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2011-'12 MLB hot stove and off season thread


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The Phillies must have been out of their minds when they tried sign Madson to that 4 year, $44 million deal. Then again, they signed Papelbon for $6 million more.

 

To me they are similar but at their best, Papelbon can be closer to that domaint closer. They are doing a Brad Lidge type gamble and hope Papelbon with a change of teams to Philly can have at least one more great season like he had in 2007.

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Yanks Jorge Posada Not to return to pinstripes might retire or sign with another team? The Core 4 is now the Core 2.

Not really surprising. The other option would've been to be a PH like Ruben Sierra was few years back and be a bat off the bench. Either way the DH spot is needed more now for ARod and Posada wasn't coming back for the money he was getting.

Jonathan Papelbon has signed with the Phillies

 

Kinda surprising, looks like it gets worse and worse for Boston. :huge grin:

Of course I don't think this is a lock for the Phillies, but perhaps a change of environment should be better for him?

If Pedroia and Ellsbury are ever let go, then it'll be really bad up in Boston. I mention these two as they are very dangerous and underrated compared to Youklis, Gonzalez and Ortiz.

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Kinda surprising, looks like it gets worse and worse for Boston. :huge grin:

Of course I don't think this is a lock for the Phillies, but perhaps a change of environment should be better for him?

If Pedroia and Ellsbury are ever let go, then it'll be really bad up in Boston. I mention these two as they are very dangerous and underrated compared to Youklis, Gonzalez and Ortiz.

I wonder who's gonna manage the team

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http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/11/11/2497617/source-marlins-intend-to-make.html

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111110&content_id=25953596&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

 

Perhaps Loria will get fans in their seats for once....

 

I know one player alone wouldn't be able to make the Marlins playoff contenders, but I'd like at least one NLE team to compete with the Phils. Unlike the ALC or NLE, the ALE remains competitive (too bad its only btwn three teams :()

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It's not actually that bad. I think most people had the idea they'd use those stripes the same way the Astros used them.

 

While i disagree about the Marlins new unis/logo(still not a fan of it), i will saythis. The Fish new colors does have reminder of the Astros uniforms/colors during the 1980's lol. Here clip of old Texas-area commerical of the Astros with those freaky colors.;)

 

 

 

 

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The St. Louis Cardinals have signed former C Mike Matheny to be their manager.

 

Cardinals hand managerial reins to Matheny

 

First-time skipper played five seasons with Redbirds

 

By Matthew Leach / MLB.com | 11/13/11 7:56 PM EST

 

ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals are betting on character.

 

One of the most respected -- even revered -- players in the club's recent era, Mike Matheny, will be formally introduced as the 49th manager in team history on Monday at 11 a.m. CT. The club announced its decision, which comes after less than two weeks of deliberation, on Sunday evening.

 

Matheny takes over for Tony La Russa, who retired on Halloween after 16 seasons at the helm of the Cardinals. His hire represents a significant change in direction for an organization that has leaned on experienced managers for the past three decades.

 

Each of the team's past three full-time managers, La Russa, Joe Torre and Whitey Herzog, had previously made the playoffs as a manager before being hired. The last man who didn't fit that profile was another former Gold Glover in St. Louis, Ken Boyer, who managed from 1978-80 after winning five Gold Gloves as a third baseman with the Cardinals.

 

A longtime big league catcher, Matheny beat out a diverse group of candidates. The Cardinals interviewed six contenders over the past week, including the team's incumbent third-base coach, Jose Oquendo, and former Red Sox manager Terry Francona, as well as Ryne Sandberg, Joe McEwing and Chris Maloney. All but Matheny had either Major League coaching or managing experience, or Minor League managing experience.

 

Matheny, 41, has neither. He has served as a special assistant to general manager John Mozeliak, and as an instructor in Spring Training, but had yet to coach or manage in pro ball. However, no one in recent Cardinals history has been more highly regarded personally by teammates, coaches or the front office.

 

An alumnus of the University of Michigan, Matheny played the largest portion of his 13-season Major League career with St. Louis, winning three of his four Gold Gloves as a member of the Cardinals, with whom he spent five full seasons. He retired due to the effects of a concussion he suffered in 2006 while playing for the Giants, and also spent parts of five seasons with the Brewers and one with the Blue Jays.

 

Over his Major League career, Matheny batted .239 with a .293 on-base percentage, a .344 slugging percentage and 67 home runs. He was widely regarded as among the best defensive catchers in the game for much of his career, if not the best, and served as a mentor to current Cards catching star Yadier Molina, who took over for him in 2005.

 

In recent years, Matheny has served as a catching instructor and special assistant in the Cardinals' organization. Even during his playing days, he was considered a candidate to coach or manage at some point, but the leap directly into managing the Cardinals is surely a steep one.

 

One thing he may offer, though, is continuity for a team that seems likely to bring back the bulk of its roster after winning the World Series. A significant portion of the Cardinals' coaching staff is likely to return, a source said. That includes pitching coach Dave Duncan, who is under contract for 2012 and is known to think very highly of Matheny. It is unclear whether the Cardinals plan to announce a full coaching staff on Monday.

 

Matheny makes his home in the St. Louis area. He and his wife, Kristen, have five children.

 

He was the inaugural winner of the Darryl Kile Award, presented by the St. Louis chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. The Kile Award is voted upon by Cardinals players each year and given to the Cardinal who best exemplifies the late pitcher's traits as "a good teammate, a great friend, a fine father and a humble man."

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The Cards picking Matheny is a surprise. I thought they would pick either Franconia or even Queondo. Based on reading that article, Matheny did deserve a shot at a MLB skipper job but not ahead of either Oquendo or Sandberg. The Cards are taking a gamble with Matheny getting his 1st ever managering job, leading the defending champions. On a personal level I remember Oquendo playing with the Mets for a couple of years in the '80's.

 

I feel bad for both Sandberg and Oquendo though. Sandberg has spent the last few years managing in Cubs minor league system and is already a Hall of Famer. They both paid their dues and hopefully very shortly they will get their own skipper jobs as well.

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I hope Matheny doesn't end up like A.J. Hinch in Arizona. Hinch did not have managerial experience either before managing the Diamondbacks.

 

In addition, Jeremy Hellickson from the Tampa Bay Rays and Craig Kimbrel from the Atlanta Braves won their Rookie of the Year awards in their leagues. Tomorrow it could be Verlander who wins the AL Cy Young.

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I hope Matheny doesn't end up like A.J. Hinch in Arizona. Hinch did not have managerial experience either before managing the Diamondbacks.

 

In addition, Jeremy Hellickson from the Tampa Bay Rays and Craig Kimbrel from the Atlanta Braves won their Rookie of the Year awards in their leagues. Tomorrow it could be Verlander who wins the AL Cy Young.

 

 

We shall see on Matheny. One thing about the Cards job. Since 1980 (not counting 'interim' skippers)the Cards have had only '3' full time leaders in Herzog, Torre and LaRussa. In today's cut throat sports world that remarkable to have only '3' full time coaches in 30 years.

 

Not shore Matheny will last that long though. :confused:

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Oh and those Miami Marlins unis. I only like the home whites and road greys. The others not so much. If the Marlins want to use that orange jersey, use it for Spring Training. Honestly old uniforms look better, Yankees, Twins, Indians, Cardinals, Tigers etc.

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Um...

 

No, it hasn't. Not a peep about it in that thread....

 

woops my bad:o. Thought i read in the off season thread. It was in the last pages of the 2011 mlb regular season thread when this became a hot rumor. Sorry Kamen.

 

PS The other big news is that starting in 2013, there will be an extra wild card team in each league.

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Not really surprising about the Houston move, but I still think that it is a mistake to have two Texas teams in the same league, let alone, the same division. They could've moved the Rockies or Padres instead as those have no major 'rivalries' and then they could've moved Houston to the NL West.

 

As I said before: I hate Interleague, but Interleague every day for everyone is fair as everyone will have to play each team at least once [hopefully] and that's fine by me. Still not thrilled about the longer playoff format.

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