2007-2008 MLB Offseason Thread

[rams80]

Jays sign David Eckstein 1 year deal, 4.5 million as per TSN.ca

Did the Cardinals quietly fold in October or something? What gives?

[pcgd]

Why would we want Eckstein back. He's not a very good leadoff hitter, he doesn't have much range in the field, his OBP is awful,...If they offered arbitration, he most likely would have accepted and have gotten more than that.

Keeping guys like Eckstein and Aaron Miles around for 2-3 years longer than they should be is the main reason that the Cardinals suck as bad as they do right now. That and thinking you can be successful with a team full of role players plus Pujols. Guys like Eckstein are number 8 hitters playing 2nd that come through for you every now and then. They shouldn't be setting the table and be one of your main offensive "threats."

I think letting him go was a good idea and letting those two guys go in particular gives me a little hope in the new regime.

[BaltimoreFan]

Miguel Tejada to the Astros for five players:

link to story

I'm glad to finally get him off the team. He didn't want to be here and it showed. I don't have much respect for the guy. He complains about the problem, then basically becomes part of it. I think he'll play alot better in Houston as long as they're winning.

At first I was a little disappointed about the trade. I heard rumors the Angels were going to trade Wood and Saunders for Tejada, which I liked alot. But after finally getting to look at the trade (my internet has been down since if happened) I really like it. Troy Patton and Luke Scott is very similar to the Angels deal. Plus MacPhail got 3 more guys. I really think MacPhail can turn this around. We'll find out for sure if Brian Roberts is traded without an Angelos veto. That will prove MacPhail has full control of baseball operations.

[rams80]

Why would we want Eckstein back. He's not a very good leadoff hitter, he doesn't have much range in the field, his OBP is awful,...If they offered arbitration, he most likely would have accepted and have gotten more than that.

Keeping guys like Eckstein and Aaron Miles around for 2-3 years longer than they should be is the main reason that the Cardinals suck as bad as they do right now. That and thinking you can be successful with a team full of role players plus Pujols. Guys like Eckstein are number 8 hitters playing 2nd that come through for you every now and then. They shouldn't be setting the table and be one of your main offensive "threats."

I think letting him go was a good idea and letting those two guys go in particular gives me a little hope in the new regime.

What are they going to replace these role players with? Guys from the farm? I hope not, because honestly some pics from the Dust Bowl could best describe the state of the farm system today.

Letting them go is only acceptable if you have somebody lined up to replace them. I doubt the Cardinals do.

[Milo Meningocele]

Dan Haren traded to Arizona along with Connor Robertson for six players:

link to story

Arizona also today traded Jose Valverde to Houston for Chad Qualls, Chris Burke and Juan Gutierrez.

[TFoA]

Now the NL West is all of a sudden the best division in the National League. Aside from the Giants, there isn't a team in that division that can't win it.

[See Red]

Does that bump up the price and/or get the Yankees back involved in trade talks for Santana? I got the feeling Haren may have been each teams backup plans since I wouldn't expect the Orioles (Bedard) or Rays (Kazmir) to trade within the division.

[STL FANATIC]

Jim Edmonds to the Padres for minor leaguer David Freese.

Cardinals are eating at least one million, possibly more. Edmonds told the Cards he'd waive his NTC to go to the West Coast, specifically SoCal if they needed him too a few weeks back.

David Freese is a 24 year old 3B who was at High A ball. He has pretty solid numbers and is apparently good defensively.

Overall...eh. I'm really not thrilled about trading Edmonds. The Cards better have something up their sleeve. There better be a reason they're trying to create room in the budget...

I'll miss you Jim. You were definitely one of if not THE best CF in Cardinals history.

[See Red]

On second thought, looking a little deeper into who the A's got back for Haren, this certainly bumps up the price for Santana.

The A's just got a ton back for Haren. Great deal for them -- they basically just completely cleaned out Ariona's farm system.

[FiddySicks]

Im really starting to get sick of the A's doings. Trading Hudson and Mulder for prospects made sense, and letting Zito go made even more sense. But then to trade one of those prospects, specifically the top prospect you picked up in the initial deal who really broke out as a hugely talented pitcher, possibly top three in the AL for MORE talented prospects? Is A's management ever going to actually let that talent develop into a contending team, or are they forever going to be the MLBs version of a turnstyle? You can only be a "young team with plenty of talent for the future" for so long before people start to get impatient.

[Brass]

Jim Edmonds to the Padres for minor leaguer David Freese.

Cardinals are eating at least one million, possibly more. Edmonds told the Cards he'd waive his NTC to go to the West Coast, specifically SoCal if they needed him too a few weeks back.

David Freese is a 24 year old 3B who was at High A ball. He has pretty solid numbers and is apparently good defensively.

Overall...eh. I'm really not thrilled about trading Edmonds. The Cards better have something up their sleeve. There better be a reason they're trying to create room in the budget...

I'll miss you Jim. You were definitely one of if not THE best CF in Cardinals history.

Could the talks between Pads and Pirates about Jason Bay be dead then?

[See Red]

Im really starting to get sick of the A's doings. Trading Hudson and Mulder for prospects made sense, and letting Zito go made even more sense. But then to trade one of those prospects, specifically the top prospect you picked up in the initial deal who really broke out as a hugely talented pitcher, possibly top three in the AL for MORE talented prospects? Is A's management ever going to actually let that talent develop into a contending team, or are they forever going to be the MLBs version of a turnstyle? You can only be a "young team with plenty of talent for the future" for so long before people start to get impatient.

Yeah, I can see where you're coming from... I like the trade for the A's because they completely cleaned out one of the best farm systems in baseball for a pitcher who is good... but not Johan Santana good and not as good as last years 3.09 ERA would indicate. I kind of figured Haren would get as much as Johan because he's cheap for now and is locked up for a few years, but I think they got more than what the Twins were close to getting from the Red Sox.

What the Diamondbacks gave up is basically the equivalent of the Sox giving up Ellsbury AND Lester AND Lowrie and Masterson.

[patsox]

Yeah...with Mulder and Hudson, weren't they at the end of their deals? I can't understand why they wouldn't have kept Haren until his deal was up.

[Shumway]

Jim Edmonds to the Padres for minor leaguer David Freese.

Cardinals are eating at least one million, possibly more. Edmonds told the Cards he'd waive his NTC to go to the West Coast, specifically SoCal if they needed him too a few weeks back.

David Freese is a 24 year old 3B who was at High A ball. He has pretty solid numbers and is apparently good defensively.

Overall...eh. I'm really not thrilled about trading Edmonds. The Cards better have something up their sleeve. There better be a reason they're trying to create room in the budget...

I'll miss you Jim. You were definitely one of if not THE best CF in Cardinals history.

And thus, my tenure as a Cardinals fan comes to a screeching halt. Next stop, Lids, to buy a Padres hat. Although the Halos have arguably the best outfield in the bigs now, I'd have no problem welcoming Jimmy back in Anaheim. Oh well, at least he's not in Oakland, Seattle, or Texas.....or Boston.

[pcgd]

Jim Edmonds to the Padres for minor leaguer David Freese.

Cardinals are eating at least one million, possibly more. Edmonds told the Cards he'd waive his NTC to go to the West Coast, specifically SoCal if they needed him too a few weeks back.

David Freese is a 24 year old 3B who was at High A ball. He has pretty solid numbers and is apparently good defensively.

Overall...eh. I'm really not thrilled about trading Edmonds. The Cards better have something up their sleeve. There better be a reason they're trying to create room in the budget...

I'll miss you Jim. You were definitely one of if not THE best CF in Cardinals history.

I'm trying to stay positive about the moves, but none of the moves made so far this season really are to make the team better. I think letting Eckstein go was the right decision, but as was mentioned...whats in his place? The mentality of the old broken down band-aid hopefully is gone, but whats the next move? Are we going to suffer through Rasmus, Ryan and Hoffipur's growing pains? Does Mo have something up his sleeve?

I like the youth movement, but they don't have much youth outside of Rasmus. All these moves were to save money. Eckstein would have got around 6 million in arbitration, so signing Izturis saved about 3 million. They'll save 6 with Edmonds gone. But what are they going to get with the 20 million or so they have left to sign? There aren't too many FAs that thrill me.

Its gonna be a long year in St. Louis.

[BaltimoreFan]

On second thought, looking a little deeper into who the A's got back for Haren, this certainly bumps up the price for Santana.

The A's just got a ton back for Haren. Great deal for them -- they basically just completely cleaned out Ariona's farm system.

Bedard's price probably also goes up. Especially since I've heard the Dodgers want him. They may be willing to give up alot to compete with a division rival.

[Braden]

Why would we want Eckstein back. He's not a very good leadoff hitter, he doesn't have much range in the field, his OBP is awful,...If they offered arbitration, he most likely would have accepted and have gotten more than that.

You just made me feel great about my teams new SS.

What it boils down to is that Ecksteins offensive abilities are far better than McDonalds. Defensively they might hurt simply because McDonald made some amazing plays, but the Jays lacked in offense last year. The team has had problems in clutch hitting. Adding another World Series MVP doesn't hurt.

And hey, if you're saying that Eckstein could have gotten more money, then I don't mind that at all.

[STL_Ian]

Could the talks between Pads and Pirates about Jason Bay be dead then?

If the Pirates would like to send Bay over here to the Redbirds, I'd be thrilled. Of course, they'd have to be willing to accept a couple of kegs of Budweiser in return cause that's about all we've got to trade!

[DarkJourney]

Rebuilding A's continue dealing -- Swisher to White Sox

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Oakland Athletics made their second major trade in three weeks, sending outfielder and fan favorite Nick Swisher to the Chicago White Sox for three minor leaguers on Thursday.

The A's -- who dealt ace Dan Haren to Arizona on Dec. 14 -- received left-hander Gio Gonzalez, right-hander Fautino De Los Santos and outfielder Ryan Sweeney.

Oakland general manager Billy Beane acknowledged last month that the A's are rebuilding and said he expects the club to take its lumps next season after the A's missed the playoffs in 2007. They reached the AL Championship Series in 2006, but Oakland (76-86) had its streak of winning seasons end at eight and went 9-17 in September.

The 27-year-old Swisher, a switch-hitter and a favorite in the clubhouse because of his high-energy, playful nature, had been one of the few constants for Oakland in recent seasons -- playing in the outfield and at first base while the team dealt with injuries at most every position.

He batted .262 with 22 homers and 78 RBIs in 150 games in 2007, his third full big league season. He also drew 100 walks, ranking him sixth in the AL, for a career-best .381 on-base percentage.

His 80 home runs were a franchise record by a switch-hitter, and Swisher also recorded career highs for batting average, walks and doubles (36).

The A's will have three more established minor leaguers to add to their farm system.

Gonzalez, 22, pitched for Double-A Birmingham last year and led minor league baseball with 185 strikeouts. He went 9-7 with a 3.18 ERA in 27 starts and was selected to the Southern League midseason and postseason All-Star teams. The White Sox acquired Gonzalez as a compensation pick -- the 38th selection overall of the 2004 amateur draft.

The 21-year-old De Los Santos went 9-4 with a 2.40 ERA in 15 starts and six relief appearances for Class A Kannapolis in 2007. He was picked as the South Atlantic League's top prospect and was also a midseason and postseason All-Star.

In addition, he made five starts for Class-A Winston-Salem and had a combined record of 10-5 record with a 2.65 ERA.

Sweeney, a 22-year-old left hitter, was among Chicago's top prospects going into last season, when he batted .270 with 10 home runs and 47 RBIs in 105 games for Triple-A Charlotte. He also hit .200 with a home run and five RBIs in 15 games for the White Sox.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

[DarkJourney]

with the Haren and now the Swisher trade the A's rebuilding has truly begun. Hopefully they will have a contender again by the time their new park opens, but I'm still not sold on it being built at all.