Hot Stove: MLB Offseason Thread

[dfwabel]

And then there is the story of Roberto Hernandez Heredia EERRR Fausto Carmona.

Fausto Carmona isn't Fausto Carmona. His real name is Roberto Hernandez Heredia, said Dominican Republic police.

Dominican Republic police also report that Carmona is not 28, but in fact 31-years-old.

Should be pretty used to these stories. At least now we know why he stopped progressing at 23. Don't know too many players that peaked when they were 23 but I can name a bunch that did at 26.

At this point though I feel like its on the team to try and find out what a guy's actual age is. If you really want to believe your signing some 16 or 17 year old phenom and then you come to later find out he was 21 or so at the time, that's on you.

The age is a little more of a crap shoot; the bigger issue for the Indians and the Marlins with Juan Carlos Oviedo aka "Leo Nunez" is the identity of the player since the work VISA is based on that identity.

[pmoehrin]

To me a lefty with bad stuff is the same as a righty with average stuff. Average stuff is the same as good stuff. Good stuff is the same as great stuff. Great stuff is the same as dominating stuff. And if you have dominating stuff as a lefty your name is either Randy Johnson or Sandy Koufax and your winning the Cy Young award every other year.

Its just alot easier for them when a 90-91 MPH fastball from a lefty is the same as a 93-94 MPH fastball from a righty from an effectiveness standpoint.

As for the Prince Fiedler I can't say I'm all that shocked its taken him this long to sign. All of the big market teams have long term options at first base locked up. Defensively he's inept. Alot of the interested teams that are out there are probably demanding weight clauses be put into his contract. He's defensively inept even by first baseman standards. There are questions out there about his personality. I wouldn't call him a malcontent but he did seem to be desperate to get out of what seems on paper to be a pretty good situation. Why would you ever want to leave a team like the Brewers unless you knew you had a big market club lined up ready to sign you?

The only other team I saw out there for him realistically outside of the Rangers was Detroit which might still happen, although if you believe what the Tigers are saying there's no chance of that unless he's willing to take a one year deal which I highly doubt he will. So that's looking like its out. The most logical thing for him to do was go back to Milwaukee but for whatever reason he just seems to be hellbent on getting out of there. You would have to consider the Rangers to be by far and away the leading candidate right now but they're not stupid and there's going to be alot of stipulations to go with that contract if he lands in Texas. If the Rangers don't sign him I don't know where he'll end up. Maybe Pittsburgh although even they've said they have no interest in him. I could easily see him going unsigned well into spring training.

[habsfan1]

Gary Carter's health is getting worse...

NEW YORK (AP)—Gary Carter’s health has taken a turn for the worse.

The 57-year-old Hall of Fame catcher, diagnosed last May with a malignant brain tumor, received results of his latest MRI exam Thursday, according to the online journal of his daughter, Kimmy Bloemers.

She writes: “I wish I could say that the results were good. ? There are now several new spots/tumors on my dad’s brain. I write these words with tears because I am so sad for my dad.”

“Dr. Jimmy Harris will be coming to my parent’s house this evening to talk to the family about the next step,” she wrote.

Carter had the MRIs Friday in North Palm Beach, Fla., and the results were sent to his doctors at Duke University for evaluation.

A day earlier, he fell at a doctor’s appointment and completely tore a rotator cuff, Bloemers wrote, adding that he also fell on Christmas Eve.

“It is very painful and needs surgery, but all dad can do right now is rehab to heal,” she wrote.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AvF.5iYUiDhAzxFJvno4_DI5nYcB?slug=ap-garycarter

[pmoehrin]

Gary Carter's health is getting worse...

Yeah I heard about that yesterday afternoon on the radio.

That's just a shame. Out of all the characters on the '86 Mets club he's one of the very few you can't knock as a person. I haven't heard anybody with anything negative to say about Gary Carter.

I know he was openly campaigning to be the Mets manager and may have gotten it or another MLB job had this not happened. If his minor league record was any indication I think he would have made a great manager at the big league level, but we'll probably never know.

[RedSox44]

Gary Carter's health is getting worse...

Yeah I heard about that yesterday afternoon on the radio.

That's just a shame. Out of all the characters on the '86 Mets club he's one of the very few you can't knock as a person. I haven't heard anybody with anything negative to say about Gary Carter.

I know he was openly campaigning to be the Mets manager and may have gotten it or another MLB job had this not happened. If his minor league record was any indication I think he would have made a great manager at the big league level, but we'll probably never know.

Truly a shame. I love Gary Carter.

[McCall]

Sources: Carlos Pena returning to Rays.

[Kramerica Industries]

At least this means the Rays won't get another season of Casey Kotchman hitting 50 points over his career average, among other things.

[Epiphanic]

The Nats signed an extension with Michael "Beast Mode" Morse. If Prince does sign with Washington, that would result in Werth (or Harper) moving to center field for the long term.

[Raysfan12]

As a Rays fan, I'm glad Carlos Pena to be back in St.Pete. His power and defense is needed at first base and his experence with the team will be very helpful. It would've been better if we kept Kotchman with high batting average and ability to get on base. I just hope the Rays get rid of Upton and get Hosmer. As for Gary Carter, this is very tragic and if doesn't get help soon, we may lose one of the best catchers ever. He is a hero both on and off the field and very brave.

[BigMac12]

Will Prince Fielder be on a 40-man roster come opening day? The Rangers say Prince is too pricey and have their sights set on Hamilton.

[The_Admiral]

No, no one will sign Prince Fielder and he will spend all of spring training and the first week of the regular season with his thumb up his prodigious ass.

[Still MIGHTY]

Seriously. Chill out, BigMac.

He'll have a place to go. Until he signs, it's not a story, and no one cares. If we do happen to roll into Spring Training without Prince on a roster, then it'll be a story.

[NJTank]

Maybe Prince will fire Boras and settle for $100 Mil over 5 years, the horror.

[Brass]

The Red Sox have traded Marco Scutaro to the Colorado Rockies for Clayton Mortensen. Rumor is that this will free up space for the Sawx to sign Roy Oswalt.

[RedSox44]

The Red Sox have traded Marco Scutaro to the Colorado Rockies for Clayton Mortensen. Rumor is that this will free up space for the Sawx to sign Roy Oswalt.

Okay, we don't have three starters anymore. We have four starters, one of which sucks in even years and one of which is made of glass.

And we have no shortstop (Iglesias isn't ready and Punto/Aviles are real nice backups), and could do better in right field.

World Series, here we come!

/pessimism.

In all seriousness, I think pitching is/was the Sox biggest need, and this helps with that. They may even have some cash left over to sign Cody Ross to shore up the outfield depth, and a Punto/Aviles platoon at short shouldn't be that bad.

[FiddySicks]

Maybe, hopefully, the lack of suitors for Prince Fielder will lead to the Giants taking more of an interest. Dare to dream.

[pmoehrin]

Maybe, hopefully, the lack of suitors for Prince Fielder will lead to the Giants taking more of an interest. Dare to dream.

I think Giants main focus is going to be on just resigning as many players as possible.

Fielder is not going to a big market club, that's more of a matter of fact statement then an opinion at this point. He's going to end up on somebody like Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Arizona, Cleveland. Maybe Toronto. Those are the teams he's looking at right now and none of those teams are going to give him a monster contract.

I think he's ultimately going to end up back with the Brewers. That's the only team I see willing to give him a long term deal for close to the kind of dollars he wants. He doesn't like it there but that may end up being his only option.

[BBTV]

The Red Sox have traded Marco Scutaro to the Colorado Rockies for Clayton Mortensen. Rumor is that this will free up space for the Sawx to sign Roy Oswalt.

Roy Oswalt doesn't have much left. His heart is on a tractor in Mississippi or Missouri or one of the Miss states and not on a mound. He has major back issues and can't be depended on. If he's a 4th or 5th then it's fine but other than that it's a mistake.

[Fox]

He would likely the the fourth/fifth starter.

1. Lester

2. Beckett

3. Buchholz

4 + 5. Bard/Oswalt

But still, the Red Sox rotation is filled with question marks. And so is their bullpen. And now without Scutaro, they have a hole at both RF and SS.

Red Sox are going to need some MAJOR contributions from the farm system to reach the playoffs in 2012, even with the potential second wild card.

[RedSox44]

He would likely the the fourth/fifth starter.

1. Lester

2. Beckett

3. Buchholz

4 + 5. Bard/Oswalt

But still, the Red Sox rotation is filled with question marks. And so is their bullpen. And now without Scutaro, they have a hole at both RF and SS.

Red Sox are going to need some MAJOR contributions from the farm system to reach the playoffs in 2012, even with the potential second wild card.

And they STILL have to move salary in order to sign Cody Ross, who they want to fill the hole in right, and Oswalt, who is STILL asking for $8 mil.

This was just...stupid for Cherington to do without those deals already in place, waiting to be signed by Ross and Oswalt. Just stupid.