2014 MLB Offseason

[Kramerica Industries]

If Jeter was winning Golden Globes for his Ford Edge commercials then, yeah, I'll agree that he was brazenly overrated.

[cmm]

2014 will be Derek Jeter's last season...good riddance!

So classy ballplayers are bad thing. Okay

If Mother Teresa played for the Yankees, I would have hated her too.

[BBTV]

Phila gave AJ Burnette $16M and possibly a no trade for one season. I know nothing about him. I find it hard to believe that a desire able player would still be available at this point, let alone one that could command that kind of contract.

Cole Hamels is out until at least end of April, so is this just a case of panicking, or is he worth it?

[FiddySicks]

If Jeter was winning Golden Globes for his Ford Edge commercials then, yeah, I'll agree that he was brazenly overrated.

I really, seriously, fully, HATE autocorrect.

[Kramerica Industries]

aye, but it gave me a chance to bring the "Jeter's got an Edge" bullcrap from the Yankees corner of the internet and display it in this melting pot, so it was completely worth it.

[Lights Out]

Another year-long Yankee retirement tour where everybody acts like no athlete has ever retired before will get old fast. At least Gold Gloves might be given to shortstops based on their defensive prowess now and not the pinstripes on their uniform or their last name being Jeter.

Yes, I'm a hater.

[FGM13]

As a baseball fan, I'll be sad to see Jeter go.

But as a Jays fan, I say good riddance.

[cmm]

Phila gave AJ Burnette $16M and possibly a no trade for one season. I know nothing about him. I find it hard to believe that a desire able player would still be available at this point, let alone one that could command that kind of contract.

Cole Hamels is out until at least end of April, so is this just a case of panicking, or is he worth it?

This wouldn't be a bad deal for a contender. If Burnett can keep pitching like he did for the Pirates--cutting down on walks and fly balls--he should be fine. $16M is overpaying, but it's only a one-year deal.

But I don't think a 37-year-old starting pitcher should have been on the Phillies' shopping list. And that no-trade clause would bother me given that they aren't expected to contend.

[BBTV]

That's the problem though. They (front office) think they're contenders, hence why they've been resigning their aging talent.

[dbadefense1990]

So since Jeter's retiring, are we going to re-sizzle all those "Jeter vs. Omar Vizquel vs. Garciaparra" debates from the late-1990s?

[CS85]

[cmm]

So since Jeter's retiring, are we going to re-sizzle all those "Jeter vs. Omar Vizquel vs. Garciaparra" debates from the late-1990s?

Teenage cmm voted for Rey Ordonez.

[TheOldRoman]

Wow. I didn't realize it at the time, but that Mets' infield was incredible defensively. I can't say it was the best ever, but It would have to be up there.

On another note, I think Robin Ventura has to be one of the most underrated players of the last 25 years. He did get recognition in winning gold gloves, but he was just an all-around really good player who I think went largely unnoticed, in my homerrific opinion.

[Shumway]

So since Jeter's retiring, are we going to re-sizzle all those "Jeter vs. Omar Vizquel vs. Garciaparra" debates from the late-1990s?

Teenage cmm voted for Rey Ordonez.

Edgardo Alfonzo...I don't know why, but I really liked that guy. I used to make sure I drafted him on all my teams in All Star Baseball (Nintendo 64). I even went to one of the games he was in town as a Long Island Duck.

Also....the Angels are looking to lock up Mike Trout to a long-term extension. I have $12 in cash in my wallet and a change jar on my shelf. It's yours, Arte Moreno.

[Still MIGHTY]

Also....the Angels are looking to lock up Mike Trout to a long-term extension. I have $12 in cash in my wallet and a change jar on my shelf. It's yours, Arte Moreno.

If they can sink themselves with these Pujols and Hamilton deals, and they can't lock up Mike Trout long term or force him out with crap like his rookie raise penny-pinching, I'd seriously consider boycotting until Arte sells. Or at least some form of protest. At the very least, it'd knock my fandom or level of care down a few notches.

[TheOldRoman]

What the hell happened to Moreno? A few years ago, he was THE owner fans of other teams aspired to own their team. I know I read a whole bunch of "The Sox need an owner like Arte Moreno" posts, along with some from other fandoms. The Angels have just spun their wheels the last few years. The Pujols signing is primed to be considered the most disasterous contract in sports history for at least a decade, and Hamilton obviously had a bad year (though his contract is much shorter). So, what's the deal? Have those two contracts, along with drastically overpaying C.J. Wilson just sunk the team, or has it been a steady pattern of bumbling out of Anaheim?

[Shumway]

What the hell happened to Moreno? A few years ago, he was THE owner fans of other teams aspired to own their team. I know I read a whole bunch of "The Sox need an owner like Arte Moreno" posts, along with some from other fandoms. The Angels have just spun their wheels the last few years. The Pujols signing is primed to be considered the most disasterous contract in sports history for at least a decade, and Hamilton obviously had a bad year (though his contract is much shorter). So, what's the deal? Have those two contracts, along with drastically overpaying C.J. Wilson just sunk the team, or has it been a steady pattern of bumbling out of Anaheim?

Essentially, what seemed to start it was an apparent inability to make a "splash" in offseason free agency. I forget which player it was (I'm thinking Carl Crawford), but it set off what I consider panic moves, like trading away Napoli and Juan Rivera for Vernon Wells or (2013 All-Star) Jean Segura for Zack Grienke, who they let walk the following season.

While there's obvious excitement when they signed Pujols, Hamilton, Wilson and traded for Grienke, it's a bit of an "Oh :censored:, what did they do?!?" kind of feeling as well.

[FiddySicks]

What the hell happened to Moreno? A few years ago, he was THE owner fans of other teams aspired to own their team. I know I read a whole bunch of "The Sox need an owner like Arte Moreno" posts, along with some from other fandoms. The Angels have just spun their wheels the last few years. The Pujols signing is primed to be considered the most disasterous contract in sports history for at least a decade, and Hamilton obviously had a bad year (though his contract is much shorter). So, what's the deal? Have those two contracts, along with drastically overpaying C.J. Wilson just sunk the team, or has it been a steady pattern of bumbling out of Anaheim?

Essentially, what seemed to start it was an apparent inability to make a "splash" in offseason free agency. I forget which player it was (I'm thinking Carl Crawford), but it set off what I consider panic moves, like trading away Napoli and Juan Rivera for Vernon Wells or (2013 All-Star) Jean Segura for Zack Grienke, who they let walk the following season.

While there's obvious excitement when they signed Pujols, Hamilton, Wilson and traded for Grienke, it's a bit of an "Oh , what did they do?!?" kind of feeling as well.

That's just it. You can throw all the money at big name players you want, but dumb baseball moves are just that. Dumb baseball moves.

Arte wanted to make a big splash and try to grab a strangle hold over the LA market while the Dodgers were struggling, but instead of hiring the right people to make the best moves, they basically just blindly threw cash at guys like I do when playing franchise mode in MVP Baseball. Because of that, they have a roster that, while talented, is extremely unbalanced, and even with all that money, they basically reached their financial limit.

The Dodgers seemed to have made the same mistake with that huge trade with the Red Sox, but being purchased by people who have more money than God and getting lucky on the Puig signing bailed them out (at least for now) of what could've been a HUGE mess.

Not only did the Angels fail at trying to establish themselves as the premiere team in Los Angeles, they also tied up so much money in so few declining players, that it's gonna be interesting to see if they can even keep a guy like Trout along for the long haul.

No doubt the Angels are MUCH better run today than they have been in the majority of their history, but they flopped pretty hard when it comes to establishing themselves as a real threat to the Dodgers in that market. Part of it is their location, no doubt. Part of it is the fact that it's the Dodgers who they're trying to compete with (meaning, just about any idiot can remain on top with as much as the Dodgers have to work with (History, location, media market, ect), regardless of ownership). But a third really important part of that is how they've stumbled in really trying to be consistently competitive.

[tp49]

I see a lot of similarities between Arte Moreno and George Steinbrenner in the late 80's and early 90's where he spent on big name players who just wouldn't or couldn't play well together. The only thing that saved the franchise was his banishment for the Howie Spira mess which allowed Stick Michael to rebuild the farm system and develop some good players. Who would have thought that Howie Spira would be the best thing to happen to the Yankees.

The lesson here for Arte is of course that those who don't pay attention to history are doomed to repeat it.

[pcgd]

To add fuel to the hatred, Arte Moreno probably is going to be responsible for the success of the Cardinals for the long term. Without him offering Pujols the deal he did, the Cardinals likely sign him for a similar, slightly cheaper, contract. They don't resign Wainwright and Molina, probably just one. And they don't have the flexibility to keep their in house talent or make many of the signings they have and will.

So there you go Ant-Arte and Anti-Cards fans, Unite!!