The great Bob Feller has passed away at the age of 92.
The original Nolan Ryan, except Feller was better.
And the Jays are bringing back Edwin Encarnacion.
Talk is that he and Lind will trade off 1B and DH
Are you planning to start limiting yourself to entirely original observations here also?
Joe Posnanski on why no one has any idea what they are talking about on Greinke.
Tigers resigned Ordonez for one year 10 mill. This was an important signing.
A’s traded for Josh Willingham of the Nationals for two prospects. Despite sending Rajai to the Blue Jays, the outfield once again looks a little crowded with DeJesus, Coco Crisp, Conor Jackson, Ryan Sweeney, and now Willingham. The AL didn’t add a rover when I wasn’t looking did they?
Willingham is straight up better than Davis, who is a great baserunner but does nothing else especially well. I’d assume the A’s are looking to Willingham as a guy who can hit in the lineup every day, which Davis isn’t a good enough bat to do.
Conor Jackson can’t really play outfield, so I suspect the plan is for him and Matsui to compete or platoon at DH/emergency outfield guy.
Thanks for posting this; that was an interesting read.
I’d take Grienke on the Mets, is all I’m saying.
Heh, I was just coming to post that. Posnanski’s the best sportswriter working today, bar none, and anything he writes about the Royals is gold. I especially love how that article, ironically enough, makes you feel like you understand Greinke a little better… even though the whole point is that he is an utter enigma.
Here’s hoping Cashman doesn’t get any ideas from Joe.
Rumor now has is Zack Grienke is going to, of all places, Milwaukee.
Toronto signs Edwin Encarnacion for a year at $2.5 million, the plan being, apparently, that he will either play first or DH, depending on whether Adam Lind works out at first.
I guess the idea is… well, I’m not sure what it is. Waiting until now to re-sign Encarnacion, adgter avoiding arbitration, looks very good, as they save money and get him on the cheap. For all his drawbacks he does have tremendous power and hell, you never know.
I don’t really get why, though, if the plan is for EE and Lind to play 1B/DH, you wouldn’t just slot Encarnacion at first and be done with it. EE can play infield; he isn’t great at it, but as the Jays themselves have admitted his fielding problems are mostly throwing, which isn’t a big deal at first. Lind, conversely, does nothing well as a fielder and has extremely little experience in the infield. I’d guess that the likelihood of Lind playing first better than EE does is about a hundred to one against.
Two days later, and RickJay’s post is all there is on the second-biggest (or biggest) trade of the off-season?
I’ll do the honors: It’s no longer a rumor, Zack Grienke is a Brewer, as is Yuniesky Betancourt. In return, the Royals got shortstop Alcides Escobar, outfielder Lorenzo Caine, pitcher (likely in relief) Jeremy Jeffress and pitching prospect Jake Odorizzi.
Posnanski had a great piece about the trade and its historical context for Kansas City. (Link.) I think it’s a very good move for Milwaukee.
Great move for Milwaukee and Geinke - I really couldn’t see him at a big-marke team. What are the Yankees doing? I’m suprised they’ve been so quiet.
Great deal for Milwaukee; sounds from what Posnanski said about the prospects like a terrible deal for the Royals.
It sounds like they are going with what they have. Cashman says he does not think anybody else is going to available for now, and he correctly points out they can make a move later.
Tom Scud:
Quite a few commentators disagree and think the Royals got a very good haul for Grienke. These guys are top prospects, not scrubs. But as is true of prospects in general, time will be necessary in order to tell for sure.
Which commentators are saying that?
Well, that’s a wash. 
Seriously, though, great deal with the Brewers. It makes sense that they go for it now, as their minor league system wasn’t great to begin with - might as well empty it out entirely and push for the World Series while Fielder is still around. They now have one of the top rotations in the NL and should still have an excellent offense.
storyteller0910:
Frankie Piliere of Fanhouse
Rany Jazayerli
Rany says that Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus loves the trade. I can’t find an article to link to (it might just have been in a tweet) but he’s very high on the two pitchers the Royals got.
The Grienke trade is one we’ll have no idea about for a year. You never know with pitchers.
It’s certainly the case that the Brewers are gunning for it all in 2011, though. Adding Grienke and Marcum could add twelve wins, easy. Going into 2011 their lineup looks as good as any in the league; that much additional starting pitching is just what the doctor ordered.