Quote:
Originally Posted by Orcin
December 10, 2007 (BNN)
Subject: Winter Meetings Begin
The flights have arrived, the check-in at the hotel has been completed and the bags have been unpacked. With that, the annual congregation known as the Continental Baseball Association Winter Meetings can now begin in earnest. General Managers from across the league will engage in three days of talks, and fans, reporters and rival ball clubs will all await the developments with keen anticipation. Trade and contract talk will no doubt be heard almost everywhere a team GM can be found and the close proximity of so many club officials will make for rapid feedback on any proposals.
12/10/2007: The San Diego Stallions and Charlotte Knights opened the meetings with another big trade. The Stallions swapped 31-year-old 1B Alejandro Fernández and $3 million in cash to the Knights, getting 25-year-old LF Ed Hayes and 19-year-old minor league CF Kurt McNee, an outstanding prospect, in return. Lifetime Fernández is batting .283 and has hit 138 home runs. Hayes is batting .308 with 49 home runs and 201 RBIs in three years as a starter.
12/10/2007: Milwaukee signed closer Rafael Salinas to a 2-year contract worth $26 million. It is a very curious move considering that the Eagles already have top closer David Hanna (40SV, 1.46 ERA in 2007). Salinas will apparently be a setup man.
12/11/2007: The Louisville Colonels made two minor but important trades today. More information about those deals will be provided in the next couple of posts.
12/12/2007: Washington signed 41-year-old Jonathan Thomas to a one-year contract for $6 million. The Admirals are apparently planning to play Thomas at shortstop, where he is rated slightly higher than a statue in range.
A few other minor trades were completed during the meetings, but nothing that will change the competitive landscape. The team to watch so far in the off-season is Orlando with their free agent acquisition of batting champion Brock Richardson.
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Given the work I've put into my schedule this week this as nice to read. Meaning now I have a better handle on how to report my winter activity. With no history when I started I felt it was important for 'fans' (if any really read the thread) to get to 'know' the stars.
I'm still flummoxed that I didn't realize one of the early Koufax contenders was a knuckleballer....... You can miss so much of the 'cool' stuff if you don't stop to smell the roses in this game.