Rico Brogna, Good Fit (and other ex-Met updates)

[Guest MFS62]

Can't be. everyone knows kickers don't have any athletic skills. :)

Later

[Guest TheOldMole]

Bad fit: Stanton about to be released by Yanks.

[Guest seawolf17]

Hey! I know someone who can be a spare outfielder for us!

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Roger Cedeno, designated for assignment last week, was placed on release waivers by the Cardinals Wednesday.

Just kidding. Maybe if we bring back Rickey and Roger...

[Guest Elster88]

TheOldMole wrote: Stanton about to be released by Yanks.

Careful who's name you invoke. CookieMom's soap tastes awful, I can tell you.

[Guest MFS62]

O one-liner in this morning's NY Daily News reports that Grant Roberts signs with the Yanks' Trenton team of the Eastern League.

Later

[Guest metirish]

J Phillips hit a 3 run homer last night, LA won 9/5

[Guest MFS62]

Jay Payton DFA'd by the Bosox.
He says he wants to start, but if he clears waivers, the team thatpicks him up only has to pay the prorated major league minimum for the rest of the season and the Sawks pick up the rest of his $3.5 million contract.
Dare we?
Isn't he better than G. Williams?

Thoughts?

Later

[Guest Elster88]

I'm down, then I could wear my Payton jersey back to Shea again with his old number. But I do that anyway.

[Guest seawolf17]

Bleh. Loved Payton as a prospect back in the day, but he's past his usefulness now. I don't know that he gives us anything we don't already have.

[Guest MFS62]

seawolf17 wrote: I don't know that he gives us anything we don't already have.

A backup outfielder under the age of 50?

Later

[Guest Rotblatt]

He's better than Williams but he was released because he wants to start. I bet he'll sign with a CFer-less team who will start him . . .

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Speculation on SoSH and elsewhere is that a trade has been worked out, and Payton goes to Oakland for relief pitching. If Payton wants to start, as he's said, maybe this means Oakland trades Kotsay to the MFY as threatened.

Then again, the Bosox may be risking helping the MFYs too much here.

[Guest MFS62]

Johnny, that sounds logical.
But when did logic ever come into play when both the Yankees and Red Sox are involved? Usually, they're trying to put one over on each other like an episode of Spy VS Spy.

Later

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Payton's new place will be Oakland

As the result of a confrontation with manager Terry Francona, the Red Sox have designated outfielder Jay Payton for assignment and will trade him to the A's for reliever Chad Bradford.

01:00 AM EDT on Friday, July 8, 2005

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

BALTIMORE -- After a late-inning dugout confrontation with manager Terry Francona Wednesday night forced their hand, the Red Sox designated outfielder Jay Payton for assignment yesterday and have a deal in place to send him to the Oakland A's for reliever Chad Bradford.

Because Bradford, who underwent back surgery in the spring, is currently on the disabled list, the trade can't be announced until the All-Star break, when the veteran reliever, currently on a rehab assignment, is activated.

According to multiple industry sources, the Sox had the deal in place and were waiting for Bradford to be activated. But Payton's actions Wednesday night at Texas' Ameriquest Field hastened his departure.

Payton's unhappiness has been well documented ever since he went public with his desire to be traded last month, and the Sox have been attempting to meet his request. When Payton verbally jousted with Francona Wednesday night, his fate was sealed.

Payton and John Olerud were inserted as defensive replacements in the bottom of the seventh, with Payton taking over for Johnny Damon in center and Olerud replacing Kevin Millar at first. But when Payton learned that he would hit sixth -- in Millar's spot -- and Olerud would hit leadoff -- in Damon's spot -- he erupted, several sources said, claiming that this signified a lack of confidence in his ability as a hitter.

In reality, Francona wanted to avoid having the left-handed-hitting Olerud bat immediately after another lefty, Trot Nixon, the fifth hitter. Such an alignment would have made it easier for Rangers manager Buck Showalter to bring in a lefty reliever to face consecutive hitters.

A miffed Payton angrily shouted: "That's it -- I'm out of here."

Indeed, he was. Immediately after the game, Payton was told he was being designated for assignment, and instead of flying on the team charter to Baltimore, was told to return to Boston yesterday morning and await word on his fate.

Francona would not confirm or deny the Wednesday night incident other than to say yesterday: "Jay was having a very difficult time handling his (backup) role. He was a pretty good player when he played, but it was a challenge for him to (fill) that role. At times, it was very frustrating for him and hard for him to hide that frustration . . . It was time to move on."

One Red Sox player said yesterday that Payton's constant carping about insufficient playing time had gotten much worse in the last week and had angered many of his teammates.

Payton was obtained from San Diego along with Ramon Vazquez -- ironically, also dealt by the Sox yesterday in a separate transaction -- for ALCS hero Dave Roberts. Payton appeared in 55 games for the Sox, hitting .263 with five homers and 21 RBI.

Bradford, 32, made a rehab appearance Tuesday night for Class A Stockton, having spent time on the 60-day DL. The submarining right-hander, who has spent parts of seven seasons in the major leagues, enjoyed his best year in 2003, when he went 7-4 in 72 games for the A's, compiling a 3.04 E.R.A.

Last season, he pitched in 68 games, going 5-6 with 4.42 E.R.A. His sinking fastball generates lots of ground balls, and the Sox believe he can help them in the sixth and seventh innings.

Payton is in the final year of a deal that pays him $2.75 million. It's believed the Sox will send some of the $2.6 million they received from San Diego last December to Oakland to help facilitate the trade.

With Payton gone and no backup outfielder on the roster, the Red Sox yesterday summoned Rule V selection Adam Stern from Pawtucket. Stern, who missed most of spring training because of a broken thumb and then missed additional time with a pulled hamstring, started in place of Damon in center field last night.

Stern, who was staying in a Pawtucket hotel while on his injury rehab assignment with the PawSox, had his cell phone turned off as team manager Ron Johnson frantically tried to reach him yesterday morning to tell him of his promotion. Eventually, the club had a hotel employee go to his room and knock on his door.

"I packed up real quick," said Stern.

He was surprised to find that he would be in the lineup immediately, a situation made necessary by Damon's aching right shoulder.

"It caught me off guard a little bit," said Stern. "It will be nice to play in a game (right away). I'll just get (his major-league debut) out of the way and not think too much about it."

As a Rule V pick, Stern must stay on the major-league roster all season. If not, he would then be placed on waivers and offered back to the Atlanta Braves, from whom the Sox drafted him last December.

"All I can do is play," he said. "Someone else makes those decisions."

Francona said Stern "definitely throws very well. He has a strong arm and knows how to throw. He can play all three outfield positions and he's very good defensively. The adjustment to major-league pitching is always a question mark.

"This will be a test for him, but I think he can help us win games because of his glove and his baserunning."

[Guest seawolf17]

I love Chad Bradford. Great trade for the Sox. (Interesting that Beane gave him up, considering he's a big star in Moneyball.)

[Guest Elster88]

Those draft/trade/assignment rules are confusing.

[Guest Edgy DC]

PAYTON!
PAY - TON!
They paid
	you
		a
			ton
To sit
	on
		your
			bun
You bitched.
	Now
		you'll
miss
	all
		the
Fun!

[Guest soupcan]

I don't recall Payton being anything other than a good soilder his whole career.

Finally he hooks up with a good, winning team, produces when he gets to play, seemingly is an important contributor.

If he has a good year he probably cashes in at the end - Ah-ha, that's prolly what it was - Jay wants more pt which could translate into a better contract for him in the off-season.

Sly devil that Satan.

[Guest cooby]

As fond as I was of Payton as a Met, I am always newly surprised when I see him playing for Boston. I just can't get it through my head.

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

Bradford is in the process of rehabbing from an arm injury. I'm guessing that Beane isn't counting on him to be effective for a while.

[Guest Rotblatt]

If Stern adjusts to major league hitting and Bradford can get healthy enough to duplicate his 04 stats, this is a pretty good trade, but that's a whole lot of ifs . . .

Someone's going to need to spell Damon in CF, and if I'm Francona, I'd much rather have Payton doing it than Stern, but maybe Stern will adjust well. He seems like he could be a decent role player . . .

On a related note, their lineup last night sucked. No Tek, Manny, Damon or Renteria. It's like they wanted to spot Baltimore a game or something.

[Guest seawolf17]

I didn't realize Bradford was hurt. That would 'splain it.

[Guest duan]

is making his fox debut, at the game between the cards & giants

[Guest MFS62]

DC area folks,
I just heard from a friend in the DC area thatthe O's have signed (or are about to sign) Mike Stanton.
Have you heard anything about that yet?

Later

[Guest PatchyFogg]

Stanton exercised his no-trade clause when he was with both the Mets and Yanks because he didn't want to leave his Westchester home. I guess he's going to be taking the Shuttle a lot.

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

[url=http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8565364/]Reject Yankee Scum Lands In DC[/url]

It's not hard to confirm these things - all you have to do is a Google news search with the guy's name.

[Guest MFS62]

I rushed over here in a spate of breathless enthusiasm as soon as I heard the news. Didn't have time for a Google experience.

Later

[Guest sharpie]

Al Leiter DFA'd by the Marlins. This might be it for Al.

[Guest Edgy DC]

WOWBOBWOW!

Omar looking smart.

Will the Yankees bite? A lot of ex-Met pitchers floating around in the ether right now, waiting for a call from a desperate team.

[Guest sharpie]

Good point, 'specially with Wang, Pavano and Wright on the DL.