2010/11 MLB Hot Stove Thread

[antelope19]

Nats sign Werth to 7 year 126 million dollar contract.   :-o :-o :-o

Talk about over-paying. 

[westcider]

and the Red Sox get Carl Crawford too!  7 years, $142MM.  a little bit of improvement over Beltre and V-Mart, a lot of "improvement" over their salaries.

[DoW]

assuming the yanks sign lee, looks like it will come down to the sox and yanks this year.

as a big market fan (of a team that just signs all the wrong players), this sucks.  it takes away the fun of baseball.  the mets are just as guilty as the red sox and yankees but this is all just so ridiculous.

and yeah, that werth contract was ludicrous too.  it sounds like somethign the mets would do.

[mattstick]

I'll be interested to see if they move Crawford to RF - you're not really taking advantage of his speed/defense by playing him in the shadow of the green monster.

Adding players doesn't always work, if Beckett & Lackey are as average as last year and there is an injury to Lester or Buchholz, the bullpen isn't fantastic - anything can happen.  But on paper, that looks more like a Fantasy Baseball lineup right now.

Maybe it's just me but Crawford doesn't strike me as a guy who will be a dominant player in the 5th, 6th and 7th years of this deal - but Boston doesn't care - they're the New Yankees.

[mattstick]

PS.

[mattstick]

Trifecta...

Maybe the players' union should subsidize the Rays.

Seriously.

Each of the Rays' two post-season appearances prompted a spasm of spending by an AL East rival that missed the playoffs.

In 2008, the Yankees signed first baseman Mark Teixeira, left-hander CC Sabathia and righty A.J. Burnett for a combined $423.5 million.
In '10, the Red Sox have reached agreements with first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and left fielder Carl Crawford on deals that will be worth around $300 million.

The Rays, then, are the union's best friend, forcing the Yankees and Red Sox to jump despite their low revenues and low payroll.

A shrewd front office helped the Rays reach the World Series in '08 and win their second AL East title in three years in '10.
Alas, the team now is coming apart, losing Crawford to the Red Sox and first baseman Carlos Pena to the Cubs with closer Rafael Soriano and others to follow in free agency.

Time for the union to prop up the Rays, as unconventional a labor strategy as that might be.

No team drives the market quite like Tampa Bay.

-Ken Rosenthal

[antelope19]

Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles are nearing a trade for Twins infielders J.J. Hardy and Brendan Harris.

The Twins are expected to get two pitchers in return, with Connolly naming Brett Jacobson and Jim Hoey. But it's not a sure thing yet that those are the two involved. Minnesota has felt a need to move Hardy this winter in order to avoid the nearly $7 million salary hit that they're going to take via his arbitration eligibility. He had a down year in 2010, but this feels like a positive acquisition for the Orioles.

If those are the 2 guys we end up getting rid of, then  to the O's.

Oh, and this:

PS.

[mattstick]

This also fucks over the Jays, if the Red Sox sign Scott Downs we lose out on a first round compensation pick.  Happened with AJ Burnett too.

MLB should address this 2-tiered compensation.

[mattstick]

No Luke Scott reaction Antelope19?

[DoW]

This also fucks over the Jays, if the Red Sox sign Scott Downs we lose out on a first round compensation pick.  Happened with AJ Burnett too.

MLB should address this 2-tiered compensation.

and the double whammy of it going to another division team.

[antelope19]

No Luke Scott reaction Antelope19?

:hereitisyousentimentalbastard

Eh, I'm not going to get into it.  This isn't a politiwook thread. 


I'll just say that Scott is an over-the-top right winger. 

[westcider]

and the Cubs signed a $10MM deal with a guy who hit below the Mendoza line last year.  I am pleasantly surprised it's only a one year deal, though.  knowing Hendry, I was expecting a four year deal with a no-trade clause.

though I officially hate White Sox fans again, their team is shaping up nicely for next year, if that starting rotation comes around.

[mattstick]

That's a big if... after John Danks.

[westcider]

true.  that Peavy deal was a huge mistake.

[antelope19]

Orioles acquired SS J.J. Hardy, INF Brendan Harris and cash considerations from the Twins for RHPs Brett Jacobson and James Hoey.

The Orioles have been actively shopping for a shortstop and they finally got their man. Hardy batted .268/.320/.394 with six home runs, 38 RBI and a 714 OPS this past season while playing excellent defense at shortstop. He could make somewhere close to $7 million through the arbitration process this winter, a price the Twins apparently weren't willing to pay. Hardy represents an immediate upgrade over Cesar Izturis and and will be part of a revamped left side of the infield along with the recently-acquired Mark Reynolds.