MLB 2025 Season

Flagg

Me too. That pep talk was awesome. Too bad it didn't work.

xavier mcdaniel

Flagg wrote:

Me too. That pep talk was awesome. Too bad it didn't work.

Perhaps the pep talk will go something like this:

Darvish through interpreter: How hard is to pitch in the major leagues?

Washington: It's incredibly hard.

Wobbie

Flagg wrote:

polaris_x wrote:

Flagg wrote:

Whoa. I don't know what to think about this.

if you don't care about payroll - you should be happy ... i think his maturity is going to be more of an issue vs. his arm ... he may be a bit of a narcissist considering how he's been treated in japan all this time ... that would be my concern - talent is all there for sure ...

On the one hand, I am thrilled. If they sign him that is. But on the other hand, I am worried about it blowing up in their faces.

Payroll not an issue anymore thanks to the ginormous TV deal.

wish my team could go from bankruptcy to flush with cash :x

Cliffy6745

Pretty crazy number. Rangers have a pretty good young staff. Will be interesting to see how long they give Holland. This is going to be a bit number when the contract is signed.

Edit: And I guess this shouldn't be all that suprising. Sounded like the Rangers were the most interested for a couple years, with Daniels scouting him self a couple times

Wobbie

I'd be pretty depressed if I were a M's or A's or astros fan.

The Fixer

Cool article by Kevin Goldstein...he is great.


We now know that the Texas Rangers have won the exclusive rights to negotiate with Yu Darvish, generally considered the best player from Nippon Professional Baseball to ever hit the posting system. Combining his expected contract with the $51.7 million posting bid, the total price for Darvish will exceed nine figures. But will he be worth it?



To find out, I polled 10 scouts and big league executives, many with international experience and in-person looks at Darvish. Instead of pure comparisons to others pitchers, I asked the insiders to place Darvish on a scale, picking him against a series of five right-handers, varying from good to great. The question was this: "Based on talent alone, would you take Darvish ahead of this pitcher?"


The hurlers in question are Ricky Nolasco, Ian Kennedy, Matt Garza, Zack Greinke and Justin Verlander. Opinions varied wildly, but were overall quite positive. Let's take a look.

---

Ricky Nolasco, Miami Marlins


Scouting report: A frustrating talent. The stuff is there, the command is there, the peripherals often point to a breakout, but it just never happens.



While those polled were universal in favoring Darvish over a prototypical No. 4 starter with occasional glimpses of being a No. 3, some admitted that it was a question that was at least worth some thought. "It's actually close," said an American League scout. "I mean, look at Nolasco's numbers. Are we all really so sure that Darvish can do that?"



The unknown also played a significant role in the decision-making process for many. "I just think the change of scenery is so huge," explained a National League international scout. "It's a gamble. If I was Texas, I would have re-signed C.J. Wilson over Darvish. Everyone is different, and it's hard to know how players will react to being in a new environment."



The vote: Darvish, 10-0

---

Ian Kennedy, Arizona Diamondbacks

Scouting report: More a finesse pitcher than a pure stuff guy, but coming off a year in which he finished fourth in the National League Cy Young voting.



"These guys are known quantities, and that shouldn't be discounted," said one NL exec. "Darvish could be a one, and he could be a four, and we won't know until he gets here." An AL scout agreed: "On a stuff level, Darvish is way better. But you need a pretty big sack to say he's going to outperform Kennedy." (For those who've forgotten, Kennedy posted a 2.88 ERA in 222 innings in 2011.)



Another AL scouting official insisted that it's what Darvish can do with the stuff that gives him the edge. "A lot of pitchers can get strikeouts outside of the zone," he explained. "When you can challenge hitters inside the zone and get swings and misses, that's what makes a front-line starter, and Darvish can do that."



The vote: Darvish, 7-3

---

Matt Garza, Chicago Cubs

Scouting report: Durable with plus stuff, and more strikeouts than hits allowed in 2011.



Garza was often the first point of heavy thinking and pauses for those polled. "I have to go Garza here," said one NL executive. "He's young, he's American League East-proven [from his time with the Tampa Bay Rays] and he's got great stuff." In addition, Garza's placement on the spectrum created some questions, as two among those polled took Darvish over Garza, yet preferred Kennedy over both. "I think you're going in the wrong direction," said an AL assistant general manager.



The vote: Darvish, 7-3

---

Zack Greinke, Milwaukee Brewers


Scouting report: A bit mecurial, but won AL Cy Young Award in 2009 and had career-high strikeout rate in first year with Brewers in 2011.



As good as Greinke can be at times, his inconsistency and unique personality has some that were polled waffling on their choice. "Greinke is tantalizing, but you take that Cy Young Award season away, and he's not always a star," said one AL scout, with another adding, "After seeing Greinke down the stretch in the playoffs, I'll take Darvish." An AL executive saw some similarities off the field as well. "They're both weird makeup guys," he said. "Lots of ego stuff, lots of style points. That could be to his advantage or disadvantage over here depending on how you look at it."



The vote: Tie, 5-5

---

Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers


Scouting report: Generally seen as best pitcher in baseball. Reigning AL MVP and Cy Young winner.



While it should be no surprise that Verlander wins in a blowout, for one NL scout who has seen Darvish in person, it was at least something to think about. "I know you think I'm crazy, and I know I'm higher on him than anyone, but I really have to consider it," he said. "There might not be another pitcher on the planet who can manipulate a baseball like he does."



Even for those that saw Verlander as a no-brainer, many admitted that the potential for No. 1 performance was there. "While he's no Verlander, optimistically, you want to see him as a top-of-the-rotation guy," said an AL executive. "Realistically, we need to see how the uber-stuff and uber-athleticism plays out here."



The vote: Verlander, 10-0

---

For most insiders polled, the choke point for just how good Yu Darvish would be occurred somewhere between Garza and Greinke, although a majority still preferred the Japanese import. It's important to note that even the reservations about Darvish had little to do with his talent, and everything to do with the adjustments he'll need to make, from working on shorter rest than he had in Japan, to dealing with far more dangerous hitters, to a new strike zone. Still, reports from professional evaluators, and the ultimate price paid tells you that he was the best pitcher available this winter, and while he was priced beyond many team's reach, the industry generally believes he will be worth the heavy price tag.

Wobbie

any thoughts on where beltran might end up?

wish the giants could have gotten him for maybe two years but he's represented by the world's biggest asshole.

polaris_x

imalive wrote:

any thoughts on where beltran might end up?

wish the giants could have gotten him for maybe two years but he's represented by the world's biggest asshole.

based on this ... http://rotoworld.com/player/mlb/2706/carlos-beltran

i'd say florida ...

Cliffy6745

What a fucking horrible trade for Washington. 3 top 10 prospects for Gio. Quite happy the yanks are not getting involved in this nonsense. These starting pitcher trades are insane

Jearlpam0925

Cliffy6745 wrote:

What a fucking horrible trade for Washington. 3 top 10 prospects for Gio. Quite happy the yanks are not getting involved in this nonsense. These starting pitcher trades are insane

Just saw that. Crazy.

polaris_x

do the Nats really think they are that close? ... gonna be a nasty division next year ...

xavier mcdaniel

Carlos Beltran to the Cardinals and this is what a scout told the SF Chronicle about the prospects

“I don’t know how Oakland could have done better.”

“They got the right set of names,” he said. “Quality and depth.”

and this is an interesting description of those obtained by Oakland:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/nat ... onzalez-s/

Cliffy6745

xavier mcdaniel wrote:

Carlos Beltran to the Cardinals and this is what a scout told the SF Chronicle about the prospects

“I don’t know how Oakland could have done better.”

“They got the right set of names,” he said. “Quality and depth.”

and this is an interesting description of those obtained by Oakland:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/nat ... onzalez-s/

Called that the day Pujols signed with the Angels. Only 2 years, depending on the financials, I kind of wished the Yanks would have looked into it and thought about include Swisher in a package for a pitcher. Hopefully they did.

Terrible trade for Washington. Like I said many times, Gio has walked more batters than any pitcher in baseball over the past 2 years. Beane definitely did well with this one.

xavier mcdaniel

Cliffy6745 wrote:

xavier mcdaniel wrote:

Carlos Beltran to the Cardinals and this is what a scout told the SF Chronicle about the prospects

“I don’t know how Oakland could have done better.”

“They got the right set of names,” he said. “Quality and depth.”

and this is an interesting description of those obtained by Oakland:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/nat ... onzalez-s/

Called that the day Pujols signed with the Angels. Only 2 years, depending on the financials, I kind of wished the Yanks would have looked into it and thought about include Swisher in a package for a pitcher. Hopefully they did.

Terrible trade for Washington. Like I said many times, Gio has walked more batters than any pitcher in baseball over the past 2 years. Beane definitely did well with this one.

Well look at this way, considering the way the A's are going, if these guys are as good as Gonzalez in three years, the Nationals can probably try to trade for them.

Cliffy6745

xavier mcdaniel wrote:

Cliffy6745 wrote:

xavier mcdaniel wrote:

Carlos Beltran to the Cardinals and this is what a scout told the SF Chronicle about the prospects

“I don’t know how Oakland could have done better.”

“They got the right set of names,” he said. “Quality and depth.”

and this is an interesting description of those obtained by Oakland:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/nat ... onzalez-s/

Called that the day Pujols signed with the Angels. Only 2 years, depending on the financials, I kind of wished the Yanks would have looked into it and thought about include Swisher in a package for a pitcher. Hopefully they did.

Terrible trade for Washington. Like I said many times, Gio has walked more batters than any pitcher in baseball over the past 2 years. Beane definitely did well with this one.

Well look at this way, considering the way the A's are going, if these guys are as good as Gonzalez in three years, the Nationals can probably try to trade for them.

Very true, and even if they move to San Jose, these players could be available since it will take some time to build a stadium. Just don't see them competing with the Phillies now but certainly could when some of these kids are in the bigs.

Edit: I thought they were nuts for asking the Yanks for Montero and Banuelos/Betances and they certainly didn't get a Montero but they did damn well.

Cliffy6745

2 years, $26 mil. Not too bad.

DewieCox

Cliffy6745 wrote:

2 years, $26 mil. Not too bad.

Makes me feel much better about the Birds' chances next year.

Cliffy6745

DewieCox wrote:

Cliffy6745 wrote:

2 years, $26 mil. Not too bad.

Makes me feel much better about the Birds' chances next year.

Yeah, they should have no problem staying competitive in that division. Especially with Fielder gone and Braun out for 50 games.

Wobbie

Cliffy6745 wrote:

2 years, $26 mil. Not too bad.

fuck....we give huff $22 for 2 but we can't do a little better to keep beltran? :wtf:

Gary Carter

polaris_x wrote:

do the Nats really think they are that close? ... gonna be a nasty division next year ...

Yes they do and they will win the wild card. They have a great core.