Turkey Day Tidbits

Happy Thanksgiving from MLB Trade Rumors!

Grab your shopping list -- Bucco Blog has posted the Pirates top 10 prospect list.

I initially thought one of the collateral consequences of the increased market value of players this year would be that arbitration values would go up over the next few years, but Jim Callis at Baseball America said he doesn't think that will happen since arbitration contracts are compared to people with similar service time. Interesting.

Did anyone else see ProTrade's reaction to the 2006 MVP awards? Talk about blowing out the industry - whew!

USA Today has a couple of nice articles -- on the Royals rebuilding plans and the other on the Brewers potential to return to respectability.

Will Steinbrenner's potential desire to name son-in-law Steve Swindal as the next CEO be sidetracked with Swindal becoming the next operator of the New York's three major thoroughbred racetracks — Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Saratoga?

By Jake

Comments

[start_wearing_purple]

The royals could end up as a strangly good team in the future. DeJesus has a great arm and is a decent hitter, Teahan is starting to look great, Moore fleeced the Dodgers when giving up a middle reliever for Perez, money, AND prospects, and the farm looks to have great talent. The AL Central could be dangerous in the next two years

[nrmax88]

odalis perez? Umm, not a centerstone of a franchise. Teahan is a stud, agreed, dejesus is a good player. Not nearly enough to seriously compete. I doubt they will be a serious contender for atleast 5 or 6 years at the soonest. That is if things go right for them and the other teams fall apart. Minnesota, Detroit and Cleveland and Chisox all are possible contenders. KC isnt passing them all by for a lnog time

[bsox21]

The AL Central is the toughest division right.

Their 3rd place team wuold win a few other divisions.

The Royals future comes down to Greinke and Hochevar.

Yes they have Gordon, Butler and 2 slightly above average guys in Dejesus and Teahen, but pitching wins baseball.

With the price for pitchers being where it is, the only hope the Royals have of getting the pitching they need is from their farm system.

With the failed development of a few fliers like Denny Bautista, it comes down to Greinke and Hochevar.

Note: There's always the potential to trade for arms, but Gordon and Butler are the only guys worth a top pitcher, and I doubt they want to part with either.

[start_wearing_purple]

I think you misunderstand me. Perez wasn't the cornerstone of that deal, the prospects were. Perez was a low risk gamble because the Dodgers paid a chunk of his salary. It ultimately comes down to how good will Butler, Gordon, Lumsden, and Hochevar be when they hit the bigs.

It's highly unlikely the Royals will be anywhere but the cellar next year, but in a couple of years they could be that team that suprises you. Every year there's 1 or 2...

[bsox21]

Odalis is good when everything goes right for him.

I liked the move for the Royals. They got a very high upside, veteran pitcher. He's comparable to Vicente Padilla and Ted Lilly in terms of upside if u ask me. With a little more injury risk.

[stlplaya2143]

I heard that the Cardinals are trying to get Jason Jennings. What do you think of that?

[bsox21]

Jennings and St Louis would be a nice marriage, but what the heck would the Cards have to offer?

[start_wearing_purple]

Duncan of course. But I fail to see that happening unless Helton gets moved. Other than that it comes down to what the heck do the Cards have to offer that their willing to give up and what the Rockies will accept

[nrmax88]

Yeah i dont think any team wants duncan in the outfield. Plus hawpe and holliday are more then capable of playing every day. Duncan can flat rake though, and i would take him with an opening at first base

[bsox21]

Duncan would make no sense to me.

The last thing the Rockies need is another young bat.

They have to find slots to play koshansky and Ian Stewart.

Garrett Atkins is the heir apparent to Helton.

To move one of the only pitcher to be somewhat effective in Coors for Duncan would be retarded.

[nrmax88]

Yeah i hear ian stewart is crazyy, he plays 3B?

[bsox21]

Stewart plays 3B. Is better defensively than Atkins.

[start_wearing_purple]

Well moving Jennings doesn't make sense to me... The Rockies seem to have a decent future.

[bsox21]

The MVP award is a joke.

Ryan Howard was a great choice.

Morneau was a horror show.

This is idiotic writers feeding their egos.

They are proving their inflated self worth by saying "fuck you" to the world and picking whoever they want just because they can.

It's a joke.

[bsox21]

The Mets are after Javy Vazquez.....

Casual fans probably don't like Vazquez, but he's one of my favorite pitchers.

Rank the top pitchers in WHIP and K/BB and K/9 (my FAVORITE pitcher stats) and he ranks consistently amongst the best in the league year after year.

No pitcher is more durable, especially amongst power pitchers.

I'd love this acquisition.

I'd easily give up Milledge and Bannister for Vazquez.

[NYs Maine Man]

BSox21, is there a new link about Javier Vazquez? Or is that just the same rumor that has been floating for a few weeks now?

[nrmax88]

Zito and Vazquez adds some serious durability. Then we can tell tommy glavine good riddens already, i mean i like glavine, but enough of the brett favre act make up your mind man

[NYs Maine Man]

Darn holiday-- I hate when the Hot Stove is quiet.

[Bing_chi_ling]

I heard that C. lee signed w/ the Astros for 6 years

[Rayman]

Carlos Lee to the Astros for $85-90 million is what i'm hearing.

[miltie]

"No pitcher is more durable, especially amongst power pitchers.

I'd love this acquisition. "

The problem with Vazquez is that he was good for the first 5-6 innings and then fell apart after that. I mean atrociously. 75 pitches is all he's good for. After that his era hovers around 8 or 9. At least that was the case last year. Before last year the numbers indicate a different story. So i don't know if last year was an anomaly.

Fact of the matter is he hasn't had a good year since he was with Montreal. Ever since he went to the Yankees he's been rather sub-par. 3 sub-par years in a row for Vazquez. And more losses than wins in 2 out of those 3 years. I'm not sure what to make of him. Although he is durable as you say.

[bravesrule14]

Javier Vazquez, in my mind, is one of the most overrated pitchers in the history of baseball. i mean look at his career numbers(100-105, 4.34 ERA, and 246 HR given up) this guy, though durable, is a mediocre LR at best

[nrmax88]

in this day 4.50 is a pretty good era. If a quality start is 6 innings 3 earned runs, that is an era of 4.50, so anything under that should inidicate a quality starter in todays game. Jus my opinion

[bravesrule14]

ya but thats just ERA, Vazquez over the last 9 seasons as given up and average of 27.3 HR's a year which is pretty bad. thats just my opinion