedly, staying away from high end free agents to keep the team solvent puts the accountants in control and not the marketeers.

If revenues are down for all teams in 2009, the Dodgers might be able to take contracts off the hands of teams that can't meet payroll, assuming the Dodgers minimize their payroll to begin the 2009 season. I kind of like that.

I think the Dodgers already have the players they need for 2009 with the exception of a couple of Chan Ho Park type innings eaters.

Heyman thinks the Indians to make a push for Furcal. Also a link to his story on Manny declining arbitration.

http://tinyurl.com/6qde2q

I thought part of the agreement for getting Manny was that not only did the Dodgers not get the rights to the two option years Boston had, but that Manny and the Dodgers agreed that the Dodgers would not offer and that Manny would not accept arbitration.

71
Nope.

72 - In that case, I bet Manny's best deal will be a one year arbitrated contract with the Dodgers.

Pacers leading Celtics by 2 at the half.

USC wins the mens water polo title.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting Tribune Co. is preparing for a possible bankruptcy-protection filing as soon as this week, according to people familiar with the matter.

You have gotta be kidding me. Can't Tribune just sell the Times to somebody who gives a damn?

http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/newsstand/discussion/report_tribune_preparing_for_bankruptcy_filing/

Well, I'll say one thing, nobody will ever accuse Mike Davis of having a ghostwriter do his blog.

67 The stereotype of the jolly, fat, Babe Ruth comes mostly from the 1930s when he was older. In his twenties Ruth was a lot trimmer with a very athletic build.

Utah vs Alabama does not thrill me.

Ohio St vs Texas

Poor Boise State.

65 Do the Giants not realize how good that guy could be?

Pacers and Celtics headed to OT in Indiana.

81 Could be is different than will be. Sanchez is the most expendable of the young arms SF has. Of course the Giants are targeting the wrong guys, Sanchez should be able to get another young up and comer like a guy like Hermida, not a slug like Cantu, or Blalock.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-shaikin8-2008dec08,0,6945838.story

Shakin questions if Baseball is actually affected by the recession as much as they claim.

It might not be easy to separate the effects of the recession from the effects of the amphetamine ban on older players and from the increased reluctance of teams to pay for past performance, based on statistical analysis showing that most players tend to peak in their late 20s.

From above post. Players will rue the day when sabrmetrics has shown that their best years are already arbitration controlled.

According to Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News, a Major League source told him a Homer Bailey for Jermaine Dye trade "is done and will be announced this week."

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh.

86
lol why are you mad?

87 Kenny Williams is able to move high priced contracts for young players. Meanwhile, we're worrying that we don't even have enough money to sign anybody.

88
Not like we had a player to trade for Dye. Probably would have taken McDonald.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-dodgers8-2008dec08,0,4324399.story

http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/angels/la-sp-angels8-2008dec08,0,7658661.story

The Times does angels and dodgers winter meeting previews

You guys want to kill 7 minutes of your evening. Enjoy (or cry while playing) this one:

http://www.sporcle.com/games/nfldraft_busts.php

91
Your team is going to kill mine in playoffs.

92 Yikes. yeah, a few people (and units) went off, guess that's all it takes to make up for the other slackers. Ah well, sorry. Too bad there's no actual money involved. ;-)

Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune is reporting that the swap of Jermaine Dye for Homer Bailey isn't true.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/

Matt Kemp interview coming up on FSN West during the Laker game.

Matt Kemp to be interviewed during Laker game. He was just off in some are sitting by himself.

*area

Does Kemp stay in L.A. during the off season?

Trevor Ariza is one of Kemp's best buddies...maybe Arizona will re-sign after the season.

and by Arizona...Ariza...whatever.

The Suns better not sign Ariza in the off season!!!

Cue D4P:

Matt Kemp: "...Manny wants to be back...it's not my decision, it's not his decision..."

Apparently Kemp has spoken with Manny several times this off season...

98
He said he moved to LA.

102

I think Matt meant that it would be the team's/management's decision.

I expect Lakers to let Odom leave and then sign Ariza. Unless someone gives him a crazy offer.

105
I figured that's what he meant...I just thought the quote was funny.

Also, Myers is such a homer. Vin Scully would not approve.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/

Burnett and Lyons reject their arbitration offers. I'm surprised Lyons did it, he finished poorly.

Brandon Lyon declines arbitration from the D'Backs.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/articles/2008/12/07/20081207dblyon.html

According to Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press, "The Tigers and Texas Rangers have made significant progress toward a trade that would send catcher Gerald Laird to Detroit and pitching prospect Guillermo Moscoso to the Rangers." It's not known whether the Tigers would include anyone else.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/

No Dye/Bailey deal.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/whitesox/chi-081207-chicago-white-sox-winter-meetings,0,7672373.story

So the Laker defense has done its job tonight, apparently?

Huh, Sun Yue is activated tonight. Well, with the game going like it is, he's not going to play anyway.

Is there some back story to the seemingly mentally-challenged way Bill MacDonald says "Jack in the Box" when mentioning the sponsor? I'm trying to find a reason not to hate him.

Brian Fuentes reject the Rockies arbitration offer.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/

116
This is going to sound incredibly nit-picky, but sometimes links to the specific articles/posts are cool.

There are 3 different news items in 109 , 111 , & 116 , but all 3 links point to the main page of MLB Trade Rumors.

117 Because I was just scanning mlbtraderumors. But I get your point.

couple of quick points:

1. i had the opportunity to play water polo in high school at Stanford's pool, it is one of the best facilities I ever played in - the other was Belmont Plaza in Long Beach.

2. I haven't followed polo closely the last few years, but I am not surprised to see that USC is still dominant, and that Stanford is playing well.

3. Boise State should have got in the Fiesta Bowl spot over Ohio State.

4. I kind of missed this place the last few days.

118 And on that note, Heyman reports that Orlando Cabrera declines arbitration.

http://www.fannation.com/si_blogs/hot_stove/posts/29961-cabrera-declines-white-soxs-arbitration-offer

Which team will give up a first or 2nd rounder for Cabrera?

120 - we all know the answer to that question is the Dodgers.

http://tinyurl.com/FMApromo I was able to obtain a sub of a promo for the new Full Metal Alchemist series that is going to air in Japan starting in April. Its only a 30 second promo, but still, its FMA!

Also, its a retelling starting from the beginning, so you can forget that Edward Elric met Martin Luther King Jr.

Spotlight on Vegas as Meetings begin

>> A deep starting-pitching market is buoyed by Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Ben Sheets, Derek Lowe, and veterans Pedro Martinez, Kenny Rogers, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Jamie Moyer, Brad Penny, Oliver Perez, Jon Garland, Paul Byrd, Braden Looper, Josh Fogg, Jon Lieber, Livan Hernandez and Mark Hendrickson. <<

http://tinyurl.com/58ngt6

I had forgotten that Big Bird is available. I wonder what Ned is thinking? :-)

Manny still has 55 minutes to accept...

Who knows, maybe Casey Blake will accept.

http://beta.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&page=rumblings081207

Stark has a new column out. He takes a couple of more potshots at Manny. I get it Stark, you don't like Manny. You can stop ramming that point through my skull now.

Whomever is running the PA system at Staples Center should get a raise. As Kobe & Tyrron Lue walked to the bench to clean up some blood (Kobe had a cut), "Sunday Bloody Sunday" played over the loudspeaker.

Moments like that are what I live for.

122
Awww, I thought they were going to make it look different.

127 - I liked "Why Can't We Be Friends?" on the PA at Dodger Stadium during the NLCS brawl.

128 Just wait until you meet the people from the country of Xing. They're the best characters not to make it into the original series.

130
Is this version based more off comics?

Casey Blake declines arbitration.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=3753350&type=blogEntry

Blake just declined. There you go.

Manny for 1 year/$30 million is still a possibility.

25 minutes to go.

131 Yeah, it should closely follow the plot of the comic series.

The previous series was developed when the series was only in its 1st year, so the anime studio had to develop its own plot based on the information the mangaka gave them.

I don't want to spoil much, but the comics has different homunculus, a new back story for certain characters, and introduces some really cool characters like the people from Xing, and Armstrong's older sister, Olivier Mira Armstrong.

http://www.lying-awake.net/armstrong/

114 You were saying?

136 Well, we know that Sun Yue can foul with the best of them.

Two fouls and a turnover in the first minute of play for Yue Sun.

3rd foul for Sun Yue!

Sun Yue, Yue suck!

http://beta.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?name=gammons_peter

New article by Gammons discussing on the private lives of athletes.

Joe Alexander's back on the roster?

Nice to see Sun Yue outscore Lamar Odom in his debut.

4 points, 4 minutes, 4 fouls for Sun Yue.

Derek Fisher is going to take his wife out on a date tonight, per his postgame interview. As he holds the door open for her at some restaurant and she walks by, unfettered, she will truly understand the ease of an NBA point guard's game playing the Lakers.

OK, that was probably a horribly weak analogy.

Don't forget the two turnovers.

146
That would have ruined the "quads wild" ("double dueces?") moment. :)

So is Joe Alexander back on the team, or did Joel Myers misspoke?

148
Yeah, he is.

11:27pm: Ken Rosenthal says the Tigers acquired Laird for Moscoso and a second prospect. He adds that the Tigers are considering Adam Everett and Nick Punto as shortstop options.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8910862/Source:-Tigers-acquire-catcher-Laird-from-Rangers?CMP=OTC-K9B140813162&ATT=49

David Weathers accepts the Reds' arbitration offer, Milton Bradley declined, and so did Brian Shouse.

Baseball players, agents, GMs set to wheel, deal in Las Vegas

>> Sabathia, 28, says he's not stalling, but simply needs time. He and his wife have a newborn. They left their Cleveland home last week to return to Fairfield, Calif. Now, he says, he will start focusing on a decision.

"His intent is to sit back and hear from everyone that might be interested," agent Brian Peters says, "and take it from there." <<

http://tinyurl.com/5f5sx2

http://www.insidesocal.com/dodgers/2008/12/manny-blake-and.html

Tony Jackson reports that Manny, Lowe, and Blake all rejected arbitration.

Moscoso and a prospect for Laird seems pretty fair for both teams. I'm still not totally sold on Laird, but we'll see. He fills a need. Moscoso could move up the prospect chart if he shows he's healthy. Other prospect is a young unnamed Dominican.

Seems fair 'nuf tho.

Brace yourselves, should be a flurry of activity coming in next two days.

151
Why in the world would they want to be in Fairfield?

150 Looks like the AL OPS leader isn't going to be accepting the one year deal you proclaimed he would.

154

It's a step up from Vallejo, barely.

155 I'm a bit surprised at that. Maybe Bradley still thinks he can get 4 years/40 million.

157 - Furcal thinks he can get 4 and $52, so nothing surprise me.

Fairfield, the North Haverbrook of the Bay Area.

No, worse.

Man that place is depressing, no offense. I should think Sabathia could afford to rebuild the entire town with the money from his next contract, if he wanted.

159
He will only get fatter living there, because all there is to do is go to In N Out.

157 I don't get how your surprised that one of the best hitters in the game declined a one year deal.

I always preferred the Fairfield Mall to Sunvalley, at least for actually buying things.

161 Because of the amount of games he missed over the years. That affects everyone, including Furcal. If you can only play 120 games as a DH, and you want to be paid 10 million a year, there isn't going to be a big market for you, in my opinion. The Rangers were one of the teams that values what Milton Bradley can do, and this kinda shuts the door on them, who else is going to accept Bradley's contract demands?

162
Sunvalley is useful if you want to buy some stupid looking sports hat or want to hang out with a bunch of poser 15 year olds.

The arb acceptance deadline feels like it's earlier than previous years. Maybe it's just that fewer free agents have signed. Or I'm going crazy.

fwiw, UZR defensive stats are now publicly available at Fangraphs along with wOBA. UZR has been touted as the best defensive metric and was once considered highly classified.
vr, Xei

Morning everyone!

I've started podcasting, and over on LOCKS of the Week (link is along sidebar), I have a quick preview of the upcoming BCS Bowls. Hope you enjoy it everyone!

[bear in mind, I have no formal broadcast training]

166 Interesting, +/- had Orlando Cabrerra as a +1, 17th overall. Whereas UZR has him at +14.2, the best defensive SS in baseball last year.

Does anybody know what time Hodges gets denied again today?

169
10 am PT

170 I'll be there.

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Astros are willing to trade Miguel Tejada, and teams are interested in him as a shortstop and third baseman. Rosenthal figures the Twins, Dodgers, Giants, and Angels could be matches. He adds that the Astros realize they'd have to eat some of Tejada's $13MM for '09.

I guess the Giants are already giving up on Renteria.

172 Who is the Giants 3rd baseman?

173 I would assume Pablo Sandoval.

I can see why they're interested in Tejada. If they make a move like that, their offense has another decent stick at least.

BA has a write-up on the Rangers' farm system and it shows how much they robbed Atlanta in the Tex deal. Neftali Feliz, who was essentially a throw-in at the time, is now their #1 prospect with the best fastball in the minors.

175 Nevermind, Tejada had terrible numbers last year.

There's a Barlett/EJax/Sonnanstine for Hermida rumor out there.

I guess the Rays are ready to turn over the reigns to Price and Brignac, if true.

Winter meetings start today & last through thursday.

Is it reasonable to expect some movement?

178 Wow that sounds like a lot for Hermida.

180 Apparently, it's EJax OR Sonnanstine.

181 I still don't make that move if I'm the Rays.

I think the Marlins are all set at shortstop too.

Yeah, I dont see the Marlins wanting a SS.

Brignac had a great 2006 year at AA.
But 2007/2008 he hasnt been good at all.

183 They could always move Hanley to 1B or LF.

In total, I think Qualcomm Stadium has the better combo of bowls than Dolphin Stadium:

San Diego
Poinsettia Bowl: TCU vs. Boise State
Holiday Bowl: Oregon vs. Oklahoma St

Miami
Orange Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech
BCS Championship: Florida vs. Oklahoma

so, bit off topic, but... starting Wednesday and running through next Tuesday, Jake's Corner a film by Jeff Santo (son of Ron) who also happens to be the boyfriend of my very good friend in Phoenix will be playing at the independent movie theater in Downtown LA. Showcase screening on Friday, filmmakers also present on Thursday (which will be the evening I'm likely going).

Arizona's painting Vegas Red on December 20th!

188
At least Arizona football fans will blend in with all the other alcoholics in Vegas.

I can only hope that BYU handles Arizona like the other Pac-10 teams they played this year.

189 -I thought Arizona was on the Obelisk under the category "entities who shall not be named".

189

I'm ready to party with the BYU ladies. I just know they'll throw their inhibitions out the window once they are in Sin City!

Prepare to rage:

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Dodgers and Yankees have resumed their discussions about second baseman Robinson Cano at the Meetings. The Dodgers also like Melky Cabrera, while the Yankees hope to get Matt Kemp and pitching from L.A.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8912072

Nine-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion Joe Gordon was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame today by the Veterans Committee.

http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/newsstand/discussion/joe_gordon_elected_to_hall_of_fame/

Just let it go, Rosenthal.

192 Oh no you di-ent.

In 2007 THBT put out this:
2007 OPS+ by position
Pos Mean Median
C 86 83
1B 115 108
2B 96 100
3B 109 101
SS 94 94
RF 111 105
CF 97 88
LF 107 101
(Minimum 100 plate appearances, Player qualifies at position if 50% or more games played are at that position.

Any of you bored people want to take a swing at it for 2008?

The Dodgers would only like Cabrera to play center fielder. The Dodgers already have a center fielder, in fact they have three players who can effectively play center field. What in the world is their obsession with center fielders?

192 - going to need more than Cano and Cabrera for Kemp and ML-ready pitching. Like a starting third baseman.

198 Too bad the Yankees traded away Wilson Benemit. Ohohohohohohohohohoho.

Text to BH: "Smack Ken Rosenthal for me please"

196 - I thought OPS+ was tied to position, so shouldn't the mean automatically be 100 for every position, or am I missing something?

192 - I actually do appreciate you giving Winter Meetings updates to the commenters that I'm not able/inclined (I can't decide which) to do. But maybe we should dial back the redundancy. The Kemp-Cano rumor is not news. We don't need to react every time Rosenthal flaps his gums.

201 OPS+ is tied to park factors, not position. VORP covers positional factors.

203 - ah, thanks. i knew there was a reason i liked the old standards.

201
OPS+ is only normalized for park and the entire league, not by position.

sOPS+ (found in the splits pages for each player) accounts for position.

203 Park and league factors, I should say.

192/202 - And I would add, any comment about a rumor that begins "Prepare to rage" makes me suspicious of its worth here. It's nothing personal, but my goal here is not to have people rage.

Kevin McHale is taking over as coach of the Timberwolves. Why do old Celtics find it necessary to become GM/VP of Basketball Operations and then go into coaching? Shouldn't it be the other way around?

202 Point noted, but this time Rosenthal is reporting that the Dodgers and Yankees are meeting specially about Cano, not just idle speculation. I think that's a bit news worthy.

207 On that, that is on my fault. I meant it as a joke, but I can see how that can be misconstrued. My bad.

196
Here are the numbers for catcher:

http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/Mvkd

62 players qualified:

Mean: 82
Median: 83

198 I hear the Yankees have a fellow named Rodriguez at 3B. Perhaps he is available.

209 - I can see where there is still some speculation to this rumor. Maybe reps from the Yanks and Dodgers have talked but Rosenthal is speculating it is about Cano. This "rumor" makes so little sense from a Dodger perspective that I think it deserves very little if any credence.

This "rumor" makes so little sense from a Dodger perspective that I think it deserves very little if any credence.

It doesn't have to make sense for Ned to do it.

I believe I saw Cabrera OPS'd .575 from May 6 on last year. Pierre is Rickey Henderson compared to him.

212 - I'm glad someone got the joke.

196 ,211
2008 First Basemen:

http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/sryZ

39 players:

Mean: 111
Median: 110

I love that Miguel Cairo qualified as a 1B.

This has Torre's influence written all over it. Ned needs to stop listening to him and start listening to Logan. NOW.

2008 Second Sackers:

http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/ChTQ

44 players:

Mean: 94
Median: 94

I would trade Eric Stults and Delwyn Young for Cano. Maybe. That's about it.

214 - See, I don't buy that at all. This is not "Ned move" if there is such a thing. Trading one of his only two productive OFers on the roster plus pitching maybe for an expensive 2B and a mediocre OF seems very unlike Ned.

The thing is, I would kind of be interested in trading for Cano. Yes, I know he wasn't so good last year, and that he has a contract that is going to get expensive (and soon). That can't be ignored and I'm not ignoring it.

But Cano was good in the recent past, and we have a hole at the position. It would be foolish to hang up on the Yankees. It is definitely worth exploring to see if Cano is available for the right price.

I don't have to say that I think the Kemp-for-Cano flier can be filed under I for INSANE.

This isn't important literally (though it made me chuckle) but an example of how MLBTR bloggers can misconstrue or get lazy in a posting:

>>Jerry Crasnick says Kevin Towers and Peavy's agent Barry Axelrod shared a cab for the 4.5 hour ride from San Diego to Las Vegas, but Axelrod says they only talked about Peavy for about three minutes.<<

No, if you read Crasnick's story, they did drive together, but they were not taking what would amount to a very expensive cab ride, especially for a cash-strapped team like the Padres to cover.

223 - Has John Moores not heard of the San Diego Airport?

223 Kevin Towers and Barry Axelrod go to White Castle?

224 I think Towers and Axelrod are friends, besides with the price of gas under two dollars, it's a lot cheaper than a plane ticket to Vegas.

218/221 - It seems pretty clear that Torre and Colletti both like Kemp. What's the evidence that they don't?

Robinson Cano press release worksheet. Check box to auto-insert.

## LAS VEGAS ## The Dodgers today solidified their 2009 infield by acquiring Robinson Cano from the New Yankees. Cano is a _________ and a _________ who has __________. Ned Colletti adds "Cano will add a lot of _________ and brings _________ to the table.

- Career .300 hitter
- All Star
- Experience playing in big market
- Experience playing in postseason
- "Comfortable" playing with Joe Torre

2008 3B:

http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/bhDQ

42 players:

Mean: 98
Median: 98

Old Friend Andy was dead last

Online work is now eligible for Pulitzers.

227 - Agree completely Jon. All arrows point to Torre and Colletti really liking Kemp which is another on the list of 100 reasons why this rumor is ridiculous.

191 It's not an inhibition per se, more a way of life. I'm fully prepared for BYU to triumph over Arizona in the Purcell-Zappala Bowl.

230 As I've hinted at throughout my comments, my academic field of interest is e-literature and e-textual studies, so this is huge huge news for me. Awesome to hear.

I'm fully prepared for BYU to triumph over Arizona in the Purcell-Zappala Bowl

If the Dodgers have traded Pierre by then, might it be the Purcell-Zappala-Steve Bowl...?

228 I understand your point, but as a guy who writes press releases for a living, I can tell you that it's not easy to write quotes for people. Usually, there's nothing at all new to say, so quotes end up being interchangable -- no matter who's getting promoted, or fired, or a deal, you can say the same thing about all of them. It's one of the frustrating/challenging parts of the job -- how do you make an interesting quote out of ordinary news?

So I'm not sure you really mean to criticize the press release that makes those announcements. I think you mean to criticize Ned for making moves to obtain a certain kind of player, and that's completely valid, IMHO.

233 But is it e-huge news?

2008 Shortstops:

http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/BkaU

50 players

Mean: 81
Median: 84

233
You must be e-lated.

NPUT

What's the line on the U of A v. BYU game? Seems like a tossup to me.

Rosenthal reports that the Dodgers are interested in Melky and Cano, but he only guesses about Kemp. There's a difference.

227
I see things the same way. The Yankees are doing what they can to extract a young outfielder with upside for Cano. Ned will say no to that, but may be amenable to young (Scott Elbert) pitching to make the deal.

Kemp is not going anywhere unless we get a king's ransom in return. The outfielder most likely to leave if we sign Manny is Ethier IMO.

233 You write press releases for a lousy company that puts out second rate product!

My point was that Cano embodies several things that sound good in a press release but have little to do with winning games. The guy walks 4% of the time, plays below avg. defense and is guaranteed $27M over the next 3 years. No thanks.

Before the winter meetings are over, I fully expect to see a Dan Uggla to the Dodgers rumor. This is pure speculation on my part, but the Marlins have recently shed the contracts of 4 arbitration eligible players in Kevin Gregg, Josh Willingham, Mike Jacobs, and Scott Olsen. Uggla is due to get the biggest raise out of all their remaining arb-eligible players, the Dodgers need a second baseman and in all likelihood have the players/prospects to make a deal happen.
Now the Marlins (according to what I've read) are not actively shopping Uggla but it stands to reason that if they are still so cost conscious enough to trade away 4 players all due for a raise, they would at least listen to offers for Uggla. What do you guys think? Could this happen and if so, do you think the Dodgers acquiring Uggla for a modest package of players would be a good thing or bad thing? Who do you think it would take to get him?