Ken Griffey Sr. Fab Five Card #2 1976 Topps

post from 30-Year Old Cardboard on 08 November 2012 02:50:20 PM. © 30-Year Old Cardboard

Ken Griffey Sr. ?Fab Five? ? Card #2 – 1976 Topps Now that my Ken Griffey Sr. player collection is complete, it is time to show of my favorite five cards from the set. Card #2 – 1976 Topps Ken Griffey had … Continue reading →

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Red Sox considering Tino Martinez as their next
hitting coach

post from Bronx Baseball Daily on 08 November 2012 02:14:51 PM. © Bronx Baseball Daily

[...]

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Sherman: Yanks not in on Justin Upton

post from Sliding Into Home: A Yankees Blog on 08 November 2012 02:01:47 PM. © Sliding Into Home: A Yankees Blog

From Joel Sherman:

The Yankees are so serious about dropping under that $189 million luxury tax threshold for 2014 that, according to a source briefed on their plans, they would not even do a two-year contract in the $20 million range with Torii Hunter, The Post has learned.

Though Arizona?s Justin Upton has become available at the GM Meetings, a person involved in discussions said, ?The Yankees are not on him.?

...

Upton, a talented, but enigmatic player, has three years at $38.5 million left on his contract and would count as just $8.54 million (the average annual value of his deal) toward the luxury tax payroll. Nevertheless, even committing those kind of dollars plus the cost-effective prospects necessary to land a player of Upton?s ilk currently is against the Yankees strategy. The Rangers and Rays (who are losing Upton?s brother, B.J., to free agency) were considered the early favorites to get Justin Upton, according to a person involved in talks.

The Yankees want to solve right field by committing as few (maybe zero) dollars to 2014 as possible. In fact, if they need to go to two years to keep Kuroda (which they might not agree to do either), it would all but assure not one cent of 2014 money is put toward right field.

Because the Yankees have become a place veterans like to play because of the promise of championship contention and a large bloc of like-minded, similar-aged players, Hunter could follow the lead of vets such as Eric Chavez and Raul Ibanez and spurn better offers to play in The Bronx on a one-year deal.

I still can't figure out how the Yankees expect to compete and get the salary under that $189M mark. Either way, I don't mind the Yanks passing on Upton or Hunter if he actually demands two years. I still think the best move would be to bring back Ichiro on a one-year deal if that's possible.

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Red Sox Looking At Tino For Hitting Coach Job

post from Sliding Into Home: A Yankees Blog on 08 November 2012 02:01:47 PM. © Sliding Into Home: A Yankees Blog

I think I speak for every Yankee fan out there when I say don't do it, Tino.

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Cashman Believes Pettitte Wants to Play

post from Sliding Into Home: A Yankees Blog on 08 November 2012 02:01:47 PM. © Sliding Into Home: A Yankees Blog

From Jon Lane:

Pettitte, who ended his one-year retirement during Spring Training, continues to mull his immediate future and stated he?ll make a decision sooner rather than later. Speaking with reporters at this week?s general manager meetings, Yankees GM Brian Cashman shared details of a conversation that didn?t reveal answers, but he?s holding on to hope that the veteran left-hander will help anchor the rotation for at least one more season.

?I talked to Andy a few days after we got eliminated,? Cashman said. ?In that conversation, he was going to take his family away, his son was playing in a tournament. He just said he?s going to take some time, talk to his family.

?It wasn?t going to take long. I didn?t ask how long ?long? was, but he?ll call me. I?m not going to push him. He?ll let me know when he?s made a final decision about whatever he?s choosing to do. I hope he plays. I believe that it?s in his blood that he wants to play. I believe that, but it doesn?t guarantee anything. But I think he wants to play, and I?m hoping he?ll call and tell me that.?

I'm not really sure why Cashman feels this way, but I'm sure he knows how Andy's thinks. Let's hope he's right.

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Thursday's Houston Astros Hot Stove Report

post from The Crawfish Boxes - All Posts on 08 November 2012 02:01:41 PM. © The Crawfish Boxes - All Posts

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The hot stove league is in full swing, so I thought we could touch base on some of the topics therein and how they affect our hometown nine. Not sure how regularly we'll get to this, but for now, enjoy all sorts of rumors and other juicy news from around the league...

Jason Bay is bought out by the Mets - The erstwhile slugger was never a fit in New York, suffering through injuries and the cavern that is Citi Field. However, as soon as he was bought out, Cee Angi and some other smart people started connecting him to Houston's open DH position. He'd certainly come cheap, but can Houston afford to give that job to someone with as unreliable an injury history as Bay?

Jose Valverde would be interested in coming back to Houston - This is from further back. While the immediate answer is, "No, no, no, no, for the love of all things holy, no," this report got me wondering. Will free agents try to use the knowledge that Houston has both spots in the lineup and money to spend to try and drive up their own prices? Valverde may have interest in Houston, but only to up his price tag and not to actually pitch here. It's something that bears watching this winter.

Trevor Bauer is available - This shocking piece of Diamondbacks news was going to be an item in Friday's Three Things, but I'm stealing it for here. Basically, if Arizona is putting Bauer on the market, how high does Houston's offer have to go to get him? Who would you be willing to part with? Here are some of the deals I brainstormed last night:

Bauer for McCullers and Villar

Bauer for Paredes, Villar and Brady Rodgers

Bauer for Altuve

Bauer for Jed Lowrie

Bauer for Bud Norris and McCullers

As you can see, there aren't many players I wouldn't include in a deal here. To me, the list of untouchables is Correa, Singleton and Springer. That's it. Anyone else on the team or in the system is fair game, because I think Bauer can be a true ace for a team, and be that relatively quickly. The one thing Houston doesn't have in the system is a pitcher with true ace upside. So, if Bauer really is available, they need to make that happen.

Justin Upton is too - This one, I'm more intrigued about than interested from an Astros perspective. While Upton would fill a hole in the Astros outfield, my sense is that George Springer could produce at roughly the same levels Upton has in his non-breakout years pretty soon, and be cheaper for the near future too. It sounds like Upton may actually get traded this time, so I'll be interested to follow how it shakes out.

How well do GMs predict the winter? - This is a great story from Sam Miller over at Baseball Prospectus on Jerry Crasnick's yearly article asking GMs and front office types to predict the market. How well did they do? Turns out, those GMs and front office types may be smart, but they can't predict the market any better than a coin flip. Which makes sense, because if smart people could figure out something with as much randomness and human elements in it as free agency or the trade market, then they'd be on Wall Street making a billion dollars a year.

Mariners in on Hamilton - Our new neighbors in the AL West are apparently big game hunting once again. A year after the M's lost out on Prince Fielder, they are apparently focused on Josh Hamilton. The Orioles are too, but I'm greeted with a hefty dose of skepticism on both fronts. How many times have we seen big ticket free agents linked to those two teams? How many have actually landed there? My guess is that Hamilton will be leaving the AL West this winter, and possibly the AL entirely.

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-report-rumors-trades-free-agency

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2012 BtBWAA Awards: NL Rookie of the Year: Bryce
Harper

post from Beyond the Box Score - All Posts on 08 November 2012 12:03:10 PM. © Beyond the Box Score - All Posts

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During the last week of the 2012 MLB season, 10 writers from Beyond the Box Score joined forces to create the greatest collaboration of baseball minds the world has ever known [citation needed]. This elite organization, known only as the BtBWAA, was formed for one and only one purpose: To conduct a player awards vote in which the truly meritorious take home the coveted hardware.

We've already announced our picks for MLB Executive of the Year, Silver Sluggers (AL, NL), and Gold Gloves (AL, NL). This week, we turned our attention to the Rookies of the Year. We've already covered the AL, so it's time to turn our attention to the National League.

Before we get to the results, a few words on the process. Voting began on October 1 (after 159 games had been played) and continued until October 5, with the balloting closing before the first playoff games started. Each writer voted for three candidates, with voting scored Each writer voted for three candidates, with ballots scored on a 5-3-1 basis.

Without further ado, here are the results:

Mlb-rookie-of-the-year-btbwaa-nl_medium

The unanimity continues! Bryce Harper pulls a Mike Trout and goes 10-for-10 with the BtBWAA. Wade Miley gets the silver, getting eight second-place votes and third-place nods from the rest. Mike Fiers barely edges out Norichika Aoki for the bronze, while Todd Frazier and Matt Harvey get a single vote each.

Full disclosure: I voted for Harper, Miley, Aoki, in that order.

Poll

Who's your NL Rookie of the Year?

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Sabathia doesnt want to see his innings limited

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Happy Birthday Giancarlo Stanton!!

Happy Birthday Giancarlo Stanton!! Giancarlo Stanton turns 23 years old today. In a very short amount of time, Giancarlo Stanton has become the centerpiece of the Miami Marlins run production unit. Batting anywhere from 4-6 in the batting order, Stanton … Continue reading →

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If it was Upton to me

A brief break from pitcher WAR to talk about free agent center fielders Michael Bourn and BJ Upton, a pairRead the Rest...

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