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Sunday, December 12, 2004 |
Pickoff Moves, Why Aren't You At The Marriott Edition
Eh, I've already done my time. What am I gonna do, stand around with a bunch of other "guys ogling other guys" and feeling like some sort of perverse old hen?
Pretty Good For A Reserve
The Fourth Outfielder has a very nice piece on why the Dodgers were wise to let Finley walk. Some of the reasons only make sense to the Dodgers (the logjam in the outfield, his cost relative to likely future performance), but others don't (his likely future performance involves Wile E. Coyote and a cliff).He's also got a very thorough analysis of the debacle that is Joe Thurston. Tom says that
Thurston could, of course, still squeeze onto the 25-man roster if two of Antonio Perez, Alex Cora, Cesar Izturis, and Adrian Beltre are not with the team, injured, or unavailable, but would probably be the last bat off the bench in that situation. Factor in that his defense is believed to be okay but unspectacular, and Thurston's a long shot to contribute much in 2005 and, unless he shows improvement for the first time in two years, is a long shot to become a very useful contributor at any point in his career.The sad end to what was, briefly, a promising career. You should also read, if you haven't, his charactisterically diligent commentary about Ricky Ledee in two parts (synopsis: the Dodgers are paying for useful marginal bits, it's not as bad as it sounds) and Elmer Dessens. It's dense, statistical writing, but Tom is quietly doing some very excellent work here.
Wright To Yanks After All
Looks like Jaret Wright is going to sign with the Yankees after all. There was a rumor floating around yesterday that the Yanks were negotiating with Wright either in bad faith or as a backup plan in case Pavano didn't sign. Looks like both were wrong, as they so often are.Kolb To Braves, Smoltz To Start Again
Is this good news or bad news for Atlanta? From a Cubs perspective, keeping Danny Kolb out of Wrigley sounds to me like a good idea. But starting John Smoltz? Isn't that a sure sign of desperation?Rhodes On The Road Again
Unsurprisingly, the Pirates traded Arthur Rhodes to Cleveland for OF Matt Lawton. Thus does the Kendall trade wind down at last. One wonders if the Pirates will ever contend; do they ever make a trade where reducing payroll isn't the focus?The Gas Giants
Every time I think about something that annoys me -- the President, say, or Michael Moore -- it comforts me to know that they, too, have their affliction; every dog has his fleas. The Giants are no more immune to this immutable rule than the Dodgers, and their problems, while lessened this year by the departure of ineffective, expensive closer Robb Nen, are still scarcely eliminated. Oh, sure, they signed Armando Benitez, but they missed out on Steve Finley (yes, I said it again, doubters), and now need to find a replacement for A. J. Pierzynski, himself a replacement for Benito Santiago the year before. So now, they're also pursuing free agent Mike Matheny, just like the Dodgers. But there isn't a lot of wiggle room here, and while I expect the Giants to make some good signings here and there, I don't think you'll see a Beltran in their stockings by Christmas.
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