MLB Thread

[Jaxom 1974]

[quote name='Chriskele' post='1463277' date='Jul 30 2008, 22.01']Can someone tell me exactly why Manny is so unhappy?[/quote]

C'mon...that's just Manny being Manny...what? Someone had to say it... :P

[quote]Brewers: Some truly dominant players. Braun, Fielder, Sabathia Sheets. Not quite as deep or all around talented as the Cubbies in my estimation, but if you were able to pick the top four or five players from either the Cubs or the Brewers, I don't see how you could choose Chicago.[/quote]

Kendall < Soto
Fielder = Lee
Weeks/Durham < DeRosa
Hardy > Theriot (mainly in terms of power though)
Hall < Ramirez
Braun = Soriano
Cameron = Edmonds/Johnson
Hart > Fukudome

Sabathia = Zambrano
Sheets = Harden
Parra < Dempster
Bush = Lilly
McClung/Suppan = Marquis

Brewers Bullpen < Cubs Bullpen
Brewers Bench < Cubs Bench (not by a whole lot though, the Cubs need another bat on there)

Had a great time at the game last night, once we got there of course (the construction on 94 is brutal and really only allows one way into the stadium, of which the two hours I allotted to drive what usually takes me 60 minutes toom more like two and a half hours). Now, mind you most of the fans in the section we were in were Cubs fans, but the handful of Brewers fans and the concession people I interacted with were actually really pleasant. That was a nice surprise.

[Jaxom 1974]

[url="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080731&content_id=3230331&vkey=trade2008&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb"]Junior to the White Sox.[/url]

Biggest trade on the final day? Big trade at all? And who the hell did the White Sox give up?

[The Wedge]

[quote name='Jaxom 1974' post='1463623' date='Jul 31 2008, 07.58'][url="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080731&content_id=3230331&vkey=trade2008&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb"]Junior to the White Sox.[/url]

Biggest trade on the final day? Big trade at all? And who the hell did the White Sox give up?[/quote]
Mrs The Wedge won't like this. Her favorite player, Paulie Konerko, is going to get dumped if this goes through. Oh well. It would free up Swisher to play 1st base every day.

Adding Griffey in with Thome, Quentin, and Dye makes a potent order. If Griffey can stay healthy. If.

I said "if."

[Andrik the Unsmiling]

Personally, I disagree, Jax. As I see it, Zambrano and Sabathia cancel out. And you could [i]maybe[/i] make the argument that Lee's superior defense is enough to close the gap offensively between he and Fielder (Fielder has had an OPS+ roughly 15 points higher than Lee's in each of the past two seasons). But Braun>Soriano and Sheets>Harden, IMO. In Harden's case, that's because he's been so much more injury prone, but in Braun's it's because he's already offensively better than Sori, and he's so young that he's likely to keep improving for a few years.

[Whiskeyjack]

Word is that Manny is headed to LA, and possibly Bay to the Red Sox, in a 3 team trade. Can't wait to see if this really happens, and who goes where.

[Arakasi]

[url="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/baseball/mlb/07/31/manny.sweepstakes/index.html?eref=T1"]http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/base...ex.html?eref=T1[/url]

Boston gets Bay.
Dodgers get Manny.
Pirates get Craig Hansen, Brandon Moss, Andy LaRoche and a player to be determined later.

Bryan Morris is the last player.

[Week]

[quote name='Arakasi' post='1464301' date='Jul 31 2008, 16.47'][url="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/baseball/mlb/07/31/manny.sweepstakes/index.html?eref=T1"]http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/base...ex.html?eref=T1[/url]

Boston gets Bay.
Dodgers get Manny.
Pirates get Craig Hansen, Brandon Moss, Andy LaRoche and a player to be determined later.

Bryan Morris is the last player.[/quote]
Good, I'm finally just too fucking tired of Manny. I would not have been that upset if he stayed on the Sox, but a number of the things he said this week were just so absurd. I know everyone says this is what Manny does every year, but this seemed to be a bit more (intentional (?) strikeout against the Yankees, pushing the sox official over, the Red Sox not "derserving a player like [him]").

Welcome to Boston Jason Bay! Get hitting!

Quite a hall for the Pirates..Moss is a decent player, Andy LaRoche should be their 3rd baseman until he is close to free agency and then they can dump him for prospects..Hansen has the stuff and just needs to put it together.

Also just wanted to add...I hope the best for Manny with LA and in the future. I'll always be a big fan of his, but he simply wore out his welcome.

[Ender]

[quote name='Jaxom 1974' post='1463623' date='Jul 31 2008, 08.58'][url="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080731&content_id=3230331&vkey=trade2008&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb"]Junior to the White Sox.[/url]

Biggest trade on the final day? Big trade at all? And who the hell did the White Sox give up?[/quote]

Nick Masset and a minor league 2B. Reds gave the Sox some cash as well.

This is kinda a "meh" deal IMO. Dumping Konerko in the lineup for Griffey (left-handed bat, .245, 15 HR this season) improves it slightly, but it doesn't seem like the kinda thing that will break the division open in the Sox' favor.

There are still too many guys to fill two (three with the DH) positions. A savvier GM would have moved Brian Anderson in anticipation of landing Griffey, and traded Konerko for Angels World Series tickets.

What's the O/U on the number of games Griffey actually plays for the White Sox this season? 30?

[Young Wolf]

I honestly dont know if Im happy about Manny being a Dodger now or not. They now have Either, Kemp, Pierre, and Jones...Plus Manny. WTF? Couldnt we have at least pawned off Pierre or Jones on someone???

This will be interesting to watch.

ETA: Boston picks up Bay for what 7.5 million next year as well? A fraction of Manny's salary and no headache to boot.

[Jaime L]

This is why Epstein is so good. Even when his hand is forced and he has to give up one of his true stars, he gets a guy back who can fill 90% of what Manny did, and is 6 years younger.

[Andrik the Unsmiling]

I'm disappointed that the Dodgers didn't have to give up more to land one of the best hitters in the game. I thought they'd at least have to include Matt Kemp, but I guess the whole voiding of the option years on Manny's contract made him worth considerably less. Throw him into the offseason free agency pot with the likes of Teixeira and Dunn.

Under reported aspect of this story: the Pirates will likely be fielding a defense featuring the LaRoche brothers at the corners very soon. Adam at 1b, Andy at 3b.

Nice to see Griffey Jr. getting a last shot at a ring by going to the ChiSox, too. I'm not sure how much he helps them, especially given that he'll now have to hit AL pitching, but it does add just a little bit more drama to the AL Central race I guess.

ETA: And I'm only doing this because I so rarely get the chance, but Manny to the Dodgers? Called it.

[Gold Storm]

The Cubs looked great against the Brewers, I wounder if they will fold like they did last year now.

[The Wedge]

[quote name='Weekapaug' post='1464313' date='Jul 31 2008, 14.55']Good, I'm finally just too fucking tired of Manny.[/quote]
No worries on that now. He's three hours behind Bristol Standard Time, so they will forget about him, except on the 2 am West Coast Update show.

The funny thing about everyone being sick of Manny being Manny? I couldn't tell you a thing about why people are sick of him. There is too much actual baseball being played here in the Midwest to talk about Boston Soap Operas.

Besides, any Manny coverage would be lost in the 24 Hour Brett Favre Standoff Watch that the media is currently under.

[Mack Kilimaro]

[quote name='The Wedge' post='1464633' date='Jul 31 2008, 21.13']No worries on that now. He's three hours behind Bristol Standard Time, so they will forget about him, except on the 2 am West Coast Update show.[/quote]

I was thinking about this myself earlier. Which will prove to be stronger, the East Coast Bias or the Manny Attention Whore Syndrome? I figure the East Coast Bias takes the cake.

I was surprised to see him go to a National League team. You'd figure it might have been AL so he could get stashed as the DH since he kind of is terrible in the field (although there was that one catch at Camden Yards where he made the catch, high-fived a fan and then doubled a guy off - certainly, he had flair if not skill). Guess when you get the chance to get a guy with 500+ homers and he's not completely on the decline, you've got to take it, though... especially since this is the NL West we're talking about.

[Space Bandito]

He's actually not a terrible out fielder for his age. The media tends to focus on his follies and fuck ups. But his arm is top notch. It is just a matter of effort. It will be interesting to see (if my East Coast ass can stay up that late) how he is used by Torre.

[Jaxom 1974]

[quote name='Andrik the Unsmiling' post='1464125' date='Jul 31 2008, 13.41']Sheets>Harden, IMO. In Harden's case, that's because he's been so much more injury prone[/quote]

Wait. You actually said that? Sheets?

And Braun will be better offensively that Soriano even within a year or two no doubt, but this season? I still think they cancel each other out.

[childe roland]

we got manny? black is white up is down

[the silent speaker]

... but Manny is still being Manny.

[Andrik the Unsmiling]

[quote name='Jaxom 1974' post='1464759' date='Jul 31 2008, 20.43']Wait. You actually said that? Sheets?

And Braun will be better offensively that Soriano even within a year or two no doubt, but this season? I still think they cancel each other out.[/quote]

So far this season Soriano has compiled a .291/.342/.555 line with 17 HR, good for a 128 OPS+

Braun's stats this year .300/.338/.591 with 29 HR, good for a 138 OPS+. Granted, he's had more at bats than than Soriano because of his injury earlier this year so the HR comparison is skewed, but even taking that into account, Braun is having the better year at the plate. And the difference would be even more pronounced if you looked at last year's stats, too.

As for Sheets v. Harden, Sheets has a 3.14 ERA in 140 innings, Harden has a 2.34 in about half has many innings. I'll take Sheets' bigger sample size for the year and better chance of staying healthy, thanks.

Hey, both the Cubs and Brewers are really good teams. Personally, I'd prefer the Brewers' top guys, overall, but if I were picking a team to represent the NL in the WS right this second, I'd probably go with Chicago. So if I had a choice between being a Cubs fan or Brewers fan right this second, I'd be a Cubs fan. Enjoy your success, and don't worry about this SF fan's half-assed opinion on the NL Central. ;)

[Dinsdale!]

[quote name='Young Wolf' post='1464450' date='Jul 31 2008, 17.21']I honestly dont know if Im happy about Manny being a Dodger now or not. They now have Either, Kemp, Pierre, and Jones...Plus Manny. WTF? Couldnt we have at least pawned off Pierre or Jones on someone???[/quote]

I'm seeing a trade here....

Zito for Pierre and Jones!

Otherwise, no, nobody wants your overpaid subreplacement hitters, not even for free.

If the Dodgers are smart, they'll play Kemp, Ethier and Manny, and just have the most overpaid Bench in the history of man.



P.S. Do SoCal teams have an overpaying for outfielders fetish? It sure feels that way.