Hot Stove 2009

[attgig]

So, for any of you baseball fans out there, the hot stove is starting to get hot, with the demands by Halladay, and the winter meetings coming in a week or so.

so, where does Halladay go? who's your team, and what's your biggest need? what would you like to see the GM do?



For me, my team's the Mets (and my new home team, the O's).
for the Mets, I'd love to see them acquire a front line starter, like the aforementioned Roy. Let them pick any 4 of our guys in the minors, give me a negotiating window, and give Roy the same contract I gave Johan.
Then, sign a 1bman for cheap, a good defensive catcher to share catching duties, and let the outfield be figured out in house.

For the O's, I'd love to see them sign Billy Wagner, and acquire one extra pen arm to serve as a good middle relief guy. IF the price of someone like Bedard/Sheets/Harden comes down enough, give them a one year contract with a one year vesting option based on innings pitched. They should be able to find a good bench guy for 1b/3b, but i'm fine with luke scott/ty wiggington manning the corners, with possibly pie being a dh platoon with the OF. The only hole left would be a SS, but Izturis is serviceable.

anyone else love the hot stoves?

[zippyjuan]

Curious to see what the Padres do. New ownership and GM (ownership from Arizona and GM from the Red Sox organization). Though not many noticed they had a pretty good second half last season.

[attgig]

Moorad screwed his team over by firing their GM. imo, kevin towers is one of the best in the league.

anyways, they're still talking about trading away adrian gonzalez. they shouldn't, unless they can get the top 4 people in the other team's farm system.

pads got another 2-3 years to go if their gm does things right.

[zippyjuan]

Word so far is that the Pads want to decrease their payroll even from what it was last season. In 2008 their payroll was $73.7 million- Moorad says they are looking at $40 million for next year. Last season was $43 million.
http://san-diego-padres.info/584/san-diego-padres-baseball/limited-payroll-still-could-have-wiggle-room-for-free-agents/


SAN DIEGO — Free agency is set to begin at 9:01 p.m. Thursday, though if history is any indication, the Padres will likely be quiet on that front again this offseason.

The Padres, coming off a season where they had a $43 million payroll, aren't expecting to have much more to work with in 2010.

The team, instead, will likely focus on avoiding arbitration with four players — pitchers Heath Bell, Kevin Correia and Mike Adams and third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff — who figure to earn sizable raises, perhaps as much as $12 million collectively.

Padres owner Jeff Moorad has said in the past that he would like the payroll to eventually grow to $70 million or so, or roughly where it was in 2007, when the Padres' payroll on Opening Day was $73 million.

That won't happen right away, though.

Moorad didn't respond for comment on where he expected the Padres' payroll to be for 2010.


The Padres already have $11 million wrapped up in two players — starting pitcher Chris Young ($6.25 million) and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez ($4.75) — as well as another $1 million in second baseman David Eckstein.

Counting Young, Gonzalez and Eckstein, and if Bell, Correia, Kouzmanoff and Adams receive raises that amount to, say, $12 million, then that's $24 million. The rest of the roster is comprised of players who made the minimum salary of $400,000 in 2009 or slightly more.

[cheapie]

i'm a tigers fan and they just gave one of their best players to the yanks. ugh.

[ray]

I would love the Mets to go invest some money into younger ballplayers who are consistent and healthy. Every offseason, I hate seeing the Mets sign 35 year old guys for $40M over a few years to see them get injured 1/3 into the season.

[zippyjuan]

The Padres have in the past aquired or developed excellent young players but they are unable to afford to keep them. Football has much more parity due to closer payroll levels.

[Yossarian]

how about them Pirates?

[Markel]

You all might as well punt your wishes away. This is the year for the CUBS!!!!

[attgig]

lol @ Markel =)

and yes, feel free to lol @ me and my mets. agreed Ray. every year, there's some has been old fogie that omar loves to sign for the "veteran leadership".

thing is, they have a bunch of good younger guys locked up like reyes and wright. they just have too many other holes....

[attgig]

how about them Pirates?

they're going to be very good in a couple years. they finally have a competent GM who's doing the right things. they have such a good young group of guys that have a lot of potential. they just need stronger pitching, and they could be in the thick of things very soon.

[brainsmile]

Jessie Orosco is my neighbor :D