2010 MLB Season Thread

[floydnimrod]

The more I look at this Reds team the more excited I get. The infield is the best I've seen since we had Barry Larkin, Pokey Reese, Aaron Boone, and Sean Casey. Now we've got Scott Rolen, Orlando Cabrera, Brandon Phillips, and Joey Votto. Ramon Hernandez is healthy at catcher, and the staff, the staff is the strongest I've ever seen in my Reds watching life. The only problem is that outfield and maybe the bullpen. Jay Bruce needs to have a big year.

Isn't it great? I really think they have a good 8 or 9 viable options to start games. And I don't think the bullpen should be that bad, although I wish we had Weathers back. I hate to see the young guys get traded though, because they have so many, but it's bount to happen.

[Korkie]

The more I look at this Reds team the more excited I get. The infield is the best I've seen since we had Barry Larkin, Pokey Reese, Aaron Boone, and Sean Casey. Now we've got Scott Rolen, Orlando Cabrera, Brandon Phillips, and Joey Votto. Ramon Hernandez is healthy at catcher, and the staff, the staff is the strongest I've ever seen in my Reds watching life. The only problem is that outfield and maybe the bullpen. Jay Bruce needs to have a big year.

This Reds team is going to be good. I think they are a year away yet, but very good. If Cueto and Volquez continue their development, look out.

[JayJaxon]

Edward Salcedo is in Braves camp today. For those of you that don't know/remember him, he was the 5-tool SS the Indians were trying to get from the Dominican Republic. But after questions arose about if he was old enough, Scott Boras and the Indians decided to stop the pursuit. Now that MLB has verified his age, he has signed with Atlanta and will most likely start this season at A Ball in Rome.

The kid is 6'3 and 200 lbs. The Braves look at him as a signing to replace the pick they lost to Boston for getting Wagner, but the experts are saying he is much better than anyone they could have gotten with the 20th pick. Plus he is a shortstop, so he can play any of the other infield positions with no issue. I'll give this guy maybe 3 years before he hits the big club, but some scouts are saying maybe 2.

So not only did Atlanta get a top of the line SS from the DR. But they signed him for about 1.3 Mil less than the Indians were going to give him, AND Scott Boras is not representing him. How sweet is that!?

[BrySmalls]

Edward Salcedo is in Braves camp today. For those of you that don't know/remember him, he was the 5-tool SS the Indians were trying to get from the Dominican Republic. But after questions arose about if he was old enough, Scott Boras and the Indians decided to stop the pursuit. Now that MLB has verified his age, he has signed with Atlanta and will most likely start this season at A Ball in Rome.

The kid is 6'3 and 200 lbs. The Braves look at him as a signing to replace the pick they lost to Boston for getting Wagner, but the experts are saying he is much better than anyone they could have gotten with the 20th pick. Plus he is a shortstop, so he can play any of the other infield positions with no issue. I'll give this guy maybe 3 years before he hits the big club, but some scouts are saying maybe 2.

So not only did Atlanta get a top of the line SS from the DR. But they signed him for about 1.3 Mil less than the Indians were going to give him, AND Scott Boras is not representing him. How sweet is that!?

How old was he proclaiming to be and how old is he in actuality?

[BBTV]

Howard for Pujols?

Are you f cking kidding me? Howard is certainly not chopped liver (pretty damn far from it in fact) but come on. I understand the reasoning that the story gives for this to make sense for the Cardinals, but I think that the lure of having HOF player like Pujols finish his career there (or at least the productive part of it) outweighs the other benefits.

[NJTank]

Howard for Pujols?

Are you f cking kidding me? Howard is certainly not chopped liver (pretty damn far from it in fact) but come on. I understand the reasoning that the story gives for this to make sense for the Cardinals, but I think that the lure of having HOF player like Pujols finish his career there (or at least the productive part of it) outweighs the other benefits.

I just cant picture it happening. Trades this big are just too impossible.

[njmeadowlanders]

Looks like 21 year-old Cuban SS Adeinis Hechavarria will become property of Toronto:

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/yankees/cuban_ss_hechavarria_will_pass_on_hEtz7Tiih6WNXsyqpTpXCL

According to an industry source Hechavarria is close to signing a $10 million deal with the Blue Jays because he didn?t envision himself playing short for the Yankees.

Hechavarria, 21, was leery of Derek Jeter?s impending extension that will keep him at short for the foreseeable future.

[BBTV]

Howard for Pujols?

Are you f cking kidding me? Howard is certainly not chopped liver (pretty damn far from it in fact) but come on. I understand the reasoning that the story gives for this to make sense for the Cardinals, but I think that the lure of having HOF player like Pujols finish his career there (or at least the productive part of it) outweighs the other benefits.

I just cant picture it happening. Trades this big are just too impossible.

I can't even imagine that the story has any validity to it at all. Someone is just making stuff up here. Besides, even if it was true, the fact that one team is having internal discussions about something doesn't mean that even for a second that the other team even knows about it, let alone would even consider it. Hell - the Phillies could have internal discussions about trading Gregg Dobbs for Tim Lincicum. Doesn't mean anything is imminent (though I'd be in favor of them making that move.)

[JayJaxon]

Edward Salcedo is in Braves camp today. For those of you that don't know/remember him, he was the 5-tool SS the Indians were trying to get from the Dominican Republic. But after questions arose about if he was old enough, Scott Boras and the Indians decided to stop the pursuit. Now that MLB has verified his age, he has signed with Atlanta and will most likely start this season at A Ball in Rome.

The kid is 6'3 and 200 lbs. The Braves look at him as a signing to replace the pick they lost to Boston for getting Wagner, but the experts are saying he is much better than anyone they could have gotten with the 20th pick. Plus he is a shortstop, so he can play any of the other infield positions with no issue. I'll give this guy maybe 3 years before he hits the big club, but some scouts are saying maybe 2.

So not only did Atlanta get a top of the line SS from the DR. But they signed him for about 1.3 Mil less than the Indians were going to give him, AND Scott Boras is not representing him. How sweet is that!?

How old was he proclaiming to be and how old is he in actuality?

The Braves and MLB apparently investigated and he is 18 years old. From what I have been hearing, it is very difficult to get a visa if you are from the DR. I don't know how old he was claiming to be when the Indians were looking at him, but my guess is that he was telling them he was 16 (which he would have been at the time) and the Indians along with Scott Boras were having trouble proving it. They thought he was younger and had that been the case, they would have to stop sending scouts and recruiting in Latin America for 6 months because of a rule that teams cannot sign a player younger than 16.

I didn't pay to much attention to the situation because I didn't think the Braves were interested, but they stuck with him to get the legal issues worked out and because of that, they were able to sign him.

[njmeadowlanders]

Howard for Pujols?

Are you f cking kidding me? Howard is certainly not chopped liver (pretty damn far from it in fact) but come on. I understand the reasoning that the story gives for this to make sense for the Cardinals, but I think that the lure of having HOF player like Pujols finish his career there (or at least the productive part of it) outweighs the other benefits.

I just cant picture it happening. Trades this big are just too impossible.

I can't even imagine that the story has any validity to it at all. Someone is just making stuff up here. Besides, even if it was true, the fact that one team is having internal discussions about something doesn't mean that even for a second that the other team even knows about it, let alone would even consider it. Hell - the Phillies could have internal discussions about trading Gregg Dobbs for Tim Lincicum. Doesn't mean anything is imminent (though I'd be in favor of them making that move.)

Right...its a story just to get a story out there.

And the Cards would NEVER trade Pujols unless they 100% knew they couldn't keep him...or that his impending HGH bombshell was about to drop...

[dfwabel]

Rangers Manager Ron Washington Tested Positive for Cocaine Last Season

What?

[Eye]

Rangers Manager Ron Washington Tested Positive for Cocaine Last Season

What?

He is not a player so I don't care if he does any kinds of drugs.

Semi related, the only time I care if someone does drugs is if it is a performance enhancer. So let's just say that a player is caught doing [insert drug here]; I would not care unless it is a performance enhancer. Players are grown men and if someone does drugs on their own time, that is their business and I don't care, as long as it is not a performance enhancer.

In conclusion, to me, the definition of being "clean" is never to have taken a performance enhancer.

[Jigga]

I always thought Ron Washington looked like a crackhead...I guess I know why now.

[dfwabel]

Rangers Manager Ron Washington Tested Positive for Cocaine Last Season

What?

He is not a player so I don't care if he does any kinds of drugs.

Semi related, the only time I care if someone does drugs is if it is a performance enhancer. So let's just say that a player is caught doing [insert drug here]; I would not care unless it is a performance enhancer. Players are grown men and if someone does drugs on their own time, that is their business and I don't care, as long as it is not a performance enhancer.

In conclusion, to me, the definition of being "clean" is never to have taken a performance enhancer.

You would not know if a player is on street drugs as they are not tested for them unless the team has suspicion. Managers, coaches, and staff are tested for street drugs just like minor leagues.

The larger issue is that he is a "general", not a "soldier". If he shows poor judgment in this case, should he be responsible for the calls on the bench. This is an easy case to terminate with cause, yet the team (for now) has kept him. I wonder if the ownership issue had something to do with this since MLB basically ran the club last season.

[Eye]

Rangers Manager Ron Washington Tested Positive for Cocaine Last Season

What?

He is not a player so I don't care if he does any kinds of drugs.

Semi related, the only time I care if someone does drugs is if it is a performance enhancer. So let's just say that a player is caught doing [insert drug here]; I would not care unless it is a performance enhancer. Players are grown men and if someone does drugs on their own time, that is their business and I don't care, as long as it is not a performance enhancer.

In conclusion, to me, the definition of being "clean" is never to have taken a performance enhancer.

You would not know if a player is on street drugs as they are not tested for them unless the team has suspicion.

Very true. My point was that if anyone was somehow found to use a drug that they are not normally tested for and is NOT a perfromance enhancer, then I do not care. But your assessment is sound.

[DEAD!]

Rangers Manager Ron Washington Tested Positive for Cocaine Last Season

What?

Umpires should now keep a close eye on the foul lines...

[NJTank]

Managing the team high on cocaine, Ron Washington don't you know your pitcher is stinking it up.

[FiddySicks]

Nats dump Dukes

I'm surprised he lasted this long.

And on to the Ron Washington thing. I've always been a HUGE Ron Washington fan and, along with most other A's fans, was pretty bummed to see him leave for the Rangers after 2006. He's a classy guy who is loved and respected by players and coaches all around baseball. Sure he made a pretty large mistake, but he owned up to it almost immediately, and in an era where lies nearly define the times, it's nice to see a guy own up for his mistakes.

[Don]

I'm sad about the whole Dukes thing. Dukes really turned himself around and became a decent player and a decent person, one of the few Bowden reclamation projects that actually worked out. He'll make some other team pretty happy.

[BrySmalls]

I'm sad about the whole Dukes thing. Dukes really turned himself around and became a decent player and a decent person, one of the few Bowden reclamation projects that actually worked out. He'll make some other team pretty happy.

As long as Dukes figures out how to hit the breaking ball..