2011-12 Hot Stove Thread

I can't argue that. But any team that's trying to put a good product on the field should spend more than $40M. There's a middle ground between the Yankees' largesse and the Pirates' decision to just pocket revenue-sharing kickbacks.

If they were spending $70-$80M, putting $8M a year for two years into a guy like Burnett, who has talent and could thrive in the NL Central, isn't a terrible idea. If it works, fantastic. If not, they're not on the hook for a long, expensive contract.

If they're only willing to spend $40M, then, yeah, committing 20 percent of their payroll to Burnett is not a good idea.

As a Yankees fan, I hope the Pirates make this work so I can be rid of Burnett. As a baseball fan, I hope they do it as a signal that they're willing to spend more than the bare minimum to field a team.

 

I would see it more as a sign that this front office is almost as dumb as all the other ones that have kept them down for so long.

 

Kind of similar, but just the opposite with a bit of a crossthread thrown in. Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Jones is a fan favourite in Edmonton, and his hair or "flow" is a big part of that. Every year they take part in an event called Hair Massacure which raises money for several family health based organizations in Alberta, and several players will get their heads shaved at the event. This year one of those players was going to be Jones, but there was an outcry from the public to save his hair, and instead he turned it around to where if he could reach a certain fundraising goal he wouldn't shave his head. The goal was $5,000 and was met in two days, which was then matched by both Jones and the Edmonton Oilers to jump the total to $15,000.

http://oilers.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=77353

 

They really don't and they aren't the only ones. What they do is make a show of spending every once in a while, which usually leads to crappy deals like overpaying for a scrub like Barmes or trading for Burnett.

 

AJ has ERAs of 5+ and 6+ away from home the past two seasons, plus, he will be over 35, right?

Everything about this says pass.

 

Every time they do try, it's a guy like Burnett or Matt Morris. Maybe it's better for them that they not try.

 

Saw this on Twitter. Red Sox and David Ortiz settle on a one-year 14.75 million dollar deal.

 

The dollar amount seemed high to me, but then again, there aren't many guys with his numbers that get to arb / free agency. I think the Sox will gladly pay him $15 million a year going forward, as long as it's just one-year contracts and he performs. When the end comes for Ortiz, I imagine it'll be brutal and bad.

 

Cespedes goes to the A's.

 

4 years, $36 million, free agency after the deal expires. That was apparently the deal-breaker, he wanted either a monstrous deal or a shorter-term deal that left him a free agent at 30.

 

Looks like an attempt to stem the tide from A's fan blowback-- team has been trying very hard in the last few months to convince people they aren't giving up, even though that's what they're doing. I don't think they realized just how low their ticket sales would get after they sent Willingham and those pitchers packing.