After the 2007 season Alex Rodriguez signed a 10 year $275 million contract. For a player with a single team bidding entering his age 32 season this was quite the player friendly contract. Before Arod signed with the Yankees the lack of interest around baseball was significant enough that the MLB player association discussed filing a grievance. So while the Yankees might have overpaid how much have they overpaid? First lets get an idea of the production you can expect from Arod for the duration of the contract. Baseball Think Factory ran some rough projections before the 2008 season, I have replaced the 2008 and 2009 numbers with his actual production;
The RBI numbers will probably drop as Arod goes from a 3-4 hitter to a bit lower in the lineup as he ages. 2013-2017 seem to the big issue. Arod project to be a slightly above average player for most of the time(the average OPS in 2009 was .758) while most likely remaining the top paid player in baseball. You add in the potential 20 million a year Jeter will require for a 4 year extensions and the Yankees could be dishing out 50 million a year in 2013 and 2014 for below average players. They will have an additional 47 million invested in CC and Texieira. Texieria will only be 33 in 2014 and CC 32 so you can expect a fairly high level of production from those two. However the 2013/2014 Yankees will have 100 million in 4 players, possibly achieving only slightly above average production from those 4 spots.
Essentially what the Arod contract has forced the Yankees into is a budget minded approach where they will have to produce cheap players from within their own system. If they do not even the Yankees don't have the financially ability to spend their way into contention. As we get deeper into Arod's contract it will get worse and worse. I know this one is supposedly on Hank but Cashman has to get some blame here too.
But how bad is the contract? Ask me again when Arod is a 41 year old DH producing below average production while making 32 million a year....
As the Yankees enter 2010 the team is pretty much set. The infield spots are rock set in stone; 1b-Texiera 2b-Cano SS-Jeter 3b-Arod The OF is now also set, even though the roles and positions could change slightly with Granderson switching to LF and Gardner switching to CF. Also, Winn could potentially get some ABs as a LH if Gardner struggles; RF-Swisher CF-Granderson LF-Gardner/Winn vs Lefties DH and Catcher are also settled; C-Posada DH-Johnson The rotation has 4 spots settled with AJ, CC, Vasquez and Andy. Throw in Mo closing and there is only two spots of significance left up for debate; 8thinning reliever and 5th starter. This is why the Joba saga just won't go away. If Joba starts and succeeds and 8th inning is a struggle you will here the talk that Joba needs to go to the pen. If the 5th starter struggles with Joba in the pen you have to question why the Yankees suffered through Joba rules only to give up on them so quickly.
With noting else to really debate on this team the radio waves and newspapers will be flush with recycled arguments in both directions. Is there anything that can save us from the same old story here? I don't think so, there is the possibility Joba can dominate as a starter and Phil will do the same in the 8th inning but even then you will hear the whispers. If either struggle the whispers become a roar. So Yankee fans prepare to roll your eyes through months of the Joba debate (again!), hopefully THIS is the last year and next year we can move on to bigger and better things. But as we approach 2010 come to the realization that the Joba debate is here to stay.
When you look at the doorknobs in the picture above, all you probably see are a couple of old doorknobs. To me, they represent my Mother’s family’s history and have lots of stories to tell. They used to be on the house that my Grandpa built and my Mother was born in. The crystal knob sat proudly on the family’s front door and the other was attached to an interior door.
My Grandpa Frank came here from Italy as a young man in the early 1900’s. Shortly after his arrival, more of his family came to American, and then my Grandma followed. They married in Rhode Island, built a home and had six kids, three boys, and three girls. My Mother was the baby and the only one born in the house.
These doorknobs saw the birth of my Mother and a family goes through ups and downs during the depression. They saw my Grandpa start a successful landscaping business and beautiful gardens that surrounded the house. The crystal knob sat steady on the front door while my Grandpa sat on the front porch with his cup of coffee and greeted his neighbors every morning. With a smile on his face he would say, “Good morning Mr. or Mrs. ……” and rattled off something in Italian. The neighbor thought he said their name in Italian but in reality my Grandma was calling them a “fish face” or “dumb ass”. That was my Grandpa.
The doorknobs were there when my Dad came over to court my Mother. They watched as my Dad kept a low profile during dinner because there was lots of shouting in Italian and the arms were flying everywhere. Later he found out that they were just talking about the business and their day. One by one each child left and the second floor was turned into an apartment for family. The knobs were there when my Grandma was diagnosed with cancer and died a few years later. They saw my Grandpa go through depression, move upstairs and not socializing with anyone.
When I was two, my Father was stationed in Germany. While my Mother, siblings and I were waiting to join him, we stayed at my Grandparents house. The doorknobs were still on the house when this little two year old decided to climb the narrow stairs up to the second floor. When I got to the final step, I was greeted by my Grandpa sitting on a chair. He never uttered a word but scared me anyway. While running down the stairs, I fell and broke my collar bone. Shortly after we arrived in Germany, my Grandpa died from what I was told was “a broken heart”.
Years later the house was remodeled. Those old doorknobs were removed and replaced by more updated knobs. They were placed in the dusty old basement on a shelf, until I rescued them in 2005. My cousin and I went down in the basement and found all kinds of old antique items that my Grandpa used. My Uncle Joe told us that we could grab anything we wanted and I took several items including those old doorknobs and the keys in the picture below that my Grandpa always carried around. I know it may sound silly to some because they are old doorknobs and keys, but to me it represents many stories about the history of my Mother’s family. They now sit proudly on a shelf in my house next to photos of my Grandparents and other old antiques from my two Uncles that both passed away in 2005.
In 2005, when I was in that old dusty basement and climbed those narrow stairs I once fell down, I could feel the spirits of my Grandparents, my Uncles and Aunts that had since passed and once lived in that house. I was once told by my cousin that there have been reports of some hearing unseen voices and footsteps, seeing objects move on their own, and apparitions of my grandparents that appear now and then.
Are they just old doorknobs and keys or much more?
You have to wonder just how much more payroll the Rays can actually add this season. I thought they were stretching their limited resources by signing Rafael Soriano, but adding Damon would surely bring the Rays payroll over the $70 million mark. I'm skeptical that the Rays are willing to add another $5-$7 million to their payroll.
But then again, 2010 might be the Rays best chance to win. Remember, after the season, Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena will be free agents and the chances are high that the Rays will lose both players. There is a significant argument to be made that if the Rays are going to win, that now is the time. If that's the case, then bringing a guy like Damon on board for a year would boost the Rays' chances of winning and give them one of the best lineups on paper in baseball.
Louisville Slugger® MLBHMYG Youth Maple Wood Baseball Bat Review
Louisville Slugger® MLBHMYG Youth Maple Wood Baseball Bat Feature
Constructed from hard maple
Cupped end
Finish: Gwynn
Louisville Slugger® MLBHMYG Youth Maple Wood Baseball Bat Overview
The Louisville Slugger® MLBHMYG maple baseball bat is perfect for the youth player who desires that classic wood-bat feel. It's crafted with high-quality maple, a close-grained timber, which has a similar structure to the layers in a laminated bat. This means the bat is more durable and less prone to flaking.
Louisville Slugger MLB180 Natural Wood Baseball Bat Review
The bat arrived very quickley and in new condition. I would order from this seller again.
Louisville Slugger MLB180 Natural Wood Baseball Bat Feature
Durable ash wood bat with natural finish
Pro-grade ash is pound for pound the strongest timber available
Barrel tends to flex rather than break, creating larger sweet spot
Randomly selected turning model from C271, P72, C243, R161, T141, and K55
Available in 32-, 33-, and 34-inch lengths
Louisville Slugger MLB180 Natural Wood Baseball Bat Overview
This is a Ash bat. The Turning models for this bat are randomly selected from the following models: C271, P72, C243, R161, T141, K55.
Louisville Slugger MLB180 Natural Wood Baseball Bat Specifications
Don't make the mistake of thinking all wood bats are the same. They may look similar, but the quality of the wood is very different from one wood bat company to another. Louisville Slugger, however, sets itself apart from other bat makers with more than 120 years of bat-making experience, outstanding turning models, and access to the best-quality wood on the market. The MLB180 bat, for instance, is made of professional-grade ash, pound for pound the strongest timber available. Ash offers a flexibility that isn't found in other timbers, including maple, resulting in a barrel that tends to flex rather than break. This gives you a larger, more forgiving sweet spot in terms of breakage. In addition, ash is lighter than maple, so players can choose from among several large-barrel sizes. It all adds up to a terrific choice for casual players who love the look and feel of a genuine wood bat, or professionals who value a high-quality bat performance.
The MLB180 also boasts a randomly selected turning model, with such possibilities as C271, P72, C243, R161, T141, and K55.
Bat Specifications
Wood: Ash
Finish: Natural
Length: 32, 33, or 34 inches
Turning model: C271, P72, C243, R161, T141, or K55
Note: The biggest factors that influence the life of a wood bat are the quality of wood and where the ball hits your bat. Until you gain experience hitting with wood bats, however, don't be surprised if you break a lot of bats. Unlike with aluminum bats, when you hit a ball along the handle or at the end of a wood bat, you may break the bat rather than get a hit. It takes a lot of practice, but with work, you will find that you break fewer bats and become a much better hitter.
About Louisville Slugger In many ways, the rich 120-year history of the Louisville Slugger baseball bat began in the talented hands of 17-year-old John A. "Bud" Hillerich. Bud's father, J.F. Hillerich, owned a woodworking shop in Louisville in the 1880s when Bud began working for him. Legend has it that Bud slipped away from work one afternoon in 1884 to watch the Louisville Eclipse, the town's major league team. After Pete Browning--the Eclipse's star who was mired in a hitting slump--broke his bat, Bud invited him to his father's shop to make a new one. With Browning at his side giving advice, Bud handcrafted a new bat from a long slab of wood. Browning got three hits using the bat the next day. Browning told his teammates, which began a surge of professional ballplayers visiting the Hillerich shop.
Although J.F. Hillerich had little interest in making bats, Bud persisted, eventually registering the name Louisville Slugger with the U.S. patent office in 1894. In the early 1900s, the company was one of the first to use a sports endorsement as a marketing strategy, paying Hall of Famer Honus Wagner to use his name on a bat. By 1923, Louisville Slugger was the selling more bats than any other bat maker in the country, with such famed clients as Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Lou Gehrig. In the ensuing years, the company has sold more than 100 million bats, and 60 percent of all Major League players currently use Louisville Sluggers. The company now sells far more than bats, including fielding and batting gloves, helmets, catchers' gear, equipment bags, training aids, and accessories.
With Ben Sheets now officially off the board thanks to a one year/$8 million dollar contract with the Athletics, the team that is left out in the dust one more time is the New York Mets. The Mets were pursuing Sheets, who they hoped would be their #2 starter behind Johan Santana, but ultimately lost out to the Athletics.
The Mets rotation right now currently consists of a whole bunch of question marks:
1. Johan Santana: surgery last September to remove bone chips 2. Mike Pelfrey: Pitched terribly last season (5.03 ERA) 3. John Maine: Can he stay healthy? 4. Oliver Perez: Missed a large portion of the 2009 season; when he did pitch, he pitched terribly (6.82 ERA) 5. Jon Niese/Fernando Nieve/??????
As you can see, the Mets rotation is painfully thin and filled with many unknowns. Is there anyone in that rotation right now that can give the Mets 200 IP? Outside of a healthy Santana, I have serious doubts about spots 2-5. And if Santana isn't healthy, then 2010 could turn out to be just as bad as 2009.
So what should GM Omar Minaya do with Sheets off the board?
1. Scour Free Agent Market -Erik Bedard, Jon Garland, Jarrod Washburn, John Smoltz, and Chien Ming Wang are the most appealing names left. Bleh. Garland, Washburn, and Wang need to be supplemented by a great defense, which the Mets do not have. No one seems to know the status of Erik Bedard at this point.
2. Trade Market -Not too many great names left on the market. Maybe Aaron Harang.
3. Stand Pat -I don't know how Minaya can do this, but if he doesn't find any of the names on the market appealing, then maybe he takes a shot with this group and sees what he's got.
The guy who I think would fit nicely on the Mets is Washburn, who is a fly ball pitcher and might thrive in the spacious Citi Field. Then again, defense is a problem considering that the Mets will be without Beltran for at least the first month, Jason Bay is in left, and Luis Castillo is terrible defensively.
If Bedard can show the Mets that he's healthy and willing to pitch in New York, he'd be a great choice for the Mets considering his high upside. But no one knows if Bedard is healthy and no one knows if he can actually pitch 150 IP+ in a season. What do you think Minaya should do?
Billy Beane's aggressive offseason continues with Ben Sheets. Maybe Beane will actually sign a free agent this time:
Confirmed by ML source: #athletics have made "competitive" offer to Ben Sheets and hope to have answer today or Wednesday
Even though the Athletics will have one of the smallest payrolls in baseball this year, GM Billy Beane has been aggressive so far this offseason by making strong offers to both Adrian Beltre and Marco Scutaro. Sure the Athletics failed to land both guys, but it's clear that the Athletics have money to spend. From an economic perspective, Ben Sheets does not appear to be out of the Athletics price range.
But if the Athletics are going to spend $8-$10 million dollars on Sheets, which could be more than 20% of the Athletics' payroll this year, then there has to be a good reason why Billy Beane would want Sheets. Sheets is viewed as a tremendous talent with lots of upside, but as we all know, Sheets is very injury prone and a near lock to spend some time on the DL in 2010.
The upside for Athletics here is that they would add a potential ace to their rotation, who could lead their stable of young pitchers and probably force one or two of them back to AAA for more seasoning. But even if Sheets is healthy for the Athletics, how much better would the A's be? With Sheets on board, does anyone think that the Athletics are now contenders in the American League?
In my opinion, the Athletics, even with a fully healthy Ben Sheets, would not be serious contenders in 2010. The Athletics starting rotation would be awesome, but I'm not confident that the Athletics would have enough offensive firepower to compete with the Rangers, Angels, and Mariners.
However, given the money the Athletics have burning in their pocket and the limited number of players who fit their offensive needs on the market, going after Sheets is probably the best thing Beane can do right now to improve his team's chances of winning in 2010. Signing Sheets would be a risk for the Athletics, but if he pans out, then the Athletics could have a surprisingly competitive team or at the very least, a valuable commodity to trade.
#Rays CF B.J. Upton says arbitration won't be a problem and he is "all for" discussing long-term deal
I'm all for long term security and I think it's great that Upton wants to commit to the Rays long term. However, from his economic perspective, now is not the right time to discuss an extension. The reason? Upton is coming off a down season offensively in which he only hit .241 with 11 home runs. The general perception around baseball is that Upton has far more talent than that, but he has yet to truly put it all together (even though his 2007 season was very, very good).
A long term contract for Upton would be in the Rays best interests because it would keep Upton's salary under control for the foreseeable future and lock up one of their most promising talents. Even though Upton is under team control through the 2013 season, the reality is that Upton is one big season away from a huge pay raise thanks to arbitration. It would be beneficial for the Rays to sign Upton long term now because his value at its lowest point, which means that Upton's price will be lower now than it was in 2008 and probably lower than it will be after the 2010 season.
If Upton is only concerned about long term security, then it would make sense for him to sign a deal now. But if he is interested in maximizing his earning potential, then it's in his best interests not to sign a deal now, play the market out year to year, and put together a big season that puts him back on the map as one of the game's most exciting young players.
This past Saturday I had the opportunity to do some ghost hunting with Sharon (Autumnforest) at the Pioneer Cemetery in downtown Phoenix, AZ. Her friend and fellow hunter Debe Branning was conducting a spirit workshop at the cemetery for all that was interested. I expressed interests in going on a few investigations with her and finally that opportunity arrived. I have cyber chatted with Sharon for over a year, with each of us commenting on the other’s blogs. I was excited to finally meet Sharon in person and perform a ghost hunt with someone who had the right equipment and knowledge about how to conduct a hunt.
Everyone was supposed to arrive between 3:30 and 4:00 pm at the cemetery’s parking lot. I got there early and waited in my car for Sharon to arrive. When she did, she parked right next to me with Dale the doll buckled in the seat next to her. We got out, gave each other big hugs and then I met Dale. Yikes, he has this creepy smirk on his face that I really didn’t like, or trusted. Sharon was exactly like I thought she would be, a warm, funny, whacky and sweet friend. We hit it off like old buddies. We grabbed our stuff to meet Debe and all the others in the Smurthwaite House.
After everyone got there, we all grabbed our trash bags to do a cemetery clean up. This was part of the deal for letting us be there and no one seemed to mind. Sharon and I walked around together talking about our blogs, Mikey and all the other bloggers we follow. (Were you ears ringing?) The cemetery’s trash wasn’t too bad but some areas were very muddy so we had to be careful. After spending about an hour and a half picking up trash, we all met back at the Smurthwaite House to grab a bite to eat. This gave us the opportunity to talk to others about their experiences and check out their equipment. I was excited to see Sharon pick up on some spirits that were in and near the room we were sitting in.
After eating, we all got together for a group photo and then Debe took us on a tour of the cemetery. She would stop at certain graves and tell us the story of the person buried there. The sun was going down as we walked around from grave to grave, lending a bit of eeriness to the tour. After our next break and before heading out on our own, Debe wanted to play a game with the participants there. She split us up in groups of four or more and put us with people we didn’t know. I was with two other females and a male. (Sorry, I am bad with names.) In my little group we were all new to the workshop as was many others that were there. She handed each group a clue that will lead you to one of the graves. After finding the grave, you had to take a picture and show Debe to see if you had the right one. Our clue had the name “Emma” and her husband’s first two initials “J.I.” with a clue to his last name which referred to water. We were excited because we remember a gravesite and story that was similar to our clue. As soon as she said “go”, we all took off to the grave we thought was the one. The area that we went to had paths with rows of graves down each path. One of the ladies found the grave we thought was it and as you might have guessed, it wasn’t. The woman’s name was Elizabeth and her husband’s name was James or something like that. She took off down another row to find “Emma’s” grave and I walked down the path further to find another row of graves to check out. The guy in our group was on the path next to mine trying to find her grave. I yelled out to him that we were wrong and that wasn’t Emma’s grave. He and I ended up meeting in the middle of a row, in front of a grave where we planned our course of action to find her grave. I shined my light on the headstone of the grave we were standing next to and wouldn’t you know it, it was Emma’s grave. Wow, that was weird. Of all the sections of the cemetery and rows we could have ended up standing on, we ended up right in front of the grave we were looking for. As for Emma’s husband, his last name was Brook which fit our water clue. After three of us took pictures of the headstone, we walked back to Debe. She confirmed that it was the right one. We ended up coming in third place. She and others were intrigued on how we found the grave, as were we. We felt like Emma helped us out by sending us to the right place. Thanks Emma, we appreciate not spending hours wandering around the cemetery trying to find your grave.
After we were done with the game, everyone went on their own to do EVP sessions and to see if their KII meters would get any action. We did have the elements against us for the EVP sessions such as airplanes, cars, and loud drunks talking to themselves while walking down the street. Yes, that did happen. Autumnforest (Sharon) and I invited a very sweet hearing impaired woman to go along with us. We started at the crypt where Sharon showed us how to use dowsing rods. I used them first and got hits on some areas that were unmarked. She (sorry, again bad with names) used them second and got hits in the front area of the crypt but not the back. We sat Dale the doll down with the KII meters next to him and conducted an EVP session. After not getting any movement on the meters, we decided to try another grave. I suggested Emma’s grave since I felt a kinship with her, drawing me to her grave earlier. Another group must have felt the same because they were there doing their own investigation. We went elsewhere and found a child’s grave with the name “Amy” on the headstone. Sharon laid Dale on top of the grave hoping that the little girl would want to play with him. We spent some time there but didn’t get a hit on the KII meters and called it a night.
Everyone got together in the Smurthwaite House after spending some time in the cemetery doing investigations. Many took pictures of the inside with some strange orbs and lights showing up on some of the pictures. I got orbs in my pictures but with the moisture outside, I disregarded it as possible dew from that. I posted those for you to look at. After all the picture taking, everyone sat in one of two rooms where an EVP session was conducted. All the lights were off and a few asked questions. Some reported being touched and other’s picked up a “sigh” on their recorders.
After that was over, Sharon and I packed up our stuff and left. Sharon’s car battery was dead so she had to run back in a get a jump. Thank goodness she did. This was a fun and educational experience. I got to see a KII meter up close, use dowsing rods, participate in an EVP session and most of all, meet Autumnforest (Sharon) in person and investigate with her. I cannot wait to see what adventure we go on next together. For her account of the events at the Pioneer Cemetery click on this link: Ghost Hunting Theories.
5. Carl Crawford, LF, Rays - The feeling is that if the Rays’ financial picture gets any gloomier, Crawford will be trade bait by the trading deadline or even earlier. In fact, both he and Carlos Pena could have new addresses at some point in the season.
Both Crawford and Pena will be free agents at the end of the season and there is little chance that the Rays will be able to keep one of them, let alone both. Pena and Crawford combined will earn just over $20 million this season, which will be about 30% of the Rays payroll. For a small market team like the Rays, it's tough to justify committing such a high percentage of your resources to just two players, even if both players are peak performers.
The reality for the Rays is that if Crawford and Pena produce this season, then each of them should be in line for a nice raise next season. Even though the Rays have plenty of money coming off the books after 2010 ($36 million from Pena, Crawford, Soriano, and Burrell), there is very little chance that they will be able to compete on the open market with the big market clubs for either player.
Even though Pena and Crawford are near locks to leave after the season, I still think the Rays are in a good position right now. If the team competes in 2010, then the Rays can hold Pena and Crawford , play the season out, hope for the best, collect draft picks when they leave, and then re-distribute their resources. If the team struggles, then Crawford and Pena become prime trade bait if the return for either player is high enough.
I thought that I would start out by showing some pictures from our (mine and Sharon's) adventure at the Pioneer Cemetery. My next post will be my experience and pictures from inside the Smurthwaite House. For Sharon's (better known as Autumnforest) and Dale the doll's expericence click here:
I had a blast and learned some interesting tips on ghost hunting. BTW, Sharon (Autumnforest) is so much fun and exactly the wonderful person she appears on her blog.
Tomorrow night, Saturday, January 23rd, I have been invited to go on a ghost hunt with Autumnforest (Sharon) and Dale the doll at Phoenix's own Pioneer Cemetery. I am so excited to finally meet Autumnforest (Ghost Hunting Theories) in person but not so sure about Dale, lol. Not only will I be posting about it and sharing pictures but she will be doing a post or two about it too. I am so excited to see how she conducts her investigations and learning some helpful tips from her.
Here is a bit of history about the Pioneer Cemetery: "Pioneer and Military Memorial Park serves as a monument to the pioneer families of Arizona. The park's historic cemeteries are the final resting place to notable figures in Arizona history and folklore, including John T. Alsap, who was the first Maricopa County Probate Judge in 1871 and first Mayor of Phoenix in 1881.
Jacob Walz, the Dutchman of Superstition Mountain fame, also rests here. A monument to Walz includes a simulation of Weaver's Needle and some of the imposing bluffs that serve as landmarks of the famous Superstition Wilderness. Walz and his legendary "Lost Dutchman" gold mine have become part of the internationally-known folklore of the southwestern United States.
The historic Smurthwaite House was relocated to the park in 1994. Restoration, which began in May of 1998, was completed in 2004."
Here is a picture of Zak, Nick and Aaron (the Ghost Adventures boys) trying to do an investigation in Arizona. Our weather the past couple of days has been rainy, snowy and very windy as you can see by the picture. We are also experiencing a tornado warning which is very rare for our state.
Both pitchers signed with the Milwaukee Brewers this offseason. Both pitchers are left handed.
Player A will be 35 this year. Player B will be 34.
Pitcher A landed a 1 year/$4.25 million dollar contract with a mutual option for 2011.
Pitcher B landed a 3 year/$29 million dollar contract.
Pitcher A is Doug Davis. Pitcher B is Randy Wolf.
Based on their career stats, these two pitchers are very similar. They have similar career ERAs, BABIPs, and FIPs. The biggest difference between the two guys is that Wolf strikes out more hitters and Davis walks many more hitters. In fact, before the 2009 season, Wolf and Davis had very similar careers. Both guys were thought of as solid middle of the rotation left handed starters, who could eat innings.
But all that changed in 2009. While Davis produced another solid yet unspectacular season, Wolf became the Dodgers ace and put together the best season of his career. Wolf's success was in large part because of his low BABIP (.257), which was the best in the league according to fangraphs. Whether you attribute Wolf's low BABIP to luck, Dodger Stadium, hitters making bad contact, or some combination of the three; the result was that Randy Wolf became one of the most attractive pitchers on the free agent market and the only starting pitcher other than Lackey and Chapman to land a contract that guaranteed him at least three years.
It would not surprise me in the slightest bit if Wolf and Davis put up statistically similar seasons in 2010. Wolf is the better pitcher at this point, but the difference between these two pitchers is not as big as their contracts this winter would suggest. Only time will tell if Randy Wolf's 2009 season was an aberration, but it's clear that Wolf's success in 2009 was the main difference why Wolf landed almost $30 million guaranteed while Doug Davis had to settle for only $4.25 guaranteed.
Free agent starter Doug Davis has reached preliminary agreement with the Milwaukee Brewers on a one-year, guaranteed $5.25 million contract, a baseball source told ESPN.com.
The deal is contingent on Davis passing a physical exam.
Davis joins Randy Wolf as the second lefty free agent to sign with Milwaukee this offseason. He pitched previously for the Brewers from 2004 through 2006, posting records of 12-12, 11-11 and 11-11 in his three seasons with Milwaukee.
Davis will make a base salary of $4.25 million in 2010. The contract includes a $1 million buyout and an additional $1 million in incentives based on starts and innings pitched.
The Brewers entered the offseason with the goal of improving their starting pitching and this deal helps them achieve that goal at a minimal risk:
Risk:
Is the Brewers rotation too left handed?
walks too many hitters
not great against left handed hitters
Reward:
Adds depth and consistency to the Brewers rotation
Only a one year commitment
Innings eater
Conclusion: This deal is yet another signal that the Brewers are going for it in 2010 and 2011. And I, for one, love that attitude. With Prince Fielder under team control for only another two years, this is the Brewers best chance to win a championship and GM Doug Melvin is working within his resources to give the Brewers the best chance to win. Sure Doug Davis is not a big name or a sexy signing, but Davis can bring a lot to the table for the Brewers. For a reasonable price, Davis should give the Brewers around 180-200 IP this season and produce an ERA somewhere in the 4s. Given how unstable and unreliable the Brewers starting pitchers were last season, Davis's consistency is exactly what the Brewers need.
The Angels reached an agreement with free agent right-hander Joel Pineiro on a two-year deal worth $16 million, two sources told SI.com on Wednesday night.
The move comes somewhat as a surprise, as earlier reports had the Mets and Dodgers as the front-runners for the Pineiro's services. But news of the Angels' interest heightened on Wednesday when Newsday reported the Angels were the veteran's top choice. Additionally, ESPN.com reported that the deal is pending a physical, which will be held Thursday. An Angels spokesperson, however, said the club "had nothing to announce at this time."
Pineiro, who went 15-12 with a 3.49 ERA in 32 starts with the Cardinals in 2009, will help solidify an Angels rotation that already has four quality starters in Jered Weaver, Scott Kazmir, Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana.
With the addition of Pineiro, the Angels now have a strong starting rotation on paper, but this deal is risky from the Angels' perspective: Risk
Was Pineiro's 2009 season a fluke?
Is Pineiro worth $8 million dollars a year?
How will he fare in the American League?
Reward
Only a two year commitment
Adds SP depth
Angels now have a very deep rotation
Very effective when he keeps the ball down in the zone
Conclusion: The bottom line is this: if Joel Pineiro comes close to matching his 2009 performance for the Angels, then this contract will work out swimmingly for the Angels. Pineiro was fantastic last season for the Cardinals and not only turned his career around, but he showed the baseball world what he could do with his sinker when he kept the ball down. However, there are a number of questions about Pineiro that makes this deal a risk for the Angels. Can he pitch in the AL? Was Pineiro's 2009 season a fluke? The Angels are certainly hoping that Pineiro's career has turned a corner and that the 2009 Pineiro is the guy that they signed.
No longer must the Giants worry about replacing the 20 home runs and 80 RBIs Molina provided last year, though they have attempted to bolster the offense this offseason by signing free agents Mark DeRosa and Aubrey Huff. After spending most of the previous two seasons batting fourth -- a role for which even he admitted he was miscast -- Molina is now likely to bat fifth or sixth, which should increase his comfort level and could deepen the Giants' lineup.
To me, this move represents everything that is wrong with the Giants right now. Instead of pursuing a player who could dramatically make the Giants lineup better, Sabean opted to spend his money in multiple places hoping to make the Giants lineup deeper and more potent. But even after adding Aubrey Huff and Mark DeRosa to the fold, Sabean realized that he still need a middle of the order hitter, who could give the Giants the punch they needed.
In addition, the catching market was so poor that Molina, who was considered to be the top catcher on the free agent market, was not likely to land anything more than a one year deal with an option. Once Molina decided to take a one year deal, he fell into the Giants lap. The Giants have gone after veteran players over the past few seasons with short contracts and the one they gave Molina is no exception.
Because of his limited resources and strange affinity for aging players with low OBPs, Sabean went after Molina. Ultimately, I think the Giants could have allocated their resources better because I don't think Huff, DeRosa, and Molina will improve their offense that much. But it's clear to me that the Giants value Bengie Molina a lot more than most teams do.
One of the most nostalgic highways, where many a story has been told, is Route 66. It runs across the United States from Illinois to California. Along this historic highway lie many places where ghosts have made their homes, lurking in restaurants and hotels. Many stories are told of ghosts all along Route 66, just taking a walk down America’s highway.
A dream of mine would to be able to take a trip along Route 66 and stay at some of the haunted hotels or eat at a haunted restaurant. You definitely need the time and money to do this. My problem is that I have the time right now, just not the money.
Here is a list from Legends of America website of haunted places along Route 66 if you are interested:
In Illinois some of the haunted places along Route 66 are: Ghosts of Historic Springfield Ghosts of the Rialto Theatre in Joliet Haunted Cigars & Stripes in Berwyn Haunted Inn at 835, Springfield
In Missouri you will find a wide variety of haunted places to check out along the highway. Places such as: Off the Path Devil's Promenade & the Hornet Spook Light Ghosts of the Bethlehem Cemetery, St. Louis Ghosts of Greater St. Louis Haunted Bissell Mansion in St. Louis Haunted Springfield Lemp Mansion - St. Louis Tribute to the Trail of Tears - Jerome Off the Path Union Missouri Haunting Wilson Creek & the Bloody Hill Ghosts
The next state along Route 66 is Oklahoma. This state also provides you with a ghostly good time: Ghosts on Oklahoma's Route 66 Ghosts of the Tulsa Little Theatre Haunted Belvidere Mansion in Claremore A Haunting in Bristow History and Haunting of the Gilcrease Museum Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City
The big ol’ state of Texas offers the Ghostly Natatorium - Amarillo as a place to go for your ghostly addiction.
The next state along the highway is New Mexico. It also has a list of places that are haunted too: The Ghosts of Albuquerque Haunted Kimo Theatre in Albuquerque La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe La Posada Hotel in Santa Fe More Haunted Places in Santa Fe La Llorona in Albuquerque Haunted Luna Mansion in Los Lunas
The next state that Route 66 runs through is my state of Arizona. I have to admit that I have only stayed at one of the places on the list (Monte Vista Hotel) but there is time to visit the others: Ghosts of the Oatman Hotel Ghosts of the Hotel Weatherford in Flagstaff History & Haunting of the Navajo County Courthouse Monte Vista Hotel in Flagstaff Museum Club's Unearthly Guests Red Garter Bed & Bakery Haunting
The last state and the other end of Route 66, is California. There are four distinct places to find ghosts in this state and they are: Ghosts of Calico Haunted Georgian Hotel in Santa Monica Haunted Rialto Theatre in South Pasadena Suicide Bridge on Route 66
If you are feeling like taking a ghostly trip to some haunted places, don’t forget to get your kicks on Route 66.
Last winter, free agent SS Orlando Cabrera struggled badly to find suitors for his services. The reason? Cabrera was a Type A free agent and no team wanted to surrender a first round pick for his services. Cabrera eventually signed a one year/$4 million dollar contract with the Athletics in March that ensured that if Cabrera was a type A free agent again next winter, that the team could not offer him arbitration. The reasoning behind this move was obvious: Cabrera and his agent figured that if teams did not have to surrender a draft pick for Cabrera that he would have a better chance to land a multi year deal.
Despite putting up solid offensive numbers with the Athletics and Twins in 2009, the market for Orlando Cabrera this winter has been very quiet. Why? Maybe Cabrera's demands are excessive. Maybe not enough teams are looking for a shortstop. Maybe teams are shying away from Cabrera because of his low OBP. All of those could very well be the reason why.
But I think the main reason why Orlando Cabrera remains unsigned right now is because of his defense. Teams have begun to emphasize defense and the importance of defensive statistics this winter, and Cabrera's 2009 defensive stats were horrific. According to fangraphs, Cabrera's UZR last season was a staggeringly bad -13.7, which represents a sharp decline in Cabrera's defense from 2008 (13.1). Because of his terrible defense, it's easy to see why teams would shy away from Cabrera despite his production at the dish.
Even though Orlando Cabrera is no longer hamstrung by his Type A status like he was last winter, his struggles defensively have hindered his free agency this winter.
-Branyan wanted a multi year contract and some long term security, but concerns about his back have shied teams away and he remains on the market. Branyan will probably wind up with a one year deal, but I imagine that the base salary will be less than what the Mariners initially offered.
-Sure, this offer was not the 3 year/$31 million dollar deal LaRoche wanted, but this was the best offer LaRochereceived. However, LaRoche opted to sign a one year deal with the Diamondbacks because he felt uncomfortable playing in the Giants' spacious ballpark.
-Beltre declined the Mariners' offer, which would have been around $12 million, in the hopes of landing a multi year contract. However, the multi year deal never came and Beltre signed a 1 year/$7 million dollar contract with the Red Sox. Economically, it was a costly move, but from a baseball perspective, Beltre should flourish.
-Torrealba might be able to land a contract similar to this on the open market (still), but with options dwindling, I imagine that he will be stuck taking a one year deal with a low base salary.
The Rockies agreed to multiyear contracts with relief pitchers Huston Street and Rafael Betancourt, FOXsports.com has learned, giving the Rockies 11 players signed to contracts that tie them to the Rockies through at least 2011.
And that doesn’t include manager Jim Tracy, who earlier in the offseason signed a three-year deal that FOXsports.com has learned has a $4.4 million guarantee.
Street, who is arbitration eligible and would have been able to become a free agent after the season, has agreed to a three-year deal with an option on a fourth year that guarantees him $22.5 million. The finalizing of the deal is pending Street undergoing a physical when he is in Denver this weekend for the Rockies fanfest. As a result of the delay both the Rockies and the Hendricks brothers, who represent Street, will file arbitration figures.
To me, this deal is a double edge sword for the Rockies.
On one hand, Street was likely to earn around $7 million this season through arbitration, so it's not like the Rockies are giving Street a massive raise this season. And $22.5 million over three years for a young, quality closer like Street does not seem outlandish when compared to what other closers make.
But once again, it comes back to this: should a small market team like the Rockies invest so heavily in a closer? If the Rockies 2010 payroll is somewhere in the $75 million dollar range, then does it make sense for them to commit almost 10% of their payroll to a pitcher, who likely will throw no more than 70 innings this season. In addition, given the unpredictability of relief pitchers, does it make sense for the Rockies to throw so much money at a closer when they have a limited budget to work with?
Heard this: Bengie Molina has turned down the Mets' most recent offer, and the Mets are beginning to focus on Joel Pineiro...
I find it hard to believe that Molina is playing hardball with the Mets at this point. There are very few teams out there looking for a starting catcher at this point and even fewer that are willing to pay $6 million annually over two seasons. Outside of the Mets and maybe the Mariners, what other teams need a starting catcher? The Mets offer, either a two year deal or a one year deal with an option, would seem to be the best offer Molina will see this winter.
It must be difficult for Molina to only get one year guaranteed when far inferior catchers like Jason Kendall, Ivan Rodriguez, and Brian Schneider all landed two years earlier this winter. Who knows? Maybe Molina really doesn't want to play for the Mets, but right now, it doesn't look like he has too many other/better options.
The Mets are still in a position of strength when it comes to catchers. Besides the four they currently have on the roster, the Mets can opt to go after free agent catchers Rod Barajas or Yorvit Torrealba, both of whom should command far less than what Molina is looking for.
The Seattle Mariners have been shuffling the deck, but it looks like they'll keep their ace.
On the eve of exchanging salary figures for arbitration, right-handerFelix Hernandez has agreed to a multiyear contract with the team, pending a physical, a source with direct knowledge of the talks told ESPN.com's Keith Law on Monday.
The amount or length of the deal were not immediately available.
Huge move for the Mariners. There's no denying how important it was for the Mariners to lock up Hernandez long term and getting it done this winter is just another notch on GM Jack Zduriencik's belt.
The length of the contract will ultimately determine just how beneficial this contract is to the Mariners.
A three year deal only buys out one year of free agency
A four year deal buys out two years of free agency
A five year deal buys out three years of free agency
A six year deal buys out four years of free agency
From the Mariners' perspective, I'm sure they'd like to buy out as many of Felix's free agent seasons as possible given his performance and age. A six year contract would be ideal.
You can make the case that Hernandez certainly left money on the table by signing with the Mariners now as opposed to waiting two years for free agency, but the Mariners strong offseasonmust've shown Hernandez that the Mariners are serious about winning. From Hernandez's perspective, there's no reason to bolt from Seattle to the Yankees or Red Sox when the Mariners are surrounding him with a great community, beautiful ballpark, great players, fantastic defense, lots of money, and most importantly, a great chance to win.
"What can we see in the image? Well, first off Locke is the only one not looking at someone else, once again hinting that he’s important (or in control?). Jack seems to be happy or at least content whilst looking at Locke (will he be on his side next season?). Does Jin and Sun grouped together mean that they will finally be reunited? Frank seems like he knows something is going on, Ben seems very concerned about that and both Miles and Hurley are curious as to what it is. Sawyer seems to be staring at Sayid suspiciously, while Sayid is offering a bowl to Kate – but Kate seems more preoccupied with either Richard and Claire or Ilana, who seems to be looking at Locke. Richard is pouring wine for Claire, making it seem like there’s some sort of relationship or connection there (could it mean that since Claire has been MIA for a full season that Richard considers her one of his people and thus he’s protective of her now?). Are there any other conclusions you’re drawing from this pic?"
(This comes courtesy of Atrueorginall and screenrant.com.)
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The RBI numbers will probably drop as Arod goes from a 3-4 hitter to a bit lower in the lineup as he ages. 2013-2017 seem to the big issue. Arod project to be a slightly above average player for most of the time(the average OPS in 2009 was .758) while most likely remaining the top paid player in baseball. You add in the potential 20 million a year Jeter will require for a 4 year extensions and the Yankees could be dishing out 50 million a year in 2013 and 2014 for below average players. They will have an additional 47 million invested in CC and Texieira. Texieria will only be 33 in 2014 and CC 32 so you can expect a fairly high level of production from those two. However the 2013/2014 Yankees will have 100 million in 4 players, possibly achieving only slightly above average production from those 4 spots. 
