MLB 2014 season thread

Do the Cardinals realize they need offense and not more pitching? This is a power-deficient team.

 

Are all of these teams boston fans?

 

Cherington just won GM of the Year.

 

I think the Sox did fine but I think Cespedes might be a tad overrated. Big arm, derby champ is what people remember but a career ops of .778 and OBP of .318. Although I'm sure playing Fenway will help.

 

I take that chance.

And oh, by the way, Allen Craig, who I think is elite despite his down-tick this season.

 

They only gave up a guy who will be a 2 month rental + postseason for the A's.

 

Wow. As an A's fan, I love the upgrades to the rotation but it comes at quite a price. Cespedas was pretty close to a five-tool guy and he still had another year on his contract. It was probably inevitable they'd lose him after 2015, but I might have kept him and tried to get a ransom out of a deal next year.

I wonder if Beane thinks he has enough bats or whether he might search for another short-term guy too.

 

Something I did not realize about Lackey ... he has an option year for 2015 at the MLB minimum salary that triggers if he "misses significant time" from 2010-14. He missed all of 2012.

Apparently, he's going to honor it.

https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/494904965761355776

I still like that deal for the Red Sox, but if you can get 200 innings, 10-15 wins and a 3.50-4.00 ERA for $500K, that's a damn fine bargain.

 

Allen Craig was elite the three seasons before this one. I've watched him all season, and he's way, way, way from being elite right now. Light years away from his statistical norms, and he looks completely lost at the plate. Shit, he looks demoralized, just flat beaten down. Maybe he regains his mojo in Boston — or maybe he never gets it back. Either way, it opens the door for Taveras, which is a good thing.

Joe Kelly, despite doing some good work the last couple of years, is not a top-flight pitcher. High pitch counts and low innings, a classic No. 5 on a shitty team, long reliever on a decent team.

Sure, the Cardinals didn't add a bat, but there was no way to get one without giving up a king's ransom in major league players/minor league prospects. Getting Lackey is a small play for this season, but a bigger play for next season with his $500,000 team option. I think Cards GM is looking long range with this deal, realizing, perhaps, that this isn't St. Louis year.

Anyway, as a Cardinals fan, I'm more bullish on this deal than many of y'all are.

 

Easily my favourite story on trade deadline day:

http://deadspin.com/jim-bowden-caught-stealing-from-fake-twitter-account-d-1614081824

 

Lester's first start in Oakland is Saturday.

 

Price to the Tigers, per Ken Rosenthal (no details yet):

https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/494932499542585344