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Quick Hits: Payrolls, Jay, Wilson, Epstein

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Here are some links to check out before the NLCS kicks off later this afternoon..

  • Michael Hunt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel points out that the somewhat low payrolls of the remaining playoff teams are examples of the importance of drafting, scouting, and player development. The Tigers have the largest payroll (10th), while the Cardinals (11th), Rangers (13th), and Brewers (17th) round out the pack. It's also worth noting that the Diamondbacks rank 25th and the Rays were 29th.
  • The progress of center fielder Jon Jay allowed the Cardinals to trade Colby Rasmus at the deadline, GM John Mozeliak told Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  Edwin Jackson, Marc Rzepczynski, and Octavio Dotel have been key parts of the team's drive to the NLCS.
  • Some people think that C.J. Wilson has keen interest as a free agent in New York, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.  He adds that the Yankees are probably the early favorite to sign him.
  • A Lakeview, Illinois resident is "99.9 percent sure" that he saw Red Sox GM Theo Epstein at a Starbucks in Lincoln Park, writes Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.  Boston ownership has yet to acknowledge a report that the Cubs have asked for permission to talk to Epstein.
  • The Angels continued their front-office purge by not renewing the contract of player development director Abe Flores, a major league source told Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.  Flores spent four seasons as the team's player development director after spending the previous six as the team's manager of baseball operations.
  • No matter what kind of career pitcher Pedro Strop has, the trade for left-hander Mike Gonzalez at the August deadline was worth it for the Rangers, writes Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com. 
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Comments

  2. As if I didn’t like C.J. Wilson enough, the possibility of seeing him in pinstripes would make me die a little inside

    • The way the free agents have been playing the last few years I would be more concerned the play of CJ rather than the money!

  3. I’m 100% sure if Wilson isn’t back with the rangers next year he will be in the NL. And it’s a guarantee that he will play for a west division team.

  4. Well if the Cubs made Theo go get his own coffee while in Chicago, I’m sure Boston has nothing to worry about.

  5. Wow…Epstein drinks coffee?

    As for Wilson going to the Yankees–Kevin Brown

  6. Paul Sullivan should be reprimanded for writing such an embarrassing article. That headline goes against everything journalism should be about. It is the worst thing I’ve read all year.

        • What is there not to like about the guy.  I think he’s a great owner.  He expects to win every year, and doesn’t care what it cost to make that happen.  The team the angels have is a great one granted they have had injury issues.  They have a amazing head coach and now ya are about to bring in a new GM who ever that is.  What is the point of complaining.  I think many teams would like a owner like that

        • Uh okay.  Sucked that he got us those 5 division titles then.  Disney or whoever else they would have sold us to certainly wouldn’t have gotten them.

  8. Also regarding the Strop/Gonzalez trade. Yeah, I’m also sure the Tigers really wished they traded John Smoltz for Doyle Alexander. I’m sure the fact that Smoltz pitched excellently for the Braves for 20 years when the Tigers had ONE playoff appearance in that time really was worth it. 

    I mean sure, Alexander was great for 11 starts, but does anyone think Smoltz would have helped the Tigers have 14 playoff appearances like he had for the Braves? Absolutely. 

    Can we all stop with black and white or WIN/LOSS determinations on trades? If Stroup becomes a beast, its a shame for Texas, Gonzalez was good in the playoffs and down the stretch, but it wasn’t “worth it” because its only short term success, whereas its a potential massive failure long-term, but its just one of those things that a team has to make. There aren’t “worth it/not worth it” decisions, its just a part of the game. Oakland did the same thing with Bradley/Ethier to get them to the ALCS, but they wish they had Ethier now. Short term success vs long term failure is never “worth it”, that’s a bad way of putting it, its more a necessity.

    • I think its a stupid article.  Gonzalez is incredibly inconsistent and wasn’t great during his time in Texas leading up the playoffs. 

  9. Let’s stay away from Wilson, Yankees. If you’re going to buy a SP, get Darvish. While he hasn’t proved he can do well in MLB, he’s younger, his contract would take less of a hit on the payroll and wouldn’t cost the draft pick.

    • Plus all the media benefits, and subsequent revenues from having a Japanese superstar in New York. $$$. The Yankees are aware of this and for this reason, why they’d take a stab at him first. And agreed, it wouldn’t cost Cashman in the draft. C.J Wilson is a good pitcher, but not someone I’d like to hand over an $85mm contract too. 

    • Since when have the Yankees cared about taking a hit on contracts?

          • haha yeah, pretty much, but you have to admit the philosophy is different in the Yankees’ FO now than it was in say, 2006. They have had one big off season in FA and it was 2009, other than that it’s been mostly resigning their own guys or the bargain bin. 

            Cliff Lee would have been a big signing but it didn’t happen. Anyway, the overall point is there is a conscience in the FO about taking bad contracts and I think Igawa was probably the start of it.

      • I think the struggles of Igawa and Dice K have made the Yanks a little wary of big ticket international guys. They passed on Chapman who was relatively cheap. I think there’s interest in Darvish but it’s going to be very scrutinized within the organization I think.

        Question. Does Darvish require a posting fee or is he a straight up free agent?

    • Darvish…really?  Don’t think Yankee fans have forgot about Igawa.

      • Would it be weird if a Boston fan wouldn’t mind if his team took a shot at him then?

    • I would sign Wilson over Darvish he has proven to be a good pitcher in the majors,is left handed, and hasn’t pitch that many innings. He also has playoff experience with some success. It’s a no brainer!

  11. What a great move by GM Mozeliak to land those pitchers. What was AA thinking trading away all that pitching, add to that Marcum in the off season. AA helped put both the Cards and the Brewers in the playoffs.

    • and he helped the Jays by dealing from a position of strength to secure two young potential superstars at positions in which the jays were organizationally weak. Boom.

      Also J. Jay had developed so much that he didn’t even get tabbed to start the deciding game of the NLDS.

      • Played in 150 games this season…. I will say this again. John Jay played in 150 games this season. You guys got Colby Rasmus a really weak outfielder & we are in the playoffs. Thanks …. I hope we can doing business with you guys again next year. LOL

        • Your acting as if John Jay came from the Jays in the deal for Rasmus. Rasmus wasn’t keeping you from the playoffs and JJ wasn’t the piece that got you into the playoffs. Time will tell about Rasmus although I always thought he was overrated.

      • Getting rid of wells and locking up bautista for an under market value contract is pretty ok in my book.

        • I think AA is a good GM but those two deals aren’t necessarily indicative that he’s a GREAT GM. He found a sucker in Reagins. It’s not like he made a trade that showed incite or wisdom. He found a sucker. Signing Bautista was smart but it was a mutual thing where Bautista wanted the security after 1 break thru season.

          Good GM but he has to prove himself with more traditional moves.

          • If he makes traditional moves then he won’t be spectacular. He has had to think outside the box to make up for the screw ups JP made the previous 8 years. He did what no one thought was possible in trading Wells. He also made a move by signing Bautista to an extension when a lot of people, me included, thought it was a bad idea and it has shown to be a great idea. He made some bold moves by trading Marcum for Lawrie and he got a good haul for Halladay. He hasn’t been in charge long enough to declare that he is “masterful” and make him the King of Canada, but he is one of if not the hottest GM in baseball right now.

          • I agree with you, but weren’t you and I arguing this point a few days ago?

          • Oh I agree, I do not think he is a great GM. I just think he is good, in order to be great you have to win a WS.

      • “Enough said”.  Yeah enough said for you to look like a fool.

        In addition to Wells and the other deals mentioned here, that whole Marcum for Lawrie deal is looking pretty good too.

        • AA put the Brewers in the playoffs with that moved while you stayed in 4th place. Your pitching sucks & you trade Marcum. Toronto is the only city I know of that don’t like WINNING!!!!

  13. And here I was thinking all general managers stayed solely in their team’s cities…

  14. Jon Heyman writing an article linking a top free agent to the Yankees?  Shocking.  Absolutely shocking.

    C.J. Wilson will not be a Yankee.  If the Rangers don’t get him he’s going to the NL.  The Rangers are the early favorite, by the way.  He’s already said he wants to stay, and I’m pretty sure Nolan and company will offer him a fair contract.  Look at what Weaver just got extended in Anaheim for.  It’s not always all about who can money whip somebody the hardest.  CJ has no better chance of winning in New York than he does in Texas and he knows it.

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