NL East winter moves 2011-12

[Frayed Knot]

Obviously this thread is intended for non-NYM changes as I would hope anything the home team does is important enough to warrant its own thread.


Anyway, to kick things off we have ...

Derek Lowe from Atlanta to the Indians for a minor lg pitcher
Braves are reportedly paying about $10 of the $15 mil owed him for 2012 and getting back 23 y/o LH reliever Chris Jones last seen toiling in high-A ball in the Cleveland system.

IOW, this is mostly a salary dump as Atlanta has enough younger/better/cheaper alternatives around while the Indians get a veteran pitcher for next year at about $5mil plus the cost of what looks like a minor cog.

[Frayed Knot]

- CM Wang re-ups with the Nat'ls
After paying him for a year and a half to sit on the DL, he finally started pitching around mid-season (debuting v the Mets). He started slowly but was doing OK by the end of the year.

- and Jim Thome is all set to become a re-Phillie
Seems odd that a guy who'll rarely if ever see the field signs on with an NL team but, hey, it's working for Giambi who just had his option picked up with the Rox

[smg58]

I'm guessing Thome wants a shot at a ring. Giambi must like the school system.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Thome would, I assume, see a lot of time at first base until Ryan Howard is ready.

[Edgy MD]

Ryan Howard stole the job from Thome when he was hurt back in 2005. Now he gets to try to return the favor.

It's like Charles Manson stealing "Helter Skelter" from the Beatles.

[Gwreck]

Yeah, but it was Bono who stole it back, not the Beatles.

[Edgy MD]

You think Thome is going to pull this off without Bono? Fat chance.

[smg58]

In other news, the Phillies just signed Bono.

[Ceetar]

Apparently the Phillies kept Madsen to the tune of 4/44 with a 5th year option.

[metirish]

Ceetar wrote: Apparently the Phillies kept Madsen to the tune of 4/44 with a 5th year option.

Sounds just like the type of bad investment Bono would make.

[Ceetar]

metirish wrote: Ceetar wrote: Apparently the Phillies kept Madsen to the tune of 4/44 with a 5th year option. Sounds just like the type of bad investment Bono would make.

I mean, the Phillies were going to just give Howard another extension, but since he got hurt they figured they'd wait until next year.

[ashie62]

metirish wrote: Ceetar wrote: Apparently the Phillies kept Madsen to the tune of 4/44 with a 5th year option. Sounds just like the type of bad investment Bono would make.

Or the Edge-y

[Edgy MD]

Sources have Papelbon signing with Phillie, pending the physical.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Boy are they headed for disaster.

[metirish]

Follow up

"@JSalisburyCSN: Sources say Papelbon deal is four years and approaches $50 million, pending physical #phillies"

[seawolf17]

That's almost $100 million on two relievers, plus they have Howard locked up for a bajillion dollars. Is the Philadelphia Mint a minority owner?

[TransMonk]

I thought the Madsen deal was a non-deal?

[HahnSolo]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ti-brown_hardball_scott_boras_madson_phillies_111011

According to this, and I'm not sure who you want to believe, the Madson thing was never official.

[Edgy MD]

Ryan's mad, son.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I'd look inro a pissed-off Madson if I'm the Mets.

Tracky suggests Nathan, Broxton and Lidge to be candidates in the Isringhausen vein.

[bmfc1]

Papelbon to the MFPs.

Resign Omir!

[smg58]

I'm curious to know whether the Madson deal was as close as it was reported to be a couple of days ago. I can't imagine Madson's agent would have paused if 4 and 44 were on the table.

When the Phillies fall, they will fall hard. And it won't happen later than 2013.

Not sure if it's been reported elsewhere, but Pridie and Evans have been taken off the 40 and both are minor-league free agents.

[smg58]

The Phillies get Ty Wigginton from the Rockies for a six-pack of Coors Light and a bag of pretzels to be named later. It's bad enough to be sent off along with half your salary and not knowing who, if even anybody, is going the other way, but to the Phillies? Poor Ty.

[Ceetar]

smg58 wrote: The Phillies get Ty Wigginton from the Rockies for a six-pack of Coors Light and a bag of pretzels to be named later. It's bad enough to be sent off along with half your salary and not knowing who, if even anybody, is going the other way, but to the Phillies? Poor Ty.

He'll see playing time. Howard's out to start and 2B/3B are injury/aging guys.

[Edgy MD]

Last I heard, they don't have a shortstop.

Yikes.

[Ceetar]

Edgy DC wrote: Last I heard, they don't have a shortstop. Yikes.

haha, Wiggy at Short?

Tejada for Worley?

[ashie62]

Edgy DC wrote: Last I heard, they don't have a shortstop. Yikes.

Neither do the Mets

[Frayed Knot]

Harper in the NYDN had the Braves talking trade with the Yanx - dangling the likes of IF Eduardo Nunez and maybe Swisher for the very talented but oft-injured and now arb-eligible Jair Jurrgens.
Nunez can hit a bit and is only 24 but was an error machine at both SS & 3B filling in for the two old men in the Bronx this past summer. Braves seem to think he'll get more consistent with steady playing time but if I'm Cashen none of those types being mentioned keeps me from pulling the trigger on that deal. Jurrgens is still just 25 (26 by opening day).

[Ceetar]

Frayed Knot wrote: Harper in the NYDN had the Braves talking trade with the Yanx - dangling the likes of IF Eduardo Nunez and maybe Swisher for the very talented but oft-injured and now arb-eligible Jair Jurrgens. Nunez can hit a bit and is only 24 but was an error machine at both SS & 3B filling in for the two old men in the Bronx this past summer. Braves seem to think he'll get more consistent with steady playing time but if I'm Cashen none of those types being mentioned keeps me from pulling the trigger on that deal. Jurrgens is still just 25 (26 by opening day).

yeah, the Braves better get more than backup infielder if they do that. Maybe if it happens Jurrgens can be next years Vazquez.

[Frayed Knot]

I think the idea is that the Braves see Nunez as a starting SS, one with similar pop to the soon-to-be-departed Alex Gonzalez but a decade younger and hopefully with the ability to top AG's sub-.300 OBA
I'd want something better than that back for Jurrgens too but these are just rumors and, even if accurate, he'd most likely be a piece of the deal rather than the whole thing.
Atlanta needs offense.