SB Nation - Freddy Sanchez

The Giants have no alibi: He's Uggla

Grant — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:36:20 -0000

The worst thing about the offseason -- other than that minor detail about there not being baseball to watch -- is the amateur general managing. And, yeah, I'm as guilty as the next guy, but if I have to hear or read one more person say something like this...

Nick Johnson? Eight home runs and 62 RBI? Oh, yeah, another Ishikawa. Sabean is such an idiot! Get Jason Bay!!!

...a piston will snap inside my brain, and I'll shoot up a Kinko's or something. I welcome the Sabean-directed anger, but it's for all of the wrong reasons. It's like walking out of Red Planet or Mission to Mars and saying, "Man, that movie sucked! Why did it have to be set on Mars?" Yes, it did suck, but your reasoning is idiotic. And it makes me want to punch things. Excuse me while I punch things.

This isn't to suggest that I'm better than these fans. I'm only suggesting that I'm smarter. Also, better.

So when someone comes up that almost everyone can agree with in theory -- Dan Uggla, a guy who can hit in the middle of the order without the other team giggling -- that should be a good thing, right? If the difference were between a free Uggla and a free Nick Johnson, well, there might be some spirited debates, but everyone can agree that there's a wee difference between a free Uggla and starting Jose Castillo.

Ah, but this Uggla is not free. The Marlins will want some young players in return. So with Pablo Sandoval and Freddy Sanchez able to play a couple different positions, it would make more sense to concentrate on the players who can be obtained through free agency, right? It's the Lenox Financial of roster moves! Keep the minor leaguers, especially considering that either Uggla or Sanchez would have to play out of position.

Then why do I want Uggla?

Everyone has one. Some are better at suppressing it. I thought I was. But I see that Uggla is a perennial 30-homer player, and the gland starts a-pumpin'. Logic is taken over by chemistry. And I want Dan Uggla on the San Francisco Giants as long as it doesn't take a prospect who will eventually be a good, cheap player. I have a secret list of all of the prospects who will turn into good, cheap players, so I reserve the right to be outraged in five years.

There are very good reasons not to acquire Uggla. He's not a good defender at second, and he'd be an unknown at third or, gulp, in left field. He'll cost the Giants a prospect or two. His patience is improving, but his contact skills will keep his production down.

It'd sure be nice, though, if the Giants backed into a lineup with Posey improving on Molina, Uggla improving on Ishikawa, and Sanchez improving on Burriss from last opening day. There's still a chance that the Giants do something stupid even after acquiring Uggla -- "Hey, this team doesn't have a true leadoff hitter with speed! They'll revoke our membership at the Ol' Timey Roster Construction Club! Quick, to the Crappy Transaction Cave!" -- but I'd like a real middle of the order, please. Uggla would be a start.

MLB Trade Rumors: Winter Meetings Coverage Begins Monday

raygu — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:00:17 -0000

by Aaron J. Latham - AP

2 months ago: San Diego Padres' David Eckstein, left, celebrates with teammate Adrian Gonzalez, right, after they scored on Gonzalez's home run in the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009 in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Aaron J. Latham)

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We at Fake Teams will be covering the trades and signings that occur at the Winter Meetings that start today in Indianapolis. We will address the fantasy impact of the trades and signings that occur this week and throughout the offseason. The biggest name discussed at the Winter Meetings will be the Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay.

Some of the rumored deals could involve the following players changing uniforms:

Steve Henson from Yahoo Sports tweeted the following last night:

The Dodgers have 3-4 teams interested in $$ Juan Pierre and a 3-team deal is being explored to get L.A. a bad-contract starter in return.
The "bad contract" starter the Dodgers might get for Juan Pierre would not be Derek Lowe, a source said. That bridge has burned.

It appears the Yankees and Red Sox are the favorites for Roy Halladay. Halladay to the Yankees for a package of Jesus Montero and Phil Hughes? Halladay to the Red Sox for Clay Buchholz and Josh Reddick? Halladay to the Phils for J.A. Happ and Michael Taylor? The Giants may make sense for Dan Uggla, but where would he play with Freddy Sanchez at second? I'd be shocked if Adrian Gonzalez isn't dealt to the Red Sox now that former Sox Jed Hoyer is the new GM in San Diego. Josh Willingham in Atlanta makes sense.

Would the rumored Milton Bradley-Pat Burrell deal result in one of the worst outfields in the majors? How can Pat Burrell and Alfonso Soriano play in the same outfield? Pierre makes sense in St. Louis, Chicago and Cincinnati, especially with Dusty Baker managing the Reds. Pierre for Arroyo??

Poll

Who is more likely to get traded during the Winter Meetings this week?

Offseason Day 1 Quick Hits

Eli Greenspan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:06:44 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

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Let's take a look at some of the headlines making their way around the wire on this Thursday morning:

It appears as if the Nationals will remove the interim tag on manager Jim Riggleman and name him their permanent manager. The Nationals did contact Don Mattingly about an interview, but he respectively declined. Riggleman is very experienced and did get more than expected from the Nationals after taking over, going 33-42 to close out the season.
The Kansas City Star is reporting that the Royals likely will decline Coco Crisp's option, but have interest in negotiating a low-base salary for the 2010 season. Crisp, who has surgery on both shoulders this past season, is no guarantee to come back as strong as he was in previous years.
Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is reporting that the Cardinals and Scott Boras have discussed a the framework of a deal, reportedly in the neighborhood of 6 years, worth 96 million dollars. Seems like the first offer of many in what is expected to be a very long negotiating process. Boras has not been afraid to compare his client to Mark Teixeira, who signed an 8 year, 180 million dollar deal a year ago. I think more reasonable contracts to compare Holliday to are Vernon Wells' (7 year, 126) or Alfonso Soriano's (8 year, 134).
With Tim Wakefield's 4 million dollar option and Victor Martinez's 7 million dollar option, the Red Sox have to decided what to do with shortstop Alex Gonzalez's 6 million dollar option. Gonzalez hit .284 after joining the Red Sox, and was pretty sound defensively. The Red Sox could decline the option and hope to sign him at a reduced rate, similar to what the Giants did with Freddy Sanchez. They could always look to the Brewers and shortstop J.J. Hardy, who is also expected to draw interest from the Twins.

Morning Prowl: 40-Man Roster Decisions, Placido Polanco's Market Value, and Van Slyke's Replacement

Ian Casselberry — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:50:11 -0000

At The Detroit Tigers Weblog, Bill Ferris looks at the team's 40-man roster, which currently has 44 players on it (due to some being protected on the disabled list). So the Tigers have some decisions to make, especially as some minor leaguers will need to be protected. Bill speculates who the first cuts will likely be.

The San Francisco Giants re-signing second baseman Freddy Sanchez last week seemed like a harmless enough transaction. But Tiger Geist immediately pounced on how that could affect the Tigers. Will Sanchez's deal determine Placido Polanco's price on the free agent market? Could Polanco be worth more?

Lynn Henning talked to Jim Leyland about retaining Lloyd McClendon as hitting coach. Leyland called it "a legitimate question" but doesn't think McClendon is the reason for the Tigers' offensive struggles this season.

Tigers Tracks responds to Steve Kornacki's report that the Tigers have three candidates to take over Andy Van Slyke's vacancy on the coaching staff. The three finalists are minor league coordinators Gene Roof and Mike Rojas, and Double-A Erie manager Tom Brookens.

Jason Beck has re-opened his inbox (mailbag) for the offseason and addresses two key questions on fans' minds: Will the team pursue a veteran closer in free agency and could Brent Dlugach be a suitable replacement for Adam Everett at shortstop?

Aaron Gleeman lists five second basemen the Minnesota Twins should look at signing for next season. Guess who the top choice is.

If you've often thought that Leyland must issue more intentional walks than any other manager, you're right. In each of the past two seasons, Leyland called for the most intentional walks in the majors, according to John Dewan.

More from Dewan: He's compiled his Fielding Bible Awards for 2009. Unfortunately, no Tiger made the cut. You can read an explanation of what determines the awards at the Fielding Bible website.

On ESPN.com's Arizona Fall League blog, Jason Grey writes about former Tiger Andrew Miller's efforts to revamp his delivery. The big change is to try and stop throwing across his body, which is what the Marlins believe affected his control.

In light of the weekend's Milton Bradley-for-Vernon Wells trade rumors (that have since been shot down), Buster Olney lists 10 bad contracts teams are carrying that could be a match for Bradley. One of them is a Detroit Tigers pitcher.

(And since the article is ESPN Insider content, I'll say that the player in question wasn't on the Tigers' active roster at the end of the season.)

Speaking of Olney, Mack Avenue Tigers responds to his weekend post that discussed some players who might not be offered contracts by their current teams (or non-tendered, since they're under club control). One of the guys Olney mentions, which could interest Tigers fans greatly, is Brewers shortstop J.J. Hardy.

I'm guessing that not too many Tigers fans would be excited about Jarrod Washburn returning to Detroit next season. It appears that's not going to be an issue, however, as Washburn sounds like he wants to go back to Seattle. (That sounded like a strong possibility back in July, when the Tigers acquired him.)

Red Reposter - Sorry I Haven't Done One of These in a While, but My Hamstring Has Been Sore

Charlie Scrabbles — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:15:11 -0000

by Keith Srakocic - AP

Brandon Phillips has been one of the best defenders in the league over the past 3 seasons, and he's looked mighty handsome doing it.

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The Fay has more Q's and A's
"Q, from CSA: If the Reds are so poor, why did they spend $10 million on a new scoreboard and another $10 million on the worst available manager? Not to mention all that money on Scot Rolen (that was a good deal BTW). Not to mention Willy Tavaras.

A: The hope is that the new scoreboard will pay for itself through increased advertising at the stadium. Which is a nice theory, but you’ve got to draw fans to keep rates up. Only 26 managers in the history of the game have won more games that Dusty Baker. Given the injuries and payroll, 78-84 was pretty good this year. Rolen’s salary was paid by Toronto this year. And they made a huge mistake with Taveras. But he only made $2 million this year."

I have no idea how this injury excuse has gotten any traction as a plausible reason why this team failed this past season. I would like someone, anyone, to make a good argument that this team lost because of injuries. Please.
RedsFest tickets went on sale yesterday
$15 for adults and $7 for the kiddos. "Over 50 current and former Reds players are expected to attend including Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce, Joey Votto, Bronson Arroyo, Dusty Baker and 2010 Reds Hall of Fame inductees Chris Sabo and Pedro Borbon. In honor of the recent RR Monday Morning Quiz, a special 20th anniversary tribute to the 1990 World Series Champions will include Sabo, Joe Oliver, Eric Davis, Ron Oester, Hal Morris, skipper Lou Piniella and many more."
Hall o' Famer Hal says Dick Pole was a victim of soap opera-level revenge and acrimony
"One problem with the Reds is that CEO Bob Castellini listens to too many people and some of them have axes to grind or let personalities sway their opinions. One of them got Castellini’s ear about Pole and Pole was axed (pole-axed?). A manager and a coach is only as good as his players/pitchers and I saw improvement from the Reds pitching staff under Pole."
Project Prospect is ranking the best prospects by position in the minors
and Todd Frazier is the top 2B. They say he lacks the range to be a great defender, but his bat could more than carry him. I think his bat is about average as a LF, but if he can hold his own as a 2B he could be something special. If only our incumbent 2B could play SS...

Mike Leake and Zach Stewart (cough) make the pitcher's list, Yonder Alonso is 2nd on the 1B list, and Juan Francisco is 13th on the 3B list. Hat tip to RML.
The Pirates traded for displaced Rays 2B Akinori Iwamura
or as Tim McCarver knows him, "Aka...Akamura". Iwamura was hurt most of this season and lost his job to Ben Zobrist. This deal reminds me a lot of the Reds' deal for Scott Rolen, accept that I like this for the Buccos. Neither team is close to playoff contention, both of the players are in the last year of their contract, and both players are still valuable relative to their contracts.

The key differences are that the Pirates only gave up Jesse Chavez, a 26-year-old relief prospect (Josh Roenicke?), and they have plenty of payroll space left after adding his contract (his option, which the Pirates still have to pick up, is worth $4.85 mil, which will make him the highest-paid Pirate!!). Iwamura isnt going to make the difference for the Pirates, but he'll help them take the next step to respectability.

And when you consider that Iwamura is basically the same player as Freddy Sanchez, whom they traded for a good pitching prospect in Tim Alderson, and is signed for 1/3 the money that Sanchez is, then this is really quite a move for the Pirates. I cant believe I'm saying this, but I'm kinda jealous.
FanGraphs is working on putting together 3-year UZR leaderboards and loserboards
and Brandon Phillips narrowly misses making the "best" list, falling just outside the top 5. We'll see the top and bottom 5's over the next few days.
It’s the Hardball Times 2010 Annual
I've never bought the THT Annual, but I'm thinking about it this year. It's $21.95, so it's pretty reasonably priced. Has anyone picked up one of these? Is it a good investment?

Ruining the World Series, Just Like A-Rod and Boras: Rays Trade Iwamura

devil_fingers — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:48:07 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

Tampa Bay Ray' Akinori Iwamura watches his second-inning double off New York Yankees' A.J. Burnett in their baseball game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in New York, Wednesday, May 6, 2009. He later talked to Alex Rodriguez about the best way to ruin the World Series even when not playing in it (AP Photo/Kathy Willens).

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You know, I kept my mouth shut when analyzing the Freddy Sanchez contract. But with reported trade of the Rays' Akinori Iwamura to the Pirates for Jesse Chavez, I can't keep it in any longer.

Think back a couple of years ago when the game of baseball was the victim of possibly one of the worst breaches of its sacred code since some guy didn't run out a ground ball. You all know what I'm talking about: when Incarnation of Evil Scott Boras and his Willing Servant Alex Rodriguez announced that A-Rod would be opting out of his contract. A-Rod is "finally" hitting in the playoffs, but his horrible legacy lives on. Have teams and players no respect for this, the pure, untainted-by-greed World Series, the holiest part of the baseball calender? Instead of talking about the important stuff like whether or not Cole Hamels has quit on his team, Jose Molina's game-calling skills, Nick Swisher's "slump," trying to figure out if this "Chase Utley" character who just came out of nowhere is any good, and psychological speculation about the Yankees reliving 2004, we're going to have non-stop discussion and dissection of these moves, which is exactly the lesson that A-Rod and Boras wanted to teach to narcissistic, irreverent, selfish jerks like Sanchez, Sabean, Friedman, and especially Iwamura and his agent Alan Nero, who obviously negotiated his contract conditions with the idea of ruining from the World Series.

I guess we'll just have to push through and try to enjoy what's left, in between the constant Aki Updates. I'm so mad, I'm not even going to try and analyze Jesse Chavez. You hear that, Iwamura, you attention-craving jerk? Your strategy worked. Even a bigwig like me is going to give ALL the attention to you.

Akinori "It's All About Aki" Iwamura

#1 / Second Base / Tampa Bay Rays

Height: 5-9

Weight: 200

Bats: L

Throws: R

Born: Feb 09, 1979

Hitting: Iwamura was an above-average hitter in 2007 and 2009 (although he only got in 260 PAs during the latter), with a .338 wOBA (using FanGraph's data) during both, and was below average in 2008, with .323. Adjusting for age and regressing, he we'd estimate his skill to be a .329 wOBA hitter, or almost exactly average in this run environement, so 0 runs above/below average.

Fielding: There's a pretty big discrepancy here between the numbers and the fans when it comes to evaluating Iwamura's defense. In 2007, playing primarily 3B, Iwamura's UZR/150 was -0.2. In 2008 he made the switch to 2B, and had +1.6. This past season, he was almost completely average at 2B, with a -0.2. The Fans had a different opinion. According to my translations, the fans thought his skills for 2B warranted a +10.1 in 2007, +12.6 in 2008, and +3.4 in 2009. Overall, I estimate that is about 2.5 runs above average at 2B.

Putting it all together: Iwamura's had some injury problems and he isn't getting any younger, so we'll put him at 75% playing time. Average offense (+0) + 2.5 Fielding +2.5 Position Adjustment +25 AL Replacement Level = ~30 runs above replacement times 75% playing time = about 2.2 Wins Above Replacement.

Despite revealing himself as an obvious egomaniac and possibly a sociopath, Iwamura is probably an average player at worst, and is getting paid like a part-timer in 2010 ($4.25M). Some might think this trade is pointless at best for the Pirates, although as Dave Cameron notes, there's something to be said for a team like the Pirates just getting a good player at a good price. It's not like Chavez looks like much of a loss at this point. And, (to beat it into the ground) maybe the Pirates can turn Iwamura into Madison Bumgarner at the deadline next season!

As for the Rays, I guess their hand was forced by the contract (that's no excuse, though). While Iwamura was cheap for his expected performance, he wasn't going to start next year given the presence of the far superior (and much cheaper and younger) Ben Zobrist (not to mention guys like Sean Rodriguez and Willie Aybar who will be jostling for paying time). So the money can be better used elsewhere for them.

Plus, I bet Iwamura's a choker in the playoffs, just the player after whom he obviously models himself.

A New Era: Giants Extend Freddy Sanchez

devil_fingers — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:49:31 -0000

More photos » by Eric Risberg - AP

San Francisco Giants' new infielder Freddy Sanchez, right, answers questions regarding the Giants' research into a time machine that will take him back 4 years as manager Bruce Bochy smiles during a news conference at AT&T Park in San Francisco, Wednesday, July 29, 2009.

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I know there's a World Series going on and everything, but isn't anyone going to talk about the bigger news? That's right: Freddy Sanchez re-signed with the Giants for 2 years, $12 million, replacing his 2010 club option for $8M (with a $0.6M buyout) from his previous contract with the Pirates. Isn't this more interesting than reading about going on three days rest, Chase Utley, terrible managing, and OMG Derek Yeter is teh overated!!1111ONE?//?

Yes. Yes it is. (Okay, maybe not Utley)

Freddy Sanchez

#21 / Second Base / San Francisco Giants

Height: 5-10

Weight: 190

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Dec 21, 1977

Offense: Remember when Freddy Sanchez won a batting title? Three things to keep in mind:

He's never come close to being that good again. Thus we have an near-paradigmatic lesson regarding BABIP and the the small-sample issues of one season in general.
His wOBA that season was .364, which is good, but low given what you would expect from guy hitting .344. In other words, he was batting average and pretty much nothing else on offense. So if the average goes... See point 1.
2006 was a long time ago.

Since the .364 in 2006, Sanchez had a still-decent .339 wOBA in 2007, then collaposed in 2008 with a .292, then "bounced back" to a merely below-average .322 this season between Pittsburgh and San Francisco. Adjusting for age and regressing to the mean, Sanchez projects as a .325 wOBA hitter, about 2.5 runs below average.

Fielding: Sanchez has a reputation as a good defensive 2B, but he actually played mostly 3B during his glorious 2006 season. I decided to give that a bit of weight, and along with his other numbers, have him regressed to having the skill of a +4 2B or so. In 2007, he had an +11.6 UZR/150 at 2B, in 2008 he was -1.8, and in 2009, he was +7.4. Despite his reputation, the Fans Scouting Report isn't as impressed once I translate it to runs. While the Fans have his skills rated at +4.7 (adjusted for 2B) in 2006, he was -0.7 in -0.7, -3.5 in 2008, and -0.6 in 2009. The Fans don't hate him, but there wasn't a lot of homerism, either. Overall, Sanchez projects as around a +1 defender at 2B.

Overall Value: -2.5 hitting + 1 fielding + 2.5 positional adjustment + 20 NL replacement level = 22 runs above replacement * 85% playing time = ~1.8 WAR player.

That doesn't seem like a terrible deal. If you assume the usual amount of annual attrition and $4.5M per marginal win, this deal seem about right. On the other hand, Sanchez is getting older, and has only played 150 games once in his career in (you guessed it) 2006. The deal is probably just right in line with the market. While it is isn't really a dumb deal considered in isolation (and someone with a greater knowledge of the GIants system can fill in the details about their internal options), it isn't particularly smart. It's average. Everyone loves finishing .500, right?

Who knows, maybe Sabean will try to flip him for a prospect at the deadline next season. I wonder what it would take to get a guy like Tim Alderson?

Evaluating the Freddy Sanchez extension

Grant — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:15:08 -0000

More photos » by Eric Risberg - ASSOCIATED PRESS

San Francisco Giants' Freddy Sanchez during a game against the San Diego Padres in San Francisco, Monday, Sept. 7, 2009. Not pictured: various appendages, digits, and other body parts falling off.

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It’s hard to get worked up about the Freddy Sanchez deal. The trade was a debacle, and it’s not an insignificant amount of money to pay an oft-injured, middle-of-the-pack second baseman. But if I’m going to spend the rest of the offseason arguing that the Giants would be nuts to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on name-brand free agents like Jason Bay and Matt Holliday, it would be disingenuous to claim that Sanchez’s $8M is going to prevent the Giants from getting a better player. I don’t want them to get a better player. Better players will cost more money or Bumgarners than they should this offseason. Keep the money and prospects; one player isn’t going to fix the team for the $8M we’re giving to Sanchez.

So that leaves two schools of thought on Sanchez’s deal:

Continue reading this post

He’s a good player, especially when you factor in defense, and he’s a measurable improvement over the roster litter that’s been starting for the Giants since Ray Durham left.
The Giants need help getting on base and hitting for power, which are two things that Sanchez doesn’t do well.

I lean toward the former, with a definite caveat. The 2010 Giants will have a better starting baseman on Opening Day than the 2009 Giants did. I like that thought. It’s discouraging to judge a roster move based on how awful the previous roster construction was. Would I prefer to sleep with a dead goat or a live goat? Well, the real answer is "no," but if I had to choose one with a gun to my head, I go with the live goat. Maybe dress it up with a wig, some nice pearls, and fishnet goat stockings, but that doesn’t mean that I like sleeping with live goats. It’s just a better option than dead goats. You’d need, like, two strings of pearls to make that viable, and then you’re spending more money than you’d like, what with the price of pearls these days, and it’s silly to think that faux pearls are an acceptable substitute, because c’mon.

But I digress…

It’s still fair to look at Sanchez, though, and say he’s better than what we had. The Giants sure had a lot of players who weren’t qualified to start in a major league lineup last year. Sanchez doesn’t belong in that group. Baby steps.

The biggest problem with Sanchez is that it’s another option down. The Giants have one less lineup spot that isn’t going to feature a hitter with an above-average on-base percentage or slugging percentage. That doesn’t make Sanchez a bad option. It’s just one less option.

If the Giants are going to get creative, they’re going to have to take the Southern California approach to roster construction. Both the Dodgers and the Angels made the playoffs. Neither Juan Pierre nor Gary Matthews, Jr. started a playoff game, even though they were given close to a combined $100M in ill-advised contracts. If the Giants are serious about scoring more runs, they can’t just say, "Well, Renteria (or Rowand, for that matter) is penciled into the lineup. I mean, he’s penciled in. Look, right there: a name written in pencil." They’re going to need to keep their options open if they’re going to fill spots with players like Sanchez – good players who aren’t going to help an offense a whole lot.

I’m doubtful that’s how they’re looking at it, though. I’m think they’ve just dusted off their hands, beaming with the knowledge that the Giants re-signed a man who once led the entire league in batting average. You know, like Al Oliver. That’s the first step to fixing the offense: get that batting average up!

So if you want to know why "meh" is the overwhelming response, there it is. Good player, but the overall problems haven’t really been addressed.

Poll

Reaction to the Freddy Sanchez extension?

Yay!

613 votes

Meh.

738 votes

Boo!

85 votes

1436 votes | Poll has closed

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:57:28 -0000

More photos » by Pat Sullivan - AP

J.J. Hardy will most likely be traded this offseason, but no matter what Buster Olney says, he's almost certainly not going to be non-tendered.

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Some things to read while getting new cufflinks.

So, with the World Series possibly one day away from being over, we're quickly closing in on hot stove season. Let's start today's rumor roundup with J.J. Hardy. Buster Olney thinks the Brewers could non-tender Hardy, but Al and I both agree that the concept is sheer lunacy. The logic behind it (as cited on MLB Trade Rumors) is beyond flawed:

Olney writes that the Red Sox inquired about Hardy at the deadline, but balked when the Brewers asked for excellent prospects in return. Olney wonders if this is a sign of things to come, and if no market for Hardy develops, would the Brewers be better off non-tendering the former All-Star?

So let me get this straight: The Brewers turned down an offer from the Red Sox because it wasn't enough. If nothing else develops, instead of returning to the Red Sox and asking for the same offer, Olney thinks the Brewers could let Hardy walk for free? On what planet does that make sense?

Roguejim also has a look at Hardy's trade value, and MLB Trade Rumors has a look at other shortstops that could be available via trade.

Elsewhere on the (hypothetical) market, we have Mat Gamel. MLB Trade Rumors has him listed among third basemen who could be on the move this offseason. The Nashville Sounds' website has an article from Baseball America with Gamel's reaction to a tough season offensively.

Until Jarrod Washburn either becomes a Brewer or signs somewhere else, his name is most likely going to keep coming up. Keep Turning Up the Heat! has a look at Washburn's recent performance and would accept a one year deal for him, but also notes that the 2010 Brewers are probably in trouble if Washburn is their biggest acquisition.

Meanwhile, Mike Cameron's name continues to come up in connection to other teams: The Cub Reporter has a look at Cameron as a potential fit in Wrigley in 2010, but doesn't think the two sides are a match.

As they suggested they would, the Brewers have found another job in the organization for former interim pitching coach Chris Bosio. He'll serve as the team's advance scout next season (FanShot).

Jonathan Lucroy is off to a hot start in the AFL, as he hit his second home run on Friday. Tom H. also got a positive review from a scout who recently saw Lucroy play for Peoria. Lucroy is probably a candidate to represent the Brewers when rosters are announced later today for the Rising Stars Game, which will be played on Saturday and broadcast live on MLB Network.

For more on Lucroy, the rest of the Brewers in the AFL and Alcides Escobar's season debut weekend in Venezuela, be sure to check out today's Fall/Winter League Update.

Elsewhere in the minors, I may have committed a Twitter foul. Yesterday afternoon I made a joke about the somewhat unexciting nature of Eric Arnett's recent Twitter activity, and today his account has been removed. Hopefully I'm not responsible for that. Meanwhile, Seth McClung has a picture of his daughter's Halloween costume.

Yet again, we have less-than-encouraging news about the depth of prospects in the Brewer organization, at least defensively: Alex Pedicini of The Hardball Times has the top four minor leaguers at each position, ranked by Total Zone, and there's not a single Brewer prospect among the 28 players listed.

Around baseball:

Astros: Declined their option for 2010 on Doug Brocail, and re-signed Geoff Blum to a one year deal worth $1.5 million.
Giants: Re-signed Freddy Sanchez to a two year deal worth $12 million, and declined their 2010 option on Noah Lowry. They also removed pitchers Justin Miller and Kelvin Pichardo from the 40-man roster. Miller is expected to become a free agent.
Indians: Removed pitchers Mike Gosling and Scott Lewis and infielder Niuman Romero from their 40-man roster.

Did Robin Yount use a corked bat? A game used Robin Yount bat with cork in it is up for auction, leading to discussion regarding the possibility. There's also a strong possibility the bat was corked sometime after it left Yount's possession. I'm reluctant to believe Yount corked the bat, for a simple reason: If Yount knew the bat was corked, he most likely also knew that someone would be able to figure out it had been tampered with. Why, then, would he ever give that bat away? That's like giving your autograph on the back of a steroid prescription.

Could John Maine be a reclamation candidate for Rick Peterson in 2010? Amazin' Avenue suggests he's a candidate to be non-tendered, but concludes the Mets should bring him back.

Baseball Analysts has an interesting look at pitchers' velocity and how it changes as the season goes along, broken down by several demographics. Most of the data isn't exceptionally surprising, but the difference in pitch speed between April and the rest of the season is pretty striking. (h/t Beyond the Box Score)

I'll admit it: I'm having a hard time getting excited for or paying much attention to the World Series. I have yet to sit through an entire game, and I've fallen asleep before the end of both games 3 and 4. Yet somehow, I don't feel as bad now that I know that Jon Heyman caught writers playing Scrabble and solitaire on their computers during Game 3.

Among the five candidates (Lopes, Royster, Yost, Sveum and Macha), I think you can make a solid case that Jerry Royster was easily the worst Brewer manager of the 2000's, even among a pretty bad field of contenders. With that said, his stuff apparently works in Korea, where he has led the Lotte Giants to back-to-back postseason appearances and signed a $600,000 contract extension over the weekend.

If you're hanging around the site tomorrow afternoon, you may notice some minor changes in the site as part of the visual refresh of the SB Nation platform. The changes will be minor, but will also be step one in a project to improve the load time of sites, which should be good news for everyone.

On this day in 1974, the Brewers acquired Hank Aaron from Atlanta for outfielder Dave May and minor league pitcher Roger Alexander. Aaron would go on to hit .232/.326/.360 in his final two seasons as a Brewer, make the 1975 All Star team and hit 22 home runs.

Happy birthday today to:

Taylor Green, 2009 Huntsville Star and current Brewer representative in the Arizona Fall League, who turns 23.
2007-09 Nashville Sound Lindsay Gulin, who turns 33.
Paul Ridgon, who made 27 starts as a 2000-2001 Brewer after coming over from the Indians in the Bob Wickman-Richie Sexson deal, and turns 34.
Paul Hartzell who appeared in four games for the '84 Brewers and turns 56.

Oh, and the Phoenix Desert Dogs ate mac and cheese after Friday's AFL contest. I don't know if they used this recipe.

Drink up.

Sunday Morning Dodger Links

Eric Stephen — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:00:26 -0000

More photos » by Julie Jacobson - AP

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Here is a taste of Dodger news and notes from elsewhere around the Internet:

Kensai over at Memories of Kevin Malone has been providing position-by-position reviews of the 2009 Dodgers. So far, he has reviewed the catchers, first basemen, and second sackers.
Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness has also been reviewing the 2009 Dodgers by position -- here is his look at catcher, first base, second base, and third base. Kudos to the use of 1985 Topps as well!
Joshua Fisher has started a new blog, DodgerDivorce.com
Bobby Crosby (no, not that one) has an interesting YouTube channel, DodgerFilms, showing the game from the unique perspective of the left field pavilion at Dodger Stadium (thanks to Blue Heaven for the link)
Can't get enough Dodger prospect news? Now you can follow a few Dodger minor leaguers on Twitter: Trayvon Robinson (TRobinsonAFL), Blake Smith (Blake_Smith), or former Dodger prospect Josh Bell (JBellAFL)
You can follow the Dominican Winter League here. James McDonald and Blake DeWitt are with Licey, while Jamie Hoffmann is with Escogido (playing with Boom Boom Betemit!)
In other division news, the Giants have re-signed second baseman Freddy Sanchez to a two-year, $12 million deal. He will earn $6 million in each of the next two seasons. Sanchez, who hit .293/.323/.416 with a .322 wOBA and 2.1 WAR in 111 games in 2008, is a nice comparable for free agent Orlando Hudson as he will likely enter the market. If healthy, this is a nice upgrade for the Giants, as their second basemen in 2008 (including Sanchez for ... starts) hit .236/.281/.329 for the worst average, on-base percentage, and OPS in the National League. The 2010 Bill James Handbook projection for Sanchez is .288/.329/.404.