Goodbye old(?) friend

Mark Kreidler of the Sacramento Bee has a column at ESPN.com reminiscing about Pac Bell Park.

Pac Bell was actually one of the few corporate-logoed stadia that didn't sound absolutely silly when spoken aloud. It kind of rolled off the tongue: Pac Bell Park. It didn't hurt that the place was received as a gem of a ballpark, and it was graced with an almost embarrassing wealth of instant baseball memories: Barry Bonds collecting home runs No. 71, 72 and 73; Bonds achieving the 600-homer career milestone; the Giants reaching just the third World Series in their West Coast history.

What are they thinking?

The Phillies finally got their pitcher, and the Braves seem to be imploding.

The Braves shipped out Kevin Millwood to the Phillies for (backup) catcher Johnny Estrada.

HUH? Read that last line again.

It's bad enough to ship out Millwood instead of someone else (anyone else actually), but to send him to s DIVISION RIVAL, and get a BACKUP catcher for him is absurd.

To recap, the always pitching strong Braves have traded Kevin Millwood & Damian Moss for Russ Ortiz & Johnny Estrada. If that doesn't seem strage, put those names together and think of it as a single deal.

Now you're getting it, aren't you?

The missing link?

It seems as though the Denny Neagle deal to NYM just won't die.

The latest word is that the Mets are waiting to see if they can sign Cliff Floyd, which would then trigger a chain-reaction with the Rockies.

This deal might be about more than two teams getting rid of contracts they no longer want. Fox Sports Net reported that the Mets hope this deal can help clear the way to spend on free-agent outfielder Cliff Floyd, who on Thursday turned down arbitration from the Boston Red Sox.

What a steal

What do you do when you lose your 3B, and cannot sign one in the Majors? Trade for a Joe Randa? Nope. Not if you're the New York Mets.

ESPN.com reports that the Mets have come to terms with Japanese 3B Norihiro Nakamura, and will announce it on Friday (later today).

The deal is reportedly worth $7 million over two years, with an option for a third year for $6 million. If the third year is exercised, then the Mets just got their replacement 3B for just over $4.33 million per season for the next three years. And if they do NOT exercise that third-year option (no word on whether it is a TEAM, PLAYER, or MUTUAL option), then they got him for two years at a low low rate of $3.5 million per (about $2 million less then the Giants gave Alfonzo).

And the Giants are giving Marvin Bernard $4 million next season (not to mention J.T. Snow's $6.85 million). Ouch.

CRAZY RANT
How 'bout Bernard & Snow ($10.85 million combined in 2003) for Nakamura & Bernitz (roughly $14-15 million combined in 2003), straight-up? (At least Bernitz could come off the bench and HIT something . . . or play him at 1B). The Giants would DEFINITELY need to move Livan, so why not add him to the mix and get some prospects back?

BwaHahahahahahahahahaha. Sorry, I couldn't keep a straight face any longer.
/CRAZY RANT

Let the debate begin . . . it's reader mail!

Bill Lane writes in about Ray Durham, and he thinks that there is NO WAY that Durham plays CF for the Giants in 2003. Aaron Gleeman agrees (link may not work, scroll down to Thursday, December 12, 2002 and look for the 4:03 pm post), saying that Durham would not even make a decent CF, and that he should stay at 2B.

I think Bill might be right, but for different reasons then he states. Here's his letter, and my response.

...every quote from the mouth of Ray Durham i have read over the last six months says the following (roughly): "i'm a second baseman and i will play the outfield in an emergency only. repeat: i am a second baseman." and yet, throughout the internet sites and threads, Mr Durham is placed in centerfield to fulfill, probably, Giant fan fantasies. well, I'm a Giant (and A's) fan and I have to keep remembering what the guy himself is saying. it probably matters, doesn't it? A's fans were fantasizing Durham wd play center to get Long out of that position (and maybe off the team!!) but Beane knew better.

i think Sabean knows too [that Durham will not play OF], and Kent would have been the first baseman had he stayed. and remember the Bill James progression of fielding difficulty: centerfield is number 2, third base is number 3, second base is number 4. hard to move up, easy to move down (i.e. first base is number 7)...

conclusion: Grissom is really, as of now, the centerfielder, like it or not. Alfonzo is at third. you or i will be in right.

Unbelievable

Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, I-Rod, may play in Japan if he doesn't get an offer he likes from a Major League team this winter.

My first thought was that it was a horriblely hollow threat, but then I thought about the lack of Pudge rumors and speculation, along with the salary difference that Japanese 3B Norihiro Nakamura is being offered ($6 million for two years by the Mets, $30 million for a multi-year deal from many Japanese clubs) it didn't seem so crazy.

The linguring problem is still that Nakamura is VERY INTERESTED in joining the Mets, and playing in the best baseball league in the world.

Players leave their home countries for the money, but I still feel that most real baseball players want to play in the MLB. To showcase your talent against the best in the world is what all athletes dream of. Which batting title do you think is Ichiro's favorite? It may be the first one, OR it could be his first one in the MLB.

I'm sure that there are a lot of teams that would take a chance on Pudge if he would sign a incentive-laden contract, but he's looking for the large guaranteed dollars. With Rodriguez's ability, shouldn't he have the confidense to sign a low-guarante/high-incentive contract with a team that will let him return to his former glory? Or should he just follow the money, even if it leads him right out of "The Show".

A move to the other side by Pudge would be a simple matter of dollar signs . . . and not a love of the game.

Peter Gammons' favorite minor leaguer

The Cincinnati Reds signed Toe Nash to a minor league deal (the story also has the first picture of him that I have ever seen). He was in the Devil Rays' farm system until he was convicted of having sex with a 15-year old girl and spent 9 months in jail in Louisiana.

Nash, who never attended high school and by all accounts received little parental guidance and grew up in extreme poverty, confessed to having consensual sex with the girl, according to published reports. The Devil Rays released Nash in late September, one day after he was released from jail. He will remain on probation for five years.

The rest...

Sean McAdam has an article at ESPN.com that lists the "Second-Tier" guys available on the free agent market. And while there isn't much of interest for the Giants, there are three ex-Giants (almost 1/3 of his list) still looking for work that he felt were worth mentioning (Sanders, Lofton and Mueller).

I still think that the Giants are seriously looking to upgrade at least one more bat (two if they can off-load Snow).

Things are starting to clear up

In an expected announcement, the Yankees have signed Hideki Matsui to a three-year, $21 million deal. Bring on the "Godzilla attacks NY" headlines. This is as surprising as the coming announcement that Jose Contreras has signed with the Red Sox (and in case you missed it, that was sarcasm . . . officially Contreras hasn't signed with anyone, but he's been linked to Boston like Matsui was linked to NYY).

Also somewhat expected, Greg Maddux has accepted arbitration to stay with the Braves, keep them a contender for at least one more year, and possibly pocket the largest salary for any pitcher in history.

The Scott Boras threat of arbitration was used in the Barry Bonds free agency with the Giants, but it actually seems like a good move this time. The Giants were always willing to deal with Bonds, and even make him a long-term deal. The Braves, on the other hand, seem to beshy in offering him "Tom Glavine" dollars . . . which I think is crazy.

Maddux was 16-6 last season, winning at least 15 games for the 15th straight year to tie the record set by Cy Young. Maddux had a 2.62 ERA, second-best in the NL behind Arizona's Randy Johnson, and he won his 13th straight Gold Glove Award.

Please be gentle

I'm working on fixing my table for the post below. If it looks bad, I appologize.

I am working on it.

UPDATE: Of course I was doing it the hard way. It's fixed now.

Now it seems as though my Archives have vanished again, and the links themselves are way off-centered. It's always something.

Is it just me?

Rob Neyer writes that the Braves need Greg Maddux to compete this season.

It's simple. The Braves need Greg Maddux or a reasonable facsimile thereof. Because with the lineup they've got right now, one great starter (Millwood) and three or four decent ones just isn't going to be enough. So if Maddux doesn't come back, John Smoltz has to dust off his first-inning cleats and get ready to pitch 200 innings.

On the other hand, if Maddux accepts the Braves' offer of arbitration and returns, the rotation looks great and Schuerholz has six starters (not including Smoltz), one of whom he could presumably convert into the first or second baseman they so desperately need.

 

           W- L   ERA   IP     K   BB 

Millwood  17- 8  3.25  213    176  63 

Ortiz     14-10  3.61  214.1  137  94 

Byrd      17-11  3.90  228.1  129  38 

Hampton    7-15  6.15  178.2   74  91 

Marquis    8- 9  5.04  114.1   84  49 

  Totals  63-53  4.25  948.2  600 335 

That looks like a good Fantasy League rotation, but will it compete in the NL West?

If I'd just checked there first...MAIL TIME!

Not only did Travis Nelson (A.K.A. Boy of Summer) link me, but he sent me an e-mail to let me know, and even had some helpful tips on the Archive Problem!

This means that he's either been reading or was interested enough to look back. Either way, THANKS!

I'm listing his tips for my reference as well as for anyone else who might run into this problem.

1) Go to your Settings page. 2) Set Archive Frequency to No Archive. (Don't worry, your stuff is still safe, deep in the recesses of the Pyra servers.) 3) Save changes. 4) Publish 5) Go back to Settings, set Archives for weekly or monthly. 6) Save, publish. 7) Go to Archive Settings and Republish all. I had problems like this too, and it didn't work quite right initially, but eventually things got themselves straightened out. Hope it helps.

Thanks guys

John Perricone linked this post, on his site Only Baseball Matters, and my hits doubled today.

I hope that says more about his readers then mine.

I've also been linked by Travis Nelson, the Boy of Summer. Look for my new link to his site on the right. Here's what he had to say about The Southpaw:

Matthew Durham's got a good blog, another one that generally doesn't waste words, but who covers a lot of news with brief commentary.

Best GM in the (NL) West

John Schlegel has a piece on Brian Sabean, which lists all of the major transactions that he's made this winter.

When the 2002 World Series ended, three major contributors to the Giants' success over the last several years -- manager Dusty Baker, Kent and Sabean -- were without contracts for 2003. With Baker gone to Chicago and now Kent on his way to Houston, Sabean's the only one left.

Over the years, Bonds and Kent became baseball's most dangerous duo.....there was no better 1-2 offensive punch on a consistent basis over the last six years -- none better. These two men combined for more homers and RBIs in a six-year stretch than any duo in the history of the Giants franchise -- better than the Hall of Fame duo of Willie Mays and Willie McCovey in 1961-66.

Considering it was Sabean who brought Kent to San Francisco in what was then a controversial debut move, this is a definite turning point in the GM's tenure with the Giants.

"It's a work in progress, but I'm amazed at how much we've gotten done," Sabean said after the deal with Atlanta on Tuesday. "I told all the guys last night that were in the suite that we should be proud that we've gotten more done at an earlier date [than expected]. I think that's important for the guys in the clubhouse to know we're committed to get back to the World Series, and I think it's important for the fan base."

Not so surprising

ESPN.com reports that the Yankees are close to signing Japanese transplant Hideki Matsui to a three-year deal worth around $21 million. The article also mentions that the Yankees are looking into Cliff Floyd and Cuban defector Jose Contreras.

Contreras has been at the top of the Red Sox's list all winter, and now that the MLB has declared him a Free Agent, teams can begin negotiating with him.

[Contreras] first came to the United States, which made him subject to the amateur draft. Cubans who defect have tried to become residents of countries outside the United States and Canada, which allows them to be free agents.

Nakamura, 29, is believed to have received a two-year, $6 million offer from the Mets. While that pales when compared to the $30 million offers he is weighing from several Japanese League teams, it appears as if the third baseman is struggling with his decision.

To put things into perspective (I was right)

It's strange to think that less then a week ago, Jeff Kent was actually expected to put on a Giants uni in 2003. His last second change of heart led the Giants to steal Edgardo Alfonzo out from under the Boston Red Sox, and the Astros to sign Kent to a $18.2 million, two-year contract.

You may remember that I have mentioned that Kent would likely not get much more money then he would have from the Giants (which averaged out to $8 million per). Well, $18.2 million in two years looks a lot like $9.1 million per season, so Kent got a whopping $1.1 million more dollars per season, and $2.2 million more over the next two years . . . in theory.

The deal that Kent signed with the Astros breaks down like this:

[Kent] gets a $3 million signing bonus, payable $1 million each on March 1, July 1 next year, and March 1, 2004. [He] gets a $6 million salary for 2003, of which $2 million is deferred to March 1, 2005, and $3 million to July 1, 2005. He gets an $8.5 million salary for 2004, of which $2 million is deferred to March 1, 2006, and $3.5 million to July 1, 2006.

Randa still a possibility?

With Paul Byrd signing with the Braves, and Jeff Kent likely out the door, could the Giants still pull off a deal for Royals 3B Joe Randa?

This article from the Royals homepage from MLB.com explains the team's final efforts to sign Paul Byrd, and also mentions the Joe Randa situation.

The Royals departed the meetings in Nashville, Tenn. without having made a trade. There were discussions about third baseman Joe Randa, but Randa -- who makes $4.5 million with the Royals -- would get $5.5 million if dealt. With most teams reluctant to add significant payroll, the Randa discussions didn't trigger a deal.

The Royals had hoped Byrd would re-sign and be the anchor of their 2003 staff. But the club may now have to re-focus on right-hander Jeff Suppan, who is arbitration eligible after making about $3.8 million last year.

Maybe they can

Can a team lose its top two starters and half of its bullpen and still be a contender?

The question has been asked quite frequently this winter of the Atlanta Braves, who went into the off-season with Cy Young winners Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine both testing the Free Agent waters. Glavine has since signed with the Mets, and Maddux may take his shot at arbitration, but could still end up with another team.

In response to this, the Braves have been very active (and quite creative) in reloading their starting pitchers.

They traded for Mike Hampton, and even got the Rockies and Marlins to pay for a majority of his contract. They also traded for Russ Ortiz, sending out a young pitcher (Damian Moss) for an established veteran. Then they went out and signed Paul Byrd to a 2-year, $10 million contract.

So if Glavine and Maddux leave the Braves, how will they compete? Here's a look at their current rotation, sans Maddux.

Mike Hampton
Kevin Millwood
Russ Ortiz
Paul Byrd
Jason Marquis

That's a pretty decent rotation, and that's after losing two future HOF guys. Hampton is a gamble, but most pitchers have career resurgence after leaving Colorado, and they're not paying him that much anyway. Ortiz may be a tad over-rated, but he's still a quality pitcher that will fit in VERY nicely as a middle-of-the-rotation guy. Byrd is solid, Millwood is coming back to 2000 form, and Marquis is a great 24-year-old.

Now take out Marquis and plug in Maddux if he stays . . . and the Braves could be better then last year.

Another link, and Kent news to boot!

I have one of the six coveted links on Jon Maple's site, Brushback (link is a permalink to the Kent reference below).

As usual, I have returned the favor and added Jon to the right. Once again, it is a quality site that I might not have found if I hadn't found it through the refer tracking.

The only thing that I disagree with Jon on his Kent breakdown is this:

If Kent accepts arbitration he might be looking at an $8+ million payday from the Giants.

New Link!

I found a link from Glyndwr (The blog of Gwyn Price - Just another sports-mad, overly-geeky welshman in Canada) . . . so I've returned the favor!

His site is actually really interesting, and he touches on a LOT of different subjects.

He too is tired of the Pete Rose situation.

The "Russ Ortiz Trade" Post

Here's ESPN.com's article, and here's a link to Only Baseball Matters. As always, John can be counted on to break down the deal, and why it's good for the Giants.

As I noted earlier, Moss earned under $250,000 dollars last season, so Sabean can offer him a two years at a million per and still come out way ahead [Ortiz is due to get $4.4 million next year]. Kurt Ainsworth has got to be able to win 12 games in 30 starts, no? Jeez, Ortiz only managed 14, and it took a six start in a row, end of season winning streak to get him there. Ortiz won just 5 of fifteen starts at home this season, pitching in the best pitchers park in baseball. His strikeout per nine innings pitched rate has declined, and it was always pretty low to begin with. Last season, Ortiz managed just 137 strikeouts in 214 innings pitched, just over 5.7 per 9IP. That's not too bad, but it isn't exactly burning them up either. Kirk Rueter, known for his ability to get guys out without striking out many hitters, has averaged 4.2 K per 9IP over his career.

What's Next?

Jason Stark breaks down what didn't happen at the Winter Meetings, and what unfinished business we can look forward to.

Several baseball people said Monday they heard the Reds and Expos had talked about a stunning trade that could have sent Adam Dunn and the just-acquired Felipe Lopez to Montreal for either Colon or Vazquez. But another source said Minaya had asked about Dunn and was turned down.

...when the Giants told Kent he had one more day to say yes or no to a three-year, $24-million offer that had a chance to grow to four years, $32 million -- indications were that he would relent and come back for less money than he had in mind.

Would Clemens follow Stanton?

The Yankees are still trying to land a deal for Bartolo Colon, and have said that they'd cut off talks with Roger Clemens.

If Clemens does not re-sign with the Yankees, he would probably talk to the Red Sox, New York Mets and Texas Rangers.

The BoSox have money

The Boston Red Sox are apparently interested in Jeff Kent. I wonder if he'll get a deal for much more then the Giants offered. I'd have to think that with the lack of offers already on the table that Kent would have taken the money and ran with Superman . . . but he seems to think that he's getting more then Bret Boone ($8 million per season from 2002-2004, with a team option for $9 million in 2005).

While I think that Kent is a much better hitter then Boone, I also think that the dollars just aren't out there for him, and that he'd better get a multi-year deal if he's not batting before or behind Bonds.

I expect to see a dropoff on his numbers in the next few years, as do many GMs from the look of things.

UPDATE: Now the headline of the article is "Astros in 'serious negotiations' with Kent"

The Astros already have a solid second baseman in Craig Biggio. If signed, speculation has Kent moving to third base or taking over at second, with Biggio moving to the outfield.

Speaking of PTBNL

The A's-Chi Sox deal has been completed, with the Chi Sox receiving P Neal Cotts and OF Daylan Holt from Oakland.

PTBNL breakdown

John Sickels explains the prospects that were included in the deals that we've been hearing about lately.

It's a good read.

What does that pay, I'm unemployed!

ESPN.com reports that the minimum age for bat boys (or girls) will be 14 or 16 (to be ruled on by Bud Selig). This is obviously in connection with the World Series, and the near stomping of Darren Baker, then-Giants Manager Dusty Baker's 3-year-old son.

Dusty Baker had this to say, all but cementing the idea for everyone else:

"I hope one mistake doesn't spoil it for a lot of kids," he said. "I don't want it to go down in history as the Darren Baker Rule.' "

How much less did the Yankees offer?

Mike Stanton signed a 3-year, $9 million deal to play for the "other" NY team, the Mets. The deal breaks down to $2, $3, & $4 million over the three years, meaning that in the first two years, he'll make $300,000 more to play for NYM then NYY (the Yankees offered a 2-year, $4.7 million contract, but reportedly gave him 15 minutes to sign . . . ouch).

Here's an interesting tipbit:

Stanton and Glavine have a history of success -- they are the only two players to play in every postseason since 1991. That's important for the Mets, who finished in last place this year.

It would solve their salary problems

A three-way deal that would land Denny Neagle on the Mets is on hold, thanks to the Rangers. Here's the breakdown.

The Mets relieve themselves of three huge deals (Jeromy Burnitz to Colorodo, Pedro Astacio and Roger Cedeno to Texas), and bring in Denny Neagle.

The Rockies finally rid themselves of Neagle's horrid deal, and get Burnitz from NYM and Todd Van Poppel from Texas.

And finally, the Rangers would send out Van Poppel and bring in the huge contracts of Astacio and Cedeno, basically being a salary dumpster in the deal. Astacio would definitely be an upgrade to their staff, and I guess Cedeno could play CF over Hollandsworth, but they'd be taking on a ton of cash.

I can see why they're hesitating.

Fantasy tips from The Sports Guy

I'd like to say that I learned something from The Sports Guy's Fantasy Trade Tips, but it's all old news to me.

I just can't get enough of fantasy sports (especially roto, I don't know why people play any other way).

Enjoy.

Archive problem

As you can see I can post again (see below), but now there is a problem with the archives. I have reported this to Pyra Labs, but being a peon "free user", they may take a while to get to my problem, if they look at it at all.

If you have experienced a problem like this, please e-mail me.

Thanks.

I'd agree with "less essential"

Mike Bouman has an article up at MLB.com that reports on the Alfonzo signing, and the possibilities of Kent returning to NL side of the Bay Area.

The Giants have managed, in two tidy moves [Durham and Alffonzo], to make Jeff Kent look less essential and more expendable.

Jason Stark breaks it all down (almost)

Jason Stark has his Winter Meetings breakdown, so you can catch up on everything that's been going on (OR you can read my previous entries).

The Giants are surprising missing from his report, however.

We like Gammons when he's talking trades

My favorite Gammons articles are the ones in which he does nothing but report trade rumors.

The Red Sox thought they had Alfonzo signed before the Giants stole him away. Boston had an offer for two years and an option that appeared to be a deal until the Giants stepped in with the four years. Alfonzo would have played third for Boston, with Hillenbrand moved for a reliever.

Beane ends "three-year odyssey"

Jason Stark reports on the details that went into the Durazo four-way constructed by A's GM Billy Beane. My favorite quote was from The Mastermind himself:

"I actually had one general manager say to me, 'You've got to put me on your list for one of those four-way deals you're always doing,'" Beane said. "I said, 'OK, you're on the list. I'll get back to you.'"

Kent walks

ESPN.com reports that Jeff Kent has declined the Giants final offer reportedly due to the greekbacks (or lack thereof) involved.

And here's the details of the Alfonzo deal:

Alfonzo received a $4 million signing bonus and annual salaries of $3 million, $5.5 million, $6.5 million and $7 million.

If you can convince me his back and his body are what they're supposed to be, then it's a hell of a deal. Other than that, I love him. He's got great makeup and great baseball instincts, and he's a very consistent person. The biggest issue is his health.

The offer Kent rejected Sunday afternoon -- believed to be three years, for somewhere between $20-24 million -- is "not on the table" anymore, Colletti said. What is on the table is an offer by the Giants to allow Kent to accept arbitration. But he is expected to decline.

Lots of trades/lots of problems

The Winter meetings have finally produced some news. Check out some of the reports below.

I was ready to post all of these by 6:30 pm PST on Sunday (12/15/02), but apparently there were some "Blogger" issues.

Sorry for the delay.

Giants sign Alfonzo!

ESPN.com reports that the Giants have agreed to a four-year, $26 million contract with Edgardo Alfonzo.

The signing wasn't immediately announced by the Giants, but the agreement was confirmed by two people familiar with the negotiations who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

D-day for Kent/Giants

Jason Stark reports that Jeff Kent has until the end of the day today to accept the 3-year offer that the Giants have put on the table.

He also reports that Jeff Kent will likely take it.

The Giants are said to have told Kent that he has until today to decide whether to accept their final offer -- believed to be a three-year deal for significantly less than the $10 million to $12 million per year he'd been looking for. And, with no other tangible offers to weigh, Kent appears to be ready to say yes, even though the contract is heavily backloaded and is believed to pay him only around $4 million in the first year.

Even if the Giants get Kent signed, they would continue to look for one more bat to hit behind Bonds in the fifth or sixth hole. If they don't get Kent signed, it's believed they would immediately launch a serious effort to reel in Edgardo Alfonzo.

Expos play hardball with Yanks

Yankees GM Brian Cashman is reportedly thinking over an offer from the Montreal Expos for SP Bartolo Colon or Javier Vazquez.

Both Cashman and Montreal Expos GM Omar Minaya are keeping quiet on what the offer is, but the price is reportedly 1B Nick Johnson, OF Juan Rivera, SP Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, and a prospect. The catch, from what I understand, is that the Expos also want NYY to pay for Hernandez's salary.

On Sportscenter last night, Peter Gammons said that if the Expos would budge on El Duque's salary that the Yankees would pull the trigger, but that they wouldn't do it if they had to pay the total salary.

The report states that the Yankees are "not in a situation where [they] have to do somehting", but with The Boss at the helm, you have to think that there's some pretty big pressure there.

Red Sox tap into "depth" of farm system

The BoSox aquired Jeremy Giambi from the Phillies for minor league pitcher Josh Hancock. Red Sox GM Theo Epstein likes Giambi's plate discipline, and thinks that then sent out a good prospect in Hancock:

"We like Josh, the Phillies got a good one," said Epstein. "We feel the depth of our minor league system is pitching. It was hard to pass up this opportunity to get a bat like Giambi's. We felt this was a fair deal from both sides."

Durazo an Athletic

The most hyped non-Expo on the trading block (and Billy Beane's latest obsession), Erubiel Durazo, has been traded to the A's in a four-team deal.

This appears to be the same deal that was reported earlier with the D-backs getting SP Elmer Dessens and cash from the Reds, the Reds getting SS Felipe Lopez from Toronto and a PTBNL from Oakland, and Toronto getting one or two (the reports are unclear) PTBNL from Oakland, reportedly SP Jason Arnold (who was aquired by Oakland in the Ted Lilly deal with the Yankees) and OF John-Ford Griffin. MLB.com's report is here

It also seems as though all three teams (Oakland, Toronto, & Cincinnati) will be sending $333,333 to Arizona (basically $1 million).

To look at this team-by-team, here's the breakdown:

Oakland trades two/three prospects (SP Jason Arnold, OF John-Ford Griffin, and possibly one more PTBNL) for 1B/DH Erubiel Durazo. A good trade for the A's, as they trade prospects that they don't neccesarily need for a big bat they they do need to bolster their lineup.

Arizona finally trades their oft-mentioned prospect (Durazo) for some pitching to upgrade their rotation (Dessens). Instead of waiting too long and not trading Durazo, they appear to have traded him just for the sake of trading him. I don't think this really helped the D-backs too much, which is good news for Giants fans.

Cincinnati sent out Dessens for SS of the future (read: Barry Larkin's replacement) Felipe Lopez and a PTBNL from Oakland's rich farm system. Not a bad deal from their perspective. They needed a SS more then a 1B, and got another prospect to go along with it. Not a blockbuster, but good.

Toronto sent out Lopez and (probably) got another pitching prospect from the rich Oakland farm system that J.P. Ricciardi is so familiar with. Ricciardi loves dealing with his former boss (Beane).

All in all, I think this is just another example of Beane getting his man, and doing it without really losing anything that he needed.

Ordonez to Tampa?

ESPN.com has announced that later tonight the Mets will announce that they have traded Rey Ordonez to the Tampa Bay for two PTBNL (players to be names later).

Jason Stark reports that one of the players to be named is expected to be former A's prospect Ben Grieve.

Quarterback U?

Carson Palmer has won the Heisman trophy, giving Tailback U its first QB Heisman winner. And as mentioned in Ivan Maisel's piece on ESPN.com, Palmer's jersey will also be retired, as all of USC's Heisman winners jerseys are.

Surprising to most, Palmer received more votes (1,328) then both of Miami's finalists combined (1,303). In what was expected to be the closest Heisman race in history, Palmer won five of the six regions, losing only to Brad Banks in Banks' home region - the Midwest.

Palmer also ended a 21-year East Coast bias, bringing the Heisman to the West Coast for the first time since 1981 (won by fellow Trojan alum Marcus Allen). Palmer gives USC five Heisman winners, trailing only Ohio State (6) and rival Notre Dame (7).

Next up for Palmer and the Trojans is the Rose Orange Bowl, where they will play the Co-Big 10 champion Iowa Hawkeyes, led by Heisman runner-up Brad Banks in what could be the best bowl game of the year.

Fight On SC!

What's this, reader mail?!?!?

Reader Jon Maples checks in to talk about the Giants pitching staff, and trade rumors regarding Russ Ortiz and Livan Hernandez.

He definitely doesn't like Livan's trade value.

nobody in their right mind wants livan. for a couple reasons: 1- soft tossing right handers don't get that much interest. 2- he's pigheaded as hell and is almost uncoachable. of course, somebody might take him, but i don't know who. especially with his contract.

ortiz has a ton of value. based on his world series game six performance, the entire baseball world knows that his stuff is electric, but let's remember: he is way erratic. if there ever was a time to get maximum value for him, it is now. my guess is that sabean thinks he can dump at least one or two high salaried pitcher, and get almost the same value out of the foppert/ainsworth/williams kiddie corps.

one word or warning with jerome williams. he was pretty good in AAA last year, but the take on him was that he coasted at some points. i think he took the criticism to heart and really tried to air it out in the arizona fall league. the results were eyepopping. in five games he had a 2.05 era, giving up only 10 hits in 22 innings. opponents only hit .135 against him and he recorded 25 strikeouts. he quickly developed a sore shoulder and had to be shut down for the season.

i think you're right about kent. colorado is out and apparently, so are the dodgers. the cubs need to improve their bullpen before their offense. it doesn't look like anyone else will come close to the money that the giants can offer for him. i think he's coming back.

Moving Tejeda?

Jason Stark has the line on rumors coming out of Nashiville, and the hot name is Erubiel Durazo. There are a lot of three-ways rumored to be in the works.

The first I heard from Peter Gammons on Sportscenter and thought was crazy, but Stark has now reported it as well.

[One] Durazo rumor was a potential monster deal in which Arizona would make a run at Miguel Tejada, offering Durazo and Byung-Hyun Kim. While the A's aren't looking to trade Tejada, an official of one club said the A's are willing to be "proactive," much as they were a year before Jason Giambi's free agency, because they know there's a realistic chance they can't re-sign Tejada. So they might at least listen to the right deal. They then could move Mark Ellis from second base to shortstop, his original position, and sign Edgardo Alfonzo to play second.

Another three-teamer could involve the Reds and Blue Jays. In that scenario, Oakland would get Durazo, Arizona would wind up with Reds pitcher Elmer Dessens. And Toronto would get Oakland prospects Jason Arnold and John Ford-Griffin.

More news

Billy Beane says that he doesn't think anything will happen at the Winter meetings, but you can bet

In another article, Cubs GM Jim Hendry chimes in:

We'd be negligent to not have interest in [Omar Daal, Ugueth Urbina and Edgardo Alfonzo]

Free agent lefty bats Orlando Palmeiro and Todd Hollandsworth could be in the team's price range.

Was I contacted by the Reds? Yes. Did I take a week to think about it? No. How long did I think about it? About five seconds.

"If they feel like they want to trade me, or just don't want me anymore, go ahead," Griffey told Sports Weekly. "There's nothing I can do if they trade me. They can do what they want. If they want to trade me, trade me."

"... they should at least let me decide where I want to go," Griffey told Sports Weekly. "If they trade me someplace I don't want to be, I'll just demand a trade at the end of the year. They haven't asked me, but if I was a GM, they might want to say, 'What teams do you want to go to?'"

News and notes

A few articles to report. First is an article that pretty much states the obvious, the Giants need a second bat behind Superman. The ideas suggested are not new, but still good to hear: re-sign Kent, trade for a big bat (Guerrero's name once again tops the list, with Brian Giles and Jose Cruz Jr. also mentioned). No names were new to the list of players that the Giants have to ship out, but it was refreshing to see Livan and Snow both listed together. If Snow is sent out, and even if Kent plays some 1B, there could be a cheap insurance policy (no pun intended) mentioned below.

Then there's two articles by John Schlegel. The first lists his picks for the ten risky free agents on the market. No big surprises, as it is pretty much filled with old or recently injured players.

The other is his list of the best free agent bargains, ignoring the fact that Reggie Sanders tops the list. If the Giants retain Kent, John Mabry could be a good fit to fill some holes and come of the bench . . . and his salary's about right for the G-men as well. Here's what John says:

Mabry's a perfect fit for a contender that needs someone to give their regulars at first or in the outfield a breather, and he packs some punch in his left-handed swing. He made $500,000 last year, and the A's got that much value and more from him after acquiring him from Philadelphia.

The Southpaw thinks the odds are much better

Brian Sabean is referenced as saying that he believes there is a 50-50 chance of Jeff Kent returning to the Giants next season, the AP reports. Thankfully, Sabean isn't going to sit on his hands and wait for Kent's decision. Here's his quote:

We're prepared to go forward as needed, and Jeff realizes that. If something jumps on our plate, we will pull the trigger. Everyone knows how we do business, including him. We're proactive.

If Kent does stay put, the Giants would be forced to adjust their payroll. And Sabean is confident in San Francisco's ability to make the necessary moves.

"There are a lot of ways to balance the books and plenty of time to do it,'' said Sabean.

Pitchers could be the first to be dealt since the Giants have many of them.

Repeat of last year?

Will Jeff Kent stay a Giant by default? From the lack of interest by other teams, it's looking more and more like Kent may be suiting up to play in SBC Pac Bell Park next season.

Tim Kurkjian says that Jeff Kent needs to play 2B a few more years if he wants to make it into the Hall of Fame. How about winning a Championship?

Last time I checked, that was the most important thing to do in any sport . . . but I suppose they have been getting more and more indiviudualistic over the years.

Granted, this isn't anything that KENT has said, but I still found it interesting that Kurkjian's analysis had more to do with Kent's HOF chances then his chance of signing long-term on a perrenial contender.

He also had this to say about Kent's free agent options:

The Dodgers (Joe Thurston) and Cubs (Bobby Hill) are planning to play rookies at second base in 2003. The Giants recently signed free agent second baseman Ray Durham for three years. The Phillies have a couple of options at second, and signed Jim Thome for six years to play first base. The Rockies don't have interest. So, where is the big market for Jeff Kent?

Aaron Gleeman has finally gotten around to talking about the Ray Durham signing by the Giants. And aside from the timing, it's a great read:

I am not sure if I am just giving too much credit to center fielders for how hard it is to be a good one or not, but I just can't assume that Durham would be even a decent center fielder.
So, if I were running the Giants and I had both Kent and Durham, I would play Kent at 3B and Durham at 2B.
That way, you are basically just replacing David Bell with Ray Durham, which is absolutely, without a doubt an upgrade and a pretty big one at that.
I am not sure how Kent would handle 3B, but I would rather take a chance with him there than I would with Durham in center field.

A SF lineup with Durham and Kent in it would be pretty damn good. I envision something like this:
1) Durham - 2B
2) Aurilia - SS
3) Superman - LF
4) Kent - 3B
5) Santiago - C
6) Snow - 1B
7) Grissom - CF
8) ??? - RF

Filling the holes

Phil Rogers has an article at ESPN.com that talks about some of the need positions on 11 teams, and the options available. Here's what he had to say about the Giants:

Right field, San Francisco: Creative GM Brian Sabean has already moved aggressively by signing free agents Ray Durham and Marquis Grissom while offering Jeff Kent arbitration. But he's got at least one more major move to make.

If Kent is re-signed, Durham may be moved to center field, which would push Grissom to right field, either in a platoon or as the primary guy. But it is probably more likely that Sabean will trade at least one of his right-handed starters -- Russ Ortiz or Livan Hernandez -- for a center fielder or right fielder. Pittsburgh's Brian Giles, naturally, was on top of Sabean's list. But Seattle's Mike Cameron and Philadelphia's Jeremy Giambi are more likely fits.

More trade tidbits

Jason Stark reports on his most likely to be traded list.My favorite line:

But of all the Expos who could get traded, [Guerrero] would have to rank behind the other 24 big-leaguers, pretty much the entire farm system, Frank Robinson, Youppi! and the franchise's entire inventory of smoked-meat sandwiches.

I shouldn't say, "I told you so", but...

Sean McAdam has an article at ESPN.com that talks about the possibility of Vlad the Impaler being traded, and mentions a few teams that appear to have a legitimate chance to land him.

One of the five teams mentioned: The San Francisco Giants.

Ironically enough, the same players (Kurt Ainsworth & Jerome Williams) are mentioned in a reader e-mail in response to the first column I wrote when I first started this site.

I also had some negative feedback at the idea of the Giants aquiring Vlad . . . but I'll take negative feedback over NO feedback any day. HINT HINT

What really worries/excites me is the potential of the Giants trading for Guerrero and then Kent taking the arbitration route to stay with the Giants for a one-year run at the championship. Think about it, if you're Jeff Kent and you can get a one-year deal worth a WHOLE lot of money, would you take a chance playing on a team with THIS potential line-up?

2B Durham
SS Aurilia
LF Bonds
RF Guerrero
3B Kent
C Santiago
CF Grissom
1B Snow

DAMN that's a scary Starting 8. The funniest thing is that the bottom of the order may have as many RBI attempts as the middle, and the top of the order may not be far behind! This is a lineup that mashes and is FULL of speed.

But again, Kent and Guerrero (as well as Aurilia, Santiago, Livan, & Rueter) would be eligable for Free Agency after 2003 (with the plus side of Ortiz having a team option for 2004, and the dead weight contracts of Marvin Bernard and JT Snow coming off the books), so it may be a one-year run . . . but what a run it would be.

One article to ponder

Jonathan Mayo has Five Trades to Ponder over at MLB.com. I'm a little late with this (as it's dated 12/6), but I thought I'd comment on it anyway.

Trade #1: Erubiel Durazo for Erik Hiljus and Adam Piatt

Before Beane dealt Billy Koch, a trade that would have sent Koch for Durazo and Byung-Hyun Kim was rumored. But it's less likely Beane would turn around and trade Keith Foulke now. The Diamondbacks would get Hiljus, a back-of-the-rotation starter, and Piatt, a right fielder, all for bargain prices.

File this under the "fantasy" trade category...

This one is a little simpler to explain. The Cardinals need starting pitching help, but they don't want to break the bank. So a trade is the way to go. Ditto for the Giants and their need for some outfielders.

Waiting for J.D. Drew to fulfill his potential has become a frustrating sport in St. Louis, mostly because of his injuries. But even though he'll be limited somewhat in the first half coming off surgery (how about a platoon with Reggie Sanders?), he's a young, talented hitter. The Cardinals have more than enough offensive firepower without him and could deal him for a workhorse like.

The money would be about a wash. Ortiz is due $4.4 million in 2003. Drew is arbitration eligible, but after making $3.1 million last year, a jump to an Ortiz level sounds about right. Both sides would get exactly what they need without shelling out extra cash.

At first glance, it might not seem like it would make sense for the Padres to deal Tomko, who was their most consistent starter in 2002.

Assuming they get Jamie Moyer to come back, John Halama once again becomes an extra part. The Rockies, after dealing Mike Hampton and hopefully moving Denny Neagle, will be looking for a more cost-efficient lefty to plug into the rotation.

Fairwell Tour for Pac Bell Park?

With the buyout of Pacifical Bell by SBC (Southwestern Bell Corp.), what is widely regarded as the best baseball stadium in the world may be getting a namechange . . . just not this year.

MLB.com reports that SBC and the Giants have scheduled a meeting to discuss the name-change, which will not likely happen before the 2003 season, meaning that Pac Bell Park will get a fairwell tour before falling under the San Francisco Baseball Stadium Curse (Candlestick became 3Com and is now "The Stadium at Candlestick Point").

With any luck, they'll simply ammend the name with something like SBC Pacific Bell Park, but it may be a much more significant change. If the Giants didn't invest so much of their own money in the stadium, I'd be all for a refund on the remaing money from the $53 million (25-year) naming rights deal (signed in 1996). I mean, if they can afford to pay J.T. Snow $6.85 million next year, couldn't they afford $2.12 million per year (about $36 million total) to own their own stadium name?

Sometimes these naming deals seem a bit rediculous, but I understand that it's part of the business. I'll also be the first to admit that I do not understand all of the details in regards to the building of Pacific Bell Park, and how much of a part of Pac Bell's support had to do with the naming rights. Maybe John over at OBM could shed some more light on this.

Feel free to e-mail me if you know more, otherwise I'll look to John for more details.

Rule 5 Draft Explained

There is a great article over at MLB.com that explains the Rule 5 Draft. I have always had an odd understanding with the Rule 5 Draft, but this has answered a few lingering questions.

Basically, teams that have room on their 40-man rosters can "draft" an unprotected player from another team for a fee ($50,000 at the ML level, and less for minor league levels). The catch is that the player drafted has to be on the 25-man active roster for the ENTIRE SEASON, or else the original team has the chance to bring that player back for half of the fee paid to draft him.

The most interesting part of the article, is the list of teams that already had a FULL 40-MAN ROSTER. These teams will not have a chance to select a player in the ML phase of this year's Rule 5 draft:

Arizona Diamondbacks
Chicago Cubs
Florida Marlins
Minnesota Twins
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
Seattle Mariners
Tampa Bay Devil Rays

(Not so) Useless Info . . . continued

Jason Stark's newest Useless Info column also has some good Junior Griffey info.

For all you Griffey haters out there, how do you like these apples:

For all his troubles, you might be surprised to learn that since Junior Griffey became a Red, he has outhomered all of these people: J.D. Drew, Mike Cameron, Trot Nixon, Reggie Sanders, Juan Gonzalez, Torii Hunter, Brian Jordan and John Olerud. (Griffey has hit 70 these last three years.)

On the other hand, Griffey has fewer homers than 58 different players -- including all of these guys: Carlos Lee, Pudge Rodriguez, Robin Ventura, Derrek Lee, Preston Wilson, Jose Valentin, Tony Batista and his don't-trade-me-there partner, Phil Nevin.

(Not so) Useless Info

Jason Stark has his newest Useless Info column out, in which he explains all the streaks that are coming to an end with Glavine leaving the Atlanta Braves.

Over these last 10 years, Maddux and Glavine rank first and third respectively in wins, first (Glavine) and second (Maddux) in games started, first (Maddux) and second (Glavine) in innings pitched, third (Maddux) and fourth (Glavine) in winning percentage and second (Maddux) and seventh (Glavine) in shutouts.

For the few of you that don't already read OBM

John over at Only Baseball Matters has posted a great column about how Pac Bell hurts lefties, especially J.T. Snow. I've been lobbying for a Snow trade with Kent playing first for some time, and this is definitely evidence for the prosecution.

He also explains that Bonds isn't affected as much because he is good enough to overcome it.

A "Hall of Fame" column (pun intended)

Aaron Gleeman has posted a (very) detailed column about the 2003 Hall of Fame candidates. Check it out.

I'm pulling for Ryne Sandberg. I was born and raised a Giants fan, but having access to pretty much every Cubs game through WGN allowed me to see a lot of him. Growing up, he was my favorite non-Giant along with Tony Gwynn (both of which have a better shot at the HOF then my favorite Giant growing up - Will Clark). I still can't believe that the Phillies didn't think about moving Ryno (ANYWHERE) from 3B before shipping him out. Hell, Ray Durham may play in the OF and he's been in the bigs for years playing 2B . . . why not ask a prospect to switch positions?

And on a personal note, my friend Matt Honeycutt is Rick Honeycutt's nephew, so I'm sure he's pulling for "Uncle Rick".

Slow again today

Not a lot of interesting news right now, but check out the two articles that John over at OBM linked to regarding the next step in the Giants' off-season plans.

But good google positioning

Someone has found this site through google with the search words "Bad Vlad Giants rumors".

Guess who's number 1 on that search list? Yup, the San Jose Sharks website . . . with a dead link.

I'm number 2 (wait, that doesn't sound so good).

The plot thickens

Tom Singer over at MLB.com has an article that lists the Free Agents that were offered arbitration, and has an interesting comment regarding Jeff Kent and the Giants.

...Sabean may be toying with the idea of persuading Kent to take over at third base, which had been his primary position with the 1992 Blue Jays and the 1996 Mets.

More details

This article that I reference earlier has some more interesting finds in it.

It has been rumored that Ray Durham wanted to play 2B (and NOT the OF), and was looking to sign somewhere in which he would be given that opportunity. It turns out that it's not only untrue, but that he's actually VERY OPEN to playing in the OF if that's where his team (now the Giants) needs him.

''I am open to the outfield,'' Durham said. ''That was one of the big questions coming into my free agent year: Will he be willing to go play center field? And my answer was yes. Wherever the team needs me, that's where I'll go. Wherever they need me.''

''In my 14th season, I'm kind of happy to become an everyday starter once again,'' Grissom said. ''I think I'm in the prime of my career, and healthy. My main interest in going to any team was to get out there and play every day. I think I've got a lot left. I'm nowhere near a fourth outfielder on nobody's team.''