metirish

Vernon Wells , he should kiss his agent nightly 2012 33 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim $21,000,000 Player may opt out after 2011 season 2013 34 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim $21,000,000 Player may opt out after 2011 season 2014 35 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim $21,000,000 Player may opt out after 2011 season I'm guessing he won't be opting out.

Ceetar wrote: it boils down to one thing for me. I don't believe that the guy should be banned from playing baseball for something that it wasn't, and can't be, proven he did. . what? While in the Rangers organization Lueke was arrested following a May 2008 incident and charged with having committed rape and non-consensual sodomy. During the investigation Lueke lied to the police by denying he had sexual contact with the victim (an assertion proven false by DNA testing), and he pled no contest to lesser charges of false imprisonment with violence and was sentenced to 42 days in jail, time served prior to making bail.[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Lueke

"swing and a Misch, swing and a Misch", that is all.

Edgy DC wrote: Finn not a fan , geez http://www.boston.com/sports/touching_all_the_bases/2011/11/five_thoughts_on_bobby_valenti.html That's some awful work organized kind of awfully. yes, it's awful Is Bobby V. the right choice? 2. If he manages a team or two that ends its season with a collage of champagne celebrations and duck boat rides, the answer will have to be in the affirmative a few lines later Again: Is he the right choice? I doubt even Lucchino and Cherington are certain of that now, particularly the latter, who knew what he was getting into when he accepted the Red Sox' GM job but probably didn't expect to be overruled publicly on his first major decision. Jesus, I suppose if he wins he's the right choice.

money not spent on the team is not going to the Wilpons I've looked at that several times and well how can you be sure either way?, any money not spent on players could go to other Wilpon ventures, trust funds, pension funds etc.?

Finn not a fan , geez http://www.boston.com/sports/touching_all_the_bases/2011/11/five_thoughts_on_bobby_valenti.html

Edgy DC wrote: How could Chass have so much juice? He's writing a blog on a personal website, for cripe's sake. I bet his blog got a big jump in hits the last week though.

WOW, the comments coming form the fans up there is mind boggling, a lot are fixated on the Chass column and the stupid "how many days in first place", others are convinced that Valentine is nothing more than a bridge to Madden or Farrell. It would seem that the trend is negative on V.

Some good stuff in here NL East: Three fixes for each team By David Schoenfield Sure, every team would love to plug its shortstop hole with Jose Reyes or Jimmy Rollins. Albert Pujols would look terrific in any uniform. Have a spare $40 million sitting around? Sure, Ryan Madson is an underrated closer. But let's be realistic here: Those can't be solutions for every team. So let's identify three key areas of importance for each team and determine a more likely action plan as the offseason wheeling and dealing starts to heat up. We'll start with the National League East. (Check back all week for the other divisions.) Philadelphia Phillies 1. Shortstop: Empty (Jimmy Rollins, free agent) Rollins just turned 33, but the Phillies would like to bring him back -- on a four-year contract, while Rollins is reportedly looking for a five-year deal that would take him through his age-37 season. While Rollins isn�t the hitter he was in his 2007 MVP season, Phillies shortstops still ranked ninth in the majors in OPS, tied for second in runs scored and tied for sixth in RBIs. Rollins is the obvious candidate here, but if it takes five years, why not go after the younger Jose Reyes? Likely solution: Rollins. The big question: Was his 2011 season a fluke, or will he regress back to his subpar numbers of 2009 and 2010 (.248 average, .306 OBP)? It�s also worth mentioning that Rollins hasn�t been a good postseason player. He has a career .686 OPS in 46 postseason games, and he�s homerless in his past 140 postseason at-bats. 2. Left field: Empty (Raul Ibanez, free agent) Stats you may not believe: Despite Ibanez�s .298 on-base percentage, Phillies left fielders ranked 16th in the majors in OPS and tied for fourth with 95 RBIs. Remember when left fielders owned big bats? Those days are gone. Still, considering Ibanez�s lack of defensive value, it should be easy for the Phillies to upgrade the overall production with Domonic Brown and John Mayberry Jr. Oddly, the Phillies offered Ibanez arbitration, meaning they�re risking Ibanez accepting and earning a likely payout of $12-14 million. (As Buster Olney writes, there could be a gentleman�s agreement between the two sides to not accept the offer, although Ibanez must know he won�t get anything close to that on the open market.) Likely solution: Brown/Mayberry Jr. platoon. It�s time to give Brown 450 at-bats to see what he can do. Mayberry can play against lefties (and also fill in at first base until Ryan Howard returns). Even if Ibanez DOES return, the Phillies should stick with the youngsters. 3. Third base: 22nd in majors with .665 OPS Here�s incumbent third baseman Placido Polanco's year-by-year WAR (wins above replacement) since 2007, via Baseball-Reference: 5.0, 3.7, 2.5, 2.0, 1.8. He still carries an excellent glove, but this is a player in decline. Factor in that he�s missed 70 games the past two seasons and he�s an even bigger question mark. Likely solution: Polanco will return, but the Phillies would be wise to have a solid alternative. Unfortunately, recent acquisition Ty Wigginton is not the answer, as he's been a below-average hitter each of the past three seasons, despite having a little pop. As the Phillies are learning with Polanco, and will learn with Howard, giving long-term contracts to guys past 30 can be a very risky proposition. Atlanta Braves 1. Shortstop: Empty (Alex Gonzalez, free agent) The Braves didn�t even offer arbitration to Gonzalez, a solid fielder with a little pop, but also the owner of an abysmal .270 OBP. Atlanta has a couple of good shortstop prospects in Andrelton Simmons (.311 in Class A) and Tyler Pastornicky (who hit .314 between Double-A and Triple-A). They may believe Pastornicky is ready to handle the job or maybe they�ll enter the Rollins/Reyes sweepstakes. Likely solution: Considering the state of shortstops, the Braves' best option could be to dangle one of their talented young starting pitchers in a trade. But good luck finding a team with an extra shortstop -- maybe Boston�s Jed Lowrie, with the Red Sox looking for a rotation arm. Short of that, maybe the Braves bring Rafael Furcal back to Atlanta. 2. Left field: Upgrade Martin Prado One hot rumor was the Braves trading Prado for Delmon Young, a �big� right-handed bat the Braves need. Here�s the problem with that rumor: Young isn�t a big bat. Prado had a .687 OPS in 2011 while battling a staph infection, but Young�s OPS was just .695. Over the past three years, Prado�s OPS is .771, Young�s .758. And Young is a lousy left fielder. Anyway, that rumor was quickly shot down for those obvious reasons, but it does point to the larger issue of trying to upgrade left field: If Young is considered a big bat, maybe you�re better off sticking with Prado and hoping for a bounce-back season. Likely solution: Prado. Why not see if he hits better; if not, you can always seek an in-season fix. Or what about a trade for Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier? The Braves could keep Prado as Chipper Jones insurance, and trade a young pitcher for Ethier, who the Dodgers may not want to pay after inking Matt Kemp to a $160 million deal. 3. Right field: More production from Jason Heyward In reality, the best hope for more offense for the Braves rests in improvement from Heyward and sophomore first baseman Freddie Freeman. With Heyward hitting just .227/.319/.389, Braves right fielders ranked just 26th in the majors in OPS, 29th in runs and 27th in RBIs. Likely solution: Heyward is just 22. I think he's going to have a big season. Washington Nationals 1. Rotation: Find a power starter Washington�s rotation actually posted a respectable 3.80 ERA, seventh in the NL, but did so despite averaging just 5.67 K�s per nine innings, 15th in the NL. That's a difficult equation to maintain. With Jordan Zimmermann the only good bet to repeat his 2011 production, the Nats shouldn�t simply rely on a healthy Stephen Strasburg to bolster the rotation. Likely solution: C.J. Wilson. While some expect the Nats to bid for Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols, why not spend around half the money and go after Wilson? He�s not a classic power pitcher in the sense of fastball velocity but he�s racked up 376 strikeouts the past two years. His adjusted ERA over the past two seasons is seventh best among all starters. If you can pitch in Texas, you could dominate in the NL. And with Strasburg around, he won�t have to shoulder the pressure of staff ace. 2. Center field: Vacant (Rick Ankiel, free agent) Nationals center fielders posted a .691 OPS, 23rd in baseball. They�ve reportedly inquired about one of the Twins� glove wizards, Denard Span or Ben Revere. But rather than trade away a good prospect for a marginal player like Span or Revere (neither would offer much with the bat), why not play Jayson Werth there? He�d be an adequate defensive center fielder, at least for a couple of years, and clear room for Bryce Harper in right field, who may be ready by the All-Star break. The Nats will also have to find room in a year or so for 2011 top pick Anthony Rendon, a third baseman in college who will have to move positions with Ryan Zimmerman around. Rendon could end up in left field. Likely solution: Move Werth to center, sign a short-term corner outfielder like Josh Willingham, Jason Kubel or Cody Ross (Michael Morse could also play left if Adam LaRoche returns healthy, but is best suited for first base). 3. Manager: Is Davey Johnson the long-term answer? Considering he�ll be 69 in January and hadn�t managed in the majors since 2000, Johnson was an interesting choice to replace Jim Riggleman. Following an 80-win season and with a slew of talented prospects close to the majors -- Harper, Rendon, pitcher Brad Peacock, catcher Derek Norris -- this is a team on the verge of becoming a playoff contender. Maybe not in 2011, but soon. Johnson built a young team in the Mets, but also had veterans Gary Carter and Keith Hernandez as clubhouse leaders. He won in Baltimore, but with a veteran team. Is he the right guy to trust the youngsters as they gain big league experience? I believe he is. New York Mets 1. Shortstop: If not Reyes, who? Likely solution: Sign Reyes, or give the job to Ruben Tejada. He�s never going to hit with any power, but he posted a .360 OBP last season at age 21 (in 376 plate appearances). How rare is that? Since 1980, only three other middle infielders had at least 300 plate appearances at age 21 and posted an OBP of at least .350 -- Alex Rodriguez, Delino DeShields and Jerry Browne. If Tejada can handle short, maybe the Mets are better off spending their money elsewhere. 2. Bullpen: Who closes? Only the Cubs, Rockies and Astros had a worse bullpen ERA than the Mets in 2011, and none of them had the luxury of pitching their home games in Citi Field. While the Mets could certainly use an ace for the rotation (only the most hopeful will believe in Johan Santana's comeback), building a bullpen can be cheap and easy. Likely solution: Ryan Madson? No, he�s too expensive. If the Mets don�t trust a guy like Bobby Parnell, how about a second-tier closer like Frank Francisco, who would cost about $30 million less than Madson? I�d also consider adding a second reliever like righty killer Octavio Dotel or veteran Takashi Saito. Hopefully the Mets learned their lesson with Francisco Rodriguez: Bullpen depth is more important than an overrated $15 million closer. 3. Power in the outfield With Carlos Beltran gone, Jason Bay a shell and Angel Pagan apparently returning to play center, the Mets may be struggling to get power from the outfield. Solution: Move in the fences! (Wait, this will help the other team as well?) OK: Don't discount Lucas Duda, who presumably moves into a regular spot in right field, with the return of Ike Davis to first. Duda hit an impressive .292/.370/.482. His park-adjusted OPS was higher than Troy Tulowitzki, Howard, Shane Victorino or Carlos Gonzalez. Miami Marlins 1. Third base: Empty Since the Marlins traded Miguel Cabrera to the Tigers, they�ve had four different regular third basemen in four seasons. In 2011, Marlins third basemen ranked 23rd in the majors in OPS and only the Mariners received fewer home runs and RBIs. Certainly, signing Jose Reyes to play shortstop and moving Hanley Ramirez to the hot corner makes perfect sense, especially since Reyes would be a defensive upgrade and maybe moving Ramirez would get his bat back to his 2007-2009 level. Prospect Matt Dominguez, who received a September cameo, carries a superb glove but questionable stick (.258/.312/.431 in Triple-A). He�s still just 22, though. Likely solution: In a year with so few top free agents, the odds are slim the Marlins will be the top bidder for Reyes, new ballpark or not. It�s a nice smoke screen in an attempt to sell a few season tickets. The most realistic option is to give the job to Dominguez, or if management feels that he needs another year in Triple-A, go the stopgap approach and sign a guy like Wilson Betemit. If the Marlins are determined to spend money, they could go after Aramis Ramirez, although a Ramirez-Ramirez left side of the infield is a little scary defensively. (The other option would be to slide Emilio Bonifacio back to third base, but that would mean more Chris Coghlan in center field, and nobody wants that.) 2. Find a quality starter For all the talk about Reyes and Albert Pujols, the Marlins have some problems in the rotation. Their 4.23 ERA ranked 12th in the NL, and that�s despite a pretty good home park to pitch in. Javier Vazquez, who rebounded with a strong second half (2.15), is also a free agent, leaving a current rotation of Josh Johnson, Anibal Sanchez and the eternally disappointing Ricky Nolasco and Chris Volstad. Brad Hand, who turns 22 in March, is in the mix, but his minor league track record is mixed, and more seasoning in Triple-A to improve his command appears necessary. Likely solution: Re-sign Vazquez and go after a high-risk, lower-cost starter like Erik Bedard. Look, Volstad has made 102 starts in the majors; while he�s still young, it�s time to maybe face the fact he just isn�t that good. He doesn�t miss bats and for a guy who is supposed to be a ground ball pitcher, he gives up way too many home runs (23 in just 165.2 innings). Mark Buehrle would be a nice addition, but Bedard is the more realistic signing. If Johnson returns healthy and Bedard comes up big, the Marlins could suddenly have a strong rotation. 3. Be realistic about appraising your players Volstad isn�t that good. Coghlan hasn�t hit in two years. Gaby Sanchez is OK, but hardly a star -- 20 teams had a better slugging percentage from their first basemen than Sanchez�s .427 mark. (And at 28, he�s unlikely to get better.) Logan Morrison is better suited to first base, not left field, where he's a big defensive liability. Likely solution: Yes, a lineup of Reyes, Bonifacio, Ramirez, Pujols, Mike Stanton, Morrison, John Buck and Omar Infante and would look pretty impressive ... even adding a guy like Aramis Ramirez would plug a hole in the middle of the lineup. Despite their 72-90 record, I don�t think the Marlins are that far away, but I have doubts they�ll be able to lure any of the big free agents. But at least the pitches to guys like Pujols and Reyes indicates the Marlins may be aware that Sanchez isn't a star or that Ramirez's days at shortstop may be numbered. Those are good signs.

Snyder is a Free Agent according to BR, dude made over $6 million last season http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/snydech02.shtml

I'd be surprised if they didn't bring in a vet, I like Shoppach but he made $3 million last season, doubt the Mets will bring in a guy making that to mentor.

Dan Shaughnessy in the Globe says it's got to be V, which will further rile the faithful. Valentine is the right Sox fit By Dan Shaughnessy Globe Columnist / November 22, 2011 E-mail|Print|Reprints|Comments (153) Text size � + He is married to the daughter of Ralph Branca, who threw the gopher ball to Bobby Thomson at the Polo Grounds in 1951. His first roommate in professional baseball was Bill Buckner, when the two were drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1968. He managed the Texas Rangers, who were once managed by Ted Williams. He also managed the New York Mets, who inflicted immeasurable pain to our region in 1986. Is there any doubt that Bobby Valentine is destined to be the next manager of the Boston Red Sox? No. There can be no doubt. This is a man directly connected to the two most infamous moments in baseball�s 20th century. And that is only one of the reasons that he is the perfect fit to be the 45th manager in the storied history of the Boston Red Sox. The Sox trotted out Bobby V at 5:30 yesterday afternoon for one of those goofy media auditions (be mindful that it infuriates the Patriots when the Sox grab attention on any NFL game day). Following in the footsteps of the immortal Pete Mackanin, Dale Sveum, Sandy Alomar Jr., Torey Lovullo, and Gene Lamont, Valentine met with the once-carnivorous Boston press corps after spending the day answering questions for the deep thinkers in the Sox baseball operations department. It appears that Bobby V passed the audition with baseball ops. He certainly pleased the media. The only question that remains is . . . How did Valentine do with the soccer-lovin�, NASCAR-obsessed, sports-radio-listenin�, low-talkin�, absentee owner of the Red Sox? Hope Bobby V didn�t go all Sveum and spit tobacco juice into a Styrofoam cup during lunch. Valentine has to get the job. There�s still a possibility the Sox could trade for John Farrell. Lamont is coming to town today for a second interview, and Lovullo is technically still in the mix. Sox general manager Ben Cherington has backed off his Thanksgiving deadline and it�s likely the Sox will name their new manager early next week, comfortably in advance of the annual baseball meetings. But it�s got to be Valentine. Like Larry Lucchino, Bobby V knows he is the smartest guy in the room. He has managed more than 2,000 big league games, taken a team to the World Series, and been named manager of the year. He was an absolute god when he managed in Japan (think of Jerry Lewis in France), but he opted to leave the perfect, safe gig overseas so that he would have one more chance at the big leagues. This is that chance. Valentine desperately wants this job. If we can quote Don Henley we can say that Bobby V would walk on his lips through busted glass to get to the corner office at Fenway Park.Continued... Here�s Valentine�s answer when he was asked why he would want to manage the Red Sox: �Well other than they have one of the best teams in baseball, one of the best organizations in baseball, one of the greatest venues in baseball, with a great winning tradition over the last 10 years, there�s really no reason that I want to be here.�� He will be 62 next season. He was raised and still lives in Stamford, Conn., where he was an athletic legend, great at baseball and football. He was supposed to replace O.J. Simpson in the backfield at Southern Cal, but he opted for baseball. Valentine�s fast track to major league stardom was derailed when his leg exploded while playing for the Angels in 1973. He sees everything that happens on a baseball field. He did a spectacular job turning the Rangers around in 1985 and took an underwhelming Mets team to the World Series in 2000. He believes in the Warren Zevon theme of �I�ll Sleep When I�m Dead.�� New York City folks who endured the tragedy of the fallen towers in 2001 will tell you that Bobby Valentine was the real deal when it came to caring for victims after the attacks. For once in his life, he was all action, little talk. Not bad for a guy who�s often been portrayed as a fraud and a poser. Bobby V got off a couple of whoppers yesterday. He claimed not to remember much about his experience managing the �02 Mets. This would be like Terry Francona, circa 2020, saying he can�t quite remember his last year managing the Red Sox. The �02 Mets made the 2011 Red Sox look like the noble gang from �Remember the Titans.�� Stop the search. Bobby Valentine is the guy. Enough with the charade. Enough with the soft parade of Mackanins, Sveums, and Alomars. Cherington needs to pass Go, collect $200, and name Bobby Valentine manager of the 2012 Red Sox. He�s smart and qualified. He is destiny�s child in Boston baseball�s nuclear winter of 2011-12. Dan Shaughnessy can be reached at dshaughnessy@globe.com. � Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company.

Why is Chass highlighted on here?

Then Lucchino asked me a question. �What do you think of him?� he asked. Ha! and we all know what Chass thinks of Valentine, it is well documented.

and it works great, I like it.

great pic

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Ashie's bullshit has ruined this thread. What about Adam Loewen? hopefully Adam Loewen's bullshit such as it is doesn't ruin the outfield, kidding this is cool though Toronto Blue Jays Loewen was called up to the Blue Jays on September 6, 2011, marking his first trip back to the majors since becoming a position player.[7][8] Loewen made his position player debut on Wednesday, September 7, against the Boston Red Sox. He recorded his first career hit in the 8th inning, against reliever Daniel Bard.[9] In a game against his former team, the Baltimore Orioles, on September 11, Loewen hit his first career home run, a solo shot over the centre field wall off starter Tommy Hunter.[10]

Ahh,bye bye Wilson?

That's a crazy deal though isn't it? at his age yyybbb? http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/n/nathajo01.shtml coming out of 2009 maybe.

Edgy DC wrote: I was expecting "That's what she said!" damn, now I see it.

Edgy DC wrote: Michael Young brought it from multiple positions. That's worth some'n. I actually thought he was more of a bench player this year yet he played in 159 games with over 600 at bats.

TransMonk wrote: Edgy DC wrote: Doesn't tweek me. If the Mets can't have him, I can't think of a better employer for him than the Yankees' divisional arch-rivals. I'd be very happy if Bobby went to Boston...as opposed to anywhere in the NL. me too. I'd be glad to see him back managing , it's what he does best.

I enjoyed it very much, especially liked that Pete Flynn was recognized, laughed at Piazza's Irish accent but wonder what will Pete do now that he is fully retired from the Mets.(he is right?) I was surprised I think that Howie wasn't in there(his voice was IIRC). No sign of the Wilpon's, nice, hard not to like Joel's enthusiasm, very cool to see our own Greg representing.

Anyway, be that as it may Heyman said last night that the meeting today is with the GM and his assistant , that's the way it should be of course but not how it was reported to be going down in Boston.

I wondered the same thing and am sure I never heard of him, not surprising though with where he played and league. Bio September 23, 2010 for the Seattle Mariners