Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Barry Bonds
He has 762 home runs and 7 MVPs. In 2007, he hit 28 home runs in only 126 games and posted a 170 OPS+, which would have led the NL if he had not come up 27 plate appearances short of qualifying. Still, Barry Bonds is without a job for 2008. Some would argue it is because he is 43 years and has bad knees that limit him to DH duty. Others would say it is because he is an unwanted distraction. Some are even beginning to whisper that Bonds is being blackballed by baseball…The Cardinals and the A’s have been linked to Bonds. The Padres were rumored to be in the mix, but publicly have said they are not interested. Marc Topkin wondered if the Rays would be interested, which seems unlikely as the Rays just traded Elijah Dukes and Delmon Young in part because they were headaches. The latest rumor has Bonds possibly playing in Japan in 2008. Could the enticement of setting another home run record convince Bonds to head to the land of the rising sun? With camps in full-swing and Bonds recliner still without a home, let’s take a look at what is being said about Bonds in the Blogosphere…If you think there is a team that is the perfect fit for Bonds in 2008 let us know in the comments.
If there is a topic you would like to see covered in "Baseball Blogs Weigh In" please let me know HERE.
- Giants Cove is willing to admit that the Giants chemistry will be better in 2008, but there is one glaring problem with the new found chemistry. The Giants cleanup hitter will be Bengie Molina.
- Athletics Nation notes that signing Bonds would be a smart business decision for the A’s.
- Catfish Stew wonders if A’s fans will be just as hard on Jack Cust, who was named in the Mitchell Report as they say they will be on Bonds if he signs with Oakland.
- Yankees Chick finds it curious that so many Yankees fans are clamoring for the Bombers to sign Bonds.
- Rays of Light notes that baggage aside, DH is already crowded for the Rays with Cliff Floyd, Jonny Gomes and Rocco Baldelli sharing at bats.
- Metstradamus feels that the chances of the Mets signing Bonds to play the outfield are about 2,000,000 to 1.
- Gaslamp Ball is not surprised the Padres passed on Bonds, noting that San Diego is where the giant syringe was thrown at Bonds during a game.
- Babes Love Baseball can’t understand why Bonds is without a job, but they understand he comes with a bit of a circus and the occasional ‘booing’.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Brian Roberts
It seems as though all the players we thought we would be traded this off-season, have been traded, minus one…Brian Roberts. The oft-rumored deal to send Roberts to the Cubs continues to linger. Ken Rosenthal first suggested that Roberts would be a good fit for the Cubs back in early December and Jeff Zrebiec confirmed the Cubs interest. Then the deal may have been dead, with the O’s asking price too high and by the end of January Gordon Wittenmyer suggested Cubs had turned their focus to Marlon Byrd. Then according to Jon Heyman a deal appeared imminent. Rosenthal thought the O’s insisting on the inclusion of Felix Pie was a deal-breaker. But then Baltimore acquired Adam Jones and Chris De Luca noted the deal might have life. But now Heyman wonders if the proposed package(s) is not enough and if Peter Angelos will nix a deal, as Roberts is one of his favorite players. Now that Spring Training has begun we have to wonder if a deal can still get done. let’s take a look at how the Roberts deal is being handled in the blogosphere.
If there is a topic you would like to see covered in "Baseball Blogs Weigh In" please let me know HERE.
- View From the Bleachers sees Roberts as a nice addition but not a necessity as he may only be a slight upgrade from Eric Patterson. They don’t see the deal as a "foregone conclusion" considering the players being offered by the Cubs.
- Camden Chat is not impressed with the Cubs offer, but they wonder if Roberts is worth keeping.
- Another Cubs Blog sees the signing of Alex Cintron by the Cubs as a sign that the Cubs are making progress towards getting a deal done.
- Ivy Chat wonders if the Cubs have enough in the system to obtain both Roberts and Joe Nathan. While they would like both, they would prefer Nathan.
- Crawley’s Cub Kingdom notes that Alfonso Soriano’s legs are not 100% and that he may not be suited to lead off in 2008, increasing the need for Roberts.
- A Hundred Next Years is not sure the upgrade from Mark DeRosa to Roberts is worth the price.
- Wrigleyville23 calls it "The Roberts Rain Delay" and notes that the political process here in the U.S. actually moves faster than trade discussions between the Cubs and the O’s.
- Orioles Fan Base talked to our own Tim Dierkes about this situation.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Johan Santana’s Contract
The biggest move of this year’s Hot Stove League was clearly the trade of Johan Santana. The subsequent contract given to Santana by the Mets set a new benchmark for pitchers and could have a lasting trickle-down effect on other pitchers in baseball. The players most likely to cash in on the Santana deal are other young lefties with strong track records. The first fallout appears to be in Cleveland, with the recent news that C.C. Sabathia has broken off contract talks. With pitchers and catchers conducting their first workouts in many camps today, let’s take a look at how Santana’s deal is affecting other pitchers in the blogosphere.
- Let’s Go Tribe feels that Sabathia could command $150MM on the open market and breaking off contract talks means Sabathia will not be a member of the Indians in 2009.
- Indians Confidential agrees that Sabathia is "as good as gone."
- Tribe Report does not think the Indians should give Sabathia a seven-year deal as it is a stretch to think he will be worth $20MM at age 35.
- MLB Fleece Factor calls it "The Santana Effect" and believes that Santana’s new deal means that A.J. Burnett will likely opt out of his contract in Toronto following the 2008 season. In addition, they believe that there is a possibility that the Jays will look to trade Roy Halladay prior to his 2010 free agency.
- Rays Index believes there is a good chance the Rays will look to trade Scott Kazmir following the 2008 season. They feel that Santana’s deal will make it nearly impossible for the Rays to sign Kazmir to an extension prior to his 2010 free agency. In addition, the recent bounty obtained by the Orioles for Erik Bedard and the pipeline of top pitching prospects in the Rays’ system, suggest that it is in the best interest of the franchise to move their young ace.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Johan Santana
Unless Omar Minaya fumbles the most important contract negotiation of his career (we can’t see that happening), the biggest story of the 2007-08 off-season now has an ending and the enduring national nightmare is over. Johan Santana is a Met…now we can get back to talking about more important issues like Kyle Lohse and Livan Hernandez. But before we do let’s take a look at reactions to the Santana trade from the blogosphere.
- Aaron Gleeman is sentimental as his blog has grown up along side Santana’s career. Now he is disappointed in the package the Twins received but hopeful it could still work out in the long run.
- Twinkie Town believes trading Santana is status-quo for the Twins as the franchise seems to be in a perpetual state of rebuilding. This seems like overreaction considering the Twins have been in the playoffs four of the past six years.
- Twins Territory is not disappointed in the trade outcome. They believe Bill Smith had his hands tied and four top prospects is a nice haul.
- Amazin’ Avenue was still smiling hours after the news broke and feels Twins fans must be disappointed in the package they received.
- Metsgeek doesn’t care what the price was for Santana. He is worth it and they are giddy.
- The ‘Ropolitans are begging the Mets to pay Santana whatever it takes to get him signed. We have to agree. The Mets can’t mess this one up.
- Fire Brand of the American League (Red Sox) speculates that the Red Sox may have backed off of Santana when they learned the Yankees were no longer interested.
- My Baseball Bias believes the Yankees won the Santana Sweepstakes by not mortgaging the future for one $150 million player. Normally we would agree, but Santana is not 35 and winning is about pitching and Santana is the best pitcher alive.
- Was Watching shows that the Mets (and the Red Sox) have done a better job of acquiring pitchers than the Yankees, and Santana is the latest example.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In
Haven’t done one of these in a while. Let’s see what baseball bloggers around the web have to say about recent moves.
- Aaron Gleeman considers the Twins’ signings of Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer as "a major risk and perhaps not the best use of limited resources."
- Depressed Fan considers the Robinson Cano signing a "great move," noting his increased trade value.
- Drunk Jays Fans believes Toronto was pandering to sports radio show callers with the Rod Barajas signing.
- Rays Index believes the James Shields signing sends a message to other young players on the club.
- Balls, Sticks & Stuff does not believe the Phillies are lowballing Ryan Howard by submitting a $7MM figure.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In
Let’s do another round of Baseball Blogs Weigh In, which is fairly self-explanatory.
- Jamey Newberg’s analysis of the Josh Hamilton for Edinson Volquez trade is a must-read. Check it out.
- Gaslamp Ball discusses Mark Prior‘s post-surgery abilities.
- Beer Leaguer doesn’t seem to mind the Geoff Jenkins signing, but notes that other "safe" Phillies signings haven’t worked out.
- Lookout Landing doesn’t find Carlos Silva to be much different than Josh Towers.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In
We’ve got a new feature here at MLBTR called Baseball Blogs Weigh In. It’s pretty self-explanatory. I link to top-notch blogs giving their take on recent moves.
- Aaron Gleeman looks closely at the big Delmon for Garza swap and finds the Rays the victors. One major factor cited is Jason Bartlett‘s defense being far superior to Brendan Harris‘. Throw in Eduardo Morlan and I see where Gleeman’s coming from.
- Matthew Cerrone isn’t thrilled with the Lastings Milledge deal, but he at least sees where the Mets are coming from and trusts Omar Minaya’s judgment.
- Joe Pawlikowski makes a case for Andruw Jones over Aaron Rowand, if the Yankees create a center field vacancy by trading Melky Cabrera.
- Larry Borowsky doesn’t hate the Cesar Izturis signing for the Cards; he just thinks Izturis is the same player as Brendan Ryan.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In
I read tons of baseball blogs; here are some posts I’d like to highlight that involve recent news here at MLBTR.
- Aaron Gleeman calls out Torii Hunter for his quotes about wanting to play for a winner.
- Matthew Cerrone sees the team’s Johnny Estrada acquisition as a no-lose move.
- Let’s Go Tribe considers Masahide Kobayashi a fine value signing.
- South Side Sox notes that the Orlando Cabrera–Jon Garland swap tilts toward the Sox because of the money and draft picks involved. Baseball Musings also believes the Sox won the deal.
- Talking Chop says Tom Glavine left the Braves on a sour note, and doesn’t want to see him pitching big games in 2008.
- Pat Lackey isn’t jazzed with the Cubs’ pursuit of Kaz Matsui.