AL East updates:
- Orioles GM Dan Duquette expects to make a deal or two tomorrow, according to Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com. The moves would likely be trades to obtain pitching, Ghiroli adds (Twitter links).
- The Red Sox have no plans to try to trade Carl Crawford, writes WEEI's Alex Speier.
- GM Ben Cherington and the Red Sox seem content to wait out the pitching market for bargains, says Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.
- The Red Sox didn't have "substantive conversations" with Erik Bedard before the lefty signed with the Pirates, tweets Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.
- Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos says there's a "very select group" of players the team will consider in the Rule 5 draft tomorrow, according to Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com. The Jays will only clear a spot on their 40-man roster if they think they have a shot to acquire one of those players (all Twitter links).
- Anthopoulos also said yesterday that he thinks the Blue Jays' ability to boost payroll has been "grossly exaggerated," writes Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca. Team president Paul Beeston said the Jays could increase payroll to around $120MM eventually, but that they'd need to start drawing more fans first.
- The Rays are still talking to free agents, but nothing is imminent, tweets Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. There may be mutual interest between Johnny Damon and the Rays for a reunion, tweets Newsday's Ken Davidoff.
I don’t see why the Orioles even attended the Winter Meetings this year.
Since they seem intent on building around Wieters, Jones and Markakis, they have absolutely nothing to trade…
They refuse to offer more than three years to free agent starters, so they’re never going to sign one…
They wouldn’t even think of making an attempt to acquire a top of the line free agent like Reyes or Fielder…
So what’s the point…?
Remember that time they offered Teixeira 7/150?
i feel bad for the o’s fans, it really must hurt to watch for them. one day you will have a good owner, and you will have a great farm system with great on field talent and win the world series, but the problem is then you have to wake up
I think you’re being a bit hasty in your analysis…
I hope so, fella.
More than you know.
But I’ve been proven right by this pathetic organization that I love far more often than not.
Believe me I know. Being optimistic helps though
Get it done, AA!
Oh wait, sorry, it’s a kneejerk reaction whenever I see Anthopolous to post that right away.
the Jays could increase payroll to around $120MM eventually, but that they’d need to start drawing more fans first……How much more money do want Rogers??? I already pay for tv internet home phone and cell you greedy SOB’s why not give back a little and see how quickly the seats are filled!!!!also the report was 140-150 Mil what happened to that???
Its all about getting the fans in the seats first. The Mariners are owned by Nintendo but still spend less than 100M$ cause attendance has gone down for like 3 straight years now. The owners will spend when the fans become more committed.
Toronto is a “Build it and they will come” city as ignorant as that may be it is what it is. Rogers are is just a greedy corporation (which is to be expected) however for them to dangle spending like a carrot in front of a horse is just ridiculous… It’s not like Marlins were selling out last year but I would bet they sell a hell of a lot more tickets this year than last year!
It is a business investment for them.
so shouldn’t they start investing?
I still think that Duquette will deal, and he’ll get some good help for the rotation, but I’m starting to expect the news will come later rather than sooner.
Heck no don’t trade Crawford! He had one bad season and is a career .293 hitter with fantastic speed. Nay Sayers can nay say, he’ll be back this spring just watch. He’ll hit around .300, have 50+ stolen bases and 20 HR’s. Put him at the top of the order and move the Laser Show down, he’s got the pop.
Highly doubtful. For one, Carl Crawford has never hit 20 homeruns in his career. Hit hit 19 once, 18 once, 15 twice, 11 three times & so on.
For two:
Career at Fenway Park: .275/.305/.410
Career at the Trop: .303/.344/.457
Career when not playing at home: .284/.324/.426
2011 at Fenway Park: .276/.310/.414
2011 away: .236/.271/.397
In his career, he has hit 8 home runs at Fenway in a total of 138 games.
His swing does not work at Fenway. He doesn’t have enough power most of the time to get the ball out of the park in right field. While I would expect him to hit better away from Fenway, I wouldn’t expect him to hit .300 any time soon or to get on base like he used to. He doesn’t get to play at the Trop which helped him a lot. Especially not when he has to face the Rays pitching now when he didn’t before. Could he? Of course. Will he? I doubt it. Will he get better? Most likely, he couldn’t be much worse. But he will never earn that contract & for now it’s just wasting $20 million on the payroll for the next 6 years stopping the Red Sox from signing better players. If I could trade him away & get rid of most of his contract, I’d do it in a heart beat.
Tropicana is not a really friendly place. granted they worked on the foul line dimensions with him in mind some ( as recall) but he still should adjust his stance and swing some.. All good hitters over the course of history have made adjustments, LH hitters also and if you are a Red Sox fan..Look at Yaz and how he held the bat OVER his head early in his career, yet changed not only that aspect, but even his stance as he grew more into a veteran.
By the time Yaz had been in the league 10-12 years his bat was lower and the late 70’s the knob of the bat was barely belt high when he started his swing.
A hitter learns his home park and makes adjustments, or GOOD ones do is what am trying to say here.
CC and that awful, wide open stance has got to go. Magadan should be doing his best to get him to change it.
Carl Crawford is not Yaz. At all.
Of course not.. Just an example of how a good hitter can/will change a stance over the years.
Boston needs a coach who will make it imperative upon CC that he make some serious adjustments. I actually thought Valentine was spot on with his critique of CC last year on ESPN.
Ex Red Sox manager Joe Morgan (Walpo Joe) when he was manager of the old bristol Red Sox also was very good at “forcing” hitters to change a style that was not good and getting the point across that not changing it was a good way to have a short minor league and professional career.. he was a funny/serious man at the same time and got his point across.
Sometimes think that modern day coaches are too afraid to change anything with hitters. maybe it is the $$$ difference between players and coaches, or critique from upper management, but the hands on approach to improvement does not seem to be there any more, or at least not as much.
No one would take Crawford anyways
bitly.com/ssZrsK
GM Dan Duquette expects to make a deal or two tomorrow, according to Brittany Ghiroli of MLB… Now the trade rumors are even becoming more vague. Nothing specific. I had a college professor who used to write BS next to some of my answers in the “Blue Book Exam”. When I asked for an explanation, he told me BS meant – Be Specific! So Brittany, now I am telling you, “Be Specific”. Who’s the trading partner and why would they want to trade with us when we don’t want to trade anything of value and the Orioles expect something good in return for nothing!
As a die hard Jays fan i am getting tired of them not spending, but glad they aren’t spending for the sake of spending… I really had high expectations this off season and so far other then all the rumours it has been boring
Crawford rumors …. give me a break