MLB Offseason Thread

[GirlySports]

The Hall of Fame Ballot for 2013 is released.

First timers:
1 Todd Walker
2 Jose Mesa
3 Sandy Alomar
4 Mike Stanton
5 Jeff Conine
6 Royce Clayton
7 Roberto Hernandez
8 Aaron Sele
9 Ryan Klesko
10 Rondell White
11 Woody Williams
12 Jeff Cirillo
13 Shawn Green
14 Reggie Sanders
15 Julio Franco
16 Steve Finley
17 David Wells
18 Sammy Sosa
19 Craig Biggio
20 Kenny Lofton
21 Curt Schilling
22 Mike Piazza
23 Roger Clemens
24 Barry Bonds

A) Would you vote for any of these guys?
B) Do any of these guys get in?

[moon]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

The Hall of Fame Ballot for 2013 is released.

First timers:
1 Todd Walker
2 Jose Mesa
3 Sandy Alomar
4 Mike Stanton
5 Jeff Conine
6 Royce Clayton
7 Roberto Hernandez
8 Aaron Sele
9 Ryan Klesko
10 Rondell White
11 Woody Williams
12 Jeff Cirillo
13 Shawn Green
14 Reggie Sanders
15 Julio Franco
16 Steve Finley
17 David Wells
18 Sammy Sosa
19 Craig Biggio
20 Kenny Lofton
21 Curt Schilling
22 Mike Piazza
23 Roger Clemens
24 Barry Bonds

A) Would you vote for any of these guys?
B) Do any of these guys get in?

I would vote Piazza for sure and think he gets in.

Probably vote for Sosa as well but don't think he gets in.

Don't think I would vote for any others.

[WilderPegasus]

Bonds, Sosa and Clemens are no brainers if not for their off field shenanigans. Mike Piazza should be in also.

[GirlySports]

I think I would vote Biggio in. 3000 hits, played multiple positions.
Major-league record for number of times getting plunked.

[evman150]

I would vote for Craig Biggio.

I would consider voting for Kenny Lofton, but lean towards no.

A lot of crummy names on that list. I had to look up Todd Walker.

[Cheerio]

BJ Upton signs with Braves. 5 yr 75 million

[Drake]

Originally Posted by Cheerio

BJ Upton signs with Braves. 5 yr 75 million

Awesome. Great to see the Braves screw the Phillies who were going after hard him. LOL. Hey Phillies, Dexter Fowler is available.

[d_phaneuf]

Originally Posted by Drake

Awesome. Great to see the Braves screw the Phillies who were going after hard him. LOL. Hey Phillies, Dexter Fowler is available.

so is Michael Bourn.... who they are also rumored to be after

[CaramonLS]

As above - Clemens, Bonds and Sosa will likely be left out. Barry was actually a first ballot HOFer before he took steriods, so one may wonder if that has any consideration in this whole fiasco.

Piazza gets in. No brainer for one of the best hitting catchers ever.

Schilling to me will get in. Not first ballot though. He has the numbers (very low career ERA, lots of Ks), but not a lot of wins because of injury. However, he can easily be identified with 2 of the 3 WS titles he won, neither one likely would have been won without him.

I wouldn't have thought Wells had more games won that Schilling, but he does (239 vs. 216).

[TitovFTW]

Sosa, Bonds, Clemons should all get in and it shouldn't even be a question, but there's no way with all the "old school" writers that they ever will. Which in that case, nobody should make the Hall of Fame who played from 1990 to 2005.

Good signing by the Braves. Fangraphs talked about how it's right inbetween on not to much risk but not to much value.

Greinke to the Dodgers rumors sure heating up. He's a top 3 Starting Pitcher in all of MLB. Will be a huge addition wherever he goes.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Canadian Russell Martin has signed with the Pirates. Two years, 17 million, pending a physical.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Mariano Rivera signs for one more year with the Yankees. 10 million plus bonuses.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

Canadian Russell Martin has signed with the Pirates. Two years, 17 million, pending a physical.

It's such BS to see the Yankees key players get snapped up by the Pirates. The rich get richer I guess.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

David Wright hits the jackpot with a new extension with the Mets, will be the biggest contract in franchise history if/when it is finalized. Basically it is 8 years, 138 million.

[dustyanddaflames]

Tommy Hanson has been traded to Anaheim for Jordan Walden - man has Hanson's value ever dropped off, and I like Walden. Becomes an even more filthy pen in the ATL.

[Flickered Flame]

Washington trades a minor league pitcher to Minnesota for Denard Span.

[Drake]

Originally Posted by dustyanddaflames

Tommy Hanson has been traded to Anaheim for Jordan Walden - man has Hanson's value ever dropped off, and I like Walden. Becomes an even more filthy pen in the ATL.

Next move for Frank Wren and company will be acquiring Justin Upton from Arizona to complete their off season....

[Clever_Iggy]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

The Hall of Fame Ballot for 2013 is released.

First timers:
1 Todd Walker
2 Jose Mesa
3 Sandy Alomar
4 Mike Stanton
5 Jeff Conine
6 Royce Clayton
7 Roberto Hernandez
8 Aaron Sele
9 Ryan Klesko
10 Rondell White
11 Woody Williams
12 Jeff Cirillo
13 Shawn Green
14 Reggie Sanders
15 Julio Franco
16 Steve Finley
17 David Wells
18 Sammy Sosa
19 Craig Biggio
20 Kenny Lofton
21 Curt Schilling
22 Mike Piazza
23 Roger Clemens
24 Barry Bonds

A) Would you vote for any of these guys?
B) Do any of these guys get in?

A - Bonds, Clemens, Piazza and Biggio should get in (although Biggio's HBP numbers are a crock with his elbow pad and positioning relative to the plate). Piazza, as said, is one of the greatest offensive catchers ever. I don't think it should be first ballot, but he shouldnt have to wait more than a couple years. Bonds and Clemens should be in the HOF with Palmario. The HOF can address the suspicions and the era as they see fit, but they were two of the best players of their era and in the top ecelon of players ever... aka, a HOF.

B - I don't know if anyone gets in for their first ballot. Biggio isn't better than Alomar and Alomar didn't. Piazza will be closest, but I think he waits a year because he wasn't dynimate defensively. Clemens and Bonds will be the same as Palmario and McGwire (but they have even stronger cases to make the HOF). Sosa was all offense and is, for me, defines the steriod era. Bonds may have been the face to many, but at least he was dominant before he went to a size 8 7/8s ball cap.

PS - I remember when Royce Clayton was supposed to be the next Ozzie Smith. Schilling, while a great post-season guy with plenty of accolades, is not a HOF - he's the next step below - a very good player, but one that can't be considered an alltime great.

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by Clever_Iggy

A - Bonds, Clemens, Piazza and Biggio should get in (although Biggio's HBP numbers are a crock with his elbow pad and positioning relative to the plate). Piazza, as said, is one of the greatest offensive catchers ever. I don't think it should be first ballot, but he shouldnt have to wait more than a couple years. Bonds and Clemens should be in the HOF with Palmario. The HOF can address the suspicions and the era as they see fit, but they were two of the best players of their era and in the top ecelon of players ever... aka, a HOF.

B - I don't know if anyone gets in for their first ballot. Biggio isn't better than Alomar and Alomar didn't. Piazza will be closest, but I think he waits a year because he wasn't dynimate defensively. Clemens and Bonds will be the same as Palmario and McGwire (but they have even stronger cases to make the HOF). Sosa was all offense and is, for me, defines the steriod era. Bonds may have been the face to many, but at least he was dominant before he went to a size 8 7/8s ball cap.

PS - I remember when Royce Clayton was supposed to be the next Ozzie Smith. Schilling, while a great post-season guy with plenty of accolades, is not a HOF - he's the next step below - a very good player, but one that can't be considered an alltime great.

I pretty much agree with everything in your post. I'd add that the litmus test should be whether they would have been hof worthy without the drugs. The answer for Clemons and bonds would be an easy yes. McGwire, and Sosa, not so much.

[TitovFTW]

I think we see a lot of chips fall after both Hamilton and Greinke get signed. Especially in the case of Greinke, you'd assume Sanchez is waiting for him to sign to set a true market price, and most teams hopefully get desperate and offer him the world after. Starting Pitching remains to be at a premium and the best thing Sanchez could have done last season was have a strong post-season.

Not really getting a read on anything Brandon McCarthy related. Still have to think Oakland is the landing spot but you'd have to wonder why it hasn't happened yet?

The Rays and Royals seem like a perfect fit to make a trade. The Royals have a ton of young talented position players and they need pitching so badly. I feel as if the Rays are operating in the way the A's were in the early 2000's. Any trade they make, you're just scared if you're the fan of another team in the AL east because they've just been ahead of the game the last 4-5 years.

I'm going to predict Baltimore will do something big and soon. They're not the best run team and knowing the Orioles, they'll want to capitalize on last seasons success.