Friday, October 22, 2004 |
Pickoff Moves
Only One Key In The Stein-Way Offseason
Thanks to the Texas Rangers Blog for pointing out this Bergen County Record story by Bob Klapisch. (Use BugMeNot.com if you have an aversion to registrations.) Kevin Brown for Alfonso Soriano? It could happen, and it might actually work for both clubs. Brown gives the Rangers a veteran who can be dominating at times, and the Rangers get to unload their now-troublesome remnant of last offseason's A-Rod deal. Some choice quotes:... Tom Gordon ... according to Yankee insiders, was so anxiety-ridden that he was throwing up in the bullpen during Game 6.Ah, the sweet smell of a Yankee die-nasty. Newsday makes the same speculation. And if you didn't get your fill there, try this YES Network summary.... Not even Joe Torre is immune to the scrutiny. For all his maturity and professionalism, Torre nevertheless took several wrong turns in the final three games, including his decision to replace Brown with Vazquez with the bases loaded in the second inning. Apparently, Torre forgot that Damon had hit two homers off Vazquez on June 29, or that Vazquez allowed 33 homers this year, more than any other Yankee pitcher.
... Here's a bet: Steinbrenner will trade for Alfonso Soriano to play second base, put Beltran in center, dump Brown - even if it means asking the Salvation Army to cart him away - and throw himself at Pedro Martinez's feet, too. That would cost the Yankees about $210 million, but if we've learned anything, it's that Steinbrenner has no limit or shame when it comes to spending.
But that's the problem, too: the Yankees have drifted so far from the 1996-2000 golden era core, they're turning the clock back to the 1988-91 era, when they had big-name players who had no soul.
The usual list of suspects comes out, the formula being star times free agent. Could Randy Johnson really be available? I doubt it, but the world is full of stranger things -- and four years without a World Series victory has made Steiny very, very angry.
Curse This, A-Rod
I'm pretty sure I didn't invent this one, but can I get props anyway for calling the Curse of A-Rod before the season started?Dayn Perry, Curse-Away!
Speaking of Curse reversal, Dayn Perry in today's Baseball Prospectus picks the Sox in seven. Hope springs eternal for the Sox, but even I don't get that dreamily optimistic."Budget Constraints" And Seattle?
Leone For Third mentions that the M's front office is already mumbling comatose about something called "budget constraints". We expect this means they're in expectation-tempering mode. Or it could be a smokescreen. Or who knows.
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