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Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Frayed Knot Mar 27 2012 06:40 AM

Vlad Guerrero is without a contract and is currently working out in the DR for the Indians with hopes of landing some kind of deal.

metirish Mar 27 2012 06:44 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Surely with these numbers from last season he'd have a job, are salary demands too high I wonder? http://www.baseball-reference.com/playe ... vl01.shtml

Mets – Willets Point Mar 27 2012 08:37 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Interesting. Usually when a player is that washed-up the Mets sign him.

metirish Mar 27 2012 08:51 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Mets – Willets Point wrote: Interesting. Usually when a player is that washed-up the Mets sign him. remember all the agony when the Mets didn't sign him after the 2003 season?, something about an X-Ray and Fred's wallet.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Mar 27 2012 08:56 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Here's me and Jim Duquette on Twitter a long time ago: @Springer66 · Open @Jim_Duquette Jim, how'd you let Vlad get by the Mets in '04? Market was soft, we had a gaping hole in RF... Jim Duquette ? @Jim_Duquette Close @Springer66 - the same doctor that said Kazmir would blow out said Vlad's back wouldn't hold up. 0 for 3. Overlooked VZ injury too. Hide conversation 3:22 PM - 5 Feb 11 via ÜberSocialOrig · Details I don't believe that still.

Edgy MD Mar 27 2012 09:02 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Why would you depend on the same doctor for a conclusive and final opinion regarding an outfielder's back injury, a starting pitcher's elbow ligament, and a pitching prospect's kinesthetic outlook? That guy goes 0-3, and I question the manager who sent him to the plate each time.

metirish Mar 27 2012 09:03 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Good stuff there JCL I thought the Mets docs never even viewed Zambrano's x-rays and Peterson was behind the Kazmir thing with his view on bad mechanics? The Vlad thing IIRC was a smoke screen from the Mets.

Ceetar Mar 27 2012 09:05 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Kazmir ultimately did blow out, just took longer than was worth worrying about. That's the risk. Maybe Duquette, as more of a sabr guy, fell prey to the "There is no such thing as a pitching prospect" meme. Back may have been a small concern, but it was probably just something to use as an excuse for .. i dunno, not raising payroll, not signing that long a contract..who knows. I don't know why you'd ask the same guy. I imagine Peterson was at least one of the guys anti-Kazmir, as pitching mechanics as they pertain to injuries was pretty much what he did. He probably also noted that Zambrano had something fundamentally wrong that when fixed would've hopefully yielded better results, of course it seems like what was wrong was because he was injured. Remember the days when Mets went whole seasons hiding injuries and we didn't even know it?

John Cougar Lunchbucket Mar 27 2012 09:08 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

I think Duke's still treading carefully around the Wilpons here. If he comes out and says "Fred forbid any spending beyond Kablammeron and Matsui -- whom he thought would boost revenue -- because he was reaching deep into his pockets to buy out the rotten Cablevision deal and I didn't have the juice to argue otherwise" he'd risk not getting that plum broadcasting job he's got now. He's not bad btw, apparently will fill in some on radio broadcasts this year.

metirish Mar 27 2012 09:11 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Yeah , probably some of that going on alright, can't blame the guy if that's the case, he needs to work. I remember at the time his daughter was very sick with a rare blood condition and Jim stating how grateful he was to the Mets and Wilpon's for their support.

Ceetar Mar 27 2012 09:12 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

as a fill-in guy who knows if Duquette even had any real sway to kill him for. He seems okay on the radio. Also, credit him (and Omar/Sandy for keeping them) with hiring Ben Baumer and founding the Mets statistical dept.

Frayed Knot Mar 27 2012 10:07 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

I read that Duquette answer as totally sarcastic; a way to shift the blame as it were over to the 'Pons and their baby-sitting 'wise old men' who they hired to watch over their young GM. As far as we know, there never was a doctor declaring that Kazmir was due for a blow-out, only PC Rick Peterson declaring that he was still a few hundred minor league innings away from being ready (a prediction that proved mostly accurate) which in turn prompted the 'wise old men' to toss long-range thinking out the window and ship Kaz out for more immediate "help" in the form of their unexplained confidence in one Victor Zambrano. In Vlad they did actually make an offer although it was a qualifying one based on his health which may or may not have been a good idea seeing as how, unlike the Angels, the Mets did not have the DH fallback and there were a number of games over the next few seasons when Vlad would have been unavailable w/o that option. The larger point being, I don't think either one was solely the result of medical thinking and certainly not that of the same doctor.

Vic Sage Mar 27 2012 10:23 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

yeah, great thinking it was too. Vlad averaged .320/30hr/100rbi over the next 6 years with the Angels, with only the last season spent as a DH.

G-Fafif Mar 27 2012 10:27 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Matsui -- whom he thought would boost revenue I was in the Mets clubhouse store recently, the one on 42nd, and noticed a ceramic Kaz statue, three or so feet high, practically leaning against the front counter. It may have been serving to keep some bats upright. Springsteen wrote a song about a scene like that.

Ceetar Mar 27 2012 11:25 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Vic Sage wrote: yeah, great thinking it was too. Vlad averaged .320/30hr/100rbi over the next 6 years with the Angels, with only the last season spent as a DH. And yet these days Alderson is praised for being reluctant to give out contracts like that. "One year too many" type deals. Granted Vlad is better than ..well, he's better than most everyone, but don't we laugh at the Werth and Holliday deals? The Howard extension? Sometimes it works out though. also: Roy Oswalt.

sharpie Mar 27 2012 12:10 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Johnny Damon Derek Lee Magglio Ordonez Miguel Tejada ..also guys who don't have a job who would like one.

Edgy MD Mar 27 2012 01:07 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

JayDee Drew.

Mets – Willets Point Mar 27 2012 01:14 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012 Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Mar 27 2012 02:27 PM

Edgy DC wrote: JayDee Drew. Maybe he can get a job with the Phillies.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 27 2012 01:21 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

yeah, great thinking it was too. Vlad averaged .320/30hr/100rbi over the next 6 years with the Angels, with only the last season spent as a DH. And yet these days Alderson is praised for being reluctant to give out contracts like that. "One year too many" type deals. Granted Vlad is better than ..well, he's better than most everyone, but don't we laugh at the Werth and Holliday deals? The Howard extension? Sometimes it works out though. Ever know anyone who survived driving drunk? Just because something works out doesn't mean it was a good idea at the time. Also: Milton Bradley. Also also: this guy. if i win lottery hugs for everyone and i will still play for bluejays a's or any mlb team for free money aint going to keep me from playing

metirish Mar 27 2012 01:23 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Canseco has become such a parody of the parody he was.

Vic Sage Mar 27 2012 01:26 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

that's hilarious. he "fixed the game", huh? you mean, after he helped break it? and i'm sure that's why he wrote the book... not for notariety or money, but to fix the game. god what an asshole. everybody is a hero in their own story.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 27 2012 01:26 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

The Twitter feed is hilarious, until you think about it a little, and realize that there's likely no way this ends well.

metirish Mar 27 2012 01:30 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

His last appearance in MLB was 2001 for Christ's sake , and he was 36 then. Desperate for money I suppose, IIRC he only got something like $25,000 for his book.

metirish Mar 27 2012 01:30 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

avi

Ashie62 Mar 27 2012 07:43 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Mark Grudzielanek.

Frayed Knot Mar 27 2012 08:04 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

There comes a time when we get told that we can no longer play the children's game Billy. Some of us get told at eighteen, some at forty, but we all get told.

Edgy MD Mar 27 2012 08:45 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

I didn't get that. I mean, it added a touch of drama and gravity to the story, but as something a scout would say to a top prospect he's trying to sign, it didn't make a lot of sense. That wasn't from the book, was it?

Frayed Knot Mar 28 2012 06:59 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

No, that wasn't from the book. As for its inclusion in the movie, I guess it was just the scout's way of telling young Billy that one should seize the opportunity while it's available. 'We want you as our centerfielder NOW and therefore you should get started on that NOW cuz who knows if that opportunity is still going to be there when you get out of college'. And, as we know, following that logic haunted him later on.

Edgy MD Mar 28 2012 07:27 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Yeah, I get what it could have meant to young Billy. But it seemed to be designed to deliver more weight to the heartbroken older men the film was seemingly aimed at. If I'm 18, I'm like, whatever, dude. Oscar-candidate? Yeah, maybe. If they hold a special category for date movies for forty-somethings.

Edgy MD Mar 28 2012 01:17 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Chris Young rehabbed with Mark Prior and claims that Prior is ready to sign somewhere also.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 28 2012 01:52 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Wasn't he MFY property lately?

metirish Mar 28 2012 03:29 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Wasn't he MFY property lately? yeah, last season wasn't it?, never made it to the Bronx though , shocked really because of the MFY's history of rehabbing bum pitchers...

Edgy MD Mar 28 2012 03:35 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Nah, they just corral enough usta-be-goods that some of them shake out. Many others do not.

Frayed Knot Mar 28 2012 05:24 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Meanwhile, the 45 y/o (in late April) Omar Vizquel is NOT joining those being told that he can no longer play the children's game as he will head north with the Blue Jays as their utility infielder.

Edgy MD Mar 28 2012 08:04 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Omar's 160 hits short of 3,000.

Frayed Knot Apr 01 2012 09:34 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

sharpie wrote: Johnny Damon Derek Lee Magglio Ordonez Miguel Tejada ..also guys who don't have a job who would like one. Tack the name of Hidecki Matsui onto that list. No 'Thrillas from Godzilla' on the marquee anytime soon.

Frayed Knot Apr 12 2012 06:27 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Johnny Damon "close to signing" with the Injuns. Guess that knocks Vlad out of contention for that spot. Past All Star vets who are still jobless in 2012 (AFAIK) [crossout:f3ikdeha]Johnny Damon[/crossout:f3ikdeha] Derek Lee Magglio Ordonez Miguel Tejada JD Drew Mark Grudzelanek Hidecki Matsui [crossout:f3ikdeha]Omar Vizquel[/crossout:f3ikdeha]

Edgy MD Apr 12 2012 02:56 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Fonzie. Still banging on that door.

MFS62 Apr 12 2012 09:08 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Has Roy Oswalt signed with a (new) team yet? Later

G-Fafif Apr 13 2012 05:53 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Pudge Rodriguez still out there.

Frayed Knot Apr 13 2012 06:55 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

MFS62 wrote: Has Roy Oswalt signed with a (new) team yet? No, although in his case it's semi-intentional. He turned down several offers over the winter because they weren't the "right" ones - only to find that there were no right ones coming behind them. IIRC he only wants the south or south-east, the National League, good weather, lotsa money, comfy blankets in the locker room, and a few other assorted amenities like that. So as of now he's sitting at home, biding his time, and probably driving around the tractor he once got as part of a contract he signed in Houston. What he's hoping for is for some team to decide they need him desperately at which point he can take a page from the 'Roger Clemens School for Aging and Stamina-Challenged Pitchers' and do the half-year deal.

duan Apr 13 2012 09:55 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

that's ok as long as we don't have to cope with another riff on the susan waldman call.

G-Fafif Apr 18 2012 08:17 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Pudge hangs 'em up at age 40.

Edgy MD Apr 27 2012 09:29 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Abreu and Inge both cut loose.

Frayed Knot Apr 28 2012 08:50 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

I heard about Inge yesterday and immediately thought of him as the righty bat off the bench we could use. He never was a real high average guy to begin with, but he took his walks, had some pop, and could give you good defense at several positions including emergency catcher. On the flip side, he turns 35 in a few weeks and has been sub-.200 for the last 300 PAs over two seasons. IOW, there are reasons beyond the Miggy-to-3B experiment why the only team that has ever employed him is releasing him.

The Second Spitter Apr 28 2012 10:26 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Frayed Knot wrote: I heard about Inge yesterday and immediately thought of him as the righty bat off the bench we could use. does anybody remember the time Fatessca cracked a hard-on for Inge? [youtube]6bZAuH7pSgc[/youtube]

John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 29 2012 07:58 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

That's a classic. You can tell Francessa feels like he's some kind of sage for identifying Inge's greatness.

sharpie Apr 30 2012 11:53 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Inge signed by the A's.

Edgy MD Apr 30 2012 11:55 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

They thanked Francessa for his incisive scouting report.

attgig Apr 30 2012 12:03 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Matsui to the Ray's

Frayed Knot May 11 2012 08:15 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Vlad signs minor league deal with Blue Jays

G-Fafif May 11 2012 11:00 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Can't decide whether this is poetic geographical justice for a career that bloomed one province over or one more slap in the face to Expos fans everywhere. Probably the former.

Frayed Knot May 29 2012 04:09 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

A big day for 'Old Guy News' - Magglio Ordonez, 38, announces his retirement. - Roy Oswalt, just linked by rumor this weekend to the Dodgers, has signed with the Rangers. - Hidecki Matsui makes his debut for the Rays

Ashie62 May 29 2012 05:16 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Brian Roberts?

Frayed Knot May 29 2012 06:20 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Ashie62 wrote: Brian Roberts? Roberts is still with Baltimore but has been out for just over a year now with concussion-related stuff. He's expected to start rehab outinigs and then hopefully back to the ML roster over the next few weeks.

Frayed Knot Jun 12 2012 07:52 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Frayed Knot wrote: Vlad signs minor league deal with Blue Jays Vlad asks the Blue Jays to promote him or release him. They released him.

TransMonk Jun 12 2012 07:54 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

His AAA stats looked decent...do they just not have room for him, or was his contract going to explode if promoted?

Frayed Knot Jun 12 2012 07:59 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Apparently there wasn't an enforceable clause but they did have a handshake agreement where Vlad could ask out at any time. I guess they had no room for him on the big club right now and he was too impatient to wait until they might.

Mets – Willets Point Jun 12 2012 08:18 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Can we sign him for the remainder of interleague play?

Frayed Knot Jun 12 2012 09:11 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Mets – Willets Point wrote: Can we sign him for the remainder of interleague play? If so we better hurry ... only have two road IL games left.

MFS62 Jun 12 2012 09:22 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Mets – Willets Point wrote: Can we sign him for the remainder of interleague play? Who needs him? We have Valdespin. Later

Frayed Knot Jun 13 2012 06:29 AM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Frayed Knot wrote: Ashie62 wrote: Brian Roberts? Roberts is still with Baltimore but has been out for just over a year now with concussion-related stuff. He's expected to start rehab outinigs and then hopefully back to the ML roster over the next few weeks. Brian Roberts made his first ML appearance in over a year last night (May 16, 2011). He singled in his first AB and went on to have three of Baltimore 15 hits against Pittsbugh

Frayed Knot Jun 15 2012 08:26 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

And now the A's release Manny before ever promoting him, supposedly at Manny's request.

MFS62 Jun 15 2012 08:51 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Frayed Knot wrote: And now the A's release Manny before ever promoting him, supposedly at Manny's request. With the Mets now needing a righty hitting left fielder - maybe ....... nahhhh. Later

Frayed Knot Aug 03 2012 07:07 PM Re: Guys I/we hadn't realized were still jobless for 2012

Not a good week for some of the old guys we've been tracking in this thread - Indians DFA Johnny Damon. Also Derek Lowe - Rays release Hidecki Matsui - Dodgers released Bobby Abreu to make room for Victorino. That's the 2nd release for him this year, and that's just by LA-based teams. - And Jim Thome is on the DL in Baltimore these days.