Killeverything's (New)NeverEndingBaseballThread

[Facedown]

Indians sign Miguel Cabrera.
Brewers sign Shawn Marcum to a 1yr/3.95mil deal avoiding arbitration.
Angels win arbitration case with Jered Weaver and he will get 7.4mil.
Rangers sign Josh Hamilton to a 2yr/24mil deal avoiding arbitration.

[johnk5150]

Harold Reynolds just called Matt Garza one of the top ten pitchers in baseball.

Roy Halladay
Cliff Lee
Roy Oswalt
Cole Hamels
Derek Lowe
Tim Hudson
Tommy Hanson
Johan Santana
Josh Johnson
Stepen Strasburg (when healthy)
Adam Wainright
Chris Carpenter
Zack Greinke
Yonani Gollardo
Bronson Arroyo
Edison Volquez
Johnny Cueto
Tim Lincecum
Matt Cain
Jonathan Sanchez
Mat Latos
Clayton Kershaw
Ubaldo Jimenez
Jorge De LaRosa

Off the top of my head, those are the NL pitchers who are better, or just as good, as Matt Garza - and I'm not even in "get ready for the season" mode yet!

It was 7:30 in the morning. I thought he sounded drunk.

[Redman77]

It was 7:30 in the morning. I thought he sounded drunk.

Was he trying to hug the other hosts?

[johnk5150]

It was 7:30 in the morning. I thought he sounded drunk.

Was he trying to hug the other hosts?

It was a phone interview. I bet he wasn't wearing pants.

[Machado]

I would love to see him make the team and provide some depth backing up 3rd & 1st.
He will have to beat out several players to make the team. 2 of them are players that were on the club last season(Pena and Nunez).


TAMPA, Fla. -- Eric Chavez feels heathly and is ready to compete for a part-time role with the New York Yankees.

Injuries limited Chavez to 33 games last year with Oakland after he played in just 23 in 2008 and eight in 2009. He recently agreed to a minor league contract with New York.

Chavez has had five operations since September 2007, including three on his shoulder and two on his back. He felt spasms on both sides of his neck last year after a spring training drill in which a minor leaguer crashed into his right shoulder.


"The back is stable. Shoulders really progressing over the last few weeks," Chavez said Friday. "Swinging the bat has been going really well for me, which really has been my downfall the last few years."

Chavez took batting practice, fielded grounders and ran in the outfield during a workout before spring training at the Yankees' minor league complex. He could provide New York with a veteran backup to third baseman Alex Rodriguez, first baseman Mark Teixeira and designated hitter Jorge Posada.

"It's more realistic to think that I can play two or three ballgames a week than five or six," Chavez said. "So, I'm just going to try and keep myself healthy and show them I can swing the bat a little bit, and see what happens. All I've got to do is come in here and prove I can play a few times a week."

Chavez won AL Gold Gloves at third base with Oakland from 2001-06 and has spent all 13 of his major league seasons with the Athletics. He seriously considered retirement this winter.

"I didn't know going into the offseason what my options would be or who would be interested," Chavez said. "Once teams started calling and we started talking about doing some workouts, that really kind of started to motivate me. It really changed my mind into coming back and, at least, trying to change the scenery from Oakland and see what I could do. I've got a new heartbeat over here and hoping to energize myself, and the key is to stay healthy."

[johnk5150]

Fox Sports lists the Cubs best player as Soto. Maybe in burrito consumption. That's a bad sign.

[Facedown]

Pujols and Cards set Wednesday deadline for a deal.

[johnk5150]

Pujols and Cards set Wednesday deadline for a deal.

I'm hearing he's turned them down once. Why are they trying to lowball the best right handed hitter of my lifetime?

[Machado]

Pujols and Cards set Wednesday deadline for a deal.

I'm hearing he's turned them down once. Why are they trying to lowball the best right handed hitter of my lifetime?

its a business.
bottom line is all about money.

the player wants to be paid the most and the owner(team) wants to pay him as little as possible.

[Facedown]

Cashman says Joba is not guaranteed a roster spot.
Sabathia open to use his opt-out clause at the end of the year.

[Machado]

Cashman says Joba is not guaranteed a roster spot.
Sabathia open to use his opt-out clause at the end of the year.

Day 1 of spring training and this is what is dug and presented as news.
Big whoop!

Joba, like many other relievers on the roster have to earn their spot. Nothing new there.

C.C. and his contract-Anything and everything is possible. Why worry about his situation now?? There is no point!!!

[Facedown]

Olney reports that there will be no deal with Pujols before the deadline. They aren't talking.

[johnk5150]

Olney reports that there will be no deal with Pujols before the deadline. They aren't talking.

I wonder if the Cardinals are worried about giving him a boatload of dough and finding out he was juiced the whole time. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad an idea to let him go to a Yankees or other big money team.

[Facedown]

Issue was per year salary and not contract length.
Cards proposed a deal that would have put him in the top 10 yearly salary but not top 5 which means the offer was between 19 and 23mil per year.

[Facedown]

Blue Jays sign Jose Bautista to a 5yr/65mil deal.

[Facedown]

Miguel Cabrera arrested yesterday on DUI charge.
Brewers sign Rickie Weeks to a 4yr/38.5mil deal.
Twins sign Delmon Young to a 1yr/5.37mil deal.

[johnk5150]

Miguel Cabrera arrested yesterday on DUI charge.

Police say he REEKED of booze and actually took a swig from a scotch bottle during the pullover.

[Facedown]

Yeah, then he pulled the "Don't you know who I am?" line.

[TawnyVonJagger]

Miguel Cabrera arrested yesterday on DUI charge.

Police say he REEKED of booze and actually took a swig from a scotch bottle during the pullover.

Yep, it's all over the news here. Rehab obviously worked!

Marlins FanFest on Saturday! Gonna go check out the progress at the new pond as well. It's looking pretty fucking awesome so far!

[TawnyVonJagger]

Check this out. Marlins taking BP in the new ballpark, serving food to the workers, interviews, etc. About 9 min long. And Mike Stanton playing some damn fine big boy ball at 1:56.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p-Gbl9-1i0

[Machado]

Gary Sheffield officially announced his retirement.
He last played for the mets in 2009.

Is he HOF worthy??

Remember now, his name was in The Mitchell report.

Sheff claims he had no knowledge "the cream" included steroids

[MurrayFiend]

Blue Jays sign Jose Bautista to a 5yr/65mil deal.

Neat. Now don't pull an Adam Lind and be all useless this year.

[Facedown]

Report:
Red Sox are ready to sign Adrian Gonzalez to a 7yr/164mil deal.

[Machado]

http://www.mlb.com/network/schedule/live_games.jsp

83 exhibition games are scheduled to be televised by MLB Network.
Wonderful!

First game is Sat Feb 26
phils vs Yankees

[johnk5150]

Where's Spark? Wainwright may be out for the year?

[johnk5150]

Red Sox fans better hope Jenks can lose his White Sox Exit baggage.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/ba ... 4138.story

[wickedsensation]

Check this out. Marlins taking BP in the new ballpark, serving food to the workers, interviews, etc. About 9 min long. And Mike Stanton playing some damn fine big boy ball at 1:56.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p-Gbl9-1i0

I can't wait for baseball season to start. I'm in a keeper league, and I'm keeping Stanton. He's going to fucking rake this year...

[killeverything]

Red Sox fans better hope Jenks can lose his White Sox Exit baggage.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/ba ... 4138.story

Here's more of his side to it. I think they're making something outta nothing personally. Guillen cracks me the fuck up, but it's not secret that guy and the White Sox FO ( Williams especially ) aren't the easiest to deal with.

Williams treatment of the Big Hurt comes to mind.....

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring201 ... id=6161209

[killeverything]

I'll be damned.....

System In 20 Words Or Less: With a quartet of five-star prospects and a wealth of pitching overall, no system in baseball took a bigger step forward last year.

Five-Star Prospects
1. Jesus Montero, C
2. Manny Banuelos, LHP
3. Gary Sanchez, C
4. Dellin Betances, RHP

Three-Star Prospects
5. Eduardo Nunez, SS
6. Austin Romine, C
7. Andrew Brackman, RHP
8. Ivan Nova, RHP
9. Hector Noesi, RHP
10. Brett Marshall, RHP
11. Adam Warren, RHP

Nine More:
12. Graham Stoneburner, RHP: His plus sinker/slider combination has impressed to far, but he'll need a third pitch to remain a starter.
13. Brandon Laird, 3B/OF: A good offensive prospect, but his free-swinging ways caught up to him at Triple-A, and most of the value revolves around the bat.
14. Slade Heathcott, OF: He showed plenty of tools in his pro debut, but power has yet to show up in games, and scouts are worried about his swing.
15. Cito Culver, SS: A surprise first-round pick, speed and arm strength are his best tools, but will he hit?
16. David Phelps, RHP: Armed with average stuff and plus command and control, he could get a big-league look if the back end of the rotation falters.
17. Melky Mesa, OF: An impressive outfielder with plus power and speed, but his pure hit tool gives scouts pause.
18. D.J. Mitchell, RHP: This ground-ball machine is small but athletic; ultimately, he probably fits better in the bullpen.
19. Colin Curtis, OF: He will never be an everyday outfielder, but could be a good fourth right now.
20. Angelo Gumbs, SS: An impressive quick-twitch athlete with plenty of upside, but you'll find carpaccio that is less raw.


1. Jesus Montero, C
DOB: 11/18/89
Height/Weight: 6-4/225
Bats/Throws: R/R
Drafted/Signed: 2006, Venezuela
2010 Stats: .289/.353/.517 at Triple-A (123 G)
Best/Worst Tool: Power/glove
Year in Review: Arguably the best hitting prospect in the minors, Montero had some initial struggles as a 20-year-old in Triple-A, but he was the International League's top hitter in the second half, cranking out a .351/.396/.684 line after the All-Star break.
The Good: Montero is the rare prospect with both plus-plus power and hitting ability. He has excellent bat speed, fantastic hands, quick wrists, and immense strength that allows him to drive balls out of any part of the park while maintaining a high batting average. He's showing continued improvement in his approach, and takes a fair share of work. Despite having praise heaped on him since he was 16, he's a very hard worker, and is constantly striving to improve his defense.
The Bad: Despite all of his work, Montero remains a well below-average catcher, and someone who just isn't designed to play to position. He's a poor receiver who handcuffs balls, he has trouble blocking pitches in the dirt, and his arm strength is mitigated by the amount of time it takes his immense frame to get out of a crouch and release the ball. Offensively, he has no weaknesses other than his well below-average speed, which borders on base-clogging.
Ephemera: The Cardinals have a 19-year-old catcher in their system named Jesus Montero. Not only do the two players share a name and position, but both were born in Guacara, Venezuela.
Perfect World Projection: He's an impact hitter with consistent All-Star-level numbers, but it's probably not going to come with him at catcher.
Fantasy Impact: It could be massive, even without any stolen bases.
Path to the Big Leagues: The Yankees are considering carrying Montero in the big leagues as a twice-a-week backup catcher who gets some plate appearances elsewhere, but he'll likely return to Triple-A so that he can get consistent playing time.
ETA: 2011

Never thought we'd see the day. Here's more:

NY with their best showing in the 21 year history of BA's top 100, 6 top 100 prospects including Montero at #3 and 3 others in the top 50:

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/pr ... 11328.html

Hmmmm, now the reason I bring this up is is no secret that the MFY SP looks pretty thin behind CC and Hughes ( who they're banking a lot on apparently ). Who next "Ace" Burnett? Nova? Who I think will be eaten alive as a rookie in the AL East. Garcia?

Kevin Millwood turned down the MFY's mL contract offer opting instead to hold out for a major league deal. Which is understandable if not a little arrogant ( 4-16 against the AL East last season ). I think that main reason to sign Millwood would be to give the impression that they're "satisfied" with their rotation, and gnaw on some innings. That's a gnarly #3 to have. Come trade deadline with holes to fill, they're Farm is going to be bled dry. Everyone and their dog is going to ask for Montero.

Cashman has pulled off some amazing trades in the past ( getting rid of Sheffroid comes to mind ). Except there's this comment he made about Joba:

But Cashman said the Yankees view him solely as a reliever. “I don’t think his stuff is the same since he hurt himself in Texas [August 4th 2008] … The stuff plays up better in the pen.” Cashman continued, “His stuff doesn’t play out of the rotation anymore like it did before prior to his shoulder.”

It's no secret that the guy is a 25 year old has been.....that never was, but why badmouth your roster? Now every rival GM knows that you don't have the internal pieces to fill up. Remember there is no "bridge year" in NY. The Trustafarians will see to that.

Is Cashman trying to get himself fired? This just blows my mind.......

[SkyDog112046]

RIP Duke Snider