Author Topic: Offseason moves? (Read 175921 times)

In fact a judge in Utah upheld this idea recently.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/15/us/a-utah-law-prohibiting-polygamy-is-weakened.html?hpw&rref=us&_r=0

I thought that was part of the deal giving them statehood- do they go back to being a territory?

Ray D · « **Reply #2005 on:** December 17, 2013, 09:05:59 am »

I don't know but if this means they might revive the TV series "Big Love", I'm all for it.

Rasta · « **Reply #2006 on:** December 17, 2013, 03:11:49 pm »

Chris Cotillo ‏@ChrisCotillo 1m
Source: #Nationals, #Padres, #Astros were most seriously involved in Matt Thornton bidding before he agreed with #Yankees. Lots of interest.

Slateman · « **Reply #2007 on:** December 17, 2013, 03:38:54 pm »

Kind of glad we didn't get that one. Thornton has regressed three seasons in a row and he's well over 35

JCA-CrystalCity · « **Reply #2008 on:** December 17, 2013, 04:11:11 pm »

no more

for Matt Thornton from me. The dark side of the force is strong with this one.

Terpfan76 · « **Reply #2009 on:** December 18, 2013, 03:57:53 pm »

Any interest in this cat?

Quote

Another one of Cuba’s best players has left the island, the latest in a wave of defections that isn’t expected to slow down.

Rusney Castillo, a 26-year-old center fielder who had been one of the top players in Cuba, has left the country to pursue a contract with a major league team, Baseball America has learned.

Castillo has played five seasons for Ciego de Avila in Cuba’s top league, Serie Nacional, so he will be able to sign as a free agent exempt from the international signing bonus pools.

That process could still take several months, since Castillo will have to establish residency in another country, have Major League Baseball declare him a free agent and the U.S. government’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) clear him to sign. Once that process is complete, Castillo should draw interest as a free agent who could either go straight to the majors or get a tuneup in Triple-A before moving up.

Castillo is short but has a strong, athletic frame at 5-foot-9, 185 pounds. His best tool is his speed, as he’s an above-average runner and one of the better base stealers in Cuba. More of a doubles hitter than a big home run threat, Castillo puts a charge into the ball with a line-drive righthanded swing, though he can get long to the ball at times and some scouts think he’s prone to chasing pitches off the plate. Primarily a center fielder in Cuba, Castillo has also played some second and third base, so his versatility could be a draw for some teams. He’s an aggressive, high-energy player, though some teams see him as a fourth outfielder.

When Yoenis Cespedes was in Cuba, Cespedes was the star center fielder on the Cuban national team, with Leonys Martin the up-and-comer. With Cespedes and Martin gone, Castillo stepped in as Cuba’s national team center fielder at the World Cup in October 2011 in Panama. Castillo was a standout at the tournament, hitting .512/.524/.854 in 10 games, going 21-for-41 with two home runs, two triples, four doubles, one walk and two strikeouts. He made the tournament’s all-star team after leading the World Cup in batting average and slugging while ranking fourth in on-base percentage.

Castillo was coming off an excellent year in Serie Nacional in 2010-11 in which he led the league with 29 stolen bases in 35 attempts and hit .324/.373/.555 with 18 home runs in 400 plate appearances.

In 2011-12, Castillo hit .332/.395/.545 in 420 plate appearances, belting 16 home runs with 32 walks, 42 strikeouts and 22 stolen bases in 29 attempts. He led the league with 28 doubles, ranked 13th in batting average and tied for third in the league in steals. Last season was a down year for Castillo, however, as he hit just .250/.352/.342 in 43 games.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/defection-of-top-cuban-outfielder-rusney-castillo-could-shake-up-market/

HalfSmokes · « **Reply #2010 on:** December 18, 2013, 04:03:12 pm »

he sounds like Denard Span is his upside

Mattionals · « **Reply #2011 on:** December 18, 2013, 04:10:18 pm »

How about signing Jeff Baker, signing Yorvit Torrealba and trading Danny Espinosa and Eury Perez to the Blue Jays for Brett Cecil? I think that would finish off the offseason with some really good moves at the top (Fister) in the middle (Cecil and Blevins) and on the bench (McLouth, Torrealba and Baker).

houston-nat · « **Reply #2012 on:** December 18, 2013, 04:22:18 pm »

Sincere question: is there any reason everybody is talking about Jeff Baker but not Stephen Drew?

blue911 · « **Reply #2013 on:** December 18, 2013, 04:25:18 pm »

Quote from: houston-nat on December 18, 2013, 04:22:18 pm

Sincere question: is there any reason everybody is talking about Jeff Baker but not Stephen Drew?

Drew has a QO hanging over his head.

WhiteWhale · « **Reply #2014 on:** December 18, 2013, 04:26:06 pm »

Quote from: houston-nat on December 18, 2013, 04:22:18 pm

Sincere question: is there any reason everybody is talking about Jeff Baker but not Stephen Drew?

Drew will get an everyday contract. That is not what we are shopping for. We are shopping for bench players.

houston-nat · « **Reply #2015 on:** December 18, 2013, 04:26:11 pm »

Quote from: blue911 on December 18, 2013, 04:25:18 pm

Drew has a QO hanging over his head.

Oh. Good reason.

imref · « **Reply #2016 on:** December 18, 2013, 04:26:46 pm »

Quote from: houston-nat on December 18, 2013, 04:22:18 pm

Sincere question: is there any reason everybody is talking about Jeff Baker but not Stephen Drew?

drew would mean we give up a 1st round draft pick, he wants a big deal, and he's going to want to go somewhere where he can start.

Vega · « **Reply #2017 on:** December 18, 2013, 04:30:40 pm »

How about Justin Turner?

PC · « **Reply #2018 on:** December 18, 2013, 05:59:40 pm »

Quote

Kurt Suzuki Has Interest from Cubs, Twins, Mariners
By Zach Links [December 18 at 4:49pm CST]

The Twins and Mariners are possibilities for veteran catcher Kurt Suzuki, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (via Twitter) adds that the Cubs are also among the clubs with interest.

While Minnesota likes the 30-year-old, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press (Twitter link) hears from a person with direct knowledge that nothing is going on yet between the club and the catcher. The Cubs and Twins were said to be talking with Suzuki during the winter meetings along with the Rockies.

Suzuki hit .232/.290/.337 with five homers in his second straight season split between the A's and Nationals. Though he's typically been solid in terms of catching base stealers, Suzuki caught just eight of 65 potential thieves in 2013 (12 percent) and graded out as one of the league's worst in terms of pitch-framing. He was highly adept at blocking pitches in the dirt, per Fangraphs, trailing only Yadier Molina in that regard.

It would be nice if Rizzo got off his ass. If Solano is our backup catcher, 2014 is being punted.

varoadking · « **Reply #2019 on:** December 18, 2013, 06:03:43 pm »

Quote from: PC on December 18, 2013, 05:59:40 pm

It would be nice if Rizzo got off his ass. If Solano is our backup catcher, 2014 is being punted.

QFT

madj55 · « **Reply #2020 on:** December 18, 2013, 06:04:33 pm »

I wouldn't go that far, but a backup catcher is definitely needed. Suzuki was pretty awful last year, not sure why people want him back so badly

PC · « **Reply #2021 on:** December 18, 2013, 06:19:02 pm »

Quote from: madj55 on December 18, 2013, 06:04:33 pm

Suzuki was pretty awful last year

Not if you limit your scope to backup catchers. Now if Rizzo signs a starting catcher to backup Ramos then that's a different story.

Terpfan76 · « **Reply #2022 on:** December 18, 2013, 06:36:49 pm »

Quote from: PC on December 18, 2013, 05:59:40 pm

It would be nice if Rizzo got off his ass. If Solano is our backup catcher, 2014 is being punted.

PC · « **Reply #2023 on:** December 18, 2013, 06:50:56 pm »

Quote from: Terpfan76 on December 18, 2013, 06:36:49 pm

Rizzo knows the very high likelihood that Ramos will miss extended periods of time this season because that's what he does. You can not go into a season with Solano as your backup. This team, probably more than almost every other team in baseball, needs a quality backup catcher.

You see, this is the problem (one of the problems) I have with Rizzo. He doesn't seem to be able to build a complete team or, at least, a team that doesn't have at least one obvious gaping hole. The closest he came was 2012, but he didn't build that team to win 98 games. He just lucked into it. You don't build a team to win 98 games if Henry Rodriguez is in your bullpen and Rick Ankiel is starting in your outfield. Last year the holes where obvious and multiple.

Terpfan76 · « **Reply #2024 on:** December 18, 2013, 08:27:33 pm »

Quote from: PC on December 18, 2013, 06:50:56 pm

Rizzo knows the very high likelihood that Ramos will miss extended periods of time this season because that's what he does. You can not go into a season with Solano as your backup. This team, probably more than almost every other team in baseball, needs a quality backup catcher.

You see, this is the problem (one of the problems) I have with Rizzo. He doesn't seem to be able to build a complete team or, at least, a team that doesn't have at least one obvious gaping hole. The closest he came was 2012, but he didn't build that team to win 98 games. He just lucked into it. You don't build a team to win 98 games if Henry Rodriguez is in your bullpen and Rick Ankiel is starting in your outfield. Last year the holes where obvious and multiple.

If we don't have a elite bench catcher (is that even a thing?) we're punting the 2014 season. Seriously? You believe that? Is it something we should be looking for? Sure, it would be great to pick up a catcher that could start and do so admirably should Ramos go down, but the fact is, just about any catcher that's capable of being a productive starter is, wait for it... STARTING FOR SOMEONE!! If we can get some decent offensive producting from either 1b or 2b, getting solid contribution from your back up catcher is a bonus.