HOT STOVE, COOL SAND

i don't understand the red sox falling in love with Drew and Lugo. for some reason theo has had a boner about lugo for three years now.

http://www.nokahoma.com/lugo.jpg
http://www.nokahoma.com/lugo3.jpg

CAN YOU BLAME HIM?!?!??

That's a lot of money, but it still seems like a better deal than Sorianos.

Is polyphonic around to comment on the Maddux signing?

Some interesting Drew projections:

http://tinyurl.com/yz3gb7

I mean, obviously I'm stoked. I don't think he's appreciably worst than Padilla or Wolf or Eaton and maybe is better than any of them, AND is only signed for one year. Then, maybe there will be more available pitching on the market when he retires.

The Padres have something like $25 million to spend. A rotation of Peavy, Young, Hensley, Maddux, Carillo could be the best rotation in the history of the franchise (not saying much), and they still apparently are interested in adding another starter.

A source at the meetings said that St. Louis and Kansas City are both going hard after free-agent righty Miguel Batista.

Royals = when pigs fly?

http://regulus2.azstarnet.com/blogs/images/1186.jpg

Lilly, 30, has a career 59-58 record in eight major-league seasons with Montreal, the Yankees, Oakland and Toronto. He went 15-13 with a 4.31 ERA for the Blue Jays last season.

I'm starting to think that JP was a prophet after all.

Gleeman's NBC.com Winter Meetings blog suggests that Schmidt screwed himself out of buxxx by settling for "Meche / Lilly" money w/ that Dodgers contract. Let's remember the dude was signed for $47M over 3 years. WTF kind of world is it where GIL MECHE gets over $15M?

I like paying Loaiza 7M/yr the best. No one on the A's boards think that was dumb deal now.

Lilly strikes $40M deal with Cubs | Hendry has angioplasty

any correlation?

Jays lose Meche to Royals

wtf are the Royals even doing spending money?

They still get money ya know? What are they supposed to do with it?

The Twins have spoken with the agents for righthander Sidney Ponson, a career 80-96 pitcher who was 4-5 with a 6.25 ERA last season in stints with the Yankees and Cardinals, both of whom released him. He was 17-12, 3.75 in 2003 with Baltimore and San Francisco. The Twins likely would sign him to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training.

AAAAGH AAAGH AGH

We need all that $$$ for quality pitching, which apparently involves helping Dennys Reyes feel better about his weight by signing someone even fatter.

Then again I didn't understand why they didn't try for Thomas last year either.

Frank Thomas + turf = problems.

Tell JP that *cough*.

Any GM that signed a player to a bad contract prior to this offseason looks like a genius.

"Kazuhiro Sasaki was pretty good, but he was a reliever."

I completely missed that guy. If it is AL and specifically AL West, I probably don't know the players very well.

http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lwldj2cCgz1qk9es5o1_500.jpg

http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lw1hepY9F61qisuj3o1_500.png

LoMoMarlins
Just heard from my boy that Prince to Seattle is a done deal...

LoMoMarlins
Purple Rain & When Doves Cry are going to sound unbelievable this summer under the lights at Century Link Field youtube.com/watch?v=OjLG92…

lol, they are talking about Prince on MLB Network right now. Mitch thinks the Rangers, Larry picked the Dodgers and some guy named Dave picked the Brewers. don't know who that Dave guy is?

Dave:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/v/valleda01.shtml

I bet Torrealba is really bummed about his 66 day ban in Venezuelan ball.

A's on the move at last?

http://mlb.sbnation.com/2011/12/26/2661744/oakland-athletics-san-jose-new-stadium-christmas-present

With the stadium sitting in the shadows of the Atlantic Ocean, the organization feels it is only natural to display a couple of aquariums. What will make people take notice is where they are located.

Last Friday, two 450-gallon fish tanks were installed inside the wall behind the home-plate wall. They are positioned on the first- and third-base sides, and currently they are not filled with water.

The fish will be protected by shatter-proof glass, and the team has been ensured the fish will be safe.

"The reason this has never been done before, is not that it can't be done," Marlins president David Samson said. "It's because no one thought to do it."

In the early stages of building the ballpark, team owner Jeffrey Loria insisted to make the stadium mirror Miami.

After batting around ideas, it was decided to install aquariums.

With the stadium sitting in the shadows of the Atlantic Ocean, the organization feels it is only natural to display a couple of miami bass clubs. What will make people take notice is where they are located.

Last Friday, two 450 sq. ft clubs were installed inside the wall behind the home-plate wall. They are positioned on the first- and third-base sides, and currently they are not filled with miami bass dancers.

The clubs will be protected by shatter-proof glass, and the team has been ensured the dancers will be safe.

"The reason this has never been done before, is not that it can't be done," Marlins president David Samson said. "It's because no one thought to do it."

In the early stages of building the ballpark, team owner Jeffrey Loria insisted to make the stadium mirror Miami.

After batting around ideas, it was decided to install miami bass clubs.

:)

"The reason this has never been done before, is not that it can't be done," Marlins president David Samson said. "It's because no one thought to do it."

hahah this is such an amazing quote

david samson on signing a free agent:

"The reason this has never been done before, is not that it can't be done," Marlins president David Samson said. "It's because no one thought to do it."

The first time a foul ball rattles off the aquarium I hope the fish go crazy

the team has been ensured the fish will be safe

crazy - like they panic and escape from their tank and start attacking horrified patrons?

(all 200 of them)

crazy - like they panic and escape from their tank and start attacking horrified patrons?

That works for me.

that aquarium idea is seriously one of the coolest things any MLB team has ever done, Marlins games are going to be so neat on TV

bullpen shark tank - think abt it

I can dig it.

http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_mlb_experts__56/ept_sports_mlb_experts-509241132-1276200236.jpg?ymtktRDDG1NnFklv

so crazy it just might work

yeah, i kind of like it

put it in the batter's eye

Sheehan's 10 predix for '12:

1. The Marlins won't get a playoff spot for their money.....

10. The Reds will win the World Series.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/joe_sheehan/12/20/predictions.2012/index.html?sct=mlb_t11_a1

keith law interviewing with houston apparently

Greg Spira, sabermetrician and founder of the Internet Baseball Awards, died this week at 44.

Carlos Quentin to the Padres for two prospects: Simon Castro and Pedro Hernandez.

Simon Castro, a 23-year-old right-hander, was ranked as the Padres third best prospect at this time last year by Baseball America. Neither he nor Hernandez, a 22-year-old lefty, made the top ten this year, though.

middle-aged request: mention all teams involved, cuz right now I have no idea who Carlos Quentin is.

dude was (v. briefly) the white sox's next superstar iirc

dude with good power and decent patience who was #5 in the mvp voting in '08, good year in '11, two mediocre years in between. should become a nice, forgettable 40 doubles per year guy in petco.

He probably would have finished higher in '08 MVP voting if he hadn't missed around 30 games near the end of the season (temper-related wrist fracture).