Proceeds from the ads below will be donated to the
Bob Wuesthoff scholarship fund.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006 |
Roster Notes
- Former Dodger Jose Lima signed a minor league deal with the Mets that could net him $600,000 if he makes the 40-man roster.
- Christina Kahrl picks over the most recent AL transactions; here's what she thinks of the Angels most recent trades:
Generally, some sensible bookkeeping, with particular credit to be given for the decision to lock up Figgins through 30 and Rivera until after he'll be 29. The "bold" stroke was the decision to dump Finley on the Giants, with money effectively being a wash: each old man costs $7 million to employ, but Finley will cost an extra million to buy out the option for 2007. If there's a score to the deal, it's that million bucks that Bill Stoneman has saved, because both players look finished, and Alfonzo isn't really all that likely to be an improvement on Robb Quinlan at third, let alone Figgins or Dallas McPherson, who are ahead of them both. By far the better product of the move is its more indirect result, which is that moving Finley created an excuse to get Darin Erstad off of first base and into center field, with the ripple effect being that Casey Kotchman may finally get to take over at first base. Over the course of the season, the net gain in runs produced by Kotchman over Finley might mean an extra two wins in the standings, all the more handy when the Angels' margin over Oakland seems to be slipping.
- On the Dodgers circumstance, Kahrl has this to say:
Maybe it's just me, but I think a team that goes as decisively old as the Dodgers have this winter is asking for trouble. Maybe Nomar can play first well enough, but will he hit well enough to make it worth it to L.A. to have him there, even if healthy? There's a good chance that we'll never see the guy who slugged .500 when fully functional ever again. As for the outfield, even with the decision to sign Lofton, they've fallen short of pushing Jose Cruz Jr. to the bench, which leaves them short a corner outfielder, while still having considerable depth in the infield while Hee Seop Choi, Olmedo Saenz, Willy Aybar and eventually Cesar Izturis are all hanging around. An obvious solution suggests itself, but the Dodgers also don't have a full rotation just yet, not when they're counting on Odalis Perez to be healthy and dominant, or Brett Tomko in any capacity. Not that having Scott Erickson around last season was much of a master stroke, but when the options to the front five in the rotation after Tomko, Perez, Seo, Brad Penny, and Derek Lowe are Sele and D.J. Houlton, that's isn't exactly a particularly intimidating set of starters.
If there's one area to give new GM Ned Colletti credit, it's in his aggressive assembly of arms for the pen. While getting a year of Baez was expensive, Lance Carter isn't chopped liver, and I do like the chances that Hamulack might actually become pretty useful in a LOOGY role. Given that the team also had a couple of homegrown assets to turn to, one real point of improvement on last year is that this should not be a pen that has to have both Eric Gagne healthy and Yhency Brazoban ironed out to work with. If both Gagne and Brazoban are in operating condition, however, that would definitely make this a tough pen to beat, perhaps even one that Grady Little could use to advantage.
- For those so inclined, the AP has a summary of the A's offseason, which looks pretty good from the outside; the team has "six or seven" guys who could hit 20 or more homers, when offense has been a bit of a problem over the last couple seasons.
- The Times has their own wrap-up of the Angels' offeason, and as is so often the case, when a team doesn't go to the free agent store to reload, the newspapers go into attack mode. This is no different, as Mike DiGiovanna complains that the team has "lost more than they gained". He also falls prey to the assumption that the Dallas McPherson has been chased off third permanently, which makes no sense whatsoever.
- Garret Anderson has supposedly lost 20 pounds.
- In that same article, the Angels have no definite plans if Jeff Weaver does not accept the offer they made him.
- Tim Henson does the reverse for the Dodgers, which isn't quite as optimistic as you'd expect given the number of signings of over-the-hill former All Stars.
- Ned Colletti claims the lack of contracts is not a problem for Nomar Garciaparra and Kenny Lofton, who are "technically signed players". Earlier in the week T.J. Simers reported both players did not have their contracts signed and completed.
Comments:
re: A's article - i wish nick swisher had used another term to express his excitement rather than "juiced". poor choice of words.
I would have thought McPherson is ahead of Figgy for 3B, but I've noticed that the mlb.com Angels writer thinks it's Figgy over McPherson, also.
So that's two reporters--who presumably have access to Angels' personnel--who think Figgins will play third.
That doesn't mean they're right, but I'm curious if the Angels aren't letting onto something (like McPherson's not coming back from surgery as well as had been hoped).
So that's two reporters--who presumably have access to Angels' personnel--who think Figgins will play third.
That doesn't mean they're right, but I'm curious if the Angels aren't letting onto something (like McPherson's not coming back from surgery as well as had been hoped).
# posted by 
: 2/15/2006 09:33:00 AM
: 2/15/2006 09:33:00 AM
D-Mac will get some AB's at DH and he will fill in at third base while Figgie is filling in for Ersty in center or AK at second or some other injured player at another position, or so the thinking goes.
# posted by : 2/15/2006 10:07:00 AM
: 2/15/2006 10:07:00 AM
Vishal -- I think given Swisher's 2005 performance he doesn't need to worry about anyone connecting him with steroids.
Anon -- I think a lot of McPherson's invisibility stemmed from this October interview with Mike Scioscia in which he said the "jury is still out" on McPherson and Kotchman. Combine that with McPherson's absence in the second half and postseason and suddenly you've got a guy who not only hasn't proven himself, but really hasn't been seen enough to form a bond with heart-and-soul types in the press.
Anon -- I think a lot of McPherson's invisibility stemmed from this October interview with Mike Scioscia in which he said the "jury is still out" on McPherson and Kotchman. Combine that with McPherson's absence in the second half and postseason and suddenly you've got a guy who not only hasn't proven himself, but really hasn't been seen enough to form a bond with heart-and-soul types in the press.
...to count McPherson out because Figgins has the 3B job shows the Times is a bit ignorant on this and on how day-to-day lineups work.
On the contrary, I think the Times is fully up-to-speed on how Mike Scioscia manages.
The core problem is that the Angels are committed to keeping Darin Erstad in the lineup, consequences be damned. Thus, the team is "forced" to sit one of McPherson, Figgins and Rivera. And there's no way that Figgins sits, not as long as Scioscia is the manager (I do agree that Figgins should be in the lineup). So, it really becomes a choice between Rivera & McPherson.
They've basically given up on McPherson. The only way that Figgins, Rivera & McPherson will all be in the lineup is if something happens to Erstad.
Maybe someone needs to go Tonya Harding on his hamstrings, if that's possible.
On the contrary, I think the Times is fully up-to-speed on how Mike Scioscia manages.
The core problem is that the Angels are committed to keeping Darin Erstad in the lineup, consequences be damned. Thus, the team is "forced" to sit one of McPherson, Figgins and Rivera. And there's no way that Figgins sits, not as long as Scioscia is the manager (I do agree that Figgins should be in the lineup). So, it really becomes a choice between Rivera & McPherson.
They've basically given up on McPherson. The only way that Figgins, Rivera & McPherson will all be in the lineup is if something happens to Erstad.
Maybe someone needs to go Tonya Harding on his hamstrings, if that's possible.
# posted by : 2/15/2006 12:15:00 PM
: 2/15/2006 12:15:00 PMNewer› ‹Older
 |
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.