The Official MLB Season Thread (Opening in Japan at 6:00 a.m.)

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Originally Posted by stormy

Out of those 3 I'd want Kemp the most. I don't trust Holliday out of Coors for the money he's going to get and Pat the bat I just don't trust at all. Ideally, I'd have liked to pick up Manny's option for next year, and address his loss in 2009since there isn't much on the market this year. Seems like that's not going to be an option.

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Not that I'm a big Holliday fan, but I think it's only fair to note that Holliday's first two years bring down his road average, he's been much better in the last three years. And the fact that 1/3 of his road games are at Petco, Dodger Stadium, and AT&T Park shouldn't be overlooked. Coors is a hitter's park but so is Fenway, where Holliday has only played 3 games for a .385 avg and a home run.

Speaking of waiting until after the '09 season, Holliday will be a free agent then (13.5M salary next season), so maybe the Red Sox could try and wait it out for him than give up some prospects.

Holliday will hit wherever he goes. He's arguably my favorite player, so if he goes to Boston or New York I will be extremely annoyed.

The Dodgers should have waited for him instead of signing Andruw, and the Angels should have waited instead of signing Torii.

Speaking of the Dodgers, the Blake trade was typical. They've already got three guys perfectly capable of playing third, and they go and get an average vet with no upside. That's not exactly the kind of move that wins a division, especially with how Torre is treating the lineup, but this is the NL West.

Teixeira to Arizona pls. Perfect and much-needed fit, and they should be able to afford him. They can afford to lose Chad Tracy and a couple arms, esp. after getting Rauch. If Arizona could score with any consistency, they'd win the division by ten games with their pitching.

And yay Angels. The Dodgers should look to them to see how to put a well-balanced team together.

The Dodgers aren't going to trade Matt Kemp for anybody. To be honest, I've been a bit skeptical about the dude all season...and part of me thinks he isn't going to amount to much more than Raul Mondesi. However, I've been noticing some really subtle differences to his approach at the plate, since Don Mattingly has become the hitting coach. It seems like he is becoming more patient at the plate and less of a free swinger.

Also, if you ever have an opportunity to see Kemp hit a ball into the gap and haul ass around the bases you'll see why the Dodger front office is so high on this guy. His power numbers still aren't quite there, but again I've seen some improvement lately. Plus, the fact that he is so young and under the Dodgers control for a long time, and plays better defense than Manny signifies that he isn't going anywhere...unless Colletti really IS THAT STUPID.

Honestly, I don't think Manny would be a significant improvement over Kemp this season anyways. Just look at their stats this year, and take into consideration that Kemp is on the rise and Manny is on the way down:

Matt Kemp: .293 AVG, 12 HR, 57 RBI, 23 SB
Manny: .302 AVG, 19 HR, 65 RBI, 01 SB

These numbers are very close IMHO...especially considering the fact that Kemp plays half of his games at Dodger stadium...for a team that has considerably less offensive force surrounding him in the lineup. Plus, the 23 stolen bases makes Kemp a more versatile player who can bring more to the table at this point in his career. I'll definitely be way more than SHOCKED if Kemp is traded at the deadline this year.

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Originally Posted by BioMechanic

Speaking of the Dodgers, the Blake trade was typical. They've already got three guys perfectly capable of playing third, and they go and get an average vet with no upside. That's not exactly the kind of move that wins a division, especially with how Torre is treating the lineup, but this is the NL West.

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Why is everybody talking so much trash about the Blake deal. The Dodgers gave up NOTHING, considering the fact that they're going to do everything in their powr to make sure Russell Martin is a Dodger for life. They already lost Mike Piazza AND Paul LoDuca so I garauntee they aren't dumb enough to let yet another All-Star catcher go. So, the catching prospect wouldn't make it to the Dodgers for quite a while, if ever, and the Indians are paying all of Blakes salary.

Also, who exactly are the "three guys perfectly capable of playing third?" Andy LaRoche is still unproven, he has a .200 something batting average, he has shown he is injury prone the last few seasons, AND he has no experience in a pennant race. Blake Dewitt has great defense, but he is also inexperienced and he has been batting worse than Andruw Jones since the end of May. He was wisely sent back to AAA for more seasoning. Who is the third guy who is supposed to play 3B everyday? Russell Martin can play there every once in a great while BUT he should not be moved there permanently because he calls a great game behind the plate. Nomar Garciappara is a fucking china doll, as he showed yesterday when he got INJURED once again. So, NO, 3B wasn't exactly a secure position for the Dodgers.

Casey Blake seems like he will end up being a good "sleeper move" for the Dodgers. He brings stability and a solid bat to the 3B position. He also brings playoff/pennant race experience to the table. If he gets on a hot streak for the rest of the year, this could be a small move that puts the Dodgers over the top; similar to the trade for the nearly 40 year old Steve Finley back in 2004.

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Originally Posted by BioMechanic

Teixeira to Arizona pls. Perfect and much-needed fit, and they should be able to afford him. They can afford to lose Chad Tracy and a couple arms, esp. after getting Rauch. If Arizona could score with any consistency, they'd win the division by ten games with their pitching.

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The dirty little secret about Texiera is that he is way way over rated. I'd stick with the cheap Tracy and Jackson.

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Originally Posted by magnifiedplaid

...unless Colletti really IS THAT STUPID.

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Yeah, I wouldn't wager any money on Colletti's level of intelligence.

How is Teixeira overrated? This is the first time I've heard that.

plaid, I think the Blake trade was lame because he's nothing special. Third base has been a problem for the Dodgers since they let Beltre walk, and I can't believe Blake is the long-term solution. The Dodgers didn't give up much, but that also means the Indians didn't get much, which tells you Blake's value. He's a good complementary player, not the type who's going to carry a team.

DeWitt can handle third, and he's also shown he can handle major league pitching. Nomar is frail but can still play when healthy. Where's Tony Abreu? Still hurt, I guess. Playing Martin at third was asinine.

He has a .908 career OPS, which is good but not great for a 1st baseman. He is also prone to long, really bad slumps. He's not a franchise player imo. The last 2 years he's hit 33 and 30 HR, which is down from 38 and 43 in his 2nd and 3rd seasons. His HRs shouldn't be trending down in his mid 20s, they should have been going up or at least staying around the 40 level.

It's a terrible night to be a Yankees fan.

Wooo 7 1/2 back!