Chin Hui Tsao (exellent gamble, 25 turning 26, formrer top prospect, only problem is injury )

Toby Hall (no brainer backup catcher)

Brad Wilkerson (interesting gamble for 1B)

I've never actually seen Wilkerson play, though he's been a saber darling over the past couple of seasons. The question is, can he pick it, and, if so, would he be a better option than Guiel, and, if so, what's Cash waiting for?

Why do I get the ominious feeling that we'll be hearing this line repeatedly over the next couple of seasons?

Joe, Cash, please - we all love Bernie; but cut the cord already!

Maybe the extra OF/bench spot will go to Thompson?

I've not seen anythingn about Wilkerson being non-tendered. Did that happen?

From mlb.com:
"The Rangers tendered contracts to their four arbitration eligibles: Brad Wilkerson and pitchers Akinori Otsuka, Rick Bauer and Joaquin Benoit."

http://tinyurl.com/y97ck7

Yes he isn't significantly better than the other scrub catchers, but he should still be a little better.

Works for me. Torre needs less options, not more. Plug in Thompson in the 5th OF slot, and you've got the makings of a push-button roster. Now where did they put that BUC and UIF?

I'm not sure there's going to be a fifth OFer this year. With Myers a LOOGY, they say they may need to carry 13 pitchers. Which means no fifth OFer. Might be a good thing, if it encourages Bernie to retire.

The Reds non-tendered former Yankee Brandon Claussen yesterday. He was their #3 pitcher, so this is a bit of a surprise. He's coming off rotator cuff surgery, so maybe they decided he was expendable. They acquired Claussen from us as part of the Aaron Boone trade.

I'm betting you'll be seeing Matsuzaka holding up a #18 Red Sox jersey in a few hours. First, they'll do a photo op at the plane, then the champagne on the flight to Boston, then the physical, then the press conference with the jersey.

The tone of the broadcast was cautious, and I think no one but Matsuzaka knows what's going to happen now, but it appears as though it will happen.

14 Interesting. I wonder if he gets Meche money or more.

here's a list of all the non-tendered players:
http://tinyurl.com/uyxfa

Stat or no stat.

12 I agree; Giambi needs to play 1B quite a bit... maybe around 1/2 their games. This also allows Abreu/Matsui/Damon to DH, giving them a bit of a rest and getting Melky in the OF.

While making an OF'er play 2 or 3 of the OF positions is tough, we need to see if Melky can be good defensively in CF. Damon is tough, but almost always hurt.... and having him DH 30 or 40 of the games Giambi is at first is not a bad idea.

Basically, if we use Giambi primarily as a DH, we won't see much of Melky. As Giambi likes playing the field, and is better offensively when he does, I'm willing to take the hit on defense to keep Giambi more productive with the bat.

Furthermore, having Giambi AND 2 other 1B's is not a good use of the roster. Many teams (Manny in LF) have a dud on defense in order to have a big bat. I can live with it for 80 games.

Whether we keep Melky or use him as trade bait, we need to see what he can do. If he doesn't play close to half our games, he will not produce to his potential (whatever that is).

I also think there will be better/cheaper options open around the ASB. I don't feel the need to plug every little hole by Spring. We have a pretty decent team as is. The only thing that will really make an impact is if we can snag an above average pitcher (either SP or Relief) and a good catcher.

1) Stats are just a collection of things that happen in games. Das it. There's no need to be afraid of them.

2) You really think people who enjoy the stats don't watch games? What? No, "sat geeks" only enjoy numbers? Actually, I get this magazine every month where the centerfold is some sexy rational integer. The irrational numbers are really freaky. Oh, god that Pi!

3) If you think you're a "real" guy because you choose not to think before you speak (or write), then you have a long life ahead of you. Good luck with that.

2003 .252/.354/.456 .810 OPS
2004 .291/.399/.448 .847 OPS
2005 .248/.358/.418 .776 OPS

Those numbers aren't any better than who we have on the roster right now, so he seems rather superfluous. His VORP is in the low teens, and his WARP3 is only around a 4.

I don't need to be a "real guy" to see that Ryan Klesko is not the answer. I leave being a "real guy" to people like Joe Morgan.

The alarming thing was Jason Giambi's charts appear to drop off a cliff after 2008. He's projected to be of star caliber across the board in 2007, but he has a 50% likelihood of being a full blown scrub in 2008. In 2009 there's a 60% chance that he should be dropped based on his horrendous projection. They have him out of baseball after this coming season.

I don't know if I buy that, but he will be 37 in 2008....a steroids abused 37. It could happen. Lucky his contract is almost up if any of BP's "statheadedness" is accurate.

This has been scientifically proven. No, I mean, damn, that would be geeky. It hasn't. I meant, my grandfather told me, and two very small, gritty baseball players confirmed it.

25 Dude . . . you're weird . . .

Thank God the D-M saga is over tomorrow night -- I'm getting more than bored with it. Still say he will sign because the Red Sox never had a choice once they won the bid.

I would have like to see Guiel back...his flexibility was nice. Can't see Klesko in a NYY uni -- I think he's done being a valuable MLBer.

...this could also be bull.

Here's another way to look at it: If Jorge goes down for any length of time, a guy like Toby Hall will be overpriced for the Yanks because no team will trade a true starting catcher mid-season. And even if they want to acquire a catching prospect at that point, they get really ripped off (say Sanchez and Clippard) but for a guy who won't be in MLB any ways. The only insurance is to get a prospect in before the season starts, and you overpay now because the prices will only get worse. The thought of waiting for Nieves to be the full-time catcher for six weeks (a Jorge pulled hamstring) just caused me to shit my pants.

There are a few prospects (Thinking Jeff Clement in Seattle) who could be acquired in a decent package (say Clippard and Duncan) now and who could be ready mid-season. Why wait?

What's the contrast that's being made there?

Is it even possible to respond to that without being harsh?

i think to an extent, torre's love affair with veterans might have roots in a perception of heart, too. but that is just a theory.

All I ever read/heard about Hall was what a cancer he was in the clubhouse, both in Tampa and LA. Sweet Lou couldn't stand the guy, IIRC. Those are enough reasons to stay away. Coupled with the bad numbers, ugh.

I expect Guiel will be brought back on the cheap, and I also expect Bernie will retire. I hope.

Geek.

Clement (Seattle): Blocked by Johjima
Thigpen (TOR): Their starting catcher in 07-08
Suzuki (OAK): Their starting catcher in 07-08
Mathis (ANA): Blocked by Napoli and Molina
Conger (ANA): very green still but perhaps a starter in 2009

So basically that leaves two in the AL that are more likely to be available (mL career totals):

Clement (23 yo): .278 .350 .418 .768
Mathis (23 yo): .280 .344 .452 .796

By contrast, here's Jorge's mL numbers throuogh age 25:

.258 .369 .434 .803

(Isn't it funny how stats work - his mL number are very good predictors of his MLB ones - same plate discipline but he developed more power.)

Now, who knows if Clement or Mathis will be a stop gap or a long term fix? But the system is empty. And given that there's no place for either Mathis or Clement on their big league clubs, they're available and maybe for just one of the pitching prospects. That's a deal that needs to be made, before it's too late.

Cheer up, Cliff, there will be plenty of pun-able guys in the near future. For example, I predict that within 0.0001 seconds of his initial callup, Yankees prospect Tyler Clippard will be referred to as "The Yankee Clippard."

And if it's flexibility you're looking for in the non-tendered list... look no further than Rick Ankiel.

Defensive flexibility is also a concern. Guiel could double as a fifth outfielder. Phillips could double as a backup third-baseman, allowing the team to carry a just a 2B/SS guy in the other backup infield spot. Phelps or Wilson (presumably out of the picture by now) could catch in a pinch.

Interesting to see Claussen get non-tendered considering the cries that went up when the Yanks traded him. I liked the deal at the time it was made. I was wrong, but not because of what Claussen has done, but because of what Boone and Gabe White failed to do (anything other than that one homer). Eduardo Sierra, half of what the Yanks sent to Colorado for Shawn Chacon, was also non-tendered . . . by the White Sox.

Hey, I don't have any problem with lively discussion, disagreement, or even the use of sarcasm to make a point / counterpoint. But when you flat out call someone "ignorant" on a board, that's gone from discussion to personal insult. Act the way you want -- but the way I always saw it was: insulting people in a discussion is neither productive nor useful. The inevitable consequence is that the offended person comes back with a bigger insult (or just more of them) and it escalates from there.