Rotinaj;1342461 wrote:Angels are gonna win 120.

120 might be closer to the number of games Pujols/Hamilton play together this year.

I'll initially guess 103...but can see an inexcusable 90-92

I'd be hesitant to say they're going to win it all or be dominant. After spending all that money after the trade deadline last year everyone thought the Dodgers were going to be dominant. That didn't go so well. Same with the Lakers this year, and the Red Sox and Yankees the last few years. Just because you overspend doesn't mean they're winning it all. They lost Haren, Greinke, and Santana. Their starting pitching is going to be shaky at best.
I'd have to say in about 3 years the Angels (just like the Dodgers) will look back and say "What were we thinking spending this much on these guys for this long of a contract?". Teams should model themselves off of the Giants. Spend moderate amount and have good talent across the board vs. just loading up the offense. Just my opinion though.

Ironman92;1342561 wrote:120 might be closer to the number of games Pujols/Hamilton play together this year.

I'll initially guess 103...but can see an inexcusable 90-92

How dare you disagree with me? Im now predicting 130.

Tigers just gave 5 years $80 million to Anibal Sanchez, owner of a 48-51 career record coming off a 9-13 season.

Unreal.

^^^ lolololol at the tigers

great pitching beats great hitting all the time.

Talk about hitting a jackpot.

I was just reading an article on ESPN about Dodgers GM Ned Colleti explaining to the media that they are not spending out of control, just that McCrout was a cheapskate and the $90 million dollar payroll was half of what it should have been for the market size. All they are doing now is getting it to where it should have been.

The part about the jackpot though was toward the end when he talked about resigning Kershaw, and how he hopes to sit down with his agent soon to pound out a deal. Colleti doesn't think it should be an issue being able to afford him.

Kershaw's agent: the same guy who represents Zach Grienke.

It is being rumored a Kershaw extension could surpass $200 million for the first time for a pitcher given his age and what he has already accomplished.

Industry standard in MLB for an agent is roughly 5% of the value of the deal (for the higher end guys like this), so for just 2 guys alone he will pocket that 5% on about $350 million worth of contract for just 2 players. Works out to be about $17 million.

That is not a bad gig.

Reports are out there the Mets and Blue Jays are close to a trade that would send RA Dickey to the Blue Jays.

With Dickey/Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle all the sudden the Jays have one of the better rotations at the top end in the league if they are all healthy.

Props to the teams owner for allowing the GM to spend the money necessary to rebuild the team and likely get them competitive.

http://tracking.si.com/2012/12/15/mets-ra-dickey-jays-trade/?sct=hp_t2_a4&eref=sihp

Is it just me or am I the only one not on the bandwagon of dickey. Other then Wakefield, knuckleballers don't last. I admit I only saw him pitch twice and it was probably 2 of his worst games.... But I just don't see it.

Love what the Blue Jays have been doing

Midstate01;1343338 wrote:Is it just me or am I the only one not on the bandwagon of dickey. Other then Wakefield, knuckleballers don't last. I admit I only saw him pitch twice and it was probably 2 of his worst games.... But I just don't see it.

Joe Niekro
Phil Neikro
Wilbur Wood
Charlie Hough
Hoyt Wilhelm
Tom Candiotti

Those guys pitched forever.

Plus, Dickey only throws like 60% knuckleballs. He throws a fastball and change as well and has said if needed he has a curveball.

Dickey has been around for a while. He came out of nowhere this year. Not saying he is a fluke, but that would give me some pause

jordo212000;1343457 wrote:Dickey has been around for a while. He came out of nowhere this year. Not saying he is a fluke, but that would give me some pause

He didn't come out of nowhere last year. He was solid in 2010 and 2011 too. He just didn't win 20 games.

I guess maybe I just had no idea who he was before. Maybe because the mets blow. But I usually would know a pitcher in the nl. Owell.

Saw the Yankees owe almost 20 mill in luxury tax...fuckkk that

SportsAndLady;1343561 wrote:Saw the Yankees owe almost 20 mill in luxury tax...fuckkk that

Paying the luxury tax for an average team. Not good

Mulva;1343487 wrote:He didn't come out of nowhere last year. He was solid in 2010 and 2011 too. He just didn't win 20 games.

He's played since 2001 (really 2003) and his best year didn't come until 2009 when his ERA was 4.62

After he got to the Mets in 2010 he turned his career completely around. His non-Mets ERA is 5.18 and that is 7 years of stats

Remember the Tigers get Victor Martinez back next year and have now a deep rotation, and Torii Hunter in the outfield instead of Delmon Young. Really a great hitting lineup, possibly 5 guys that could hit .300 next season

Classyposter58;1343581 wrote:Remember the Tigers get Victor Martinez back next year and have now a deep rotation, and Torii Hunter in the outfield instead of Delmon Young. Really a great hitting lineup, possibly 5 guys that could hit .300 next season

Torii has played 16 seasons and hit .300 only one time....but it was last year. The key was him batting between Trout and Pujols....he got the pitches!

jordo212000;1343574 wrote:He's played since 2001 (really 2003) and his best year didn't come until 2009 when his ERA was 4.62

After he got to the Mets in 2010 he turned his career completely around. His non-Mets ERA is 5.18 and that is 7 years of stats

He also didn't become a knuckleballer until a few years ago. Had some kind of arm trouble right out of college. I think he first really concentrated on that pitch in 2006 or so but was not effective in MLB until he signed with Mets. He bounced around mostly in the minors because of his limited success. Not sure on the timeframe, but do remember hearing his path discussed during Braves/Mets games last season.

karen lotz;1343682 wrote:He also didn't become a knuckleballer until a few years ago. Had some kind of arm trouble right out of college. I think he first really concentrated on that pitch in 2006 or so but was not effective in MLB until he signed with Mets. He bounced around mostly in the minors because of his limited success. Not sure on the timeframe, but do remember hearing his path discussed during Braves/Mets games last season.

Well said ... you can't really compare pre-knuckleball stats and the stats over the past few years for Dickey. I am a huge fan of RA, he is a gamer, and can simply dominate games. But if the Mets can nab MLB's #1 catching prospect (Travis D'Arnaud) and possibly a 5-tool guy like Anthony Gose for a 38-year old journeyman, I will be doing backflips. Will miss RA and I will be his biggest fan in Toronto, but that would be a huge coo for Sandy Alderson and the Mets. Apparently the Blue Jays have been VERY reluctant to part with D'Arnaud (who was part of the Halladay deal) but it looks like it's going to happen (fingers crossed) ...

Ironman92;1343666 wrote:Torii has played 16 seasons and hit .300 only one time....but it was last year. The key was him batting between Trout and Pujols....he got the pitches!

And he won't between Jackson and the reigning Triple Crown & MVP winner Miguel Cabrera?

Torii Hunter isn't gonna hit .300. He's never had an above-average eye and has a career .335 OBP. Solid career but he turns 38, is no longer an elite defensive outfielder. He's actually been a guy who I've felt was quite overrated for his career, especially considering how much money he has earned. Not including his 26M over 2013/14 with Detroit, Hunter has earned 107 million dollars in his 16-year career...

Hunter just tweeted he won't be able to sleep tonight because you think he's overrated.

I have nothing against him. Compare him to some other guys with similar numbers and then look at how much they have been paid. It's staggering. Raul Ibanez and Torii Hunter are very similar. Ibanez from 2002 to 2009 has Hunter whipped in many categories. While Ibanez isn't a CF, he's still an average defensive player. He earned about half the money Hunter has...and ironically, never earned over 5.5M a year until Philly vastly overpaid him in 2009, AFTER his best run of seasons was behind him.