Wednesday Afternoon Rumors

post from MLB Fleece Factor on 05 December 2007 03:04:33 PM. © MLB Fleece Factor

Not much activity today in Nashville, compared to the last two days filled with rumors. Let’s get some thoughts together on what’s being whispered at the Winter Meetings:Jayson Starkthinks the Angels might make a run at third baseman Scott Rolen. The Dodgers are also in the mix, and we’ve heard teams like the Giants rumored [...]

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http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2007/12/05/wednesday-afternoon-rumors/

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Brief Wednesday Afternoon Rumors

post from MLB Fleece Factor on 05 December 2007 03:04:33 PM. © MLB Fleece Factor

Not much activity today in Nashville, compared to the last two days filled with rumors. Let’s get some thoughts together on what’s being whispered at the Winter Meetings:Jayson Stark thinks the Angels might make a run at third baseman Scott Rolen. The Dodgers are also in the mix, and we’ve heard teams like the Giants rumored [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2007/12/05/wednesday-afternoon-rumors/

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Rosenthal Checks In

post from MLB Fleece Factor on 05 December 2007 02:52:20 PM. © MLB Fleece Factor

Good old Ken Rosenthal checks in with some late afternoon rumors on Fox Sports. Here we go:Looks to be a little bit of a snag in the Johan to the Sox deal. At this time, it seems like other teams are going to pounce and see if they can overwhelm Minnesota and grab the star [...]

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http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2007/12/05/rosenthal-checks-in/

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Baseball Musings Radio Show

post from Baseball Musings on 05 December 2007 02:47:00 PM. © Baseball Musings

The Baseball Musings radio show will be on TPSRadio tonight at 8 PM EDT. Check out TPSRadio's other sports programming as well. Feel free to leave a question in the comments to this post or during the show in the...

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http://www.baseballmusings.com/archives/024145.php

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Destroying Award Bonuses

post from Baseball Musings on 05 December 2007 02:42:00 PM. © Baseball Musings

The Baseball Writers are taking aim at performance bonuses based on awards: The Baseball Writers' Association of America voted this morning to approve a resolution in which, starting in 2013, all contracts that have financial terms attached to major awards...

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http://www.baseballmusings.com/archives/024144.php

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Mets Back in the Mix for Johan

post from MLB Fleece Factor on 05 December 2007 02:38:27 PM. © MLB Fleece Factor

According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, Omar Minaya and the Mets are trying to throw themsleves back into the mix for Twins ace Johan Santana. Heyman suggests the Mets are still not offering SS Jose Reyes, whom the Twins have insisted upon. They could still offer any combination of Carlos Gomez, Mike Pelfrey, Phil Humber, Aaron Heilman, [...]

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http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2007/12/05/mets-back-in-the-mix-for-johan/

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Win Now Do This.

post from U.S.S. Mariner on 05 December 2007 02:31:00 PM. © U.S.S. Mariner

As I mentioned in this morning’s post, the Mariners are in win now mode - coming off an 88 win season and with jobs still on the line, building for 2009 is not an option. However, as the Tigers, Yankees, Red Sox, and Indians continue to set the bar for just what a legitimate contender looks like, the M’s have some serious ground to cover if they’re going to actually try to win it all next year. Johan Santana wouldn’t have been enough. Erik Bedard won’t be enough. This team needs to make some significant improvements at multiple positions if they’re actually going to make a run for the pennant. (Note - I don’t support this philosophy, but realize that the organization won’t do what I want them to, so at least we can try to help them do the best while pursuing a suboptimal roster building approach).

So, here’s a totally made up series of moves (please don’t call these rumors or email beat writers asking how likely these moves are - they’re fictional creations from Dave Land) that could potentially help the Mariners accomplish their goal of having to be taken at least semi-seriously in the A.L. next year.

1. Trade Adam Jones, Brandon Morrow and Jose Lopez to Baltimore for Erik Bedard and Brian Roberts.

The M’s aren’t going to get Bedard without surrendering Adam Jones, but it doesn’t make any sense to just make that move and not fix the rest of the roster. By going from Lopez to Roberts, the team takes a significant step forward at second base; Roberts is one of those ridiculously underappreciated players in the game, because his contributions (lots of doubles, walks, and good defense) are generally undervalued among talent evaluators. Like Bedard, Roberts is under contract through 2009 at a below market salary, and is just 29 years old. While the team would be trading a lot of future value, they’d be getting two guys in their primes, both under club control for two more years.

If you’re going to trade Adam Jones, this is the kind of package you have to get back.

2. Sign Geoff Jenkins to a multiyear deal.

If Jones is traded, this is almost non-negotiable; the team would have to replace him with a quality defensive outfielder or we’ll just see a repeat of last year’s debacle in the outfield.

3. Sign Bartolo Colon to a one year deal.

We’ve talked about this - it’s a good idea, and if he goes into the season as your #5 starter behind Bedard, Felix, Batista, and Washburn, the downside if he gets hurt is limited (Rowland-Smith and Baek are still around), and the upside is still there for him to move into the upper half of the rotation, removing the team’s need to potentially throw Washburn to the wolves in a playoff series.

Ideally, they’d go beyond even these moves, dealing either Sexson or Vidro and replacing Ibanez with a real outfielder as well, but that might be asking for too much. If they’re going to get serious in a deal for Bedard, however, this is the path they need to commit to going down. Bedard and Kuroda is just not enough to make them real contenders. This team needs more than that.

Adding Roberts and Jenkins to the offense would add two more bats that can swing from the left side and are a good fit for Safeco Field, while also hopefully keeping the defense at least passable, rather than the disaster it was last year.

I’d still rather the team not trade Jones in some far fetched attempt to grasp at glory, but if they’re going to do so, at least we can hope that they’ll do something like this. Don’t settle for just adding a pitcher or two - either get serious, make the team good, or hold your cards.

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http://ussmariner.com/2007/12/05/win-now-do-this/

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Rays Rotation

My latest SportingNews.com column looks at how the Garza trade improves the Rays' chances of setting a franchise record for wins in 2008. Also, check out a new feature at SportingNews.com, The Sporting Blog....

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http://www.baseballmusings.com/archives/024143.php

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Guillen could be suspended (PA SportsTicker)

BRISTOL, Connecticut (Ticker) - Jose Guillen’s debut for the Kansas City Royals could be delayed.Read the full story.

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http://mlbnewsblog.com/2007/12/05/guillen-could-be-suspended-pa-sportsticker/

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More than ever, AL in a league of its own

AL teams are snatching up the top free agents and trading for NL stars. That’s only going to increase league disparity, says Joel Sherman.Read the full story.

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http://mlbnewsblog.com/2007/12/05/more-than-ever-al-in-a-league-of-its-own/

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