Baseball 2013

[jimmy olsen]

Korea's favorite player has been traded.

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/12/11/shin-soo-choo-heads-to-reds-trevor-bauer-lands-with-indians-in-three-team-mega-trade/related/

That three-team mega-trade between the Indians, Reds and Diamondbacks has been made official.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports has the breakdown:

Reds get:

OF Shin-Soo Choo
INF Jason Donald

Indians get:

SP Trevor Bauer
OF Drew Stubbs
RP Bryan Shaw
RP Matt Albers

Diamondbacks get:

SS Didi Gregorius
RP Tony Sipp
OF Lars Anderson

Declaring winners and losers moments after a trade has been completed is futile, but it sure seems like the Diamondbacks got hosed here. Gregorius is a strong defensive shortstop, but the 22-year-old has registered a paltry .323 on-base percentage in five minor league seasons and seems doubtful to develop much power. Sipp is only a mediocre left-handed reliever and Anderson's star has faded over the past couple of years.

That's not a very impressive return for a guy like Bauer, who was drafted third overall in 2011 and had gaudy numbers (2.42 ERA, 157/61 K/BB over 130 1/3 innings) in 2012 between the Double-A and Triple-A levels.

On the other side of things, Bauer is exactly what the doctor ordered for the Indians, who have been dying for quality young starting pitching. And Stubbs is a guy that makes sense for the Tribe because he carries such excellent raw tools. The 28-year-old center fielder is worth the risk for a rebuilding franchise.

It's also quite easy to love this deal for Cincinnati. In Choo, the Reds get a perfect leadoff man to place in front of Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto, Ryan Ludwick, Jay Bruce and Todd Frazier. Their outfield defense may be iffy, but that's a dynamic starting lineup that should tear through most National League pitching.

[Syt]

Did he ever call for the death of U.S. service personnel and citizens?

[Ed Anger]

Dog consumption up in Cincy soon.

[Valmy]

I am depressed about next year man.  Knowing the Orioles would probably suck was no big deal except now they had a miracle season and left me hungering for them to actually win...

[PDH]

I am depressed about next year man.  Knowing the Orioles would probably suck was no big deal except now they had a miracle season and left me hungering for them to actually win...

Take it from a Wyoming sports fan - savor the kinda good years, they are about as nice as you'll get.

[Syt]

So Hanrahan gets sent to the Red Pox in exchange for a 1B/OF and a RHP.

From the pitcher's scouting report:

Excellent overall stuff, but struggles with the consistency of his mechanics from outing-to-outing.

He'll fit right in, then, once he hits the majors.

Ceiling of fourth starter/fifth or late inning reliever at the major league level.

Should be a #1 spot with the Pirates.

I'm always weary with Pittsburgh acquiring pitchers or pitching prospects. Sure, their rotation needs desperate improvement, but I feel they aren't the best team in the market to develop pitching talent. They would probably be better served by snatching up veterans that need a second lease on their career, like Burnett last season.

[sbr]

Do the Pirates have a closer-in-waiting already?  I thought Hanrahan was pretty good.  Could they not afford him anymore?

[Syt]

Do the Pirates have a closer-in-waiting already?  I thought Hanrahan was pretty good.  Could they not afford him anymore?

He would have gone into arbitration, with an expected $7M annual salary (he's at 4M-something at the moment). I'm guessing Hughes or Grilli will step up as closers for the time beinng.

It was probably either signing Francisco Liriano (2 years, 14M) or keeping Hanrahan - not much of a choice, really. Also, Jerry Sands (the other player acquired in the Hanrahan trade) might be able to help with the Bucs' low production.

[sbr]

I didn't know he was up for arbitration, that explains it.

[dps]

Do the Pirates have a closer-in-waiting already?  I thought Hanrahan was pretty good.  Could they not afford him anymore?

The problem is that relief pitchers, particularly those who get the magic label "closer" are terribly overrated, and thus overpriced.  I agree that Hanrahan is a pretty good reliever, but IMO nobody pitching less than 100 innings could possibly be worth what he was making, much less what he'll make after arbitration.

[CountDeMoney]

Now that's how you celebrate a blue, blue, blue Christmas:  a blown save, the messy way.

Former Major League Baseball utility infielder Ryan Freel has died at the age of 36.

Freel's death was first reported late Saturday afternoon by First Coast News in Freel's hometown, Jacksonville, Fla. A few hours later, Jacksonville.com reported that the cause of death was suicide, reportedly a self-inflicted shotgun blast, according to Sgt. Mike Paul of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. Authorities are treating Freel's death as a suicide.

Freel played 14 games for the Cubs in 2009.

He spent most of his eight-year MLB career from 2001 to 2009 with the Reds, for whom he played six seasons. He made his Major League debut with the Blue Jays in 2001.

His career batting average was .268. He also stole 143 bases.

Freel retired from pro ball in 2009 and had most recently worked for BLD Baseball, which stands for Big League Development, an organization that helps develop young players. Freel was also named head baseball coach at St. Joseph Academy in Jacksonville earlier this year in June.

[CountDeMoney]

Read in the paper today that Peter Asbestos is hammering out an extension for Buck Showalter beyond the 2013 season, should have a deal done in January.

[Razgovory]

Man, it's to early to talk about Baseball.

[Syt]

Do the Pirates have a closer-in-waiting already?  I thought Hanrahan was pretty good.  Could they not afford him anymore?

The problem is that relief pitchers, particularly those who get the magic label "closer" are terribly overrated, and thus overpriced.  I agree that Hanrahan is a pretty good reliever, but IMO nobody pitching less than 100 innings could possibly be worth what he was making, much less what he'll make after arbitration.

Oh, I agree there. I think that the saves stat is a bit silly, because it's relying on the team performance up to that point, and not so much on the individual's ability. A closer's defining criteria is whether he gets batters out or not.

[Valmy]

Read in the paper today that Peter Asbestos is hammering out an extension for Buck Showalter beyond the 2013 season, should have a deal done in January.

Fantastic!  Might make up for the fact he has not brought in any new players for Buck so far this offseason