*** OFFICIAL *** Baseball Offseason Moves (2006-07)... (1 Viewer)

[Bogart]

Eric Gagne to Texas is official.

One year, 6 million dollars.

 

[Statorama]

Mastsuwhatever is going to be under an extraordinary amount of pressure this year. He's going to sign a bloated, absurd contract, which everybody is going rightfully point out he hasn't earned, he's the centerpiece of a major franchise's offseason rebuilding effort, and now he has to go pitch in that pressure cooker in probably the most difficult division in baseball (and in a huge rivarly).This really has all the makings of a disaster.

I wonder sometimes if I'm in an alternate dimension where Chan Ho Park was never born.

At least Chan Ho was good for a portion of his career, I'd refer to Hideki Irabu in these situations.

Nice call on Irabu.

 

[Statorama]

Eric Gagne to Texas is official.One year, 6 million dollars.

That's a steal. Nice job by the Rangers, but does this mean Otsuka is the setup guy?

 

[Bogart]

Eric Gagne to Texas is official.One year, 6 million dollars.

That's a steal. Nice job by the Rangers, but does this mean Otsuka is the setup guy?

I'm guessing that he is traded for a number 4/5 starter. Personally, would love to see him be the 8th inning guy and emergency plan if Gagne's arm falls off. Keeping both makes the Ranger bullpen pretty stout.

 

[Tough As Nails]

Eric Gagne to Texas is official.One year, 6 million dollars.

That's a steal. Nice job by the Rangers, but does this mean Otsuka is the setup guy?

I'm guessing that he is traded for a number 4/5 starter. Personally, would love to see him be the 8th inning guy and emergency plan if Gagne's arm falls off. Keeping both makes the Ranger bullpen pretty stout.

Great move. 1-year-deal for Gagne is perfect. Hard to believe there weren't 5 or 6 other teams making similar offers.

 

[Giant Wooden Badger]

Eric Gagne to Texas is official.One year, 6 million dollars.

That's a steal. Nice job by the Rangers, but does this mean Otsuka is the setup guy?

I'm guessing that he is traded for a number 4/5 starter. Personally, would love to see him be the 8th inning guy and emergency plan if Gagne's arm falls off. Keeping both makes the Ranger bullpen pretty stout.

Great move. 1-year-deal for Gagne is perfect. Hard to believe there weren't 5 or 6 other teams making similar offers.

Depends on which Gagne their getting.

 

[whoknew]

Eric Gagne to Texas is official.One year, 6 million dollars.

That's a steal. Nice job by the Rangers, but does this mean Otsuka is the setup guy?

I'm guessing that he is traded for a number 4/5 starter. Personally, would love to see him be the 8th inning guy and emergency plan if Gagne's arm falls off. Keeping both makes the Ranger bullpen pretty stout.

Great move. 1-year-deal for Gagne is perfect. Hard to believe there weren't 5 or 6 other teams making similar offers.

Depends on which Gagne their getting.

I mean, we are talking about a 31 year old pitcher who hasn't pitched in 2 years, right?

 

[Tough As Nails]

Eric Gagne to Texas is official.One year, 6 million dollars.

That's a steal. Nice job by the Rangers, but does this mean Otsuka is the setup guy?

I'm guessing that he is traded for a number 4/5 starter. Personally, would love to see him be the 8th inning guy and emergency plan if Gagne's arm falls off. Keeping both makes the Ranger bullpen pretty stout.

Great move. 1-year-deal for Gagne is perfect. Hard to believe there weren't 5 or 6 other teams making similar offers.

Depends on which Gagne their getting.

That's what is great about the deal though. If they get bad, oft-injured Gagne...they are off the hook after this season. If they get stud closer Gagne (or even 85% of stud closer Gagne)...they have months to work on signing him to a couple more years. $6mil isn't a ridiculous amount to risk for that kind of a reward.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

Eric Gagne to Texas is official.One year, 6 million dollars.

That's a steal. Nice job by the Rangers, but does this mean Otsuka is the setup guy?

I'm guessing that he is traded for a number 4/5 starter. Personally, would love to see him be the 8th inning guy and emergency plan if Gagne's arm falls off. Keeping both makes the Ranger bullpen pretty stout.

Great move. 1-year-deal for Gagne is perfect. Hard to believe there weren't 5 or 6 other teams making similar offers.

Depends on which Gagne their getting.

That's what is great about the deal though. If they get bad, oft-injured Gagne...they are off the hook after this season. If they get stud closer Gagne (or even 85% of stud closer Gagne)...they have months to work on signing him to a couple more years. $6mil isn't a ridiculous amount to risk for that kind of a reward.

One thing is certain: He's no Joe Table.

 

[Bogart]

Eric Gagne to Texas is official.One year, 6 million dollars.

That's a steal. Nice job by the Rangers, but does this mean Otsuka is the setup guy?

I'm guessing that he is traded for a number 4/5 starter. Personally, would love to see him be the 8th inning guy and emergency plan if Gagne's arm falls off. Keeping both makes the Ranger bullpen pretty stout.

Great move. 1-year-deal for Gagne is perfect. Hard to believe there weren't 5 or 6 other teams making similar offers.

Depends on which Gagne their getting.

That's what is great about the deal though. If they get bad, oft-injured Gagne...they are off the hook after this season. If they get stud closer Gagne (or even 85% of stud closer Gagne)...they have months to work on signing him to a couple more years. $6mil isn't a ridiculous amount to risk for that kind of a reward.

I hope they come up with a nice risk/reward deal with Mark Mulder. We sure can't seem to grow pitching here, can't sign pitching, so takes some shots and see what happens.

 

[RnR]

Great signing with Gagne. Like others stated above, the beauty of the contract is that the Rangers are only liable for 1-year. In this market, it is really hard to believe.

 

[Giant Wooden Badger]

Great signing with Gagne. Like others stated above, the beauty of the contract is that the Rangers are only liable for 1-year. In this market, it is really hard to believe.

A juicer with arm problems isn't going to garner that much interest. If he's throwing hard again, it's a good deal. If he isn't, it's not worth talking about.There's obviously a lot that other smarter teams don't like.

 

[RnR]

Great signing with Gagne. Like others stated above, the beauty of the contract is that the Rangers are only liable for 1-year. In this market, it is really hard to believe.

A juicer with arm problems isn't going to garner that much interest. If he's throwing hard again, it's a good deal. If he isn't, it's not worth talking about.There's obviously a lot that other smarter teams don't like.

Link to steroid confirmation? No question he's had serious arm problems, that's where the concern lies. Velocity is obviously a key factor to how good this signing turns out to be. Apparently some people forget just how effect this guy has been since becoming a reliever.2002: 4-1, 82.3 IP, 114 K, 1.97 ERA, 0.862 WHIP2003: 2-3, 82.3 IP, 137 K, 1.20 ERA, 0.692 WHIP2004: 7-3, 82.3 IP, 114 K 2.19 ERA, 0.911 WHIP 2005: 1-0, 13.3 IP, 22 K, 2.70 ERA , 0.975 WHIP2006: 0-0, 2.0 IP, 3 K, 0.00 ERA, 0.500 WHIPThat may be the best 262.33 consecutive innings by a reliever in the history of baseball. I'd take a chance on that for a 1-year $6mil contract.As for the "smarter teams", which teams would you be referring to?

 

[Giant Wooden Badger]

Great signing with Gagne. Like others stated above, the beauty of the contract is that the Rangers are only liable for 1-year. In this market, it is really hard to believe.

A juicer with arm problems isn't going to garner that much interest. If he's throwing hard again, it's a good deal. If he isn't, it's not worth talking about.There's obviously a lot that other smarter teams don't like.

Link to steroid confirmation? No question he's had serious arm problems, that's where the concern lies. Velocity is obviously a key factor to how good this signing turns out to be. Apparently some people forget just how effect this guy has been since becoming a reliever.2002: 4-1, 82.3 IP, 114 K, 1.97 ERA, 0.862 WHIP2003: 2-3, 82.3 IP, 137 K, 1.20 ERA, 0.692 WHIP2004: 7-3, 82.3 IP, 114 K 2.19 ERA, 0.911 WHIP 2005: 1-0, 13.3 IP, 22 K, 2.70 ERA , 0.975 WHIP2006: 0-0, 2.0 IP, 3 K, 0.00 ERA, 0.500 WHIPThat may be the best 262.33 consecutive innings by a reliever in the history of baseball. I'd take a chance on that for a 1-year $6mil contract.As for the "smarter teams", which teams would you be referring to?

Gagne has always been a suspected juicer. Too much smoke for there not to be something to it. And yeah, he was ridiculously good for a nice stretch but this isn't 2004 and he's had several surgeries since then. Personally, I don't think he's going to get it back.And if he's such a steal, why no interest by anyone other than the Rangers? Texas can't exactly be accused of being in the top half of the brains category so I tend to think that those in the industry actually have a reason for not wanting the guy.

 

[Bogart]

There's obviously a lot that other smarter teams don't like.

:finger:

 

[Dan Gladden's Mustache]

Looks like we have the makings of a classic RnR Whinedown

 

[RnR]

And if he's such a steal, why no interest by anyone other than the Rangers? Texas can't exactly be accused of being in the top half of the brains category so I tend to think that those in the industry actually have a reason for not wanting the guy.

There were many, many teams interested in Gagne. Most of them wanted a low base salary with incentives that could drive the contract up to this level and higher. Texas decided to guarantee him the money, so that's obviously where he went. It is also worth noting that Gagne was insisting on closing this season, chasing off a bunch of potential suitors that wanted him as a set-up man.

 

[Dan Gladden's Mustache]

BTW - No way I give up Otsuka for a 4/5 starter. Banking on Gagne is a bad idea.*

*Unless they have a good HGH pipeline.

 

[Giant Wooden Badger]

And if he's such a steal, why no interest by anyone other than the Rangers? Texas can't exactly be accused of being in the top half of the brains category so I tend to think that those in the industry actually have a reason for not wanting the guy.

There were many, many teams interested in Gagne. Most of them wanted a low base salary with incentives that could drive the contract up to this level and higher. Texas decided to guarantee him the money, so that's obviously where he went. It is also worth noting that Gagne was insisting on closing this season, chasing off a bunch of potential suitors that wanted him as a set-up man.

And you don't think there's a reason that those teams wanted the contract done that way? You're being naive.

 

[Bogart]

And if he's such a steal, why no interest by anyone other than the Rangers? Texas can't exactly be accused of being in the top half of the brains category so I tend to think that those in the industry actually have a reason for not wanting the guy.

There were many, many teams interested in Gagne. Most of them wanted a low base salary with incentives that could drive the contract up to this level and higher. Texas decided to guarantee him the money, so that's obviously where he went. It is also worth noting that Gagne was insisting on closing this season, chasing off a bunch of potential suitors that wanted him as a set-up man.

yeah......Giant Wooden Biotch

 

[Giant Wooden Badger]

BTW - No way I give up Otsuka for a 4/5 starter. Banking on Gagne is a bad idea.*

*Unless they have a good HGH pipeline.

He won't last to May.

 

[Giant Wooden Badger]

And if he's such a steal, why no interest by anyone other than the Rangers? Texas can't exactly be accused of being in the top half of the brains category so I tend to think that those in the industry actually have a reason for not wanting the guy.

There were many, many teams interested in Gagne. Most of them wanted a low base salary with incentives that could drive the contract up to this level and higher. Texas decided to guarantee him the money, so that's obviously where he went. It is also worth noting that Gagne was insisting on closing this season, chasing off a bunch of potential suitors that wanted him as a set-up man.

yeah......Giant Wooden Biotch

Keep telling yourself that.

 

[Yankee23Fan]

Gagne's signing is a good one for Texas, but they need to keep Otsuka there. Texas needs a good bullpen and if Gagne is 80% of his top form he is a solid closer with Otsuka a solid 8th inning guy. Shortening the games for that starting staff is always a good thing.

I really think the Royals blew a good chance here. I would have gotten Gagne there for a year or two to lend some kind of credibility to the pitching staff.

 

[RnR]

And if he's such a steal, why no interest by anyone other than the Rangers? Texas can't exactly be accused of being in the top half of the brains category so I tend to think that those in the industry actually have a reason for not wanting the guy.

There were many, many teams interested in Gagne. Most of them wanted a low base salary with incentives that could drive the contract up to this level and higher. Texas decided to guarantee him the money, so that's obviously where he went. It is also worth noting that Gagne was insisting on closing this season, chasing off a bunch of potential suitors that wanted him as a set-up man.

And you don't think there's a reason that those teams wanted the contract done that way? You're being naive.

That's it, I'm being naive. They want to do the deal that way because he's had 37 arm surgeries, no one has refuted that. My point remains that taking a risk on him with a reasonable salary on a one year deal is a good risk to take in this market. It beats the hell out of signing Jose Mesa.

 

[Bogart]

And if he's such a steal, why no interest by anyone other than the Rangers? Texas can't exactly be accused of being in the top half of the brains category so I tend to think that those in the industry actually have a reason for not wanting the guy.

There were many, many teams interested in Gagne. Most of them wanted a low base salary with incentives that could drive the contract up to this level and higher. Texas decided to guarantee him the money, so that's obviously where he went. It is also worth noting that Gagne was insisting on closing this season, chasing off a bunch of potential suitors that wanted him as a set-up man.

yeah......Giant Wooden Biotch

Keep telling yourself that.

Hey its Year One A.B. (after Buck). Rangers =

 

[Dan Gladden's Mustache]

BTW - No way I give up Otsuka for a 4/5 starter. Banking on Gagne is a bad idea.*

*Unless they have a good HGH pipeline.

He won't last to May.

Agreed. And if does, he'll be throwing 88mph the whole time...

 

[Giant Wooden Badger]

And if he's such a steal, why no interest by anyone other than the Rangers? Texas can't exactly be accused of being in the top half of the brains category so I tend to think that those in the industry actually have a reason for not wanting the guy.

There were many, many teams interested in Gagne. Most of them wanted a low base salary with incentives that could drive the contract up to this level and higher. Texas decided to guarantee him the money, so that's obviously where he went. It is also worth noting that Gagne was insisting on closing this season, chasing off a bunch of potential suitors that wanted him as a set-up man.

And you don't think there's a reason that those teams wanted the contract done that way? You're being naive.

That's it, I'm being naive. They want to do the deal that way because he's had 37 arm surgeries, no one has refuted that. My point remains that taking a risk on him with a reasonable salary on a one year deal is a good risk to take in this market. It beats the hell out of signing Jose Mesa.

I don't disagree. I'm just telling you that you shouldn't be surprised that no one else would give him that money. There's a reason for it.

 

[Dan Gladden's Mustache]

Looks like we have the makings of a classic RnR Whinedown

Wait for it....

 

[RnR]

BTW - No way I give up Otsuka for a 4/5 starter. Banking on Gagne is a bad idea.*

*Unless they have a good HGH pipeline.

He won't last to May.

Agreed. And if does, he'll be throwing 88mph the whole time...

Figures you would be on the wrong side of the argument. When are you going to let me #####-slap you in NCAA07 online?

 

[Bogart]

Gagne's signing is a good one for Texas, but they need to keep Otsuka there. Texas needs a good bullpen and if Gagne is 80% of his top form he is a solid closer with Otsuka a solid 8th inning guy. Shortening the games for that starting staff is always a good thing.I really think the Royals blew a good chance here. I would have gotten Gagne there for a year or two to lend some kind of credibility to the pitching staff.

This is a very Let me state as Ranger Fan there is no way I want to see Otsuka gone. Summer in Texas is brutal and if you can make it a 7 inning game, all the better for your starters.Not sold on the offense yet, but you go and get Zito and buddy Mulder for the second half and this pitching staff starts looking very solid.

 

[Giant Wooden Badger]

BTW - No way I give up Otsuka for a 4/5 starter. Banking on Gagne is a bad idea.*

*Unless they have a good HGH pipeline.

He won't last to May.

Agreed. And if does, he'll be throwing 88mph the whole time...

Figures you would be on the wrong side of the argument. When are you going to let me #####-slap you in NCAA07 online?

Good ####### luck with that. His dog ate his router.

 

[RnR]

And if he's such a steal, why no interest by anyone other than the Rangers? Texas can't exactly be accused of being in the top half of the brains category so I tend to think that those in the industry actually have a reason for not wanting the guy.

There were many, many teams interested in Gagne. Most of them wanted a low base salary with incentives that could drive the contract up to this level and higher. Texas decided to guarantee him the money, so that's obviously where he went. It is also worth noting that Gagne was insisting on closing this season, chasing off a bunch of potential suitors that wanted him as a set-up man.

And you don't think there's a reason that those teams wanted the contract done that way? You're being naive.

That's it, I'm being naive. They want to do the deal that way because he's had 37 arm surgeries, no one has refuted that. My point remains that taking a risk on him with a reasonable salary on a one year deal is a good risk to take in this market. It beats the hell out of signing Jose Mesa.

I don't disagree. I'm just telling you that you shouldn't be surprised that no one else would give him that money. There's a reason for it.

Toronto offered him that money. Boston wasn't far off. We're not talking about a Barry Bonds signing here... there were multiple teams legitimately interested in taking a chance on him as a closer this season.

 

[Dan Gladden's Mustache]

BTW - No way I give up Otsuka for a 4/5 starter. Banking on Gagne is a bad idea.*

*Unless they have a good HGH pipeline.

He won't last to May.

Agreed. And if does, he'll be throwing 88mph the whole time...

Figures you would be on the wrong side of the argument. When are you going to let me #####-slap you in NCAA07 online?

Good ####### luck with that. His dog ate his router.

There are two major issues with me playing you in NCAA07:

1) I don't have NCAA07 anymore.

2) I don't have on-line access anymore.

 

[RnR]

BTW - No way I give up Otsuka for a 4/5 starter. Banking on Gagne is a bad idea.*

*Unless they have a good HGH pipeline.

He won't last to May.

Agreed. And if does, he'll be throwing 88mph the whole time...

Figures you would be on the wrong side of the argument. When are you going to let me #####-slap you in NCAA07 online?

Good ####### luck with that. His dog ate his router.

There are two major issues with me playing you in NCAA07:

1) I don't have NCAA07 anymore.

2) I don't have on-line access anymore.

Sold the game and gave up? You must suck.

 

[Giant Wooden Badger]

And if he's such a steal, why no interest by anyone other than the Rangers? Texas can't exactly be accused of being in the top half of the brains category so I tend to think that those in the industry actually have a reason for not wanting the guy.

There were many, many teams interested in Gagne. Most of them wanted a low base salary with incentives that could drive the contract up to this level and higher. Texas decided to guarantee him the money, so that's obviously where he went. It is also worth noting that Gagne was insisting on closing this season, chasing off a bunch of potential suitors that wanted him as a set-up man.

And you don't think there's a reason that those teams wanted the contract done that way? You're being naive.

That's it, I'm being naive. They want to do the deal that way because he's had 37 arm surgeries, no one has refuted that. My point remains that taking a risk on him with a reasonable salary on a one year deal is a good risk to take in this market. It beats the hell out of signing Jose Mesa.

I don't disagree. I'm just telling you that you shouldn't be surprised that no one else would give him that money. There's a reason for it.

Toronto offered him that money. Boston wasn't far off. We're not talking about a Barry Bonds signing here... there were multiple teams legitimately interested in taking a chance on him as a closer this season.

It's a reasonable gamble for the Rangers, not some great signing that other teams missed the boat on. You guys were acting like the Rangers pulled off a miracle.

 

[Dan Gladden's Mustache]

And if he's such a steal, why no interest by anyone other than the Rangers? Texas can't exactly be accused of being in the top half of the brains category so I tend to think that those in the industry actually have a reason for not wanting the guy.

There were many, many teams interested in Gagne. Most of them wanted a low base salary with incentives that could drive the contract up to this level and higher. Texas decided to guarantee him the money, so that's obviously where he went. It is also worth noting that Gagne was insisting on closing this season, chasing off a bunch of potential suitors that wanted him as a set-up man.

And you don't think there's a reason that those teams wanted the contract done that way? You're being naive.

That's it, I'm being naive. They want to do the deal that way because he's had 37 arm surgeries, no one has refuted that. My point remains that taking a risk on him with a reasonable salary on a one year deal is a good risk to take in this market. It beats the hell out of signing Jose Mesa.

I don't disagree. I'm just telling you that you shouldn't be surprised that no one else would give him that money. There's a reason for it.

Toronto offered him that money. Boston wasn't far off. We're not talking about a Barry Bonds signing here... there were multiple teams legitimately interested in taking a chance on him as a closer this season.

Whoever J.C. Romero signs with will get the same production.

 

[Northern Voice]

And if he's such a steal, why no interest by anyone other than the Rangers? Texas can't exactly be accused of being in the top half of the brains category so I tend to think that those in the industry actually have a reason for not wanting the guy.

There were many, many teams interested in Gagne. Most of them wanted a low base salary with incentives that could drive the contract up to this level and higher. Texas decided to guarantee him the money, so that's obviously where he went. It is also worth noting that Gagne was insisting on closing this season, chasing off a bunch of potential suitors that wanted him as a set-up man.

And you don't think there's a reason that those teams wanted the contract done that way? You're being naive.

That's it, I'm being naive.

They want to do the deal that way because he's had 37 arm surgeries, no one has refuted that. My point remains that taking a risk on him with a reasonable salary on a one year deal is a good risk to take in this market. It beats the hell out of signing Jose Mesa.

I don't disagree. I'm just telling you that you shouldn't be surprised that no one else would give him that money. There's a reason for it.

Toronto offered him that money. Boston wasn't far off. We're not talking about a Barry Bonds signing here... there were multiple teams legitimately interested in taking a chance on him as a closer this season.

Link? I don't think there were many teams interested in Gagne. At one point he said there were 4 teams, one of which was Toronto. When JP Ricciardi was asked about it, he said he hadn't even thought about Gagne but was happy to hear Gagne was interested in Toronto. Ricciardi immediately indicated that the Jays didn't really have a lot of interest in paying what Gagne wanted. I like to see Canadian guys do well in the majors, because there really aren't a ton but I'm glad the Jays didn't make a pitch for Gagne, there's no need for him with Ryan there, I think he was on roids and he's had way too many surgeries since his dominance.

 

[Dan Gladden's Mustache]

BTW - No way I give up Otsuka for a 4/5 starter. Banking on Gagne is a bad idea.*

*Unless they have a good HGH pipeline.

He won't last to May.

Agreed. And if does, he'll be throwing 88mph the whole time...

Figures you would be on the wrong side of the argument. When are you going to let me #####-slap you in NCAA07 online?

Good ####### luck with that. His dog ate his router.

There are two major issues with me playing you in NCAA07:

1) I don't have NCAA07 anymore.

2) I don't have on-line access anymore.

Sold the game and gave up? You must suck.

I only play games for about 2 months and then I sell them on ebay. That way I only lose about $20 a pop.

 

[Giant Wooden Badger]

And if he's such a steal, why no interest by anyone other than the Rangers? Texas can't exactly be accused of being in the top half of the brains category so I tend to think that those in the industry actually have a reason for not wanting the guy.

There were many, many teams interested in Gagne. Most of them wanted a low base salary with incentives that could drive the contract up to this level and higher. Texas decided to guarantee him the money, so that's obviously where he went. It is also worth noting that Gagne was insisting on closing this season, chasing off a bunch of potential suitors that wanted him as a set-up man.

And you don't think there's a reason that those teams wanted the contract done that way? You're being naive.

That's it, I'm being naive.

They want to do the deal that way because he's had 37 arm surgeries, no one has refuted that. My point remains that taking a risk on him with a reasonable salary on a one year deal is a good risk to take in this market. It beats the hell out of signing Jose Mesa.

I don't disagree. I'm just telling you that you shouldn't be surprised that no one else would give him that money. There's a reason for it.

Toronto offered him that money. Boston wasn't far off. We're not talking about a Barry Bonds signing here... there were multiple teams legitimately interested in taking a chance on him as a closer this season.

Link? I don't think there were many teams interested in Gagne. At one point he said there were 4 teams, one of which was Toronto. When JP Ricciardi was asked about it, he said he hadn't even thought about Gagne but was happy to hear Gagne was interested in Toronto. Ricciardi immediately indicated that the Jays didn't really have a lot of interest in paying what Gagne wanted. I like to see Canadian guys do well in the majors, because there really aren't a ton but I'm glad the Jays didn't make a pitch for Gagne, there's no need for him with Ryan there, I think he was on roids and he's had way too many surgeries since his dominance.

I hadn't heard of much actual interest either but I gave RNR the benefit of the doubt since he follows it more closely than I do.

 

[RnR]

BTW - No way I give up Otsuka for a 4/5 starter. Banking on Gagne is a bad idea.*

*Unless they have a good HGH pipeline.

He won't last to May.

Agreed. And if does, he'll be throwing 88mph the whole time...

Figures you would be on the wrong side of the argument. When are you going to let me #####-slap you in NCAA07 online?

Good ####### luck with that. His dog ate his router.

There are two major issues with me playing you in NCAA07:

1) I don't have NCAA07 anymore.

2) I don't have on-line access anymore.

Sold the game and gave up? You must suck.

I only play games for about 2 months and then I sell them on ebay. That way I only lose about $20 a pop.

NCAA is a keeper. It's the only thing I'll play other than MLB.

 

[Dan Gladden's Mustache]

BTW - No way I give up Otsuka for a 4/5 starter. Banking on Gagne is a bad idea.*

*Unless they have a good HGH pipeline.

He won't last to May.

Agreed. And if does, he'll be throwing 88mph the whole time...

Figures you would be on the wrong side of the argument. When are you going to let me #####-slap you in NCAA07 online?

Good ####### luck with that. His dog ate his router.

There are two major issues with me playing you in NCAA07:

1) I don't have NCAA07 anymore.

2) I don't have on-line access anymore.

Sold the game and gave up? You must suck.

I only play games for about 2 months and then I sell them on ebay. That way I only lose about $20 a pop.

NCAA is a keeper. It's the only thing I'll play other than MLB.

MLB was garbage this year. Don't think I had it for more than a month before selling it.I still have my PS2 and MVP '05 for baseball.

NCAA is great, but so is NBA2k7 and NCAA football is basically over. In a couple months I'll be selling NBA and on to baseball. Its a beautiful cycle...

 

[RnR]

And if he's such a steal, why no interest by anyone other than the Rangers? Texas can't exactly be accused of being in the top half of the brains category so I tend to think that those in the industry actually have a reason for not wanting the guy.

There were many, many teams interested in Gagne. Most of them wanted a low base salary with incentives that could drive the contract up to this level and higher. Texas decided to guarantee him the money, so that's obviously where he went. It is also worth noting that Gagne was insisting on closing this season, chasing off a bunch of potential suitors that wanted him as a set-up man.

And you don't think there's a reason that those teams wanted the contract done that way? You're being naive.

That's it, I'm being naive.

They want to do the deal that way because he's had 37 arm surgeries, no one has refuted that. My point remains that taking a risk on him with a reasonable salary on a one year deal is a good risk to take in this market. It beats the hell out of signing Jose Mesa.

I don't disagree. I'm just telling you that you shouldn't be surprised that no one else would give him that money. There's a reason for it.

Toronto offered him that money. Boston wasn't far off. We're not talking about a Barry Bonds signing here... there were multiple teams legitimately interested in taking a chance on him as a closer this season.

Link? I don't think there were many teams interested in Gagne. At one point he said there were 4 teams, one of which was Toronto. When JP Ricciardi was asked about it, he said he hadn't even thought about Gagne but was happy to hear Gagne was interested in Toronto. Ricciardi immediately indicated that the Jays didn't really have a lot of interest in paying what Gagne wanted. I like to see Canadian guys do well in the majors, because there really aren't a ton but I'm glad the Jays didn't make a pitch for Gagne, there's no need for him with Ryan there, I think he was on roids and he's had way too many surgeries since his dominance.

This is my bad. I have no link to support Gagne receiving a formal offer from Toronto. It appears to have been speculation on Rotoworld's part. The Indians were actually the team I was looking for in the haste of typing. I believe they did put an offer on the table, while Toronto and Boston shied away from him at that price.

 

[RnR]

MLB was garbage this year. Don't think I had it for more than a month before selling it.I still have my PS2 and MVP '05 for baseball.NCAA is great, but so is NBA2k7 and NCAA football is basically over. In a couple months I'll be selling NBA and on to baseball. Its a beautiful cycle...

MLB did suck, but I have to get my baseball fix somehow.That's a beautiful plan you have in place, but one I wouldn't be able to commit myself to. You are a better man than me.

 

[Dan Gladden's Mustache]

Cappy-> D-Rays gonna sign that Japanese dude?

 

[Capella]

Cappy-> D-Rays gonna sign that Japanese dude?

of course not, silly.

 

[Statorama]

glad to see this much baseball talk in the offseason

 

[Northern Voice]

Jays by the way are saying that they're hoping to have Wells signed to an extension by the new year, if it isn't done by that time, they'll explore trade possibilities. People around the team seem pretty divided as to whether this is a legit attempt to get him locked up, or J.P. creating himself an out by saying Wells wanted too much money and then dealing him early in the new year. I'm pretty torn on the situation.

The Jays do have great outfield depth and I feel Alex Rios will be a better overall player than Wells and Adam Lind and Reed Johnson are both pretty good offensively. At the same time, Wells is the face of the franchise and there will be a big drop in production from Wells to Lind for the upcoming season.

Overall, my thinking is that with Johnson, Glaus, Overbay, Thomas, Rios, etc... the Jays have the offense to be competitive even without Wells but they need better starting pitching beyond Halladay, Burnett and Chacin (who reastically should be the #4).

Really, I think if the Jays want to be serious about contending in the AL East and playing with the big boys, they can't cry poor when their best player asks for market value (presumably 5 or 6 years at 16-20 million dollars per). If they are intending on playing with the Red Sox and Yankees, they need to extend Wells and then still find a way to trade for a #3 starter... I guess we'll find out how serious they are in the next few days.

 

[posty]

Jennings Dealt to Astros

HOUSTON (AP) -The Astros are getting Jason Jennings instead of Jon Garland to replace Andy Pettitte in their starting rotation.

Five days after a potential deal with the White Sox came apart, Houston acquired Jennings from the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday.

The trade was disclosed by a person familiar with the swap who spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement had not been made. The deal was to be announced later Tuesday.

 

[Keys Myaths]

Jennings Dealt to Astros

HOUSTON (AP) -The Astros are getting Jason Jennings instead of Jon Garland to replace Andy Pettitte in their starting rotation.

Five days after a potential deal with the White Sox came apart, Houston acquired Jennings from the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday.

The trade was disclosed by a person familiar with the swap who spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement had not been made. The deal was to be announced later Tuesday.

This actually really, really excites me.

 

[dparker713]

Jennings and a reliever for Tavares, Buckholtz and Hirsch. Hirsch is one of the stros best pitching prospects.

On the whole, I like the deal as long as the Stros extend Jennings. They've got too many offensive holes in their lineup with the pitcher, Tavares, Everett, and Ausmus. Jennings posted a good year while pitching in the best hitters park in the league. They may have over paid though depending on how good Hirsch turns out to be.