Stay, Go, or Call it Quits: 2007-2008 Offseason

[DocTee]

Phils add lefty bat of Bret Favre doppelganger Geoff Jenkins:
2 years, $13 Million

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Nice bat to have around. Could platoon with Werth.

[metirish]

How's his defense?

[DocTee]

Phils also add Chad Durbin: 8-7 4.73 in AL last year.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Phillies have an outstanding Durbin Factor.

[metirish]

] Pitcher Dontrelle Willis has reached an agreement in principle on a three-year, $29 million contract extension with the Detroit Tigers, a source told ESPN.com. Willis The deal includes incentives that could push the total value to more than $30 million, the source said. An announcement was expected after Willis took a physical exam Thursday in Detroit. The Tigers acquired Willis and star third baseman Miguel Cabrera from the Florida Marlins in an eight-player trade at the winter meetings two weeks ago in Nashville. Willis will join a Detroit rotation that also includes Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson and Kenny Rogers. Willis, 25, has a 68-54 record an a 3.78 ERA in parts of five seasons with the Marlins. He went 10-15 with a 5.17 ERA last season. Willis earned a base salary of $6.45 million for the Marlins last year. He would have been eligible for free agency after the 2009 season, but is now locked up through 2010. Jerry Crasnick covers baseball for ESPN.com.

In other news , Jonathan Papelbon's dog ate the WS ball that he threw to Varitek to record the final out of the WS.

It's true, look it up.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Crasnick wrote a book about Dontrelle Willis' agent, I assume he's "the source."

I like the Tigers in the AL.

[DocTee]

Reds sell high (no pun intended), deal Josh Hamilton to Texas:
http://
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3165275

[smg58]

Curious deal. On one hand, Hamilton seems to have turned the corner personally and has huge upside if he stays healthy. On the other hand, after Chris Young and Adrian Gonzalez for Adam Eaton and Akinori Otsuka, you'd think the Rangers would be a bit more reluctant to part with talented young pitchers.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Phillies ink So ("the F What?!?") Taguchi to a 1/year, $1 million deal w/ option.

[Guest Edgy DC]

So Taguchi is such a creature of LaRussa. It's jarring to see them split.

Eckstein also for that matter.

[smg58]

Not sure if it got reported in one of the other threads, but the Mets re-signed Juan Padilla to a minor-league deal. I'm glad he's getting another shot with us.

[metirish]

Keith Law on the Rangers/Reds trade.

] Rangers get best of Hamilton trade There's some risk involved, but there's a very good chance by acquiring Josh Hamilton, the Rangers just picked up a middle-of-the-order bat who's about to enter his prime years in exchange for a hard-throwing young pitcher (Edinson Volquez) with more risks around his future. For the Reds, they cash in some of their outfield surplus to add some pitching depth, but it's surprising to see a club aiming to contend in 2008 take a young arm in return, rather than using that surplus to acquire a starter who can push them toward 85-90 wins now. The Rangers' system is full of pitching prospects, and they have a good number of infield and catching prospects, but they're light in the outfield, with 2007 draftee Julio Borbon probably the best of that group. Hamilton immediately becomes the best center fielder the Rangers have had in a decade -- all apologies to Laynce Nix, Tom Goodwin and Damon Buford -- and has a good chance to be the best hitter in the Rangers' 2008 lineup. Hamilton was a five-tool player coming out of high school, and he's a four-tool player now, with his speed diminished by injuries. He has good bat speed and centers the ball well, shows at least 30-homer power, plus a cannon arm and above-average range in center. In limited time, he showed a patient approach at the plate and a willingness to work deep counts, although that will be tested with a full season of playing time in 2008. The risks with Hamilton are obvious. One is his history of substance abuse, which kept him out of pro ball for almost four full seasons; we know he's been clean for at least 18 months, and you can be sure the Rangers are going to have a support system in place. (If I'm Rangers general manager Jon Daniels, I track down Johnny Narron, who has known Hamilton since the kid was in high school and who was Hamilton's personal coach in Cincinnati, and hire him to fill the same role in Texas.) The bigger concern is Hamilton's history of injuries. He's had at least two operations on each knee, although his knees didn't pose any trouble in 2007. He missed time with an intestinal ailment and then a hamstring pull this season, playing in just 90 games. It's fair to say he's injury-prone, and he's going to face fatigue issues if he stays healthy for a full season at some point. However, these are risks worth taking if you're Texas because of the sheer magnitude of Hamilton's talent. In exchange, the Reds get Volquez, a 24-year-old right-hander with five years in pro ball who still is more a thrower than a pitcher. He has a strong two-pitch combo in his fastball and changeup; his fastball is 91-96 mph and is "heavy," so he breaks a number of bats and it's hard for hitters to drive the ball, but he doesn't generate groundballs. His changeup is his best secondary pitch, always plus and occasionally rating a 65 or 70 on the 20-80 scale, making him more effective against left-handed hitters than right-handed hitters. But Volquez has some significant red flags. His control has never been good, with 150 walks over the last two years in about 330 innings, and his fastball command is fringe-average; despite the heaviness of his heater, he's still been homer-prone in Texas, and heads now to another hitter-friendly park. Volquez still doesn't have an average breaking ball and it seems likely that at this point, he never will, in which case, he's much more likely to end up in the bullpen. If he's going to be a starter long-term, it's hard to envision him as more than a fourth starter because of the lack of a third pitch, although he could be an excellent short reliever with that two-pitch repertoire because he won't have the large platoon split so many short relievers have. The Reds also received Danny Ray Herrera, a slight 5-foot-6 lefty with a low-80s fastball and a curveball right out of the 1940s. He's a quality organizational player, but pitchers with grade-35 fastballs do not pitch in the majors, especially not in a hitter's park like Great American. Even if Hamilton settles in as a 120-game, 500-plate appearance hitter, it will be hard for Volquez to perform well enough to provide more value to the Reds than Hamilton will to the Rangers. Add to that the normal risks associated with pitchers and the fact that Hamilton can contribute right away while Volquez has yet to show he's ready to pitch regularly in the majors and the exchange clearly favors Texas.

[nymr83]

Mark Prior to the Padres.

[Valadius]

Miguel Olivo signs with the Royals:

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-royals-moves&prov=ap&type=lgns

[metirish]

] Swisher sent packing to White Sox for three prospects OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- The Oakland Athletics made their second major trade in three weeks, sending outfielder and fan favorite Nick Swisher to the Chicago White Sox for three minor leaguers on Thursday. The A's -- who dealt ace Dan Haren to Arizona on Dec. 14 -- received left-hander Gio Gonzalez, right-hander Fautino De Los Santos and outfielder Ryan Sweeney. Oakland general manager Billy Beane acknowledged last month that the A's are rebuilding and said he expects the club to take its lumps next season after the team missed the playoffs in 2007. The A's reached the AL championship series in 2006, but Oakland (76-86) had its streak of winning seasons end at eight and went 9-17 in September. The 27-year-old Swisher, a switch-hitter and a favorite in the clubhouse because of his high-energy, playful nature, had been one of few constants for Oakland in recent seasons -- playing in the outfield and at first base while the team dealt with injuries at most every position. He batted .262 with 22 homers and 78 RBIs in 150 games in 2007, his third full big league season. He also drew 100 walks, ranking him sixth in the AL, for a career-best .381 on-base percentage. His 80 home runs were a franchise record by a switch-hitter, and Swisher also recorded career highs for batting average, walks and doubles (36). Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

wOw

[smg58]

That's a lot for a corner outfielder with an .830 OPS.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I hear De Los Santos is a big time prospect. Gonzalez I think was involved in the original Rowand trade with Philly (?)

I kinda like though that the White Sox are going for it, along with the seriously, I just used a racist word when I really meant "Guardians" and Tigers in the AL Central, and even the Royals are getting better. Maybe this puts more pressure on the Twins to throw in the towel and go for a rebuild.

[Guest AG/DC]

If the Sox want to go for it, they might want to close the curtain on the Ozzie Guillen era.

[Frayed Knot]

De Los Santos has the best upside of anyone in that trio, although is still at least a year away.

BP's analysis had him a the ChiSox top prospect;
a RHP who'll turn 22 next month he split last year between low A and high A;
features a 91-95 MPH fastball, power curve, improviong change-up, etc, with the usual caveat that he's young and overthrows at times and needs to pitch and not just throw, yadda, yadda.
Can become a frontline starter if his change comes around or maybe evolves into a closer if not.

Gio Gonzalez (LHP) is also just 22 and is coming off a decent year at AA


John Sickels gives both De Los Santos and Gonzalez 'B+' grades - which are very high praise from him.
Sweeny = 'C+' which is still above average although he worries about his power
Bottom line: he thinks that the ChiSox took a mediocre system and "gutted it" for Swisher

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

AG/DC wrote: If the Sox want to go for it, they might want to close the curtain on the Ozzie Guillen era.

Yeah but that's not my point. The point is, I like it when I see 2 or more teams from some division I don;t care much about all stacking up at once. aIt's competyition!

I don't particularly care whether the Chisox succeed or not -- they're going for it next year.

[Guest AG/DC]

In that sense, then, keep Ozzie, as he makes for good storylines. I'm just glad he's not managing my team.

You hear that Willie? That's implicit praise. Maybe the only kind you're going to get this offseason.

[metirish]

I wouldn't mind snapping up Kenny Williams if he became available.

[Frayed Knot]

="metirish"]I wouldn't mind snapping up Kenny Williams if he became available.

After this deal ChiSox fans may want you to snap him up.
KW just gave up 3 of his top 5 prospects for a good, though not great, OFer.

[metirish]

Know what I saying"

] Reliever Duaner Sanchez, sidelined by a shoulder injury since a July 2006 taxi accident, agreed Monday to an $850,000, one-year contract with the Mets. Sanchez, who earned the same amount last year, was the primary setup man for closer Billy Wagner before separating his right shoulder in the cab accident. He had surgery, then went to spring training and was disciplined for repeated tardiness. In his first bullpen session in eight months, he felt a pop on March 22 and made just 11 pitches. He had surgery four days later to repair a broken bone. New York also agreed to minor league contracts with right-handers Juan Padilla, Joselo Diaz and Andy Cavazos; left-hander Ryan Cullen; infielders Anderson Machado and Fernando Tatis; and catchers Robinson Cancel and Salomon Manriquez.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Salomon Manriquez -- slugged 500+ last season for AA Frisco (Rangers) -- 16 HR in 276 PAs. He's originally a Expos prospect.

[metirish]

Salomon Manriquez sounds like a holiday destination.

[Benjamin Grimm]

How did the Mets manage to be able to sign him? Was he DFA'ed or out of options?

[Guest AG/DC]

He was a minor-league free agent.

Not the best name among Texas' minor league free agents, though. The best one is Luther Hackman.