Interesting Baseball News Items That Do Not Warrant Their Own Thread

[GordonGecko]

Top to bottom, the NL East may be better than the AL East. That will be an exciting division to watch.

Mets are f****d

[ShaneTravis]

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/0...-zambrano.html

Zambrano + $15M to Marlins for Chris Volstad

Carlos waived his 14 million option for the following season. He really wanted out.

[False1]

Carlos waived his 14 million option for the following season. He really wanted out.

Ah, hadn't seen that originally (and it's actually $19.25MM option), although it only vests if a) he's healthy at the end of next year and b) he's in the top 2 in Cy Young voting this coming season. So... really unlikely, and they replaced it with a much smaller but more probable $100k bonus if he wins comeback player of the year.

[NelsonMuntz]

Top to bottom, the NL East may be better than the AL East. That will be an exciting division to watch.

I don't know about that. It's subjective and certainly debatable but:
Yankees = or > Phillies (Yanks have the better offense, Phils have the better pitching; bullpen gives the Yankees a slight edge)
Tampa > Washington (although if the Nats sign Fielder you could make the case that they're even with Tampa)
Boston > Marlins
Toronto = or > Atlanta
Baltimore = or > Mets

[snapple]

I don't know about that. It's subjective and certainly debatable but:
Yankees = or > Phillies (Yanks have the better offense, Phils have the better pitching; bullpen gives the Yankees a slight edge)
Tampa > Washington (although if the Nats sign Fielder you could make the case that they're even with Tampa)
Boston > Marlins
Toronto = or > Atlanta
Baltimore = or > Mets

I'd say Atlanta is better than Toronto.

[jcarey]

I don't know about that. It's subjective and certainly debatable but:
Yankees = or > Phillies (Yanks have the better offense, Phils have the better pitching; bullpen gives the Yankees a slight edge)
Tampa > Washington (although if the Nats sign Fielder you could make the case that they're even with Tampa)
Boston > Marlins
Toronto = or > Atlanta
Baltimore = or > Mets

I'm not sure I'd match up teams like you did, but those are some interesting comparisons nonetheless.

Would you rather have Strasburg/Zimmermann/Gonzalez or Price/Shields/Moore? Zimmerman/Morse/Werth or Longoria/Zobrist/Jennings? Man, that's tough.

Romero/Morrow/Cecil or Hudson/Hanson/Jurrjens/Beachy/Teheran?
Bautista/Lawrie/Escobar/Encarnacion or McCann/Uggla/Freeman/Heyward? Also tough, though I'd lean toward the Braves.

I didn't even consider the Orioles or Mets.

It'll be interesting to see how things shake out.

[jcarey]

I'd say Atlanta is better than Toronto.

Yeah, if Atlanta finishes with the 3rd-worst record of the bunch, I'd be extremely shocked.

[Jax Teller]

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/s...reasons-010512

Dave Duncan stepping down as pitching coach this year for family reasons.

[TheInfallibleOne]

Ozzie and Hanley and Carlos - Oh my!

[ShaneTravis]

Ah, hadn't seen that originally (and it's actually $19.25MM option), although it only vests if a) he's healthy at the end of next year and b) he's in the top 2 in Cy Young voting this coming season. So... really unlikely, and they replaced it with a much smaller but more probable $100k bonus if he wins comeback player of the year.

Ohh wow, I didn't see that. I thought he had an option, did not know it was contingent on Cy Young.

So, I will revise by saying damn Theo wanted him out of there. Essentially they paid 15 million for 3 years (team controlled) of a guy who might not make the team out of spring training.
Marlins acquired RHP Carlos Zambrano and cash considerations from the Cubs for RHP Chris Volstad.
The Cubs will cover $15 million of Zambrano's $18 million salary for 2012. It looks like his agent did a little bargaining as part of waiving his no-trade clause, as Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports that he received 24 days salary -- about $2.4 million -- from his 30-day suspension at the end of last season. Big Z also waived his $19.25 million vesting option for 2013 and will become a free agent next winter. He will receive a $100,000 bonus if he wins comeback player of the year in 2012. The 30-year-old right-hander isn't the pitcher he once was, but at least he gets a much-needed change of scenery and should benefit in what projects to be a more pitcher-friendly environment than Wrigley Field.

[hellonewman]

I don't know about that. It's subjective and certainly debatable but:
Yankees = or > Phillies (Yanks have the better offense, Phils have the better pitching; bullpen gives the Yankees a slight edge)
Tampa > Washington (although if the Nats sign Fielder you could make the case that they're even with Tampa)
Boston > Marlins
Toronto = or > Atlanta
Baltimore = or > Mets

Atlanta's better than Toronto. And I'm not yet convinced Baltimore's better than the Mets though they certainly could be (I am not sold by their hot September, they have pulled that one before).

[Ram Man]

Essentially they paid 15 million for 3 years (team controlled) of a guy who might not make the team out of spring training.

Zambrano's $18 million due for '12 was a sunk cost. Now the Cubs are now on the hook for $15 million of that $18 million and are actually saving $3 million (less whatever they end up paying for Volstad). Small price to pay to get rid of a useless player (at least to them).

[4bronxbombers]

http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/0...dgers-deal/?hp

Thanks for posting the link, John.

[NelsonMuntz]

Atlanta's better than Toronto. And I'm not yet convinced Baltimore's better than the Mets though they certainly could be (I am not sold by their hot September, they have pulled that one before).

I'm not that big on Atlanta (particularly their offense) but it's certainly debatable. The Mets were an absolute mess before losing Reyes and Beltran. And unless I'm mistaken, as of now their #1 starter is Mike Pelfrey. With the way the rest of the NL has improved this offseason, it wouldn't surprise me at all if the Orioles win more games than the Mets next year. Baltimore at least has some talent on paper.

[Jax Teller]

Ken_Rosenthal Ken Rosenthal



Deal just announced: Rizzo and RHP Zach Cates from #Padres to #Cubs for RHP Andrew Cashner and OF Kyung-Min Na. #MLB


Only Kelly (88 on Scout's rankings) and Fuentes (unranked) remain from the Gonzalez heist.

[Jax Teller]

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/01/...exual-assault/

Also came across this.....

[GeraldGarcia]

Ken_Rosenthal Ken Rosenthal



Deal just announced: Rizzo and RHP Zach Cates from #Padres to #Cubs for RHP Andrew Cashner and OF Kyung-Min Na. #MLB


Only Kelly (88 on Scout's rankings) and Fuentes (unranked) remain from the Gonzalez heist.

Theo and Hoyer clearly like Rizzo. He didn't show much last year in limited time.

[NYDCYankee]

I think that is a great deal for the Cubs.

[GordonGecko]

Theo is definitely going to put his mark on the Cubs. We'll see if he's actually got some alpha skills in putting together a winner or if Boston was more luck than skill

[NerfBall55]

Theo is definitely going to put his mark on the Cubs. We'll see if he's actually got some alpha skills in putting together a winner or if Boston was more luck than skill

It was a combination of both. He made some great moves, he made some crap moves, and he got lucky at times.

But there's always going to be a luck factor for any GM.

Fortunately, now he doesn't have another team that will act as the minor leagues and fix trades for him.

[GeraldGarcia]

Theo is definitely going to put his mark on the Cubs. We'll see if he's actually got some alpha skills in putting together a winner or if Boston was more luck than skill

We shall see. Theo leveraged off Duquette's moves for the 04 team. The 07 team was more his but the extent to which he was involved with the Beckett/Lowell trade is unknown. His post 07 work in Boston was mixed. What he can do without a big time budget and without the help he got in Boston will be interesting.

[Yankee Fan in Boston]

We shall see. Theo leveraged off Duquette's moves for the 04 team. The 07 team was more his but the extent to which he was involved with the Beckett/Lowell trade is unknown. His post 07 work in Boston was mixed. What he can do without a big time budget and without the help he got in Boston will be interesting.

The Cubs actually do have a pretty big time budget, especially when you consider that he won't be competing with the Yankees anymore. Success should come easier in the NL Central.

Another interesting thing to see is how well the Red Sox get up from their current fall over the next few years.

[BeantownYankee]

Ken_Rosenthal Ken Rosenthal



Deal just announced: Rizzo and RHP Zach Cates from #Padres to #Cubs for RHP Andrew Cashner and OF Kyung-Min Na. #MLB


Only Kelly (88 on Scout's rankings) and Fuentes (unranked) remain from the Gonzalez heist.

Surprised with the teams in the market for a 1b, that the Red Sox were the only ones the Padres delt with. Just saying

[YankeesAce4Life]

Surprise, surprise...friends helping friends...watching Hot Stove Live tonight, Harold Reynolds was kind of peeved about this trade due to that fact of friends helping friends. He liked the trade, but it's kind of obvious what these guys are doing...

If the Yankees did such a thing old man Bud would be having a sh^tfit.

[ShaneTravis]

Atlanta's better than Toronto. And I'm not yet convinced Baltimore's better than the Mets though they certainly could be (I am not sold by their hot September, they have pulled that one before).

I'm thinking O's are better than the Mets. I actually think that LHP Japanese pitcher the O's signed for 4 million a year has some serious upside.

Mets have signed a utility infielder. So, they have that going for them.