Choi has been a pet of us internet baseball fans for years, yet he doesn't seem to stick when he gets to a club. I suspect there's something more here going on than his "numbers" -- a personality issue? A failure to learn? In any event, if this is Ortiz II, then indeed Epstein is The Greatest GM in the History of Baseball, as I'm so frequently reminded up here already.

Choi's current value is arguably marginal to most teams. He is a platoon player, at the very best.

And Ortiz II? Gimme a break!

This waiver pick up says much more about what the Sox honestly feel about Lowell and his batspeed. By adding Choi, the Sox have essentailly admitted that they are VERY worried about Lowell -- enough to pick up another platoon lefty 1B as insurance in case Lowell falters (as I predict he will). This pick up would allow them to move Youkilis to his natural 3B position and give the 1B job to two lefties, Snow and Choi.

As for the Yanks, they have a powerhitting, on-base-machine, lefty 1B in the name of Giambi and a power-hitting, youngster with a lot of upside in Phillips who could spell Giambi from the right side. In all honesty, the last thing the Yanks needed was another lefty 1B with very pronounced splits.

As for Theo fleecing the Reds for Willy Mo Pena, did any of you read Eric Wilbur's article in the Boston Globe from a few days ago? He predicted that Pena would hit his share of home runs, thus energizing the Fenway crowd, but would also frustrate and most likely infuriate that same crowd with his penchant for the strike-out. He essentially predicted a love-hate relationship similar to that with Mark Bellhorn.

That said, who do you cut to make room for the Choi/Phillips platoon? Assuming 4 or 5 bench players (depending on the number of pitchers), with GOB and Kelly locked in, dropping Cairo means Phillips is the emergency replacement at SS and 3B too? Or drop Andy? And no other replacement for the OF than Bernie? It's crazy to think that this team didn't have room for Choi - but that's exactly the way the team is constructed - no roster flexibility.

http://www.waswatching.com/archives/2005/12/a_chance_to_get.html

Dude, could you at least throw a brother a link? ;-)

Choi is insurance against either Snow or Lowell not being up to the task. Rest assured, that the Sox will not keep both Snow AND Choi, two lefthanded hitting first basemen.

And aren't you pushing the envelope just a bit referring to Phillips as a "youngster?"

In fact, we're 2 weeks away from opening day and the Sox still have no idea what they'll get from their revamped infield. Is Lowell cooked? Will Loretta bounce back from an injury-shortened 2005 season and put up his Padres-calibre numbers in the AL? Will Alex Gonzalez hit a lick? Who the hell is playing 1B?

The only sure thing is Papi as the DH and occasional 1B and Varitek at C. But with Mirabelli gone, who will catch Wakefield's floaters?

Also, Phillips may not be a youngster by age (he's 28), but he's a "youngster" when it comes to experience and what is expected from him on the 2006 Yanks. And, it's been argued that he should had been given this chance 2 years ago, at the age of 26, but the Yankee FO and Torre held him unfairly back.

By the way, here's some of Wilbur's article:

"But in 2006 at least, Wily Mo Pena is going to drive fans nuts.

Last season, Pena struck out at the same rate as old friend Mark Bellhorn (once every 2.6 at bats), who often walked back to the dugout under a chorus of boos and jeers at Fenway. Yes, fans might be a bit more forgiving with Pena, seeing as he slugged 19 home runs in those 311 at-bats, while Bellhorn struggled to hit .216 with seven homers in 283 at-bats. Pena also walked just 20 times over that span, while Bellhorn more than doubled that production (49).

Pena might slug a three-run homer with runners on first and third. He also is going to strike out at an alarming pace in that situation, driving fans to let out their aggressions on a work in progress."

I heard Joe Beningo talking about this on WFAN a few days ago. The average Yankee fan is NEVER satisfied with the team that George and Brian Cashman put on the field. There's always a "better option".

Well friends, Choi is not a "better option" by any means. 26 teams passed on him for a reason. And I'd rather give Phillips the chance than bring in Choi.

So all of you criticizing Cashman for his non-moves (Rob Gee, I'm looking at YOU), take a deep breathe and realize that barring some serious injuries, this team is built to win the AL East in 2006.

Ever the optomist...yours truly,
Unpopster

Not worried about Loretta, Gonzalez doesn't have to hit a lick. re: 1b and 3b, the Sox, who believe in having a bench (unlike Cashman) have options.

As far as the righty first baseman should Lowell be cooked, my best guess is that Youk will move back to first and Lowell will play against lefties only, giving them the better half of his platoon split and gaining the advantage of his glove. And, no matter how cooked Lowell might be, can he possibly give the Sox less than Millar did last year?

We, at least, know who are starting rotation will contain.

You are right about one thing, absolutely, you are ever the optimist.

Schilling - which Schilling, the 2004 version or the 2005 version? To quote Rotoworld.com:

"Despite 10 strikeouts, Curt Schilling surrendered five runs in seven innings Friday in a minor league game. He gave up eight hits while throwing 109 pitches ...against Triple-A Ottawa. Schilling might need to work outside the strike zone a little more once the regular season starts. He's simply not as difficult to hit as he once was.

Beckett - will he FINALLY throw 200 innings? Is his arm sound?

Wakefield - though the closest thing to a sure thing, how will he fair without Mirabeli?

And as Yankee Fan in Chicago pointed out, will Wells and Clemente be hear in May? If so, which Clemente do you get, the one from last season's 1st half or the one from the second half? And, how long before Wells pisses off the whole city of Boston and runs himself out of town?

Don't even get me started on Foulke.

As for the Yankee rotation, I'm really liking what I'm seeing from Johnson and Chacon. The rest? who knows?

12 unpopster - Look I really do believe the Yanks win the East. But just because that happens doesn't mean it's a well constructed team or built for the post-season or the future. That said, there's been some bad choices (esp. the Bench) that very well could impact our ability to win said East. You mention "barring some serious injuries" - what about some regular injuries or just wear and tear? Look at what happens at the catcher slot. If we lost Jorge for two weeks during the regular season, with Kelly as the fill-in maybe we lose two games we wouldn't have otherwise. Now, those two games may not make much of a difference but they damn well could. Or suppose, Jorge is more worn down in October because he played 120 games rather than 90 or 100 games. See, these choices do matter and I don't have to slam anybody to point them out.

Let's play some ball already.

Yank Rotation: RJ, Moose, Wang, Chacon, Pavano/Wright/Proctor

So our number 5 starter (who is not necessary before mid April) is between three guys, one of whom (Proctor) having pitched brilliantly so far this Spring. So Debris; what are you talking about?

Kay: I asked Joe Torre about Bernie playing RF.

Joe said "I think Bernie's arm is stronger than it's been the last couple of years. I don't think we're going to worry about that."

Sigh....

http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/306055.html

As for room on the bench for Choi (which is moot, but still) the when the Yanks activate/call-up their fifth starter they'll drop to a four-man bench (Phillips, Stinnett, Cairo, Crosby/Thompson), dropping the last man in the bullpen would make room for Choi. Meanwhile, the Sox actually have a much more difficult time finding room for Choi as their bench will be some combination of Bard, Graffanino, Cora, Pena, Snow, Stern and Choi. The Sox also have well-stocked pen. In fact, the Red Sox roster, be it the offense, rotation or bullpen has questionable primary players (the entire infield, Wells, Schilling, Clement, Beckett, Foulke), but a very strong support staff. In that way it's the exact opposite of the Yankee roster, which has fantastic and reliable primary players, but questionable support.

The reason the Dodgers waived Choi is Nomar Garciaparra. Despite being less productive than the Saenz/Choi platoon, he was signed to play first base. Choi's release was a clear consequence of the hiring of Ned Colletti and instabillity of the Dodgers' front office.

Choi was a bit of a victim last year of the tug-of-war going on between Jim Tracy and Paul DePodesta. The best example of this was a weekend interleauge series against the Twins. Choi hit 7 home runs in 3 games, each of which were close games. Choi won those three games for the Dodgers. In the Monday or Tuesday game that week, Choi went 0-3. He was then benched the next day due to "arm angles" and then buried for a week. You say he's streaky, and I don't argue that, but I would argue that some of that streakiness comes from useage patterns. In any case, he'll do well for Boston, because they'll give him a chance to play.

And I'm not entirely convinced that I'd rather have Choi than Phillips, either. True, Choi actually has a major league track record, though one of profound mediocrity. This is going to sound insane, but I actually think Phillips has more upside (and, yes, I realize he's no kid either).

On the other hand, I think it's important to remain critical - or perhaps a better term is circumspect - about the pattern of misguided and ill-advised decisions that have plagued the Yankee front office over the past half decade.

If I'm right that the most likely victim of Boston's Hee Swipe Choi is one JT Snow, and since our GM has a fetish for mediocre, over-the-hill ex-Giants, and since our new starting 1bman is injury prone....

I can't even finish the sentence...

http://tinyurl.com/rrep7

Pretty cool...three of the top four hit leaders since Jeter's rookie year. He's got the lead by a comfortable margin.

And 29 teams passed on David Ortiz a few years ago, who happens to be the top PECOTA comp for Choi. General Managers and fans are too clueless to see anything past the erratic usage and excessive k's.

Here's a thought (perhaps good for a short story): You're a well-respected baseball player, age 37, who has consistently put up top numbers in the game for the last ten years. But your bat speed isn't what it used to be and you're seeing the end of the line. Yet, when you look around at the game there are other players who should have aged, and lost their skills, just as you did. They didn't and there's a high chance their fountain of youth came in a syringe. Knowing that some of these enhancements, aren't still detectable, do you decide on one last hurrah? Do you do it for your fans (you rationalize)? Or do you try it to satisfy your own curiosity? The money isn't an issue - you've made more than enough through the years and you're an a very
cheap contract. But, most importantly, you've decided this WILL be your last year regardless of the result of your experiment.

Do you juice?

Perhaps there will be a lot of teams kicking themselves for letting him pass on waivers, but not this year in my opinion. I think you may see him hit some home runs for Boston during the year, but he will never hit for average. He's not David Ortiz.

For anyone who cares, Daisuke Matsuzaka is pitching his first start of the year on Tuesday. I preview his appearance at Canyon of Heroes and I'll be recapping post-game. I've initiated "Matsuzaka Watch" and I'll be reporting prior and post start each time he appears.

I'm considering doing the same for Uehara and one of my personal favorites Iwakuma of Rakuten. Check it out.