Valadius

Troy Percival signs 2-year deal with the Rays: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-rays-percival&prov=ap&type=lgns Kenny Rogers re-signs with Detroit for a year: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-tigers-rogers&prov=ap&type=lgns

Houston Chronicle reporting that the Astros are on the verge of signing Kaz Matsui to replace retired future Hall-of-Famer Craig Biggio at second base.

Ira, I refer you to a post I made nearly two months ago: Valadius wrote: I am a firm believer in assessing players in two ways for the Hall of Fame: 1. Accumulated statistics (career totals) 2. Peak performance (ideally 10 seasons) I've come across the cases of Hack Wilson and Chick Hafey. Both are Hall-of-Famers, but they had abbreviated careers. One drank himself out of baseball and the other was derailed by injury. In Hafey's case, he suffered from what Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig, in their book, The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time, call "Smokey Joe Wood Syndrome". They defined this as, to quote Hafey's Wikipedia article, "where a player of truly exceptional talent but a career curtailed by injury should still, in spite of not having had career statistics that would quantitatively rank him with the all-time greats, be included on their list of the 100 greatest players." I think this argument really ought to get more consideration. The way measurements and formulas are weighted is predominantly in favor of players with longer careers. However, some great players can't help that their bodies might deteriorate faster than others. It happens. Therefore, I would like to make the case that, failing that a player doesn't accumulate large enough numbers to initially satisfy induction, that you apply both the Ralph Kiner Exception and the Smokey Joe Wood Exception, meaning that if a player has 10 exemplary full seasons under his belt, preferably in a row, he should get in. If for 10 years he was considered one of the best in baseball, he should get another look. So let me update that somewhat and agree with you. If someone was unbelievably good for less than 10 seasons but had their career derailed in some fashion that they could not control, I agree that they should at the very least get looked at. Let's take the case of Ichiro Suzuki. He's a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer in my book. He hasn't played 10 years in America yet, only 7. If he were to retire tomorrow, is it fair to penalize him because he played in Japan during the other 3 years he would have needed at a minimum? Or what if Albert Pujols were to get injured somehow and never be able to play again? Would we penalize him for something completely out of his control? However, I do think there should be a limit to how few seasons are needed for consideration, and that this should be the exception, not the rule.

I actually think that's a damn good idea, with the only thing stopping it being the current definition of a pitching decision. The ability to pinch-hit the first time through the order could be beneficial.

From Omar himself: ]Mets GM Omar Minaya says he won't trade All-Star SS Jose Reyes By MIKE FITZPATRICK, AP Baseball Writer November 29, 2007 NEW YORK (AP) -- The New York Mets need pitching and they'd love to land Johan Santana. Not enough to trade star shortstop Jose Reyes, though. "Jose Reyes is one of our core players," general manager Omar Minaya said Thursday. "I don't see us trading Jose Reyes for one of those guys being mentioned. It just doesn't make sense for us." The Minnesota Twins are listening to trade offers for Santana, a two-time Cy Young Award winner who can become a free agent after next season. The Mets are one of several big-budget teams thought to be interested, including the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels. The Mets think they might have a package of prospects that could bring back a top starting pitcher, but Minnesota may want the 24-year-old Reyes included in any potential deal for Santana. "All those guys that are being mentioned in the market, as far as trade market, we've been in contact with these guys, on a regular basis," Minaya said. "No club has told us, hey, forget it, you're not in. Now maybe they have told us, hey, for you to be in, you have to have this player. And we can say, hey, well thank you very much, but we're not going to be in with this player's name in it." A two-time All-Star, Reyes batted .280 with 12 homers, 57 RBIs and 119 runs this season. He also led the major leagues with 78 stolen bases, the third straight year he's topped the NL in that category. But he slumped in the second half as New York blew a big NL East lead and missed the playoffs after a historic collapse. While Santana would undoubtedly boost the suspect rotation, trading Reyes would diminish the Mets' lineup and leave them with a huge hole at shortstop. "I can't comment on Santana," Minaya said. "We're very happy with Jose Reyes." Notes Minaya said RHP Orlando Hernandez will be a starter next season and RHP Jorge Sosa is expected to work out of the bullpen. ... Minaya also said reliever Duaner Sanchez, recovering from a right shoulder injury, is throwing well in Florida and his velocity is up to 88-90 mph. ... New York's season opener at Florida was moved from April 1 to March 31.

Koosman has always been underrated.

In my immediate reaction, I momentarily forgot about our minor league system. It makes sense if it means he pitches in New Orleans next year. And we've got buttloads of cash.

]Reliever Brian Stokes acquired by New York Mets from Tampa Bay Rays November 28, 2007 NEW YORK (AP) -- Reliever Brian Stokes was acquired Wednesday by the New York Mets from the Tampa Bay Rays for cash. The 28-year-old right-hander was 2-7 with a 7.07 ERA in 59 games for Tampa Bay last season, allowing 49 runs and 90 hits in 62 1-3 innings. He is 3-3 with three saves and a 4.30 ERA in three starts and nine relief appearances for Mexicali of the Mexican Winter League. WHY?!?!?

God no. I want somebody who can play defense in right field. Victor Diaz still haunts me.

I had a Mets trash can for a few years that I had to throw away because the stench had become intolerable. I have a Mets apple clock on my desk, a Mets throw pillow, a Mets bottle opener, and Mets vs. Yankees checkers, among other things. I also have a plaque honoring the 2000 Mets I got at a mall years ago.

We need bullpen help. That's more pressing, in my opinion. And we need Reyes - a large part of our team is built on speed. Plus you'd be giving up that arm at shortstop.

Edgy DC wrote: The eighties were played at such a perfect level of moderate production, I'm afraid we've ended up undervaluing the careers of players who peaked then, relative to players from extreme batting and pitching eras. Exactly my feeling too.

Jack Clark? Brian Downing? Please. Although I do agree with you that some of those players deserve to get in. Dick Allen Harold Baines Albert Belle Rocky Colavito Andre Dawson Dwight Evans Gil Hodges Mark McGwire Dale Murphy Tony Oliva Dave Parker Lance Parrish Tim Raines Jim Rice Ron Santo Ted Simmons Alan Trammell Lou Whitaker

I'd like to know who the 50 are.

Seriously! And we get stuck with an extra NL series during interleague AGAIN.

I really think he was hired because he sounds a lot like Gary Cohen.

There's no way in hell I'd ever give a pitcher a 7-year deal. 5 years max.

]Mets looking at Dotel, Chacon Tuesday, Nov 27, 2007 10:23 am EST The New York Mets are showing interest in free-agent pitchers Octavio Dotel and Shawn Chacon. Dotel went 2-1 with a 4.11 ERA this past season with the Kansas City Royals and Atlanta Braves. Chacon, who turns 30 next month, went 5-4 with a 3.94 ERA for the Pittsburgh Pirates and can both relieve and start. ]Mets may acquire another catcher Tuesday, Nov 27, 2007 10:38 am EST Don't pencil in Johnny Estrada behind the plate for the New York Mets just yet. GM Omar Minaya has explored other options at catcher, inquiring about the Texas Rangers' Gerald Laird, the Baltimore Orioles' Ramon Hernandez and the Washington Nationals' Brian Schneider. Even the San Francisco Giants' Bengie Molina reportedly could be available.

My view is, if it's going to happen anyway, why not let it happen sooner?

My ballot: Bert Blyleven Andre Dawson Rich Gossage Mark McGwire Jack Morris Dale Murphy Tim Raines Jim Rice Lee Smith Alan Trammell And I think that Dave Parker also deserves it. I really think that there is a serious backlog problem that hasn't been addressed, and I think that the best way to address it is to lower the percentage of votes needed for election to either 65% or 60%. As the article pointed out, the highest vote percentage a player who didn't eventually make it in ever got was Gil Hodges' 63.4%, and he deserves it. I think it saves the voters, the players, and the fans a lot of time.

Kerry Wood agrees to a 1-year deal with the Cubs: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-cubs-wood&prov=ap&type=lgns

]Tim Raines, David Justice head new Hall of Fame candidates November 26, 2007 NEW YORK (AP) -- Tim Raines and David Justice head 11 first-time candidates on the baseball writers' 2008 Hall of Fame ballot, joining Mark McGwire, Rich Gossage, Jim Rice and 11 other holdovers. McGwire, his candidacy hurt by suspicions of steroids use, was selected on just 23.5 percent of ballots when he was eligible for the first time in 2007. When Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn were elected in January, Gossage fell 21 votes shy of the necessary 75 percent and Rice was 63 votes short. Rice is on the ballot for the 14th time and Gossage for the ninth. Players can be on the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot for up to 15 years. Gossage's percentage increased from 64.6 in 2006 to 71.2 in 2007, while Rice's declined from 64.6 to 63.5. The highest percentage for a player who wasn't elected in a later year was 63.4 by Gil Hodges in 1983, his final time on the ballot. Raines was a seven-time All-Star who played 23 seasons and batted .294 with 2,605 hits and 808 steals, fifth on the career list. He was the 1986 NL batting champion. Justice was the 1990 NL Rookie of the Year and a three-time All-Star. He had a .279 average, 305 homers and 1,017 RBIs in 14 seasons. Brady Anderson, Rod Beck, Shawon Dunston, Chuck Finley, Travis Fryman, Chuck Knoblauch, Robb Nen, Jose Rijo and Todd Stottlemyre also are first-time candidates. The five-year waiting rule was waived for Beck, who died June 23. Other holdovers (with their 2007 vote percentages) include Andre Dawson (56.7), Bert Blyleven (47.7), Lee Smith (39.8), Jack Morris 202 (37.1), Tommy John (22.9), Dave Concepcion (13.6), Alan Trammell (13.4), Dave Parker (11.4), Don Mattingly (9.9), Dale Murphy (9.2) and Harold Baines (5.3). Rijo retired after the 1995 season and appeared on the 2001 Hall ballot, when he received one vote. He then returned to the major leagues and pitched for Cincinnati in 2001 and 2002, making him eligible to go back on the ballot. Reporters who have been in the BBWAA for 10 or more consecutive years are eligible to vote, and the totals will be announced Jan. 8. Rickey Henderson tops the players who will be eligible for the first time on the 2009 ballot. Results of balloting for managers, umpires and executives by the newly reconstituted Veterans Committee will be announced Dec. 3 at the winter meetings.

I'm in. And I'm sorry I didn't show up last year.

A terrible tragedy. He was supposed to be best man at a wedding today.

Tony Clark?