Around the NL East - Wilson Ramos kidnapped/rescued, Jonathan Papelbon to the NL East, Marlins offering contracts

by royhobbs on Nov 12, 2011 11:00 AM EST in Around The NL East

As most of you are already aware, the Washington Nationals' rising talent catcher, Wilson Ramos was kidnapped at gunpoint in his Venezuela. Naturally, this is a frightening and unfortunate occurrence, and until further details are released as the days pass, we as baseball fans can only hope and pray for the best in regards to Wilson Ramos' safety, as well as the well-being of his family and friends.

My initial opinion of this event is one of confusion; no disrespect to Wilson Ramos by any means, but in terms of professional athlete salaries, he's still a pauper. If his rookie season was any indication, big money is easily in his future, but it's a bit puzzling to why the athlete himself was kidnapped, especially one who makes league minimum. Long ago, there were reports of Edgar Renteria moving family members out of Colombia, upon making his first million. A few years ago, Manu Ginobili of the NBA's Spurs, signed a $56M contract, and the first thing he did was get his family out of Argentina. Just two years ago, Yorvit Torrealba's son was captured and held hostage, also in Venezuela; fortunately he was freed physically unharmed.

Regardless of the facts and circumstances, it's all widely irrelvant and pointless when a human life is in danger. I would rather have Wilson Ramos be the ultimate thorn to the Braves and hit back-breaking hits against Atlanta his whole career, than to hear of Wilson Ramos' life being in jeopardy like this.

The links are a little sparse this week because one, it's the slow offseason, two, by the time you read this, I'll have been in Arizona for a few days watching AFL games and three, everything else just seems so unimportant compared to Wilson Ramos' safety.

EDIT: Wilson Ramos is safe. Obviously most of you are already aware of this, but if you don't, he's safe now, which is tremendous news. Also, Phoenix is an inconveniently different kind of place than what I'm used to, but I'm sure I'll blog about that at another time.

NATIONALS

Wilson Ramos confirmed alive by Venezuelan police - Nats Insider
I'm not quite sure how they confirmed this without any contact being made from the captors, but for what it's worth, that's great news.

Reasons why Venezuela is a scary place - MASN
Featuring a list of more occurences than the aforementioned ones that makes me sometimes wonder if sending prospects down there to play baseball is really such a good idea in the future.

Nationals are way ahead of the Orioles in rebuilding - Nats Insider
Which is kind of sad, because the O's have been rebuilding since like, 1998, and the Washington Nationals didn't even come into existence until 2005, and the being the Expos previously didn't really help their cause.

Chien-Ming Wang re-signs with Nationals for one-year - MASN
One year, $4M guaranteed, plus potential incentives. Figure that, a guy actually staying loyal to the team that gave him a chance to return.

How close is Bryce Harper? - Nats Insider
Well, the bat is essentially the hottest thing in the hitter's AFL, but the outfield is still definitely a work in progress.

Marlins invited Jose Reyes to tour new ballpark - NY Post
The first team to really be hot on the trail of the Jose Reyes saga none other than the Fish, who apparently got in touch with Jose Reyes at 12:01 a.m. the night he was free to negotiate with all teams. The funny thing is the article doesn't actually give any indication to how Jose Reyes feels about the park itself. Because it probably stinks.

Aside from Jose Reyes, Fish pursuing other available names - Sun Sentinel
Names floating around on the Fish's wish list, are pitchers Mark Buerhle, C.J. Wilson, naturally Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder, and one darkhorse in Cuban center fielder, Yoenis Cespedes.

And now they've actually been offered "substantial offers" - Palm Beach Post
No numbers are really revealed, and it's obvious that none of them are going to accept anything prior to the winter meetings, but if anything at all, it feeds the fragile egos of baseball players to know that they're wanted, even if it is by the Marlins.

Logan Morrison is off-limits - Fish Stripes
Except unless traded for Tampa Bay's James Shields.

The New Uniforms - Fish Stripes
Poor Omar. He looked better in a Braves uni, any time in his career.

Apparently the Cards winning it all was all because of Omar Infante - Marlin Maniac
I'm pretty sure that most of us could name at least ten other events that occurred in the month of September that led to the Cardinals winning the World Series, but I'll let this Marlins blogger think it was all because of Omar Infante.

Marlins prez predicting 30,000+ average per game for the 2012 inaugural season - Fish Bytes
lol

Mike Stanton in Holland with Prince Fielder to spark instant interest in the game of baseball - Palm Beach Post
Seriously, are there any two more powerful sluggers to send overseas and try to get people interested in baseball than Stanton and Fielder? Not lost is the fact that Stanton is still wearing Florida Marlins gear, obviously trying to stick with a tolerable look as long as humanly possible before the switch is made. And nothing screams "happy birthday," like spending the big 22 at the Anne Frank Museum.

PHILLIES

Jim Thome returning to Philadelphia - Phillies Nation
Man, and I really wanted to keep liking Thome, but now that he's a Phillie again, I have little choice but to boo and root for an out, every time from now on out. One year, $1.25M for the power bat off the bench the team has desperately needed throughout the 2011 season.

Ryan Madson close to new deal with Phillies - The Good Phight
Early reports indicate four years, $44M, with an option for a fifth year

Just kidding, it fell through, and now we're back to square minus one - Phillies Zone
A new tactic by Scott Boras, perhaps? Seriously, there wasn't any way Madson was going to sign that quickly, especially if he were waiting for free agency.

Nevermind, he was getting screwed over somewhat because Jonathan Papelbon just signed a multi-year deal with the Phillies - Beerleaguer
At least the Phillies now have a pretty adequate personality to fill in at closer to fill the void of having someone to actually not like in that role, in addition to a lot of the other Phillies Braves fans have come to dislike.

Glad to know we don't have to play a 2012 season - CSN Philly
Guess who's the paper champions of 2012 already? See how well that turned out in 2011...

Phillies retain the services of the Connect Four champion of Major League Baseball - Beerleaguer
Pete Orr already granted an invitation to Phillies spring training.

METS

FanGraphs dissects David Wright's value - FanGraphs
Leave it to FanGraphs to kill all inklings of emotion, and tell it how it is, based on dollars, numbers and statistics.

David Wright still hanging on to dismal thread of hope for Jose Reyes - MLB
It's almost a little sad to imagine the tone in David Wright's voice, when it comes to all these quotes about how he still thinks there's hope for the Mets to re-sign Jose Reyes. I don't much like drastic changes myself, but I also tend to look at the circumstances around it which may or may not make them more likely than not.

Reading a little too much into things - NY Post
I'm not really a fan of modern rap music; not a lot of good lyrics, too much reliance on shock value, lewdness and profanity as opposed to actually being verbally artistic. That being said, the Post is apparently taking way too seriously, of all things, a rap song performed by Jose Reyes, where he lyrics "there are no friends."

NO REYES NO WIN - NY Daily News
Meanwhile, the Daily News just goes the route to pronounce the Mets dead where they stand if and when he signs elsewhere.

Angel Pagan to be tendered - Amazin' Avenue
I'm actually a little disappointed by this. I like Pagan, and I figured when the Mets would inevitably non-tender him, the Braves would be good to take a flyer on him, for his versatility, speed, and serve as an overall great fourth outfielder-type. Apparently, some Mets brass saw the same idea, and figured it would be worth tendering him his Arb-4 contract.

Mets to ditch the shadows on the jerseys - MetsBlog
Good for them, the age of "popping" logos and scripts can be done with. Flat is clean, flat is simple.

R.A. Dickey's off-season workout routine - The Apple
If you need a good chuckle, this might do the trick.

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Comments

Pujols I can kind of understand as he's the best of the best

but Fielder, and really going hard after a 1B? What’s wrong with Gaby Sanchez? Sign a 1B, and they’ll have to accept pennies on the dollar for a pretty good player they can’t make room for.

http://sportsandgrits.com/

by Mr. Sanchez on Nov 12, 2011 11:13 AM EST reply actions

Oh snap, all this time it's been Omar's fault?

I feel pretty bad for blaming our offense and manager all year, then.

Most people use statistics the way a drunk would use a lamppost—for support, and not for illumination.
www.duwanis.com

by duwanis on Nov 12, 2011 11:13 AM EST reply actions

Well, that was huge. That night really, really sucked. And, of course, it was Infante who returned the favor to the Braves, who traded him away when he had been playing like God.

But the guy that really won the World Series for the Cardinals was Nyjer Morgan. He’s the one that lit the fire under them, as a whole, by singling out “Alberta.” If he had only kept his fucking mouth shut, things would have probably been very different.

"It looks like The Hound of the Baskervilles out there." - Steve Stone
"...I'm reminded of Wuthering Heights." - Harry Caray
~
Gaby Sanchez - 1, Nyjer Morgan - 0

by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Nov 13, 2011 9:16 AM EST up reply actions

That whole month sucked

singling out one play isn’t realistic.

Most people use statistics the way a drunk would use a lamppost—for support, and not for illumination.
www.duwanis.com

by duwanis on Nov 13, 2011 9:49 AM EST up reply actions

Glad to hear Wilson is safe. He’s a great player, but, much, much more importantly, he’s an absolutely wonderful human being. It’s funny, most guys from Venezuela are outstanding people, you’d never expect their country to be so messed up.

I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it:
http://www.amazon.com/Four-C-B-Wilkins/dp/1449578454/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257720610&sr=1-1
www.dropoutproductions.com

by cbwilk on Nov 12, 2011 12:07 PM EST reply actions

Some confusion on my part here

Does Hanley Ramirez no longer exist? Because I hear no talk of what happens to him if the Marlins sign Reyes.

And frankly, I don’t like the thought of Papelbon coming to the NL East. But please God, no Pujols in this division. Dude OWNS the Braves.

"Jason Heyward was a Greek philosopher reincarnated as a baseball player." - Don Sutton

by UMDBHIK on Nov 12, 2011 12:57 PM EST reply actions

He moves to 3B, or maybe CF.

I’m not that worried about Papelbon. The last time Phily signed a big money free agent closer, how’d that work out? How many big money free agent closers pay off?

http://sportsandgrits.com/

by Mr. Sanchez on Nov 12, 2011 1:06 PM EST up reply actions

He in the header is Hanley

if they sign Reyes, Ramirez moves to 3B or perhaps CF.

http://sportsandgrits.com/

by Mr. Sanchez on Nov 12, 2011 1:06 PM EST up reply actions

Past performance does not always

guarantee future performance. Papelbon is an upgrade over Madson/Lidge. I’m not going to argue the semantics of how many millions more he’s getting than he’s worth.

"Jason Heyward was a Greek philosopher reincarnated as a baseball player." - Don Sutton

by UMDBHIK on Nov 12, 2011 1:10 PM EST up reply actions

Over Lidge, yes

Madson I wouldn’t be so sure. And with relievers, that past performance is no indicator of future performance is increased because of how volatile those guys tend to be.

http://sportsandgrits.com/

by Mr. Sanchez on Nov 12, 2011 1:21 PM EST up reply actions

I'm of the opinion that if you have $10+ million to spend

you use it towards a SP or hitter, not a closer. I’m glad they wasted all that money on paps. Much rather they have him then resign Rollins or add Cuddyer. Closers are notoriously fickle and almost always fail no matter who they are when signed to big money contracts. I know any position can be a bust, but I rather it be a player that still goes out there and contributes every day or every fifth day even at an average level then be stuck paying a middle or long reliever a ton of money.

I know it may not be popular, but when it comes time to give Venters and Kimbrel huge contracts, I hope the Braves pass and allocate the money elsewhere.

d-wade=d-ouche

by captainamerica* on Nov 13, 2011 12:41 AM EST up reply actions

Thank The LOrd, for the safety of Wilson Ramos, and his family

You were in the prayers of millions and millions of people, and we are all happy that everything turned out okay. I understand sometimes, families do not want to leave their homeland, or players want to visit their families, but hopefully, ramos can get his family out of there to avoid any kind of horrible events such as the one that just took place.

A few other random thoughts to add, The Rockies, Wheeler and Arenado, looked pretty darn good yesterday in that AFL game. Both players showed maturity at the plate beyond their respective years, and the ball seemed to JUMP off of their bats. If Wheeler could be part of a Prado trade I would be all for it. He seems, by looks alone, to have all the tools to be a potential cog at the front-end of a ML lineup for many years to come.

Congrats to the Phils for buying a real closer. Hopefully, now that he finally has some security in his future he becomes complacent, and stinks it up lol.

Also, the addition of Jim Thome, is not cool at all. I’ve loved Thome for most of his career, and now once again I must root against him. Although he will be a very good bat off of the bench. I really hope they try and make him play 1st, while Howard is out. Things could get beautifully ugly lol.

The Marlins might get Reyes and Buerhle, but I doubt they get Pujols or Fielder. Could they use them, of course who couldn’t? Now, alhtough this may be the case, they really do not need either of those players, due to a pretty good Gabby Sanchez already manning 1st.

I am really interested in seeing who the Nats go after this off-season. They have had talks about raising payroll, and such, but I just do not see any big names ending up in a national uni. With that being said, that does not rule out the fact that they can still improve their ballclub. It will still be interesting as too see how they find some of their pieces to the puzzle so to speak.

It looks as if, the NL East is going to be quite the little division race this upcoming season, and with many chess moves still left to go, it will remain incredibly interesting to see, by the end of the year, who is calling checkmate.

Sometimes I wake up grumpy; other times I let her sleep.

by chicagobullies on Nov 12, 2011 2:26 PM EST via mobile reply actions

Yoenis Cespedes

I know the odds are against us with the Phillies, Yankees, Cubs, Red Sox, Nationals, and Tigers all interested in him, but we have freed up payroll. He’s looking for a deal that mimics Chapman’s with the Reds. For a 5 tool center fielder it’s pretty cheap. What are the odds that we can use the money gained from the Lowe trade, the increase in payroll, and the money gained from the Jurrjens and/or Prado trade to put this guy in left field?

by rxadam on Nov 12, 2011 11:20 PM EST reply actions

It would be pretty cool if we did get him,myself peronsally,I would love it

Wren did say that they would do their “due dilligence” to scout and check out the guy, but they are far from the favorites for him. Although this may be the case as of now, Wren is a sneaky kind of fellow.

Out of all of the semi-affordable free agents Cespedes, to me, makes the most sense.

I would have NO problems whatsoever scooping the guy up, and trading away Martin, for say that Rockies CF’er Wheeler and maybe another LH bullpen prospect.

You would then be looking at a lineup of

Bourn
J-Hey
Chipper
Mac
Uggla
Freeman
Cespedes
SS

This would put him in an ideal position where not too much would be expected of him nor a high amount of pressure would be put on him. Then once he gets better acquainted to the US and the ML’s, you could maybe swap him around the lineup, if he shows he’s capable of consistency.

Also, having Teheran, Fredi, Eddie Perez and possibly A-Gon, there would be members of the team that could help him and mentor him as he goes through the transition. Having mentors that can relate to Cespedes should only help him grow and blossom into the player he can truly become.

I would really LOVE this move, but I really just do not see it happening, unfortunately.

Sometimes I wake up grumpy; other times I let her sleep.

by chicagobullies on Nov 12, 2011 11:47 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

The problem is...

the due diligence part. The Cuban League’s talent level, from what I read, doesn’t match up to high-minors…I could be wrong on this, so I’m hoping cb can jump in for some information there.

If that’s the case, a guy crushing that league may not even be ML-ready, but he’s going to get offered a big contract anyway.

Making sure the guy is the real deal is incredibly important before making that deal.

-C

It’s rough to sit through these games and not have someone that can’t hit a Ball?

by cthabeerman on Nov 14, 2011 11:36 AM EST up reply actions

Ramos kidnapping

Even though Ramos isn’t making the big dough yet, I think he was grabbed merely because he was a convenient target (and what he’s making is still a whole lot more than his average countryman). Ramos was abducted from his hometown of Santa Ines, which is pretty remote and good ways from a major city like Maracaibo or Valencia. Crime is worse in the major cities, but in those places, ballplayers tend to live in gated communities that are pretty safe, and that option wouldn’t be available in a village out in the boonies.

by Tokyokie on Nov 13, 2011 12:09 PM EST reply actions