A weblog of baseball news and analysis
Monday, December 15, 2003
Mets reach agreement with free agent CF Mike Cameron. Three years, $19.5 million. (Yahoo!)
Damien Heath: "Overall, while I can't say I'm absolutely thrilled about the arrival of Cameron if only because it means that the Mets will now not pursue Carlos Beltran, I also can't say that the news made me unhappy; I'm glad that the Mets have become a better team in the last twenty-four hours and will gladly watch Cameron make leaping, diving plays in 2004 to save that tying run from scoring for the opposition." (Shea Daily, December 14)
Former MVP Tejada signs with Orioles. Six years, $72 million. (Yahoo!)
Blue Jays sign RHP Batista to three-year contract. Three years, $13.1 million. (Yahoo!)
Foulke picks Red Sox, leaves Oakland. (Yahoo!)
Cardinals deal Drew and Marrero to Braves for three pitchers.
Brian remembers J.D. Drew. "My favorite Drew memory? 2001 NLDS, Game 5, D'backs clinging to a 1-0 lead over the Cards, Curt Schilling just mowing us down. It's two out in the 8th, the hometown fans going nuts, Schilling looking invincible, when J.D. took an 0-1 pitch and just willed it over the rightfield wall to tie the game. I can still see him blowing a bubble as he rounds second base, all the while looking straight ahead, expressionless, as if he just hit a ground-rule double in the Grapefruit League. That's the thing about Drew -- he may be personalityless, but for me that's part of his allure: the mystique of the raw specimen athlete." (Redbird Nation)
Buehrle, White Sox agree on three-year deal. $18 million, with a club option for 2007. (Yahoo!)
D-Rays add Cruz, Sanchez, two others. (Yahoo!)
Dodgers acquire Encarnacion from Marlins. (Yahoo!)
Alex Belth reports from the Winter Meetings. (Bronx Banter)
Derek Zumsteg on the court decision that upheld the Cubs' right to scalp their own tickets. "There's a law on the books in Illinois that says if you hold an event, you can't scalp your own tickets. The Cubs and their parent company, the Tribune Co., seeking to get around this law, set up a shell company, Wrigley Field Premium, with their own people, their own accountants running the books. They allowed the shell company to buy $1 million in tickets, then sell them at insane prices. Now, I don't practice law, but that's illegal. It's also Chicago, though." (Baseball Prospectus)
Damien Heath: "Overall, while I can't say I'm absolutely thrilled about the arrival of Cameron if only because it means that the Mets will now not pursue Carlos Beltran, I also can't say that the news made me unhappy; I'm glad that the Mets have become a better team in the last twenty-four hours and will gladly watch Cameron make leaping, diving plays in 2004 to save that tying run from scoring for the opposition." (Shea Daily, December 14)
Former MVP Tejada signs with Orioles. Six years, $72 million. (Yahoo!)
Blue Jays sign RHP Batista to three-year contract. Three years, $13.1 million. (Yahoo!)
Foulke picks Red Sox, leaves Oakland. (Yahoo!)
Cardinals deal Drew and Marrero to Braves for three pitchers.
The Braves acquired the oft-injured outfielder from the St. Louis Cardinals along with Eli Marrero on Saturday for former first-round draft picks Jason Marquis and Adam Wainwright, and reliever Ray King.(Yahoo!)
"Adam is our No. 1 pitching prospect and that was tough to do, but under the circumstances we had no choice,'' Braves general manager John Schuerholz said.
Drew replaces Gary Sheffield, who became a free agent and for weeks has been close to agreement with the New York Yankees.
Brian remembers J.D. Drew. "My favorite Drew memory? 2001 NLDS, Game 5, D'backs clinging to a 1-0 lead over the Cards, Curt Schilling just mowing us down. It's two out in the 8th, the hometown fans going nuts, Schilling looking invincible, when J.D. took an 0-1 pitch and just willed it over the rightfield wall to tie the game. I can still see him blowing a bubble as he rounds second base, all the while looking straight ahead, expressionless, as if he just hit a ground-rule double in the Grapefruit League. That's the thing about Drew -- he may be personalityless, but for me that's part of his allure: the mystique of the raw specimen athlete." (Redbird Nation)
Buehrle, White Sox agree on three-year deal. $18 million, with a club option for 2007. (Yahoo!)
D-Rays add Cruz, Sanchez, two others. (Yahoo!)
Dodgers acquire Encarnacion from Marlins. (Yahoo!)
Alex Belth reports from the Winter Meetings. (Bronx Banter)
Derek Zumsteg on the court decision that upheld the Cubs' right to scalp their own tickets. "There's a law on the books in Illinois that says if you hold an event, you can't scalp your own tickets. The Cubs and their parent company, the Tribune Co., seeking to get around this law, set up a shell company, Wrigley Field Premium, with their own people, their own accountants running the books. They allowed the shell company to buy $1 million in tickets, then sell them at insane prices. Now, I don't practice law, but that's illegal. It's also Chicago, though." (Baseball Prospectus)