chw42 Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 16, 2013 -> 03:12 PM) Jon Heyman @JonHeymanCBS 9m Axford gets $4.5M guarantee, plus $1.75M in incentives for $6.25M on 1-yr indians deal. Took less to close for winner. Axford will be the Indians' closer? lol that's a disaster waiting to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chw42 Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 QUOTE (raBBit @ Dec 16, 2013 -> 04:55 PM) They already had that done with Wong at 2B. Wong is said to be ready and Ellis will be the RH alternative to Wong/Carpenter. Wong and Ellis will most likely platoon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted December 17, 2013 Author Share Posted December 17, 2013 Ken Davidoff @KenDavidoff 35m The #Yankees and Brian Roberts have agreed on a one-year contract. #Orioles http://bit.ly/JDsZ9c Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted December 17, 2013 Author Share Posted December 17, 2013 Jack Curry @JackCurryYES 6m Yankees have signed lefty reliever Matt Thornton to a 2-year deal. He will make $3.5 million each season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witesoxfan Posted December 17, 2013 Share Posted December 17, 2013 QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 17, 2013 -> 11:34 AM) Jack Curry @JackCurryYES 6m Yankees have signed lefty reliever Matt Thornton to a 2-year deal. He will make $3.5 million each season. Knowing the Yankees, this will work out really well for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted December 17, 2013 Share Posted December 17, 2013 QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 17, 2013 -> 12:11 PM) Ken Davidoff @KenDavidoff 35m The #Yankees and Brian Roberts have agreed on a one-year contract. #Orioles http://bit.ly/JDsZ9c Drat. That takes away any need they could have had for Keppinger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted December 17, 2013 Author Share Posted December 17, 2013 ChiTribSports @ChiTribSports 9m Orioles agree to two-year, $15 million deal with free-agent closer Grant Balfour, source says http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/break...story?track=rss … Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted December 17, 2013 Author Share Posted December 17, 2013 http://www.baseballamerica.com/internation...hake-up-market/ Defection Of Top Cuban Outfielder Rusney Castillo Could Shake Up Free Agent Market December 17, 2013 by Ben Badler Another one of Cuba’s best players has left the island, the latest in a wave of defections that isn’t expected to slow down. Rusney Castillo, a 26-year-old center fielder who had been one of the top players in Cuba, has left the country to pursue a contract with a major league team, Baseball America has learned. Castillo has played five seasons for Ciego de Avila in Cuba’s top league, Serie Nacional, so he will be able to sign as a free agent exempt from the international signing bonus pools. That process could still take several months, since Castillo will have to establish residency in another country, have Major League Baseball declare him a free agent and the U.S. government’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) clear him to sign. Once that process is complete, Castillo should draw interest as a free agent who could either go straight to the majors or get a tuneup in Triple-A before moving up. Castillo is short but has a strong, athletic frame at 5-foot-9, 185 pounds. His best tool is his speed, as he’s an above-average runner and one of the better base stealers in Cuba. More of a doubles hitter than a big home run threat, Castillo puts a charge into the ball with a line-drive righthanded swing, though he can get long to the ball at times and some scouts think he’s prone to chasing pitches off the plate. Primarily a center fielder in Cuba, Castillo has also played some second and third base, so his versatility could be a draw for some teams. He’s an aggressive, high-energy player, though some teams see him as a fourth outfielder. When Yoenis Cespedes was in Cuba, Cespedes was the star center fielder on the Cuban national team, with Leonys Martin the up-and-comer. With Cespedes and Martin gone, Castillo stepped in as Cuba’s national team center fielder at the World Cup in October 2011 in Panama. Castillo was a standout at the tournament, hitting .512/.524/.854 in 10 games, going 21-for-41 with two home runs, two triples, four doubles, one walk and two strikeouts. He made the tournament’s all-star team after leading the World Cup in batting average and slugging while ranking fourth in on-base percentage. Castillo was coming off an excellent year in Serie Nacional in 2010-11 in which he led the league with 29 stolen bases in 35 attempts and hit .324/.373/.555 with 18 home runs in 400 plate appearances. In 2011-12, Castillo hit .332/.395/.545 in 420 plate appearances, belting 16 home runs with 32 walks, 42 strikeouts and 22 stolen bases in 29 attempts. He led the league with 28 doubles, ranked 13th in batting average and tied for third in the league in steals. Last season was a down year for Castillo, however, as he hit just .250/.352/.342 in 43 games. The last time scouts could have seen Castillo outside of Cuba was in November 2012, when Castillo traveled to Taiwan and Japan for some exhibition games with the team that Cuba ended up sending to the World Baseball Classic in March. When the final WBC rosters were released, Castillo was a notable omission, with Cuba opting to bring 22-year-old Guillermo Heredia as its center fielder instead. Before Castillo left the island, a statement released by Cuba’s National Information Agency from Victor Cuesta, the baseball commissioner of Ciego de Avila, noted that Castillo was suspended from the national team for a “violation of the code of ethics of revolutionary baseball.” In other words, Castillo was likely suspended for trying to defect. He was not playing in Serie Nacional this season due to his suspension, so his decision to leave Cuba wasn’t a surprise to international scouts. Scouts would have been able to see Castillo and the rest of his teammates at the World Baseball Challenge in Canada in August, but Castillo wasn’t allowed to travel with the team. Scouts did see Castillo in July 2012 at Haarlem Baseball Week in the Netherlands, where he hit .333 (9-for-27) with no extra-base hits, one walk and no strikeouts. Castillo also played in a five-game exhibition series in Nicaragua in June 2012. Castillo also faced the U.S. college national team in July 2012, although American scouts weren’t able to evaluate him in person because the games were in Cuba. Against a team that included N.C. State lefthander Carlos Rodon along with 2013 first-rounders Marco Gonzales (Cardinals) and Jonathon Crawford (Tigers), Castillo went 4-for-24 with a home run, no walks and five strikeouts for a .167/.167/.292 slash line. In October 2011, Castillo played in the Pan American Games in Mexico, where he hit .273/.333/.318 by going 6-for-22 with a double, two walks and three strikeouts. Castillo also played in the World Port Tournament in the Netherlands in June 2011. The word in international circles is that Castillo is in the Dominican Republic and will be represented by Adam Katz of Wasserman Media Group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witesoxfan Posted December 17, 2013 Share Posted December 17, 2013 QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 17, 2013 -> 02:13 PM) ChiTribSports @ChiTribSports 9m Orioles agree to two-year, $15 million deal with free-agent closer Grant Balfour, source says http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/break...story?track=rss … That is phenomenal value. So the Orioles trade Jim Johnson to Oakland for a warm body, and then they sign Oakland's old closer for $7.5 mill a year for 2 years. I really like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milkman delivers Posted December 17, 2013 Share Posted December 17, 2013 It really used to seem like a rarity when Cubans defected like ten years ago. Now it's as though they can just walk off of the island. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2nd_city_saint787 Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Dec 17, 2013 -> 07:55 PM) It really used to seem like a rarity when Cubans defected like ten years ago. Now it's as though they can just walk off of the island. http://wuis.org/post/after-50-years-cuba-s...s-can-go-abroad Baseball season is over in the United States, but it's just getting started in Cuba. It's the first season since Communist authorities lifted a 50-year-old ban on players' signing professional contracts abroad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milkman delivers Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 QUOTE (scs787 @ Dec 17, 2013 -> 07:35 PM) http://wuis.org/post/after-50-years-cuba-s...s-can-go-abroad Didn't it say he defected, though? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiliIrishHammock24 Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 QUOTE (raBBit @ Dec 17, 2013 -> 10:39 PM) Balfour is something else too. I don't know if I like him but I like watching him. I hate that f***. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleHurt05 Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 QUOTE (Chilihead90 @ Dec 18, 2013 -> 12:18 AM) I hate that f***. Agreed. Although I wonder if I would like his clown act in a Sox jersey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptatc Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Dec 18, 2013 -> 05:48 AM) Agreed. Although I wonder if I would like his clown act in a Sox jersey. As long as he was successful, he would be considered fun. As soon as he went into a bad spell, he would be considered a jerk and a distraction to the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted December 18, 2013 Author Share Posted December 18, 2013 Brian Madsen @brianm731 12m Unbelievable. RT "@mlbdailydish: Shin-Soo Choo turned down a 7-year, $140M deal from the #Yankees says @JeffPassan." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted December 18, 2013 Author Share Posted December 18, 2013 MLB @MLB 26m OF Franklin Gutierrez, @Mariners agree to 1-year deal pending physical, reports @GregJohnsMLB. Club hasn't confirmed: http://atmlb.com/18RtoL4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted December 18, 2013 Author Share Posted December 18, 2013 Jon Heyman @JonHeymanCBS 1h ibanez has deal with angels. $2.75M plus incentives. @JeffFletcherOCR had the $, @ChrisCotillo said closing in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted December 18, 2013 Author Share Posted December 18, 2013 Ken Rosenthal @Ken_Rosenthal 1h Source confirms: Benoit headed to #Padres. First to report agreement: @JeffPassan. Expected to be two-year deal. benoit deal is $15.5M for 2 yrs. pending physical Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted December 18, 2013 Author Share Posted December 18, 2013 Ken Rosenthal @Ken_Rosenthal 2m #Rockies acquiring OF Drew Stubbs from #Indians, sources tell me and @jonmorosi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pettie4sox Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 What is Choo doing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyyle23 Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Dec 18, 2013 -> 12:36 PM) What is Choo doing? Boras Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pettie4sox Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 (edited) QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Dec 18, 2013 -> 12:52 PM) Boras So he thinks he can get more money? EDIT: Choo is not in Ellsbury's league. That seemed like a good contract for him. Edited December 18, 2013 by pettie4sox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted December 18, 2013 Author Share Posted December 18, 2013 QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Dec 18, 2013 -> 12:59 PM) So he thinks he can get more money? EDIT: Choo is not in Ellsbury's league. That seemed like a good contract for him. Coming into this off-season talk was in the 5 year/ 90 million range. Now he is up to 7/140. Might as well see what else he can squeeze out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyyle23 Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Dec 18, 2013 -> 12:59 PM) So he thinks he can get more money? EDIT: Choo is not in Ellsbury's league. That seemed like a good contract for him. Boras always thinks he can get more money, and he will always have stats that show players worth to the bidding teams. Im sure he has his own "proper" figure in mind. Im sure Choo is sweating a little bit, because I agree with you, that seems like a really nice contract for him. He is somewhat challenged vs lefties, no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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