Frayed Knot

Sure (responding to CF's 3:34 post) this deal won't break them either way - even as it likely kills their oft stated goal of getting under the lux tax threshold meaning that it will restrict them in some other manner. But this forum (and others) went through the same hair-tearing/all-is-lost/end of competitive baseball cries when ARod was dealt to a Yanqui team coming off four WS wins in a five year span, yet it resulted in just one WS win/appearance in 17 seasons since and they got multiple MVP years out of steroid boy who was both younger and better than Stanton. In the meantime, Starlin Castro isn't a "bag of balls" and the Yanx have a deep farm system at the moment which (along with Stanton's approval) is what allowed them to pull off the deal. So maybe Giancarlo will be the piece that puts them over the top or maybe they 'bought high' and he'll be a good though erratic, injured, and starting to age. Time will tell.

And while I'm on the topic, how this works out is going to depend a lot on whether the Yanx get 2015 & 2017 version of Stanton where he clocked in 150 games/year and a 975 OPS or the 2013-2014, 2016 model where he averaged 103 games/year at more like 850 Not that the lesser version represents a hole in the lineup or anything, but at $30 million per for the foreseeable future as he starts to get into his 30s it's like the situation we discussed this summer with Pujols and maybe even Miggy Cabrera depending on whether his 2017 season was an outlier or merely the direction of things to come.

Does the commish have the power to veto a trade? -- Yes, but he has no reason to veto this one. The Joe Rudi/Sal Bando deals were straight sales which is what got them banned. Kuhn essentially made up a retroactive limit for the sole purpose of killing those deals. But unless some team out there has evidence that Jeter was spurning other better deals in favor of this one then there's no there there. And even then you'd have to get by Stanton's approval. Ellsbury -- Why in holy hell would the Marlins want Ellsbury?!?!?! That's the kind of WATP Yanqui fans come up with. The whole purpose of dealing Stanton is to get rid of payroll not take bad ones in return. Giants/Cardinals -- If the SF/StL rumors were just ginned up as pretend trades then the Cards & Gints were in on them too. Take off the tinfoil hats folks. Sabathia -- Is a FA at the present time (and you could look it up)

Both the Cards & Giants issue statements that they are now OUT of the Giancarlo sweepstakes. Sounds just like the time I issued a statement that I was no longer intending to marry Scarlet Johansson ... a move I made right after she turned me down and threatened the restraining order.

I think Jeter and co. expect this kind of trade (present talent for future) to help them with the Stanton process: "Yo Giancarlo, accept the deal we offer you or you're going to be really miserable around here the next couple years cuz the longer you stall on this the more of these we gotta make."

If experience tells me anything, using no-trade clauses to block deals is typically the mechanism by which a fat cat with a long term contract gets that option year at the end of his contract guaranteed. Whichever team guarantees that 2028 (!) season on his deal, I would guess, gets added to the list. Normally, yes. But this time it's Him with the options, aka: an opt-out clause after three more seasons so he has the choice as to whether or not he's even around when that final year comes around.

RHP Tyler Chatwood to the Cubs on a three year deal for "around $40 million". Chatwood seemed like one of those guys who just emerged so I had no idea he was a FA. But it turns out that he's been in the majors since 2011 and with Colorado since 2012. But he was only a part-timer for a while and then missed all of 2015 so it kind of was just in 2016 that he started attracting notice [12-9; 3.87]. HIs 2017 wasn't as good but apparently clubs are intrigued by his 'secondary metrics' plus the prospect of the soon to be 28 y/o getting out of Cape Coors.

BP: The State of the System: Look, any system is gonna take a hit if they graduate three of their top four prospects in a season. It happens. It’s not even a bad outcome. Just don’t ask about the rest of the system, because there were some, uh, bad outcomes. BP's list is essentially the same as the others and any analysis they give beyond the basic (above) is behind their pay wall. 1) Andres Gimenez 2) David Peterson 3) Mark Vientos 4) Justin Dunn 5) Thomas Szapucki 6) Tomas Nido 7) Peter Alonso 8) Desmond Lindsay 9) Chris Flexen 10) Luis Guillorme

5) Sean Hjelle, rhp: Oh, HJELLE no! Probably no relation to Iben Hjejle [fimg=300]https://a1cf74336522e87f135f-2f21ace9a6cf0052456644b80fa06d4f.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/images/characters/p-High-Fidelity-Iben-Hjejle.jpg[/fimg]

Vic Sage wrote: As a broadcaster, Craig Carton was the whole package... arrogant, stupid, mean-spirited, with a voice like nails on a chalkboard. And he wasn't nearly funny enough to justify any of it. he was the biggest reason i stopped listening to FAN in the morning and switched to Mike & Mike on ESPN. OF all the assholes on the radio that i've endured over the years, he was the assholiest. This couldn't have happened to a more deserving lowlife. Maybe only Sid Rosenberg can compete with, or even top, Carton in the asshole/lowlife department and yet Sid keeps not only landing on his radio feet but manages to fall upward while doing so.

The guys John Harper suggested back in mid-September as reasons why the Mets should tank their way into a Top-5 slot (Rocker & Beer) are listed 17th & 27th on Mayo's list here and the two he cited (quoting BA's Jim Callis) as "can't miss" Mayo has one of them at #1 but the other down at #7 Not that this proves anything other than 'opinions vary' on this stuff and that claiming to know who the best draftees will be nine months in advance is a fool's errand because this and every other list will change greatly between now and June. And then it'll take years to know whether the order they were taken was the 'correct' one.

So of the six new hires this winter, only Gardenhire to the Tigers was NOT a first time manager. Callaway, Boone, Cora, Martinez, and Kapler will be rookie skippers, and will do so in the not-so-small markets of New York, New York, Boston, Washington, and Philly

If he opts out (a likely possibility) ... Hard to say. Is Stanton, as he turns 31 y/o (Nov 2020), going to be able to snag a new contract better than the one in place slated to pay him: $29, $29, $32, $32, $32, $29, $25, $25/$10 buyout? Depends on a number of conditions obviously, mainly his skills/condition after three more seasons are in the bag but also the financial state of the game. Don't think I'd go as far as "likely" at this point. the Marlins would be off the hook for the rest of that salary. So you have to look at it that way- they may not be eating as much as you think. It seems to me that whatever the Marlins are/aren't going to eat here is going to be set in stone by the terms of the trade. Now, sure, Miami would be smart to factor in that the opt-out condition exists but I don't think him opting out changes what Miami pays going forward since they'll have already sent that loot handcuffed to Giancarlo's wrist on the buggy ride over. It would then be on SF/StL to either renegotiate or punt if/when he pulls the rip cord. But, in general, I agree that I don't think Miami is going to be paying much here, certainly not what the Rangers paid to make ARod go away.

The Marlins apparently have the "general framework" in place to trade G. Stanton to either the Cardinals or Giants. No details as of yet and the details are of course what's still being discussed, mostly likely the money the Marlins would have to front. Also of note is that Stanton himself has to approve any trade and that he can opt out of the deal following the 2020 season so whoever the receiving team winds up being has only three seasons of him for sure. An article a few days ago which mentioned the Giants talks heating up talked about the return looking something like IF Joe Panik plus two of SFG's better prospects (not sure how those prospects sit in the grand scheme of minor league prospects) with the Marlins eating only a small portion of the remaining $255 million guarantee on the deal running through the 2027 season w/an option for 2028. http://m.mlb.com/news/article/262789910/giancarlo-stanton-pondering-his-future-home/

White Sox: ... RHP Al Alburquerque, Famous in the NY area because Mike Francessa once berated a caller who wanted to talk about the pitcher, and Moron Mike thought he was being punked and told the caller there was no such person The real kicker to that story wasn't just that MF questioned the existence of Alburquerque to begin with but that he later claimed to know all about him only he knew him as Albert Alburquerque so the caller referring to him as 'Al' was the part that threw him. Only Francesa can be loud wrong twice all while insisting he was right all along.

And so Aaron Boone will be named the next manager of the Yanquis despite having no previous managerial or coaching experience. He was, you will recall, a Yanqui player for two months back in 2003, replacing Robin Ventura who was dealt at the same time to the Dodgers. He then famously injured his knee in an off-season basketball game prompting the Yanx to go out and get Alex Rodriguez. Details of his new contract as they become available. TEAM MANAGERCONTRACTMgr SINCEANGELSMike Scioscia2018Nov 1999ASTROSAJ Hinch2018Sept 2014ATHLETICS Bob Melvin2019June ‘11BLUE JAYS John Gibbons 2019 + 2020 OptionNov ‘12BRAVESBrian Snitker2018May ‘16BREWERS Craig Counsel 2020May ‘15CARDINALS--- Mike Matheny 2020Nov ‘11CUBS Joe Maddon 2019Oct ‘14DBACKSTorey Luvello 2019Nov ‘16DODGERS Dave Roberts 2018 + 2019 OptionNov ‘15GIANTSBruce Bochy 2019Oct '06INDIANS Terry Francona2020Oct ‘12MARINERS Scott Servais2018Oct ‘15MARLINSDon Mattingly 2019Nov ‘15METSMickey Callaway2020 + Option for 2021 —10/23/17 NATIONALSDave Martinez2020 + Option for 202110/29/17ORIOLES Buck Showalter—2018July ‘10PADRES Andy Green 2021Nov ‘15PHILLIESGabe Kapler202010/30/17PIRATES Clint Hurdle 2021Nov ‘10RANGERS Jeff Banister 2018 + 2019 OptionOct ‘14 RAYS Kevin Cash 2019Dec ‘14RED SOXAlex Cora2020 + Option for 202111/2/17REDS Bryan Price 2018Oct ‘13ROCKIES Bud Black 2019 + 2020 OptionNov ‘16 ROYALS Ned Yost 2018May ‘10TIGERSRon Gardenhire202010/19/17TWINSPaul Molitor2020Nov ‘14WHITE SOX Rick Renteria 2019Oct ‘16YANKEES Aaron Boone2020 + Option for 202112/4/17

C Welington Castillo -- ex of the Cubs, Mariners, Snakes and, most recently, the Orioles -- to the ChiSox on a two year deal And on the other side of Chicago: LHR Dario Alvarez, a Met for about 20 minutes (OK it was 10 appearances across parts of 2014 & 2015) inks a one year deal with the Cubs

Minor was a one time 1st round/7th overall draft pick by Atlanta - 2009 out of Vanderbilt I remember it as being somewhat of a surprise pick at the time, not that he went 1st round necessarily but that he went as high as he did. But it seemed to pay off fairly quickly for Los Bravos as he was in the majors by 2010 and had good seasons as a full-time starter in both 2012 & 2013 [62 starts; 24-19; 3.43; 1.12 WHiP]. But then he slumped in 2014 before missing all of 2015 & 2016 Seems like he had a nice rebound year out of the pen. Not sure if his injuries prevents and/or advises him from being a starter again. Worked more innings than games in 2017 so he's not strictly a situational dude so maybe a 'swingman' as opposed to just being backup Blevins: we'd have our lefty and our lefty minor. Turns 30 in a few weeks.

Doug Fister, 33 y/o RHP, 1 year plus option for '19 with Texas

41Forever wrote: I'm surprised by the lack of love for Trevor Hoffman. I thought he was a shoe-in. What am I missing? That most fans in both the eastern & central time zones were examining the inside of their eyelids by the time he even entered the game 95% of the time, and that his post-season appearances were both limited and not of his usual character. Are those good reasons? Not very, but they do play a role. I think he also played the 1B role to Mariano's 1A in the same way that Raines did to Rickey; same role but a cut below an almost perfect contemporary in that same role.

Centerfield wrote: ... Eno Sarris ???

If they're signing Adam Lind it's likely to be as part of a platoon with someone else (RH) and with the idea of Smitty being given an extra year in AAA. Lind, unlike some of the more accomplished FAs, could be had for one year only so it wouldn't force a fish/cut-bait decision with Dom quite yet. Also, I'm beginning to suspect that about 75% of this 1st base talk is an attempt to light a fire under Dom's ass. Not that they won't trade him -- higher draft picks have been dealt away and much sooner in their pro timeline -- but to do so now seems like a selling-low kind of thing which you only do once you're convinced it'll only get lower. Dom Smith -- first 183 ML PAs - Age 22: 198/262/395; K-rate = 29% Aaron Judge -- first 95 ML PAs - Age 24: 179/.263/345; K-rate = 50% Mike Schmidt -- first 483 ML PAs - Age 22/23: 197/324/367; K-rate = 38% Just sayin'

Definitely HoHW > WR > Sicario, although HoHW might be my favorite movie of the last coupla years and I'd still put a bigger gap between #2 & #3 than between #1 & #2 Wasn't aware of the previous actors' connections as the superhero flicks aren't in my wheelhouse And, yeah, it got a bit preachy towards the end. Sheridan seems to be saying; 'Watch me care'. Don't know if he himself has native ancestry, but that seems to be his pet project these days.

If one of their goals is to improve the bullpen they can't afford to wait on Shaw with the idea that there might be someone better down the line, especially given that enticing a closer to sign with a club which already has two closers (in name or otherwise) is going to be a tall order. Acc to the linked article, Shaw is ready to sign at the first good offer rather than play the field and string things out. If the Mets are one of the teams thought to have already made an offer, it sounds like this will happen quickly or not at all.

Mr. Met's bad behavior earlier this year was the basis for a JEOPARDY question tonight.