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Numb1075 said:
And what's this I hear?

Steingrabber is toying w/ the idea of having A-Wad or Jeter play CF this year.:ohmy:

yea i heard that idea also... i would think jeter would adapt to center better... then move a-rod back to shortstop and pick up a solid third baseman like what they did in the mid 90s... the scotty brosios type.

it appears as if what king george the third promised... that he would leave brian cashman alone to do his job... is actually happening.

i don't know how long it'll last... but for now, all quiet on the south bronx front... which is shocking, esp. with the red sox and mets making a bunch of moves.


i've also heard that the yankees are committed to restocking their farm system... which would explain their lack of movement and the fact that they haven't tried to pick up any scraps off the marlins scrap heap... in years past they would have tried to get the entire marlins team. now they don't seem to even be attempting to get anyone... i.e. juan pierre, who would be a perfect fit for that ballclub and is exactly what they need... a young leadoff hitting centerfielder with speed and a high onbase percentage.

maybe this is cashman's way of testing his new found ammunity from the tampa faction of the yankee heirarchy. so far it's working... but i have my serious doubts as to how long until the boss decides to get involved.


the best thing cashman could do is to convince king george that the yankees are sliding down a slippery slope towards the bronx zoo of the late 80s and early 90s... where they got rid of all their minor leaguers for over-priced aging veterans with minimal success. not for nothing, with the pickup of a few solid players and perhaps another arm, the yankees roster as is should have no problem competing for the AL East title. so if they just ride out the wave, stay in contention for a few years while retooling their farm system... :shrug: perhaps they could see a repeat of the late 90s yankees... which saw most of their key players come from within the system with just a few highered guns to fill in the gaps... instead of vice versa.
 
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WOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



The Cubs just signed John Maybry!!!!!!!!!! Just give us our World Series rings now. Maybry is the missing link. The final piece of the equation. THE CUBS WILL NOW BE UNSTOPPABLE.

:|
 
i love listening to NY sports radio when they mention the "Tampa faction". it sounds so funny, like it's this conspiring, evil, clan....




Do any other teams have a "faction"? Like the Pittsburgh Pirates faction....:lmao:
 
Numb1075 said:
i love listening to NY sports radio when they mention the "Tampa faction". it sounds so funny, like it's this conspiring, evil, clan....




Do any other teams have a "faction"? Like the Pittsburgh Pirates faction....:lmao:

The Sox have "trade Manny" and "keep Manny" factions going right now :huh:
 
phanan said:


Actually Gordon has been decent the last few years, and if he's not with the Yankees anymore, that's what works for me.

gordon has been great... up until late august at which point he breaks down.

he consistantly gives up big hits in big games. i'd be more than happy if the phillies made him their new closer.
 
well Mabry's .209 batting average in August and his .103 average in September sounds perfect for the Cubs
 
The Angels have apparently offered Konerko $60M for five years. I'm not too excited about the prospect of the halos giving him $12M per year.....but, they do really need a bat.

On another note, I think the Mets are taking a huge risk giving 34-year-old Billy Wagner $10.75 million per year for four freakin' years. :tsk: That's too much for a pitcher this late in his career.


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November 29, 2005 latimes.com : Sports Print E-mail story Most e-mailed Change text size

ANGEL REPORT
Team Increases Offer to Konerko
By Mike DiGiovanna, Times Staff Writer


The Angels remain in the hunt for free-agent slugger Paul Konerko and are believed to have bumped their initial four-year offer to the Chicago White Sox first baseman to five years and about $60 million.

Konerko, who hit .283 with 40 home runs and 100 runs batted in, is expected to travel to Anaheim this week to meet with Angel officials, and he could make a decision before next week's winter meetings in Dallas.


The only other teams alive in the bidding for Konerko are the White Sox, who are reluctant to go a fifth year but, according to a team source, would do so if Konerko receives five-year proposals from other teams, and the Baltimore Orioles, who are willing to add a fifth year to their initial four-year, $50-million offer but are still long-shots to sign Konerko.

If Konerko leaves Chicago, he prefers to play on the West Coast and spend spring training near his Scottsdale, Ariz., home.

Konerko is also said to be very fond of Angel Manager Mike Scioscia and coaches Mickey Hatcher, Ron Roenicke and Alfredo Griffin, all of whom have ties to the Dodgers, the team that selected Konerko in the first round of the 1994 draft.

The Angels have also discussed a possible trade for Boston slugger Manny Ramirez, but that appears to be on the backburner while the Angels focus on Konerko.

A successful pursuit of Konerko would probably push first baseman Darin Erstad back to center field and block the path of promising first baseman Casey Kotchman.

The White Sox say re-signing Konerko remains a top priority despite their recent trade for Philadelphia first baseman Jim Thome, who is already recruiting Konerko.

"I put a call into him this weekend, but we have not talked," Thome said in a Chicago news conference Monday. "I've known Paulie for a long time…. For me, I wanted him to know from my end to come back, please."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Though the Angels don't plan to match the three-year, roughly $18-million offer the New York Mets gave to Bengie Molina, there is still a chance they could retain the free-agent catcher.

According to a source, the Angels will offer Molina salary arbitration in December.

If free-agent catcher Ramon Hernandez, who also received a three-year offer from the Mets, commits to New York first and Molina doesn't receive any other lucrative offers, Molina could accept arbitration and attempt to spin a lucrative one-year contract with the Angels into a two-year deal.

"The Angels are not out of it," said Alan Nero, Molina's agent. "They will remain in it as long as Bengie and I keep them in it."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Bo McKinnis, the agent for Paul Byrd, said the free-agent right-hander "definitely is still interested in the Angels, and [Angel General Manager] Bill Stoneman has let us know the Angels are still interested in Paul."

Byrd, who went 12-11 with a 3.74 earned-run average last season, has received two-year offers from the Orioles and Rangers, and the Angels appear willing to come up from their initial one-year offer…. The Angels extended the contracts of Roenicke (bench coach), Hatcher (hitting coach), Griffin (first-base coach) and Orlando Mercado (bullpen coach) through the 2007 season. Pitching coach Bud Black is also signed through 2007.
 
carlos delgado yesterday...
delgado.jpg


billy wagner today...
wagner.jpg


whom can tommorow bring to flushing?
manny.jpg


:drool::drool:
 
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so having signed Wagner, Pedro, Beltran and trading for Delgado and possibly Ramirez in the past couple years will the Mets finally be able to buy their way past the Braves and their farm system?
 
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Barry Bonds plans to play for the U.S. team in the World Baseball Classic in March.

The San Francisco Giants slugger has told the players' association he'll play, the The Oakland Tribune reported Wednesday.

"It's not official," agent Jeff Borris told the paper. "There are still a few details to be worked out. But he has agreed to play."

It's a promising sign for the Giants and Bonds, given that he played in only 14 games because of knee problem this season.

Union special assistant Bobby Bonilla told the Tribune that he contacted his former Pittsburgh Pirates teammate shortly after the season.

"I'm ecstatic," Bonilla told the paper. "He pretty much agreed in principle to play without hesitation. I'm just happy he's going to be a part of it.

Bonds, a seven-time NL MVP, batted .286 (12-for-42) with five home runs and 10 RBI, drawing nine walks and striking out six times in 2005.

He has 708 career homers, third on the all-time list behind Babe Ruth (714) and Hank Aaron (755), Bonds' baseball hero. Bonds homered in four straight games Sept. 16-21.

Bonds said this fall that he would like to get his playing weight down to around 200, which would mean losing approximately 40 pounds this winter. He was at 185 as a rookie in 1986, but hasn't been close to that in years.

of course what isn't mentioned in this article is that if bonds were in fact to play in this tournament he would be subjected to international doping rules... and one would guess that they would waste no time in testng him.


this season is going to go a long way in figuring out what bonds' legacy will be... the steroid allegations will forever hover around his name... but if he plays in this international tournament and goes through a year of strict steroid testing in MLB and has great success... people will be forced to back off a bit and just respect him for the great hitter that he is. if he has a sub-par year, even despite the fact that he's comming off a serious knee injury, the steroid questions will only linger, forever tarnishing what is the greatest offensive player most of us will ever see.
 
pub crawler said:


"The Angels are not out of it," said Alan Nero, Molina's agent. "They will remain in it as long as Bengie and I keep them in it."


This sounds like such a cocky, d-bag typical agent comment.
 
Headache in a Suitcase said:


this season is going to go a long way in figuring out what bonds' legacy will be... the steroid allegations will forever hover around his name... but if he plays in this international tournament and goes through a year of strict steroid testing in MLB and has great success... people will be forced to back off a bit and just respect him for the great hitter that he is. if he has a sub-par year, even despite the fact that he's comming off a serious knee injury, the steroid questions will only linger, forever tarnishing what is the greatest offensive player most of us will ever see.

Yeah, but he'll still be an asshole. :wink:
 
Yes, the White Sox re-signed Paul Konerko!! They're giving him $60 million over 5 years, which is certainly a lot, but is actually less than what the Angels and Orioles offered him. Things are looking good for a repeat next year! :drool:
 
The White Sox are certainly going to be a favorite to repeat now. Their pitching is intact and they have a good 1-2 punch in the middle of the lineup with Konerko and Thome, provided Thome is healthy again.
 
Numb1075 said:
who plays 1b? Konerko or Thome?

Konerko. He's way underrated defensively. He may not be the fastest guy in baseball, but he's as good as anyone at catching the ball at first base.
 
big moves by the yankees...

George Steinbrenner can be patient for only so long. According to two people familiar with the situation, The Boss has become antsy about the Yankees' lack of signings, and recently sent word north that he wants something done soon.

The Yankees, in turn, reacted quickly, and were on their way last night to signing Kyle Farnsworth to what is believed to be a three-year contract worth about $17 million.

Farnsworth, who must undergo a physical before signing, has begun spreading the news of his decision. Braves general manager John Schuerholz told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution yesterday, "We offered a three-year deal and were prepared to stay engaged in the negotiations, but we were told that he had decided to go to New York as a setup guy."

The Yankees' negotiations with Farnsworth intensified Monday after GM Brian Cashman was said to have spent much of the holiday weekend reaching out to the agents for the relievers who the Yankees are interested in.

That was at least partly because Steinbrenner was getting impatient after seeing several relievers spurn the Yankees, then having to sit back and watch the Mets acquire Carlos Delgado and sign Billy Wagner and the Red Sox trade for Josh Beckett.

The Yankees began this week intent on addressing their bullpen, and they dreamed of pairing Farnsworth and Tom Gordon in front of Mariano Rivera. But team officials yesterday were resigned to the fact that the chances of that are slim.

By giving a lucrative three-year deal to Farnsworth, taking another closer off the market, Gordon figures to be in high demand as teams scramble for a closer. The Phillies have been his most aggressive suitor, and the Orioles and Tigers called him yesterday.

The Yankees, meanwhile, announced yesterday they have signed catcher Kelly Stinnett to a one-year, $650,000 contract to be Jorge Posada's backup.

Stinnett has more pop in his bat than John Flaherty did, and also has a prior working relationship with Randy Johnson, having caught him in 1999 and 2000 with the Diamondbacks.

The Yankees plan to give Posada another chance to build a stronger relationship with Johnson, and they now have a backup plan.

"We're not pen pals, but we can cross paths and we'll talk," Stinnett said yesterday of his relationship with Johnson. "I thought we worked well together. I had a good sense of what he wanted to do, and I don't think he has changed much since then."

Stinnett had Tommy John surgery in 2004, and stressed that his right elbow feels "as strong as it ever has." The Yankees flew him in Tuesday to have an extensive physical and none of the results overly alarmed them.

Stinnett, 35, came up with the Mets in 1994 and has played for six teams. He batted .248 (32-for-129) with six home runs and 12 RBIs in 59 games for the Diamondbacks last season. The Yankees also spoke to Todd Pratt about the job.

kyle farnsworth and kelly stinnet... woooooweee. the yanks are back in action!
 
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