6-4-2 — an Angels/Dodgers double play blog

Labels: angels, nick adenhart

// posted by Rob @ 3:59 PM link  //  0 comments

• The Padres signed ex-Dodger Orlando Hudson to a 2-year/$11.5M deal. David Eckstein was allowed to become a free agent.
• Rich Harden returns to Oakland gold and green on a one-year/$1.5M deal.
• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, the Dodgers DFA'd Brent Leach, who subsequently signed with the Yokohama Baystars.
• I keep hearing repeated rumors that the Angels are or aren't after Adrian Beltre; the latest iteration seems to be that they're waiting Scott Boras out, but who knows. I oppose the signing, for what it's worth.

Labels: angels, athletics, dodgers, ex-dodgers, hot stove, rumors, transactions

// posted by Rob @ 6:41 AM link  //  0 comments

Labels: athletics, ex-angels, hot stove, transactions

// posted by Rob @ 4:25 PM link  //  0 comments

Labels: angels, hot stove, transactions

// posted by Rob @ 4:23 PM link  //  0 comments

In related news, the Dodgers signed former Dodger Dioner Navarro; Rotoworld reports a one-year/$1M rumored contract.

Labels: dodgers, ex-dodgers, hot stove, transactions, yankees

// posted by Rob @ 2:22 PM link  //  0 comments

Labels: angels, hot stove, phillies, transactions

// posted by Rob @ 10:28 AM link  //  4 comments

Labels: dodgers

// posted by Rob @ 8:19 AM link  //  4 comments

Instant Twitter reactions:

Jim Alexander:

Obviously Torii Hunter isn't much of a recruiter. #angels #carlcrawford #fail

Poor Torii Hunter, failed to recruit another one. It's almost like these guys would rather have an extra $20 million than do a buddy a solid

That's bringing a spork to a knife fight. RT @BloggingBombers: source: Angels offered Crawford seven-year deal worth $108 million.

Labels: angels, hot stove, red sox, transactions

// posted by Rob @ 9:39 PM link  //  0 comments

Labels: dodgers, ex-dodgers, hot stove, rumors, transactions

// posted by Rob @ 2:06 PM link  //  0 comments

• For one year and $2M plus incentives, according to the Times.
• In that same story, Joe Torre made official his retirement.

  He remains in talks with Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti about a front-office position but said he is considering a return to broadcasting, something he did for six seasons with the Angels.

  I wouldn't mind seeing him back in the booth for the Angels in some capacity.
• Update: The Dodgers apparently are near to a deal for Tony Gwynn, Jr. for $675,000 and one year.

Labels: dodgers, hot stove, transactions

// posted by Rob @ 1:41 PM link  //  1 comments

Labels: angels, history

// posted by Rob @ 12:46 PM link  //  0 comments

Update: My fearless predictions:

• Jamie will press for a divvying up of assets.
• Frank will resist.
• The ensuing litigation will last for no less than three years.
• Meantime, Frank will continue as de facto owner of the team.

As you might recall, § 852(a) [of the California Family Code] specifically forbids the court from examining extrinsic evidence showing Jamie's intent with the document. Put simply: the text of the MPA controls. And when faced with two documents conflicting as to a material term--ownership of the couple's principal asset--what choice does a judge have but to toss the agreement entirely?

Labels: dodgers, mccourts

// posted by Rob @ 9:03 AM link  //  0 comments

• The Dodgers signed Rod Barajas to a one-year, $5.33M deal.
• The Padres have traded star slugger Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox, pending a physical and contract extension talks. The Pads will get prospects Casey Kelly, first baseman Anthony Rizzo and outfielder Reymond Fuentes.

Labels: dodgers, hot stove, padres, transactions

// posted by Rob @ 8:22 AM link  //  0 comments

As a public service, Bill James' case for the Hall of Fame from his Historical Baseball Abstract:

Dear Mr. James:

I saw you on ESPN Sunday Night, when you said that Ron Santo should be elected to the Hall of Fame I just had to write and tell you how wrong you are.

You said that there are fewer third basemen in the Hall of Fame than players at any other position. Well, so what? The Hall of Fame should be only for the very greatest players. If you put in Santo because you need more third basemen, are you going to put in Sal Bando after that and Buddy Bell after that and Gary Gaetti after that? Eventually we'll wind up with Bob Bailey and Pete Ward in the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is supposed to be for players like Wille Mays and Tom Seaver, not for players like Ron Santo and Pete Ward.

— Cooperstown Defender

Dear Coop:

Thanks for writing. With regard to there being fewer third basemen in the Hall of Fame than players at any other position, you missed the purpose of the information. My point was not that there are too few third baseman [sic] in the Hall of Fame, and therefore we should elect a bunch of third basemen. My point was that Ron Santo was a better player than most of the third basemen in the Hall of Fame, and this is true despite the fact that fewer third basemen have been elected to the Hall of Fame than players at any other position.

As to Santo being a better player than most of the Hall of Fame third basemen, I think that if you study this issue carefully, you will be forced to agree that this is true, or was true before Schmidt and Brett. George Kell in his career drove in 100 runs once, scored 100 runs once; otherwise his career high in RBI was 93. Ron Santo scored 100 runs once, and drove in 93 runs every year, eight straight years. Obviously, Santo was doing a lot more to change the scoreboard than Kell was, even though Santo played in the 1960s, when runs were hard to come by.

Santo was not only a better hitter than Kell, he was also a better hitter than Jimmy Collins, Pie Traynor, Fred Lindstrom, and Brooks Robinson. He was a good hitter in a relatively long career, as he ranks eighth all-time in games played at third base. Defense? He won five Gold Gloves. I will agree that Santo was not a brilliant defensive third baseman. Had Brooks Robinson or Clete Boyer been in the National League, Santo's Gold Gloves would have been few and far between. Santo was a sure-handed third baseman with an excellent arm; he was not quick on his feet. I might even agree that Kell was probably a better fielder than Santo was — but Santo was a fine defensive third baseman. Kell, if he was better, could not have been enough better to offset the facts that Santo created more runs per year, that he did it for more years, and that he did it in a time when each run was more valuable.

By my reckoning, George Kell was the 30th best third baseman of all time; he is in the Hall of Fame. Fred Lindstrom was the 43rd best third baseman of all time; he is in the Hall of Fame. At several other positions, players have been selected who were not among the top 50. After the Hall of Fame has already honored the 30th-best and 43rd-best players at the position, does it degrade the Hall of Fame to then include the sixth-best? Does it not, in fact, enhance the integrity of the honor, to show that the institution is capable of some minimal consistency in its selections?

We could all agree, could we not, that the Hall of Fame is simply not going to stop selecting people? It's not going to happen; neither the Veteran's Committee nor the Hall of Fame as a whole is going to stop making selections. What I am saying is, it's not Ron Santo against Willie Mays. It is Ron Santo against Pete Browning, or Babe Herman, or Bob Meusel, or Jake Daubert, or somebody else whose only real advantage on Ron Santo is that he played so long ago that his flaws have been forgotten.

The reality is, Wille Mays never was and never can be the standard of the Hall of Fame. In the 1940s, many players were selected to the Hall of Fame who were nowhere near as good as Ron Santo, let alone nowhere near as good as Willie Mays. Players who were nowhere near as good as Ron Santo were elected to the Hall of Fame in the 1950s, players who were nowhere near as good as Ron Santo were elected to the Hall of Fame in the 1960s, players who were nowhere near as good as Ron Santo were elected to the Hall of Fame in the 1970s (lots of them), players who were nowhere near as good as Ron Santo were elected to the Hall of Fame in the 1980s, and players who were nowhere near as good as Ron Santo were elected to the Hall of Fame in the 1990s. It is preposterous to argue that the Hall of Fame standard is Ted Williams, after six decades of honoring players like Tommy McCarthy (1946), Rabbit Maranville (1954), Elmer Flick (1963), Dave Bancroft (1971), George Kell (1983), and Tony Lazzeri (1991). The Ted Williams/Bob Gibson/Honus Wagner standard for Hall of Fame selection has never existed anywhere except in the imaginations of people who don't know anything about the subject.

Look, certain things just do not happen. Rivers do not run uphill, iron does not become gold, time does not go backward, whores do not become virgins, pigs do not give birth to lions, supermodels do not marry auto mechanics, and politicians do not forget about the next election. There is no alchemy by which the Hall of Fame may become what it never has been. Ron Santo towers far above the real standard of the Hall of Fame.

Labels: cubs, deaths

// posted by Rob @ 6:24 PM link  //  0 comments

• The Angels signed aging mediocrity LHP Hisanori Takahashi to a two-year deal. Takahashi posted a mediocre 3.61 ERA and a 10-6 record in 53 appearances, and 12 starts, with 8 saves; he will be playing out his age 36 season next year. The Times reports the deal will be worth $5.5M.
• In related news, the Angels allowed Kevin Frandsen to walk without a contract. He is a free agent. All other Angels — yes, including Jeff Mathis — were offered contracts for 2011.
• Perhaps the biggest news this offseason was the Dodgers' non-tender of Russell Martin, and simultaneously, George Sherrill. Both are free agents, but this doesn't mean Ned can't renegotiate with either. Ditto for OF Trent Oeltjen.
• The Dodgers also gave Rod Barajas a one-year deal.
• I made no mention of this earlier in the week when it hit the wires, but I must say that while there's quite a bit of risk for Colorado involved here, Troy Tulowitzki's 10-year/$157.7M deal is not entirely unreasonable; looking at Tulo's comps yields five Hall-of-Famers, one presumptive one (Derek Jeter), and four multi-time All-Stars. If you're gonna break the bank for a free agent, make sure it's a great one. I think it's a good move for the team.

Labels: angels, dodgers, rockies, transactions

// posted by Rob @ 5:39 PM link  //  3 comments