Off-Season Player News: Bring Your Opinions

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Thu Nov 18, 2010 10:15 am

Looking at the top 20 obp, most of them were power guys that would not sniff leading off.

We have different philosophies on a leadoff hitter. Most of them are pains in the asses to the other team. The Gardners, the Figgins (past), the Bourns, the Pierre's. Gardner had a nice obp, but the others aren't world beaters.

Davis is an above average hitter, with a below average obp, but only 20 points behind Pierre and Bourn etc. Most hitters of his kind are inserted into the leadoff spot because some Managers are old school and think that is whewre speed belongs.

On the other hand, look at John Jaso leading off. It may make sense, obp wise, but it sure made the lineup Aestheticly (sp) ugly. Maybe Barton leads off for Oakland next year.

What is more important if not possessing both in one body, speed or obp?

[ November 18, 2010, 04:28 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Thu Nov 18, 2010 10:19 am

Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:

quote:Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

I have a new computer and I still do not know why this happens occasionally :rolleyes: I cleaned up your mess Dan!!

Now don't spill again.

[/QUOTE]Thanks Greg.

I wish I knew what it is that makes it do that. My last keyboard had me literally banging the keys, this one rattles off a sentence before I sit down.

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Fri Nov 19, 2010 3:13 am

Clint Barmes was told Thursday by Astros GM Ed Wade that he will play shortstop primarily next season

I'll add this to the earlier transaction even though Barmes already has 2B and SS eligibility for 2011.

Winston's Empire · Post by **Winston's Empire** » Fri Nov 19, 2010 3:38 am

Greg - Where can we find a 2011 Player Position Eligibility List? I have looked all over and haven't been able to find one.

What is everyones thoughts on Justin Upton and the trade rumors firing the Hot Stove? I am hoping he finds his way to Boston. Be great to watch him explode over the next 5 years in the AL East, ripping ball after ball over the Monster in Left. Tough to think of Boston giving up Ellsbury, Bard and Prospects though... That could be too much, but you have to pay to play!

In my heart I wish my Cubs could land him, but we have to work on another extension for Big Z or something more important first....LOL

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Fri Nov 19, 2010 4:18 am

Originally posted by WINSTON'S EMPIRE:

Greg - Where can we find a 2011 Player Position Eligibility List? I have looked all over and haven't been able to find one.We don't have a position eligibility list officially done yet. We'll post those at some point and add minor-leaguers to them as we go. But you can get a head start by going to the navigational bar from your home page and going to STATS, then PLAYER STATS. Each position is listed there with players who were eligible at each position in the NFBC last year. That's a great starting point.

Money · Post by **Money** » Fri Nov 19, 2010 5:53 am

The Detroit Tigers are going to make a big splash into the free agent market this year. The owner is not afraid to spend the money. He was the Steinbrenner of Hockey until the hard salary cap. They've finally been released of a number of bad contracts not limited to but including Dontrelles 15 mill per

They've very quietly signed Benoit and will continue to sign guys. Adam Dunn is very intriguing. Rumors say they are close. What will that do for Miguel Cabrerra? Last years monster season had him hitting in front of and behind the likes of Ryan Raburn, Johnny Damaon, Jose Guillen, Brennan Boesch etc.... With Dunn and Cabrerra providing each other protection, the sky will be the limit for Motowns Top Cat.

Atlas · Post by **Atlas** » Fri Nov 19, 2010 6:59 am

Originally posted by WINSTON'S EMPIRE:

What is everyones thoughts on Justin Upton and the trade rumors firing the Hot Stove? I am hoping he finds his way to Boston. Be great to watch him explode over the next 5 years in the AL East, ripping ball after ball over the Monster in Left. Tough to think of Boston giving up Ellsbury, Bard and Prospects though... That could be too much, but you have to pay to play!

In my heart I wish my Cubs could land him, but we have to work on another extension for Big Z or something more important first....LOL Heard a report here this week that the Yanks are kicking the Upton tires.

Edwards Kings · Post by **Edwards Kings** » Sat Nov 20, 2010 1:49 am

Originally posted by headhunters:

we agree here. he should not bat leadoff and i don't have any problem with him stealing. he has great fantasy worth, but as a 1 hitter he probably is a negative and as an 8 hitter i would probably go with someone else against righties. just my opinion. my point on the stealing is it really lacks a lot of worth when the base stolen doesn't really result in a run very often. a good use of a guy like him would be if billy butler or some other slow ground ball hitter was batting after him- to avoid the double play. with a bunch of guys either k'ing or hittin homers coming up it just lacks value to me. he scored 66 runs ( i think) for the a's. he might score 55 with the blue jays. You guys have proven time and time again that you are smarter than me, but I still do not see how this trade works for Oakland or why Toronto would trade for Davis without taking advantage of his speed. His OBP was a weak .320 last year (a slightly less weak .336 out of the lead off). Walks are his weakness for sure, but with three more hits/walks/HBP a month last year and you reach an adequate (not great for sure) .350. Who else is Toronto going to use? Lewis? Dwayne Wise? Travis Snider (had a .260 OBP out of the lead off spot last year).

And for Oakland, Doughboys suggested maybe Barton, but while he has a great bat for a #2 hitter (already a downside for Oakland having one of your power position players having MI power), having him at leadoff with his lack of speed is just clogging the basebaths of the station-to-station A's. I guess Crisp could if healthy though his OBP was not much better than Davis. I am guessing is Chris Carter makes the team out of spring, he will get the nod as his OBP was .368 in AAA last year, but Oakland never tried him there when he had his cup of coffee up with the bigs last year.

Anyway, I still do not see the advantage to Oakland and I think Toronto got the best (and Davis will play full-time I am guessing).

Edwards Kings · Post by **Edwards Kings** » Sat Nov 20, 2010 2:09 am

Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:

Astros acquire 2B Clint Barmes from the Rockies for RHP Felipe Paulino

I'm excited about this because it looks like Eric Young Jr. can now have a legitimate shot at being the starting second baseman in Colorado. I'd like to see what he can do with 400+ at-bats. Granted, he hit only .244 last year in 172 ABs, but he's capable of hitting .280+ and steal 40+ bases as a top of the order guy. He has good speed and I think he's going to be a good one.

I'll let others chime in about Barmes. I've never owned him as I tend to stay away from guys with historically low batting averages. He hit .235-8-50 last year in Colorado, but wasn't any better at Coors Field than away (.236-4-24 vs. .234-4-26). But it's unlikely he improves away from Coors.

Paulino is a good, young arm who has upside, but is there any fantasy value in Colorado? He was 1-9 in 14 starts with Houston last year with a 5.11 ERA and 46 walks in 91.2 innings. Still just 27, he projects as a possible SP, but he needs to improve quickly after going 6-21 over the last three years.

Thoughts here? Astro's bottom feeding on their MI for another year until McLane finds a buyer. It is tuff to forget he hit 23 homers in 2009, but that certain was the outlier.

And just what the Rockies need...another wild-ass pitcher. What if the Rockies got back de la Rosa to go with Ubaldo (who is a mere facial tick from having less than a 2.0 K/BB ratio). None of the three are known for their pin-point control.

Paulino has more upside certainly, but this is a pretty neutral trade to me.

Edwards Kings · Post by **Edwards Kings** » Sat Nov 20, 2010 2:19 am

Originally posted by Fast Money:

The Detroit Tigers are going to make a big splash into the free agent market this year. The owner is not afraid to spend the money. He was the Steinbrenner of Hockey until the hard salary cap. They've finally been released of a number of bad contracts not limited to but including Dontrelles 15 mill per

They've very quietly signed Benoit and will continue to sign guys. Adam Dunn is very intriguing. Rumors say they are close. What will that do for Miguel Cabrerra? Last years monster season had him hitting in front of and behind the likes of Ryan Raburn, Johnny Damaon, Jose Guillen, Brennan Boesch etc.... With Dunn and Cabrerra providing each other protection, the sky will be the limit for Motowns Top Cat. Dunn would almost certainly DH, but I thought "Old Iron Glove" had said he wasn't ready to ride the pine on defense yet? It could happen, but I just don't see it from Dunn's perspective though I agree that Cabrera/Dunn in the power spots would be fun to watch. Jackson had a .341 OBP out of the lead-off and should be reasonably successful again setting the table (unlike Rajah Davis as a miserable failure with a .336 OBP).

BEF · Post by **BEF** » Sun Nov 21, 2010 3:31 pm

Originally posted by headhunters:

And for Oakland, Doughboys suggested maybe Barton, but while he has a great bat for a #2 hitter (already a downside for Oakland having one of your power position players having MI power), having him at leadoff with his lack of speed is just clogging the basebaths of the station-to-station A's. I guess Crisp could if healthy though his OBP was not much better than Davis. I am guessing is Chris Carter makes the team out of spring, he will get the nod as his OBP was .368 in AAA last year, but Oakland never tried him there when he had his cup of coffee up with the bigs last year.What about DeJesus? Doesn't steal bases very well (gets caught almost as much as he attempts) but in his very good half-season of 2010 his OBA leading off an inning was .384, with only one month below .400. If their main purpose is to get their leadoff hitter on without concern about SB's, then he'd be a good candidate.

One thing to remember about leadoff hitters...they're only guaranteed to lead off an inning once per game. So I usually don't take the issue of lineup placement all that seriously, except as it relates to total PA's over the course of a season. An extra 50 times up can certainly make a difference in your team's final standings.

headhunters · Post by **headhunters** » Mon Nov 22, 2010 3:26 am

i think what dunn means is he won't dh unless you pay me more $ to dh than someone else will pay me to play 1st base.

Money · Post by **Money** » Tue Nov 23, 2010 5:00 am

Originally posted by Fast Money:

The Detroit Tigers are going to make a big splash into the free agent market this year. The owner is not afraid to spend the money. He was the Steinbrenner of Hockey until the hard salary cap. They've finally been released of a number of bad contracts not limited to but including Dontrelles 15 mill per

They've very quietly signed Benoit and will continue to sign guys. Adam Dunn is very intriguing. Rumors say they are close. What will that do for Miguel Cabrerra? Last years monster season had him hitting in front of and behind the likes of Ryan Raburn, Johnny Damaon, Jose Guillen, Brennan Boesch etc.... With Dunn and Cabrerra providing each other protection, the sky will be the limit for Motowns Top Cat. The Tigers today signed Victor Martinez. They are making a big push this year in the free agent market. One more slugger and a top line starter and they'll have to be reckoned with next season. I love the owner, seriously think he's one of the best in all of sports.

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Tue Nov 23, 2010 5:08 am

Not to mention a darned good G.M.

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Tue Nov 23, 2010 5:19 am

Giants re-signed 1B Aubrey Huff to a two-year, $22 million contract with a club option for 2013.

So much for Brandon Belt as my Rookie of the Year choice!!

I'll admit I'm surprised the Giants went with Huff for two years, but you can't fault them after winning the World Series last year. Going with a rookie out of the gate would have been a gamble for sure, but this is a big contract for a 33-year-old.

Thoughts?

Asumijet · Post by **Asumijet** » Tue Nov 23, 2010 6:23 am

Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

Not to mention a darned good G.M. Two words... Dontrelle Willis. Dombrowski has done some great things; like trading Maybin and Miller for Cabrera and Willis. But he also has an owner with a deep pocket that washes away the mistakes like Willis and an empty farm system.

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Tue Nov 23, 2010 7:10 am

Originally posted by Asumijet:

quote:Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

Not to mention a darned good G.M. Two words... Dontrelle Willis. Dombrowski has done some great things; like trading Maybin and Miller for Cabrera and Willis. But he also has an owner with a deep pocket that washes away the mistakes like Willis and an empty farm system. [/QUOTE]It'd be an easy job if there were no misses

Dombrowski is savvy.

He's GM'ed for an owner who was a cheap bastard and was successful.

Their system is short, agreed, but they seem to utilize under publicized kids each year and have success with those kids.

Boston could really come up a cropper this off season. Losing Martinez forces them to trade for another catcher, or go with a catcher who has never started a full year.

Can they sign Beltre, Crawford, Werth, or Lee?

Probably not. Beltre being the only one that they've publicly coveted.

They could still make the trade for Adrian Gonzalez that has been rumored for over a year, but they will be giving up a lot for him.

Tough.

Just an addendum. Best case scenario for the Red Sox would be a trade involving Ellsbury for Gonzalez, and still having time to get in on the Crawford signing. Win-Win for Boston.

[ November 23, 2010, 01:15 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]

swampass · Post by **swampass** » Tue Nov 23, 2010 7:42 am

speaking of an elsbury to Sd for gonzalez trade. anyone else a little worried about that shoulder for adrian? would SD be better served dealing him now while he is perceived as being healthy and not risk that he isnt and not getting crapola for him later on?

this offseason has been great so far and im sure we are due for even more excitement. pumped for baseball!

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Wed Nov 24, 2010 11:46 am

Victor Martinez signs a four-year, $50 million contract with Detroit

This was reported on Tuesday, but it looks like Martinez's agent has confirmed the signing today, saying that Martinez passed his physical.

I thought this info on ESPN.com was interesting about Martinez's past experience in Detroit:

Martinez has hit just .225 with a .671 OPS in 196 career plate appearances at Comerica Park.

Those are both Martinez's lowest marks among the 14 ballparks where he has had at least 75 plate appearances. Last season in two games there he was 0-for-9 with two strikeouts in 10 at-bats.

Thoughts about this signing?

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Mon Nov 29, 2010 8:19 am

Juan Uribe signs three year, $21 million deal with the Dodgers

This isn't official yet, but it looks like the Dodgers could have a "big" infield signing this week. Uribe qualifies at SS, 2B and 3B this year in fantasy baseball after hitting .248-24-85 last year. He's used to hitting at pitcher's parks, so the move to Dodger Stadium won't help or hurt his numbers.

Do you think Uribe is a good fit here? Would you pay $21 million for this 32-year-old?

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Mon Nov 29, 2010 8:25 am

Javier Vazquez agrees to one year deal with the Marlins for $6-$7 million

Vazquez took less money to return to the NL and live closer to his family, which is in Puerto Rico. Vazquez was 15-10 with a 2.87 ERA in 2009 at Atlanta, but his numbers ballooned to 10-10 with a 5.32 ERA last year with the Yankees.

Does this move give him any fantasy value in 2010? It certainly couldn't hurt, right?

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Mon Nov 29, 2010 8:37 am

Dodgers sign Jon Garland to one-year, $5 million contract

Garland went 14-12 with a 3.47 ERA and 136 strikeouts in 33 starts with San Diego and Los Angeles. In six starts with the Dodgers, he went 3-2 with a 2.72 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 36.1 innings. He's not a sexy pickup for the Dodgers or fantasy teams, but this is a good stopping point for Garland. He looks to be another good, late option after this signing.

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Mon Nov 29, 2010 10:56 am

Rangers sign C Yorvit Torrealba to a two-year, $6.25 million deal

The Rangers found their starting catcher and at a relatively cheap price when you consider that John Buck got $18 million over three years. Torrealba hit .271-7-37-7 in 95 games with San Diego last year and this ballpark could be a plus for him. When Torrealba was in Colorado in 2009, he hit .291-2-31. Will this move give him more value on Draft Day?

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Thu Dec 02, 2010 3:32 am

Giants signed SS Miguel Tejada to a one-year, $6.5 million contract

Tejada is 36, but he still hit .269-15-71 between Baltimore and San Diego last year and is a good fit here. It's not a great hitter's ballpark, but in 59 games at Petco Park last year he hit .268-8-32. Tejada also qualifies at SS and 3B this year, giving him nice versatility for fantasy owners. This signing keeps him relevant on Draft Day.

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Fri Dec 03, 2010 4:51 am

Rockies acquired 3B Jose Lopez from the Mariners for RHP Chaz Roe

This is a small, but interesting move. Talk about going from one park extreme to another, wow. Lopez was horrible last year during his fulltime move to 3B and hit just .239-10-58 in 150 games. I can't see the Rockies using him at second base in place of EYJ, so maybe he's just an insurance policy there. Anyway, he's still only 27 and if he gets himself in shape anything is possible in that park. Not a small trade to remember for later on.

Anyone see any hope here for Lopez?