A few links to pass along….
- Jon Daniels says "it's less than 50-50" that the Rangers make any more moves before spring training, reports Jeff Wilson of The Dallas Morning News. Wilson adds that Rod Barajas and Rocco Baldelli have been connected to Texas this winter, and the Rangers might also be interested in a platoon partner for Chris Davis.
- Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Cardinals are out of the Chien-Ming Wang sweepstakes. We've already learned that the Nationals are the favorites to sign the right-hander.
- Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer answers some reader mail that covers such topics as a possible Grady Sizemore trade and Omar Vizquel's somewhat surprising criteria for picking a new city.
- Orlando Cabrera and Aaron Miles aren't exactly the first two names that leap to mind when you're thinking about October baseball, but Reds GM Walt Jocketty said that the duo's playoff experience was a factor in their acquisition, reports John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
- Larry Stone of the Seattle Times provides a general recap of the 2009-10 offseason.
If Jermaine Dye is still willing to try 1B, he actually might not be a terrible idea for the Rangers as a platoon for Chris Davis.
If the Rangers want a platoon, Why not bring Justin Smoak up? Save some money and give the kid a chance.
I think for a talent like Smoak, he shouldn’t be rushed. He didn’t perform to well in AAA (.723 OPS) and giving him a full-year there would probably help.
He will be in the bigs the same time Matt Weiters came last season. Early June.
Let’s say he completely tanks in AAA (or continues to perform at a mid .700 OPS – the Rangers won’t call him up for the heck of it. Let Dye play some games at DH if they do call Smoak up, it really is a fit that makes sense.
Lets say he has an .880 OPS? Lets say he leads the minors in average? Let’s say his ISO is incredible? And yeah, What if his OPS is .700?
We don’t know what will happen with Smoak. But can’t we be optimistic? I would muich rather see Justin Smoak at first than Chris Davis and his 200 K’s.
Back to Dye, I do think that Dye would be a fantastic fit. Especially with his veteran presence. But the Rangers are going to have to spend more money on Dye than they are paying Smoak. And they would need to convince Dye that his primary position is backing up Guerrero, the OF, and platooning with Davis. I don’t know if Dye will be okay with that but it’s worth a try right?
Why are we even debating Smoak if you think Dye would be a good fit? I’m basing what I think not of pessimism, but off of his previous performance in AAA (even if it wasn’t the greatest sample size).
Offer Dye a contract 1 yr/3 mil with incentives based on ABs and tell him he’ll be a platoon who will get some starts at DH, the OF and mostly at 1B. If he takes the deal, it really won’t hurt the team.
because I think Smoak is ready to make an impact this year.
I’m not saying that he won’t, I was saying it was just one of many reasons why Dye could be a fit.
You bet. Gotcha.
The contributor to this blog entry said Orlando Cabrera’s name might not come to mind when you think October baseball… perhaps he should watch the 2004 Red Sox W.S. Dvd
One good series in a 13 year career does not make him one of the first names you think of when it comes to postseason.
Miles won a world series with the Cardinals in 2006.
and Cabrera has been in the Post season for like the past 6 seasons.
And Eric Hinske has been in the last 3 world series, winning 2 of them, not exactly someone I would run out to sign.
Cabrera has playoff experience, but is hardly someone I would sign to win in the playoffs.
The problem is the Reds signing players because of playoff experience, because with Miles and Cabrera, there really isn’t any other reason to sign them.
Joe the Fake One – you are right about 2004, but that is the only time Cabrera has been good in the playoffs, which is why the comment stands, you don’t think of him in playoff baseball because he doesn’t do anything.
Jason Marquis has been on a playoff team every year since 2000……………… Do you want him????……..(for 15 million dollars, that is???)
Relative to cost, I think paying Miles 5 million to hit .200 off the bench was Hendry’s cake-icing.
Lets Go O’s! Lets Go Nats! Lets go O’s! Lets go Nats!
hmmm i can see a trade to the yankees sometime between the trade deadline and now. yanks should offer melancon, igawa, or brackmen since they need pitching. sizemore would be a huge improvment to the defense along with his bat. put sizemore in center and slide grandy to left makes for an awsome left side of the out field. love to see this trade playout soon.
That would be awesome trade to do. Our farm system would be depleted a little but the holes we would have to fill in the future is catcher(Montero) and pitchers(Hughes, Joba, and a free agent). So we wouldnt have much to lose and alot to gain with trading for Grady, and with these guys under contract for some time we can rebuild the farm. Lets hope something like this happens.
Just sop it now. You already have everyone-do you have to have Grady too? You do know he is the only star caliber player the Indians have. Give us Hughes, Chamberlain, Cano and Montero. And yanksallday, you all don’t want Melancon, Igawa, or Brackman. Why would the Indians?
So no. You all can’t have Grady.
Fun Trivia Question:
Who are the only 2 players to have more than 300+ career homeruns, and yet have never posted a 30HR season???…………..
Harold Baines and Al Kaline.
Man i wish the yanks would pursue Grady. He has all the intangibles to play for us especially it begin center. We could move granderson to left this year and then god willing if we were to get crawford, move granderson to right. Then we either trade Swisher or figure out our DH situation.
The Yankees have the money to pay Sizemore but not the farm system to acquire him. The Red Sox have a better shot. A trade isn’t going to happen until the break of 2012 anyway (if at all).
reasons why sizemore won’t be traded to the yankees
1- he would require atleast 2 top prospects while the yankees really only have 1 (montero)
2- the indians have no use for montero because they already have carlos santana
3- they need pitching depth and unless joba/hughes is included, a deal isn’t gonna get done
4- if the yankees weren’t willing to offer joba/huges for halladay, why for sizemore?
5- their top pitching prospect ( and i use the word top very loosely) is McCallister, who doesn’t impress (opinion).
6- they have brett gardner who seems like a faster verzion of sizemore but with less pop.
“Reds GM Walt Jocketty said that the duo’s playoff experience was a factor in their acquisition”
Today’s word of the day – Delusional.
You know u suck when Dave Duncan can’t fix u – Wang is done