If You're Going To Dream, Dream Big: Sabathia Sweepstakes
- Thread starter Ifandorbut
- Start date
Well Lincecum and Sabathia would be some 1-2 punch, clearly the best in the majors. Off the top of my head, it's tough to think of a better combination in recent history. Clemens and Oswalt in '04/'05 maybe. Schilling and Johnson in '01?
I wouldn't mind that approach, sort of like the Dodgers of the sixties. Why the hell not? There aren't any good free agents out there, and by that I mean that the Giants could afford. I wouldn't mind them sinking their money into a pitching heavy team instead of a heavy hitting team. Pitching and defense in that park could be a good mix.
I just heard that Matt Holiday is going to Oakland.
HUH?
Yeah, I'd much rather have elite pitching than elite hitting.
Matt Holliday to Oakland is a complete shock. I thought the A's prefer to rid themselves of talent, not bring it in?
And from what I understand Holiday only has one year remaining on his contract...he's a free agent after this year. Perhaps Billy Beane knows that the A's can't compete with Anaheim, but does realize that in July someone will be looking for his bat. Billy always works out deals in getting good people that other organizations have over looked or given up on.
I guess it's early, maybe this is his first move of many more to come?
I'm glad he's out of Colorado.
The Yankees are about to make the richest pitcher of all time. If the talks stall it will be because CC is interested in playing for another team and that money is clearly not an issue. You have to give the Yankees credit; they lose out to Boston and Tampa Bay and they come back with a fire. Sure, they have the resources to do it, but they still are doing it. I hate to give them credit, but all the same, they are putting their money where CC's wallet is.
As a Mets fan, I hope they stay away from Sabathia. The NL has seen him and will adjust to him by next season. He threw a ton of innings and is not exactly the model of physical fitness - it had to take a toll on him.
The Mets need to concentrate on signing bullpen help first, then an outfielder,and/or a second baseman, figure out where Daniel Murphy fits, and then get a decent #3 starter. I'd take Derek Lowe if the price is right. Heck, Kerry Wood in the pen intrigues me for the right price.
Your Mets have the money. You should go for LOWE and/or Wood.
With my Reds no longer having the Griffey and Dunn contracts next year (around $23 million total), I would hope they would of least talk to Lowe. :scratch:
Agreed. I would love to get both Lowe and Wood, but I don't want to sink money into longterm deals with either of these guys. 2-3 years max for each.
I hate that the Mets try to compete with the Yankees instead of using the formula that made them successful in the 80's - good scouting and minor league development along with a few key signings, not necessarily the biggest splash in the FA pool every year.
Actually, whatever it is that they've been doing has been working. They've just sh*t the bed very late in September a couple of times. Unfortunately for the Mets, they have to compete with the other team in the market and that other team gets to play with more marbles than any of the other teams each year.
If the Mets didn't fold late in the year, you could be looking at two years of National League dominance. It just didn't work out for them that way.
MAD DOG was going off on Sabathia yesterday. He was saying if he signs with the Yankees, he should admit it was for the money since he has been saying the NL is preferred due to being able to hit etc.
Chris sounds as if he's buying into the Buster Olney theory that Sabathia should join the Giants rotation to make it the strongest in baseball.
Sabathia will more than likely sign with the Yankees.
Sabathia will more than likely sign with the Yankees.
Somewhat true - they do win more than lose, but not when it matters most. The problem is they have traded away much of their young talent for vets who have not come through when it counts. And by signing big name free agents, they have taken focus off of developing more young players in the system. I think the team is more a collection of All-Stars then a cohesive group. They lack heart. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter to most of them if they miss the playoffs, they just get to go home early.
There is no excuse for a team falling apart like they did two years in a row. And the problem cannot be fixed by throwing money at every big name available. You need to build a strong foundation from within the organization.
The Mets of the 80's were built on a strong farm system - Gooden, Strawberry, Darling, Dykstra, Mookie, Orosco, McDowell, Backman, etc. Then veteran parts were added as needed - Carter, Hernandez, etc. The current Mets are the exact opposite. Wright, Reyes, and Maine came thought the minors, but the rest of the major players are trades or FA signings.
And as good as they were, the only World Series ring they had to show for their dominance during their era came by way of trickling grounder that found its way past Buckner. If that Buckner play doesn't happen you would be looking at that time as a bit of a disappointment. And that was a team built around the farm system.
Right now my Giants are largely built around young kids coming up through the ranks, especially in the pitching department, but I feel that they're going to need to make a bit of a splash with some hitters at some point. If the Giants were able to land Sabathia, they would almost immediately trade away the young lefty Sanchez along with a Randy Winn or Aaron Rowand.
Partying and drugs did them in, they should have won multiple championships. The Giants are in the position the Mets were in in 83 - they need to get a couple big names to compliment the youngsters - and to fill the seats. Sabathia would certainly help them but he won't make them a contender overnight. In fact, he might be at the tail end of his contract when the youth begins to show its full promise.
Bottom line for me as a Mets fan, I don't want to overpay (relatively speaking) for pitching that is either A. susceptible to injury, or B. getting older. I'd be fine if they decided to skip the big names and work on bringing up the young guys - even if it meant a few years of growing pains. One thing I cannot take is another year of watching overpaid vets underachieving on the field and acting like its no big deal off the field.
Well, I can certainly understand why you would be bitter in being a Mets fan. They certainly had the best, if not the best certainly within the top 2 or 3 teams in the National League for the past two years. And while they've given the fans a lot to cheer about with thrilling come from behind wins, they have ultimately left the fans very short at the end of the season. Added to that, they always have the Yankees gobbling up all of the best talent without having to decimate their budding young talent.
It's too bad they haven't been able to take advantage of the recent lapse in the Braves dominance, but they certainly did have their chances.
And I'll only say this once. At least you've seen your team win a championship...maybe even twice.
I wonder if there's any bond that Mets fans should have with the Dodgers and Giants? Or vice-versa?
Last night a local TV station started their sports segment talking about how the Giants are making Sabathia an offer, but that the offer, though good, is nowhere near that of what the Yankees are putting forth. Sabathia has said it isn't about the money and that he wants to hit. I don't know, we'll see in about a week, I guess.
Oh my god...:yesshake:
Oh my god...:yesshake:
Hey, Artie said that the Yankees picked up J.J. Sabathia. The sweepstakes are over, the Yankees win again. J.J. found an extra 21 million reasons he'd rather not hit three times a game.