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#21 |
Major Leagues
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Philadelphia
Posts: 410
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will also be following this one. great stuff so far
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#22 |
Minors (Rookie Ball)
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Kansas City, MO
Posts: 24
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This sounds awesome. I will be following along to.
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#23 |
Minors (Double A)
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 147
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Josh Byrnes from San Diego called; More Rule V protections
I received a call from Josh Byrnes with the Padres to discuss a potential landing spot for Chris Denorfia - an aging (33) outfielder that doesn't bring much to the table, other than good plate discipline. He doesn't hit for power and really isn't much to speak of defensively at either corner outfield position. He isn't looking for much in return for him. He mentioned a low-minors shortstop, Kenny Peoples-Walls, who played last season in Johnson City (rookie) where he only received 17 at-bats. Again, the price isn't high - he's just looking to dump him. He mentioned that Denorfia is unhappy with his playing time. I simply told him that we really aren't interested in him taking up a bench spot on our club if he can't really be relied on for more than spot pinch-hitting duties. He understood. "But...while I have you on the phone..."
That's another Mo trait that I'm trying to adopt. When you have an opposing decision-maker on the phone and the conversation isn't something you are interested in - find something that does interest you. Because, he still called you. When you make a call, reaching out - you lose a little leverage. Now, it doesn't mean they are just going to give you what you want - but why not shift the conversation? So, after taking a quick glance at their roster, I was interested in Alexi Amarista, a short-statured (5' 8", 150 lbs) Venezuelan, who, at 24 years of age brings a lot to the table. He can play multiple positions, according to my report (2B, LF, CF, RF, SS) and all fairly well. He is fast, though, not a true base-stealer (7-for-10 in 2013). Now, he's the kind of guy I'd love to fill my bench with. He said that he is as disinterested in trading Amarista (for the exact reasons I mentioned above) as I was interested in taking Denorfia off his hands. So, with that, the call ended. @KenRosenhaus Teams filling up those 40-man rosters in anticipation of the Dec. 12th Rule V Draft. Unprotected players can be snatched up. @Mets The Mets have released OF Chris Pettit and added OF Matt Den Dekker to the 40-man roster. @Royals_Report #Royals protect 2B Elliot Johnson and SS Orlando Calixte by adding them to the 40-man roster. Now at 32. ANGELS ADD FOUR TO 40-MAN ROSTER MLB.com The Angels today announced the addition of four players to their 40-man roster. RHP Elvin Ramirez, LHP Michael Roth, C Jett Bandy and 3B Kaleb Cowart are the four who are no longer eligible to be drafted onto another teams active roster for the 2014 season. I have upgraded to version 14.6.33 Last edited by OOTPRealTime; 11-27-2013 at 12:01 PM. Reason: I figured out how to change the Rule V draft day to the actual date of 12/12 after the Winter Meetings. |
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#24 |
Minors (Double A)
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 147
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Thanks to all who are following so far/already. I really appreciate it. I am always up for hearing thoughts on how to improve the report and/or your thoughts on in-game strategy. So, please know your feedback is welcomed here!
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#25 |
All Star Starter
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,452
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The tweets are a nice touch and a convenient way of getting national headlines out there in a brief yet entertaining manner. If you know how to do screen grabs, it might be a good idea to post each team's front page during your divisional recaps. It will display team ranks, lineups, and rotations in a visually appealing way.
Keep up the great work! And let me be the first to thank you.
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Catch me on Twitch.tv as Dr. Dynastic (drdynastic) Previous OOTP Dynasties: SimNation Fictional Universe (est. 1889) This is Oakland A's Baseball Beane Counting: The Oakland A's |
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#26 | |
Minors (Double A)
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 147
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Quote:
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#27 |
All Star Starter
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,452
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Other than getting Photoshop, I'm out of ideas. I'm sure people on these forums have some great freeware for screenshots and editing photos.
__________________
Catch me on Twitch.tv as Dr. Dynastic (drdynastic) Previous OOTP Dynasties: SimNation Fictional Universe (est. 1889) This is Oakland A's Baseball Beane Counting: The Oakland A's |
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#28 | |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Medfield, Mass
Posts: 5,509
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Quote:
Sure it will, I have the exact same setup. Paste, then scroll right, your 2nd screen will come up (or scroll left, depending on which is #1 monitor) Been doing my league for 25 years with dual monitors and paint ![]()
__________________
The Chicago Iron Pigs 2012-2024 The IBL's first 13 years The Alaska Avalanche 2024-2030 Moving on to my birthplace The San Antonio Silver Stars 2030-2034 From one big state, Alaska, to another, Texas! ![]() |
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#29 |
Minors (Double A)
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 147
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Happy Thanksgiving
Thanks for the help with the screenshots! Got it to work. I'm going back and updating each team with those screens on the past posts and will include them for the four remaining divisions to profile.
Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving! OFF-SEASON OUTLOOKS: NL CENTRAL MLB.com - By: Matthew Lurch This is the third of six outlook pieces dedicated to recapping the 2013 season and previewing the off-seasons for MLB clubs. This time, we’ll take a look at the suddenly ultra-competitive National League Central division. ![]() 2013 Recap: Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer really have their work cut out for them. They knew that when they took the job. The season wasn’t completely a lost cause as they got a good look at their future in shortstop Starlin Castro (.319-9-73-.820 OPS) and first baseman Anthony Rizzo (.274-24-78) while mapping out how to put the pieces around them to provide the North-siders a winner. The offense as a whole was abysmal, hitting just .239 as a team, posting a .294 on-base percentage - two factors that led to yielding just 591 runs scored - dead last in the National League. The pitching wasn’t much better and to make matters worse, the top two from the rotation - Matt Garza and Scott Feldman - are both free agents. They are left with Jeff Samardzija (11-13, 4.32), Edwin Jackson (8-13, 4.04), Carlos Villanueva (11-11, 4.56) and Travis Wood (2-3, 4.50) as their top four going into the off-season. Closer Kyuji Fujikawa made his debut and converted 30 saves, while posting a 2.23 ERA, despite a 1.45 WHIP and 40 free passes in 72.2 innings pitched. At 33 years old, how much longer can that be counted on? The new regime must find a way to improve upon the 70-win season and make the wait not seem so long for top prospects Jorge Soler and Javier Baez to join the Cubs. Quite possibly the biggest disappointment for the Cubs in 2013 was the fact that they weren’t able to unload high-priced and under-performing Alfonso Soriano. His $18 Million is still on the books for 2014. ![]() Off-Season Outlook Free Agents: SP Matt Garza; SP Scott Feldman; C Dioner Navarro; MR Carlos Marmol; MR Scott Baker; MR Shawn Camp; OF David DeJesus; MR Hisinori Takahashi; 3B Ian Stewart; OF Nate Schierholtz Obviously, the loss of Garza and Feldman hurts the rotation, but none of the other names on this list are anything other than good riddances. If Epstein/Hoyer are going to re-build this roster - they’ll need to do it via the draft and through prospects. Right now, this roster looks like a bad dream. ![]() 2013 Recap: The National League Champions from 2013 lived up to expectations and fell just short in Game seven of the World Series to the Texas Rangers. They weren’t overwhelmingly good in the regular season, winning 90 games - but when that is put under the microscope and seeing that the NL Central was the toughest and deepest in all of baseball - 90 wins is quite an accomplishment. The breezed through the Giants 3-0 and the Nationals 4-1 en route to the Fall Classic. They even came back to Great American Ballpark with a 3-2 series lead. They lost a heart-breaker to Yu Darvish, 1-0 in Game Six and Lance Berkman’s two homers in Game Seven off Mike Leake left little doubt that the Rangers were finally going to avenge 2011 and win it all. This team does it with the long ball on offense - blasting an NL-best 200 homers. Jay Bruce (44), Joey Votto (33), Todd Frazier (22), Shin-Soo Choo (19) and Brandon Phillips (17) all contributed to that number. The call-up of Billy Hamilton as their lead-off man early in the season led to 73 stolen bases - caught just six times. Adding that element of speed to the power already in the lineup - that’s just difficult to contend with. Throw in a five-deep solid rotation with Johnny Cueto, Mat Latos, Mike Leake, Homer Bailey and newcomer Tony Cingrani to the mix - you have the makings of a pennant-winning ball club. Dusty Baker led them to the promised land and many thought he would go out on top. After the difficult loss in the Series - he decided to come back and is determined to make it happen in 2014. There isn’t much to indicate that they won’t be right back there come October. ![]() Off-Season Outlook Free Agents: SP Bronson Arroyo; MR Manny Parra; OF Shin-Soo Choo; INF Cesar Izturis; P Dontrelle Willis; MR Nick Masset; MR Alfredo Simon. The loss of Arroyo is immediately covered by Cingrani. Losing Choo will hurt, but they always have the ability to put Hamilton in the outfield to help ease that loss. There is still plenty of power in this lineup. I don’t expect the Reds to go out and spend a boatload of money to replace either major contributor they are losing. The losses of Parra, Masset and Simon in the bullpen could be a minor problem, but GM Walt Jocketty already trade a minor-league arm in Nick Travieso to the Phillies for Justin De Fratus. Perhaps the biggest move they’ll make all off-season is the hiring of former Cardinals pitching guru Dave Duncan to lead the staff to a new level. ![]() 2013 Recap: Many expected the Brewers to finish in fourth place in the NL Central in 2013. They would have been right. But none expected them to be just three games back of winning the division. 87 wins should never be a fourth place club - but, that was the landscape in the division this year. They just seemed to run out of gas in September, posting a 12-15 record and fading off at the end. Ryan Braun put up MVP-like numbers, hitting .305 with 41 homers and 129 driven in. Carlos Gomez took the next step and hit .271 with 21 bombs and 41 steals in the leadoff spot. Perhaps the biggest (and less expected) contribution came from Rickie Weeks who belted 31 jacks, drove in 88, while hitting his usual .245 this year. In the rotation, Kyle Lohse was a welcome addition (15-9, 3.31) to go along with Yovani Gallardo’s 15-7 with a 3.56 ERA. They got 14 wins from Mike Fiers and Wily Peralta chipped in as the fifth starter. A mid-season trade with Arizona for Trevor Cahill netted them 11 starts, four wins and a 3.76 ERA. They played sparkling defense and could have won the division if not for a few bad bounces towards the end. Oh, and the real reason they didn’t - the bullpen. Their 4.39 bullpen ERA was dead last in all of baseball. John Axford fell off the face of the earth (5.32 ERA, 1.53 WHIP) and other than their eventual closer Mike Gonzalez (36 saves, 3.30 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) - nobody in the bullpen was worth a thing. Even Gonzalez blew six saves, add three for Burke Badenhop, three for Brandon Kintzler and two for both Chris Narveson and Tom Gorzellany - this team just couldn’t finish games. ![]() Off-Season Outlook Free Agents: 1B/OF Corey Hart; 3B Yuniesky Betancourt; CL Mike Gonzalez; 1B Alex Gonzalez and MR John Axford. So, the one bright spot in the miserable bullpen is now a free agent, huh? There is no question, the focus on this off-season will be re-building that bullpen. The loss of Corey Hart will hurt, but this team has enough bats to keep up offensively. It will be interesting to see the course of action taken by Doug Melvin to give manager Ron Roenicke a team to win with. ![]() 2013 Recap: The drought continues for the Pittsburgh Pirates, making it now 21 years since their last playoff appearance. However, their 87 wins this year is the most since that 96-win season of 1992. They just fell short in the division by three games and missed the wild-card game by just two. Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte and Pedro Alvarez paced the offense that features a nice blend of power and speed. The pitching was just OK and can be pointed to as the reason for the shortcoming in 2013. Like the Brewers, the bullpen posted a sub-par 3.41 ERA (10th in the NL). Before setup man Mark Melancon handling the eitgth and closer Jason Grilli in the ninth - the Buccos struggled to find consistency. Also, similar to the Brewers, it was a dismal September that cost them. They went 10-17 in the final month and limped to a 2-8 finish with a 10-game losing streak mixed in there. On the transactions front, they made a push by trading for talented but struggling Cleveland starter Justin Masterson at the deadline. He went 1-2 with a 4.41 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in five starts. He will be in the rotation in 2014, likely as the No. 2 starter after resurgent Francisco Liriano, who re-discovered his stuff, winning 13 games to go with a low 3.08 ERA. ![]() Off-Season Outlook Free Agents: SP A.J. Burnett; SP Wandy Rodriguez; SS John McDonald; SP Johnathan Sanchez; MR Kevin Gregg; 3B Brandon Inge; MR Jose Contreras; SS Clint Barmes. If the Pirates hope to keep pace with the rest of the division, GM Neil Huntington will need to find quality pieces to replace two 16-game winners in the rotation - A.J. Burnett and Wandy Rodriguez. Expect them to be aggressive in the starting pitching market this off-season. The lineup remains in tact and potent with five 20+ home run hitters returning (McCutchen, Alvarez, Neil Walker, Garrett Jones and Russell Martin). ![]() 2013 Recap: The Cardinals were the third team that just missed out on the post-season party in the NL Central. Again, winning 88 games usually nets you a spot in the post-season, but not this time. The Cardinals offense was largely inconsistent, while the front end of the rotation held them above water. Rookie Michael Wacha busted on the scene and was arguably better than "ace" Adam Wainwright. Wainwright suffered through a tough April before settling down and largely dominated the rest of the way. Another youngster, closer Trevor Rosenthal led all of baseball with 49 saves and the bullpen, while inconsistent, was overall solid. Carlos Beltran delivered in his final year of a two-year pact in St. Louis - hitting .273 with a team-leading 25 home runs and 81 RBI. The team was hoping for more from recently extended slugger Allen Craig, who hit just .245 with 23 homers and just 58 RBI. The consistent Cardinals played each month at or above .500 - but lacked that prolonged winning streak to create any separation in the division. ![]() Off-Season Outlook Free Agents: RF Carlos Beltran; OF Bobby Abreu; SS Freddy Sanchez; MR Edward Mujica; MR Jake Westbrook; SP Chris Carpenter; SS Rafael Furcal. It's clear that the focus this off-season for new GM Parker Campbell is replacing the lost offense provided by Carlos Beltran. An already inconsistent offense could take another step back without finding his successor. Some believe that top prospect Oscar Taveras could step into that role, but he is young and unproven. Shortstop is another key position that will likely be addressed this off-season with Pete Kozma (.230) and Ryan Jackson (.200) struggling at the plate in 2013. |
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#30 |
All Star Starter
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: at the New Moon
Posts: 1,644
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ummmm, amazing...have had similar aspirations but have not had luck or time to pull it off...wishing you the best in your climb!!!
__________________
"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." -Rogers Hornsby |
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#31 |
Minors (Double A)
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 147
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Turkey Day Trade
@BubbaOlmey I'm being told there is a trade agreement between #Nats and #Padres. SD has been shopping Anthony Bass.
@JohnHeyman Looks like Anthony Bass headed to #Nationals for a prospect. ... PADRES AND NATIONALS AGREE TO SWAP Padres trade RHP Anthony Bass to Nationals for OF prospect Michael Taylor MLB.com - by: Matthew Lurch The Padres and General Manager Josh Byrnes were looking to cash in on Anthony Bass' five-start audition in San Diego in September. A five-start stretch that included three of them with zero earned runs allowed at Pittsburgh, at home against the Dodgers and then at San Francisco. His overall numbers in the big leagues from 2013 were 4-3 with a 2.08 ERA and 0.87 WHIP. Nationals GM Mike Rizzo has seen enough and was willing to part with outfield prospect Michael Taylor to add Bass to a rotation now void of Dan Haren and Ross Detwiler. "We were hoping to fill one of the rotation spots via the trade market and after an exhaustive search, we are happy to land a pitcher like Anthony," said Rizzo. The Nationals can now turn their focus on one of the big-name free agents to round out their rotation, but Rizzo isn't showing his hand. "We haven't committed to filling that other spot in the rotation via free agency or trade. We'll continue to take a look at the free agent market and how it evolves and keep our eye on the landscape for possible trades." Byrnes had this to say regarding the deal: "It's tough to trade a pitcher of Anthony's caliber, but we are excited to add to our outfield depth in our system with Michael." Taylor, 22, played 2013 between Lo-A Potomac and Hi-A Hagerstown, hitting .260 with 13 homers, 64 RBI and 20 steals. He is an excellent defensive player in center field, another attractive trait to Byrnes with the wide expanse in that area of Petco Park. He was a South Atlantic League All-Star and MiLB Gold Glove recipient. Last edited by OOTPRealTime; 11-28-2013 at 12:14 PM. |
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#32 | |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: NC
Posts: 4,934
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Quote:
I have Snipping Tool locked onto my Taskbar because I use it so much, especially for my dynasty.
__________________
Fan of LSU sports (especially baseball and football), New Orleans Saints, New Orleans Pelicans, and Atlanta Braves (Dale Murphy for the HOF!). Current dynasties: Fallout 4's Commonwealth Baseball Organization Completed dynasty: Fallout: New Vegas' Mojave Baseball League Uniforms: My custom uniforms |
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#33 |
Major Leagues
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 435
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Great dynasty! One of the most in-depth ones I've read on here so far. Looking forward to reading some more.
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#34 |
Minors (Double A)
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 147
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Free agency update and meeting with the skipper
StLee -- That’s great! I’ll be using that for sure from now on. Thanks!
One thing I want to make sure to do is keep in constant contact with the Manager, Mike Matheny. He’ll have some say in the moves we make and it makes total sense to be on the same page. I called Mike and asked him to meet with me so we could get caught up on some of the irons we have in the fire and to get his thoughts on what he would like to see from this roster heading into 2014. We still haven’t heard anything back from either Joel Hanrahan or Jose Molina yet - our two offers that are outstanding at the moment. It’s not a surprise - most are in wait-and-see mode and we low-balled both of them to an extent. I let Mike know of those two offers and he was happy to hear we would be looking to upgrade the bullpen. He’s of the Tony La Russa mold when it comes to bullpen usage - so the more toys he has to play with - the happier he is. He mentioned that he’d love to add the missing element of speed to the roster in 2014. I was thinking along the same lines. If we aren’t going to find a replacement for Beltran - we’ll need to do something different. Having a true leadoff man who is a threat on the basepaths would be something Mike hasn’t had in his first two years at the helm. I told him I would ask around to see if we could find that player. He mentioned Coco Crisp as a possibility. The question remains with Coco is if he is a true everyday player and at age 34 - he may be on the downturn. He also was questioning if we could rely on Oscar Taveras in right field from day one. Competition is a good thing in Spring camp and we do intend to provide some. He flat out asked if we would be pursuing Corey Hart. I told him that we have a call in to him but right now the asking price is a bit ridiculous ($18 Million / 8 years). He scoffed at that. We do expect that to come down as time goes on - so we’ll wait it out. Most likely, with Jon Jay still in the fold, we’ll add one bat to the fold - one who can play right field - and play it well. If Jay leaves via trade, we may be looking to add a couple of players. Of course, shortstop came up. I informed him of our thoughts on Leury Garcia, Alexei Ramirez and possibly looking more the free agency route with a player like Yunel Escobar. I told him what it would take to get both Garcia and Ramirez in a trade. For Garcia, we’re looking at Jay, Lance Lynn OR Jaime Garcia and possibly a Tyrell Jenkins. He cringed at that price. For Ramirez, we’re looking at a straight up deal for Lynn or J. Garcia. That was more palatable. I asked him what he thought of Shelby in the rotation - he said he’d like to see him there but he’d like to have competition there also when we had to Jupiter. We were talking a lot about depth and being able to deal with injuries. That’s the main reason he would rather go with Escobar on the free agent market, rather than give up Jay and/or a starting pitcher to get a shortstop. It was a productive discussion. Immediately after Mike left the office, I received a call from Ed Greenberg who represents Johan Santana. He said that we were on Johan’s shortlist of teams he’d like to sign with. He said they have five teams that could have his services at a one-year, reduced rate as he tries to prove he can overcome the injuries and get one more big contract. That was a bit intriguing. I asked who the other four teams were and he said he couldn’t divulge that but mentioned two of them are in the division - so, by process of elimination it is Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. I then asked which number we were in line for calls. He said first. I’m assuming that means we are number one on his list. I asked what it would take to get him locked up and avoid those other calls. He said he also couldn’t do that - but that whoever he signs with - it won’t be more than a $3 Million price tag. Again, this isn’t about money - he’s using this as an opportunity to get back on the horse, prove he is healthy and get a contract afterwards. He is now 34 years old. This was an interesting development. Johan wasn’t really on my radar but signing him at a low price could provide a great value and starting pitching depth. If it doesn’t work out - oh well, we are out a few million dollars. This would also give some flexibility if we do decide later to include Lynn or Garcia in a deal. BubbaOlmey The #Indians are close to signing Colby Lewis my sources are telling me. JohnHaymay #Indians have indeed signed Colby Lewis, waiting on financial terms. MLBDepthCharts Updated #Indians rotation projection after signing of Colby Lewis. http://bit.mlbdc.342 ... INDIANS PROJECTED 2014 ROTATION 1. RHP Colby Lewis 2. RHP Trevor Bauer 3. RHP Zach McAllister 4. RHP Carlos Carrasco 5. RHP Josh Tomlin KenRosenhaus #Indians strike first in free agency - land SP Colby Lewis. First reported by @BubbaOlmey This is a good example of why waiting too long to make things happen can really hurt. We lose most of our leverage with the Indians in a potential deal that includes Dorssys Paulino for a starting pitcher, since they signed Colby Lewis. Then again, they could still upgrade over some of the other names in their rotation - but this may move them out of the market. I'll call to check in, but not right away. Don't want to seem desperate. Last edited by OOTPRealTime; 11-29-2013 at 09:52 AM. |
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#35 |
Minors (Double A)
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 147
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Colby Lewis Deal; More Texas talks
@JohnHeyman Colby Lewis deal is 2-years; $28.1 Million. 8-9, 3.68 ERA, 1.19 WHIP last year. #Indians
@BubbaOlmey Lewis gets $14 Million/per for his age 35 and 36 seasons. Not bad. #Indians @KenRosenhaus #Cubs sign RHP Alfredo Simon to compete for bullpen job. 2-years, $1.38 Million. I heard from Jon Daniels in Texas today - I was hoping it was going to be the price coming down on Leury Garcia. It wasn't. He called to let me know that they are officially shopping Alexi Ogando, who has officially fallen out of favor in Arlington. I told him thanks for the heads up and that I would do my due diligence and get back to him. Ogando is actually an intriguing option. He can start or relieve and still has a dynamic arm. The numbers haven't been there but the potential is. I asked Dan to put together a scouting report and report back. Daniels mentioned he was going to make a decision very soon so to get him a list. By a "list" he is referring to is a group of players we'd be willing to part with in a one-for-one deal. He's getting those lists from just about every team. He'll take the best one he gets. He said they are looking for a veteran bench bat for him or a high-upside lower minors arm. What we need to figure out is whether we'd rather have Ogando or give that offer to Santana. I'm leaning towards Ogando for a few reasons. He's only due to make $2 Million this year and then enters arbitration for three seasons. He'll earn that money. If he does well, he'll get paid. If not, we'll hold on to him for cheap. That, instead of using us an audition to get a big contract. Which, by the way, we have no problem with. The biggest reason I'd rather go after Ogando is that he is the hybrid starter/reliever and has experience in both roles and can be deployed as needed. I think he'd rather be a starter and that is part of the reason he has soured on Texas. I called in DK to get his opinion on it and he agreed. There is not guarantee we can win the sweepstakes for Ogando but the price will be low because we are providing the list of players available. If other teams are willing to provide a top prospect or better bench bat than we can - so be it. He asked if it were possible to build into a bigger (Garcia) deal. That's a good thought. So, I got Daniels back on the phone. Here is how that conversation went: Me: JD, what about that Leury Garcia thing we were talking about before? JD: What about it? Me: Can we package something? JD: Depends but we can look at it. Me: OK, what if we throw you Wigginton, Tyrell Jenkins and one more MLB-level player? JD: For Garcia and Ogando? Me: Yea JD: (pause) I'm just hesitant to deal middle infield depth - it's so damn important. Me: I hear you. So, what if we throw in Ryan Jackson or Kozma? ---DK gives me a dirty look as he listens in... JD: Now, we're talking. We'd want Jackson. Me: OK, well, I think we might have something brewing. I'd need something else back (to appease DK who looks like he's ready to strangle me). JD: I'll take a look and get back to you. Me: OK, later. (click) Very interesting call. DK doesn't think we need to trade a high upside arm AND Ryan Jackson - who he still believes in - for what we're getting back. Garcia is a wild-card. He's 22 years old and while he has skills - he isn't polished AT ALL. DK thinks his inflated AAA numbers were a result of an offensive league. He isn't 100% sold. But, if we can get this done without Jay or Lynn/Jaime Garcia - that's an improvement from the earlier talks. And, we'd be getting Ogando too. I'll wait to hear back from Jon. |
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#36 |
Minors (Double A)
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 147
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AL East Outlooks
OFF-SEASON OUTLOOKS: AL EAST
MLB.com - by: Matthew Lurch This is installment No. 4 of the off-season outlooks feature. We'll take a look at the expensive American League East division and take a look back at 2013 and preview each organizations off-season focus. ![]() 2013 Recap: The Orioles took a step back after an over-achieving 2012 season. They finished 74-88 and in dead last in the AL East a year ago. So, it's back to the drawing board. They have the breakout player of the year in 1B Chris Davis, who belted a MLB-best 50 homers and added 129 RBI. Davis took the focus off of the rest of the mediocre Baltimore performance. The fact is, this roster needs to keep up with the improving Blue Jays and the mainstays Yankees, Red Sox and Rays. The foundation is there on offense with Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, Davis and Manny Machado. The pitching is expected to get a boost now that they believe top prospect Dylan Bundy is ready for the show. They are at a crossroads and will take on this next stage of development under new leadership after the ousting of GM Dan Duquette following the season. They hired Sandy Alomar Jr. to take over the reigns. ![]() Off-Season Preview Free Agents: 2B Brian Roberts; SP Jason Hammel; MR Joel Pineiro; OF Nate McLouth; IF Alexi Casilla; MR Luis Ayala; 3B Wilson Betemit; P Brian Matusz; MR Troy Patton. Alomar wasted no time putting his mark on this team. He traded 28-year old reliever Pedro Strop to the Indians for 21-year old prospect Jake Sisco. He promises to be aggressive to re-build this roster. Expect the O's to focus on improving the pitching staff around Bundy and allowing the young offensive pieces to develop. Alomar will let some aging pieces of the current roster walk - including Brian Roberts - as he works to make this team his own. ![]() 2013 Recap: The Red Sox put the disaster of 2012 behind them quickly and bounced back to win 94 games and capture the first wild-card spot. They ran into a hot Matt Moore in that game and lost to division rival Tampa Bay in that one-game playoff. The end result was not indicative of the job performed by GM Ben Cherington and manager John Farrell. They did an outstanding job rebuilding this roster and restore the winning ways in a hurry. Many pundits, yours truly included, balked at the Shane Victorino signing last year. All he did was hit a team-leading .300 even with 16 homers and 89 RBI - hitting mainly out of the 2-hole. They added Mike Napoli who just hit 45 homers and drove in 124. Don’t forget the American League rookie of the year in Xander Boegarts. Add that kind of production to David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury, you’re going to win some games. The offense was really good, but the pitching was superb. They finished first in the league in starters’ ERA (3.62) and bullpen ERA (2.73). ![]() Off-Season Preview Free Agents: 1B/DH Mike Napoli; MR Joel Hanrahan; SS Stephen Drew; IF Bill Hall; C Jarrod Saltalamacchia; MR Andrew Miller; MR Alfredo Aceves. Obviously, the loss of Napoli hurts the power production and they’ll have to replace Hanrahan and Miller, who were very good in the bullpen, but that shouldn’t be a problem. Don’t be surprised to see Cherington make a run at Carlos Beltran to solidify the outfield this off-season. The entire rotation will be back and the Red Sox should be in a good position to take the AL East back in 2014. ![]() 2013 Recap: The Bombers are in flux. After a season that ended ten games under .500 (76-86), the Yankees and GM Brian Cashman are left searching for answers. They locked up both Robinson Cano (7-years, $119 Million) and Curtis Granderson (2-years, $28 Million) to avoid them going on the open market. Cano was great again, hitting .294 with 32 homers and 96 RBI and Cashman shocked the world by getting a deal done with new agent Jay-Z before hitting the open market. In June, Cashman flipped veteran Kevin Youkilis to the Angels for catcher Hank Conger who finished the season with 18 homers in just 240 at-bats. He is bad defensively, but has rare power. The pitching in 2013 was abysmal. They are letting their best starting pitcher in Phil Hughes walk in free agency and will need to find cogs to fit and keep the ship afloat. With aging players and big contracts (see: Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez) and not much believed to be on the farm - Cashman has his work cut out for him and that patience from Hank Steinbrenner may be starting to wear thin. The Yankees could be headed for a few years of rebuilding. The farewell tour for all-time great Mariano Rivera was something to behold as ‘Mo’ has closed the book on a storybook career. ![]() Off-Season Preview Free Agents: SP Phil Hughes; 1B Lyle Overbay; SP Andy Pettitte; SP Jeff Karstens; DH Travis Hafner; RP Chris Bootcheck; OF Ben Francisco. They are losing Hughes, who was great last season. The focus will be on rebuilding that rotation and bullpen. There is enough offense to get them through. Now Cashman will have to do it without guaranteeing any ridiculous long-term contracts - and that’s going to be tough to navigate. We are going to get a good look at what kind of General Manager he is, starting with this off-season. ![]() 2013 Recap: The Rays kept pace in the loaded AL East and ended up downing their rivals, the Red Sox in the one-game wild-card playoff behind Matt Moore. They won 88 games, despite uninspiring numbers, especially with the bats. Their .239 team batting average was ranked 14th in the AL. They did it with starting pitching and great defense. Oh, and by winning at home. The Rays went 52-29 at the Trop. Alex Cobb led the way with a 16-win campaign and a 2.75 ERA. David Price and Jeremy Hellickson chipped in with 15 wins each and ERA’s well under 4.00 on the year. Jake McGee grabbed a hold of the closers role and closed out 39 wins to go with a 2.33 ERA. During the season, the acquired Brandon Belt (SF), Chris Tillman (BAL) and Andrew Cashner (SD) to solidify things via trade. They eventually fell to the Tigers in a highly competitive ALDS series that saw a deciding Game 5 that saw Justin Verlander outduel David Price in Detroit, 2-1. The Rays do it with responsible spending and development in the minor leagues - the model has kept them competitive for a while now and doesn’t appear to be changing. ![]() Off-Season Preview Free Agents: SS Yunel Escobar; OF/1B Luke Scott; MR Juan Carlos Oviedo; MR Brad Penny; MR Roberto Hernandez; MR Fernando Rodney; MR Kyle Farnsworth; 1B James Loney; C Jose Molina; INF Kelly Johnson; IF/OF Sean Rodriguez; SP Jeff Niemann. The Rays are moving on from quite a few players on the 2013 roster. They will attempt to rebuild the bullpen around new closer Jake McGee. They will be moving on from Yunel Escobar, who hit just .230 a year ago, going with 23-year old Hak-Ju Lee. They are also comfortable moving on from both Luke Scott (25 HR in ‘13) and James Loney, going younger and cheaper with Belt. ![]() 2013 Recap: Often times, trading for or acquiring high-priced players with talent doesn’t equate to success (see Miami Marlins; New York Yankees) - but Jays GM Alex Anthopoulous played the right cards and surrounded the some of the same players the Marlins couldn’t win with in Miami - to get it done. 96 wins and an AL East title was the result. They layed an egg in the ALDS, getting swept out by the eventual Champion Rangers. The offense was explosive, featuring two 40+ home run hitters - Edwin Encarnacion (45) and Jose Bautista (42) to go with table-setter Jose Reyes and resurgent Adam Lind. 2012 NL Cy Young award winner R.A. Dickey was great in his new league - winning 20 games, with a slightly inflated ERA (4.20) and 201 strikeouts. Josh Johnson made out well in his first season in the AL, winning 17 games and posting a team-leading 3.43 ERA. Manager John Gibbons won Manager of the Year for the job he did providing the leadership and pushing the right buttons all year long. ![]() Off-Season Preview Free Agents: SP Josh Johnson; IF Mark DeRosa; OF Rajai Davis; C Henry Blanco. The Jays return most of the 2013 roster but will need to replace their top pitcher Josh Johnson, who should net a major contract. If there is one area they could improve, it would be in the bullpen, expect AA to go out and improve in that area and make another run at an AL East title. |
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#37 |
Minors (Double A)
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 147
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Beltran finds a home; Update on Jose Molina
@KenRosenhaus #Mariners close to signing Carlos Beltran. Reports indicate a 2-year deal with high AAV.
@dgold Beltran not wasting time. Will sign with #Mariners. #stlcards get a compensation pick in the first round. Beltran Signs in Seattle Veteran outfielder gets two years; $34 Million in pact MLB.com - by: Matthew Lurch Carlos Beltran is believed to be the prized free agent in this years class, despite being 36 years old. The Mariners have wasted no time in signing Beltran to play right field and DH from time to time as well. It was no secret that Beltran was looking for a home in the American League as he looks to extend his career by having the option of staying off the field full-time. Many past free agent sluggers have been scared away from the Pacific Northwest as a landing spot due to a spacious ballpark and lack of team wins. Beltran was not scared and signed quickly. "I'm looking forward to playing in Seattle. They have always been an organization I have admired over the years and I hope to bring them a Championship," said Beltran in a statement released by his agency. It appears that there were few suitors willing to go more than two years at this point and the Mariners put up the highest average annual value (AAV) at $16 Million/year. The Beltran camp didn't want to wait this out - they wanted to know where they were going to be. Last year with the Cardinals, Beltran hit .273 with 25 homers and 81 RBI. Speaking of the Cardinals, they will receive a compensatory pick after the first round in the upcoming draft since they did offer the one-year $14 Million qualifying offer - one that Beltran quickly declined, as expected. -------------------------- I am happy to hear that Carlos has found a new home and that he will be playing far away from the NL Central. We are also happy to get a comp draft pick to add to our system in the upcoming draft. I wasn't sure how long it was going to take for Carlos to sign but after talking to his agent, Dan Lozano, I knew he was looking for a home quickly. On another note, I heard back from Jose Molina's camp today and they indicated that they have received the offer and are contemplating a few things but it's the front runner. Hopefully, we can get him locked up quickly and move on from the backup catcher need. We're still contemplating the shortstop situation. Our options include going the free agent route for a two-year stopgap player like Yunel Escobar, who brings above average defense and a top-of-the-order hitter - but not someone who is a long-term solution. We could possibly trade for a more productive offensive player like Alexi Ramirez in Chicago - who would also be a stopgap and is on the wrong side of 30 years of age. Or, and the leader in the clubhouse at this point would be working out a deal with the Rangers to acquire young speedster but unpolished Leurys Garcia. Obviously, we'll need to hear back from Jon Daniels that he's on board with the discussed deal yesterday before we have a clear picture. Once that happens, we'll either pull the trigger on the trade; make an offer to Escobar or call the White Sox back about Ramirez. Last edited by OOTPRealTime; 12-01-2013 at 03:56 PM. |
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#38 |
Minors (Double A)
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 147
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@MLBDepthCharts Updated #Mariners off-season lineup projection with signing of Carlos Beltran. http://bit.mlbdc.455
Preview 2014 Projected Mariners Lineup ![]() --------- Teams continue to protect players for Rule V Draft MLB.com - by: Matthew Lurch The Rule-V Draft is coming up on December 12th and teams are scouring their own organizations to make sure they aren't leaving that next big thing unprotected and available to other teams. Here is a recap of yesterday's additions to 40-man rosters: Arizona: LHP Eury De La Rosa Milwaukee: 1B Hunter Morris, 2B Scooter Gennett New York (A): LHP Manny Banuelos, LHP Vidal Nuno Philadelphia: RHP Jonathan Pettibone, C Tommy Joseph, CF Jiwan James San Francisco: RHP Chris Heston, LHP Michael Kickham, RHP Ramon Ramirez, LHP Dan Runzler, RHP Heath Hembree, CF Gary Brown Tampa Bay: RHP Jake Odorizzi, C Curt Casali, 2B Robby Price, 2B Vincent Belnome, 2B Cole Figueroa Texas: C Jose Felix, 1B Chris McGuinness The notable names on this list include catcher Tommy Joseph (PHI) who was acquired from the Giants in the Hunter Pence trade. He hit .312 with 26 homers and 111 RBI in AA-Reading last year. A pair of top Brewers prospects, first baseman Hunter Morris hit a combined 28 homers between AA and AAA this past season and Ryan "Scooter" Gennett posted a .321 batting average between the two stops also. First baseman Chris McGuinness (TEX) posted an .892 OPS in 421 at-bats at AAA-Round Rock. ---------------- @BubbaOlmey Shin-Soo Choo close to signing with World Champion #Rangers. Appears to be a 4-year deal. @KenRosenhaus The rich get richer as the @Rangers are close to signing Shin-Soo Choo to play center field. @JohnHayman Choo has mentioned wanting to play for a winner and #Rangers need OF help. Match made in heaven. #hotstove ... @Rangers The team excited to officially announce the signing of Shin-Soo Choo to 4-year, $65.6 Million deal. #welcome @MLBDepthCharts Updated #Rangers off-season lineup projection with Choo signing: http://bit.mlbdc.342 Preview ![]() Well, it's fairly obvious as to why Daniels in Texas has taken his sweet time in getting back to us regarding the deal we spoke of. He was negotiating with Choo and getting him locked up. That's a powerful lineup there and just got stronger. Just glad he's no longer in Cincy. I'll back off JD and wait to hear back from him - again, don't want to appear desperate in that negotiation. Last edited by OOTPRealTime; 12-02-2013 at 02:23 PM. |
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#39 | |
Minors (Double A)
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 153
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Quote:
Surprising Choo is playing center field and pushing guys like Martin to the corners. |
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#40 | |
Minors (Double A)
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 147
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Quote:
Thanks for following! |
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