Less than two weeks until spring training Halolinks:
- Yes, we're still talking about the Angels and third base. As this post points out, Alberto Callaspo was a pretty decent third baseman last season: Position previews: Third base - ESPN Los Angeles. "Alberto Callaspo led all qualifying third basemen in on-base percentage (.363), was second in batting average (.288) and third in OPS (.740)." It also points out the other options at third were pretty limited. If we're grading on a curve, Callaspo is near the top of the class, however the class may be riding the short bus to their away games.
So, here we are again with the Trumbo talk...Trumbo eager to learn new position - The Orange County Register. "Trumbo has not played third base since a brief trial there shortly after he was drafted by the Angels in 2004." Within Saxon's post, there was a link to this article There's nothing easy about playing third base - ESPN, about playing the hot corner which included this spiffy quote, "Cal Ripken began his career as a third baseman, moved to shortstop for 15 years, then moved back to third. "I used to get hit in the cup at third, then I moved to shortstop, and I never got hit in the cup," he said. "Then I moved back to third, and got hit in the cup again."
Anyone interested in some 3B depth? Chicago Cubs DFA Blake DeWitt - MLB Daily Dish. "DeWitt played second base, third base and even left field with the Cubs last season while hitting .265. A first round pick in 2004, DeWitt has played four major league seasons with the Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers."
Dumb trade rumor of the day: Question No. 2: Jerry Dipoto's next move - ESPN Los Angeles. "Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wrote that there is "a lot of speculation" the Washington Nationals will trade 27-year-old left-hander John Lannan for Bourjos, clearing a path for Mike Trout, a 20-year-old widely viewed as one of the top-five prospects in baseball." Thanks to Dave Cameron at FanGraphs, we get this nifty analysis: Bourjos for Lannan? Surely You Jest. - FanGraphs Baseball. "The idea that the Angels would trade one of the most valuable young center fielders in baseball for one year of a fairly compensated #5 starter is kind of hilarious. The Angels have spent the winter remaking themselves as legitimate contenders in the AL West – there’s no reason for them to undo that by just giving away their starting center fielder and making their team drastically worse for both the present and the future in the process." This post also points out that Lannan is basically the east coast version of Joe Saunders. I like Joe Saunders, but trading Bourjos for Hokie Joe would be a laugher.
Spring position battles: American League West - CBSSports.com. "Los Angeles Angels, Designated hitter: Mark Trumbo vs. Kendrys Morales vs. Bobby Abreu vs. Vernon Wells"
Baseball's average team payroll in 1976 was less than an individual player's league-minimum salary in 2012: Money and wins - The Hardball Times. "Let's start at the very beginning. In 1976, the average team payroll was $365,000; in 2011, it was $93 million. That's a 13 percent compound growth rate over 35 years. During the same time period, inflation has grown 4.5 percent a year."
Latest MLB trade: Orioles Trade Guthrie to Rockies for Lindstrom, Hammel - MLB Daily Dish. "The Baltimore Orioles have traded their Opening Day starter Jeremy Guthrie to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for Matt Lindstrom and Jason Hammel, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun." And the FanGraph review: Orioles Trade Jeremy Guthrie For…Huh? - FanGraphs Baseball. "This is a trade that just doesn’t make sense to me."
Yuck: The Yankees are introducing an official fragrance - HardballTalk. "According to Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York, the Yankees will introduce two "official fragrances" on Tuesday, February 21 at a cocktail reception in Manhattan. They’ll be called "New York Yankees" and "New York Yankees For Her." The first thing I thought of:
