Ramp

Why did Tampa release him? He wasn't that bad in 2006?

who?

Cantu is a butcher at 3b

I hope Castillo wins the job

Because?

Besides eating the most sunflower seeds in a minute, Jose Castillo has shown no other skill. He has done nothing at the major leage level but shoot himself in the foot.

He's much better defensively and Cantu is an absolute butcher in the field. At this point I think his defense + whatever he brings to the table will be more important to the team everyday than Cantu's offense + his no defense.

I also think Castillo has a little bit of upside to him, but that thinking is definitely in the minority. When we moved Cabs, the one thing that was a given was that we would improve defense at the hotcorner. Now it looks like it could be the same or even worse if Cantu is over there.

It's too bad Brett Carroll gave up 3b duties a few years ago

I like Jake alot, but he doesn't have the potential to drive in more runs than Hammer based on his skill set

perhaps he will luck into more RBI one year than Hammer, but Josh is the much better hitter... especially when he is gonna pound lefties again in 2008

Why do you have Uggla hitting above Willingham (a solid OBP guy)? It makes no sense to have Willingham hitting where you placed him.

Because wherever Uggla hits, he needs protection in the order or else he's going to be a .220 hitter instead of a .250 hitter.

The main guy we want to protect right now is Ramirez. He needs guys like Willingham, Uggla, and Jacobs behind him. Uggla should make a good number 5 hitter. He's spent almost all of his games in the 2 spot so we haven't seen what he can do with more opportunities to drive in runs. With Jacobs behind him he still gets some protection with the left-handed bat.

We could go on forever about this, I just personally feel Jacobs has the potential to drive in more runs than Willingham. That's all.

potential means you ain't done sh*t yet

this guy needs to be punched

Josh Willingham absolutely murdered righties last year and Mike Jacobs had a +.800 OPS vs lefties

I'm very aware of Jacobs' success against lefties, but how else do you suggest we get Ross into the lineup? Move Willingham to third against lefties? I don't think so...

Play Cody and Carroll in CF till Maybin is ready

I'm pretty convinced he's ready... And if not, play him anyway. He's the best option we've got either way. It's not going to taint him.

Willingham shouldn't bat 6th in any lineup, not when he's got 100 RBI potential.

Jacobs doesn't?

If he is not ready (and I think it's pretty hard to argue against that), Carroll and Cody are much better options than Maybin

and going based on what each has done since they came into the league with RISP (.908 vs .773), Willingham is a much better fit hitting 5th or higher

Josh Willingham absolutely murdered righties last year and Mike Jacobs had a +.800 OPS vs lefties

I'm very aware of Jacobs' success against lefties, but how else do you suggest we get Ross into the lineup? Move Willingham to third against lefties? I don't think so...

Play Cody and Carroll in CF till Maybin is ready

Josh Willingham absolutely murdered righties last year and Mike Jacobs had a +.800 OPS vs lefties

But those are outliers from their norms, no?

So should we just dismiss them and pretend like it never happened?

Josh Willingham absolutely murdered righties last year and Mike Jacobs had a +.800 OPS vs lefties

I still can't believe we gave up Kotsay to the Padres for Dan Miceli. What was the reason behind that? Educate me. Seriously?

We didn't

We traded Kotsay for Eric Owens and Matt Clement

I guess the St. Louis Cardinals really didn't want Scott Rolen at all. They gave him up for a player that most prob won't even be that productive next year (20HR, and 62 rbi?) and has been on decline since his days with the Anaheim Angels where he use to hit his homeruns in the 40's. I expect this move to bite them in the ass much later. If healthy Scott Rolen will easily be one of the best 3rd basemen defensively in the game. This trade is a swap of damaged goods, but the Blue Jays got the better end.

There's much wrong with this entire post... but I'll go with the fact that Glaus hit 38 homeruns in 2006 with the Blue Jays

Cantu is a butcher at 3b

I hope Castillo wins the job

The Atlanta Braves have reached a preliminary agreement to acquire center fielder Mark Kotsay from the Oakland Athletics, filling the hole created by the departure of Andruw Jones. The deal will be finalized once Kotsay passes a physical for Atlanta, where he is expected to fly to on Sunday, and assuming the commissioner's office approves the cash negotiated to be exchanged in the deal, sources say.

In return for Kotsay, the Braves are trading pitcher Joey Devine, and Oakland will assume $5.325 million of the $7.325 million owed to the center fielder for this year.

Kotsay, 32, played in 56 games in 2007 after having back surgery, hitting .214 with 15 extra-bases hits in 206 at-bats. In 2005, before Kotsay began having serious back trouble, he batted .280, with 51 extra-base hits and a .325 on-base percentage.

He has rated highly as a center fielder, and the Braves are trying to find a temporary center fielder for at least the start of the 2008 season, or until they deem top-prospect Jordan Schaefer ready to take over the position permanently.

Devine, a 24-year-old right-hander, was a first round pick in 2005, and has pitched 19.2 innings in the majors, compiling a 6.86 ERA.

Kotsay becomes the third veteran player traded away by Oakland, as the Athletics continue what is a major reconstruction of their team. They already have dealt pitcher Dan Haren to Arizona and outfielder Nick Swisher to Chicago this winter, and it is expected they will weigh offers for starting pitcher Joe Blanton and closer Huston Street sometime before the July 31 trade deadline.

espn.com

If you like Blue Moon, be a man and step it up to Hoegaarden.

Agreed. Had one this afternoon when I got back from a work meeting. If you like Blue Moon, you won't regret the upgrade. Also, if it helps convince you to make the switch, realize that Blue Moon is owned by Coors.

Belgian white (wheat beer). Has a very distinct taste. To me the wheat reminds me of the taste of brown sugar a bit. Some say they can taste a small bit of citrus but I've never had that experience.

Dried orange peel is one of the ingredients so that may be where your friends say they're getting the citrus taste.

never heard of it before but I'll def keep an eye out for Hoegaarden

defense and team chemistry is every bit as important as having guys who hit with alot of power...and if you cant see that...you lost your vision in the muck of offensive statistics

team chemistry is overrated

winning breeds good chemistry

having guys like Paul Lo Duca, Juan Pierre and Sean Casey won't take your team to the next level

if we're adding 40 year old LF/1B candidates, why isn't Jeff Conine in the discussion?

Didn't he retire?

thanks

I guess i can go deeper and be stats nerd and go into winning percentages WHIP but screw that I saw them all pitch and thats enough for me!

Well then, excuse us objective thinkers while we point and laugh at you.

Unless you are a scout, manager or GM your opinion of "what your eyes tell you" will be taken with a grain of salt and mocked by all.

I like how using whip would make you a stat nerd :lol

Ovechkin, Capitals agree to 13-year, $124 million contract extension

Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- Alexander Ovechkin agreed to a $124 million, 13-year contract extension Thursday with the Washington Capitals, working out the details himself in negotiations with owner Ted Leonsis and general manager George McPhee.

The Capitals scheduled a news conference for 8:30 p.m. to officially announce the deal.

The 22-year-old Russian star was in the final season of a three-year, entry-level deal. His salary-cap number for this season, taking into account bonuses, is $3.83 million.

If he had become a free agent at the end of the season, the Capitals would have had the right to match any offer from another team. Leonsis long maintained he intended to make sure Ovechkin remained with the Capitals.

Ovechkin has led the Capitals in scoring in each of his seasons. He entered Thursday tied for second in the NHL with 32 goals, helping Washington surge from the league's worst record to the fringe of playoff race. He also had 20 assists.

The winger had 52 goals and 54 assists in 2005-06, when he edged Pittsburgh forward Sidney Crosby in the voting for the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie. Ovechkin followed that up with 46 goals and 46 assists last season.

espn.com

badass

I would rather bring in Juan Gonzalez than Luis Gonzalez

why

I'd rather give Cody or Carroll the everyday job in LF than waste money on Gonzo out there

Why does it matter?

Are you afraid that Loria's profit margins won't be high enough?

This has been brought up several times this winter when FA X is on the Marlins' radar (or is it sonar?). What does it matter if the club blows a few million on an aging veteran who shits the bed? It is not as if Beinfest is going to struggle all summer to find a way to keep the team from running a deficit for the year and going after w/e talent at the break for the stretch run (I know this team will not compete but that's just an example).

As a fan, 'blowing' a few million on a Luis Gonzalez or a Livan Hernandez when the team is expected to turn a profit in the tens of millions of dollars doesn't really bother me.

sorry... HotCorner said what I meant..

why waste at bats with Gonzo

the money doesn't matter to me

I'd rather give Cody or Carroll the everyday job in LF than waste money on Gonzo out there

Blue Moon is pretty darn yummy.

yessir

eh.. that isn't being ripped in that picture

he's a flat out horse there

it's like management is trying to piss us off