MLB News & Notes (other than Cubs or Sox)

[Kid]

<!--quoteo(post=56877:date=Aug 10 2009, 09:25 PM:name=Baron)-->QUOTE (Baron @ Aug 10 2009, 09:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=56867:date=Aug 10 2009, 08:18 PM:name=Ace)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Ace @ Aug 10 2009, 08:18 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=56864:date=Aug 10 2009, 09:16 PM:name=Baron)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Baron @ Aug 10 2009, 09:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=56860:date=Aug 10 2009, 08:13 PM:name=rok)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (rok @ Aug 10 2009, 08:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=56858:date=Aug 10 2009, 08:10 PM:name=Coach)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Coach @ Aug 10 2009, 08:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->I think that it is possible the Sox put a claim on Rios to block him from the Tigers and got stuck with him.

He is good, but not at that price.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
That's all I'm saying. He doesn't suck, but at that price the Sox could have gotten more than a player of Rios' caliber in this economic environment, and especially when they are crying poor.
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My only point is that they got him for free, IMO he is well worth that.
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Sincere question: if he were a free agent today, would he get a contract like he has now? If yes, it was a great move. If not, it wasn't.
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I don't agree with that logic. Neither the Cubs or Sox have legitimate money issues, so I don't see why it matters that he makes 12 million next year. He is making 6 million this year, I'd say that is worth it.

I don't know if Z or Soriano would get their current contracts as FA, so any team picking them up would be making a bad move? Come on.
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They might not, but nobody is trying to acquire those contracts. The Sox just picked up a <b>bad</b> contract. Yes, it might not have been that bad when signed, since it was backloaded. Well the Sox didn't get the benefit of the backloading, only the burden.

[Ace]

<!--quoteo(post=56888:date=Aug 10 2009, 09:34 PM:name=Kid)-->QUOTE (Kid @ Aug 10 2009, 09:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=56877:date=Aug 10 2009, 09:25 PM:name=Baron)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Baron @ Aug 10 2009, 09:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=56867:date=Aug 10 2009, 08:18 PM:name=Ace)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Ace @ Aug 10 2009, 08:18 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=56864:date=Aug 10 2009, 09:16 PM:name=Baron)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Baron @ Aug 10 2009, 09:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=56860:date=Aug 10 2009, 08:13 PM:name=rok)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (rok @ Aug 10 2009, 08:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=56858:date=Aug 10 2009, 08:10 PM:name=Coach)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Coach @ Aug 10 2009, 08:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->I think that it is possible the Sox put a claim on Rios to block him from the Tigers and got stuck with him.

He is good, but not at that price.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
That's all I'm saying. He doesn't suck, but at that price the Sox could have gotten more than a player of Rios' caliber in this economic environment, and especially when they are crying poor.
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My only point is that they got him for free, IMO he is well worth that.
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Sincere question: if he were a free agent today, would he get a contract like he has now? If yes, it was a great move. If not, it wasn't.
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I don't agree with that logic. Neither the Cubs or Sox have legitimate money issues, so I don't see why it matters that he makes 12 million next year. He is making 6 million this year, I'd say that is worth it.

I don't know if Z or Soriano would get their current contracts as FA, so any team picking them up would be making a bad move? Come on.
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They might not, but nobody is trying to acquire those contracts. The Sox just picked up a <b>bad</b> contract. Yes, it might not have been that bad when signed, since it was backloaded. Well the Sox didn't get the benefit of the backloading, only the burden.
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Further, I think the answer to your rhetorical question is actually yes. If you believe that Soriano's contract, for example, is an absurd overpayment in this market (and for an absurdly long time), picking him up off waivers would of course be a bad move.

[Kid]

For comparison sake, the Blue Jays got about 1 2/3 seasons out of Rios in this contract for approximately $4.7 million (~$2.8 million/season).

The White Sox get 5 1/3 seasons out of him for approximately $61.7 million (~$11.6 million/season). That presumes they pay the $1 million buyout to Rios before 2015, rather than taking the $13.5 million option.

[Baron]

Center fielders
Rick Ankiel (30)
Rocco Baldelli (28)
Marlon Byrd (32)
Mike Cameron (37)
Endy Chavez (32)
Coco Crisp (30) - $8MM club option with a $500K buyout
Darin Erstad (36)
Ryan Freel (34)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (34)
Reed Johnson (33)
Andruw Jones (33)
Gabe Kapler (34)
Mark Kotsay (34)
Corey Patterson (30)
Scott Podsednik (34)

I'd take Rios at 12 million per over any of these guys.

[Kid]

I think this really lowers the chances that they keep Dye, who they'd be better off with, for around the same price and a shorter commitment.

[Baron]

<!--quoteo(post=56915:date=Aug 10 2009, 09:08 PM:name=Kid)-->QUOTE (Kid @ Aug 10 2009, 09:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->I think this really lowers the chances that they keep Dye, who they'd be better off with, for around the same price and a shorter commitment.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Either Dye or Thome will be gone is my guess, I could see them keeping Dye and giving him ABs in the DH spot.

[BT]

<!--quoteo(post=56922:date=Aug 10 2009, 09:31 PM:name=Baron)-->QUOTE (Baron @ Aug 10 2009, 09:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=56915:date=Aug 10 2009, 09:08 PM:name=Kid)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Kid @ Aug 10 2009, 09:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->I think this really lowers the chances that they keep Dye, who they'd be better off with, for around the same price and a shorter commitment.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Either Dye or Thome will be gone is my guess, I could see them keeping Dye and giving him ABs in the DH spot.
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that's why your comparison to other CF's is faulty. You might like Rios at 12 million over any of those guys, but that's not the end of the equation. Personally, I'd take Podsednick and Dye at 12 million over Rios and NOBODY.

There is simply no way that this is a "great" move for the Sox. It's a move that could work out, but even if everything works out as great as you say, they didn't get him for free. They got him for 60 MILLION dollars.

If you go by OPS, AND you assume he can play CF on a regular basis, he would rank 17th in the major leagues right now. So yes, I would take him over Reed Johnson, but not over Kemp, Jones, Victorino, Granderson, Cabrera, McClouth, Fowler, and Sizemore, among others. That isn't counting guys with worse OPS I would take in a nanosecond over Rios, like Upton and Rasmus. And my guess is that he is making more than any of those guys (maybe not sizemore).

If the Sox have an unending well of money, then this deal won't hurt them. If they don't have enough money to replace Thome and Dye, statistically their best hitters this year, then I'd say Kenny made a mistake.

[kbwsb]

I don't think it's a "great" move...at this point, it's impossible to say. It's certainly a ballsy move.
The Sox have had major problems in CF for a long time, so this fills a need for them. And, it is likely that Guillen is an ideal manager for the supremely talented, but often lackadaisical Rios.
Reinsdorf must be one of those guys who didn't get pinched in the recession, because adding both Peavy <i>and</i> Rios is not something you'd do unless you were in the pink financially.

To me, this could be one of those rare moves that works out well for both teams. Luckily for Butch and tom, it also has a real decent chance to explode in the Sox's face.

[Coldneck]

The Sox won't resign Thome and Dye is a statue in the OF. If he is resigned he should move to DH. I think this moves dramatically improves the team defense for next year. Rios has a giant upside as well. But $60 Million in this market will buy you a ton. I don't know who is available this offseason, but I think they'd have been better off spending that money on 2 real good players instead of the could be good Rios.

[ruby23]

The 2 moves the Sox have made could turn out to be really, really good moves. They could also turn out to be really, really bad moves. The risk/reward of the 2 moves might be the biggest I've seen, maybe ever. These moves could run Williams outta town or they could result in them making a bronze statue of him and sticking out in front of the Cell. I think there's a greater chance that the moves blow up in their faces, but that's no guarantee of that.

[Jody]

I heard Stone talking on the Score last night and he was saying that this was the move that was going to put them over the top and he was just giddy as a school girl that Kenny went out and added Peavy and Rios.

[rok]

Who is going to play RF for them next season? If they added Rios at 12m and then still need to re-sign Dye or whomever to fill the other OF spot, I doubt it gives them much flexibility to do other things. And Stone can eat a large throbbing dick.

[Butcher]

I hope it blows up in their faces, but KW has had a pretty long string of good luck. I'm afraid it was a good move.

[rok]

<!--quoteo(post=56981:date=Aug 11 2009, 09:39 AM:name=Butcher)-->QUOTE (Butcher @ Aug 11 2009, 09:39 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->I hope it blows up in their faces, but KW has had a pretty long string of good luck. I'm afraid it was a good move.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I'm afraid that everything that he's done over the past few years since 2005 will work out for them. I still hate the bastard, but at some point I will have to admit that KW is more smart than lucky. I'm not at that point yet, but that day may come soon. All I can say is that we'd better turn our ship around soon and start building a real baseball organization not just a marketing machine, or else I may need to take a break from baseball for a few seasons like I did in the late 90s.

[BT]

<!--quoteo(post=56984:date=Aug 11 2009, 09:48 AM:name=rok)-->QUOTE (rok @ Aug 11 2009, 09:48 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=56981:date=Aug 11 2009, 09:39 AM:name=Butcher)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Butcher @ Aug 11 2009, 09:39 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->I hope it blows up in their faces, but KW has had a pretty long string of good luck. I'm afraid it was a good move.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I'm afraid that everything that he's done over the past few years since 2005 will work out for them. I still hate the bastard, but at some point I will have to admit that KW is more smart than lucky. I'm not at that point yet, but that day may come soon. All I can say is that we'd better turn our ship around soon and start building a real baseball organization not just a marketing machine, or else I may need to take a break from baseball for a few seasons like I did in the late 90s.
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We've won 2 division titles in a row, and we have a possibility of winning a third. We won 97 games last year. This is as good an organization that this team has had since at least 1945. It's NOT a marketing machine or DeRosa would still be here.