Killeverything's (New)NeverEndingBaseballThread

[Machado]

The Boston Red Sox have traded infielder Jed Lowrie and pitcher Kyle Weiland to the Houston Astros for relief pitcher Mark Melancon, a baseball source confirmed to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.

The Red Sox might have found the successor to Jonathan Papelbon in Melancon.


Kill-Are you content with some more Yankee leftovers?
Melancon was giving a few chances while with the Yankees, but he was hit hard, gave up a lot of runs and was very inconsistent.

[killeverything]

The Boston Red Sox have traded infielder Jed Lowrie and pitcher Kyle Weiland to the Houston Astros for relief pitcher Mark Melancon, a baseball source confirmed to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.

The Red Sox might have found the successor to Jonathan Papelbon in Melancon.


Kill-Are you content with some more Yankee leftovers?
Melancon was giving a few chances while with the Yankees, but he was hit hard, gave up a lot of runs and was very inconsistent.

I think the price is kind of high. There has to be more coming back. Apparently the FO see Lowrie as nothing more than a utility guy, and while he didn't have a chance to show what he could do, Weiland doesn't seem to fit their mold.

I wouldn't do Lowrie for Melancon straight up ( 2011: 137 ERA+, 2.54 K/BB, 0.6 HR/9 in 74.1 IP ), those numbers are serviceable but not dominant. He has less than 9 K/9 so specialist he ain't.

I'm going to wait to hear more and do a little more number crunching. It really seems like the FO really doesn't have the money to spend. As for MFY leftovers, thanks for Aceves.

[Machado]

The Boston Red Sox have traded infielder Jed Lowrie and pitcher Kyle Weiland to the Houston Astros for relief pitcher Mark Melancon, a baseball source confirmed to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.

The Red Sox might have found the successor to Jonathan Papelbon in Melancon.


Kill-Are you content with some more Yankee leftovers?
Melancon was giving a few chances while with the Yankees, but he was hit hard, gave up a lot of runs and was very inconsistent.

I think the price is kind of high. There has to be more coming back. Apparently the FO see Lowrie as nothing more than a utility guy, and while he didn't have a chance to show what he could do, Weiland doesn't seem to fit their mold.

I wouldn't do Lowrie for Melancon straight up ( 2011: 137 ERA+, 2.54 K/BB, 0.6 HR/9 in 74.1 IP ), those numbers are serviceable but not dominant. He has less than 9 K/9 so specialist he ain't.

I'm going to wait to hear more and do a little more number crunching. It really seems like the FO really doesn't have the money to spend. As for MFY leftovers, thanks for Aceves.

Speaking of Ace, if his arm does not fall enough in 2012, I'm sure he will get an opportunity or two to be the closer.
Melancon won't get it done for an extended period of time. In the NL he did, but the AL is such a different beast. Night and Day comparision.

Going from Pap to Bard to Melancon to Ace is a joke.
Then again, I have been spoiled with Mo as the closer for over
a decade.

[Facedown]

Red Sox replace Lowrie with Nick Punto.

[Machado]

Red Sox replace Lowrie with Nick Punto.

That dude is just bad enough to keep the Red Sux out of the playoffs
in 2012.

[johnk5150]

I really hope Brewers fans enjoy watching Aramis Ramirez try 3 months a year for $36 million.

[Facedown]

Rockies sign Cuddyer 3yrs/31.5mil.
Twins sign Willingham 3yrs/21mil.

[Tenacious_Dio]

ARod has 1 WS title to date.
I don't think that is enough to justify his contract, but it's a start

Yeah, but in your mind, how many rings does he need to justify his contract? The way I look at it, having ARod helps you get to the playoffs every year. Once you're in, it's a crapshoot.

[killeverything]

ARod has 1 WS title to date.
I don't think that is enough to justify his contract, but it's a start

Yeah, but in your mind, how many rings does he need to justify his contract? The way I look at it, having ARod helps you get to the playoffs every year. Once you're in, it's a crapshoot.

Yep, even if having a team he can win on cost you half a billion. Mystique and aura.

[WhiteHouseSubsAC]

Rollins back with Phils 3 yr/33 Mil with an option for a 4th. Time to get back to work.

[killeverything]

Rollins back with Phils 3 yr/33 Mil with an option for a 4th. Time to get back to work.

Sounds like a good deal to me.

Also San Diego traded Mat Latos to Cincinnatti for Yonder Alonso, Edison Volquez, Brad Boxberger and Yasmami Grandal.

Holy shit that's a lot of just raw talent for a 24 year old with a 8.7K/9 and a BB/9 under 3. Latos is easily the most valueable player in the deal right now, but he's coming into his 3rd season and hasn't proven himself at Petco much less through NL West line-ups. Going to the NL Central? His home/road splits don't differentiate much (229/ 287/ 348; 224/ 286/ 351), I'm just curious if there will be a jump going from a massive pitcher's park to a big hitter's park.

Cincy gave up three of their top 10 prospects + a guy who's better than his peripherals indicate.

[killeverything]

The lingering stench of last season remains, so it got me thinking about Mark Melancon. I did some research and came across these gems.

First, post trade press conference from Ben Cherington:

"We really like his stuff and have liked his stuff back to his college days at Arizona and we feel like the second half of the season, he really developed a better feel for his cutter. He's always had a good curveball. He's a really aggressive pitcher. Tough, confident and we think he has the intangibles to compete in the American League East. Just felt he was a really good upgrade to our bullpen."

His new cutter:

One of the key’s to Melancon’s success has been a cutter he developed to accommodate his 92 mph fastball, sharp curveball and work-in-progress changeup. The day after the 2010 season ended, Melancon began showing up at Minute Maid Park to work on nothing but the cutter. He spent all of October working on the pitch and phased it into his repertoire in spring.

If FanGraphs' pitchfx data is to be believed, he actually didn't get around to throwing one in an MLB game until the Astros' 5/6/11 game vs. the Pirates.

A look at TexasLeaguer's data seems to confirm this, and appears to really drive home the resulting change to Melancon's repertoire:

Pre-5/6/11:

4-seam Fastball: 60.4%
Curve: 26.6%
Change-Up: 7.2%
Cutter: n/a

Post-5/6/11:

4-seam Fastball: 40.8%
Cutter: 30%
Curve: 26.4%
Change-Up: 2.7%

Looking at this information brings me to a few observations. He did have a mild decline in K rate, but that can be non-factor and the sample size is small. He has a below average fastball, very good curve and becoming very good cutter.

Thinking about below average fastball pitchers, makes me think of Keith Foulke. Fuck before his injury he dominated with a 90m FB and a changeup. I'm more inclined to be a little stoked on the possibilities here.

[killeverything]

Holy shit. Texas won negotiating rights with Yu Darvish with a $51.7m bid. It's nice to see their not sitting pat with what they have. The AL West is going to be a race next season. Texas has been pretty dominant, but Anaheim is making moves too.

[Machado]

Holy shit. Texas won negotiating rights with Yu Darvish with a $51.7m bid. It's nice to see their not sitting pat with what they have. The AL West is going to be a race next season. Texas has been pretty dominant, but Anaheim is making moves too.

That is a lot of $$ for any player.
I'm happy the Yankees did not pay that much money for the right to sign Yu to a contract.
Rangers are going to spend a lot of money on this kid.
Much like the Sux did years ago with Dice K.

Do you believe the signing on Pujols by the Angels "forced" the Rangers to make their very own big splash?
I think so.
They might live to regret that decision to keep up with the Angels.

[killeverything]

Holy shit. Texas won negotiating rights with Yu Darvish with a $51.7m bid. It's nice to see their not sitting pat with what they have. The AL West is going to be a race next season. Texas has been pretty dominant, but Anaheim is making moves too.

That is a lot of $$ for any player.
I'm happy the Yankees did not pay that much money for the right to sign Yu to a contract.
Rangers are going to spend a lot of money on this kid.
Much like the Sux did years ago with Dice K.

Do you believe the signing on Pujols by the Angels "forced" the Rangers to make their very own big splash?
I think so.
They might live to regret that decision to keep up with the Angels.

Not neccessarily. They needed to do something with their pitching staff, especially since CJ Wilson left. Plus after the second WS loss in a row they needed to make a statement to the fans IMO.

I'm really excited to see how this one plays out. Japanese players have a different training/strength and conditioning program than Western players.
Plus they pitch with fewer days rest between starts. If communication isn't a barrier I could see this becoming a hell of pick up, with Nolan at the helm of the pitching staff. All his starters go deep into games.

I'll elaborate. Where I think the biggest fuckup with Matsuzaka was the FO. The dude could pitch, it just seems like they wouldn't let him. Remember after two years in the league and "nibbling the plate", he comes into the WBC ( again ) and is completely dominant. There were reports of his disgruntlement with the training staff, for not letting him pitch how he always had.

I blame the FO for that one. Let the motherfucker do what he does. If it ain't broke don't fix it. Don't baby him. Now with Nolan coming from that Cy Young mentality of "keep pitching, you'll find you grow good strong arms". Combined with Darvish's previous style. I could see this working out tremendously. It's an interesting experiment none the less. If he flames out no other Japanese player will get a big posting fee.

He'll possibly be overpaid, but sometimes you gotta do that. Jimmy Rollins makes a 1/3 of what Derek Jeter does. Any fan of NY or Boston that say's anyone is overpaid is funny to me.

[tin00can]

I think it's a decent move by Texas. He should have at least a few really good seasons and they needed to shore up the pitching staff. Of course, I hope he tanks but I don't think he will. Now, if they add Fielder on top of him...fuck. Just fuck. That would be one of the scariest lineups I've ever seen.

[killeverything]

I think it's a decent move by Texas. He should have at least a few really good seasons and they needed to shore up the pitching staff. Of course, I hope he tanks but I don't think he will. Now, if they add Fielder on top of him...fuck. Just fuck. That would be one of the scariest lineups I've ever seen.

I highly doubt that happens. Tying up that much money/years with him especially when you've got to make a big impression in the Darwish negotiations, then retain your current "core" players. I think they'll probably do another platoon situation. Napoli, Young and Moreland. First base hasn't been as productive offensively since the Teixiera days, but even without that lineup is still pretty scary.

[tin00can]

The question remains: where will Fielder go? I'm thinking it almost has to be an AL team if it's more than five years, I can't see an NL team going six or seven.

[killeverything]

The question remains: where will Fielder go? I'm thinking it almost has to be an AL team if it's more than five years, I can't see an NL team going six or seven.

Yeah, but the really big spenders are all locked up at first base. I'm thinking either Seattle ( who might have something in Justin Smoak ), or back to Milwaukee.

[killeverything]

Awaiting official announcement, Boston has hired Bobby McClure as the new pitching coach. Why do I keep hearing this go through my head?

"Hi, I'm Bobby McClure. You may remember me as the pitching coach for some terrible Kansas City Royals teams."

[Facedown]

Nationals get Gio Gonzalez from A's for 4 prospects.

[Machado]

Nationals get Gio Gonzalez from A's for 4 prospects.

Happy he went to the NL and did not end up with the red sux or some
other AL team.

Gio to Nats for Cole, Norris, Peacock, and Milone.

[Machado]

Hampered by injuries at the end of last season, New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez turned to a new therapy to treat his knee, according to the New York Post.

Rodriguez traveled to Germany to receive Orthokine therapy on a recommendation from Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, who has had the procedure performed on his balky knee and ankle.

The procedure uses the patient's own blood, which is drawn from the arm and put into a centrifuge to separate out a certain protein. The mix with the protein is then injected into the affected joint.

Rodriguez received permission from the Yankees to undergo the procedure.

Yankees signed Hideki Okajima to a minor league contract today.
Pretty much gives Yankees about 7 weeks to take a look at him and decide whether he's good enough to wear the pinstripes or not

[Facedown]

Red Sox get Andrew Bailey from the A's for Josh Reddick.
I'm sure there is more that is going to the A's but it hasn't been mentioned yet.

[Facedown]

Update:
The Boston Red Sox have acquired Oakland closer Andrew Bailey and outfielder Ryan Sweeney in a trade that sends outfielder Josh Reddick to the Athletics
To complete the deal, the Red Sox will also send third baseman Miles Head, 20, and 19-year-old pitcher Raul Alcantera to Oakland

[Machado]

7 weeks until
pitchers and catchers report for ST

[johnk5150]

7 weeks until
pitchers and catchers report for ST

I will not be wearing pants that day.

[tin00can]

I already have my annual weekend outing to Tempe planned, meeting with a bunch of friends from the angelswin.com board out there. Always a blast to go to spring training! Fuck yeah, baseball.

[MurrayFiend]

So, the question remains: What does Anthopoulos do to get a starting pitcher before the offseason comes to an end? He says the bullpen's set after getting Mr. Alltime Blue Jay Appearances (Jason Frasor) back in a deal with the ChiSox, but what about the rotation? No Jo-Jo Reyes will surely be a nice improvement, but getting someone from the outside ought to be a priority. And he'd obviously prefer a trade to free agency given his history. Any ideas?

[TawnyVonJagger]

Marlins trade Volstad to Cubs for Crazy Fuckin' Carlos!



Craziest offseason EVAR.