Well, gang, Kat returns from vacation today, and I'm handing the keys to the blog back to her. I had a good time for these two weeks, and, man, what an eventful two weeks.
Jorge Posada is back thanks to a guaranteed fourth year.
Alex Rodriguez is back thanks to Goldman Sachs, Warren Buffett and Mariano, too.
And now Mariano Rivera is about to be back, thanks to $15 million per year.
Phew!
Anyway, I won't be a stranger, and you better not be one, either. Sources tell me I will be getting my own blog in the coming weeks, so please say hello every now and again.
Comments (12)
Jim B: It was good to have you back for a while. You promised not to be a stranger the last time you left but you sorta did become one, so try to pop in more often please.
Kat: Welcome back! I hope you are well rested and ready to roll. By the way, you didn't miss much :)
I'm glad the blog is fixed as well.
Fair point. I will be around more than I was.
Jim B: I thought you did great in your time back. Don't be a stranger & of course, welcome back Kat.
a-rod, santana, mo...
1) a-rod
in an earlier post, AJ went balistic against this re-signing. regardless of anyone's feelings re a-rod, this makes perfect sense financially. if the yanks had lost his super-power production there was no way they could also stomach low production at 1b, thus needing to splurge very big bucks on that position. having a power hitting 3b gives the club a lot of flexibility in other positions, so i definitely disagree that hal & hank fumbled anything there.
2) santana
the question with him, stipulating that he's available, is how many years of top performance he's got left? i would like to draw a comparison to the beckett trade. the sox gave up a future all star and superstar (ramirez) + some good pitching, a pretty steep price - but for a YOUNG potential ace (i think he was 23 at the time)
santana has to be viewed as a risk. his last year was a decline in all stats. would i sign him as a FA? sure, would i trade wang straight up for him? hell yeah, but the price we hear floating around, a young stud + a young position player for a pitcher who may have 2-3 years left as an ace? i don't know... sounds like a lot.
3) mo
enough enough enough! he's "mad"... i can relate really, the last time someone offered me 45 million dollars, i got furious...
come on... you're getting paid mostly for what you've done, less for what you're going to do. stop all the posturing (a-rod does that so much better...) and just sign the dotted line...
a-rod, santana, mo...
1) a-rod
in an earlier post, AJ went balistic against this re-signing. regardless of anyone's feelings re a-rod, this makes perfect sense financially. if the yanks had lost his super-power production there was no way they could also stomach low production at 1b, thus needing to splurge very big bucks on that position. having a power hitting 3b gives the club a lot of flexibility in other positions, so i definitely disagree that hal & hank fumbled anything there.
2) santana
the question with him, stipulating that he's available, is how many years of top performance he's got left? i would like to draw a comparison to the beckett trade. the sox gave up a future all star and superstar (ramirez) + some good pitching, a pretty steep price - but for a YOUNG potential ace (i think he was 23 at the time)
santana has to be viewed as a risk. his last year was a decline in all stats. would i sign him as a FA? sure, would i trade wang straight up for him? hell yeah, but the price we hear floating around, a young stud + a young position player for a pitcher who may have 2-3 years left as an ace? i don't know... sounds like a lot.
3) mo
enough enough enough! he's "mad"... i can relate really, the last time someone offered me 45 million dollars, i got furious...
come on... you're getting paid mostly for what you've done, less for what you're going to do. stop all the posturing (a-rod does that so much better...) and just sign the dotted line...
a-rod, santana, mo...
1) a-rod
in an earlier post, AJ went balistic against this re-signing. regardless of anyone's feelings re a-rod, this makes perfect sense financially. if the yanks had lost his super-power production there was no way they could also stomach low production at 1b, thus needing to splurge very big bucks on that position. having a power hitting 3b gives the club a lot of flexibility in other positions, so i definitely disagree that hal & hank fumbled anything there.
2) santana
the question with him, stipulating that he's available, is how many years of top performance he's got left? i would like to draw a comparison to the beckett trade. the sox gave up a future all star and superstar (ramirez) + some good pitching, a pretty steep price - but for a YOUNG potential ace (i think he was 23 at the time)
santana has to be viewed as a risk. his last year was a decline in all stats. would i sign him as a FA? sure, would i trade wang straight up for him? hell yeah, but the price we hear floating around, a young stud + a young position player for a pitcher who may have 2-3 years left as an ace? i don't know... sounds like a lot.
3) mo
enough enough enough! he's "mad"... i can relate really, the last time someone offered me 45 million dollars, i got furious...
come on... you're getting paid mostly for what you've done, less for what you're going to do. stop all the posturing (a-rod does that so much better...) and just sign the dotted line...
JIM B-
Always a pleasure "riding" with someone who has driven a car so often, they know every "quirk" the vehicle has. Every "orginal" owner has a "spare" set of keys, and we expect you to use them often. THANKS
Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record has reported Mo has agreed to the three year-45 million offer.
Jim B glad to see you and your uninspired pieces vacate the blog.
Jim B. thanks for providing us with some great stories in Kat's absence. Kat, welcome back!
Gil L, I agree with everything that you said - all three times!
I'm one those who doesn't feel comfortable about Santana except as a free agent, as you've pointed out. Pitchers are just such a special case in that concerns about injury are so much greater for them than position players. So giving up a Cano, which seems to be the starting price, just doesn't resonate with me, you know!
I wonder if anybody here can do a quick study in major trades that involved top position players for top pitchers. I'd be curious to know what the results tend to be. The ones that always spring to mind for me are the infamous Frank Robinson/Milt Pappas (and pieces) and Lou Brock/Broglio (and pieces) trades. In both caes, we know that the teams that got the position players certainly got the better deal. Of course, Mr Santana is head and shoulders over Broglio/Pappas, and circumstances of both those trades were different that any Santana deal. Still, would anyone else have some other top pitcher for top player deals that they can suggest?
"Bobby" Bonds for Ed Figueroa and Mickey Rivers.
Nice job, Jim B! Looking forward to reading more of your work in the future.
Down with RS Nation!