There's not much new that's concrete in baseball right now.
The Angels finalized a 1-year contract with former ancient Mariner Raul Ibanez, who could DH and play a little bit of outfield.
The Cubs agreed to a 1-year contract with RHP Jose Veras, who would be their 2014 closer. Now there's not a lot to close on the North Side, and Veras seems likely to blow a number of the opportunities he gets. Expect him to join RHP Carlos Marmol and the ranks of other failed closers for the Cubs.
I'm working on some projects to produce some quantitative fantasy baseball information. I hope you can see at least one piece before the year ends.
* * *
Basketball. Carmelo Anthony didn't play Friday night, and isn't going to play Saturday. I still can fill all 10 spots in my lineup.
I had set up my lineup for Thursday, and neglected to change it for Friday. Thus, I left on my bench Victor Oladipo and his 16 points and 11 assists.
Through Thursday, I had been tied in blocked shots as part of a 5-2-1 lead. I figured Serge Ibaka would help me in that area, and sure enough, he blocked three Friday and helped me take the lead in that category. However, my lead is down to 5-3, partly because Anthony didn't play. But my 16-point deficit coincides exactly with Oladipo's 16 points that didn't count for me. We'll see what happens Saturday.
* * *
Hockey. I was buried under an Avalanche tonight. Colorado lost 7-2 to the Blackhawks. Jan Hejda and Erik Johnson were both -4, and Nathan MacKinnon was -3. That was 11 of my minus-15 for the night. That dropped me down to sixth in plus/minus at plus-19. Somehow, the Avalanche's and my, Paul Stastny broke even. Now I have four individuals on my team with season plus/minuses of 19 or more, but I haven't had those players in my lineup at the right time. Mikko Koivu also has been killing me; he was -3 tonight. In addition, Jean-Sebastien Giguere gave up seven goals in two periods. That's a 10.50 goals against average. And the only thing I can say about his save percentage is that at least it isn't less than 0.
My plan is to divest myself of some Colorado players, and Koivu if I can. I'm a little light in forwards. Despite the debacle with Hejda and Johnson, my defense is pretty good. I'm even using a defenseman as a utility player. But I had Dallas' Brenden Dillon on my bench. He was plus-2 Friday, and he took a minor penalty. Another problem with my lineup was that my lineup totaled 0 penalty minutes. How is that even possible? I probably need a fighter.
Somehow I escaped the night losing a mere two points in the standings.
It's too late to make coherent moves tonight. I got home from the Predators-Stars game at about 1.
Showing posts with label Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Show all posts
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Pitchers who could help: Reed, Marcum
Monday's biggest move was the trade of White Sox RHP Addison Reed to the Diamondbacks for 3B Matt Davidson.
It gives Arizona a closer, after the Snakes made do with a combination of ineffective closers such as RHPs Brad Ziegler and J.J. Putz this season. Third base was a black hole on the south side of Chicago, so Davidson has a chance to star. The move also could signal the re-signing of free-agent 3B/1B Eric Chavez in Arizona. There isn't a whole lot left in his tank, but he's probably a good guy to have around.
Reed had 40 saves in 2013, despite fading down the stretch. He could be more inspired with the D-backs in the playoff hunt.
Taking a page from the NFL, the majors have made moves to assimilate portions of their competition, for dollars as well as players. In this case, it's with Nippon Professional Baseball to hold the posting price to a maximum of $20 million. Consider that the posting cost for RHP Yu Darvish was nearly three times that amount, and that this kind of big-money deal tends only to increase in price over time, and you can see that the North American teams can save money at the Japanese teams' expense.
It would seem that the new agreement would make teams in Japan less willing to post players, but the Rakuten Golden Eagles are letting RHP Masahiro Tanaka move into the market. Clearly, he's the biggest short-term winner. Some of the millions that major league teams formerly would have had to put toward the posting fee now will go into Tanaka's (and his agent's) pockets. Let the bidding begin!
The Braves added to their rotation for at least part of the season by agreeing to a 1-year contract with incentives for RHP Gavin Floyd. He underwent Tommy John surgery in May, and there's concern that it might take him more than a year to recover because his operation involved a tendon as well as the ligament usually repaired.
If you're interested in tracking the Astros' bullpen, it added RHP Matt Albers on a 1-year contract.
Here's a transaction that could have far-reaching implications. The Indians signed RHP Shaun Marcum to a minor league contract. He suffered through ineffectiveness and injuries this year. Marcum has been a good pitcher, but only for short stretches between injuries. It's easy to forget that Cleveland was a playoff team in 2013, but the Tribe could benefit from another experienced arm in the rotation for at least part of '14.
* * *
Football. My team in the scoring-only AMFL did not break my personal record in my 27th year in the league. I received nothing from RB Ray Rice and just 3 points for QB Matthew Stafford's 4th-quarter TD pass. So I finished with a 66-20 victory, 4 points short of my all-time high. I'm now alone in third place, but two games out of first. Because I lost both games against the leader, I don't think I can finish first. A bigger concern is the three teams just a game behind me. If two of them overtake me, I'd drop into the second-division consolation playoffs with no chance to be the league champion.
My team's collapse in the scoring-plus-yardage league concluded with RB Reggie Bush's first-half touchdown. I lost 196-183 in the consolation playoffs, and will have some sort of consolation consolation matchup over the next few weeks against a team that defeated me during the season. But, in the parlance of today's everybody-is-a-winner culture, even if I lose this playoff, I still would be the consolation consolation loser champion.
* * *
Hockey. Three Avalanche players helped me hold steady while the second-place team above me lost 2 points. Still a big hill to climb. One of my biggest advantages Monday was that none of my goalies played, so I managed to pick up a point in GAA over a team whose goalies also suck. And for tonight, I picked up another Avalanche player, Peter Stastny, who has scored four goals in his last two games against the Stars. I'll get to see him in action tonight. I'm hoping Colorado G Jean-Sebastien Giguere starts and plays well.
* * *
Basketball. I should stop looking at my games in progress early in the evening. On Monday, with a pretty full roster, I had a 6-2 lead when I checked after dinner. Checked this morning and it was 5-2-1, with a tie in points. But wait! I'm now losing 5-2-1. The only player in action Monday who was on my bench was the Nets' Joe Johnson. He merely scored 37 points, and would have helped my problem area: 3-pointers. Johnson had 10! I believe his being on the bench was a case of guilt by association from existing within a few miles of the suckiness that was Knicks G J.R. Smith. I did get Smith off my roster, and I'll get JJ back in the lineup the next time Brooklyn plays.
It gives Arizona a closer, after the Snakes made do with a combination of ineffective closers such as RHPs Brad Ziegler and J.J. Putz this season. Third base was a black hole on the south side of Chicago, so Davidson has a chance to star. The move also could signal the re-signing of free-agent 3B/1B Eric Chavez in Arizona. There isn't a whole lot left in his tank, but he's probably a good guy to have around.
Reed had 40 saves in 2013, despite fading down the stretch. He could be more inspired with the D-backs in the playoff hunt.
Taking a page from the NFL, the majors have made moves to assimilate portions of their competition, for dollars as well as players. In this case, it's with Nippon Professional Baseball to hold the posting price to a maximum of $20 million. Consider that the posting cost for RHP Yu Darvish was nearly three times that amount, and that this kind of big-money deal tends only to increase in price over time, and you can see that the North American teams can save money at the Japanese teams' expense.
It would seem that the new agreement would make teams in Japan less willing to post players, but the Rakuten Golden Eagles are letting RHP Masahiro Tanaka move into the market. Clearly, he's the biggest short-term winner. Some of the millions that major league teams formerly would have had to put toward the posting fee now will go into Tanaka's (and his agent's) pockets. Let the bidding begin!
The Braves added to their rotation for at least part of the season by agreeing to a 1-year contract with incentives for RHP Gavin Floyd. He underwent Tommy John surgery in May, and there's concern that it might take him more than a year to recover because his operation involved a tendon as well as the ligament usually repaired.
If you're interested in tracking the Astros' bullpen, it added RHP Matt Albers on a 1-year contract.
Here's a transaction that could have far-reaching implications. The Indians signed RHP Shaun Marcum to a minor league contract. He suffered through ineffectiveness and injuries this year. Marcum has been a good pitcher, but only for short stretches between injuries. It's easy to forget that Cleveland was a playoff team in 2013, but the Tribe could benefit from another experienced arm in the rotation for at least part of '14.
* * *
Football. My team in the scoring-only AMFL did not break my personal record in my 27th year in the league. I received nothing from RB Ray Rice and just 3 points for QB Matthew Stafford's 4th-quarter TD pass. So I finished with a 66-20 victory, 4 points short of my all-time high. I'm now alone in third place, but two games out of first. Because I lost both games against the leader, I don't think I can finish first. A bigger concern is the three teams just a game behind me. If two of them overtake me, I'd drop into the second-division consolation playoffs with no chance to be the league champion.
My team's collapse in the scoring-plus-yardage league concluded with RB Reggie Bush's first-half touchdown. I lost 196-183 in the consolation playoffs, and will have some sort of consolation consolation matchup over the next few weeks against a team that defeated me during the season. But, in the parlance of today's everybody-is-a-winner culture, even if I lose this playoff, I still would be the consolation consolation loser champion.
* * *
Hockey. Three Avalanche players helped me hold steady while the second-place team above me lost 2 points. Still a big hill to climb. One of my biggest advantages Monday was that none of my goalies played, so I managed to pick up a point in GAA over a team whose goalies also suck. And for tonight, I picked up another Avalanche player, Peter Stastny, who has scored four goals in his last two games against the Stars. I'll get to see him in action tonight. I'm hoping Colorado G Jean-Sebastien Giguere starts and plays well.
* * *
Basketball. I should stop looking at my games in progress early in the evening. On Monday, with a pretty full roster, I had a 6-2 lead when I checked after dinner. Checked this morning and it was 5-2-1, with a tie in points. But wait! I'm now losing 5-2-1. The only player in action Monday who was on my bench was the Nets' Joe Johnson. He merely scored 37 points, and would have helped my problem area: 3-pointers. Johnson had 10! I believe his being on the bench was a case of guilt by association from existing within a few miles of the suckiness that was Knicks G J.R. Smith. I did get Smith off my roster, and I'll get JJ back in the lineup the next time Brooklyn plays.
Friday, December 6, 2013
The last of the 10-year contracts?
Three thoughts about the reported agreement between the Mariners and free-agent 2B Robinson Cano.
1. It's a great deal for Cano and his agent, even though it would be for $65 million less than the original asking price. I guess it's like buying a mansion. What's $6 million a year when you're getting $24 mill? I hope the deal will also bring good things to young people, in Seattle or the Dominican Republic from Cano's affordable largesse.
2. It signifies that the Mariners now could become a large-market team -- competing with the Yankees, Red Sox and possibly Dodgers-Angels-Rangers (with big TV money anticipated) -- for top-dollar free agents. The other direction Seattle could take is toward the financial problems that beset Tom Hicks in Texas after the ill-fated A-Rod signing didn't work. I think there's plenty of Japanese money available, so I don't think that would happen to the Mariners.
3. I wonder when we'll see the end of 9-10-year contracts. My guess is after A-Rod's contract plays out. (By the way, shouldn't we be hearing something about his hearing pretty soon? Not sure why that should be taking 9 months when most player hearings are over within 9 days.) The easiest prediction from the Cano signing is that there's no way it -- like similar deals for Albert Pujols, the aforementioned A-Rod and probably Prince Fielder, and going all the way back to Wayne Garland nearly 40 years ago -- will come close to paying off in results equal to even half of its value.
Let's look at the particulars. Cano is already 31. He wouldn't get any better in any circumstances. He can't equal in Seattle the offensive statistics from playing home game at Yankee Stadium with its favorable left-handed-hitting setup. He'll have 9 years of not worrying about playing for a contract and financial security. Actually, 10. If he's still playing in 2023, it would be on a going-into-retirement cruise.
Can Cano help the Mariners in the short run? No question. He's filling what has become an abyss since Dustin Ackley didn't work out at second base. Cano could probably reach 20 homers for a few years. But when his range at second base inevitably declines, he'd become a below-average left fielder or first baseman or DH. At that point, the best hope would be to have some other needy team take him off the Mariners' hands, saving Seattle a fraction of the money it would owe Cano.
Lots of activity in New York. The Yankees apparently also are losing OF Curtis Granderson's left-handed bat. The New York Post reported that he agreed to a 4-year contract with the Mets, no doubt for far less than he could have received even 2 years ago. Granderson is 32, coming off an injury-plagued 2013 and struggles against left-handers.
Also, the Yankees retained RHP Hiroki Kuroda for 2014. The busy Post reported the contract is for $16 million, with a $250,000 incentive for innings pitched. Kuroda has been mostly reliable in his two seasons in the Bronx. He has exceeded 200 innings in each of the last three years. But ... he has two winning records in six seasons in the U.S., will be 39 next season and didn't win a game after Aug. 12. (I know that too well; he was on one of my fantasy teams.) He's an exception to the rule that the ancient Yankees are getting somewhat younger.
Another situation I've commented on without a follow-up is 1B/DH Paul Konerko's re-signing. I applaud his or his agent's foresight in structuring his 1-year contract so he's paid $1.5 million in 2014, with $1 million deferred until 2015. That will make his transition out of the game much smoother. It's not likely that Konerko would suffer through another poor season in '15 -- barring an unlikely late-in-life resurgence such as Ted Williams and Stan Musial had in 1959 after bad years in '58. It's no coincidence that White Sox play-by-play man Ken Harrelson's contract expires after 2015, and he already has curtailed his travel schedule. In 2012, Sox color man Steve Stone made a reported $600,000 (with a lot of broadcast experience). There would seem to be room for Konerko in the broadcast booth, or even making a few hundred grand as a coach.
Marlins fans! Don't make World Series plans yet, but Miami did sign SS Rafael Furcal to a 1-year contract. He's expected to move to second base, with former 2B Donovan Solano or a player to be acquired at third. Apparently, the 36-year-old Furcal no longer is strong enough to unseat Adeiny Hechavarria at shortstop, especially after undergoing Tommy John surgery last March and missing all of last season. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel indicated that Furcal's contract is for $3.5 million, plus incentives. We'll find out during spring training whether he'll be ready by opening day. But really, does this look like a contending infield? Wait! I'm forgetting 1B Logan Morrison, who hasn't batted even .250 in any of the last three seasons.
* * *
Football. Both of my teams were off to a good start Thursday night, with Texans TE Garrett Graham scoring a touchdown and gaining 72 receiving yards. So I took early leads of 13-0 in my scoring-plus-yardage league (first week of a two-week consolation playoff semifinal) and 6-0 in Week 14 of my scoring-only league. In that one, I'm still projected for a tie against one of the two teams tied for first place a game ahead of me.
* * *
Hockey. Important key: The downside of having a lot of players, especially forwards, in your lineup, is that they can drag you down, especially by your plus/minus and ATOI.
I filled my starting lineup with 15 skaters and 2 goalies -- and lost 3 1/2 points. Where I was within 2 points of second place, I dropped to 5 back overnight. Here's what happened. The two goalies' team played but they didn't. I read a note saying that Jean-Sebastien Giguere would start for Colorado Friday, but forgot that it was Thursday. The 15 skaters totaled 0 goals and 2 assists, and were minus-6. In addition, defensemen Jan Hejda and Victor Hedman both left early because of injuries, hurting my ATOI even more. They join Henrik Zetterberg on my injured list. Also, I have to get the minus-9 Jason Spezza from the loser Senators off my roster. Clarke MacArthur can stay for the time being.
* * *
Basketball. Important key. If you have a guy on your roster who isn't playing tonight, but is tomorrow, be sure to put him into an open spot in your starting lineup instead of a player who is inactive for the next 2 days -- even if he's a franchise player.
I didn't follow one of my other important keys Wednesday. I didn't set my lineup until nearly 7 p.m. EDT. By that time, the Cavaliers' game already had started, so I couldn't get Anderson Varejao into my lineup. I could have put him in the lineup Tuesday (see Important key under hockey), guarding against the possibility of getting around to setting the lineup too late. I could have used his 18 points, 13 rebounds and assorted assists, blocks and steals. I made up somewhat for that lost production Thursday, regaining a 5-3 lead for the week.
For now, I'm off to find a hockey forward to replace Jason Spezza.
1. It's a great deal for Cano and his agent, even though it would be for $65 million less than the original asking price. I guess it's like buying a mansion. What's $6 million a year when you're getting $24 mill? I hope the deal will also bring good things to young people, in Seattle or the Dominican Republic from Cano's affordable largesse.
2. It signifies that the Mariners now could become a large-market team -- competing with the Yankees, Red Sox and possibly Dodgers-Angels-Rangers (with big TV money anticipated) -- for top-dollar free agents. The other direction Seattle could take is toward the financial problems that beset Tom Hicks in Texas after the ill-fated A-Rod signing didn't work. I think there's plenty of Japanese money available, so I don't think that would happen to the Mariners.
3. I wonder when we'll see the end of 9-10-year contracts. My guess is after A-Rod's contract plays out. (By the way, shouldn't we be hearing something about his hearing pretty soon? Not sure why that should be taking 9 months when most player hearings are over within 9 days.) The easiest prediction from the Cano signing is that there's no way it -- like similar deals for Albert Pujols, the aforementioned A-Rod and probably Prince Fielder, and going all the way back to Wayne Garland nearly 40 years ago -- will come close to paying off in results equal to even half of its value.
Let's look at the particulars. Cano is already 31. He wouldn't get any better in any circumstances. He can't equal in Seattle the offensive statistics from playing home game at Yankee Stadium with its favorable left-handed-hitting setup. He'll have 9 years of not worrying about playing for a contract and financial security. Actually, 10. If he's still playing in 2023, it would be on a going-into-retirement cruise.
Can Cano help the Mariners in the short run? No question. He's filling what has become an abyss since Dustin Ackley didn't work out at second base. Cano could probably reach 20 homers for a few years. But when his range at second base inevitably declines, he'd become a below-average left fielder or first baseman or DH. At that point, the best hope would be to have some other needy team take him off the Mariners' hands, saving Seattle a fraction of the money it would owe Cano.
Lots of activity in New York. The Yankees apparently also are losing OF Curtis Granderson's left-handed bat. The New York Post reported that he agreed to a 4-year contract with the Mets, no doubt for far less than he could have received even 2 years ago. Granderson is 32, coming off an injury-plagued 2013 and struggles against left-handers.
Also, the Yankees retained RHP Hiroki Kuroda for 2014. The busy Post reported the contract is for $16 million, with a $250,000 incentive for innings pitched. Kuroda has been mostly reliable in his two seasons in the Bronx. He has exceeded 200 innings in each of the last three years. But ... he has two winning records in six seasons in the U.S., will be 39 next season and didn't win a game after Aug. 12. (I know that too well; he was on one of my fantasy teams.) He's an exception to the rule that the ancient Yankees are getting somewhat younger.
Another situation I've commented on without a follow-up is 1B/DH Paul Konerko's re-signing. I applaud his or his agent's foresight in structuring his 1-year contract so he's paid $1.5 million in 2014, with $1 million deferred until 2015. That will make his transition out of the game much smoother. It's not likely that Konerko would suffer through another poor season in '15 -- barring an unlikely late-in-life resurgence such as Ted Williams and Stan Musial had in 1959 after bad years in '58. It's no coincidence that White Sox play-by-play man Ken Harrelson's contract expires after 2015, and he already has curtailed his travel schedule. In 2012, Sox color man Steve Stone made a reported $600,000 (with a lot of broadcast experience). There would seem to be room for Konerko in the broadcast booth, or even making a few hundred grand as a coach.
Marlins fans! Don't make World Series plans yet, but Miami did sign SS Rafael Furcal to a 1-year contract. He's expected to move to second base, with former 2B Donovan Solano or a player to be acquired at third. Apparently, the 36-year-old Furcal no longer is strong enough to unseat Adeiny Hechavarria at shortstop, especially after undergoing Tommy John surgery last March and missing all of last season. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel indicated that Furcal's contract is for $3.5 million, plus incentives. We'll find out during spring training whether he'll be ready by opening day. But really, does this look like a contending infield? Wait! I'm forgetting 1B Logan Morrison, who hasn't batted even .250 in any of the last three seasons.
* * *
Football. Both of my teams were off to a good start Thursday night, with Texans TE Garrett Graham scoring a touchdown and gaining 72 receiving yards. So I took early leads of 13-0 in my scoring-plus-yardage league (first week of a two-week consolation playoff semifinal) and 6-0 in Week 14 of my scoring-only league. In that one, I'm still projected for a tie against one of the two teams tied for first place a game ahead of me.
* * *
Hockey. Important key: The downside of having a lot of players, especially forwards, in your lineup, is that they can drag you down, especially by your plus/minus and ATOI.
I filled my starting lineup with 15 skaters and 2 goalies -- and lost 3 1/2 points. Where I was within 2 points of second place, I dropped to 5 back overnight. Here's what happened. The two goalies' team played but they didn't. I read a note saying that Jean-Sebastien Giguere would start for Colorado Friday, but forgot that it was Thursday. The 15 skaters totaled 0 goals and 2 assists, and were minus-6. In addition, defensemen Jan Hejda and Victor Hedman both left early because of injuries, hurting my ATOI even more. They join Henrik Zetterberg on my injured list. Also, I have to get the minus-9 Jason Spezza from the loser Senators off my roster. Clarke MacArthur can stay for the time being.
* * *
Basketball. Important key. If you have a guy on your roster who isn't playing tonight, but is tomorrow, be sure to put him into an open spot in your starting lineup instead of a player who is inactive for the next 2 days -- even if he's a franchise player.
I didn't follow one of my other important keys Wednesday. I didn't set my lineup until nearly 7 p.m. EDT. By that time, the Cavaliers' game already had started, so I couldn't get Anderson Varejao into my lineup. I could have put him in the lineup Tuesday (see Important key under hockey), guarding against the possibility of getting around to setting the lineup too late. I could have used his 18 points, 13 rebounds and assorted assists, blocks and steals. I made up somewhat for that lost production Thursday, regaining a 5-3 lead for the week.
For now, I'm off to find a hockey forward to replace Jason Spezza.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Giants banking on rotation plus Hudson
Short update today, at least for now. Lots to do.
In the days leading up to the winter meetings, major league teams seem content with signing deals and making moves to add or retain pieces of their rotation.
The Giants, who won two World Series in the last 4 years, seem confident that with the added infusion of RHP Tim Hudson they again have enough starting pitching to get into the postseason and be a threat to win it all.
They announced that they will resign RHP Ryan Vogelsong, as long as he passes his physical. His contract reportedly would be for about $5 million for 2014, with incentives.
Speculation is that RHP Yusmeiro Petit could compete with Vogelsong for the fifth starter's job behind Hudson, RHPs Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum and LHP Madison Bumgarner.
* * *
Hockey. My team made another jump in the standings, gaining 5 points and moving within 4 points of second place. The increase was mostly because the goalies in my lineup, Steve Mason and Jean-Sebastien Giguere, each won and allowed only goal. There's still room for growth in PPP (power play points), wins and save percentage.
For Saturday, all of the spots in my starting lineup are taken. However, it's possible that none of my goalies would return to play back-to-back games. I moved Toronto G James Reimer ahead of Avalance backup Giguere.
* * *
Basketball. This team is trailing this week's competition 5-3, with the most likely place to gain a game in field goal percentage. The basketball schedule isn't as busy, so just 6 of the 10 spots in my starting lineup are filled.
In the days leading up to the winter meetings, major league teams seem content with signing deals and making moves to add or retain pieces of their rotation.
The Giants, who won two World Series in the last 4 years, seem confident that with the added infusion of RHP Tim Hudson they again have enough starting pitching to get into the postseason and be a threat to win it all.
They announced that they will resign RHP Ryan Vogelsong, as long as he passes his physical. His contract reportedly would be for about $5 million for 2014, with incentives.
Speculation is that RHP Yusmeiro Petit could compete with Vogelsong for the fifth starter's job behind Hudson, RHPs Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum and LHP Madison Bumgarner.
* * *
Hockey. My team made another jump in the standings, gaining 5 points and moving within 4 points of second place. The increase was mostly because the goalies in my lineup, Steve Mason and Jean-Sebastien Giguere, each won and allowed only goal. There's still room for growth in PPP (power play points), wins and save percentage.
For Saturday, all of the spots in my starting lineup are taken. However, it's possible that none of my goalies would return to play back-to-back games. I moved Toronto G James Reimer ahead of Avalance backup Giguere.
* * *
Basketball. This team is trailing this week's competition 5-3, with the most likely place to gain a game in field goal percentage. The basketball schedule isn't as busy, so just 6 of the 10 spots in my starting lineup are filled.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Player movement slows down:
Apparently preparing for turkey overload, baseball front offices have slowed their off-season player movement. Or possibly there aren't enough interesting, desirable players to move around -- at least for garguantan, headline-grabbing contracts.
Consider the most recent move. The going-nowhere Cubs acquired going-nowhere backup catcher George Kottaras from the possibly-going-somewhere-but-we've-heard-that-before Royals for cash. And probably not very much cash. The left-handed-hitting Kottaras batted .180 last season, and that was with 85 per cent of his plate appearances against righties. His biggest contributions were that 5 of his 18 hits were homers and he walked in about 20 per cent of his PA.
There is an interesting column by Phil Rogers at mlb.com about how Jack Morris belongs in the Hall of Fame. I couldn't agree more. Morris passed the eyeball test. I'm guessing he was one of the pitchers batters of his day least wanted to face. He may be the last pitcher ever to pitch 10 innings -- a shutout, no less -- in a World Series game. The knock is his 3.90 career ERA, but that doesn't say what his ERA was with a game on the line. His 254 wins are discounted in a culture that says it's OK for a starter to put in his six innings and then rest for 4 days, and besides all it takes to get a win is to be in the right place at the right time so wins don't really mean anything. Morris was in the right place at the right time because he was out there gutting it out and imposing his will on batters all the way.
As an aside, I'll be OK with pitch counts and innings limits the day they start taking batters out of games because "He's done his job. He's batted four times today."
I also recently read in Jim O'Brien's "Maz and the '60 Bucs" about how Vernon Law pitched an 18-inning complete game, because his team needed him.
Enough soap-boxing. On to the other sports. More baseball to come, I hope, in the next few days.
* * *
Football. I claimed Falcons WR Harry Douglas on waivers in both of my leagues. In the scoring-plus-yardage league, I was awarded Douglas and put him in my lineup ahead of Steve Smith. I know Smith is more of you-know-what-you're-getting player, but Douglas has a higher upside and I'm going to need every point I can get in a tie-breaker to improve my position for the playoffs beginning next week. Haven't yet heard whether I'll get Douglas in my scoring-only league. Probably not; I'm 10th among 12 teams in the waiver order.
* * *
Hockey. I'm still in third place, but leaking points. I expected that Tuesday, when Corey Perry was the only player on my roster who was scheduled to play. On Wednesday, he's the only Texas Puckin Penguin who isn't playing. I moved Nathan MacKinnon into Perry's spot for now and adjusted some defensemen to get guys with bigger minutes and relatively better plus/minus into the lineup. I also made a precautionary move. I put Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who isn't slated to start until Friday ahead of James Reimer. Neither is likely to play in goal tonight, but I won't run the risk of forgetting to move Giguere into my lineup Friday.
* * *
Basketball. With my entire 13-man roster playing tonight, I made one small move. David West, with three double-doubles in a row, goes back into my 10-man lineup rotation that counts ahead of newly acquired Jared Sullinger. I'm currently tied for the week at 5-5, behind by just three 3-pointers and 5 points. However, my opponent is at 90 per cent from the foul line. If I go 5-3 I would move into a tie for seventh with this week's opponent, but my goal is 6-1-1 to reach .500 for the season. That wouldn't be bad, considering that I was 13 games under .500 2 weeks ago.
Consider the most recent move. The going-nowhere Cubs acquired going-nowhere backup catcher George Kottaras from the possibly-going-somewhere-but-we've-heard-that-before Royals for cash. And probably not very much cash. The left-handed-hitting Kottaras batted .180 last season, and that was with 85 per cent of his plate appearances against righties. His biggest contributions were that 5 of his 18 hits were homers and he walked in about 20 per cent of his PA.
There is an interesting column by Phil Rogers at mlb.com about how Jack Morris belongs in the Hall of Fame. I couldn't agree more. Morris passed the eyeball test. I'm guessing he was one of the pitchers batters of his day least wanted to face. He may be the last pitcher ever to pitch 10 innings -- a shutout, no less -- in a World Series game. The knock is his 3.90 career ERA, but that doesn't say what his ERA was with a game on the line. His 254 wins are discounted in a culture that says it's OK for a starter to put in his six innings and then rest for 4 days, and besides all it takes to get a win is to be in the right place at the right time so wins don't really mean anything. Morris was in the right place at the right time because he was out there gutting it out and imposing his will on batters all the way.
As an aside, I'll be OK with pitch counts and innings limits the day they start taking batters out of games because "He's done his job. He's batted four times today."
I also recently read in Jim O'Brien's "Maz and the '60 Bucs" about how Vernon Law pitched an 18-inning complete game, because his team needed him.
Enough soap-boxing. On to the other sports. More baseball to come, I hope, in the next few days.
* * *
Football. I claimed Falcons WR Harry Douglas on waivers in both of my leagues. In the scoring-plus-yardage league, I was awarded Douglas and put him in my lineup ahead of Steve Smith. I know Smith is more of you-know-what-you're-getting player, but Douglas has a higher upside and I'm going to need every point I can get in a tie-breaker to improve my position for the playoffs beginning next week. Haven't yet heard whether I'll get Douglas in my scoring-only league. Probably not; I'm 10th among 12 teams in the waiver order.
* * *
Hockey. I'm still in third place, but leaking points. I expected that Tuesday, when Corey Perry was the only player on my roster who was scheduled to play. On Wednesday, he's the only Texas Puckin Penguin who isn't playing. I moved Nathan MacKinnon into Perry's spot for now and adjusted some defensemen to get guys with bigger minutes and relatively better plus/minus into the lineup. I also made a precautionary move. I put Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who isn't slated to start until Friday ahead of James Reimer. Neither is likely to play in goal tonight, but I won't run the risk of forgetting to move Giguere into my lineup Friday.
* * *
Basketball. With my entire 13-man roster playing tonight, I made one small move. David West, with three double-doubles in a row, goes back into my 10-man lineup rotation that counts ahead of newly acquired Jared Sullinger. I'm currently tied for the week at 5-5, behind by just three 3-pointers and 5 points. However, my opponent is at 90 per cent from the foul line. If I go 5-3 I would move into a tie for seventh with this week's opponent, but my goal is 6-1-1 to reach .500 for the season. That wouldn't be bad, considering that I was 13 games under .500 2 weeks ago.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Dealing from strength
The baseball hot stove is heating up. In recent years, a lot of talk has been bubbling on the stove in Texas.
This winter's big issue is which middle infielder the Rangers will trade. Side issues are what can they get in return, how big the deal will be and how they might replace what they'll be giving up.
For my money, Texas would be giving up less by trading 2B Ian Kinsler than if they were to deal SS Elvis Andrus, swingman Jurickson Profar or Double-A 2B Rougned Odor. I'm leaving Double-A SS Luis Sardinas out of the mix because to me he seems the least advanced/talented of the group. But if a team would prefer him in a trade, I wouldn't hesitate to sell him high.
Kinsler is most expendable because he has virtually no upside, and all of the others have dynamic upsides.
I still think Andrus can hit for at least gap power, and his greatest value lies in his defense.
Profar didn't fare well in his spotty first pretty much whole season in the majors. He's not Mike Trout, but Profar will be an above-average fielder and a useful offensive player.
Odor is an overachieving scrapper. I'd say potentially a higher-end Jose Altuve.
Texas' No. 1 trade target seems to be Rays LHP David Price, the guy who kept the Rangers out of the playoffs in 2013.
The Rangers couldn't just trade Kinsler and call it a day. In order to trade him from an already shrunken offense, they'd have to make another deal to bring in a proven bat. It's quite likely that many of the scenarios Texas' front office has played out included Marlins OF Giancarlo aka Mike Stanton. Miami insists he is not on the market.
Thus, the Rangers might be more likely to look to free agency for a bat, and they won't find one with Stanton's raw power or upside. They'd probably have to settle for OF Carlos Beltran or 1B Justin Morneau.
Another possibility would be resigning RF Nelson Cruz, but he's also on the downside of his career. Or Texas could try to pry OF Jose Bautista away from the Blue Jays. It's an intricate puzzle. Every move seems to require a counter move.
We could see the Rangers make a honeycomb or matrix of deals. They believe -- as do a number of other organizations -- that they have nearly sure-fire prospects at just about every position.
From what I've seen of their farm system, it's not as dynamically productive as it has been during the past several years. But other organizations are enamored of the prospects from an organization that has brought along way more prospects than their own system has.
Another scenario is that Texas could be shut out in the trade and free agency markets, as it was for the most part a year ago. That didn't work too well last winter, so expect the Rangers to make even somewhat less advantageous deals than they'd like to have at least a chance of moving forward.
* * *
Just started reading a very interesting book that I've had for probably a decade. It's a SABR reprint of a 1925 book called "Batting," by F.C. Lane. I believe this was one of the bonus publications that SABR provides to its members along with its usual publications. As the editor of the old Baseball magazine, Lane interviewed many players during the first quarter of the 20th century. They're quoted with their opinions about batting.
One passage seems really relevant, given today's emphasis on defensive shifts. " ... In short, batting resolves to the brief but pointed epigram of Willie Keeler's when he said, 'Hit 'em where they ain't.' "'Where they ain't,' is something of a study in geography limited by the playing field and its immediate environs. There are certain zones of safety where the ball may be driven and allow the batter time to negotiate first, but these zones of safety can never be chartered, for they vary with the batter, with the opposing pitcher, with the ball field, even with the stage of the game."
That wasn't to say that teams hadn't developed shifts against certain hitters 90 or 100 years ago. Lane pointed out that opponents would overload the right side of their defense when lefty slugger Cy Williams came to bat. But clearly, today's computer capabilities weren't envisioned in 1925.
Even so, the idea of maximizing and customized defensive capabilities has been around for a century and it has taken most of that time to put the idea into effect.
* * *
Even before Monday night's game, I have won in one fantasy football league and lost in the other. I'm on a bit of a roll in the former, now 6-5 and I believe tied for fourth. The other league is going south, down to 4-7. Just 14 points from Peyton Manning, which just about equaled the total from the three RBs in my lineup. Bad day for Jordan Reed too.
* * *
My fantasy hockey team is pretty much static, still fourth by a comfortable margin, half a point out of third and not likely to finish first unless the current leader collapses totally. With plenty of room to grow with my goalies, I have made a trade offer to the owner who leads in GAA and save percentage. We'll see what happens there. By the way, the goalie I already picked up on waivers was Jean-Sebastien Giguere.
This winter's big issue is which middle infielder the Rangers will trade. Side issues are what can they get in return, how big the deal will be and how they might replace what they'll be giving up.
For my money, Texas would be giving up less by trading 2B Ian Kinsler than if they were to deal SS Elvis Andrus, swingman Jurickson Profar or Double-A 2B Rougned Odor. I'm leaving Double-A SS Luis Sardinas out of the mix because to me he seems the least advanced/talented of the group. But if a team would prefer him in a trade, I wouldn't hesitate to sell him high.
Kinsler is most expendable because he has virtually no upside, and all of the others have dynamic upsides.
I still think Andrus can hit for at least gap power, and his greatest value lies in his defense.
Profar didn't fare well in his spotty first pretty much whole season in the majors. He's not Mike Trout, but Profar will be an above-average fielder and a useful offensive player.
Odor is an overachieving scrapper. I'd say potentially a higher-end Jose Altuve.
Texas' No. 1 trade target seems to be Rays LHP David Price, the guy who kept the Rangers out of the playoffs in 2013.
The Rangers couldn't just trade Kinsler and call it a day. In order to trade him from an already shrunken offense, they'd have to make another deal to bring in a proven bat. It's quite likely that many of the scenarios Texas' front office has played out included Marlins OF Giancarlo aka Mike Stanton. Miami insists he is not on the market.
Thus, the Rangers might be more likely to look to free agency for a bat, and they won't find one with Stanton's raw power or upside. They'd probably have to settle for OF Carlos Beltran or 1B Justin Morneau.
Another possibility would be resigning RF Nelson Cruz, but he's also on the downside of his career. Or Texas could try to pry OF Jose Bautista away from the Blue Jays. It's an intricate puzzle. Every move seems to require a counter move.
We could see the Rangers make a honeycomb or matrix of deals. They believe -- as do a number of other organizations -- that they have nearly sure-fire prospects at just about every position.
From what I've seen of their farm system, it's not as dynamically productive as it has been during the past several years. But other organizations are enamored of the prospects from an organization that has brought along way more prospects than their own system has.
Another scenario is that Texas could be shut out in the trade and free agency markets, as it was for the most part a year ago. That didn't work too well last winter, so expect the Rangers to make even somewhat less advantageous deals than they'd like to have at least a chance of moving forward.
* * *
Just started reading a very interesting book that I've had for probably a decade. It's a SABR reprint of a 1925 book called "Batting," by F.C. Lane. I believe this was one of the bonus publications that SABR provides to its members along with its usual publications. As the editor of the old Baseball magazine, Lane interviewed many players during the first quarter of the 20th century. They're quoted with their opinions about batting.
One passage seems really relevant, given today's emphasis on defensive shifts. " ... In short, batting resolves to the brief but pointed epigram of Willie Keeler's when he said, 'Hit 'em where they ain't.' "'Where they ain't,' is something of a study in geography limited by the playing field and its immediate environs. There are certain zones of safety where the ball may be driven and allow the batter time to negotiate first, but these zones of safety can never be chartered, for they vary with the batter, with the opposing pitcher, with the ball field, even with the stage of the game."
That wasn't to say that teams hadn't developed shifts against certain hitters 90 or 100 years ago. Lane pointed out that opponents would overload the right side of their defense when lefty slugger Cy Williams came to bat. But clearly, today's computer capabilities weren't envisioned in 1925.
Even so, the idea of maximizing and customized defensive capabilities has been around for a century and it has taken most of that time to put the idea into effect.
* * *
Even before Monday night's game, I have won in one fantasy football league and lost in the other. I'm on a bit of a roll in the former, now 6-5 and I believe tied for fourth. The other league is going south, down to 4-7. Just 14 points from Peyton Manning, which just about equaled the total from the three RBs in my lineup. Bad day for Jordan Reed too.
* * *
My fantasy hockey team is pretty much static, still fourth by a comfortable margin, half a point out of third and not likely to finish first unless the current leader collapses totally. With plenty of room to grow with my goalies, I have made a trade offer to the owner who leads in GAA and save percentage. We'll see what happens there. By the way, the goalie I already picked up on waivers was Jean-Sebastien Giguere.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)