When I said I was going to write several blogs about the "Not so big name free agents" I figured I would have to write two or three a week to keep up with the Hot Stove, but an unpredictably slow off season has allowed me to take my time with these blogs. Considering I suffer from chronic procrastination, works out great for me.

So without further ado, lets get the blogging underway.

Sean Casey

Sean Casey has to be one of the most underrated players in Major League Baseball. Yes, I am full aware that he has had a slight injury history, but if you take a good look at his list of injuries you would be hard pressed to find anything that screams he has a serious chronic issue. His list of injuries is quite an extensive list but nothing that would normally scare off potential teams looking to fill a void at first base. But I guess when you add neck stiffness, thumb injury and strained hip flexor just to name a few. Could he just be made of glass or has he suffered from dumb luck?

Any way you look at it, there are a lot less talented players out there that still get multi year deals every season. Why not take a chance on a player with a career .302 BA and a career .367 OBP? Not to mention the fact that he plays a pretty solid first base. He has never committed more than 8 errors in a season and he only reached that number once in his career.

So essentially we are talking about a .300 hitter that gets on base almost 40% of the time and possess a career .995 FPCT with a zone rating of .875. Now grant it an .875 zone rating is not an astonishing number but when you take into consideration that Albert Pujols has a zone rating of .893, you will see he is not far off the mark of a Gold Glove winner.

As often as teams take ill conceived risk by signing questionably healthy free agents with less talent, it really just makes zero sense that no one has taken a risk and signed Sean Casey to at least a three year deal. Maybe the slow moving, light burning Hot Stove will play into Casey's hands and he will finally get his multi year deal that he deserves.

Possible teams that may be interested in Sean Casey: Angels, Athletics, Rangers, Mariners, Nationals

There are a ton of big name free agents out there this year. Manny, Mark, CC, Sheets, AJ and Lowe just to name a few. But what are some of the smaller names out there that may provide a big boost to some teams?

 

I am going to do a series on these players one at a time.

 

Jim Edmonds:

 

Edmonds' batting average has nosed dived the past 3 years, but he proved last year he can still hit homeruns. Edmonds belted 20 dingers for the season in 2008 which was up from the 12 he hit in 2007. If you are looking for the 20 to be the anomaly you would be wrong. 12 homers is the lowest homerun count in almost a decade for Edmonds. Every other year he has had 20 or more homeruns. So the anomaly would be the 12 mark.

 

Edmonds is not the fielder that he once was but considering the reckless abandon that he played game with for so many years and the fact that he will turn 39 during the 09 season, you have to expect him to have lost a step or two in his game. Even an Edmonds with a lost step he is still and above average fielder and would man any centerfield in the majors just fine.

 

Now do not expect to see the Jim Edmonds of old by any stretch of the imagination, but a formidable one could and should be expected. He is still capable of posting a .260 BA and hitting 20 dingers which would be a good upgrade in centerfield for MOST teams.

 

Teams that Jim Edmonds would be a good fit for: Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, Cincinnati Reds and Kansas City Royals

Now that the free agent market is open I thought I would type up what my team the Houston Astros need to do to be competitive next season. So here we go.

Free Agents:

Brad Ausmus - Catcher
Mark Loretta - Infielder
Doug Brocail - Bullpen
LaTroy Hawkins - Bullpen
Randy Wolfe - Starting Pitcher

Starting Pitching:

Other than Roy Oswalt the Astros started out with squat in the rotation. Chris Sampson, Brandon Backe, Wandy Rodriguez and a series of minor league pitchers. Brian Moehler ended up in the starting rotation early in the season and ended up being a decent number 5 starter, but that was the problem. The Astros have 4 number 5 starters already. But never the less Brian was rewarded for his work and given a new contract towards the end of the season.

At the trade deadline Ed Wade pulled off a trade to get Left Handed Pitcher Randy Wolf. It was a bit puzzling at the time, but I kind of understand what he was doing. He picked up a starting pitcher to help a weak rotation and to possibly lay the ground work for signing Wolfe for 2009 and beyond.

If the Astros start the season tomorrow this is what the rotation would look like.

1. Roy Oswalt
2. Wandy Rodriguez
3. Brian Moehler
4. Brandon Backe
5. Any and all Triple-A players in the organization

A rotation like that does not strike fear into anyone. The Astros need to sign two free agent pitchers. And I mean sign two and not trade for two. The Astros do not have enough talent to give up. What talent they have they need.

An Andy Pettite return would make a lot of sense for the Astros. Andy is not the pitcher he used to be, but if he is brought back to the National League his numbers would be a lot better.

Randy Wolfe would also be a great signing if Pettite was added to the rotation. Wolfe but up some very solid numbers after he was traded to Houston. He went 6-2 with a 3.57 ERA in 12 starts with the Astros and a combined 12-12 with a 4.30 ERA in 33 starts for the Padres and the Astros. Not bad numbers for an end of the rotation starter.

If the Astros were able to sign both Wolfe and Pettite that would give them a very formidable rotation. But it would mean that the Astros would have to non-tender Brandon Backe which would not hurt my feelings in the least bit.

The new rotation would look like this.

1. Roy Oswalt
2. Andy Pettite
3. Randy Wolfe
4. Brian Moehler
5. Wandy Rodriguez

Yes, that would be an extreme left handed rotation, but that might be a good thing.

Bullpen:

The bullpen was probably the strongest link in the Astros chain. Jose Valverde, Doug Brocail, Geoff Geary, Wesly Wright, Chris Sampson, Tim Byrdak and LaTroy Hawkins all did a greatjob for the Astros and I would love to have each of them back.

Chris Sampson struggled as a starter, but was great out of the pen. He did a great job as a long reliever.

Only Doug Brocail and LaTroy Hawkins are free agents and LaTroy has already been resigned. Now if the Astros can resign Brocail the pen will be set for 2009.

Catcher:

The catcher position was a constant nightmare for the Astros last season. JR Towels was believed to be the catcher of the future, but when handed the starting job he failed miserably. Towels batted .137 as the starting backstop. His numbers made Brad Ausmus look like Babe Ruth.

Even with Brad Ausmus on the bench the Astros decided to split time with Ausmus and Humberto Quintero. "Q" did a decent job behind the plate and his offensive numbers were a big improvement over Towels, but they were hardly respectable. "Q" posted a .226 batting average.

After starting pitching, a new catcher is a high priority for the Astros. I would not expect the Astros to sign a Pudge Rodriguez or Jason Varitek. They will most likely be out of the Astros price range. I would not be surprised to see Greg Zaun or Toby Hall in an Astros uniform next year though.

Infield:

The Astros infield is pretty well set for 2009 unless Ed Wade make a huge mistake and trades off someone. Lance Berkman, Kaz Matsui, Ty Wigginton and Miguel Tejada should all be back manning their positions for next season.

Outfield:

While Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence are locked into the corner outfield positions, center field is up for grabs. Or it should be.

Rocco Baldelli is the best free agent centerfielder out there, but he comes with a high risk of injury. In the past three years he has not played a full season. He has a ton of potential, but playing potential leaves a big opportunity for failure. Just look and the Michael Bourn project.

A trade for Juan Pierre would not be a bad idea at all. He is seeking a trade and the Astros are seeking a centerfielder. He should come cheaply in what the Astros would have to give up player wise for him, but the Astros would surely have to pay all of Pierre's contract. I am actually ok with that.

I would also be ok with the starting job being handed to Darrin Erstad. Why he even took a job as a bench player just baffles me to begin with.

Bench:

The Astros bench was a huge saving grace for the team. With injuries to Ty Wigginton, Kaz Matsui and Carlos Lee, the bench had to eat up a lot of playing time. Mark Loretta and Geoff Blum filled in great in the infield, and Darrin Erstad was Darrin Erstad in the outfield.

All but Mark Loretta are signed through the 2009 season. I would not expect Mark to return, but after the performance of David Newhan I can see how the Astros would let Mark leave. The Astros are sure to offer Loretta arbitration because he is a Type-B free agent. It would be surprising if Mark accepts it, but the Astros were surprised last season when he accepted their arbitration offer.



If the Astros can pick up two starting pitchers and a catcher I would expect them to be very competitive in 2009. Will they be competitive enough to over take the Cubs to finish on top of the National League Central Division? Probably not. Then again, you never know.

I can no decide which is harder to wait for. Is it the start of the regular season where every team still has a fighting chance? Or is it the start of the off season free agent hot stove? On one hand you have the actual start of play and something exciting to come home and watch every day almost. Then on the other hand the excitement of "will my team sign a big name free agent" is always exciting. It is just hard to tell, but one thing is for sure. I can not wait until November 14th gets here so the fun can really begin.

So for now I figured I would type up an article on the trades and signings that have already gone down. Some of these are rather boring, but some could have a real impact on the 2009 season.

MLB Transactions: (or at least the "Best Of" anyways)

1. In a some what surprising move, the Washington Nationals sent Dmitri Young outright to Triple-A Syracuse. After the 2007 season Young was named the National League Comeback Player of the Year after only playing in 48 games in 2006. In 2008 injuries and difficulties in his battle with Diabetes limited Young to only 30 games. Even so, Young be sent outright to Triple-A is a bit puzzling to me.

2. The St. Louis Cardinals signed back up catcher Jason LaRue to a one year deal. LaRue played in 61 games for the Cardinals last year backing up Gold Glove winner Yadier Molina.

3. On November 6th the New York Yankees declined the option of Damaso Marte only to resign him six days later to a 3 year $12 million contract.

4. In an expected move the Texas Rangers exercised Hank Blalock's $6.2 million option.

5. San Diego Padres exercised the $9 million option of Brian Giles. With the state of the Padres right now no one was for sure if they would pick up Giles' option. On any normal circumstance it would have seemed like a no brainer for the Padres to pick up his option.

6. Right handed Taiwanese pitcher Chia-Jen Lo's dreams became a reality when he was signed to a minor league contract by the Houston Astros. Chia-Jen Lo has always been a closer and the Astros seem inclined to leave him in the role he feels comfortable. But do not worry Astros fans, Chia-Jen Lo is not about to replace Jose Valverde anytime soon. The Astros believe the young Taiwanese pitcher is still a few years from the major league level.

7. LaTroy Hawkins was rewarded for his stellar work out of the Astros bullpen. The Astros signed the veteran pitcher to a one year $3.25 million contract. This could mean the Astros are not as pressed in signing Doug Brocail even though they would also like to bring him back aswell.

8. The Washington Nationals acquired LHP Scott Olsen and OF Josh Willingham from the Marlins. To complete the deal the Marlins received for INF Emilio Bonifacio, RHP P.J. Dean and INF Jake Smolinski.

9. In the biggest offseason move so far, the Oakland Athletics acquired OF Matt Holliday in exchange for closer Huston Street. Colorado also received LHP Greg Smith and OF Carlos Gonzalez. This puts the Athletics in a position to contend in 2009. If they are able to sign Jason Giambi to be their DH then the A's may have a fighting chance.


10. The Kansas City Royals made a trade for power hitting first baseman Mike Jacobs Sending RHP Leo Nunez to the Marlins to complete the deal.

11. Shortstop Edgar Renteria will be a free agent now that the Detroit Tigers declined his option. Edgar is classified as a Type A free agent and a lot of teams may be unwilling to give up their first round pick for him. There is an outside chance the Detroit Tigers can resign him to a cheaper contract.

12. For the first time in a decade the purest swing in the game will be on the free agent market. The Chicago White Sox declined the option on veteran power hitting Ken Griffey Jr. Even though Junior's numbers have fallen off a bit do not look for him to sign cheap. I would guess he would sign with a team he feels will compete in 2009 so do not look for a Seattle reunion. (Even though he said he is open to the idea)

13. Catcher Rod Barajas will be in Toronto in 2009. The Blue Jays have picked up the option on his contract.

14. Carlos Delgado had his $12 million option picked up for 2009.

15. The Boston Red Sox picked up Tim Wakefield's option for next season. In case you are unaware of how many option years Wakefield has left on his contract I will let you know. The number is indefinite. As long as Boston wants the knuckleballer then he his theirs for $4 million a season.

Now, these are just the transactions that have already gone down. These do not count the endless Jake Peavy rumors that are swirling around. Or the Manny or CC contract offers that have already been made.

I was kind of hoping this blog would carry me into the beginning of the opening of the free agent season, but sadly it has only brought me a couple of hours closer.

Well, the General Managers meetings have come and gone once again. Unlike last year when the Astros traded Brad Lidge and Eric Bruntlett to the Phillies for Michael Bourn and Geoff Geary, there were no major trades. (Although Lidge, Bruntlett, Bourn and Geary trade were not considered a major trade when it happened) But we did get a lot of swirling rumors to come out of the General Managers meetings.

The Jake Peavy Train

One of the biggest rumors heading into the meetings was of course where the "Jake Peavy Train" will stop now that it has "left" San Diego. The Atlanta Braves and the Chicago Cubs are two teams that seem to be leading the race to "arms" so to speak. But like any race there is a dark horse in the mix and that would be the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Braves seem to have the slight lead in the Peavy Derby because they can not only match the Padres demand with talented young pitching, but they could also throw Yunel Escobar to fill the hole at shortstop the Padres will have when they trade off (probably in the same deal with Peavy) Kahlil Green.

Do not think for a second that the Cubs are out of the race, because they are not. Do not expect Jeff Samardzija to be involved in any trade for Peavy or other trade for that matter. Contrary to some postings and articles, Samardzija has a full no trade clause and not a partial no trade clause.

Samardzija's no trade clause does not mean the Cubs are out of the race for Peavy, they still have Rich Harden that can be part of any trade to land Jake Peavy. If the Cubs are willing to put Harden in the deal with a young pitcher and Felix Pie or Ronny Cedeno I would be very surprised if the Padres turn down a deal like that.

For the Dodgers to land Peavy would probably mean they would have to give up a lot more talent considering they are in the National League West with the Padres.

Matt Holiday

Matt Holiday's surprise appearance at the General Managers Meetings started the wheels of the Rumor Mill turning. Are the Rockies making the power hitting outfielder available for trade? Does Holiday's appearance mean the Rockies have given up hope of signing him to long term contract?

New York Mets

Omar Minaya stated that the Mets would be more active in the free agent market than the trade market. Signing a free agent will not cost a team a current prospect already in the team's organization. The only thing a team will lose is a draft pick in next years draft.

LaTroy Hawkins

The Houston Astros signed LaTroy Hawkins to a one year deal for $3.5 million plus bonuses. Hawkins was rewarded for is work for the Astros have they acquired him in a trade from the Yankees. Hawkins posted a 0.43 ERA in 24 games.

Andy Pettite

Andy Pettite informed the New York Yankees that he would like to pitch again next season. The Yankees have stated that they want Pettite back, but it is widely believed he would have to take a significant pay cut from the $16 million he made last season. A two year deal should be a long shot for Pettite. Brian Cashman does not seem to be in too big of a hurry to ink Pettite to a contract. The signing or retirement of Mike Mussina will play a big role in Pettites return. There is a chance that Andy could end up back in Houston or with the Texas Rangers.

CC Sabathia

The Milwaukee Brewers have formally made an offer to CC Sabathia. Right now they are sitting and waiting for a counter offer from CC's agent. The offer is believed to be a 5 year 1$100 million contract.

Manny and the Dodgers "Window Dressing"

Manny has received is first official offer from the Dodgers. Some call the offer a "Window Dressing". It is believed to be a 2 year deal for $45 million and a third option year. I doubt that Manny and Scott Boras have given this offer more than a seconds thought.

Does everyone understand the importance of Type A and B free agents?

Here is how that works according to www.mlbtraderumors.com

"If the Diamondbacks offer Dunn arbitration, he may decline because he prefers to play elsewhere or prefers to seek a multiyear free agent contract.  If he declines the Reds' offer and signs elsewhere, the Diamondbacks will receive two draft picks.

Let's say the Yankees sign Dunn.  The Diamondbacks will then receive one '09 draft pick from the Yankees.  If the Yankees have, say, the 22nd overall pick next June, the Reds get that in addition to their own normal first round pick.  The Diamondbacks also get a supplemental draft pick squeezed in between the first and second round of the draft.

The Diamondbacks only get the Yankees' first-round pick if it falls between #16-30.  The first 15 picks are protected.  So if the Nationals sign Dunn, the Diamondbacks are kind of screwed because they do not get the Nats' #2 overall pick.  Instead, they get the Nats' second round pick and the supplemental pick.

A free agent can also be classified as a Type B based on his stats from 2007-08.  This might happen with Jon Garland.  Say the Angels offer him arbitration and he declines and then signs with the Dodgers.  The Dodgers would not give up any draft picks, but the Angels would get an extra pick between the first and second round.  Another rule to consider: the "losing" team can receive draft pick compensation without offering arbitration if their free agent is signed before December 1st."

Here is an interesting note too. If your team only loses one Type A player via a free agent signing then that team is only allowed to sign one Type A free agent.

Lets take the Yankees for example. They have four type A pending free agents. Andy Pettite, Mike Mussina, Ivan Rodriguez and Damaso Marte. Now if they resign both Pettite, Mussina and Marte they would only be allowed to sign one major free agent. So they would not be able to chase after CC, Teixaria, AJ Burnett and Derek Lowe even though every Yankees fan with a blog would have you believe. It is just simply not possible.

Dumb 2008 NL MVP Picks Pt. Deux

I think that everyone should realize that Manny Ramirez is not a viable MVP candidate in the NL, and surprisingly, there are people out there who know this and are not going to waste their MVP pick on a guy who played only fitty games in the NL. He's wrong, horribly, horribly wrong, but hey, he's trying right?

Phillies' Howard deserves NL MVP over Cardinals' Pujols

Let the idiocy begin. To borrow a phrase from one of the worst Homer broadcasters ever: it's time to sinch'er up and hunker down here, folks. Cause when Bob Matthews is writing, you best believe the crap is gonna start flying.

Ryan Howard is my pick for National League Most Valuable Player,

And you are a dumb-butt. Here is Howard's stat line for the year: .251/.339/.543. Those first two numbers are quite pedestrian, yet you make him your MVP choice? Sure, he hit 48 HR's, which definitely helped his team, but the dude struck out 199 times! That's one less than 200! Even Adam Dunn would say, "Jesus, Ryan take some pitches!"

but Albert Pujols is my choice for first baseman on the 2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Team.

Ok? Did you say that just to make up for your crazy MVP pick? You ain't foolin' me, Bob Matthews.

Bob Matthews: Well, Albert, I didn't pick you for the MVP this year because I put too much emphasis on RBI's and and didn't even look at Ryan's strikeout numbers, but hey, you are on the depth chart for the MLB All-Star Team! How's that for accomplishments?

Albert Pujols: Who the heck are you, fat man? What are you doing in my bedroom?! Get theheck out of my house you bafoon! Don't you know that RBI's are a suspect statistic, anyways? Jeez!

Here's why.


(cont. for Bob Matthews): "Because I'm a traditional baseball nut-job that way overvalues RBI's and Home Runs and have no clue what OBP is. I like MVP voting because I can dick-around for the first 5 months of the season and then really only vaguely watch August and September to get my MVP candidate."

For your reference, here is a list of NL players that have better VORP numbers than Howard's (good, but not MVP-quality) 35.3 and below Pujols' leading 96.8.

Hanley Ramirez
Chipper Jones
Lance Berkman
David Wright
Jose Reyes
Chase Utley
Matt Holliday
Carlos Beltran
Ryan Ludwick
Brian McAnn
Manny Ramirez
Nate McClouth
...
ok that list is too long. Ryan Howard is 30th in the NL in VORP. He's not even leading his own team in VORP! I'm sorry, back to the RBI's we go...

My All-Star Team is based on season-long performance, and Pujols had a better overall offensive season than Howard.

Better? Just better? That one sentence cannot possibly begin to describe how much better Pujols' .357/.462/.653 season was than Howard's abismal .251/.339/.543. Pat Burrel (123) and Chase Utley (133) both OPS+ed either the same or more than Howard's 123, while Pujols was busy putting up an OPS+ of 190. 190!

But Howard was red hot in September (.352, 11 HRs, 32 RBI) and carried Philadelphia to the NL East pennant.

Yeah it was all Howard. Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Cole Hamels and Brad Lidge? They all phoned it in in September, leaving Howard to pick up the slack. Give me a freaking break with this "hot in September" crap, it really proves my sarcastic point that you only watch the last two months of the season.

St. Louis faded in early September when Pujols cooled off


Wha...wha...are you serious? "Cooled off"? He went .321/.427/.702 in September, which admittedly is down from his August line of .398/.491/.745, but cooled off? He was still OPSing over 1.000! The 2008 NL MVP Candidacy: .400 in September or Bust.

But what about your savior of the NL, Ryan Howard? Did you happen to look at his monthly splits? Or, again, is September the only month in which you allow yourself to watch baseball?
Howard had an AVG of .300+ only twice this season, and those two times were the only times he even sniffed .250+. He went .213/.328/.463 in August with 36 K's and only 7 Home Runs. I don't know if you, like, know anything about baseball but, that sucks. Kind of like this article.

In fairness, he was due for a mini-slump after carrying the Cardinals for several months.


I refer you to the rant in the above paragraphs about the "mini-slump".

But just several months? How about the entire freaking season? How about putting up an MLB-leading VORP of 96.8! And "carrying the Cardinals"...isn't that within your definition of "Valuable" in the MVP? Just a thought.

If Pujols finishes on top in the official NL MVP balloting, it would be fine with me.

Then just freaking pick him! He is the most viable candidate out there!

I figure he got robbed of two NL MVP awards when Barry Bonds beat him out with bloated muscles and numbers.

So Pujols deserves the 2008 NL MVP because he got screwed by Barroid, and not because he is far superior to any player in the NL this year? Wow.

Here are my picks for the major individual awards:


No, screw you. I'm done reading your baseball-ignorant crap. You and Bill Plaschke should get together and whack it to the thoughts of old scouts and how the statheads are ruining the game of baseball. Get bent you moron.



Article by 643 Sports Jon

I know that every write has his, or her, own opinion about different subjects. For example, I am of the high belief that Lance Berkman is one of the most underrated players in the game.But yet there are many that disagree with me, and that is fine. Each person is entitled to have a separate and different opinion. Which is why I usually overlook articles that I disagree with, but today when I was reading the Astros addition of "mailbag" I became completely stunned. Not by the question that was asked, but by the answer which was given.

 

Now before I give everyone the question and answer let me state for the record that I highly respect the writings of Alyson Footer. 99% of the time I at least partially agree with her. This, I guess, just happens to be the 1% that I am in total disagreeance with her.

 

I am about to give you the question posed by what I am to assume is an Astros fan, and then I will give you the answer Alyson Footer gave. And then I will attempt to break down in detail why I believe she is so way off base.

I totally agree with you on Jake Peavy being an unrealistic trade. The few prospects we have, we need to hold onto to help the Astros. The trade I'd love to see (if anyone would take him) is Miguel Tejada for anything. He has the tendency to ground into double plays, and has potential legal issues ahead. What are the Astros' plans for him?
-- Doug P., Athens, Ala.

You answered your own question, you don't need my help. Tejada's power numbers decreased at an alarming pace as the season progressed, as evidenced by the three home runs he hit in the second half. His average was decent (.283) and he had a good September, hitting .295 with seven doubles and 11 RBIs, but he's nowhere close to where he was a few years ago, when he was a perennial MVP candidate. He has $13 million coming to him in '09, and he'll be 35 in May. No one knows where he could be with his legal issues next year. So, what are the Astros' plans for him? What are their choices?

He'll be in a Houston uniform in '09, he'll play out his contract, and he'll probably move on after that. We'll see. But dealing him is not happening. Who would take him?

 

Now, I have to know what in the world both Doug P. and Alyson Footer are thinking here. Miguel was a major improvement at shortstop over Adam Everette. No, I am not in any stretch of the imagination saying that Miggy is a better defensive shortstop than Adam. That is just simply not the case. Adam is hands down the best defensive short stop in the game. There is not a better glove man to be found. And before you email me and say that Derek Jeter let me just tell you now. Get real.

 

Let me explain why Miggy is a huge upgrade over Adam. In 2007 the Astros shortstop put up these monster numbers. A .232 BA 2 Homeruns 15 RBI 1 Triple 11 Doubles. In 2008 the Astros shortstop put up these so called dismal numbers. A .283 BA 13 Homeruns 66 RBI 3 Triples 38 Doubles. In 2007 Adam was the shortstop. Now before everyone runs to checkout how accurate my stats are take note that Adam only played 66 games in 2007, but is 2006 stats mirror the stats I just gave you. Plus Adam only played in 48 games this season.

Now let us take and put the stats aside. Let us see what other value Mr. Tejada has for the Astros.

First no one can deny that the man is electrifying on the field. Just take a look at how youthful the team looks. Jumping and giving high fives. Throwing "the spotlight" at each other. It is a far cry from the casual forearm bump that became standard operating procedure during the "Killer B" era.

How many times did you see Miguel go to the mound to talk with which ever struggling pitcher was run out that night? You can not add that kind of leadership into a contract. That has to be the player. The man on the field.

How in the world can anyone make a claim that Miggy is not that great of a shortstop or have any value to this or any team? Is it because he is not putting up the MVP type number anymore? Or is it because people are resentful of the fact Miggy is caught in the steroid scandal? Or is it because Miggy magically aged two years in one day? Whatever the reason may be, people really should get over it.

 

Alyson Footer answer broken down:

You answered your own question, you don't need my help.

 I am assuming this is in response to the part of the question that asked who would want Tejada. Easy. Anyone that wants to win and have a leader and great shortstop.

 

 Tejada's power numbers decreased at an alarming pace as the season progressed, as evidenced by the three home runs he hit in the second half.

 

Yeah, I will give his power numbers dropped WAY off after the All-Star break, but most of his offensive numbers were better than even Berkman's after the All-Star break. Maybe more of the problem is with the hitting coach rather than the players.

 

 His average was decent (.283) and he had a good September, hitting .295 with seven doubles and 11 RBIs, but he's nowhere close to where he was a few years ago, when he was a perennial MVP candidate

 

I will gladly take a .283 hitter in a position that has had a BA of  .249 in the previous 5 years.

 

He has $13 million coming to him in '09, and he'll be 35 in May.

 

Am I the only one that has noticed how astronomical contracts have gotten the past few years? If pitchers are starting to get $17 to $20 million a season to pitch every 5^th day, then Miggy is well worth the $13 million to play everyday.

 

No one knows where he could be with his legal issues next year.

 

There seems to be no hurry to prosecute anyone for perjury. Barry Bonds has been "under investigation" for several years before Miguel's testimony had been brought into question. The Astros could resign him for three of four more years without worry.

 

 

So, what are the Astros' plans for him?

 

Hopefully to let him continue to be the team leader he has been.

You know, there is not a person in the world that would jump to defend Pete Rose when debating the mans morality. He is a class A moron. No doubt about it. I do not even think that Pete himself would refute his bad reputation as a person, but (and this is a big but) The Hall of Fame is not a shrine for the upstanding good guy award winners. No, it is a shrine for the best baseball players to grace the baseball diamond.

Now, Bud Selig's claims that Pete's actions brought in doubt the integrity of Major League Baseball. Seriously? When in the world did MLB gain integrity? I was not given any memo on this. What about you? Did you get some memo from MLB saying, "Hey we have intergrity now!"?

I guess the whole steroid era that Bud Selig himself turned a blind eye to would not prevent MLB from having integrity. I mean baseball players transforming from bean poles to various versions of the Incredible Hulk and Bud never questioned any of it. Players who hit 12 or 15 homeruns a season started belting out 40 and 50 right in front of our very eyes and nothing was said. Why? Because it put fans in the seats and that was good for business. More seats sold equals more revenue generated by Major League Baseball.

And what about the Black Sox. The 1919 World Series? We pretty much have all seen the movie 8 Man Out. It was a great movie. Well, great except for the small detail of it being a true story. The majority of a professional baseball team, the White Sox, got together to throw the World Series. Not just any series, but the World Series. All because Charles Comiskey was a lying cheap no good shmuck. He never paid promises of bonus monies to his players. He also saw to it that some players were benched towards the end of the season to prevent them from achieving certain levels in wins, hits or games played to be guaranteed other bonus monies. So the team took matters in their own hands to make a few extra bucks. The players get black balled from baseball and Charles Comiskey gets a ball park named after him. Now doesn't that just scream integrity?

Now, do not get me wrong. I am not saying that Major League Baseball sucks, because I am not. I love the game. I love it with a passion. What I am saying is Major League Baseball does not have any integrity, and to use that as an excuse to keep a baseball legend out of The Hall of Fame is a crock!! Pete is an idiot. Pete bet on games. Pete has to be the dumbest person alive. But Pete, well when he was on the field he was a God. No one played the game like him. He played the game with the kind of reckless abandon that fans love to see.

Plus it is not like Pete would be the first "Bad Boy" to be immortalized in The Hall of Fame. One of baseball's biggest icon was a drunk and a philanderer. Yes, I am referring to Babe Ruth. What about Ty Cobb. He was the dirtiest player in that game. Sharpened his spikes before his games. Fought with opposing teams as well as his own team. He even admitted to killing someone. Mickey Mantle was an alcoholic who played some games through bloodshot eyes. Gaylord Perry doctored baseballs. It could be argued that each compromised the integrity of the game in some degree. Yet they're all in the Hall of Fame.

So it is time. It is time for Major League Baseball to honor Pete Rose. Open the doors and let the man in. Let him into where he belongs. Let him in Cooperstown. Let Pete Rose into the Hall of Fame.

Jake Peavy

According to  Tom Krasovic, of The San Diego Union-Tribune Jake Peavy's agent Barry Axelrod has let it be known that Peavy will require a full no trade clause from his new team. There is also growing speculation that Peavy will also demand his $22 million option to be picked up.

World Series Fact

Now that the Tampa Bay Rays have made it to their first World Series there are only three teams left who have never played in the Fall Classic. They are the Mariners, Expos/Nationals and Senators/Rangers.

Jim Bowden

According to an article by Chico Harlan in The Washington Post, Jim Bowden found out in June he had squamous cell carcinoma (a type of skin cancer) but opted to ignore his doctors recommendation and delayed his surgery until the end of the season.

Josh Beckett

Josh Beckett was not the dominate pitcher in the post season that we have grown accustomed to seeing. Beckett's strained right oblique prevented him from pitching like he usually does. The good news though is he will not need surgery. Just Rest.