Baseball Thread Number 8: Cal Ripken says the playoff hunt is fun

Speaking of the Royals, can someone tell me what Dayton Moore did to get a four-year extension?

I know they're spending big in the draft ... but still.

 

They might not consistently make the playoffs like the Yankees going 14 straight years, but if they can make it once every two or three years in that division, that's saying something because the Blue Jays and Orioles certainly haven't done it. And I think the Rays can and will be that sort of team. They might trade Crawford this offseason, but they'll have Desmond Jennings ready to start in center field. They might let some pitchers walk, but they'll make some shrewd trades and signings like they've done before.

In all fairness to Moore, he does need more time. He will be judged, ultimately, by the crown jewels in the farm system that are still only in Class A Wilmington right now. While his inability to piece together a decent major-league roster leaves much to be desired, it's the kids he's drafting (Hosmer, Moustakas, Myers, Montgomery, Melville, etc.) that will make or break him.

 

He gave up a breathing human being for Yuniesky Betancourt...and apparently a pretty good one. He should be fired for that alone, if not banned from the game.

 

Last I checked on the "good one," in six starts with Double-A West Tennessee, Daniel Cortes had posted a 6.46 ERA in 30 2/3 innings. He had 29 Ks, but also 25 walks and 29 hits. And the week before he was traded, Cortes was arrested on charges of public intoxication and disorderly conduct.

OK, so maybe Moore was still wrong to trade a prospect like that for Betancourt. But that trade won't make or break the Royals. The Royals have been broke for quite some time now, in case you haven't noticed.

 

A day in the life of a wire.

9:42 p.m.:

9:47 p.m.:

:

 

Do'eth!

 

I still don't understand why the Rays traded Kazmir or why they gace away Edwin Jackson in the off-season.

I don't care what kind of "fetch" they got for Kazmir or what they have at Double A. They basically gave away two decent, young major league starters.
It's like they tasted success last eyar and decided they'd rather fail.

 

By dumping Kazmir, the Rays saved themselves $25 million over two years on a pitcher whose ERA this season is worse than Brad Penny's. Money that could go to re-signing Pena, Bartlett, Garza and others. What the Rays are doing are making bold, shrewd moves for long-term success. If they had the Yankees' or Red Sox's payroll flexibility, they could keep Kazmir and not think twice about it, but that's not the case.

 

Shut up.

 

What the Rays did was dump salary (reasonable salary, they thought a year ago) and gambled on the unknown.
Two years ago, Kazmir was the second coming. Now, he's a salary dump at age 25.

The Rays are in the midst of fucking up a good thing by being cheap bastards.

 

The Rays will be in much better shape than the $135 million Mets, because with the scouting department they have, they haven't missed when it comes to decisions like this. It's not how much you spend, it's how wisely you spend it. And the Rays are merely being smart about how they're going to spend the $25 million they had previously budgeted for an injury-prone pitcher whose numbers have been in decline three straight seasons.

 

You've been watching New York teams for too long. Teams like the Rays have to make choices. They can't keep everybody. At one point, they believed that Kazmir was worth a long-term investment. Since then, they have seen more evidence that he might break down at an early age and lose his effectiveness, which apparently was enough to change their opinion of him. The Angels gave them a way out of a contract that could have cost them players that they have more faith in. In a situation like that, it makes sense for a low-revenue franchise to take the out.

I didn't like the move because they were in contention when they did it, though they have faded since. Teams like the Rays have to take their shot when it presents itself, add talent rather than dump it when they are contending. But in the long run, I understand the thinking of a low-revenue franchise getting out of a questionable contract when they have the chance.