Frayed Knot

Phil Mushnick (NYPost): All sorts of changes at SNY. Chris Carlin, done at WFAN, will become the pre- and post-game studio anchor for Mets games. He'll replace three-year SNY original Matt Yallof, who won't be renewed. Chris Cotter, another SNY original, is also out, and will be replaced in the studio by part-timer Jonas Schwartz. And Michelle Yu, late of New York 1, has joined as an anchor/reporter.

Newsday: The Mets continue to try to sign one more starting pitcher, but general manager Omar Minaya said nothing is imminent. "We're talking, we're having discussions, but nothing's going to happen in the next day or two," Minaya said by phone Wednesday afternoon. Several reports online had the Mets close to agreement on a four-year deal with righthander Derek Lowe. Minaya said Lowe is just one of several pitchers the Mets are in negotiations with, along with Oliver Perez and Randy Wolf. The Mets stand a strong chance of eventually signing one of those three starters. Minaya said it wouldn't happen in the immediate future, though, urging: "Go enjoy the holiday."

Newsday: As for the idea that the Mets might go after Manny Ramirez now that it's highly unlikely the Yankees will sign him, that thought was shot down. A Mets source said flatly: "We're not signing Manny."

Yanx lineup: - 1B: Highest paid 1st baseman, both currently and in the history of the game - 2B: 2nd highest paid active player (behind Utley) at the position - SS: Highest paid at the position in the history of the game - 3B: highest paid player [u:1kg25lk9]of any kind[/u:1kg25lk9] in the history of the game - C: Highest paid at the position in the history of the game - SP: Highest paid starter in the history of the game - RP: Highest paid reliever in the history of the game - The 4 largest contracts (total value) in the history of the game - Their 2008 Lux Tax bill was the same size as the Marlins payroll (which says something about both them and the Marlins).

Just a little curious here as to why Delgado is a 'must dump' because we're afraid he'll crash and burn while, at the same age, Manny is a 'must get'? Is Manny a better hitter? -- Yes, although the 3 years of CD leading up to his NYM days were reasonably close to what Manny put up over the last 3 (and Carlos stays on the field more). And we can't be citing the intangibles of fielding, running, clubhouse, etc. cuz no one's worse there than Man-Ram. So while we may be projecting (hoping for?) a shallower decline for Manny as he hits 37, 38, 39 than what we got for Carlos at 34, 35, 36 - but does that merit a deal at twice the rate and 3 times the length than the one-year deal we're "stuck" with for CarlosII ?!?

Yanx without real positions this year. Damon - Probably will play LF cuz he can no longer play the position he was hired for (CF). Contract up after the year. Matsui - Pushed to DH/bench by Damon being pushed to LF. Contract up after the year. Swisher - Lost position before he really had one. Maybe he's the CF (although he's not really very good there) or a still-young semi-expensive utility man under contract for at least two more years. Cabrera - If Swisher plays, he doesn't. And he doesn't hit enough to DH. Then there's the question about whether Posada can still catch and, if so, how often. And it also leaves no room to move Jeter - not that they were going to do that anyway.

Carlin's currently got about 45 different jobs: NY Giants pre & post game, Rutgers football & basketball play-by-play, SNY's 'Beer Money' and 'Loudmouths', and WFAN as fill-in host, early morning "warmup" host (5-6 AM) and update guy for the Boomer & Carton show, plus I think he sweeps the studio afterward. And, since I think there's a law where no one can have more jobs than of Regis Philbin, he's leaving WFAN as of this week or next and limiting himself to SNY & Rutgers. As far as a the Met studio host I keep hearing fans who seem to hate Yallof only slightly less than Adolf Hitler. Personally I only occasionally catch the pre/post game shows and so find myself passionately indifferent to who hosts and generally agree with the 'parsley' comment. That said, Carlin is usually good at whatever he does and can be pretty funny, especially if released from a structure format of something like 'Loudmouths'. He claims to have grown up a Met fan until abandoning them as a result of them dealing away Mookie. Why he then latched onto the Rangers is a bit of a mystery.

So the guy wants a lot of money and multiple years; but Yanx are now out, the Angels have declared themselves out, the Sox were never in, and his talks with the Dodgers have stalled and their 2@$45 deal is supposedly off the table. So, if one thinks about the big-market places where he could wind up, where's the one remaining place that fits and might be looking for a LFer? Not that I've heard anything and I've argued against it in the past, but if all these logical landing places drop out and he could be had for something reasonable ... Plus, as we all know, (say it with me folks) Omar has an obsession with Manny Ramirez !!! Supposedly the Nats are sniffing around seeing as how they lost out on Teixeira - but is he really going to go to a 100-loss team? And the Dodger door certainly isn't closed. But, outside of them, are there any other suitors?

="Rockin' Doc":2dvdkd97]A lot can happen in eight years. In the short term, it should be a great signing for the Yankmes. In the long term, I'm hoping this deal eventually becomes a millstone that drags down the dark empire for many years.[/quote:2dvdkd97] That's the danger in long-term deals for ... well, anyone, but 1st basemen in particular; except for DH there's nowhere for them to go once they start aging and if the bat starts to wane they're suddenly not very valuable. And now that I think about it, have there been any 1B/DH types in their late 30s towards the end of a long-term deal who were NOT overpaid? I keep coming up with names like: Mo Vaughn - Greg Vaughn - Todd Helton - Jason Giambi - Jim Thome - Richie Sexson and not a whole lot of the other kind. That Teixeira is a great fielder gives him a bigger margin for error than Giambi (although he's not much more mobile) but at least JG was coming off an MVP season (should have been two) something Teixeira's yet to even near. But Giambi's fatness and steroid use aside, Todd Helton's probably the best comp here: a terrific hitter/fielder in his prime signed to a lengthy deal (11 yrs in Helton's case) who, while still useful as the end nears, has lost his power and is totally unmovable due to the contract. metirish Dec 24 2008 07:08 AM WOW , had totally forgotten about Greg Vaughn. I think with Helton the fans there are a lot more forgiving with him being a lifer in that organization and a general great guy , he's basically Sean Casey now days. seawolf17 Dec 24 2008 07:19 AM Greg Vaughn was an OF, not a 1B, but same deal. He became worthless defensively. I remember my nephew -- now 12 -- being confused as a kid and calling them both "Gregmo Vaughn." Edgy DC Dec 24 2008 07:37 AM See, the Athletics have this theory of "Get guys who can hit and who can walk, and we'll find positions for them." The Yankees seem to have a corrupted version of that thinking though. That works at one level when you're populating the lineup with 21-22 year olds who may not be as gifted with the glove, but still have their youthful suppleness, their foot quickness, their healthy knees, their lean frames. Before this gets too homoerotic, I mean to say it's another thing entirely when you're gobbling these guys up six, seven, eight years into their careers, and they're drifting already towards the right side of the defensive spectrum. They've got a bunch of Xavier Nadys and nowhere to play them. Even if Teixiera doesn't deteriorate, he contributes to the logjam of everybody who does. I'd consider moving him back to third, Rodriguez to short, and Jeter to second. Then I'd dye my hair and move to Belgium. They can always keep bringing left field in, I suppose. DocTee Dec 24 2008 09:11 AM 8 years is a long time. For comparison's sake, look at who was on the Opening Day lineups for 1B men in 2000 and see how many of them you'd want starting this April. That's what the 2017 MFY are looking at. Great deal short-term, harder to justify long-term Edgy DC Dec 24 2008 09:18 AM You're point is strong, but that would be the 2002 starting lineups, wouldn't it? DocTee Dec 24 2008 09:22 AM Stoopid arithmetic Edgy DC Dec 24 2008 09:28 AM I'll do the NL East: Atlanta: BJ Surhoff Florida: Derrek Lee Montreal: Lee Stevens Philadelphia: Travis Lee New York: Mo Vaughn DocTee Dec 24 2008 09:37 AM AL East: Baltimore: Jeff Conine Boston: Tony Clark Tampa: Steve Cox Toronto: Carlos Delgado MFY: Jason Giambi TransMonk Dec 24 2008 09:47 AM NL Central: St. Louis: Tino Martinez Houston: Jeff Bagwell Cincy: Sean Casey Pittsburgh: Kevin Young Chicago: Fred McGriff Milwaukee: Richie Sexson DocTee Dec 24 2008 09:52 AM NL West: Dodgers: Eric Karros Giants: JT Snow Rockies: Todd Helton Padres: Phil Nevin Diamondbacks: Mark Grace DocTee Dec 24 2008 10:01 AM AL West: Oakland: Carlos Pena Seattle: John Olerud Texas: Rafael Palmeiro LAA: Benji Gil AL Central: Chicago: Paul Konerko Cleveland: Jim Thome Detroit: Dmitri Young Kansas City: Mike Sweeney Minnesota: Doug Mientkiewicz Benjamin Grimm Dec 24 2008 10:06 AM I'm not sure what this proves. Some of those first basemen might have been 35 years old and may have been a good choice for that particular season. It doesn't mean their team was planning on keeping them for eight years. If anything, we should see which of those guys was 29 (or younger) in 2002 and then see how viable they still are eight years later. (And anyway, if we're talking eight years shouldn't we be looking at 2001?) DocTee Dec 24 2008 10:08 AM That's thirty teams. Six guys (Delgado, Thome, Konerko, Derrek Lee, Pena, and Helton) who may start. Nymr83 Dec 24 2008 10:30 AM Ben Grimm is right, but i'd look at more than just 2002 if we're narrowing the field to just 29 year olds. i would look at guys who were 28-30 and use a range like 1997-2001 then look 8 years forward on each guy Frayed Knot Dec 24 2008 10:30 AM Yanx without real positions this year. Damon - Probably will play LF cuz he can no longer play the position he was hired for (CF). Contract up after the year. Matsui - Pushed to DH/bench by Damon being pushed to LF. Contract up after the year. Swisher - Lost position before he really had one. Maybe he's the CF (although he's not really very good there) or a still-young semi-expensive utility man under contract for at least two more years. Cabrera - If Swisher plays, he doesn't. And he doesn't hit enough to DH. Then there's the question about whether Posada can still catch and, if so, how often. And it also leaves no room to move Jeter - not that they were going to do that anyway. DocTee Dec 24 2008 10:36 AM ]I'm not sure what this proves. It proves that I would rather do anything other than finish grading papers on Christmas Eve. duh. metirish Dec 24 2008 10:38 AM Also what happens to Posada and first base , I guess they are stuck with him as a full time catcher. duan Dec 24 2008 12:10 PM core talent wise If you asked me to compare the following for their value over the next 3/4 years (when contracts start running out on either side!) Alex Rodriguez v David Wright. Even Derek Jeter v Jose Reyes. Reyes Mark Texiera v Carlos Beltran Even CC Sabathia v Johan Santana Even The 4 yankees have the highest contracts in baseball. We're doing ok in the big ticket areas, we just have to be sure our spoorting cast is better. seawolf17 Dec 24 2008 12:37 PM Would you trade our four for their four, right now, for 2009? I wouldn't. metirish Dec 24 2008 12:39 PM Not a chance I would do that. Nymr83 Dec 24 2008 12:54 PM ]we just have to be sure our spoorting cast is better. we need to "be sure" our roster is better than Philadelphia's, Atlanta's, etc. not the New York Yankees' roster. metsguyinmichigan Dec 24 2008 01:03 PM I would even say I'd take Santana over Sabbathia rather than call that one even! That would give us two -- and without the Jeter stench! Edgy DC Dec 24 2008 01:39 PM So, Nady's the one with a guaranteed job? Frayed Knot Dec 24 2008 02:18 PM Yanx lineup: - 1B: Highest paid 1st baseman, both currently and in the history of the game - 2B: 2nd highest paid active player (behind Utley) at the position - SS: Highest paid at the position in the history of the game - 3B: highest paid player [u:1kg25lk9]of any kind[/u:1kg25lk9] in the history of the game - C: Highest paid at the position in the history of the game - SP: Highest paid starter in the history of the game - RP: Highest paid reliever in the history of the game - The 4 largest contracts (total value) in the history of the game - Their 2008 Lux Tax bill was the same size as the Marlins payroll (which says something about both them and the Marlins). metirish Dec 24 2008 02:19 PM Incredible . Edgy DC Dec 24 2008 02:26 PM The Yankees really have to shore things up at second. Gwreck Dec 24 2008 10:19 PM ="seawolf17":3nh2omhf]Would you trade our four for their four, right now, for 2009? I wouldn't.[/quote:3nh2omhf] I wouldn't either. Maybe Texeira over Beltran...maybe. Beltran's defense at an impact position may still make Carlos more valuable, even if he doesn't have quite the same offensive production as Texeira. The other 3? Forget it. (Yes, even Rodriguez, if only for the baggage he brings). Ashie62 Dec 25 2008 10:02 AM Teixeira sponsorship on Baseball_Reference Somebody got to this quicky..A Yanqui smackdown on www.baseball-reference.com ... seawolf17 Dec 25 2008 12:08 PM ="Edgy DC":25bor5gt]The Yankees really have to shore things up at second.[/quote:25bor5gt] Someone send Hank Steinbrenner a 2005 baseball card of Luis Castillo, then have Omar call him and offer him Castillo for Nady and Cano. Frayed Knot Dec 26 2008 10:54 AM And the last of the teams getting screwed by the Yanx signing Teixeira winds up being Milwaukee, plus, to a lesser extent, Toronto. With Sabathia, Burnett, & Teixeira all being Type-A FAs, obviously only one team can get the Yanx 1st round pick (mid-20s somewhere) in next June's draft. That team turns out to be the Angels based on Teixeira being the top-rated of all those FAs. Sabathia ranks next so the Brews get the Yanx 2nd rounder, while Toronto gets their 3rd round choice (probably up above pick #100) as compensation for losing Burnett. All three teams also get supplemental picks (in the same order I believe) after the end of the first round. So those Brew fans who consoled themselves by figuring they'd get a top-25 pick and a top-40 out of losing big CC wind up with one in the mid-60s or so to go along with the top-40. Oh well. Edgy DC Dec 26 2008 11:07 AM It would be maybe more coolio if maybe the second team who lost a type A to Team Y could get a pick right after the first team. Team Y, for their part, would sacrifice their first round pick for 2009 after signing the first, their first-round pick for 20010 after signing the second, etc. If Team Y is the Yankees, they'd be out first rounders up to 2051 by now, which would be such an abstraction to them, they'd care little, but they care little now anyhow, and at least the team losing their guy to the Yankees would get a prompt and fair (or more close to the intended fairness) compensation. The first year or two under this policy would lead to a bloated round one, but that would even out in subsequent years. metirish Dec 26 2008 11:24 AM Cashman is all about the farm , especially since he gained full control from the Tampa Rowdies a few years back.

Patches which later manifested themselves as unpigmented patches of hair when he grew a beard.

Nats appear to be revving up their motors for ... well, sumthingorother, I not quite sure what. They were in on the Teixeira stuff and are supposedly in on Manny. They've already worked out a pretty big deal w/the Marlins for some NOW players, and here seem to be picking up a bunch of once-promising guys (Patterson, Sosa, Chacin) hoping to catch some lightning in a bottle. As for Molina/Nixon memories ... ummmmm, I don't have any.

Moves like this always pose a dilemma for MFY fans. The string of non-championship seasons have ignited a call for the return to home-grown and role players [repeat after me: like Tino, Brosius, & O'Neill] and an end to the "mercenaries" who can't win [ARod, Mussina, Giambi, Unit, etc]. Such logic is, of course, bullshit, seeing as how it requires one to wait and see how the player's NYY term works out before deciding whether said player was one of those great pickups who qualifies as a "true Yanqui" or an overpaid import who sucks and can't handle New York. So it'll fun to see how they hate/love this move (along with Sabathia, Burnett) all at once. Nice player, though a lot of money and years for a one-time All-Star who has once finished in the top 10 for MVP voting. I guess it means Swisher goes to CF (where he's not very good) or gets moved in a quick turn-around trade. The other guy this screws is Manny. It takes away the one big-money spot he was hoping could up the bidding and Boston is already out of the equation.

Mike Bordick, head baseball coach at Boys' Latin School in Baltimore.

The best of what we gave to Seattle in exchange for Putz (acc to BA): Maikel Cleto, rhp, Born: May 1, 1989. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-3. Wt.: 218. Signed: Dominican Republic, 2006. Cleto has the highest ceiling of the three prospects the Mariners acquired from the Mets in the three-team, 12-player deal. Managers rated Cleto's fastball as the best in the low Class A South Atlantic League last year, when he topped out at 100 mph. Unlike many young, hard throwers, he has an idea of where the ball is going. "Anyone who throws 91-98 and a ton of strikes, you have to pay attention," one scout said. Cleto has a strong body that allowed him to log 141 innings as a teenager in 2008, and Mets officials raved about his work ethic. However, he's far from a finished product. His slurvy breaking ball and changeup need to get a lot better if he's going to keep hitters from sitting on his fastball. His delivery can be a little violent at times, too. He's erratic in terms of results, showing no-hit stuff one day and the inability to get out of the first inning the next. Cleto should start his Mariners career in high Class A.

The Angels are claiming that their offer is "off the table" and that there'll be no further negotiating - which at least doesn't sound like a ploy. Boston, for its part, isn't claiming that, only that they think they're not going to be his choice due to other teams raising their offers beyond where they're willing to go. That leaves Teixeira in the position of either taking Boston's "low" offer or going the Baltimore/Washington route which kind of flies in the face of his 'I wanna be a contendah' pledge. Supposedly this was going to be wrapped up by Xmas but it wouldn't be the first time Boras has over-played his hand.

If that, 10-15 might be more like it. In the comments section, Sickels responds to a question about where he would have rated Murphy if he were still eligible: Grade B-, a very strong role player but not a star.

Sickels grading system: Grade A prospects are the elite. They have a good chance of becoming stars or superstars. Almost all Grade A prospects develop into major league regulars, if injuries or other problems don�t intervene. Note that is a major �if� in some cases. Grade B prospects have a good chance to enjoy successful careers. Some will develop into stars, some will not. Most end up spending several years in the majors, at the very least in a marginal role. Grade C prospects are the most common type. These are guys who have something positive going for them, but who may have a question mark or three, or who are just too far away from the majors to get an accurate feel for. A few Grade C guys, especially at the lower levels, do develop into stars. Many end up as role players or bench guys. Some don�t make it at all. A major point to remember is that grades for pitchers do NOT correspond directly to grades for hitters. Many Grade A pitching prospects fail to develop, often due to injuries. Some Grade C pitching prospects turn out much better than expected. Also note that there is diversity within each category. I�m a tough grader; Grade C+ is actually good praise coming from me, and some C+ prospects turn out very well indeed. Finally, keep in mind that all grades are just shorthand for the actual analysis of the player. A Grade C prospect in rookie ball could end up being very impressive, while a Grade C prospect in Triple-A is likely just a future role player.

And now John Sickels weighs in. SYSTEM IN BRIEF: The Mets continue to make a big push in Latin America, and they seem to have a knack for finding some interesting pitchers in the later rounds of the draft. They like to rush guys quickly, particularly pushing the Latin American kids hard, F-Mart being the best example. Whether this helps or hinders development remains to be seen. They could use more depth in position players. They have the financial resources to be a lot more aggressive in the draft than they have been, so there�s really no excuse for this NOT to be a good farm system. I think it ranks about the middle of the pack right now. They have made significant progress and there is quite a bit of upside here, but more needs to be done. 1) Wilmer Flores, SS-3B, Grade B+: I might take some flack for this, but in this case I think his upside is higher than F-Mart. If I could have just one of them, I�d pick Flores. 2) Fernando Martinez, OF, Grade B+: Still extremely young, though at some point he�s got to produce better than he has. You can flip him with Flores if you prefer the guy closer to the majors. 3) Jon Niese, LHP, Grade B: I�ve liked him since high school. He�s not an ace but should be a fine inning-eater. 4) Brad Holt, RHP, Grade B: Higher ceiling than Niese, but not as refined and command still needs work. 5) Reese Havens, SS, Grade B: Assuming he�s healthy, I think he�s going to be a strong across-the-board player with a high OBP. 6) Jefry Marte, 3B, Grade C+: Could be a star if it all comes together, but still rather raw. Considering B- but for me that�s aggressive for a rookie ball guy. 7) Jenrry Mejia, RHP, Grade C+ Pitching version of Marte: lots of talent, but skills are in the developmental stages and may not pan out. 8) Bobby Parnell, RHP, Grade C+: Stats don�t match scouting reports, but he has a good sinker and could be an effective setup man. 9) Eddie Kunz, RHP, Grade C+: Another bullpen option who gets ground balls. 10) Nick Evans, 1B, Grade C+: Held his own after being rushed, which you have to respect, but he may just be a good platoon bat, not a regular. 11) Ike Davis, 1B-OF, Grade C+: I will cut him some slack for now. If he can�t hit, he could convert to pitching due to his strong arm. He actually goes a full top-20 (follow link) or even more if you buy his book. What I like about his analysis is that he provides not just a raw list but the grades and explanations. He's also an admittedly hard marker who isn't given to breathless over-hyping of every teenager who has a decent stretch nor is he likely to discard a guy like last night's fish on account of a bad one. That doesn't mean he's not going to be wrong now and then, but he's looking at the big picture. Some of the comments tacked on by regular readers of his site can be informative too, so long as you keep in mind that at least some are from paranoid Met fans who think that anything other than across the board A+s are proof of anti-NYM bias, while others spring form the minds of fantasy stat-nerds who just know that their reading of minor league stats combined with the two times they might have seen a guy gives them better insight into each guy's future than either that of Sickels or the professional scouts he talks to.

According to a report by WLNE-TV in Rocco Baldelli's native Rhode Island, Baldelli went to the Cleveland Clinic last week and received news that the doctors had misdiagnosed his illness. Doctors thought he had a mitochondrial disorder, but his condition has now been diagnosed as channelopathy, a non-progressive, highly treatable disease. "Knowing this is a treatable condition, I feel this is a very positive thing for me and my baseball career. With this less-severe diagnosis, I hope to be on the field on a much more regular basis." Baldelli also mised all of the 2005 season due to two major injuries. He tore the ACL in his left knee in October 2004 and he tore the ulner collateral ligament in his right elbow while rehabbing from the knee injury in June 2005. I have no idea what 'channelopathy' is (it sounds like the inability to change to a better TV program) but apparently it's better than screwed-up Mitochondria. Seeing as mitochondria are essentially the power-sources within each cell of your body a condition affecting them is definitely a wrench in the works of an athletic career. A similar condition is what ended Greg LeMond's cycling career.

Abreu always seemed to be one of those guys who winds up being less than the sum of his parts for whatever reason and thus would look better if you could get him for a shorter stint. Not sure if you can. He's also another LHB. The market for corner OFers is still a bit up in the air. The Angels did re-up Juan Rivera (for 3 years!) yesterday but, other than that, the Philly signing of Ibanez is about it so far and I'm guessing that they'll be seen to have overpaid eventually if not sooner. Will Carroll had a short piece in BP a week or so back talking about how teams are paying an increased amount of attention to OF defense these days and balancing that against how much bat it'll take to overcome those deficiencies. Nothing too detailed since he was essentially sworn to secrecy but he said he was given access to one team's data and claimed the level of detail would blow most fans minds. The piece wasn't making a specific point as to how good or bad this info was (or even if the clubs always used it). It was more like a shot across the bow of stat-nerds (IOW, most of the BP readership) that their assumptions that any semi-Sabre-knowledgable fan knows more than the teams themselves is way off base. Anyway, I only bring this all up now on account of the remaining FA's among corner OFers - not exactly a group known for their defense to begin with - seems particularly bad, led as it is by the likes of Manny, Dunn & Burrell. So if an epidemic of tin-glove-a-phobia is indeed sweeping front offices these days maybe the market for these guys starts to cave. Hell, if we're just talking defense, Abreu is the best of that bunch by a long shot. P.S. Rocco Baldelli (also a compensation-less FA) has received a new diagnosis on the condition that has zapped parts of his last few seasons. It's apparently NOT the mitochondrial condition as previously thought but a much more treatable something else. So maybe he could be part of the mix as well. And he's a RH batter.

Liver cirrhosis would have certainly been among the first few guesses for Dock. His given name was actually Dock; Dock Phillip Ellis. I would not have guessed that. 16th ranked Met in 1979, good for 321st overall (though soon to fall several spots). 2 Met deaths in one week - but only one by a guy I remember.

How do you solve a problem like Putz? John Branch (never heard of him) at the NYTimes looks into the origin, Hungarian; proper pronunciation, 'Puts'; and the potential pitfalls for headline writers concerning the new set-up man. The Mets solved the problem of his introduction by boldly printing on the scoreboard: 'Mets Welcome J.J.'

BA chimes in with their list: 1. Fernando Martinez, of 2. Wilmer Flores, ss 3. Jonathon Niese, lhp 4. Brad Holt, rhp 5. Bobby Parnell, rhp 6. Jefry Marte, 3b 7. Jenrry Mejia, rhp 8. Reese Havens, ss 9. Nick Evans, 1b/of 10. Eddie Kunz, rhp And added in a look at various tools: Best Hitter for Average - Wilmer Flores Best Power Hitter - Fernando Martinez Best Strike-Zone Discipline - Reese Havens Fastest Baserunner - Javier Rodriguez Best Athlete - Greg Veloz Best Fastball - Brad Holt Best Curveball - Jon Niese Best Slider - Brent Rustich Best Changeup - Dillon Gee Best Control - Dillon Gee Best Defensive Catcher - Mike Nickeas Best Defensive Infielder - Ruben Tejada Best Infield Arm - Shawn Bowman Best Defensive Outfielder - Kirk Nieuwenheis Best Outfield Arm - Ambiorix Concepcion There'll be a 2PM on-line chat about this list and other things Met (hosted by Fo-CPF Adam Rubin) but it's only open to those with accounts at BA.

="Rockin' Doc":ecimyflq]The Braves apparently haven't learned that if the deal isn't signed, then all you have are the empty promises of a player and his agent.[/quote:ecimyflq] Oral agreements aren't worth the paper they're written on. Farmer Ted Dec 18 2008 02:56 PM Braves to Tellum, "Fuck you." Braves general manager Frank Wren said today the Braves have notified the baseball agency that represents Rafael Furcal that they intend never to do business with them again. The Braves thought they had a deal earlier this week to bring the star shortstop back to Atlanta, where he began his career, before Furcal decided to stay with the Dodgers for virtually the same terms. Wren said that Braves president John Schuerholz called Arn Tellem, who heads the baseball division of the Wasserman Media Group, to inform Tellem that the Braves will no longer enter into negotiations with them regarding baseball clients. "We don't have any intention of doing business with them, and they've been notified of that,'' Wren told SI.com this afternoon. Reminded that Tellem's group of agents -- which includes well-established veterans such as Tom Reich, Adam Katz and Paul Kinzer -- is one of the biggest in baseball and represents many star players (including Francisco Rodriguez, Carlos Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Giambi and many more players), Wren responded, "When you can't trust who you're doing business with, you can't do business with them. It's plain and simple.'' Tellem didn't immediately return SI.com's phone call seeking comment. The Furcal negotiations were anything but simple, and ended with Furcal returning to the Dodgers for basically the same $30-million, three-year deal the Braves believe he'd agreed to with them. As Wren tells it, he and Kinzer, Furcal's main rep, negotiated the terms over several calls Monday night, and after Kinzer told Wren that if he raised the base a little, they'd be able to make a deal, Wren did just that. Kinzer then told him "I think we're good,'' but still explained he had to take it to Furcal. Sometime later, there was a message on Wren's voicemail with Kinzer saying, "We're good. Raffy's excited. Send me the term sheet.'' Wren sent the sheet. But Furcal never signed it, and according to Wren, Kinzer started "backpedaling.'' Pretty soon, Furcal's agency was talking to the Dodgers and within a day agreed to virtually the same deal with L.A.: $30 million over three years with a vesting option for a fourth year based on Furcal's health. In L.A.'s deal, Furcal needs 600 at-bats in 2011 for the fourth year to vest; Atlanta's deal was slightly better for Furcal, stipulating that he needed only 130 games to have it vest. It's a little bit of a mystery why Furcal would rather go to L.A. after he was said to be excited to return to his roots in Atlanta. But Wren can't believe it's because they told Furcal they were envisioning him at second base instead of shortstop. Wren said they told Furcal that three weeks earlier, and that Furcal raised no objection and in fact seemed enthused about the prospect. So where does this leave Wren and the Braves? They are looking for a pitcher and an outfielder after making an exception with Furcal, a player they loved. And as he concedes, they're out of luck on this deal. But they won't let this happen again. "There's nothing enforceable,'' Wren said. "We just took his word. That doesn't count for much.'' Nymr83 Dec 18 2008 03:02 PM lets see if the Braves really mean it. Centerfield Dec 18 2008 03:03 PM You'd have to think it was Furcal who backed out, since he's the one making the call. If that's the case, it's seems dumb to hold the agent responsible. Wah wah. Get it in writing morons. Centerfield Dec 18 2008 03:04 PM ="Nymr83":1fipctoh]lets see if the Braves really mean it.[/quote:1fipctoh] They'll mean it until Tellem represent a player that they really really want. TransMonk Dec 18 2008 03:13 PM ="Centerfield":2ii6qq0s]They'll mean it until Tellem represent a player that they really really want.[/quote:2ii6qq0s] The Spice Girlishness of this comment overwhelmed me for a second.

After exactly 100 HRs, nearly 200 XBHs and better than .350 OBA/.500 Slugging over 3 seasons, I'd argue that Delgado has NOT "sucked half his time here". That's probably about average among 1Bmen and, considering that the best half-season might be the most recent, I'm not fearing the crash-n-burn as much as some others seem to be. LF & 2B are much more likely to be seriously below average IMO (offense & defense).