MLB Trade Deadline Thread

No, I heard two weeks ago the Pirates wanted Matt Kemp for Jack Wilson. Straight up.

 

Oh, that. I thought it was Wilson and Nady for Kemp, not just Wilson. Not that I'd do that, either, but it's not quite as awful.

 

Whatever dude.

You are right. Hitting cleanup for the Pirates in a meaningless game against the Nationals on Sept. 29 is the exact same as hitting cleanup with a playoff spot on the line against the Yankees at Fenway.

I like you, but seriously, your sabermetrics shit is annoying after a bit.

 

So, for Pirates fans, does trading Nady and Bay mean saying, "Wait 'till 2015!"?

 

Pittsburgh is looking at 2010-2011. I like what they've done with the quantity and some of the talent coming to the organization but just as important is the team signing 5 of their top 10 draft picks from this year, especially #2 overall Pedro Alvarez.

 

I just don't get how other low-budget teams can have an occasional good year and the Pirates can't. The Rays, Marlins, A's and Brewers have all done it. The Royals were around .500 a couple seasons ago. Even the Tigers went to the World Series with mostly low-priced homegrown talent, before they started signing high-priced free agents.
Shouldn't one of these rebuilding cycles eventually result in a winning season, at the very least?

 

Manny has been Manny forever. He has always been kinda lazy, always been a mental space cadet and always been a distraction. Yet the Sawx managed to win two World Series with him. Yes, the recent transgressions were stupider than others, but if Theo/John Henry/Tito had announced that there was no way Manny was being dealt and sat down with him, my guess is that it would have blown over.

The man is a future Hall of Famer who is scary because he is such a good hitter on nothing but pure instinct. He is capable of changing a game with one swing and can go on hot streaks where you can't pitch to him. None of those attributes apply to Jason Bay.

 

Yeah, sorry. I still stand by that post.

 

Is the general consensus with Matt Kemp that he is going to be a stud? I haven't seen any Dodgers games, my knowledge of him is limited to what I see in the daily box scores.

 

Jason Bay has proven that he's a .280 hitter, who will have an OBP of around .375 and a slugging percentage of around .500. He's done that consistently (save for last year's injury-riddled season) and has even topped those numbers in the past. I think we can all agree that a .275/.370/.500 line isn't *completely* crazy, right?

So what's going to change? I mean, sure, he might go 0-5 in a game against Joba (because Joba's a fucking stud). He also might go 2-3 with 2 walks against Joba (because Joba isn't perfect). Neither of those results will change the fact that he's a .275/.370/.500 guy.

The pressure increases, certainly, but the concept is the same: Get on base by hitting the ball as hard/far as you can or drawing a walk. Jason Bay has shown, in a fairly large sample size, that he's capable of doing that at a successful clip.

I'm not even bringing sabermetrics into the discussion, Gola.

 

Sorry, I took the shot where I could.

The fact is, yes Jason Bay is a pretty good hitter, a little above average some might say , but you still can never account how someone will handle the pressure that is a pennant race.

We've all seen plenty of players who were fan-fucking-tastic in places like Pittsburgh or Tampa or Kansas City or wherever enter a pennant race with the whole baseball world watching and suck complete ass.

So, I still stand by this: Expecting that Jason Bay - because he has similar numbers to Manny this season - will hit like Manny when it comes time that playoff spots and playoff games are on the line is asking a lot.

I'm not saying he can't do it. Maybe he'll turn into Aaron fucking Boone. I don't know. I'm just saying people, Red Sox fans especially, should temper their expectations because it is a lot to ask.


Oh, and if he goes 0-for-5 against Joba Chamberlain in a game that decides a playoff spot? Well, you can guarantee Red Sox fans will rip him a new asshole. Guarantee.

Everyone loves the Nomar trade because it ended with a World Series.

If the Manny trade ends this season with Jason Bay hitting .212 and the Red Sox missing the playoffs, well Mr. Bay won't be treated quite the same way Orlando Cabrera was/is.

 

I'm nitpicking, but this is a common misconception. Truth is, Manny is a very, very intelligent hitter (not ballplayer), who works very hard at that aspect of the game. He can be pretty dumb in the outfield, on the bases, in the dugout and off the field ... but in the batter's box, he's adaptable, creative, observant ... and talented enough to beat you even when he gets fooled, which he rarely does. In short, one of the smartest hitters in the game. Pujols is another.

I agree. This is where Francona comes in.

Pete Bell: "He's not happy."
Happy: "Who the hell cares? His mom's got a job, a car and a house with a yard. It's your job to make him happy ... Coach!"

(Yeah. I went there. Suck it, haters. ;D)