MLB's Offseason

I was hoping to generate some general baseball discussion about the offseason happenings.

People still care about baseball, right? Even if there are a few moral concerns??

I'm not gonna lie, even if I'd like to boycott games to express my opinion and make a difference regarding the steroid issue, I couldn't stay away. So I might as well talk about it.

Actually, what inspired me to do this was when I came across an old post made by our good friend, Don Sicilia:
Link
I guess this was back when he cared so much about baseball that he couldn't even get it off his mind in December...aww!

Anyone care to share news on recent trades or free agent acquisitions?

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Our new GM, Ed Wade, is doing more than I could ever imagine. I'm stuck between feeling excited and disappointed, appreciative and annoyed, about some of his actions.

The Tejada deal coming out the day before the Mitchell Report was pretty sad - as our Chronicle journalist put it, the Astros were either "stupid or arrogant."

From that, we got rid of a great defensive player in Everett, along with a few pitching prospects. We need pitching!!

And an article I read today pointed out that only five guys remain from the 2005 World Series team. Doesn't seem sensible. Then again, it wouldn't be sensible to stick with the same team that's done less in the years to follow.

As soon as I heard about the Tejada deal I thought of you, gina. Good deal for you guys.

I hear Hanky Panky (Steinbrenner) is opening the door for Johan Santana (again). I hope that door hits Hanky in his ass.

I'm excited about Tejada, but a bit worried about team chemistry - Berkman's feeling the same way, and he's the guy who seems to get along with everyone. He even came out saying that he hoped our newly acquired closer Valverde's "antics" on the mound would be controlled.

We really needed to get a quality starter added on, but there's apparently not much to get. We're looking to get Prior, but first thing I notice on MLB's site is that 11 teams are interested.

Roger Clemens is available. I bet he'd like to end up with a Texas team.

Awww...you cut me deep there, SC.

Ughhh...it makes me sick to think about it.

(Sorry.... after remembering the images you resurrected in plaw's thread I couldn't resist).

I was gonna use one of his lines on you, but it didn't come to me until after I made my post...

A knife to my heart, SC. A knife to my heart.

God, that one never failed in its guilt endeavor!

Don't worry Gina, he's only bringing Vitamin B shots.

You're a funny guy, CS.

So....who are you rooting for in the upcoming season? Surely you've made a decision about who you'd like to latch on to. Or do you need my guidance?

You mean other than the players on my fantasy team??

Let me see... Gina's guidance... I can't even venture a guess as to what team that should be.

By the way, I don't know if you should really want Mark Prior. That guy's arm is done.

Here in Chicago, the Cubbies have signed Kosuke Fukudome (you can stop giggling, JG ), a Japanese outfielder/on-base specialist. The White Sox haven't signed anybody of note.

Sorry DS I had to giggle

Oh, the endless fun this name will have in the fantasy games.

You mean we can count on you for another full season in BBC?

Should I give you some time to figure it out?

That's what I was thinking. Earlier, I saw an article about how he was being pursued by another club, and I actually laughed, just thinking of his time on the DL - remember that Onion article about the DL wanting him back? Anyway, when I saw later that we were pursuing him, it was like the joke was on me.

Oh, now isn't that just making it too easy?

Is that his name or is it the stadium where he plays?

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one still excited for baseball to start back up. Everyone I know, understandably, is pissed about the steroid issue. Their reaction surprises me a little because it's not like this is sudden shocking news. It is something everyone has known for a while now.

Even with the steroid issue I am excited! Even with my Giants destined for another horrible, although finally a rebuilding, year. I don't know why but I just feel happier during Baseball season. Maybe part of it is because it coincides with better weather and right now it's a little miserable outside.

What saddens me right now a little more than the steroid issue is that it looks like the rich teams continue to distance themselves from the rest of the league. The Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, Dodgers... and now apparently the Tigers. These teams are the most likely to gobble up any good free agents, who are going for insane prices the last two offseasons, while the rest of our teams have to do with what our farm systems are providing. I wish something could be done about keeping a level playing field for all teams.

I'm rambling. Anyone care to comment before I go crazy here?

You hit on the real problem with baseball. This is a more significant problem than steroids. Baseball has been more complacent on this issue than the steroids thing. They've tried to disguise the unfairness through the luxury tax and the wild card system, but there are teams in the league whose existence is merely to feed the bigger teams.

Marlins' stadium in Downtown Miami has been approved.

I still really don't care. What a waste of money for the city. $500 Million, and an additional soccer stadium!? Ridiculous.

I didn't want to start a thread just for this, but I thought it was funny.

His dog ate the ball.

Closer's dog reportedly chews historic ball
FOXSports.com

Jonathan Papelbon's dog didn't eat his homework. It ate his baseball, according to the Hattiesburg (Miss.) American.

The Red Sox closer told the newspaper that Boss — his dog, not Yankees owner George Steinbrenner — found the baseball that catcher Jason Varitek gave Papelbon after he struck out the Colorado Rockies' Seth Smith to clinch Boston's second World Series title in four years.

"He plays with baseballs like they are his toys," Papelbon told the newspaper. "He jumped up one day on the counter and snatched it. He likes rawhide. He tore that thing to pieces. Nobody knows that. I'll keep what's left of it."

It's not the first time the Red Sox have had issues with the last ball of a championship season.

After the 2004 World Series, first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz claimed custody of the ball that produced the final out of Boston's first World Series title in 86 years. The Red Sox wanted it for themselves. Eventually both sides elected to give the ball to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

The question now is, after Boss reportedly tore into the latest Red Sox historic artifact, would the Hall of Fame even want it?

That's a funny story, Beth. Only in the world of baseball do things like that happen, so it seems. Maybe a small piece of the Curse of the Bambino lives.

That was in my paper today!! I thought it was hilarious. Freaking Papelbon. He's too funny.

Joba gave an interview about Clemens and the steroids. He says that he can't believe it's true. Someone pat that young man on the head and give him another bedtime story.

Joba seems like an innocent, good natured, soft spoken kid, who's very likeable. On the mound he's merciless.

Why do you think it is a waste of money? The stadium they play at now is ugly.

Are there a lot of Marlin's fans? Of the last four expansion teams I know the Rockies and Diamondbacks are doing well and building a good fan base, but I don't hear much about the Marlin's or Devil Rays (I guess they are just the Rays now?).

People still will not show up to games. They drew 900 people at a game last year. 900.

You can't make that kind of fandom up.

Pitchers and Catchers report in 5 1/2 weeks!!!

gina, what do you think of tejada batting third? i'd rather have berkman third since he's the best overall hitter on the team. wade said the lineup was going to be bourn matsui tejada berkman lee pence wigginton towles pitcher.......I'd rather have it be bourn pence berkman lee tejada wigginton towles matsui. I'm not sure how this team is gonna do, but they'll certainly have a much better offense than they've had the past few years. Might be a bit more exciting to follow.

I'm gonna have to get a closer look at Matsui, and I've really lost touch with Wigginton even - but I like that you brought Pence, Berkman, and Lee up. It's going to be really interesting to see what all the changes will bring us. I'd bet things are going to be a lot more solid all around, no matter how the lineup's arranged...I got so sick of, in past years, our guys being completely dead towards the bottom of the lineup. It was almost impossible to get through the guys down there and keep an inning going.

SB, glad to see you've got the countdown spirit!

At this point San Francisco would gladly take probably any players from the Astro's lineup. I was just reading that the planned 3-4-5 hitters for the Giants will be Randy Winn, Bengie Molina, and Aaron Rowand.

I'm excited to have Rowand on the team though with his enthusiasm. It's something that has been missing the past few years with Bonds on the team. Not that Bonds didn't care about the game, it just seemed like it was hard for the team to function as a "team" with him and his posse always around and the focus on his records.

I'm really starting to get the baseball itch. Especially knowing that this is the start of a new era for the Bonds-less Giants. Nice and fresh regardless of how bad they will be.

We're actually watching Game 3 of the 1978(??) World Series - Yankees vs. Dodgers. That's how desperate we are for baseball. Just a few more weeks to Pitchers and Catchers!! Although I think it's mean that they're making them report on Valentine's Day!!!

I've been going through my 1992/1993 World Series DVD. I am in baseball withdrawal too.

Who played in the world series those years?

1992: Toronto-Atlanta
1993: Toronto-Philadelphia

Is there any hope for Toronto fans being in a league with the Yankees and Red Sox?

The age old question.

There are several "has to happens" to make that possible:

1) Lyle Overbay and Vernon Wells must bounce back from terrible years at the plate. Wells was in the first year of a huge contract and only hit 16 home runs, whereas Overbay was hurt for several months, but struggled outside of that. Wells is really the key as he will probably be called upon to be the primary run producer something that he hasn't necessarily succeeded in.

2) The promising pitching of Shawn Marcum and Dustin McGowan has to continue. With Roy Halladay, a healthy A.J Burnett and the two listed above there is the potential for a strong front four in the rotation.

The Jays signed David Eckstein and traded for Scott Rolen so we'll see how that works out, but I think the Jays will win more than 83 games this year, but I don't know how much closer to the Yankees or Red Sox they get.

You're suddenly one of my favorite members on the board here I respect anyone who is a die-hard fan of the Blue Jays, Orioles and Rays (are there any die-hard fans of the Rays?). I'll be rooting for Toronto for you.

Klydon, what do you think of the Phillies signing Pedro Feliz at third base? I'm actually a little sad to see him officially leave the Giants but I'm in the minority. He has a great glove at third with a cannon for an arm. His hitting though will drive you crazy.

In fact he made comments about how Giants fans didn't appreciate him and gave him a hard time. I have a feeling he's going to truly find out what it means to be criticized when he gets to Philly and consistently strikes out and hits grounders to shortstop four double plays. San Francisco fans and media are about as laid back as can be when it comes to getting on players. He might regret his decisions because I hear Philly fans and media can be brutal.

Thanks! We've had a better go at it than the Orioles and Rays lately. At least we've sort of been in contention...sort of...

Blibble, Philadelphia needed an everyday thirdbaseman. The Phillies platooned three players last year, and didn't get much production. I think with a good thirdbaseman, they'd have the best all around infield in baseball with MVPs Rollins and Howard and the front runner for MVP last year, Chase Utley (until he got hurt).

I think Feliz has good power, and I think he can be an upgrade, but honestly I wasn't too excited. He has never hit for a high average over his career, and he'll probably continue in the .250s. He has cut down on his strikeouts, which is important. The Phillies probably struck out more than any team in baseball last year with Howard, Burrell and Rowand.

I'm glad to hear about his fielding. I couldn't remember how he did in the field. By the way, you're right about the Philly fans. If he struggles from the start, he'll be crucified.

I hope you enjoy Aaron Rowand. Although I referenced his strikeouts, he had a career year last year. While he may not duplicate his same numbers in SF, he'll win praises with his fielding.

Pitchers and Catchers report today!!!

Can spring be far behind?

Since The Orioles have no pitchers or catchers to speak of I won't be keeping up. I'll just have to pick another team to hitch my wagon too.

As Jeter's future m-i-l, dare I hope that you become an ardent Yankees fan???

Is that m-i-l or milf?

Come down here to Baltimore when The Yanks are in town and try to talk me into it.

I have a ways to go before I'm a milf.

Ah, you're just a kid.

I wasn't talking about age.

Oops, hope I didn't offend you.

I didn't even know what it meant until a few months ago when my nephew told me. I guess I still don't know the proper context (if there is one).

Basically what dontommasino said. It's good to see another Blue Jay fan on the boards.

David Eckstein is the most overrated player in MLB and defensively John "The Prime Minister" McDonald is the best shortstop in the game. Hopefully Eckstein can get on base at a reasonable clip and hit for a little more power than he usually does over the course of a season. Also I hope and pray that Scott Rolen can duplicate his 2004 season if only once over the next three years. Really, if we get super lucky and the Red Sox and the Yankees fall vicitm to the plague we've got a pretty good shot this year.

Baltimore sure is closer than Toronto, so you never know.

Two Toronto fans here

Awesome.

Who holds the MLB record among pitchers for pitching appearances in a career without having a single relief appearance? He is an active pitcher.

Baseball season is creeping up on us, so I thought it was time for trivia.

Greg Maddox?

If Irishman is wrong, then I'm going to guess Greg Maddux?

Or possibly David Wells?

Maddux had 4 relief appearances early in his career, and Wells pretty much started his career as a reliever.

HINT:

This pitcher was drafted to play another sport, in which he was highly regarded, the same year he was selected in the MLB draft.

Tom Glavine?

Correct.

After your hint I figured it was Glavine as he was quite the hockey player and was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings I believe. For his 300th win he got a call of congratulations from Bobby Orr.

Klydon, where do you get all this trivia? Do you have a giant trivia book? Or are you a genius when it comes to remembering baseball stats and facts? Keep the trivia coming as usual

[quote=Blibbleblabble]Klydon, where do you get all this trivia?

Basically, I make it up.

In truth, there are some baseball web sites that have search engines that allow you to plug in searches to get useless bits of information, like the Glavine thing.

Keeping on Glavine, I did a search and found out the batter he faced most in his career is Biggio; the guy with most hits against him is Jay Bell; and Mike Piazza, Gary Sheffield and Jimmy Rollins have hit the most homers off him (6). The batter he walked the most is Jeff Bagwell and he has struck out Andres Galarraga more times than any other hitter (19).

I'll post another question soon for those who like useless trivia like me.

Gina,

I thought you might find this amusing if you haven't already heard about it. Hunter Pence injured himself because he walked through a sliding glass door that he thought was open. I've bumped into closed sliding glass doors before as a kid but they didn't break. That must have been quite shocking

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/artic...t=.jsp&c_id=hou

Here's a trivia question for Mets fans (although anyone can answer).

Who is the only player to hit three homers in a game that he had entered as a substitute?

Hint: He played part of his career for the Mets, but did this while playing for another team.

Art Shamsky, while playing for the Reds.

C'mon, Counselor, gimme a hard one.

I'm quite impressed, pizzaboy. You're certainly no piker.

What's interesting about that game is Shamsky entered the game in the top of the eighth. His first homer came in the bottom of the eighth off Pirates reliever Al McBean. It was a two run shot that gave the reds the lead. His second homer came in the tenth to tie it, and his the third homer was a two run blast to tie it once again. Both of these came off the esteemed Roy Face. The Pirates wnt on to win it 14-11.

Willie Stargell and Roberto Clemente hit homers for Pittsburgh while Pete Rose hit one for the Reds.

Ralph Kiner, being partial to the Pirates, used to mention that game quite a bit, while calling Met games. That's how I remember it so well.

Plus, as you say, I'm no piker.

Winter Meetings start up this week! Baseball is the only sport where I can enjoy the offseason because I love hearing about trade rumors and free agent signings. In the end I'm usually disappointed but it's fun to dream about those great players that could be coming to your team!

Any ideas where some of the big guys are going to land this offseason? Sabathia, Teixeira, Manny?

I am hoping all the rumors about CC wanting to come home to the Bay Area isn't just his way of jacking up the offer from the Yankees. I doubt he will become a Giant, but that's the dreaming I'm talking about that is so fun

Any good or bad news for your teams so far?

I agree. I LOVE the baseball offseason.



As of now, I've heard the Yankees and Brewers have offered CC a contract. The Dodgers probably can't afford him, Anaheim is consumed with Teixeira (their rotation is already good) and I've heard the Giants are probably going to make an offer. Hopefully he'll wind up with the Yankees. I think Teixeira will resign with Aneheim or go to Boston and don't know about Manny. K-Rod or Fuentes are going to the Mets I'm sure. I'm getting tired of waiting though. Let's go, let's see some action!

Apparently the BoSox unveiled a new, retro road logo for '09. Looks like it's keeping in the Christmas spirit.

I kind of like the logo. It might look better on the jersey though, rather than the hat.

On a side note, it looks like I'm going to be disappointed once again with the Giants offseason. The Giants have said they are shooting for .500 this year and competing in the next couple of years. It's disappointing, but the more I think about it the more it makes sense. They want to see how their draft picks turn out as well as some young prospects out of the Dominican Republic. For the first time in a long time they actually have prospects other teams want, other than pitching which they have a lot of still.

Baseball is a sport that really tests ones patience. Unless you are a Yankees or Red Sox fan of course. Then you can buy your top players for instant gratification. For the rest of us.... wait wait wait and pray.

The chasm between the haves and have nots is growing, maybe that's why baseball is the national pasttime.

What do you mean?

Yeah I saw that. I think it's a pretty weak attempt for Boston to try to generate additional revenue to keep pace with the Yankees who are moving into their new stadium next season and are generating A LOT of extra cash from what I hear.

I was just noting that among baseball teams, the gap between the rich teams and the modest market teams has widened just as in America there seems to be an erosion of the middle class, creating a growing gap between the rich and poor.

Much as football did, I think baseball has to take real measures to level the economic playing field of the sport to make the league healthy and credible.

But again, does it really matter? Does financial stability translate to on-the-field success? Not all the time. Look at the Yankees, Mets and Tigers just to name a few. When was the last time any of them won a World Series? Now your logic does hold true for Boston but when teams like Tampa, St. Louis, and Florida have been competing and, in some cases, winnning the World Series, who really cares what their payroll is?

Because Irish, if it were a level playing field, like maybe a salary floor and cap, then teams who never make the playoffs would have a chance. When is the last time the Pirates or the Royals were in the playoffs? Pointing out a certain few teams like Tampa Bay or Florida only hurts the sport even more because it gives the bigger teams a reason to continue buying up the talent, including the talent those two teams have and won't be able to resign in free agency.

Sure you can say the big budget teams don't always win, but their chances of making the playoffs and winning are huge compared to other teams who have to pray they get lucky and have a magical against-all-odds year.

The best thing for the sport would be for the Yankees and Red Sox to win the World Series the next ten years in a row. People won't be able to point out those few small teams that have won and something might finally get done to level things out.

Maybe they should do like they do in the English Premier League. Seperate the league league into two leagues. And each year the bottom three teams are relegated two the lesser league and three teams are bumped up into the top league. It might be more embarrassing for the teams who lose. And then the bottom three of the lesser league could be relegated to the minor leagues and minor league teams could take their place.

So it's been a very unusual offseason for MLB. Because of the economy, there are still players unsigned including Manny Ramirez! It's hard to believe.

How have your favorite teams done? Besides the obvious big names, I am just as interested in the smaller signings that helped fill in holes in the lineup or pitching staff.

i think the cubs did okay...we got milton who could be a big help...that is if he stays healthy. along with that we finally have a owner who isnt cuban, but is a fan of the team and i hope in the next few years we will be like the yankees in the NL.

the A's were the smartest team as usual. Giambi will be a menace in there and the Matt Holliday trade is just genious.

Why do you think the Holliday trade was genius? I don't understand it at all. I see the A's trading him by the trade deadline for more prospects because his contract is up after this season and the A's won't be able to afford him. I feel bad for A's fans. They can never get attached to any of their players before they are shipped out.

they didn't give up much talent in order to acquire Holliday. Huston Street was the big name, and he was eligible for arbitration, will be a free agent in 2 years and is not expect to be a top notch closer anyway. they are rebuilding but they play in a manageable division with the Angels weak lineup. so now they can wait until the deadline and go for a trade if the Angels rise to the top of the division again, with much, much more value to offer. or they'll be contending with a respectable lineup and a lot of young pitchers on the rise and will receive two first round picks after the season when Holliday go. and I bet they can even grab more talent with those picks alone than what they gave away to acquire Holliday in the first place.

I agree the A's didn't give up much, although just last year they acquired Carlos Gonzalez who was supposed to be one of the A's players of the future. So they didn't give up nothing. And Greg Smith is better than his record last year, but not great. And you already mentioned Street.

This is typical of GM Billy Beane. He is considered a genius, yet he doesn't have a World Series appearance. He trades away his top talent to stockpile youth. When is he going to let that youth blossom into a top team without trading away every player who becomes valuable? I still can't figure out why he traded Dan Haren, among others.

That being said, you never know what will happen with the A's. They have to be one of the most interesting small budget teams in the game. They are fun to watch from the outside, but I live with and know too many fans of Oakland and I see the heartbreak once or twice a year when it's time to trade.

yes I agree that the A's way of handling the team might look a lot better to outsiders than to their fanbase. but you still gotta love that they probably got more for Haren than the Twins did for Johan Santana. yes, Carlos Gonzalez is gone but that's the way it goes with prospects. the best player they got might have been Dana Eveland but the great thing about that trade was that they got 6 valuable prospects that are still providing dividends. by mid-season the A's will either be contending or in position to acquire top tier prospects once again.

so, in the end, you can hate what they do but you have to admit that they do it well

They definitely do something well, I'm just not sure if it's working yet. When they win a championship, I'll give in and agree Billy Beane is a genius. They just signed Shortstops Orlando Cabrera and Nomar Garciaparra, so it's looking like they are starting to make moves to get better. The AL West should be interesting this season between the A's and Angels.

I saw on the news this morning that Manny made a two year deal with the Dodgers, but now they're saying that it's NOT a done deal.

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/baseb...position=recent

I think they keep making these announcements hoping some other team like the Giants will swoop in at the last second, make an offer, and then the Dodgers will have to raise their offer to keep him. But nobody is biting.

It's apparently going to get done. It sounds like there are only procedural aspects to the contract that can be resolved, but the essential terms and money have been agreed to.

I was kind of surprised the Mets didn't get involved. Who knows? Maybe they did and we didn't hear about it.

The Mets are experiencing some financial hiccups, and I saw an announcement a short while ago that they wouldn't be making any big deals at all. It seems that Mets owners Wilpon and Katz lost about $300 Million to Madoff. And then there's the whole "Citi" problem as well.

TM, I know you are a MLB fan from afar, and we've talked before about how you haven't settled on any team as your favorite yet. Are you becoming an A's fan? I know you've talked about Tampa Bay quite bit as well. It's about time you you let your heart lie with one team over the rest Much like how you became a Detroit Pistons fan in the NBA.

unfortunately, Blibble, I don't think so... but that made me laugh! I've grown friendly towards some teams over the rest, but nothing close to being a fan. I was just about to post how the A's look so well to the outsiders because they're just another small-market team with a cool uniform and logo who spends close to nothing and fights the evil empires and such. I know they have won a lot of WS and that must be why their fanbase can't be fully satisfied with Billy Beane's ways. actually, now I'm interested: what can you tell me about the Athletics Nation's opinion on him? I know that is one of the most active fanbases in baseball.

but as for being a fan, eh, I really don't think so. I feel the exact same way about the Indians and the Braves and the D'Backs and now the Rays and every team who puts together a talented roster and makes good trades and has a great farm system and on and on..

Well that's a good start at finding a team to root for instead of rooting for one of the top spending teams.



I don't really know actually. I think they are scared to say much because he is so highly regarded, but he forces them to root for the logo rather than falling in love with individual players. Can you imagine buying a jersey of your favorite player and then a couple of months later he's on a new team?

As far as fans they are like the angry overachieving sibling who is less popular no matter what they accomplish. In 50 years the Giants have been in SF, not one world championship, yet they are the more popular team (much like the Cubs over White Sox). Yet A's fans act like they still deserve more respect. What makes them angry is that Giants fans don't really care they are there across the bay So they do a lot of whining about the Giants. You rarely hear Giants fans ripping the A's. It's a funny rivalry.

yes I've heard that this rivalry is almost a friendship. anyway, sorry to bring it up, but I did run across this very funny picture.

If it helps, Blibble, I'll be pulling for Aaron Rowand and the Giants in the West.

I'm not sure I've ever laughed and cried tears of sadness at the same time

KL, I just heard yesterday the Phillies signed Raul Ibanez a couple of months ago as a replacement for Burrell. I didn't hear about that when it happened, but that's a great signing for them! He's been putting up consistent numbers for years on teams that weren't very good.

I'm looking forward to seeing him. Burrell had some great moments in Philadelphia, but he wasn't as productive as he could have been, especially with runners on base or late in the game. I hope he does well in Tampa.

My biggest concern about Ibanez is that he's another lefty in a lefty dominated lineup with Utley and Howard. It will place more pressure on Jayson Werth to produce from the right side.

Ibanez will turn 37 this yearand the three year contract seems a year too long, but he hasn't dropped off yet. He should have a good year.

I know the Phillies faithful can't stand Pat Burrell because of the strikeouts with runners on late in games, but the Rays did get a bargain with that deal. he'll help a lot as the DH.

the Phillies did what they could to replace him, but yes, the Raul Ibanez deal is a long one for a guy who's about to turn 37, even if the park change leads you to think he'll kill the ball in Philly.

He is one of those guys that I have faith in until he finally starts to tail off. He's another 100 RBI guy in an already huge lineup. In other words, if it turns out he doesn't quite live up to expectations, he will still add a lot because of how good the offense already is.

Burrell to the Rays is the same way. The Rays offense is already so young and good that they don't need to completely depend on Burrell to be the best hitter. If a weak offensive team had signed him hoping he would make them better, then it would have been a bad signing.

I can't wait for real baseball to start.

You said it. I've watched a little of the World Baseball Classic, but it just doesn't cut it for me.

I just saw on ESPN David Letterman's top ten reasons to watch the World Baseball Classic. It was pretty funny, and it was read by the players. I was going to post it on here but I can't find it on YouTube.

the millionaires keep trying to stop the established habit of billions of people, so it isn't on youtube anymore.

I found it here. Letterman's top 10 is always so stupid you can't help but crack laughing.

Here you go, Blib! And it was pretty funny.

http://lateshow.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/top_ten/index/php/20090305.phtml#

We finally did something!

If anything, this is great just for it being some kind of effort at improvement, considering we did little else this offseason. I don't know how Pudge will end up performing for us, but with Ausmus gone, all we had was Quintero as our main guy, so it'll be really nice to have someone more experienced, and hopefully Q can then provide good backup.

another steroid freak for the astros...

Guess the Yankees didn't want him any more now that Posada is allegedly coming back.

Do the Yankees still have Molina? Posada can help, but I don't think he'll be able to catch 120-30 games.

I actually read an article about Molina not too long ago. His father died a few months ago and they were very close. He's found that being back with the team has actually made him very depressed because his dad and baseball were always linked. I guess he's still with the team, but the article didn't make it sound like he was going to be doing them too much good.