Done Deals for the 2010 Season

SamAdams:

Add David Letterman to the mix for me. (My wife was watching Leno and called me in to see it. I replayed the McCourt comment.)

If it wasn't for Craig Ferguson there would be nothing to watch on TV late at night other than Cinemax.

metiquet:

So, you're the one.

Yep, guilty on both counts.

grabarkewitz:

Juan Castro agreed to terms with the Phillies, pending his physical. Given that Loretta is likely to retire and Belliard, Eyechart and Thome are very likely not going to be resigned, our bench is gonna be quite different and much younger, in my opinion.

Gawd, I hope so. A younger bench would be cheaper, too. The creamy veteran goodness that has been our bench for the past several years just isn't cutting it. What have we got to lose by going with a bench of something along the lines of Hu, Hoffman, Jones, Paul, etc? I doubt that any of them will leave us pining for the days of Sweeney.

I'd be okay with Hu as our utility infielder, but we also need to have someone with some pop off the bench. Thome was a novel approach, had he not been a shadow of his former self. Not saying we need to spend big bucks. I'd like to see Mitch Jones get a real shot at the job or see if Xavier Paul is ready to step up.

The White Sox just signed Hindenburg on a one year, $500K deal. How the mighty have fallen.

Mike Scioscias tragic illness:

I agree. I'd like to see Hu as the 2B/SS slick-gloved backup, but someone with pop who can also play 1B/3B. Someone like... Troy Glaus!

I like the idea of Glaus. Any idea what he'd cost?

Mike Scioscias tragic illness:

whoa, he got a job?

How much will we be paying .163 in 2010 for NOT playing for the Dodgers in '09?

In looking over his stats from last year, I noticed he put up an OPS+ of 100, a very average figure, but gangbusters compared to his OPS+ of 35 in 2008.

Here's what really struck me as I looked up his career stats. The year BEFORE Ned lavised that huge two year contract on Andruw Jones, he had an OPS+ of 87. Unbelievable. Does Ned even know what OPS+ means (or OPS)?
VORP? UZR?

Glaus is a Type B.

The complete 2008-2009 Elias rankings are here:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2009-11-16-complete-elias-rankings_N.htm
 

SamAdams:

You're right. I looked at Cot's list, which needs updating.
http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/2001/05/2010-free-agents.html

Glaus has been averaging over $10M the past seven years, but after last year's injury plagued season, maybe he'd play for normal utility player rates plus incentives. Other problem is, he has never played first base.

Six games in the last two years, which I admit isn't a huge amount. Still, he was always known as an excellent defensive 3b, good enough to play SS occasionally, so I would think he'd be able to pick it up. Even if not, you could always shift Blake to 1b if needed.

Phillies sign Brian Schneider. No terms announced, but it has to be a one-year deal. That takes one name out of the "which old and busted veteran catcher backs up Martin this year?" sweepstakes.

Throwdeuce:

And now Shoppach to the Rays for a PTBNL

Smart move by the Rays, depending of who they gave up. Shoppach is still a young guy with upside, which is a much better bet than signing some washed up vet.

We've been seeing a few of these types of deals thus far and I expect we'll see many more, as clubs try to fill as many holes as possible via "lesser" trades. This allows them to spread their payroll further, and avoid or delay dipping into the FA pool. Big name trades figure to be few and far between, with only a few teams appearing to be willing buyers.

Braves have reached an agreement with Billy Wagner. Boston already reaps the reward of dealing for Wagner. Good ownership = Boston. Horrible ownership = Dodgers. 'nuf said.

elysianpark62:

Midge was on MLB Network's Hot Stove show last night. The panel was debating whether the Putrids should deal Gonzalez or not. Midge was VERY fired up on this topic. He said the Putrids should keep him because they can compete next year. I knew why he would say he thought that. Sure enough, he practically screamed his reason: "Because they play in THE NL WEST!"

He went on to opine that the Dodgers won't spend, the Rockies are streaky, the Zonies are "up and down," and the Gnats still have some issues (or something like that--by the time he got to them, I was already steaming).

Then he AGAIN declared, "They play in the NL WEST!"

Apparently he doesn't realize that the Dodgers had the best record in the NL in 2009 or that the Rockies were the wild card team. Saying the NL West is weak is about four years too late.

I wonder if Midge realizes the Berlin Wall doesn't exist anymore or that the Japanese surrendered. He needs to wake up.

I'd prefer if he just went away.

I hear there's a pygmy tribe in West Africa looking for a leader...

elysianpark62:

Midge was on MLB Network's Hot Stove show last night. The panel was debating whether the Putrids should deal Gonzalez or not. Midge was VERY fired up on this topic. He said the Putrids should keep him because they can compete next year. I knew why he would say he thought that. Sure enough, he practically screamed his reason: "Because they play in THE NL WEST!"

He went on to opine that the Dodgers won't spend, the Rockies are streaky, the Zonies are "up and down," and the Gnats still have some issues (or something like that--by the time he got to them, I was already steaming).

Then he AGAIN declared, "They play in the NL WEST!"

Apparently he doesn't realize that the Dodgers had the best record in the NL in 2009 or that the Rockies were the wild card team. Saying the NL West is weak is about four years too late.

I wonder if Midge realizes the Berlin Wall doesn't exist anymore or that the Japanese surrendered. He needs to wake up.

I am betting that the Midget is still bamboozled by the motorized carriage. You have Tom Verducci, Jon Heyman and the Midget as your alleged experts at MLBN. One of those guys just doesn't fit and he is the one who needs a booster chair to see over the top of the table.

BluePastorKyle:

And a teleprompter.

Unless he's being interviewed, the man does not know how to talk off-the-cuff. And in interviews, he's just awkward. Drives me crazy the way he delivers information. He's dry, boring, unanimated, and has never in his entire career ever said anything that was actually "news" to me.

But apparently off the camera, he is a well-liked individual by his peers. And for what it's worth, that's much preferable to being a jerk in real life, but good in front of the camera.

Not that I dispute your claim, Pastor, but I could really care less what he's like off camera. If an individual is no good in front of a camera, has nothing new or informative to report, and hasn't enough brain cells to reason intelligently, then said individual doesn't belong in front of a camera.

of course, if that were the criteria, ESPN would have about three employees...